Posts Tagged ‘India’
Will we have enough Women to take advantge of 33% Reservation?
The country was celebrating the ‘victory’ of Women’s Bill after it garnered adequate support on the floor of Rajya Sabha (Upper House of India’s Parliament). I am not sure what 33% reservation in Parliament can do for women, but I am sure about what it cannot do. It cannot stop gendercide in India.
India’s Nuclear Weapons: Symbolic or Strategic…or Neither?
Whether it was December 2001 or November 2008, the Government of India did not respond militarily to terrorist strikes within the country, even when evidence of Pakistan’s involvement was available. The question is why? According to the Government of India, the country as a responsible state did not want to escalate a nuclear crisis in the region. This leads to an interesting juxtaposition of nuclear realities in the region: India cannot avenge a terror strike on it soil because it might prompt Pakistan to use nuclear weapons. But Pakistan can continue its strategy of ‘bleeding India by a thousand cuts’ without any fear of India’s nuclear capability. Vipin Narang has a carefully calibrated explanation for this discrepancy in his paper on “Pakistan’s Nuclear Posture: Implications for South Asian Stability.”
[Picture Courtesy: IBN Live]
What does M.F. Husain’s ‘renunciation’ of India mean?
Naked Sita on Hanuman's tail
For all those who are wondering why M.F. Husain “abandoned” India, here are a few thoughts (in words and pics) from an equally confused Indian.
According to Husain it was impossible for him to express his creativity in India. So what does this say about India’s claim as an open democratic society? Is Qatar more democratic than India?
Human Rights Advocacy: Concerns and Challenges
Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet and interact with Meenakshi Ganguly and Ali Dayan Hasan from Human Rights Watch. In my informal interaction with Meenakshi, I found her to be a keen observer and her previous career as a journalist convinced me of her astute sense of reasoned social investigation; a quality imperative for anyone working in the field with Human Rights issues. The interaction brought to light some interesting dimensions with regard to human rights in general and HR Watch in particular.
The Need to Strategize India-Pakistan Dialogue
“To Indians, cycles constitute the basis of life and stand in stark contrast to the Western linear view of time….in the Indian view, the cosmos also goes through repeated cycles of creation, decay, destruction and recreation…a cyclical view suggests no past and no future, just a continuing series of cycles.”
Though, I mostly disagree with George Tanham’s much famous analysis of India’s strategic culture, I could not but think about these words of Tanham before and after the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan met on February 25.
Who Will Defend India’s Defense Forces?
India expects the highest standards of professional conduct from its Armed Forces. And rightly so. The discipline and dedication of the Armed Forces are critical for ensuring the safety of our nation. But are not Indians too unrealistic in their expectations from the nation’s Armed Forces? Mere phrases like “We are proud of our Jawans”; “We have a military that thoroughly follows orders of the civilian leadership;” and wreath laying ceremonies at the Amar Jawan Jyoti are not enough to show our respect for the military personnel. Even the Amar Jawan Jyoti does not have the name of a single Indian soldier who scarified his life for independent India. The 90,000 names etched at AJJ are those of soldiers belonging to the British Indian Army who died during World War I and the Afghan Wars.
Coming back to the issue that motivated this post, the court martial of Lt. Gen. Awadesh Prakash.
India and NPT: Change or Continuity?
According to a recent analysis by David P. Fidler and Sumit Ganguly, India wants to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a Nuclear Weapons State (NWS). Is such a development feasible or even desirable?
At 60, Phir Mile Sur Mera Tumhara
Indian Republic turned 60 today. Being a young Indian, living in the United States, January 26 did not have any special meaning for me. It was not a long weekend; had to go to work as usual. Moreover, for the past few days I was mentally confirming to the idea raised by many intellectuals in India that the Republic Day parade was unnecessary pomp and should be done away with. Moments after watching the Republic Day parade, I felt special…felt special because I was Indian. I was smiling and enjoying as the parade moved down Rajpath. And felt relieved to realize that I had not lost the connection to my roots. Here is something I want to share with all who cherish their lineage to India. Click to continue…
Who is Over-Reacting: India or Australia?
The Government of India’s advisory for ethnic Indians in Australia has offended more people in Australia than the number pleased in India. Referring to someone as ‘racist’ is considered to be the greatest insult in contemporary times; India is seen as accusing Australia for being tolerating racist attacks against Indians, especially students. This is bound to upset the Australian Government. So which side is over-reacting?
India’s 2009 Moments
“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” - T.S. Eliot “Little Gidding
Before another voice can be heard, here are words and events that dominated India’s language in 2009.