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Why National Commission for Socially and Educationally backward classes is important

Jai prakash Ojha
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Why National Commission for Socially and Educationally backward classes is important

I fail to understand the fear of the opposition OBC MPs over the newly minted National Commission for socially & educationally backward classes. I think NSEBC is an improvement over NCBC. NSEBC has constitutional status, it has widened the ambit of reservation as per the ethos behind the constitutional provision that reservation can only be given on the basis of social and educational backwardness. Till now, we have only tackled the social backwardness aspect and that too interpreting this aspect narrowly, with caste being the only determinant; it is surprising why the educational backwardness aspect was not on the radar?

The nation has been torn apart over the vexed issue of reservation. The Jats, Kapus, Marathas and Patels- all of them are dominant prosperous communities but from the educational point of view, they lag behind the upper castes. Their exclusion from globalization process & public employment and the pathetic state of agriculture are taking a toll on them and hence their protests. NSEBC has the power to include or exclude castes from the OBC list. Hopefully, educational backwardness may lead to the intermediate castes finding their way into OBC list. Most of the regional parties depend on rabid caste politics to survive and hence, the curtailment of the power of state governments to notify castes as backwards is a welcome development. 70 years of reservation should have seen lessening of demand for it but just the reverse has happened in India; there is something intrinsically wrong in intent. However, despite all hue & cry, the mother cause behind backwardness as defined today in 21st century globalized digitalized world, has failed to find acceptance. Whether it’s your educational attainment or social status, your economic status matters a lot. OBC reservation has an income ceiling limit, a bit of departure from caste centrality.

There is a fundamental difference between OBC reservation and Dalit reservation. Dalit reservation was for a specific category of citizens that faced historical suppression and exclusion. They were broken and dispossessed from land. They had to be brought into mainstream, it was more about representation (the soul behind Poona Pact) and not poverty. Now take OBC reservation. Many OBC communities were landed and prosperous; in fact, they were also ruling dynasties in some places. No exclusion…no caste atrocities on them as they were muscled. A group comprising between 40 to 45 percent of the population does not need reservation to ensure representation, many state governments are formed on their strength. Mandal reservation was for political hegemony, Ambedkar’s reservation was for social transformation. Mandal has legitimized claims of many communities (deserving and non deserving) to reservation and opened a Pandora’s box.

NSEBC should take Socio economic and Caste Census 2011 into account and prepare a deprivation index clubbing together social, educational and economic factors to make OBC reservation more rational. It’s not about caste but backward classes as defined in provision. Caste may be the sole yardstick for dalit reservation but for OBC reservation, a multitude of factors must be stitched together, it should not be about caste only. Reservation policy must incorporate provisions for identification of communities that have reaped disproportionate benefits and their subsequent removal from list lest the objective behind the policy is defeated. The ultimate objective of any reservation policy should be to reach the person standing at the end of the queue; for this to happen, it is essential to break the monopoly of certain castes over reservation. Only that affirmative policy can succeed in which all the social communities have stake, the criteria are secular and no community feels cheated & excluded.

As long as reservation was provided on genuine considerations, it was progressive social intervention but of late, its demand has become a tool for political mobilization and petty political ends.

Caste politics has killed public opinion. It has killed public solidarity. It has killed public charity. Unabashed use of identity politics has taken a toll on development, social harmony & nation building. NSEBC must be kept immune from pressure of political stakeholders by ensuring adequate representation of people from civil society and judiciary in its composition.

चुटकियों में हो सकता है कश्मीर समस्या का समाधान

RAJEEV GUPTA
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चुटकियों में हो सकता है कश्मीर समस्या का समाधान

सारे देश में कश्मीर में बढ़ती देशद्रोह की घटनाओं को लेकर जब सभी टी वी चैनल अपनी अपनी टी आर पी बढ़ाने में लगे हुए थे, उस वक्त “खबरदार” न्यूज़ चैनल की सीनियर एडिटर ने अपने एक सीनियर रिपोर्टर और कैमरामैन को बुलाया और उन्हें यह हिदायत दे डाली: “देखों हमें भी धंधे में बने रहने की लिए कुछ न कुछ करना होगा और बाकी सभी लोगों की तरह अपनी टी आर पी बढ़ाने की लिए हाथ पाँव इधर उधर मारने होंगे. तुम लोग ऐसा करो कि तुरंत कश्मीर के लिए रवाना हो जाओ. वहां थोक में देशभक्त नेता उपलब्ध हैं. उन नेताओं से एक धमाकेदार इंटरव्यू लेना है जिसे हम लोग काम से एक हफ्ते तक अपने चैनल पर दिखा दिखा कर अपने दर्शकों को भी देशभक्ति की लिए प्रेरित कर सकें..”

सीनियर रिपोर्टर और कैमरामैन दोनों ही गर्मियों में कश्मीर यात्रा के इस अचानक मिले अवसर पर मन ही मन बहुत खुश हुए लेकिन अपनी खुशी को दबाते-छुपाते हुए उन्होंने सीनियर एडिटर से यह सवाल किया, “कहीं आपका इशारा मारूक अब्दुल्ला और उसके बेटे कुमर अब्दुल्ला की तरफ तो नहीं है?”

सीनियर एडिटर: “हाँ मेरा इशारा इन्ही दोनों की तरफ है, क्योंकि यह दोनों ही ऐसे नेता हैं जो न सिर्फ अव्वल दर्ज़े के देशभक्त हैं, वरना यह लोग हमेशा अपने देशभक्ति के कारनामों का बखान करने में भी सबसे आगे रहते हैं.”

सीनियर रिपोर्टर ने एडिटर साहब की हिदायत की मुताबिक फोन लगाकर मारूक अब्दुल्ला से बात की और उनसे इंटरव्यू की लिए वक्त माँगा.

अब्दुल्ला को तो मानो मुंह माँगी मुराद मिल गयी. कहने लगे, “अरे पत्रकार महोदय, हम बाप- बेटे तो कब से इस इंतज़ार में हैं कि दिल्ली से कोई बड़े टी वी चैनल का रिपोर्टर आये और हम लोगों की भी सुध ले, हमारे ऊपर पाकिस्तान में बैठे हमारे आकाओं का बड़ा दबाब है. आप जल्द से जल्द हवाई जहाज़ का टिकट कटाइए और सीधे हमारे पास पहुंचिए. हम लोगों ने आपको देने की लिए बहुत सारा मसाला तैयार कर रखा है.”

सीनियर रिपोर्टर और कैमरामैन दोनों का ही अब्दुल्ला बाप बेटों ने कश्मीर पहुँचने पर जोरदार स्वागत किया और बोले, “देखिये इससे पहले कि आप कोई सवाल करें, हम दोनों ही यह बात साफ़ साफ़ बता देना चाहते हैं कि अखबारों में छप रही ख़बरें और कुछेक टी वी चैनल पर चल रही ख़बरों में जो कुछ भी कहा जा रहा है, उसका हम पूरी तरह खंडन करते हैं.”

सीनियर रिपोर्टर ने हैरान होते हुए कहा, “आपके देशभक्ति के कारनामें सभी अखबारों और टी वी चैनलों की सुर्खियां बने हुए हैं.”

अब्दुल्ला: रिपोर्टर महोदय, हमें इसी बात पर सख्त ऐतराज़ है. देशभक्त होने का संगीन आरोप हम लोगों पर हरगिज़ नहीं लगाया जा सकता है. ऐसा कोई प्रमाण किसी के भी पास उपलब्ध नहीं है, जिससे यह साबित होता हो कि हम लोग गलती से भी “देशभक्ति” की गतिविधियों में लिप्त हों. हम लोगों ने पिछले लगभग ७० सालों से कश्मीर समस्या को जस का तस बनाये रखने में एड़ी छोटी का जोर लगा दिया है और जब तक हम दोनों जिन्दा हैं, हम इस बात का वचन देते हैं कि यह समस्या इसी तरह कायम रहेगी.

रिपोर्टर: आपने टेलीफोन पर बताया था कि आप लोगों ने हमारे चैनल पर दिखाने की लिए कुछ मसाला तैयार कर रखा है, उसके बारे में भी कुछ रोशनी डालें.

अब्दुल्ला: हाँ हम लोगों ने अपनी प्राइवेट कैमरा टीम से कुछ ऐसे मनगढंत वीडियो बनबाये हैं, जिन्हे दिखाकर देश की सेना और सरकार को कटघरे में खड़ा किया जा सकता है. यह वीडियो इस पेन ड्राइव में उपलब्ध हैं. यह मनगढंत वीडियो हमने राष्ट्रीय दानवाधिकार संगठन को भी उपलब्ध करा दिए हैं, ताकि वे लोग भी अपने लेवल पर सेना पर सवाल खड़े करके सरकार को घेरने में हमारी और हमारे आकाओं की मदद कर सकें.

रिपोर्टर (अब्दुल्ला की हाथ से पेन ड्राइव लेते हुए): आप दोनों पर यह आरोप भी लग रहा है कि आपकी देशभक्ति का स्तर इतना अधिक बढ़ गया है कि आप खाते तो हिन्दुस्तान का हैं लेकिन गाते पाकिस्तान का हैं.

अब्दुल्ला: देखिये हमें हिंदुस्तान की सरकार से मिला एक भी रुपया अपने ऊपर खर्च नहीं करते हैं. उस सारे रुपये को हम कश्मीरी जनता की भलाई में खर्च कर देते हैं. अब आप ही बताइये कि भला मुफ्त में तो कोई सेना के जवानों की ऊपर पत्थर फेंकने से रहा. हिहाज़ा उस खर्चे का भी हमें ही ख्याल रखना होता है. हमारे पास हमारे आकाओं का दिया ही बहुत कुछ है, उसमे हम लोग बहुत शाही ढंग से अपना जीवन व्यतीत कर रहे हैं.

रिपोर्टर: अब्दुल्ला जी, आखिर में हमारे दर्शकों के लिए आप यह बताइये कि कश्मीर समस्या का समाधान कब और कैसे हो सकता है?

अब्दुल्ला: रिपोर्टर महोदय, हम दोनों पूरी विनम्रता और जिम्मेदारी के साथ यह कहना चाहते हैं और सरकार को यह बता देना चाहते हैं कि हम लोगों के जिन्दा रहते इस समस्या का कोई भी समाधान निकलना मुमकिन नहीं है.

रिपोर्टर: यह आपकी चेतावनी है?

अब्दुल्ला: नहीं, इसे हमारा विनम्र निवेदन ही समझा जाये.

(इस व्यंग्य रचना में वर्णित सभी पात्र एवं घटनाएं पूरी तरह से काल्पनिक हैं और उनका किसी जीवित या मृत व्यक्ति या संगठन से कोई लेना देना नहीं है)

Why Yogi Adityanath and Hindu Rashtra/Nationalism are wrongly misinterpreted

Dr. Pankaj Gupta
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Why Yogi Adityanath and Hindu Rashtra/Nationalism are wrongly misinterpreted

Recently the rise of BJP, as one of the biggest political party that is experiencing the winning feat in most of the elections, has been witnessed across the country. Simultaneously the politically oriented individuals and opposition political parties, find less reason to blame the government on governance issues but more on the ideological stand of it. It has been endeavoured to instill the fear among people that the rise of the BJP means communal violence and targeting of a particular community hitherto remained safe under Congress and other regional political parties.

There are various issues raised by BJP that have been seen from the prism of communalism. The issue may be of cow protection, yoga, Hindu nationalism, etc. The spokespersons of various political parties see the rise of BJP as a threat to the secular and democratic fabric of the country. But is it really the case? I feel we shall have a brief discussion to understand some of the issues raised by BJP government.

The first issue is the protection of Cow, which is revered by most of the Hindus. The issue of Cow protection has been debated across the country and it is being argued that banning the consumption of cow meat is a threat to the fooding habits of some people. Cow has a special place in Hindu believes and considered as ‘Gaumata’ (i.e. mother cow) by many Hindus. Gaumata is a term given by Hindus, according to which a cow has the status equal to the mother. It is given special status because it is believed that all the gods reside in it and people will get nature’s blessings by caring a cow.

Historically the cow protection movement was started by Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya  Samaj. Even Gandhi ji was in favour of cow protection. It was during British imperial rule also when the protection of cow was demanded that resulted in Hindu-Muslim violence in some of the areas. It was seen as a threat and considered a tool to oppress one particular community i.e. Muslim. But one has forgotten that Hindus do have religious sentiments attached to the cow. Also, it is considered the companion of Lord Krishna.

Apart from religious sentiments, cow provides dairy products like milk and many of its byproduct i.e., cheese, curd, ghee etc. Also, the Panchagavya, a mixture of cow milk, curd, ghee, urine and dung is used for medicinal purposes. The cow dung is used for plastering huts and in Goverdhan Puja. It seems sad that people are having the problem with cow protection though it is something related to the faith of one of the largest population of the country i.e. Hindus. It is important to mention here that our constitution promotes religious tolerance; therefore, the religious sentiments of most of the Hindus should also be considered while making it a reason of debate.

The second issue raised in the BJP regime is triple talaq and for the very first time I am seeing the Muslim women coming out and opposing this practice fiercely. This discriminatory practice, against any women, should not have any place in a democratic and secular country like ours. It is quite soothing to see that All India Shia Personal Law Board is supporting in favour of enacting the laws for banning triple talaq and cow slaughter. Though it is a very important issue for bringing equality between man and woman but I rarely find any discussion on triple talaq by our pseudo-secularists. By the term pseudo-secularists I mean the people who talk about secularism but in actual practice they are opportunists, who remain selective on social problems. Since, many of the pseudo secularists consider it a religious issue they do not want to speak on it openly.

The third issue is that of the term Hindutva. In this context, the Supreme Court judgement in 1995 observed that “Hindutva/Hinduism is a way of life of the people in the sub-continent” and “is a state of mind”. This judgement was delivered in the case of Manohar Joshi versus N B Patil. The same was reiterated in 2016, when Supreme Court denied to revisit its earlier observation. But it seems that certain politically motivated individuals are terrorizing people in the name of religion. Also, it has become a commonplace to dispute on raising the slogans like Bharat Mata Ki Jai, Vande Matram etc. as many pseudo-secularists think it as an agenda of saffronisation of the country.

I feel that if tomorrow RSS and its related outfits start using slogans like Hindustan Zindabad, it will also become an issue since the word ‘Hindustan’ contains ‘Hindu’ in it. It would be seen as a conspiracy of RSS and its affiliated outfits to promote their saffronisation agenda, for which the RSS has gained notoriety. Though there are a good number of regional parties like SP, BSP, RJD etc. and national party like Congress, who have been using religion and caste to get votes yet their secularist credentials are unquestionable. I really find it difficult to understand whether they are actually secular or they are intimidated by the rise of BJP.

It is ironical to see that the Moinuddin Chisti’s Shrine, Ajmer Dargah Chief was removed for using his right to freedom of expression. He wanted to bring the two communities closer by stopping the controversial issues but it has costed him a lot. Surprisingly, none of the pseudo-secularists dared to speak against it as strongly as they speak against RSS and BJP. I hope people would understand this double face of theirs. There is a need to introspect why Hinduism is seen as a threat. The only reason that I find is that consolidation of Hindu, which constitute 80% of the population of this country, votes is seen as a threat by the pseudo-secularist parties. It is important to mention here that since, Independence no major efforts have been done to bring various sections of the society closer to each other.

I remember during my schools days I could not find much difference between a Hindu and a Muslim or students from different castes. Even in my own locality people are not very conservative about it but our educational system is now making sure that we should learn and should apply it in our daily lives. Also, I really feel intimidated when I see that people are dying in bomb blasts yet justice for them is a distant dream and pseudo-secularists are debating on the judicial killings of terrorists, as if the people dying in bomb blasts do not belong to this country. I feel that the convicts of bomb blasts should not be glorified, as they have been recently. It’s like rubbing the salt on the wounds of people whose near and dear ones have lost their lives. I feel instead of BJP, these pseudo-secularists are much dangerous for the secular fabric of the society.

Now, coming back to Hindu Rashtra/Hindu Nationalism, the term is debated many a times and with the recent remarks of Yogi ji, once again the debate has started on it. According to my understanding Hindu Rastra/Hindu Nationalism means a collective social and political thought of a sovereign country running on the principle of Ram Rajya i.e. a country where people live happily and without any fear. Though it has been endeavoured by pseudo-secularists that the term should be given communal overtone but the Supreme Court observation clears that myth, which describes Hindutva as a way of life.

The other important point to be noted is that the coronation of Yogi Adityanath Ji is seen as a threat, by many pseudo secularists. I saw that many people, on social media, were lamenting on Yogi Ji’s coronation and thought that it would be a devastating decision but this man has taken strong decision in right earnest. It is also surprising to see that somebody’s credentials are checked by his attire. It seems if one is wearing saffron colour attire, as worn by UP CM Yogi Adityanath Ji, people are made to believe whatever he does, it has a hidden agenda of saffronistion.

But I feel that the rise of BJP is not the result of communalism but the subjugation faced by people during different pseudo-secularist regimes. I also feel religious tolerance is a unique feature of my country and any ordinary Hindu or Muslim of my country will not get into such issues but the political patronage to any community, promotes enmity between the two i.e. Hindus and Muslims. I think, if Hindu Rastra gives me the security, I prefer to live in this Hindu Rastra and I do support Yogi ji’s words as I feel there is no problem with the term Hindu Rastra. I do believe that pseudo-secularist needs to realise that most of the citizens in India, who have faced one or other type of threat be it in the name of religion, caste, class etc. now understand their tricks.

What is Aadhar and are the concerns about it valid?

Tripti
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What is Aadhar and are the concerns about it valid?

Digital assets like Aadhaar have a lot of potential to benefit society at scale. Yet, many people in India are skeptical that the Aadhaar system can cause abuse of personal data and loss of privacy. Several applications have been filed in the Supreme Court countering the government’s push to make Aadhaar compulsory for access to social welfare schemes. The case in court deals with the question that the government is inhibiting people’s rights and liberties under the façade of empowerment.

The reality is that a variety of digital assets like smart phones and credit/ debit cards are being used in India. There are more than 600 million credit/debit card users and more than 300 million smart phone users in India. Obviously, a lot of user data is already out there with the firms that provide users with these services. However, no one questions the threat to privacy that is possible with this data. Prof Anindya Ghosh of New York University, an expert on mobile economy, says that consumers are increasingly willing to share their data to get access to a digital product or services without bothering about their privacy.

The question then is why people are worried about Aadhaar compromising their privacy when they are already using other services that can have the same deleterious effect on their privacy. What is pertinent here is right of choice in a democracy. A person can always choose not to have a smart phone or a debit/credit card if they are worried about their privacy. But, by making Aadhaar compulsory the government is taking away the right of choice from people.

This question of lack of choice, or restrictions in making choices, are becoming increasingly important not only in India, but also in other developed countries like USA and the European countries. One can argue that these restrictions are making democracy weaker. However, the flip side is that such restrictions allow for several benefits that empowers the underprivileged by improving their access to services (e.g. banks) and also creates bulwarks against corruption and black money. Therefore use of digital assets like Aadhaar strengthen the society and make it more equal and fair, thus strengthening democracy.  Overall, we can conclude that while some facets of democracy may appear threatened, other facets are strengthened and we must evaluate the impact of Aadhaar like assets with this balance in mind. Hence, I am going to do this evaluation by analyzing a series of questions.

What are the benefits of Aadhaar?

With the introduction of Aadhaar more than 111 crore people in India have Aadhaar now covering around 99% of the adult population. Therefore, it is now possible for government to reliably identify each individual and target scheme benefits in a way that was never possible before. For example, more than 4.47 crore people have opened their bank account using Aadhaar. This has helped government transfer benefits directly (e.g. LPG subsidy, MGNREGA payments, scholarships and pensions etc.) into the account of the beneficiaries, thus eliminating diversion and leakage of funds.

Another benefit is a better monitoring of black money. Today, there are 25 crore PAN cards but there are only 4 crore tax payers. The reason for this discrepancy is that people use one PAN to file tax returns and other to buy jewelry. Clearly, duplication of PAN cards made government regulations to counter black money ineffective. However, such duplication is not possible because of biometric linking in Aadhaar. Therefore, once Aadhaar is quoted instead of PAN numbers, the issues of black money and tax evasion can be handled more effectively.

Another emergent benefit of Aadhaar is to reduce cash circulation by making cashless payments a reality in a majority of Indian society. Further, it is being used as an authentication device for taking out money from micro ATMs, and making payments to merchants.

Many consumer faced businesses have also become more efficient with Aadhaar. For example, Reliance Jio could enroll millions of customers with Aadhaar authentication within few minutes.

Can Aadhaar card, if lost or stolen, be used by others with malicious intent?

The biometric link in Aadhaar makes it is impossible to be used with malicious intent unlike credit /debit cards which need to be immediately blocked in such a situation.

Can individuals update their data to keep it current?

The Aadhaar card holder has the legal right to access and update his/her demographic information except for the core biometrics. This system ensures the continued accuracy of information in the central identities data repository.

Can the system be manipulated and misused by the system operators?

Impersonation, changing or attempting to change the demographic and biometric information of an Aadhaar number holder, pretending to be an agency authorized to collect Identity information of a resident, intentionally transmitting information collected during enrolment and authentication to an unauthorized person, hacking the central identities data repository and tampering it, providing biometrics that is not one’s own are all punishable offences under law. Clearly, the legal system has kept pace with the needs to make Aadhaar effective.

Recently public display of ace cricketer MS Dhoni’s data by the enrolling agency was treated as an offence, which got them blacklisted for 10 years. UIDAI has confirmed that Aadhaar biometric data has not been breached by way of identity theft or financial loss in the last five years and around 40 billion Aadhaar authenticated transactions have been done in this time frame. This shows the robustness of the Aadhaar system. Recently, a couple of attempts were made to infringe the integrity of the system by a single person giving double demographic identities and another attempt in which copies of biometric fingerprints were used to authenticate online payments. Both these attempts to compromise the integrity of the Aadhaar system were identified and a criminal case was filed against the culprits.

Can the system be misused by government for surveillance?

Surveillance is already done by cctv cameras, phone tapping, drones, social media posts and tweets by the governments all over the world. Most of us have one or more identity/address documents, such as a passport, ration card, PAN card, driving license, vehicle registration documents or a voter ID card. The government departments managing these already have our data. Therefore, government can do surveillance and profiling even without Aadhaar. Further, Aadhaar enrolment process does not capture sensitive details like community, caste, religion, class, ethnicity, income and health. It is indeed correct that government should not do profiling, but it does not appear that Aadhaar system allows the government to do profiling any more than already existing systems.

***

Overall, we see that the benefits of Aadhaar far outweigh any negative consequences. Therefore, Aadhaar can be looked at as a fledgling digital institution that is just taking root. We must understand that trust has always played a vital role in allowing the institutions in a democratic society to function. We choose our leaders, but then we give our trust to the elected leaders to run a country for several years. We also trust our judges to provide a fair system of justice, while they are mostly immune to removal. We all know that trust is sometimes violated by some individuals. But, the collective experience of society has been more positive than negative, which is what has made democracy sustain through these tumultuous times.

We should trust Aadhaar in the same way as we trust our age old democratic institutions and give it a chance.

How my Delhi University professor humiliated me to satisfy his ego

Dr. Pankaj Gupta
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How my Delhi University professor humiliated me to satisfy his ego

Recently, Ramjas College of Delhi University came into media for controversy that broke between ABVP and leftist group. The bone of contention of this controversy was the invitation to Umar Khalid, one of the JNU students, who was an accused in a sedition case. The English Department of the college proposed to organise an event ‘Culture of Protest’ wherein he was invited as one of the main speakers. The situation went out of control when the clashes broke out between ABVP and leftist group. The worst part of the incident was that one of the professors Prashant Chakraborty of the English department was badly hurt in this incident. This incident of hurting a faculty member brought forth the issue of strained relationship between students and teachers. I do believe that violence is wrong in a civilised society like ours. Especially campus premises should not have any place for violence.

But it is important to note here that the relationship between student and teacher is quite delicate that requires to be cared by both. Overwhelming of anything could create unpleasant situations. My own experience with a professor in my Department, who happens to be the spokesperson of a political party and having leftist leaning, is not very good. I feel it is important to discuss my own experience here not only as a PhD scholar at Delhi University but also as a victim of leftist atrocity.

My father has served in Department of Social Work, Delhi University and I did my post-graduation from the same department. My post-graduation got completed after one year of his retirement from this department. During this entire one year I was humiliated by a professor, who is an ardent leftist. I found it really difficult to understand this behaviour of his. Though I asked him various times about it but I never got a straight answer. However, I did not pay much attention to his misbehaviour during this period.

Later, I joined a public sector Bank and got posted in Goa. But unfortunately, I had to quit my job because of my father’s deteriorating health and returned back to Delhi. My family condition forced me join this Department of Delhi University again and I enrolled myself in PhD so that I would be able to takecare of my ailing father as well as concentrate on my career. My joining at the Department gave this professor another chance to humiliate me and one day all limits were crossed when I was humiliated for dropping an empty glass in the dustbin used by him.

I remember the only mistake that I committed was, after having a cup of coffee, offered by this professor; I dropped the empty disposable glass in its rightful place that is a dustbin. But this dustbin was kept in his room. This irked him and he forced me to take the dustbin to each and every scholar present in his room and collect their empty glasses. He was so infuriated that he wanted it to be done by me only, as if dropping the empty glass in the dustbin is a crime. And all this happened not under ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ but his ‘Humiliation Abhiyan’.

I could not either protest or commit suicide, after this incident, because my entire family would have suffered. My only mistake in this department was that my father had served in this department during his entire life. It seems that it is a crime, to be the ward of a non-teaching staff, in the eyes of this professor. My father expired after a few months of this incident. He regretted why did he ask me to resign from the job and return back to Delhi, because of this professor’s behaviour.

Later, I discussed this matter with my research guide who told me only two things that ‘I have taken a mature step by not getting into any sort of argument with this professor’ and‘I should learn to forgive and forget’. But I feel at times, this attitude has been costing me more and remaining tolerant encourages such professor, at Delhi University, to continue with their hidden agenda of humiliation. I realised that words are powerful than a sword.

If such professors are there in Delhi University, than how one can think of respecting them. Teacher and student relationship is two sided and I feel both shall respect each other but if such professors are there then it would definitely reduce the respect for a teacher. Teachers are given the stature of God in Hinduism but professors like him demean the teachers’ status in the eyes of a student.

Though I have written about my experience but I feel that this person would hardly regret. On the contrary, I may be subjected to further humiliation and it can jeopardize my PhD as well. The sort of threatening environment created in my department actually desist student from speaking the truth. But I believe that the truth triumphs though it may take time and can cost a lot.

Appropriating Ambedkar: Challenges for Indian Right and Hinduism

Satish Kumar
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Appropriating Ambedkar: Challenges for Indian Right and Hinduism

April 14, birthday of Dr. B R Ambedkar, a day which witnessed multiple celebrations across different political streams of India, is essentially the prime example of ideological incoherence and confusion among all the streams of political thoughts of India. The legacy of Ambedkar is such diverse in nature that every group picks certain elements which suits their agenda while maintains a strategic silence over others.

The interesting thing in recent year has been the interest of BJP and RSS in appropriating the legacy of Ambedkar through number of means. This year, PM Modi launched Aadhar Pay, merchant interface for BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money), and paid a special visit to Nagpur to pay tribute to Ambedkar on his birthday. The state governments of BJP have been equally enthusiastic for his birthday celebration and Maharashtra decided to celebrate it as Knowledge Day while Uttar Pradesh government made it compulsory to keep the schools open on April 14.

The effort towards appropriation of Ambedkar by Indian political right is not limited to only political sphere, rather stretches in the social domain too with the celebration of Samrasta Divas. All BJP MPs were asked to stay in their respective constituencies for 48 hours to listen the problems of people on this occasion. PM Modi has also quoted Ambedkar frequently in his speeches recently, in which he lauded Ambedkar as champion of social justice and an able economic thinker. However, the effort by Indian right to appropriate Ambedkar is problematic in many aspects, inconsistent with the ideology of Hindutva, and having negative implications for Hinduism in future. I’ll try to investigate the historical problem associated with it then estimate the future implications.

Historically, the core of Hindutva has been the Hinduism and the cultural nationalism emerging out of it. From Savarkar to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, this is the central body of thought on which the entire movement of Hindutva rests. If we examine Ambedkar’s writing, he has been vehemently opposed to Hinduism in every manner and even went on calling for annihilation of Hinduism in the disguise of annihilation of caste. For Ambedkar, Hinduism was essentially Brahminism, which had adopted other castes in late 19th century for political purpose, but it has been historically repressive of untouchables. So, every criticism of Brahminism by Ambedkar should be considered as criticism of Hinduism as all the scriptures of Hinduism were penned down by Brahmins to assert their hegemony over others in his worldview. Quoting Ambedkar from ‘Annihilation of Caste’, considered as his seminal work and the clearest exposition of his thought:

‘The Hindus hold to the sacredness of the social order. Caste has a divine basis. You must therefore destroy the sacredness and divinity with which Caste has become invested.’

‘What is called Religion by the Hindus is nothing but a multitude of commands and prohibitions. Religion, in the sense of spiritual principles, truly universal, applicable to all races, to all countries, to all times, is not to be found in them …’

As it can be inferred from above excerpts, Ambedkar didn’t consider Hinduism to be a religion as per the existing parameters of religion but a collection of orders to form a stratification of society based on caste. By linking caste system of Hinduism with its scriptures, Ambedkar necessarily wants to assert that caste system has always existed in India and it can’t be eradicated without destruction of its foundation i.e Hinduism. A critique of Ambedkar’s thesis on caste and its divine origin is beyond the scope of this article but understanding his views about Hinduism is quite important to understand the future implications. Ambedkar further writes:

“The wrongs to which the Untouchables are subjected by the Hindus are acts which are sanctioned by the Hindu religion. They are done in the name of Hinduism and are justified in the name of Hinduism. The spirit and tradition which makes lawful the lawlessness of the Hindus towards the Untouchables is founded and supported by the teachings of Hinduism.”

Without an iota of doubt, Ambedkar believed that untouchability and Hinduism are inseparable with each other and if one has to get rid of untouchability then he has to renounce Hinduism. This became quite certain when Ambedkar announced at Nashik in 1935 that he is born as Hindu but will not die as Hindu. The Mahar confrence organised in 1936 in Mumbai, he told his followers that the struggle between Hindus and untouchables is eternal one, and Hindus don’t consider untouchables as part of Hinduism, thus, it’s in the interest of the untouchables to get converted for getting the social status.

When Ambedkar finally embraced Buddhism in a public ceremony on October 14, 1956 in Nagpur with his 6,00,000 followers, he prescribed 22 vows for the new converts. Some of them are:

“I renounce Hinduism, which disfavors humanity and impedes the advancement and development of humanity because it is based on inequality, and adopt Buddhism as my religion.”
“I firmly believe the Dhamma of the Buddha is the only true religion.”
“I shall have no faith in Brahma , Vishnu and Maheshwara , nor shall I worship them.”
“I shall have no faith in Rama and Krishna , who are believed to be incarnation of God, nor shall I worship them.”

Till the last moment of his life, Ambedkar remained opposed to Hinduism and even tried to erase all the relationships between Hinduism and Buddhism which had existed throughout the history. While in case of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, there was no clear conflict with Hinduism, in Navayana (Dalit Buddhist Movement), Buddhism is directly confronting Sanatan Dharma. When BJP is trying to appropriate the legacy of Ambedkar, it can’t stop people from considering these views of Ambedkar about Hinduism. Due to the Ambedkar’s conversion into Buddhism, a large section of Schedule Castes have converted themselves into Buddhism by following the footprints of Ambedkar.

The crucial question remains, how will BJP or Sangh Parivar will be able to hold back the schedule castes in the fold of Hinduism when they’re celebrating an icon which clearly prescribed them to leave the fold of Hinduism? The argument can be given by RSS that as untouchability has been declared a crime by Indian Constitution, his views are not relevant in present anymore. However, had Ambedkar thought so, he would have revised his views about Hinduism after 1950. Instead of doing that, he got converted in 1956 with the notion of eternity of untouchablity in Hinduism.

How will BJP convince the schedule castes from restraining their conversion into Buddhism when they’re elevating Ambedkar as Dalit icon? This challenge has become even more magnified as well as complex due to the presence of Christian missionaries who are trying hard to alienate the Dalits from Hinduism by using the ideology of Ambedkar and atrocity literatures. The consequences of Ambedkar’s writings can be seen in the academia where Dalit thinkers like Braj Ranjan Mani writes books like “Debrahmanising India” while Kancha Ilaiah writes “Post-Hindu India”. The central theme of these books always remains the human rights violations by Brahmins, caste oppression, appropriation of native culture by Brahmins, and how Dalits are not Hindus. Due to such kind of discourse in academia, Mahissaasura has been elevated to the status of tribal/Dalit God, representing non-Aryan native Bahujans of India. Eklavya, Shambuka, Raja Bali etc are in the process of getting resurrected as bahujan  heroes who were oppressed by Brahmins in history.

Be it whether racist scholars like Kancha Ilaiah who considers Krishna as a fictitious entity created by Brahmins to curtail the Yadava uprising in some mythical past to Ambedkar who considers the eternal conflict between upper and lower caste Hindus, both the streams get united in calling for eradicating Brahminism and instigating the Bahujans (Dalits and OBCs) to fight against the upper castes. As this narrative is being more and more mainstream with the support from Christian missionaries working in India, the danger looming on Hinduism is only getting bigger where a violent conflict between upper and lower caste Hindus can’t be denied in upcoming time.

It should also be noted that Ambedkar was never able to win an election by his own and his image as Dalit icon has been deliberately shaped by academia and popular discourse after independence. The correct attitude in my view will be to dismantle the false sense of grandeur associated with Ambedkar rather than providing him further legitimacy as a social thinker. Rather than countering the false scholarship of Ambedkar about Hinduism and the Dalit thinkers who have surfaced in the academia to set the narrative straight, BJP has been trying to appropriate someone who will erode the core of Hinduism and associated political movement.

Flashpoint Kashmir: How and why an average Kashmiri is robbed of his dreams

Vivek Sinha
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Flashpoint Kashmir: How and why an average Kashmiri is robbed of his dreams

Yet again the picturesque Kashmir Valley is in news for wrong reasons. This time the big talk is about violence during by-elections of the Srinagar Parliamentary constituency that led to the death of eight boys.

Over next few weeks there will be a barrage of news-analysis wherein reams of newsprint will be devoted to the “targeted killing” of “innocent” Kashmiris and hours of newsroom debates will focus on how Indian state is losing the plot in Jammu Kashmir. Discussion and debates will underline the alienation of Kashmiri youth, plebiscite, UN resolutions, human-rights violation, AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) and several others.

During the last several months, flash mobs have indulged into targeted stone-pelting at security forces leading to deaths due to firing. Immediately after such incidents there’s a media frenzy that talk about Kashmir slipping into chaos.

In fact, this follows a pre-mediated script and there’s no deviation from the preconceived trajectory.

No I am not undermining or belittling the deaths of Kashmiri youth killed in violence during the recent Srinagar by-elections. Of course, these deaths are unfortunate but my point is about the selective and prejudiced reportage of the events leading up to such incidents. It’s this biased reporting about Kashmir Valley that has created a vicious cycle of deaths and has cemented a farcical narrative about Jammu Kashmir.

Let’s take a hard look at the facts. Kashmir Valley is just 7 % of the geographical area of entire Jammu Kashmir state, which also includes Jammu, Laddakh, Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) and China-occupied Jammu Kashmir (CoJK). Of this 7 % geographical region incidents of stone-pelting occur in only five districts of the Kashmir Valley—Srinagar, Baramulla, Anantnag, Shopian, and Pulwama.

So why do incidents of stone-pelting and violence occur at regular intervals in these five districts of Kashmir Valley?

It needs to be borne in mind that the pro-Pakistan rabble-rousers dubbed as “Kashmiri Separatists” are fighting a battle for their survival. These Separatist leaders live in Srinagar and yet wish that Jammu Kashmir should secede from India and join Pakistan. The entire coterie of Kashmiri Separatists that includes the likes of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Asiya Andrabi and Yasin Malik, among others, have their support base in only these five districts of Kashmir Valley.

Interestingly, even in these five districts their hard-core supporters are confined to a few colonies. A large proportion of people in these five cities are either peace loving or support these Separatists out of fear of being ostracised. These fence-sitters are average Kashmiri middle class people who aspire to lead a happy and content life. Their children want to be doctors, engineers, lawyers, pilots, civil servants, singers, actors or have similar other career ambitions.  Several of these youngsters have even joined the Indian Armed forces. They want to move with the economic development and prosperity of India. And this is what frustrates these pro-Pakistani Separatists.

If an average Kashmiri chooses tourism over terrorism then the entire gambit of Separatists comes to a naught. The Separatists are well aware of this and know that their back is on the wall.

And when the devil (read Separatists) is pushed to the wall (s)he unleashes a devious design. So, they have developed a web of paid agents across Kashmir Valley who work under diverse pseudonyms but for a common master. A human rights activist and an armed Islamic terrorist work in tandem in the same locality and are helped by several other proxies. Their modus operandi, over the last several months, have been to target school children in the age bracket of five to fifteen years.

Roping in children has its own set of benefits. It’s much easier to indoctrinate a school child at an impressionable age plus if he gets hurt (or dies) during stone-pelting violence then his picture is used for propaganda and helps play the victim card.

The Left-leaning media is always eager to lap up such stories. That’s precisely the case in Srinagar by-election violence. None of the journalists who report from and about Kashmir ask a simple question: Why do kids come out during stone pelting? This obvious question was finally asked by the Indian Supreme Court a couple of days ago. “But what are children aged seven, nine and fourteen years doing in a mob? Why are they placed in front of the mob to confront security forces,” asked a Supreme Court Bench that included Chief Justice of India and two other Judges. The question was posed during an ongoing hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by J&K High Court Bar Association to ban pellet guns used by security forces to quell restive crowds.

A closer look at the stone pelting videos and pictures clearly shows that only a handful of masked youngsters are keen on throwing stones while the rest remain as passive bystanders. The ones who are keen to throw stones and Molotov cocktails (petrol bombs) are the active cadres of these pro-Pakistan Separatists while the much larger crowd of bystanders are the kids who have been forced to come out. A further dichotomy of these bystanders reveals that a large group among these kids comprises of those who have been brought out with the lure of money and most of them are paid between three hundred to five hundred rupees (USD 4 to USD 7.5)

The remaining and largest segment comprises of kids who have been literally dragged out of their homes. These children join ranks with the notorious Separatist elements only because if they do not do so then their family will be branded as informers of the Indian Army. Once a family is branded as an informer of the Indian Army then they come on the radars of Islamic terrorists who work underground. The women from these marked families are mere lumps of meat for Islamic terrorists who rape and molest them at free will. Every family wants its women to be safe and if the family’s young boys need to pay a price by being a face in the stone-pelter crowd, then so be it. The average Kashmiri has no option, but to be a mute spectator during the stone pelting episodes and take part in the funeral processions of terrorists killed by Indian security forces.

Over the years a perception has been assiduously built that local Kashmiri, especially the youth of Jammu Kashmir, is alienated with India and they support and endorse Islamic terrorist attacks. This ‘perception management’ works in such a way that opinion, especially the Separatist’s viewpoint, is passed upon as news from the Valley. It is hardly reported that these Pakistan-sympathiser Kashmiri-Separatists and Islamic-terrorists are a mere handful and they do not enjoy the support of masses.

Of late, stories of high handedness of Islamic terrorists and Separatists have begun to trickle down further eroding their support base. In order to stay relevant they have been desperate to play any kind of mischief.

Recent violence during Srinagar by-elections is a case in point. Whatever be the outcome of this election, it will have no bearing on the state or the national politics. Yet Sheikh Abdullah’s son Farooq Abdullah joined ranks with pro-Pak Separatists to save his National Conference from slipping into political oblivion. His party has lost support over the years due to anti-people polices and he knows that if he loses the by-elections then its curtains for him and his party. A strategy was thus chalked out to disrupt election voting such that all those who are opposed to Farooq Abdullah are not able to come out to vote and only his supporters would vote, thus paving victory for him. The mere 7 % polling signals the success of these forces who kept common Kashmiris away from the polling booth. During re-polling the voting fell down to a mere 2% due to fear of mass scale violence. No one wants to risk their life while casting their vote.

This indeed is a devious strategy. Farooq Abdullah will thump his chest at the electoral victory and yet claim to be a victim saying innocent Kashmiris lost their lives for his victory. The Separatists, on their part, will dismiss the elections as sham saying people of Kashmir had rejected India’s electoral process.

The fact remains that security forces faced grievous injuries. More than a hundred security personnel have been seriously injured due to stones targeted at them and the deadly Molotov cocktails (petrol bombs) that were hurled upon them. Indian security forces fired only in self-defence. Yet, worrisome aspect in this saga is that the psychological warfare waged by Islamic terrorists in the laboratory of Kashmir may now be tested elsewhere in the world as well.

Is Omar Abdullah trying to raise sympathy for stone-pelters or spreading hatred for CRPF Jawans?

mihirujjainwal
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Is Omar Abdullah trying to raise sympathy for stone-pelters or spreading hatred for CRPF Jawans?

April 14, 2017: A part footage of a video that was shared by Omar Abdullah on Twitter goes viral on social media. The video consists of a stone-pelter being tied to the bonnet of an army vehicle, while they were passing through a village in time when the by-poll elections were happening.

Reality:  The video whichis  said to be from Kashmir, is from Kashmir’s Budgam sector. The footage is from 9th April, the broadband connections were restored today after which the video was released, confirmed sources. The reason behind this type of act was: the polling team, which was there for the elections of by-poll was cornered by a mob of about 400 people, who were in an intention to set the team on fire. But, Army’s quick response team arrived the area in time and handled the situation. To resist any firing and hostility, Army took the unconventional, yet helpful step. The Army sources has also stated that since that day, no stone pelting incident has happened in that area.

The video was published to counter the video of a CRPF soldier, who was humiliated by youth in Kashmir, It is no secret how former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir has used the video to outrage the youth of the valley. While, the other side of the coin is contrasting. The Indian Army, which used such an effective idea to prevent any firing and keeping peace was being targeted by the politician who a few days ago was complaining about how PDP government reduced his security forces. Farooq Abdullah, also once the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and father of Omar Abdullah, stated that stone-pelters and militants are fighting for justice and country. The same person who opposed pelting and militancy in his tenure. It’s surprising, how lust of power can change you or show your real face.

Conclusion: The Army is asked not to use pellet guns, real guns, tear bombs. It’s no surprise for anyone if such an incident has occurred, also this technique of stopping stone pelters is indeed less harmful and more effective, something the Supreme Court and some groups wanted. It’s now time for Kashmiri youth to understand that Indian forces are their friends, not Hurriyat or separatist groups and such support to militant activities will only lead to death and destruction. Government and Supreme Court also must understand that they can’t keep restraining forces after such incidents, CRPF should also be allowed to retaliate for their defense else it effects the morale of our armed forces.

References: Major Gaurav Arya, Ravijot Singh

The big red dot: Fighting terrorism with UNSC

youindians
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The big red dot: Fighting terrorism with UNSC

I was running late for my meeting with the leaders of the 5 Member States of the UN Security Council. Since the meeting happened to be in India, we were meeting in a famous kebab restaurant in UP. When I arrived I saw the five Heads of State sitting on a bench feasting on veg pakoras (there was a shortage of illegal beef that day).

I sat next to Putin who was pulling Trump’s leg:

Putin: You may be the most powerful man in the world. But when I give an order in my country, an executive order no less, I can say with full confidence, it is followed.

Trump: (shaking head and mumbling incoherently) judges…leftist…

Theresa May and Francois Hollande join Trump in shaking their heads and mumbling incoherently.

11 Jinping was smiling and nodding, pretending to understand what everyone was speaking.

Cutting to the chase, I pull out my phone and open an app showing a map with several thousand red dots.

Me: The red dot shows the location of the members of the most wanted terrorists groups in the world.

Trump: (snatching the phone from my hand) Where is Abu Bakes All Baghdad (Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

I press a button and he is shown to be in Pakistan.

Putin: (snatching the phone from Trump’s hand) Where are the Chechen cowards?

I press a button and surprisingly they are all in Pakistan

11 Jinping: (snatching the phone from Putin’s hand) Uighur?

I press a button and surprisingly, they are also in Pakistan

Trump: (Before Theresa May and Francois Hollande could get their turn) Let me guess. Half of London’s population and 100’s of Peugeot trucks are in Pakistan too.

11 Jinping was the first to laugh.

I get my phone back and press some buttons. A Big Red Dot appears. I place the phone on the bench between the leaders.

Me: You are the most powerful leaders in the world. Any one of you can press that Big Red Dot. All the terrorists in the world will vanish. So who is going to do it?

Trump: you mean Abu…

Me: (I interject) Yes!

Putin: Those Chechen…

Me: Yes!

11, Theresa and Francois each ask about their respective terrorists. I answer in the affirmative.

Me: So who is it going to be? 11?

11 Jinping: Pakistan…All Weather…

Trump: Tires (laughing)

Putin: Door Mat (laughing)

11 Jinping: No. no. Friend (laughing)

They all have a good laugh.

Me: Ok. I am not surprised China is out. How about you Putin?

Putin: I want to be friends with Taliban. Pakistan can help me. Besides, I have the Chechen bastards under control.

Me: Ok. How about you Theresa? Hollande?

Theresa: I would love to press your buttons My Dear. But then I will have those Human Rights Watchdogs all over me.

Hollande: Qui. Dogs

Putin: Thoo

Trump: I don’t give a damn about those Human Rights Groups. As far as I am concerned, they are a bunch jobless, leftist hippies who don’t understand the threat of Islamic terrorism.

Everyone claps and concurs with Trump.

11 Jinping: Human Rights?

Everyone burst out laughing. 11 smiles blankly.

Me: So Trump. That leaves you then.

Putin: (interjects) He may not care about human rights groups. But he definitely cares about arms groups.

Putin and Trump give each other a High Five.

Trump: How about we kill just that Al Qaeda guy – A Man Always Hiring (Ayman al-Zawahiri)

Putin: No. Just the Chechen.

Each of the Head’s of State shout out their respective terrorist.

Me: The Big Red Dot doesn’t differentiate between terrorists. It kills all of them at once.

The leaders leave before admonishing me for making such a useless weapon.

I overhear Trump speaking to Putin as the leaders walk away.

Trump: I feel like dropping a BIG bomb. It’s going to be HUGE!

Putin: Where? Pakistan?

Trump: …Afghanistan.

A Few Months Later

An Islamic Terrorist makes a crude form of my Big Red Dot Weapon App.

Islamic Terrorist: Son. This Weapon is All Powerful. With just a press of a button, all the Kafirs and Islam’s enemies will vanish forever. I give this to. What will you do?

Son:

Elon Musk throws his weight behind Make in India: All thanks to ISRO

shravanipt
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Elon Musk throws his weight behind Make in India: All thanks to ISRO

With the simultaneous launch of a record 104 satellites on a single rocket on the morning of 15th February 2017, India not only created history in the turf of space exploration mostly dominated till date by first and second world countries like the U.S. and Russia, but also came back on the world map in a huge way with Tesla founder Elon Musk heaping praises on the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for this impressive feat through his tweet here.

Breaking the previous record set by Russia that had launched 37 satellites back in June 2014, PSLV-C37 took off from the launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota propelling the satellites into orbit at a speed of 27000kmph. Of the 104 satellites, around 101 belonged to six foreign countries, with the maximum number roped in from the U.S.

India has undoubtedly set a world record with the completion of this colossal mission, and yet, this is only preceded by ISRO’s earlier success of effectively launching 20 satellites in a single flight in the Sun-synchronous orbit in June 2016.

Why India is fast becoming a hub among international players keen on space missions

It is notable that of the 104 satellites taking off as part of the mission this February, at least 88 were owned by Planet Labs, a San-Francisco based start-up aiming to build a constellation of satellites that would facilitate panoramic imaging of the entire earth on an everyday basis. The list includes additional 8 LEMUR-2 nano satellites owned by another San Francisco-based start-up, Spire Global Inc. Five other satellites, with one each coming from each of the other participants, namely, the PiezoElectric Assisted Smart Satellite Structure (PEASSS) from Netherlands, Switzerland’s DIDO-2, Israel’s BGUSat, Al-Farabi-1 from Kazhakstan and UAE’s Nayif-1 also made up the bundle.

Only three of these whopping numbers i.e. nano satellites INS-1A, INS-1B and ISRO’s main payload, the Cartosat-2 series belonged to India.

One of the chief reasons international space explorers are increasingly heading towards India is the cost. Sample this: Even California-based Space X, Elon Musk’s private aerospace design and manufacturing company that had managed to rattle Stephane Israel’s Arianespace in the satellite-launching domain by slashing costs alone, seems to have detected a threat in the way ISRO’s PSLV rocket has managed to achieve staggering success in this sphere at merely one-third the costs borne by Space X in launching its Falcon 9 (which amounted to about $60 million).

This is not the first time India has managed to achieve stellar results in its style – low costs, high expertise. Back in 2014, the country, in sending its Mangalyaan satellite into orbit had tasted success in its first very attempt, and was lauded for two reasons: It was the first country in the world to have achieved this feat at one go, and it did so at a fraction of the costs footed by NASA for their expedition – India’s $45 million as against ten times the cost pumped into the American Maven orbiter that was sent to the Red Planet, only shortly before Mangalyaan.

So how has India been able to do this so cheap?

For the average Indian technology and science enthusiast/expert, the general attitude hinges on prioritising home-grown components and developing technologies at low costs while keeping an eye on maximum benefits.

Keeping things simple, such as – using a payload of only about 15 kg as opposed to the Maven’s 65 kg, has also helped ISRO in slashing down the costs while smartly focusing on vital questions being hotly debated in the space realm. For example, Mangalyaan was launched with the purpose of measuring methane in the atmosphere at Mars, and the mission was found to complement the existing discussion and missions charted around possibilities of life on the Red Planet, those being observations made by the Maven and Europe’s Mars Express.

Not to forget the take-home salaries of Indian engineers which considerably pale in comparison to those paid to their NASA counterparts, and the nation has a deadly concoction of brains, expertise, a blend of the homespun and contemporary methods with a low-key pricing in general, at its disposal to set off the most daring and audacious space missions in future.

It may be noted that India’s closest rival in the space exploration business, China, is also moving forward aggressively and plans to overtake current dominant players, the U.S. and Russia. From strategizing landing of taikonauts on the dark side of the moon by 2036, investigating the possibility of a permanent radar station, reserving the sending of a manned mission to Mars on its wish list to actually launching the world’s first quantum satellite in August 2016, China has been going from strength to strength. Be it in attempting to establish hack-free communication or developing its own GPS system, the BeiDou, it would be safe to say that it is soon on its way to dismantling the current undisputed leader in the space arena, the U.S., and is generally being viewed as a threat by the latter.

It is however, the third world country’s aggressive military space program that allowed an anti-satellite system to shoot down a Chinese satellite back in 2007, and future aggressions that may result from similar Chinese anti-satellite ventures, is what is being feared by the United States. It is not merely apprehensive, but it seems like it almost expects China to destroy and disrupt its space crafts in future and thereby, continues to be in a war-mode with the Asian country. Given this scenario, China definitely does not feature as a likely option in space business for private companies around the globe, specifically, the U.S.

Besides, despite spreading its wings far and wide, China has not been able to wet its feet in the commercial space industry. Its Long March rocket is almost as expensive as its Arianespace counterpart and so, it again boils down to the exceptional cost advantage India has in the world map right now.

For now the country, with its neutral global political face, smart professionals, first-rate launch technology and ripped costs pumped into its home-based ventures, is the right place for foreign countries to invest their money in.

Hurdles in the way and how India has navigated them

The biggest hurdle remains in the limited capacity of the PSLV which can launch satellites only up to a weight of 1800 kg. This certainly falls way too short when viewed against the American Maven’s launch mass capacity of 2454 kg, but ISRO has made up for the shortfall by focusing on launching smaller satellites instead which continues to find comfort in a growing market interested in getting smaller satellite missions off the ground.

The PSLV’s reliability and versatility has only intensified in the past 25 years or so, with the rocket successfully launching in an array of orbits that includes the Polar Sun Synchronous, Geosynchronous Transfer and Low Earth orbits as well. The number now stands at 122 satellites sent into orbit, most of which are foreign. Its soundness and low cost plusses have proved to be quite a game changer in that, even Google chose to send Terra Bella’s (a Google subsidiary) SkySat Gen-2, as one of the 20 satellites launched earlier in 2016 by the PSL C-34 rocket, despite maintaining a stake in Elon Musk’s Space X.

Then again, U.S. based Planet Labs Inc. circumvented the U.S. government’s ban preventing American companies from dealing with the ISRO, to participate in this enormous mission undertaken by the ISRO. This only promises better commercial exploitation of existing gigantic potential in the Indian space arena, making the country a powerful contender therein.

Has ISRO reaped its fruits for all the hard work? Yes.

The total cost of the current space mission has been borne in half by the participating countries, so there is a monetary benefit there. Apart from this, for its thrifty launch services provided through the PSLV, ISRO has already amassed around US $100 million by launching 45 foreign satellites, belonging to 20 countries that includes small and large space exploration players alike.

No outstanding pecuniary benefits accrue to the ISRO as of now, when taking into account the Rs.6959 crore budgetary allocation of the space department. Nevertheless, they serve as small steps leading to enormous success and dominance for the Indian sub-continent in this circle in future.

ISRO – powering ahead, and how it continues to accelerate the Make in India drive

ISRO’s core strength – its commercial wing Antrix Corporation, has been instrumental in not only providing satellite launch services, but also communication satellite transponders for broadcasting and telecommunication services, market data from Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites, as well as building and marketing satellites and satellite subsystems. To top it, the pushy SAARC satellite project has also been announced and aims to provide services to India’s neighbours in a variety of sectors such as telecommunications, television, tele-education as well as disaster management.

With more and more countries flocking to the Asian sub-continent, it can be vouched that the Make in India project has accelerated in an unimaginable way in the space exploration field.

As for Elon Musk who is currently impressed with ISRO’s bold feat and has joined the global fan base of India’s growing prowess in this department,  for all we know the tech genius may head eastward to partake in the numerous benefits India’s commercial space business offers at the moment. After all, sometime last month the CEO had hinted at Tesla launching its electric cars in India by summer this year. This was preceded by a previous 2015 announcement of entering the Indian market with its most affordable Model 3, a perfect fit for the price-conscious Indian consumer.

When viewed together, these economic opportunities undeniably act as powerhouses in accelerating the Make in India campaign even further.

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