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Kashmir Problem re-explained: For liberal dummies

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Kashmir Problem re-explained: For liberal dummies

No offence meant. By dummies I mean You, if you are also one of those part-time Kashmir experts, who parrot clueless inanities like “end alienation of Kashmiris, Kashmir is on the edge today due to…, Govt should talk to them…, Burhan Wani turned radical because youth there don’t get right opportunities…, Poverty and Unemployment is the main reason…, Army presence has alienated them…, Reach out…, Healing touch…, AFSPA is the actual root-cause…, Oh! just demilitarise Kashmir…, confidence building measures…, Economic package…”

The recent speech of Farooq Abdullah, wherein he called ‘Hurriyat to lead the tehreek’ and openly declared his support, has popped up yet another bunch of social media K-experts. “Oh, India lost touch with the democrats too in Kashmir mainstream?”

Anyone who has watched five Barkha Dutt tear-jerks, four Arnab decibel-quakes, has munched popcorn through “Haider”, read five tweets from Rajdeep/Sagarika and a few OpEds from bleeding-heart liberal editors, self qualifies in India as a liberal Kashmir expert. Who needs facts?

To me, sometimes they provide good comic relief. But if you really care to understand, just note few basic blunt facts.

Kashmir problem is NOT about economics, opportunities.

Indeed, Kashmir problem is neither about economics, opportunities nor about alienation, education, politics, elections, corruption, incidents of xyz shootout (those are just events) or any persecution/human rights violations, AFSPA etc. It never was. This is a canard Abdullah’s milked for decades to get truckloads of Muslims in name of “Kashmir problem”. If these were the actual problems, Jammu and Ladakh have far more reason to outrage. Kashmir valley is among the most well-funded areas.

Just mull over this. Kashmir has been under the death knell of Jihadi terror for 27+ years now. Baring last few years, tourism industry has been dead for few decades. Lack of tourism also directly impacts many other the local industries like handicrafts. But, despite close to three decades of impasse on main economic engines of Kashmir, have you heard of any death because of starvation or poverty in Kashmir?

Every year mercury dips below zero for months. Have you ever heard of any cold wave deaths? (whereas starvation and cold-wave death are regular news from other parts of India). If economics and opportunities were the root-cause, states like Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand should have separated long ago.

Kashmir does not need any economic support from outside. Every square inch is a tourist resort waiting to be monetised. Every Kashmiri could live lavishly off tourism alone and even provide employment to million others, if peace ever got a chance.

Neither is it about 1947 nor the old ‘self-determination’ slogan anymore.

If it was tribal kabaili raiders would have been welcomed with open arms in Kashmir in 1947. And that story died with Sheikh-accord in 70’s. Pakistan had lost then itself, especially after a knock-out blow of 1971. Nor, is it about AFSPA, shootouts, army bunkers, etc. Those are mere events, not the root-cause. Lakhs used to visit Kashmir till late 1980s! Ask anyone around you who visited Kashmir before 1990. Did they see any bunkers then? Gun -totting armymen? Frisking? They would have seen none of those! Nor would they have seen any hordes of burqa clad women or bearded men either. Nor any kids pelting stones in Lal-chowk. Cinema halls thrived. Fashion was the in- thing. Schools were omnipresent and functioning well. There was no Army around, no curfews, no AFSPA. Army, AFSPA, bunkers etc were a result of certain events, not the root-cause.

Yes, there was a soft corner for Pakistan and Islamic world always. 

A rather confused relation actually. When Gen Zia-ul-Haq hanged Z.A. Bhutto, Muslims in Kashmir mourned Bhutto with their typical chest-beating processions for weeks. They abused Zia in the choicest slogans. Gen Zia was called “Zia-kone” (the one-eyed Zia)! Later, the same people mourned Zia too, when he died in a crash; again with same chest beating.

Of course, there was frequent bullying of minuscule minority, sometimes as a celebratory stone pelting if Pakistan won a match; at other times to vent anger, say if US did something anti-Islamic in Iran. Kashmiri Pandits silently bore the music. Surely no different from what the diminishing majority today experiences in Malda or Malabar. And Pandits were a mere 2-3 % minority.

But, soft-corner for Pakistan and minority bashing apart, no one believed separation or self-determination seriously anymore. A common adage in Kashmir used to be. “Soriy wandhay Hindustanas, dil chumm Pakistanas kunn”. (I can do anything for India, but heart beats for Pakistan)

What happened in 1989-90?

What you see now – is a different movement all together. Google about Gen Zia and his Operation Topac/ Topaz/ Tupac, during 1980s. Having failed on political line for 30+ years, Gen Zia smartly used religion card far-more aggressively to capitalise on those heart beats.

Co-relate with what was happening in parallel in Afghani & Irani societies and the wars there. You may have seen the often circulated pictures of free women in Iran/Afghan of 1960’s vs now. The same change happened in Kashmir too, 1980s vs now. The same theme of religious fanaticism.

Kashmir was first flooded by Deobandi “Allah-Wale” Maulvis in late 1980s, spreading wahabism. In parallel, ISI infiltrated and trained on arms. Punjab background and Afghan supply was a well-timed coincidence. A rigged election helped trigger it further. Massive brainwashing on Pan-Islamism, a dream of an Islamic Ummah drilled in every soul, Jihad the slogan, religion the only principle. The narrative changed.

What you see in Kashmir since 1990’s is a purely Islamic war, playing out in a now 100% Islamic area. And completely mirrors various Islamic Jihad’s across the world today. Accession of 1947, Art370, etc are now only excuses to continue the agenda. Everywhere,  Iraq, Syria, ISIS, Turkey, Palestine, Africa, Europe to Kashmir, you see some local context/excuse used. Anti-semitism, anti-US, euro-refugees… to anti-India. But, the thread remains the same. A religious ideology that dictates, “We are different. We are right. Only we are right”. And if you still don’t understand this simple thing, I was right with the word in the title.

It’s a simple religious war, Stupid!

Heck! Even a terrorist like Hafiz Sayed has the honesty to speak openly about it. Syed Salahuddin Says Kashmir Issue Was Always About Islam, Not ‘Azaadi’ Hurriyat grand-nut Geelani has been saying for ages… that Kashmir is an Islamic state.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlTDqIJaBRI]

So have the so-called ‘democrats’ like Abdullah’s and Mufti-family too. These political families have ensured for last seven decades that the democratic political power & thereby control of the state remains only with Kashmiri Sunnis.

No one from any other community is ever allowed to get even close. No Dogra, Ladakhi, Gujjar, Bakarwal, Sikh, Shia, Poonchi or Pandit can ever dream of being the CM. In 2005, when the time came for rotation of Chief-Minister-ship from PDP to Congress in the then PDP-Cong coalition, Congress had to para drop Ghulam Nabi Azab from Delhi, a man who had never been in the state politics; instead of elevating the incumbent Deputy CM, Mangat Ram Sharma. Maharashtra, Kerala, Bihar, any state in India can have a CM of any religion. But not J&K.

The Islamic narrative behind Kashmir problem has as clear as Chasm-e-Shahi waters to everyone on ground. It is reiterated in the Friday congregations by Maulvi Umar. It is reminded every time Geelani issues his hartal calendars, specifying details of religious gatherings and prayers. It was announced loud-and-clear when all of them – separatists and democrats, rose in unison and blockaded a mere 800-kanal space for Amarnath Yatra.

Unfortunately, it is mostly Indian liberals – who are still deceiving themselves and others about it. Or just lack guts to be honest.

Till we remain stuck in our politically correct straight-jacket of “Oh! we have to be secular” – and refuse to acknowledge the fact of Pan-Islamist ideology war being at play here… we will keep mouthing stupidities like “alienation, mainstream, economic, deprivation, AFSPA” etc to no end, and keep making a fool of ourselves.

How the Third World War is likely to start

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How the Third World War is likely to start

The question to be asked about the Third World War is when will it happen and not if it will happen. Obviously, a Third World War is long overdue. Let’s rewind a little; the First World War started after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and other unsolved grievances, the Second World War was a manifestation of unresolved issues from the previous war. So how do you think the next war is likely to start? Let’s chalk out a probable scenario of how such a war is likely to take place.

Now, the most likely scenario in my opinion was pointed out rightly by Mahamandleshwar Swami Akhileshwaranand Giri, chairman of executive council of the Madhya Pradesh Gaupalan Evam Pashudhan Samvardhan Board. So, based on his opinion, the Third World War will start over a cow. I had my doubts about it but acute insomnia over such a dreadful prediction and a lot of free time brought me around to his viewpoint. Now, as we all know, in Hinduism cow is a much revered animal and people go gaga over religion.

Now that we have established that India will play a part in this role, let’s look at the spark which will ignite this war. No prizes for guessing, it will be Pakistan, because Indians lose their shit once we talk about Pakistan. Photos emerge of senior Pakistan politicians and army butchering unarmed Indian cows that have unwittingly trespassed into Pakistani territory and are labelled as RAW spies. Pakistan approaches the UN and releases tapes showing the cows eating grass on their side of the border near Lahore which is apparently a conspiracy to support secessionist movement in Baluchistan somehow.

Donald Trump, the US President will call on Modi and in his trademark style will ask us to build a border wall so Indian cows will not trespass and get involved in this bloody conflict. What follows is a tweet marathon by Arvind Kejriwal in which he blames Modi and the BJP for promoting drug culture in Punjab (by citing Udta Punjab) which led to the cows, who were high at the time, not realizing that they had crossed the border. Rahul Gandhi goes to a Gaushala in Punjab and dines with the cows to show his solidarity with their cause. Protests begin across college campuses in India, especially JNU, once Kanhaiya Kumar proclaims that the cows were actually Dalits and the government is not doing enough to protect them. From being a symbol of Hindu Nationalism, the cow has now become a unifying symbol of Indian nationalism. The nation unites as one in condemning Pakistan.

Reports surface that cows across India refuse to be milked until their brethren are avenged. Losses mount on Amul and Mother Dairy. In such a circumstance, the central government has no choice but to call for massive troop movements. India and Pakistan are on the brink of war for the fifth time. China falls behind Pakistan because the Chinese don’t give a damn about human rights, why would they care about cow rights? Organizations crop up around the world (funded by Mahamandleshwar Swami Akhileshwaranand Giri) calling for cow rights. Trump declares support for India because milk from Indian cows helped him ‘Make America Great Again’. Soon enough, American troops began arriving in Mathura to take blessings from Sri Krishna’s cows. “Holy Cow” becomes the war cry of the Indo-American troops as they train together. Other countries also start picking sides and as the first bullets are fired, the world is engulfed in yet another war, prompting a few people to ask, ‘How much cow is too much cow?’

Demonetization: The rights and the wrongs

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Demonetization: The rights and the wrongs

As the nation comes to grip with the fact that their money has overnight become virtually worthless, one can’t help but wonder about the origins and consequences of such a move. By effectively wiping out 86% of the cash in circulation, the Narendra Modi government has created a cash crunch so terrible that it may take months for growth to bounce back. This is where the media opinion has acted as the executioner by looking at the problem from a short term and naïve perspective, not realizing the wide ranging ramifications it can have.

First of all let’s understand the basic reason for this move. As touted by the Modi government, this move is a fight against black money and fake currency induced terrorism. Note how the Kashmir unrest that was at its peak died down instantly with no purported truce between parties concerned. This is the greatest achievement of this move and some might feel everything after this will go downhill. Now the fight against black money is a lot more complex than any of us can imagine.

It’s been said that the money is not a stock but a flow and this is not an effective way to target black money. However, one must realize the amount of political capital that Narendra Modi has at stake due to this move. This move hits hard at the middleclass traders whose businesses are essentially undergoing a recession as people begin to postpone conspicuous consumption. This is the principal vote bank of Narendra Modi and this move has the ramifications to upset this class and turn them against this government.

If Narendra Modi has effectively gambled on his chances of getting elected again, one must realize the amount of planning and thought that could have gone into the action. The government is not stupid. It has the vast experience and knowledge of the tax authorities and the Reserve Bank at its disposal. It would be childish to assume that the government has no idea about the loopholes in this action. As I hear from the community around me, people with reach have effectively managed to convert this money into gold, real estate etc. Others have found ways through commission agents to convert their old notes into new notes by paying the same amount as they would have if they had honestly paid their taxes before. Therefore, even though they get to keep their money, it is still unaccounted and they have ended up losing as much as they would have if they had been honest about it. Also it can come back to nip them in the bud.

Chances are we shall soon see action against other means of stashing this illicit wealth. If that does not happen, this move could be considered a mediocre success as far as curbing black money is concerned. Then again, politics is a game of optics and illusion whereby Modi is showing that he has the balls to take action against black money whether that happens or not is a completely different issue. This sole display of a 56 inch chest can garner him several followers.

Let us now move ahead to the way this move has been received by the country at large. Several media reports talk of the situation as an economic emergency. Almost all sources of media have decided that this move is anti-people and anti-poor. What they fail to grasp is that while they try to win this battle, the government has already run away with the war. No matter how many interviews, testimonials and alleged deaths are shown, the fact remains that the populace has at large taken this as a sacrifice for the greater good and a large majority has supported this move wholeheartedly in spite of the hardships faced. A major reason for the poor people supporting this move is the feeling of schadenfreude that they get as they for the first time, seeing the rich industrialists running around to save their money.

This brings us to another problem in the Indian economy. The fact that a poor person can experience joy due to the suffering of the rich in spite of the fact that he himself must bear the pain for no fault of his speaks volume about the hatred and dislike of money. If India wants to project itself as a vibrant and open place of business, it must take a note of the socialist behaviors of its masses. If the rural poor abhor their richer counterparts so much, one wonders whether we can really industrialize ourselves. What this schadenfreude shows us is that the rural and poor India despises the ugliness of a richer lifestyle and this has proven to be the primary impediment to our growth in recent times. We must shed this leftist idealism and root out populism if we are to realize the dreams of the aspiring India.

Several people have blamed the government for ineffective planning and faulty execution. For this move to have any significant impact, the element of surprise was of foremost importance. If anyone got wind of such a move, it would crash before taking off. Not to mention the government would be unable to postpone it as the common man would have already got an advance warning. By recalibrating ATMs in advance or by bringing about a sudden spurt in printing of new notes, the government would have risked rumors breaking out.

Another criticism is that by bringing in the Rs. 2000 note before the Rs. 500 note, the government made a massive error since no change could be found for the higher denomination note. Yet if you think about it, by printing in advance a radically different 500 rupee note when another note of the same denomination was in circulation, the government would risk rumor mongering. The same cannot happen with a brand new 2000 rupee note. Also, it takes the same time and effort to print a single note, whatever denomination it may be. By introducing a note of higher denomination first, the government can bring liquidity in the market faster as it can print 4 times the value in the same amount of time by printing a 2000 rupee note. So instead of having no money due to ATMs running dry, people face only a little hardship because they cannot find change. At least they have valid and legal tender money. As far as the move to introduce a new 2000 rupee note is concerned, even I have my reservations. Although economically it makes sense as the cost of the note will be several times lower than its face value.

Finally to round it out with the medium and long term benefits. Real estate prices are sure to see a drop due to reduced liquidity leading to preference for banking transactions. The economy will definitely see a drop in inflation as people run out of hard cash to make purchases. It promotes and inculcates a habit of engaging in digital transactions for as many people as possible. It also ends up as a valid successor to the Jan Dhan Yojana so if you did not open a bank account voluntarily, the government is forcing you to open one now. Also the money that doesn’t come back to the banking channel effectively reduces the liability of RBI, although I shall not go into the technicalities of it as it is still vague as to whether this can be transferred as dividend to the government or not. Terror funding has definitely taken a hit and the menace of fake currency has been halted.

In hindsight, one must say that this move must have been planned long back. The government started with promoting bank accounts for all, Aadhar cards for all and mobile transactions. The JAM trinity was a precursor to this move and one cannot ignore, that if you had been a part of this, you would not have suffered right now.

Happy Bhagwad Gita Jayanti? Indeed

ironyman0007
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Happy Bhagwad Gita Jayanti? Indeed

Somebody says that today is Gita Jayanti. Now that Gita is mentioned, let me grill your minds a bit.

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥

Remembering this famous Shloka of Gita. One great thing about this Shloka you cannot fail to notice is its admiring master play of words. The poet says, Karmanye ie in your Karma or work you have the Adhikar or the right and Ma Phaleshu ie and not to the fruit Kadachan or ever.

However, it is often misinterpreted as in the karma lies the fruit. I used to read in my text book, with my teacher teaching that “Karm Karo Aur Fal Ki Chitna Karna Chhod Do”. Arre bhaiya phal ke tension ka bhi sawal nahi hai. Phal ka tumhein adhikar hi nahi hai to tension yaa chinta aaega hi Kyun. Phal tumhara nahi hai aur tum phal ke nahi ho. Tum bas karm ke ho aur karm tumhara hai. This line bars you away from fruit.

Again the poet only strengthens the first paragraph and goes on to say Ma Karmaphala Hetu Bhu Ma ie not let your fruit be Hetu or motive of your Karma. Significant is the usage of word Ma or not which itself gives you a strong “things not to do” feeling. Again “fruit” is a bad idea bro. Te Sang Astu Akarmani ie nor let your attachment of any kind to Akarmani ie inaction.

However all we do is never follow it. We are a country with Isme mera kya hai? Mujhe kya milega? feeling. John F. Kennedy didn’t have a creative thought when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. He just repeated what is said in the Gita. Country is a Phala here. Plagiarized greats ehh? Foreigners read our Granths better than we do. They learn from us better than we do.

Why do you think god will ever listen to us? Have we ever visited a Mandir, mosque or a church without having a single desire in our mind? We even do charity thinking god will give us heaven. We give alms to the poor asking for peace and prosperity in our family. We kill people thinking we will have an afterlife sex with 72 virgins. Are we really true to this one basic thing selflessness? The Karma-centric values has turned in to the Phala-centric greed. Our youth doesn’t understand our own values. Are we losing the righteousness of our rich heritage to the Dhong of Fruits?

What we lack is resistance to our desires what we have is hidden inceptions of greed. Greed inside a greed inside a greed inside a greed. We are so messed up. Kalyuga, indeed!

Happy Gita Jayanti? indeed.

नोटबंदी का असर

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नोटबंदी का असर

मैंने अच्छे अच्छों का मुखोटा उतरते देखा।
बहुत से ईमानदारों को बेईमान होते देखा।
या यूँ कहूं कि बेईमानों को ईमानदार होते देखा।

सीने से लगा कर रखते थे जो,
उन्ही को 500 के नोट्स जलाते देखा।

100,100चक्कर लगवाते थे जो,
उधारी नही चुकाते थे जो,
उनको 500 के नोट्स के साथ,
ले लो ,ले लो का शोर मचाते देखा।

छिपा छिपा के रखते थे जो 500 के नोट्स,
उन्हें नोट्स को उड़ाते देखा।
छोटी बड़ी रकम को लेकर,
लोगों को इधर उधर भागते देखा।

वाह रे मोदी जी की महिमा
मैंने विपक्ष को पहली बार ,
घबराते देखा।

लख लख धन्यवाद मोदी जी,
आज ईमानदारी को बेईमानी को मात देते देखा।

-डिम्पल

नोटबंदी और विपक्ष की शरम जनक भूमिका

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नोटबंदी और विपक्ष की शरम जनक भूमिका

मोदी जी हमारे देश के प्रधानमंत्री हैं, कोई जादूगर नहीँ जो छड़ी घुमाते, और एक ही दिन में सारा देश currency बदल जाता। निश्चित तौर पर इतने बड़े फैसले को थोड़ा समय चाहिए। 125 करोड़ की आबादी का देश और मोदी जी ने केवल 50 दिन मांगे हैं, जनता साथ देने को तैयार है।

विरोध् करने वालों से एक बात पूछना चाहती हूं जब आपके शरीर के किसी अंग को कोई बीमारी लग जाती है आपको डॉक्टर कहते हैं, operation करना होगा। आपका अंग ठीक हो जायेगा पर 2 महीने आपको तकलीफ सहनी होगी। आप क्या कहते हैं? ठीक है डॉक्टर साहब, मैं अपनी बीमारी ठीक करने के लिए 2 महिने की तकलीफ सहन कर लूंगा। इसी तरह हमारे देश को काला बाज़ारी आतंकबाद आदि अन्य बीमारियों से बचाने के लिए एक operation किया गया है। निश्चित तौर पर कुछ समय के लिए तकलीफ होगी, पर आने वाले समय में देश बीमारी मुक्त होगा।

बिपक्षी दल शोर शराबा करने के बजाए आम आदमी की मदद करें। उनका form भरें, उनके लिए पानी चाय का इंतेज़ाम करें, बैंक के बाहर खड़ी lines को ठीक करने करने में मदद करें, तो ज्यादा अच्छा रहता।

How is Indian IT warming up to Trump?

Hemang Rindani
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How is Indian IT warming up to Trump?

“First, they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”- Mahatma Gandhi

In the recent times, nobody more than Trump can relate to this quote. Forget the Republicans, even Trump himself must have been shocked with the sheer kindness and gratitude showed by fellow Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, Mexicans + Muslims (not them perhaps) and the list goes on. Some time back, The Economist rated Donald Trump’s Presidency among the top ten global risks, almost equivalent to the growing threat of terrorism. That hardly sounds ghastly.

But the idea of Trump has slowly starting to sink in and people are holding their fire to see how his presidency plays out after he takes over the Grindhouse, oops, the Whitehouse.

America’s billionaire real estate mogul got so far by projecting US as a victim of circumstances where the Desi techies ransacked the white dudes and how?

His ambiguous, untethered pitch which seemed far from reality was always prone to rapid turnaround (owing to his mood swings). The entire world is hoping it turns out that way, no one is hoping more than the beleaguered Indian IT industry.

Though Americans are battling to recover from this tectonic shift, it needs to be seen what does his win has for Indian IT sector.

Granting it was a horror show watching Trump trump it (finally it rhymes), let’s review ground reality here.

Many of the U.S. Tech firms have set up development hubs in India and it might be unhealthy for U.S. economy to destabilize the benefit of saving millions of dollars. So, if the Trump led government is hell-bent on tearing down the outsourcing business by taxing Indian firms heavily (which sounds more like a report from a teenager who hasn’t read the textbook), he would be doing it at his country’s economic peril.

Trump’s rallying cry for protectionism is keeping Indian IT industry on the tenterhooks, which is already under severe pressure owing to sluggish economic growth and dwindling profit margins. Think of Justin Bieber coming out of rehab to find out he’s just got a speeding ticket.

Having said that, booting Indian IT professionals from America is as unimaginable as much as it is spooky. It is like watching movies without the song and dance sequence.

Moreover, India has consistently ranked well as a destination for outsourcing not because of economic attributes, but due to its unparalleled talent pool which keeps churning engineers after engineers each year. So much so, throwing out a few hundreds isn’t such a bad idea after all.

The immediate reaction appears to be divided from the Indian IT sector for Trump’s America, however what transpires on the ground may not be as sensational as The Economists puts it.

Every politician fighting election is like a wrestler desperate to show off than show up. Indian IT is as fundamental and ingrained in American culture as ‘Raj Koothrappali’ of Big Bang Theory, however naïve it may sound or appear, the show is incomplete without it.

However controversial it may be, he is the President of the Divided States of America. Let’s hope it benefits Indian IT before he builds the wall!

Techies of Technopark kick off campaign for #CashlessTechnopark

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Techies of Technopark kick off campaign for #CashlessTechnopark

Techies kicked off a campaign to transform the Technopark, which is the first IT park in India, to a fully e-transaction enabled IT park. As the first step, a seminar was conducted on the need for adopting cashless payment mechanisms and highlighting the need to popularize these among the various vendors in Technopark. The campaign was organized by Vivekananda Study Circle (VSC), charitable society working among the techies. The seminar was chaired by Technopark CEO Hrishikesh Nair and enlightened by eminent chartered accountant Ranjith Karthikeyan. Also Digital banking Ambassadors like Venkitaraman (General Manager, SBT IT), Kiran Bhasi (PayTM), Praveen Prakash (HDFC) from various banking and payment organizations also participated in the seminar.

Speakers at #CashlessTechnopark Campaign

Technopark CEO urged the vendors within Technopark to adopt cashless payment mechanisms and offered all possible help to enable them for the same. Eminent chartered account Ranjith Karithikeyan who delivered the key-note speech pointed out that we cannot continue the cash based transactions for long and it is high time that people realize this and adopt cashless means. He not only urged the techies to learn the cashless payment modes, but also to educate at least 10 others living in and around society where they live. He also requested the Technopark CEO to start a campaign to educate the small-scale vendors in various markets in Trivandrum like Palayam, Pangode, Chala etc., by making use of the brand value that techies carries. Representatives of various banks also shared the opinion that cashless transactions are the need of the hour and that the current service charges for digital transactions would come down once the number of digital transactions increase. They also raised concern that cashless payments have not picked up even in a place like Technopark where more than 50,000 IT professionals are working.  Seminar was followed by a question and answer session in which the banking and PayTM representatives answered the queries of the techies and various vendors within Technopark.

As the next step in enabling Technopark for cashless transactions, VSC is planning for a training program for the different vendors and shop employees within Technopark on how to use the various Digital payment mechanisms that are available in market like PayTM, SBI Buddy, UPI etc. in collaboration with the banking and other financial organizations. Also VSC is planning to provide training to the techies who are interested to become the ambassadors of cashless payments, for enlightening the shops in around Technopark and Kazhakoottam. VSC welcomed all the techies who are interested to be part of this cashless payment initiative and urged them to reach out to VSC volunteers.

A practical approach to preserve Indian vernacular languages

prashantb1984
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A practical approach to preserve Indian vernacular languages

With the rise of English medium education, a lot of intellectuals on both the left and the right, worry about the extinction of Indian languages. It is indeed true that students learn best in their mother-tongue during the primary years. At the same time, it is also true that the ability to pick up a new language like English, is highest in their junior school years. And for good or bad, better or for worse, English-medium education makes a person far more employable in India.

Left-wing intellectuals advocate that the medium of instruction should be in the mother tongue during the primary school years. This experiment was tried out with disastrous results in West Bengal. Right-wing intellectuals worry about a generation disconnected from their ethos and culture. While there is no denying to the threat to Indian languages, one must be careful to take a pragmatic approach while dealing with this problem. Heavy handed coercion based techniques such as amending the constitution to impose the mother-tongue during primary years are never a good solution. Such suggestions blatantly disregard the right of parents to be able to make decisions which they think are in the best interest of their children.

You have to ensure that no school runs its primary classes in English medium, otherwise you will observe a Goa like situation as described by Reality Check India. When there are two groups of schools, one running English medium classes and another running classes in the mother tongue, people rush to the English medium schools for admitting their kids, hence the schools imparting classes in mother tongue don’t survive. Unlike a country like Japan or France, where one language is dominant, you now have to ensure that only the mother tongue (language of the state) is used and not Hindi. This is specially problematic when you think of children of those in transferable jobs in the private sector or Central government. So enforcing the mother tongue is not really possible without an undemocratic, coercion based approach. Minority schools will always get an exemption to use English as the medium.

And assuming a hypothetical scenario where the vernacular language is indeed enforced, it is extremely likely that affluent folk will send their kids for private coaching in English. Or perhaps, teach it at home themselves. This kind of a scenario will only exacerbate the divide between the poor and the well-to-do students. With greater fluency in English at the end of schooling, the latter is likely to have a distinct edge in the job market.

At the same time, there is a different kind of coercion at work, which implicitly creates an apartheid favouring English. Premier institutes like IIT, IIM and AIIMS are English medium. Also, courts are only accessible in English. This is something which must be addressed. Either the center or the state, should build a high quality university offering humanities, commerce, science and professional courses in the local language. Less than 10% of Indian citizens move more than 200 km from their home, when they grow up. Such a university may be able to churn out an engineer or a doctor or a journalist who can deal with local folk in her home state, in the local language. Courts could ensure that judges and lawyers know not just English, but also the local language. The knowledge that quality higher education is accessible even in the mother tongue or the local language, may serve as an encouragement to good students in vernacular medium schools, to continue in their own school (and not shift to a CBSE or ICSE English medium school). Scholarships may be offered to such students. A Tamil student must have the option to become a doctor in Tamil medium and treat patients in rural Tamil Nadu and converse with them in Tamil itself.

A well funded university or centre of excellence, in the local language, might also be able to serve the purpose of updating the vocabulary and technical terms, to keep the language fit for contemporary and professional communication.

The government or the media could also take note and publicise the unique paradigm followed at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in New Delhi. From kindergarten till class 4, the medium of instruction is Hindi, with English as a second language. Class 5 is a transition year where Mathematics and Science are taught in English, whereas Social Science is taught in Hindi. From Class 6, the medium of instruction is English, with Hindi as a second language. This is a top school in New Delhi. The school has consistently ranked within the top 3 schools in Delhi based on the average score in CBSE Grade 12 examinations from available performance data for 2014, 2015 and 2016 . So students have their foundations in Hindi and still receive their middle, higher and secondary school education in English.

Something which keeps the English language thriving is the abundance of interesting literature which makes reading a joy. This brings characters like Harry Potter and Noddy to the junior school kid. We need to be aware that our books for Hindi are incredibly boring for young children. In an era of trains, planes, cars, computers and internet, the excited school student does not want to read a sermon on morals, culture or patriotism – this is what a large number of Hindi stories and poems in textbooks are invariably about. Chetan Bhagat and Amish Tripathi became popular English writers in India, because they wrote something entertaining in plain and simple English. They avoided the pretentious and sanctimonious style used by Indian authors of a more literary background. We need such light-hearted or even frivolous stories in our local languages, to make reading enjoyable. Currently there is too big a difference between casual, colloquial Hindi and what is present in the textbooks. It is likely that this holds true for other Indian languages as well.

The last point I’d like to touch upon, is a recognition of the failure of the third language slot in the school syllabus. Some states have a mandatory third language all the way till Class 10. In many states, this is taught only from class 5 to 8. A large number of ICSE and CBSE schools teach Sanskrit for four years but despite hundreds of thousands of students studying it, the world’s only Sanskrit daily struggles to stay afloat. This should be a sobering reminder that simply forcing a language onto a large number of students, and making it an academic burden in their school years, is not a way to preserve it. It will perhaps be better, if even just a few thousands of students study Sanskrit – but are taught well, in an enjoyable way which generates a genuine interest in the language and perhaps encourages them to study it even after Class 8, as an elective subject. Teaching Sanskrit to a large number of disinterested students is also a bit problematic as it becomes a squandered opportunity to teach them a modern Indian language such as Kannada or Telugu- which could be far more useful to a student from Delhi who ends up working in Bangalore or Hyderabad. There should be a focus on speaking and conversing in the third language, to appreciate it better.

Keeping these ideas in mind, it might be possible to preserve our own languages, and see them flourish, without making a huge economic gamble of suddenly swerving way from English. A great amount of top notch research at US universities is done by those whose mother tongue wasn’t English, and that could be replicated in India as well. The much reviled elitism of English-medium educated products in India is a consequence of states trying to forcefully promote the mother tongue, leading to a situation where the English-medium educated find themselves more favoured in the job market. Let’s not be too obsessed by which language a student learns – the idea is that a student must know at least one language very well.

Pakistan Army: Snake bites its own master

Sumit Kumar
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Pakistan Army: Snake bites its own master

Qamar Bajwa has acceded to the most lucrative and coveted post within the establishment of Pakistan, succeeding Rahil Sharif as the Chief of Army Staff. As the nationalist Pakistanis bid adieu to their rockstar Rahil Sharif through twitter and other platforms, I try to put forward the reasons why Pakistan should lament their celebration, if not, deplore the folly of Pakistani army.

The Pakistan army extorts a disproportionate share of GDP from the national income of Pakistan and justify their inordinate expenditure by maintaining hostility with India on the LOC. The primary reason why every diplomatic effort from India to establish peace is retaliated with a terror attack is because the Pakistan army fears that any pacific and amicable environment between India and Pakistan would prove detrimental to the interests as their future budgetary cuts on the defense sector. The military would become useless and they will lose the authority that they currently wield over the domestic and foreign policies of Pakistan. Their stronghold over the Pakistan’s economy, polity and society would cease to exist. The sustained Pakistan’s hostility with India damages the Pakistan’s economy to a tremendous extent. First of all, they lose a big share of their national income to serve the luxury of Pakistan’s inefficient army, which otherwise could have been spent on the education, health, skill development and energy needs of Pakistan. Secondly, they lose the significance of their strategic location as they could have been the gateway for India to Afganistan and other Central Asian countries which would have benefit them economically and geo-politically. Post Uri attack, the anguish and public sentiments within the domestic public led to an ouster of Pakistani artists working in India putting their professional career at peril.

The ramifications of Pakistan’s Army policies are not limited to relations with India but it extends to some major security challenges that exists within the boundaries of Pakistan. The brutal crimes, murder, torture, rape and genocide by Pakistani army in the erstwhile east Bengal led to a revolt against the central authority ultimately leading to creation of Bangladesh, which in many ways is more peaceful, prosperous, tolerant, stable and developed country vis-a-vis Pakistan. But, the Army did not learnt it’s lesson and continued their policy of suppression at Balochistan which is currently the nucleus of insurgency in Pakistan vehemently seeking independence from Pakistan. The support of army to the “good terrorists” to further their malicious geo-political gains in India and Afganistan has dealt a severe blow to the security apparatus of Pakistanis. The ecosystem that nurtures, trains, arms, finances and foments terrorism as a state policy has led to the creation and bolstering of terror groups that are inimical to Pakistan itself. Incidents in 2014 at Peshawar school, in 2016 at Bacha Khan university and recently, in a mosque at Quetta reflects the fact that the snake has started to bite it’s master. While the master suffers, the distressing point is that the children and normal citizens have to lose their lives because of the fanaticism of the army, the body which is generally meant to protect people’s lives from lethal threat. Post Uri-terror attack, Pakistan has become more isolated in the South Asia and it will continue to get isolated at the international fora unless it changes it’s gears, which seems unlikely in the near future.

Unless the democratic values and civil society in Pakistan are strengthened, the people would continue to suffer. But, the problem is that even the young Pakistanis have been taught so much enmity and hostility against India in their school books to justify the legitimacy of an army state that even the educated Pakistani prefer military rule over democracy as was evident when posters were put out few months back in cities of Pakistan literally urging Rahil Shareef to do a coup. It reflects the obsession of people with military rule and their ignorance of the fact that army has done more damage to them than anyone else.

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