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1. FESTIVALS: Deepawali or Diwali, the Kartik Amavasya falling on November 13 this year, is a festival of lights symbolising the victory of righteousness and the lifting of spiritual darkness. The festival commemorates Lord Rama's return to his kingdom Ayodhya after completing his 14-year exile. Goddess Lakshmi, the symbol of wealth and prosperity, is worshipped on this day. In West Bengal, this festival is celebrated as Kali Puja. In the South, Naraka Chaturdashi, a day before Deepawali commemorates the conquering of the Asura Naraka, a powerful king of Assam, who imprisoned thousands of inhabitants. It was Krishna who was finally able to subdue Narakasura and free the prisoners. Another story of king Bali is attached to the Diwali festival in South Bharat. Bali was a benevolent demon king. Lord Vishnu came as the dwarf mendicant Vamana, to dilute Bali's power. After tricking him by his gift of three steps of land, Vamana pushed him into the nether world with his foot.
2.
UK REACHES OUT TO GUJARAT: British
deputy foreign minister Hugo Swire has asked the British high commissioner in
New Delhi to visit Gujarat and to meet the chief minister and other senior
figures in the state.
The
British decision to re-engage with Gujarat can mean that Modi's status as a
"pariah" in the West may be set to change as the UK was one of the
first nations to impose a travel ban on the CM. Since 2010, the UK intensified its engagement with Bharatiya states,
except Gujarat which remained out of bounds despite the state moving forward,
not just economically, but also in science and education. Gujarat's emergence
as a preferred investment destination, the advocacy of the influential Gujarati
community in the UK and the state's success in forging relations with Israel,
China and Japan could have influenced the British decision as well.
3.
Kashmir a part of bharat:
Krishna at UN: Jammu and Kashmir is
an integral part of Bharat and the people of that state have chosen that
destiny for themselves, Bharat told the UN general assembly in New York on Oct
1. Bharatiya foreign minister SM Krishna brought up Kashmir in his speech in
response to remarks by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari saying the issue
was a symbol of the UN’s failure.
“The
people of Jammu and Kashmir have chosen and reaffirmed their destiny repeatedly
through Bharat’s well established democratic processes,” said Krishna. Zardari
had said in his speech to the UN on September 26: “Kashmir remains a symbol of
failures, rather than strengths of the UN system.” “We will continue to support
the right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to peacefully choose their destiny
in accordance with the UN Security Council’s long-standing resolutions on this
matter,” Krishna added.
4.
'I want bharatiya kids to
study physics and astronomy': said Dr
Manda Banerji, a bright young scientist who came to Britain from Kolkata in
2000 to study for her graduate degree at Cambridge University. Banerjee, who obtained
a PhD from University College London, discovered a new population of enormous,
rapidly growing super massive black holes in the early Universe. The largest of
these is called ULASJ1234+0907-named after its position.
It
took light from this cosmic monster 11 billion years to reach the earth. With
the universe being 13.8 billion years old, "what we are seeing is very
early universe - 2 or 3 billion years after the Big Bang (which created the
universe)," Banerji said.
As
these largest of the black holes grow (by feeding on stars and other cosmic
objects), the theory is that they cause violent collisions between galaxies,
throwing up huge amounts of dust and possibly triggering the formation of solar
systems. "What we don't understand is how galaxies are formed," says
Banerji. The problem is that these collisions produce so much dust, the black
holes become enveloped in them, making observation difficult. But the UK
Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) used by Banerji and colleagues cut through the dust
to accurately locate super massive black holes for the first time. Banerji
conducted the research, using cutting-edge telescope technology, leading a team
of scientists at Cambridge. The team is publishing their results in the journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
5.
SHIVRAJ SINGH CHAUHAN IN US: During an eight-day tour of the USA to meet officials
of the World Bank and other organizations, Madhya Pradesh (MP) Chief Minister
Shivraj Singh Chauhan gave an impressive account of his governance to the
audience of over 350 at a reception organized in his honor by Friends of India
Society International and Overseas Friends of BJP at the India House in
Schaumburg on October 6.
Today,
growth rate of MP is 11.5% against the national growth rate of 6 to 7% per
annum. “I believe it is the duty of the government to provide adequate
facilities and create proper environment to grow richer. We are connected to
every village by road and electricity. We have brought 220 thousand hectare
land under irrigation. Our aim is to have an integrated 12% growth across MP. We
have made it a State policy to create environment for Women Empowerment. We
have set up programs of help towards their education, including uniform, books
and transportation. Help is even available for their marriages In local and
state governments 50% seats are reserved for women. In terms of political
participation we encourage them to contest in elections. Elders are not
ignored. We have provisions for midday meal for them," he alluded.
In
US he held parlays on issues like health, education, drinking water and rural
development and transport. He made a presentation in Stanford University on
women's empowerment. He met the International Finance Corporation (IFC) representatives
regarding infrastructure, non-conventional energy and public-private
partnership in urban projects. The chief minister also addressed the US India
Business Council (USIBC) at the Michigan University on the possibilities of
investment in Madhya Pradesh. He paid a special visit to the memorial of Swami
Vivekananda at Art Institute, Chicago.
6.
bHARAT warns against use of terrorism as state policy: "The fight against terrorism has to be
unrelenting and fought across all fronts," said Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) leader L.K. Advani speaking on "Measures to Eliminate International
Terrorism" in the sixth committee of the UN General Assembly at United
Nations on October 9. "The international community cannot afford selective
approaches in dealing with terrorist groups or in dismantling the
infrastructure of terrorism," the former deputy prime minister said
without referring to any country. Speaking as a member of the Bharatiya
delegation, he said: "Terrorism is a Frankenstein's monster," and
"resort to the use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy is
short-sighted". Noting that "Bharat has faced the scourge of
terrorism for over two-and-a-half decades," he called on member states to
step up their collective efforts with real cooperation to confront the scourge
of terrorism squarely and decisively.
7. RSS COMMITTED TO BUILD RAM MANDIR AT
AYODHYA: DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT:.The RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat was addressing a programme
at Ranchi on October 4 and also answering pre-arranged questions through SMSes
and emails. Asked whether the Ram
temple would be constructed at Ayodhya, Bhagawat reiterated the RSS’s
commitment to its construction, but reminded that the case was pending in
court. He also favoured an enactment in the Parliament to pave the way for
construction of the temple. “We believe that the temple would be constructed
after proper legislation is introduced and a consensus is achieved and for that
Sangh is in no hurry,” he added. On reports of Hindus in Pakistan crossing over
to Bharat following alleged persecution there, Bhagawat asked the people to
treat them as guests and send them off when conditions became conducive in
their country. On infiltration by Bangladeshies, Bhagawat blamed it on vote
bank politics.
“This
can be stopped if bribes are not taken for enrolling Bangladeshis and giving
them ration cards and enrolling them in voters list,” he said.
Responding
to a query put by a few Muslims present in the auditorium why RSS was not
popular among them, Bhagawat welcomed them and invited them to join the RSS.
8. Strive for sustainable development model: Bhayyaji
Joshi: “Instead of blindly aping the
western model of growth and progress, we should strive to evolve a model of
development which would ensure a sustainable, all-round, and total development
of mankind without disturbing the environmental balance. Organizations like
Swadeshi Jagarana Manch (SJM) should take an initiative in this regard”,
appealed RSS Sarkaryawah Shri Suresh alias Bhayyaji Joshi, at Nagpur on October
5.
Bhaiyyaji
was addressing the inaugural session of the SJM’s three-day National Conference
at Nagpur, which was presided over by the noted philanthropist and social
worker Prabhakar alias Bhayyasaheb Mundle. Former Pramukh Sanchalika of Rashtra
Sevika Samiti Vandniya Pramilataiji Medhe was specially present on the
occasion.
Addressing
the 600-odd delegates drawn from all over the country Bhayyaji Joshi in his
hour-long speech made a clear cut distinction between the concepts of growth,
progress and development. While the two were related to mere physical and
material growth, the concept of development had the most important element of totality,
which was the expression of love and compassion emanating from the heart of an
individual, he added.
Stating
that the western nations had set up certain parameters to measure the status of
development and divided the countries of the world into developed, developing
and under-developed, Bhayyaji raised a question mark over this very
classification. Who decided the criteria for this classification, he wanted to
know. They did not stop at just dividing these countries on their own
parameters, Joshi said that these nations compelled the world to accept their
notions of development which laid the entire stress on material progress and
acquiring immense wealth.
Objective of development: He said that the objective of development should be
total unfolding of the personality of an individual and the society to which he
belonged. The western concept of development caused an immense degradation of
natural resources and posed a serious threat to our environment, he said.
However, he advised the audience against rejecting all that is western and just
bask in the glory of our past. This would do no good either. We must take their
values of social commitment, preserving national interest and honor and
facilitate exchange of ideas for mutual development.
Integral Humanism has the key: Referring to late Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay’s philosophy
of ‘Integral Humanism’, Bhayyaji Joshi said that we should try to impress upon
the humanity to think for the posterity while going for development. He
insisted on development encompassing all aspects of human life.
Utilize talent properly: Stating that Bharat produced a talent in software
industry, he said that most of this talent is utilized in the western companies
and firms mainly because they lack the proper guidance and education on
nationalism and commitment to the society. He said that the practice of
equating individual success and excellence with that of the nation would send
wrong signals as this would give rise to personal ego instead of national
pride. We must save ourselves from such degeneration, he cautioned.
Ill-effects of copying western models: About ‘Green Revolution’ and ‘White Revolution’
Bhayyaji said that in implementation of these models caused thoughtless
exploitation of our land and animal resources. Excessive use of chemical
fertilizers and pesticides increased the production of food grains but the soil
lost its fertility. Similarly, in extracting more and more milk we corrupted
our indigenous cow breeds he added. Moreover, in spite of good production of food
grains a large number of people remained hungry and the problem of malnutrition
still persisted. The production of milk increased but large number of children
were still starved for milk today. The technology used in these experiments was
foreign one and unsuitable for fulfilling our needs, he said.
Bharat
can lead the world in the field of bio-farming and water conservation, and
Bharat should take initiative in this sector by instituting some concrete
projects, he suggested.
Need excellent infrastructure: Suggesting that the country must have excellent
infrastructure for development, Bhayyaji underlined the need for exposing the
talents for conducting indigenous research taking into consideration the needs
and requirements and availability of resources in the country. Have full faith
in the young generation, he exhorted the SJM activists. We must understand our
duties and carry them out in right earnest to rid our country from the cancer
of corruption.
9. Kedarnath Sahni passes away: Veteran BJP leader and former governor of Sikkim and
Goa, Kedar Nath Sahni, passed away after a brief illness on October 3. He was
85. Sahni was born in Rawalpindi and his family shifted to Bharat after
partition.After being a pracharak of RSS he mainly worked in Jan Sangh and BJP;
became the CEC of Delhi in 1977. He also served as deputy Mayor from April 9,
1959 to April 5, 1960 and as Mayor of Delhi from April 10, 1972 to February 28,
1975. He had visited many countries including Kenya, UK, and USA for the work
of Overseas Friends of BJP – OFBJP.
10. GLOBAL INTEREST REVIVE 'FORGOTTEN
LANGUAGE' SANSKRIT: Cao Yan, a
36-year-old teacher from China, came to Bharat last year on a mission to decode
ancient Buddhist literature. When asked why, he replied: 'Aham tatra gatvaa
chhatraan pathayishyaami (I will go back and teach students).'
For
those wondering which language Cao Yan was talking in, it's Sanskrit, which he
has picked up in the year-long training he received under retired professor
Pushpa Dikhshit, an eminent Sanskrit scholar based in Chhattisgarh.
Rashtriya
Sanskrit Sansthan has 33,668 students enrolled in its centre for a non-formal
certificate programme. Cao is not the only one interested in learning the
'forgotten language'. Professionals are learning Sanskrit to read ancient texts
and use the knowledge in their current profession. 'I teach Buddhist philosophy
(in China).
A
lot of Buddhist scriptures were originally written in Sanskrit. So it was
necessary for me to learn Sanskrit to be able to research and teach other
students in this field,' Cao, who teaches at Wuhan University in China, said. Nearer
home, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan is witnessing a turnaround in its fortunes.
Established in 1972 by the ministry of human resource development, it's a
deemed university with 11 campuses across the country. Last year, 33,668
amateur Sanskrit learners enrolled in its 1,156 centres for a non-formal
certificate programme.
11. HistoRy must not repeat - Air Force
chief has raised valid points on 1962: It
is reassuring to know that Bharat is now effectively prepared to tackle
external aggression of the kind that China launched against it in 1962.
On October
5, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne said the Indian Air Force was fully equipped to
counter any similar adventure by a foreign power. In 1962, the Chinese had very
cunningly launched their armed march into Bharat through the Thagla Ridge into
what was then the North-East Frontier Agency on a Saturday, knowing fully well
that the Indian Armed Forces personnel would not mount a counter-strategy
unless they received clearance from the political higher-ups in New Delhi. That
would take at least 48 hours to come — if it came at all, given the soft corner
that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Defence Minister Krishna Menon had
for China. The Chinese strategists were right, and by the time New Delhi made
up its mind a lot of damage had been done. Even the late counter-measures, it
seems in retrospect, were less than full-hearted. Nehru was reeling from the
shock of the ‘betrayal' by the Chinese — many believe that he and the nation
would have been saved the humiliating moment had the Prime Minister only
listened to sane advice that had forewarned him of China's malicious designs. All
this is past now, yet the political leadership of today still remains rooted to
the idea that Bharat should not ‘unnecessarily’ antagonise the Chinese. If that
means glossing over their various repeated incursions into Bharatiya territory
from the North-East and other provocative actions like issuing stapled visas to
Bharatiya citizens from the North-East, then we have not learned anything.
Our
policy-makers will do well to carefully read journalist and author Bertil
Lintner's absorbing book, Great Game East: India, China and the struggle for
Asia's Most Volatile Frontier. This is an important account because it deals
not just with the territorial differences that exist between India and China
but also the very important subject of insurgency that assails the North-East.
More than anything else, it is the insurgency that is of the greatest worry,
because the fact is that Beijing has been for years patronising insurgents from
the region who are engaged in subversive activities against India. Yet, it is
always an Armed Forces official and not the Government that calls a spade a
spade. Now, regarding Air Chief Marshal Browne's belief that, had Bharat
deployed its air power during the 1962 war, the outcome could have been
different, experts alone can debate the issue. But one thing is clear: We did
not use air power because Nehru apparently did not favour it. (The Editorial, 8 October 2012, The Pioneer)
12. Protect environment: RSS SARASANGHCHALAK Shri Mohan Bhagwat on Oct 3 questioned the idea that
development has to be anti-environment, he asked the people to be judicious and
wise when they pursue progression, which should be in accordance with nature
and not against it. “Be a world family, not a world market”, he said. Development
should be handled correctly. He was speaking at function — Bharatiyata Aur
Adhunik Chunautiya — organised by the Deendayal Smriti Vyakhyan in New Delhi.
He
further went on to invigorate the youth. “The nation should be the priority not
personal careers, only then can we hope to build a successful and powerful
nation,” he said.
While
launching a scathing attack on the blind aping of the West, Bhagwat made it
clear that his stand was not against the expansive culture. “Instead, the
people should lead a swadeshi life albeit in the right manner. What can be
produced in the country should not be bought from abroad and what is bought
should be done very judiciously”, he said. NDA convener and JD(U) leader Sharad
Yadav was amongst the many present at the seminar.
13. Nuclear-capable
Prithvi II test-fired: Sharpening its
missile prowess, Bharat on October 4 successfully test-fired its nuclear-
capable Prithvi-II ballistic missile with a strike range of 350 km from a test
range near Balasore (Odisha) as part of
a user trial by the army. Describing the trial of the indigenously developed
strategic missile as "fully successful", Integrated Test Range
Director MVKV Prasad said, "All the mission objectives were
accomplished." The state-of-the-art Prithvi is the first ballistic missile
developed under the country's prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development
Programme (IGMPD) and is capable to carry 500 kg of both nuclear and
conventional warheads with a strike range of 350 km.
14. Nuclear-capable Dhanush successfully test-fired: A day after the launch of Prithvi-II, Bharat
successfully test-fired nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile for its full
range of 350 km from a naval ship off Odisha on October 5. The
surface-to-surface Dhanush, a naval variant of Prithvi-II, was fired by the
personnel of Strategic Forces Command (SFC) at 11.25 a.m. as part of regular
training. The missile rose from the ship and splashed down near the
pre-designated target in the Bay of Bengal with an accuracy of less than 20
metres. All the mission objectives were met in a flawless performance. All the
radars, telemetry stations and electro-optical systems tracked and evaluated
the performance of the missile in real time.
15. IAF PUTs
women pilots in combat mode: Flight
Lieutenants Alka Shukla and M P Shumathi were trained at the Yelahanka station
in flying twin-engine Mi-8, a utility and medium-size assault helicopter. Women
pilots in Bharatiya Air Force were only
asked to operate single-engine helicopters such as Cheetah and Chethak, used
only on non-combat missions. For Alka, this opportunity came her way after she
spent over three years in a Chetak helicopter unit in West Bengal, performing
casualty evacuation operations in Sikkim and Bhutan. Thrilled Alka said , “ I'm
being trained in hovering above to enable troops slither down the ropes. This
manoeuvre was similar to the ones carried out during the 26/11 strikes in
Mumbai," she said.
16.
IDU-MISHMI FOLKTALES BOOK RELEASED BY SIRAM: A book titled, “Quickwitted Anno and other Tales” on Idu Mishmi
Folktales of Arunachal Pradesh, narrated by Mishimbu Miri and published by
RIWATCH was released by Education Minister Bosiram Siram in a brief but befitting
function here on October 9.
The
book containing 10 selected stories, specially chosen for young readers, edited
and brought alive by Vaijayanti Sawant Tonpe, former editor of Children World,
with her imaginative Pen has made the book quite reader friendly. The book has
13 illustrations and charming cover page drawn by Indrim Boo, an Arunachalee
professional artist working in Delhi.
Appreciating
the all out efforts of RIWATCH and congratulating the author, Education
Minister said “Books on our traditions, our environment, and our neighborhood
is the need of the hour. Our people know Taj Mahal but do not know about Tawang
Monastery”. He insisted, we must bring different aspects of our ethnic life to
academic forefront. It is the first time, a book of Idu Mishmi folktales is
coming out for young readers. RIWATCH has been established to provide an
appropriate platform for research scholars to do research on cross cultural
studies to bring out fine components of values of our age-old cultural
traditions. The programme was attended by RIWATCH Functionaries Dr.Joram Begi,
Vijay Swami, G. Padu, Jt Director, H & T Education, Sokep Kri, Gazetteer
Arunachal, Gyati Rana, Publicity Secretary (IFCSAP) and others.
17. SEWA
INTERNATIONAL AUSTRALIA GET AWARD: Sewa
International Australia which runs two Senior Centres in Melbourne got the
first Award among all the six Senior Citizens Association of Melbourne
associations with membership well over 600 members and received a certificate
of appreciation. It was mentioned to the
audience that SEWA is the only association which runs two Centres under the
name of Bharatiya Senior Citizens Forum in Melbourne, without charging any
contribution from the members. It is the only association that renders full
service to the seniors with special emphasis on disablled elderly persons. Its
entire activities are arranged on voluntary basis. Credit goes to the
volunteers of SEWA and members of the Forum.
18. Gobar economy: The Holy Cow Festival inaugurated at Iskcon Temple, New Delhi by Maneka
Gandhi examined various aspects of the revered animal. At a seminar on the
premises, experts and researchers spoke about the health, wealth and cultural
aspects of the cow.
“Ours
is a Vedic culture, a Vedic civilisation. Many others, came into being, lived
their lives and vanished. But ours continued. Ever wondered why? Its because we
are a cow central civilisation, shared Dr Sahadeva Dasa, who spoke at the
seminar. Dr Sahadeva has written books like Cow and Humanity, Made for each
other, Cows are cool–love ‘em and To kill cows is to kill humanity.
19. Finally, Dalits worship at century-old Kalapatti
shrine: For the first time, a large
number of Dalits entered the 100-year-old Mariamman Temple at Kalapatti in
Coimbatore on September 30. The Dalits were denied entry into the temple even
after it came under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE)
Department, in 1976, according to MP P R Natarajan. Around 400 members of the
Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front, Aathi Thamizhar Peravai and Adi
Thamizhar Viduthalai Munnani entered the temple and worshipped there. September
30 was chosen as the day of entry as it was the memorial day for Srinivasa Rao
of Keel Thanjavur, who fought for the rights of Dalits to enter temples.
20. BHARATIYAS
founded most high-tech startups in US: High-tech
startups founded by immigrants from Bharat have grown phenomenally in US amidst
a decline in immigrant entrepreneurs considered a critical source of fuel for
the US economy, according to a new study. According "America's New
Immigrant Entrepreneurs: Then and Now", a Kauffman Foundation survey
published on Oct 2; Bharatiyas founded more of the engineering and technology
firms than immigrants born in the next nine immigrant-founder countries
combined. While immigrant entrepreneurship has stagnated, the rates of
Bharatiya and Chinese startups have increased, the survey found. In 2005,
Bharatiyas and Chinese entrepreneurs accounted for 26.0 percent and 6.9 percent
of immigrant-founded companies, respectively.
SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Visitors: Deepak Sharma – Mauritius, Pravas: Dr. Ram Vaidya sahsamyojak Vishwa Vibhag will tour Spain.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Do not look back to see who falls—forward—onward! Thus
and thus we shall go on, brethren. One falls, and another takes up the work. --
Swami Vivekanand
JAI SHREE
RAM
Lesson from 1962: Bharat must never lower its
guard
Shyam Saran
The 50th anniversary of the 1962 Sino-Bharatiya
border war should be an occasion to look to the future rather than commiserate
about the past.
The 50th anniversary of the 1962 Sino- Bharatiya border war should be an occasion to look to the
future rather than commiserate about the past. It seems odd that the 50th
anniversary appears to be generating more commentary and reminiscences than the
earlier decadal anniversaries, despite the longer passage in time. Since time
is said to be a great healer, why do the wounds of the past continue to fester?
All history is viewed through the prism of our
present. The 1962 war is no different. It has acquired a contemporary salience
precisely because rising China looms larger on our radar screen than ever
before. As the respective economic and military capabilities of Bharat and
China continue to expand outwards, beyond their frontiers, it is inevitable
that they will bump against each other, particularly in Asia. This may sharpen
the sense of rivalry between them. The 1962 border war becomes a metaphor for
this competition and possible conflict.
While this may be understandable, it is necessary
to break out of this tendency to look at Bharat-China relations narrowly
through the military prism. This reduces the competitive dynamics to a numbers
game, counting military capabilities and limits the possibilities for
significant and substantive opportunities for collaboration, both in bilateral
as well as multi-lateral context.
A lesson of the 1962 war is that Bharat must never
let down its guard. It must deploy sufficient military and logistics
capabilities to deter any 1962-style surprise attack. We are better prepared
than ever before, but this is not a static. We need to have the ability to
respond effectively as China upgrades its own capabilities and logistics in
Tibet. We need to maintain our current edge in the maritime domain. Our recent
Agni-V test and the development of submarine-based nuclear forces have imparted
greater symmetry between Bharatiya and Chinese nuclear
deterrence capabilities. But it is important to locate these efforts in a
broader strategy for managing Bharat-China relations in all its dimensions.
What are the elements of such a strategy? We must
acknowledge that adversarial elements currently dominate in Bharat-China
relations. China will continue to constrain Bharat through proxy powers such as
Pakistan and through exploiting apprehensions our immediate neighbours have of Bharatiya dominance. Our counter to this must be a better
management of our own periphery, extending assurance where possible, giving our
neighbours a stake in our own prosperity and leveraging the considerable
cultural affinity we share with them. It is pointless bemoaning Chinese inroads
in our neighbourhood, if we leave wide open spaces for them. After all, do we
not try and leverage similar opportunities in China's neighbourhood — as we
must?
Beyond this, we should seek to expand possible
convergences with China so that adversarial instincts on either side are
contained and, in time, diminished in their intensity. Bilateral trade between
the two sides has been growing rapidly, soon to cross the $75-billion mark.
True, the trade balance remains heavily in China's favour, but that would
matter less in a broader economic relationship that encouraged trade in
services, in which Bharat has strengths, and investment, where Bharat could
prove an attractive destination for Chinese capital. Over the past couple of
decades, China's frenetic investment in infrastructure has left it, today, with
a huge excess capacity in this sector. This coincides with our own requirements
for infrastructure investment of a trillion US dollars over the next decade or
so. Is a long-term strategic partnership with China in Bharat's infrastructure
development possible? There will be security concerns, particularly in certain
strategic sectors such as high-end telecommunications or port development close
to our naval bases. However, if Bharat were to clearly define such sensitive
areas, where foreign investment would be restricted, without being
China-specific, there could be a vast area where Chinese capital and affordable
equipment and technology could help realize Bharat's own dream for building
world-class infrastructure.
On the political side, both Bharat and China are
emerging powers, with convergent interest in the reform of global governance
and international institutions, so that their growing footprint and influence
are acknowledged and they can participate more fully in decision-making in
those institutions. The two countries have a long-standing record of working
together effectively in WTO and climate change negotiations. In the G-20, there
is now regular consultation and coordinated diplomacy in evidence on issues
such as financial and banking reform and a restructuring of the Bretton Woods
institutions. BRICS has emerged as another emerging countries' platform, where Bharat
and China can work together in pursuing collaborative projects such as the
proposed BRICS Development Bank. These actions have remained ad hoc, without an
overall framework of strategic cooperation. Fashioning such a framework
together would strengthen each others' hand in shaking loose the entrenched
practices of the Western-dominated economic order. It would also help in
shaping the architecture of a new order that is more responsive to our
interests.
Any credible prospect for Bharat - China relations to transcend their current
adversarial character demands the mutually satisfactory resolution of the
boundary issue between the two nations. The events of 1962 do hold lessons for Bharat.
An important factor which triggered the open hostilities was the revolt in
Tibet in 1959, the escape of the Dalai Lama to Bharat and the heightened
Chinese concern over its threatened control over the newly-occupied territory.
A border dispute which had hitherto spawned only small scale skirmishes became
part of a larger threat to China's newly-defined territorial integrity. Bharat
failed to take measure of this change in Chinese threat perceptions. By the
same token, it is likely that any prospect for a border settlement may well be
linked to what happens in Tibet, which remains a region of ethnic tensions and
potential large-scale violence. A Bharatiya strategy for seeking an
early resolution of the border may need to include some understanding with
China over managing the issue of Tibet. There are signs that China is beginning
to acknowledge that its twin policy of material inducement and political
repression have failed to diminish Tibet's cultural and ethnic identity. There
is growing restiveness among Tibetan youth both on the Chinese and the Bharatiya side. Bharat could play a role in encouraging a
more accommodating Chinese polity towards Tibet and conveying what is obvious
to any objective observer that His Holiness the Dalai Lama may offer the best
and perhaps the only prospect for reconciliation of Chinese sovereignty with
the Tibetan people's deep rooted attachment to their unique culture and
religious values. This was tried before in the early 1980s, inspired by a more
far-sighted Chinese leader, Hu Yaobang. It achieved positive results, including
the commencement of a dialogue between HHDL's personal representatives and the
Chinese government. The senior most Chinese leader at the time, Deng Xiaoping,
reportedly expressed his willingness to consider all issues other than Tibetan
independence in these talks. This phase was short-lived and after Hu Yaobang's
departure, the old repressive polices came back with renewed rigour. With a
major leadership transition underway in China, it may be worthwhile for Bharat
to explore whether the time is ripe to engage in a discreet dialogue over Tibet
and thereby set the stage for a border settlement. The psychic charge that the
1962 war continues to generate to this day in Bharat may then finally begin to
lose its intensity in our collective consciousness.
(Shyam Saran is a former
Foreign Secretary. He is currently Chairman, RIS and Senior Fellow, CPR.) —
Times of India, Oct 11, 2012,
