Desicritics Author: B Shantanu

Chandrayaan-I: Money Down the Drain or Time to Celebrate?

B Shantanu — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:56:56 EDT

A few hours ago, ISRO put “Chandrayaan-I” into transfer orbit around the earth, heralding its “Mission to Moon”.

This is a proud moment for the team at ISRO working tirelessly for the last several months, sometimes right through the night.

It is also be a proud moment for India’s indigenous space research programme and more broadly, India’s indigenous R&D efforts - the seeds of which were planted barely a few decades ago.

But questions are being asked…and doubts are being raised.

“Was this the best use of the country’s limited resources?”, “What will this mission really achieve?”, “Will it have any impact on the problems that we are facing today e.g. poverty, hunger, malnutrition?”

At a fundamental level, such questions assume that this is a zero-sum game and there is a constraint on funds for developmental projects. I do not agree with that…India’s main developmental challenge is inefficient (I would even go to the extreme of saying extremely inefficient) utilisation of resources rather than lack of funds.

Having said that, the answer to these questions is neither simple nor straightforward.

While the launch will cost money (although relatively speaking it will be a small amount: Rs 386 cr./~$80m), the benefits are more difficult to compute. How do you put a value on India’s credibility and prowess in R&D research? How do you put a value on the indirect gains that will accrue (in terms of geo-politics)?

How can you quantify the benefits and the advantages of being at the vanguard of space research and exploration? and how can you emphasize the importance of R&D and activities targeted at the next decade?

Many would remember that the same - and similar - questions were asked of ISRO’s focus on remote sensing satellites in the past two decades… The question - and the “answer” - was eloquently articulated in this article in the New Scientist:

But why is India, a country that still has so many development problems on the ground, aiming for the heavens? To Indian scientists, the question is not only patronizing of their scientific aspirations, it betrays an ignorance of the Indian space program’s greater purpose and successes against the odds….

Take, for example, India’s six remote-sensing satellites — the largest such constellation in the world. These monitor the country’s land and coastal waters so that scientists can advise rural communities on the location of aquifers and where to find watercourses, suggest to fishermen when to set sail for the best catch, and warn coastal communities of imminent storms. India’s seven communication satellites, the biggest civilian system in the Asia-Pacific region, now reach some of the remotest corners of the country, providing television coverage to 90% of the population. The system is also being used to extend remote health-care services and education to the rural poor.

In addition…

The “super-cyclone” that hit India’s eastern coast on Oct 29, 1999, could have killed thousands but for an INSAT satellite that tracked its course every half hour identifying areas that needed to be evacuated.

What does ISRO have to say about the benefits of the Mission to Moon? In their own words:

The Study Report of the Task Team was discussed in April 2003 by a peer group of about 100 eminent Indian scientists…After detailed discussions, it was unanimously recommended that India should undertake the Mission to Moon, particularly in view of the renowned international interest on moon with several exciting missions planned for the new millennium.

In addition, such a mission will provide the needed thrust to basic science and engineering research in the country including new challenges to ISRO to go beyond the geostationary orbit.

Further, such a project will also help bringing in young talents to the arena of fundamental research. The Academia, in particular, the university scientists would also find participation in such a project intellectually rewarding.

Needless to say, “If you want to do space exploration, the Moon is where you have to start.”

Asked about the relevance of the Mission to Moon for a “poor nation” like India, G Madhavan Nair had this to say in a recent interview:

How do you handle criticism from a section of the people that a poor nation like India shouldn’t be wasting money on projects like Chandrayaan?

We have faced this question in the early phase of the programme. We are convinced that we are doing more service to the society than the money spent on the programme. But to doubly assure ourselves, we asked a school of economics in Chennai a couple of years back to make an assessment. The report they submitted was really mind-boggling. They found that what we have given back to the society in terms of products and services is something like one and half times more than the cumulative investment made on the entire space programme. Leave alone the infrastructure, the technology, the human resources and the various laboratories we have developed, if we add all that it is certainly more than five times spent on the programme.

Plus there are clear commercial gains.ISRO already has a subsidiary called Antrix (from “Antariksha” = space) which provides services for commercial launch of satellites and payloads into orbit. These services leverage ISRO’s “frugal engineering” to provide a compelling cost advantage in the market for satellite launch services. Last year’s Antrix’s turnover was shy of $240m on which it made a profit of ~ $35m. Chandrayaan itself is carrying 6 payloads for other agencies which would explore the lunar surface over the next two years.

A successful launch will help further commercialisation of these services and add to our credibility. It will increase our launch and space mission capabilities and help us play a prominent role in international negotiations and strategic discussions on space related matters. It would also help ISRO recruit talented engineers and scientists.

There may also be spin-off benefits in related areas of defence research (e.g in development of ICBM capabilities). Besides the cost of the Mission (of ~$80m) is only a fraction of ISRO’s annual budget, is spread over mutliple years and some of the investment is in facilities that will be re-used for other services and launches (e.g. the Indian Deep Space Network at Byalalu, near Bangalore, established at a cost of $20m - which will also serve future satellites). And all this is done within an annual budget that is less than a tenth of NASA’s (according to this report, in 2006, ISRO’s annual budget was less than 3% of NASA!).

All in all, the Mission to Moon gives great bang-for-the buck.

Yes, it would not directly put food in hungry mouths…yes, it would not directly put any money in the pockets of the impoverished…but the gains that accrue have a huge geo-strategic significance and will help India’s ascendancy on the world stage – not to mention providing a booster shot to indigenous R&D efforts.

We would do well to cheer it.

From the Rig Veda:

“O Moon! We should be able to know you through our intellect. You enlighten us through the right path.” Today, Chandrayaan has set out on this right path.

त्वम सोम पर चिकितॊ मनीषा, त्वम रजिष्ठमनु नॆषि पन्थाम ॥

Tvam Soma para chikito manisha. Tvam rajishtamanu neshi panthaam. Rig Veda (Hymn 91)

For the more curious amongst you, here is the link to the home page of the Mission, link to FAQs and an informative booklet [~700k pdf file]. There is even a YouTube video on the Mission (I don’t think it is by ISRO though)!

To close, here is an uplifting extract from Newsweek on how India’s vision might just show the way for mankind’s next giant leap:

India’s investment in Earth observation satellites over the years comes to only about $500 million per satellite, about a tenth of the cost of its Western counterparts. After introducing a satellite service to locate potential fish zones and broadcasting the sites over All India Radio, ISRO helped coastal fishermen double the size of their catch. For the government’s Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, begun in 1986, satellites have improved the success rate of government well-drilling projects by 50 to 80 percent, saving $100 million to $175 million. Meteorological satellites have improved the government’s ability to predict the all-important Indian monsoon, which can influence India’s gross domestic product by 2 to 5 percent.

Next, ISRO plans to roll out satellite-enabled services to hundreds of millions of farmers in India’s remote villages. In partnership with NGOs and government bodies, it has helped to set up about 400 Village Resource Centers so far. Each provides connections to dozens of villages for Internet-based services such as access to commodities pricing information, agricultural advice from crop experts and land records. ISRO’s remote-sensing data will also help village councils develop watersheds and irrigation projects, establish accurate land records and plan new roads connecting their villages with civilization as cheaply and efficiently as possible. One ISRO partner—the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation—has used satellites to conduct 78,000 training programs for more than 300,000 farmers in 550 villages, teaching them about farming practices like drip-and-sprinkle irrigation, health-care awareness programs for diseases like malaria and tuberculosis, and information about how to access government services. Using satellites to guide reclamation of 2 million hectares of saline and alkaline wastelands is expected to generate income of more than $500 million a year.

…and here is a great account of how far we have come in 45 years:

The launch of a US-made Nike-Apache Sounding Rocket from Thumba, near Thiruvananthapuram, on Nov 21, 1963, marked the beginning of India’s space odyssey…

…Recalling the incident, R. Aravamudan, who has been associated with the Indian space programme from the very beginning, says: “There were no buildings yet in the range (Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station -TERLS). Our first office was in the bishop’s house and the St. Mary Magdalene church building there.”

“Once the rocket was launched, there was no telemetry or radar tracking, only photography from three stations of the vapour cloud. The orange vapour trail was visible from all over Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu. This created great excitement. Since the common public had never seen such a sight before, it also gave rise to some hilarious newspaper reports.”

…”We had to make use of public transport as there were no official vehicles yet and no canteen. So, our day began with a quick breakfast of idli sambar at the Railway Station Canteen, which was the only place where we could get food to our taste.

We would then pack some snacks and lunch from the same canteen and go to the bus stand to catch a mofussil bus to Kazhakkutam. We would get down at the bus stand there and walk about a kilometre or so to the range. The whole trip took about an hour.

“The range (TERLS) was quite large in area and the only means of transport within the range was by bicycle. Those like (A.P.J. Abdul) Kalam, who could not cycle, had to hitch rides with others.”

*Somewhat* Related Post: Of Vimanas and Time Travel

Recommended Reading: G Madhavan Nair’s interview in Outlook.

Cops, Drug Smugglers, and Picturesque Himachal

B Shantanu — Thu, 9 Oct 2008 13:04:08 EDT

As I chanced upon this news-item yesterday, “Five cops suspended - nexus between cops and the drug mafia“, I was reminded of this article from earlier this week: Vulnerable India faces a new threat by Ramtanu Maitra in which he wrote, “…India is becoming increasingly unstable…(and) the latest source of instability is the growing inflow of drugs and the establishment of drug-trafficking networks inside India…”

Sh. Maitra cited the latest report (March ‘08) of the International Narcotics Control Board which mentioned (that): “…the use of courier services for drug trafficking is on the rise in India, and the country is increasingly being used as a major transit as well as destination country for smuggling of banned substances…”

While the International Narcotics Control report did not go into any details about drug trafficking in India, the increasing prevalance of drugs in the border areas and rise in drug trafficking is well documented…

Alongside Goa, Rajasthan and Himachal are fast becoming major transit areas for movement of drugs within and outside India.

In pristine Himachal, the roots of drug smuggling can be traced to the aftermath of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan which led to “settlement of displaced Afghans in Kullu” and consequently “…to the first planned business in trade and cultivation of narcotics in that area. Afghan settlers preferred the hilly terrain of Kullu-Manali for climatic reasons. They gradually developed links with local youths, and soon heralded the era of “smack, heroin, and brown sugar” in that region…” [ link ].

Manali’s links with the drug trade have been known for at least a few years now as is the heavy presence of Israelis in the region. According to this report in The Hindu, the Israeli government …”has established a camp in Manali town of Himachal Pradesh to rescue their citizens from becoming drug addicts and educate them about their religion.”

Alongwith Manali, Kullu too is becoming increasingly popular with foreign visitors (again, mostly Israelis) - a vast majority of whom come their in pursuit of cheap and easy drugs. Harsh Thakur’s report (cited earlier) mentions that “Cannabis took root in the area after 3,000 Israelis made Kasol their home…“. This report mentions that almost 70,000 Israeli’s visit the region each year.

In McLeodganj alone, the number of Israelis staying in and around the town is more than 4,000. [ link ]. This is predicatably causing local issues but more worryingly, this large semi-transient population of foreigners is both - a distribution network as well as a consumer of cheap, local drugs.

It is not clear to me precisely how these foreigners have managed to “settle” here… I need not mention the ineffectiveness of local administration in handling this problem (- or worse their possible collusion in this activity which lets it continue unchecked). To get a sense of how bad the situation is, read this extract from Harish Thakur’s first-hand report from Manali:

An Israeli revealed some interesting facts about the trade. Kutla, a remote village in Parvati Valley, is the hub of charas cultivation. Police have little access here and people work fearlessly. Foreigners hire one acre of land for just 10,000 rupees (about $223), and raise about 40 kilograms of charas. Cheap Nepali labour makes things easy, as villages such as Malana, Kasol, and Tosh compete for higher production.

The drug mafia has set up “headline fields,” which can be sacrificed if the police carry out a raid. But fields in the higher slopes of the mountains have been left untouched, and production there thrives. The trade here is mostly controlled by drug cartels from Israel and Italy. About 90% of the Rs. 900-crore trade is controlled by foreigners. Police protection is secured – at a price. For good charas people trust Italians more and a gram of Kullu charas that costs about Rs. 25 locally can fetch as much as Rs. 3000/- in Holland.

According to a State Narcotics Report, over 3,000 acres of mountain land in Himachal Pradesh is under illegal cannabis cultivation, run by the Italian and Israeli drug mafia through local residents.

The government is well aware of the illegal cultivation as well as reports which indicate that “drug syndicates are trying to spread their operations in the country by joining hands with poachers…” but is hampered by political compulsions and socio-economic circumstances…

Last month, efforts by an NGO to encourage villagers to grow herbal alternatives in place of cannabis did not yield much results:

The Himalayan Phyto-Chemical Growers Association (HIMPA), an NGO that came here on Sunday with a proposal to provide a viable economic alternative to cannabis cultivation in the Malana area, faces a huge task as around 2,100 villagers remain a divided house over its proposal.

…Narcotics smugglers remained absent from the seminar on alternative crops that was held here on Sunday

Not surprisingly, at least part of the reason why this trade flourishes here is poverty and general under-development:

Extreme poverty usually compels many poor villagers in far-flung hinterland to accept the offers made by smugglers to cultivate cannabis. Its cultivation has affected a major area of the State which is major tourist destination for its spectacular view of Himalayan peaks and picturesque valleys.

Lured by the chain of drug traffickers, small local farmers and villagers grow cannabis to earn a fast buck. Officials say villagers are advised by the drug traffickers to cultivate cannabis in the forests to avoid police cases…Local cannabis usually make its way to adjoining States of Punjab and Haryana besides capital New Delhi and far off Goa, a popular destination for foreign tourists on the western coast of India. [ link ]

…but the really worrying thing I found was the evidence of links between drug trade, terrorism and hawala transactions…Last month:

The district police…recovered 450 gm poppy husk and Indian and foreign currency from two vehicles intercepted at Kandwal barrier on the Pathankot-Kangra road.

The Kangra SP Atul Fulzele while talking to The Tribune said the objectionable material was recovered from two Scorpios at the naka. … The police also recovered Rs 3.30 lakh in Indian currency, $ 2500 and a truck engine and a generator from the vehicles.

The SP said that during interrogation the accused told the police that they purchased American currency from a person in the Kashmir valley. The police is suspecting the accused might be involved in hawala trading…

Laments aside, what can really be done? When I began thinking about this, I realised that there are no easy answers (e.g. a zero tolerance policy - which will only end up getting the smallest fish in jail or hanged)…

What may work are these suggested steps…

1. Increasing skills-based training, better (and more facilities for) education with an emphasis on female literacy

2. Developing new local industries; in particular, hydel power generation (and possibly solar/wind)

3. Creating alternatives in the established tourism sector (adventure tourism), high-end tourism

4. Stricter law enforcement…E.g. read this extract:

I was shocked when I saw the scene of the mela to find cannabis being sold openly. There was a shop where shake made of marijuana was freely available and local police was doing nothing. Gambling was also openly played. Its pertinent to mention that according to law sale of cannabis is banned and gambling in public places is also banned. However when I spoke to gambling vendor, he said he paid Rs. 1000 to local mela committee and around Rs. 1500 to local police. So there was no chance of him getting stopped by law or by local community. Not to mention the local MLA was chief guest of this mela (fair). I brought the CD and photos as evidence and would happily share them with government if they plan to take any action. [ link ]

5. And finally (as always), “better” local leadership which translates as clean, efficient and genuinely committed to public welfare…

But I am sure there are other, better ideas out there….What do readers think? How can Himachal be pulled out of a vortex of drug cartels and mafias?

Comments and thoughts welcome as always…

Find of the Day: Malana

Saving the Planet by Going Vegetarian

B Shantanu — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:50:03 EDT

I used to dismiss the idea of saving the planet by choosing a vegetarian diet as far-fetched until I came across this report from EarthSave, “

Although some of the points it makes may be contentious (e.g. the aerosols argument is more complex than appears: while some aerosols help reduce temperatures, others may have a warming effect), it nevertheless makes for fascinating reading.

It is richly annotated and deserves serious attention and wide publicity - far more than it has got in the mainstream media and press to date. I wish someone like Shri Pachauri makes it part of his/her agenda…Otherwise we are unlikely to see any significant move away from the current obsession with CO2.

Excerpts (emphasis mine):

“…The environmental community rightly recognizes global warming as one of the gravest threats to the planet. Global temperatures are already higher than they’ve ever been in at least the past millennium, and the increase is accelerating even faster than scientists had predicted. The expected consequences include coastal flooding, increases in extreme weather, spreading disease, and mass extinctions.

…Unfortunately, the environmental community has focused its efforts almost exclusively on abating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

This is a serious miscalculation. Data published by Dr. James Hansen and others show that CO2 emissions are not the main cause of observed atmospheric warming….

Though this may sound like the work of global warming skeptics, it isn’t: Hansen is Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies who has been called “a grandfather of the global warming theory.” He is a longtime supporter of action against global warming, cited by Al Gore and often quoted by environmental organizations…

…The focus solely on CO2 is fueled in part by misconceptions. It’s true that human activity produces vastly more CO2 than all other greenhouse gases put together. However, this does not mean it is responsible for most of the earth’s warming.

Many other greenhouse gases trap heat far more powerfully than CO2, some of them tens of thousands of times more powerfully. When taking into account various gases’ global warming potential—defined as the amount of actual warming a gas will produce over the next one hundred years—it turns out that gases other than CO2 make up most of the global warming problem

…the fact remains that sources of non-CO2 greenhouse gases are responsible for virtually all the global warming we’re seeing, and all the global warming we are going to see for the next fifty years. If we wish to curb global warming over the coming half century, we must look at strategies to address non-CO2 emissions. The strategy with the most impact is vegetarianism.

By far the most important non-CO2 greenhouse gas is methane, and the number one source of methane worldwide is animal agriculture.

…Methane is responsible for nearly as much global warming as all other non-CO2 greenhouse gases put together. Methane is 21 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than CO2. While atmospheric concentrations of CO2 have risen by about 31% since pre-industrial times, methane concentrations have more than doubled.

With methane emissions causing nearly half of the planet’s human-induced warming, methane reduction must be a priority.

…the number one source (of methane) worldwide is animal agriculture. Animal agriculture produces more than 100 million tons of methane a year. And this source is on the rise: global meat consumption has increased fivefold in the past fifty years, and shows little sign of abating.

About 85% of this methane is produced in the digestive processes of livestock…

…The conclusion is simple: arguably the best way to reduce global warming in our lifetimes is to reduce or eliminate our consumption of animal products.

Simply by going vegetarian (or, strictly speaking, vegan), we can eliminate one of the major sources of emissions of methane, the greenhouse gas responsible for almost half of the global warming impacting the planet today…

In addition to having the advantage of immediately reducing global warming, a shift away from methane-emitting food sources is much easier than cutting carbon dioxide…”

***

Read the report in full: EarthSave Report.

Adjacent Post: Of “Sacred Bulls”, Divinity & Development

Bahadur Shah Zafar & The Bharat Ratna

B Shantanu — Sat, 2 Feb 2008 06:11:13 EST

Amidst all the recent brouhaha around Bharat Ratna nominations, someone conveniently forgot the “truth” about some of our nominees. I am thinking of Bahadur Shah Zafar who was proposed for the award as a champion of India’s freedom and someone who actively opposed the British.

The demand was made by Delhi Assembly Deputy Speaker Shoaib Iqbal, who reportedly described the last Mughal Emperor in those words. it was unfortunate that Emperor Bahadur Shah II, also known as Zafar, whose martyrdom and national stature rank among the highest in India’s freedom struggle, had not so far been conferred with the Bharat Ratna.

”Bahadur Shah Zafar was the leader of the freedom fighters of the entire sub-continent. He could have compromised with the British and lived a life like the royal family of England but chose to sacrifice his sons, pomp and grandeur - all for for the sake of the honour and independence of India and its people,”

The facts are somewhat different (and inconvenient).

The reality was that the Emperor did not think much of the Sepoys who had marched to Delhi to ask him to be their leader. He viewed them as “rustic, uncouth and ill-mannered”.

His support for the revolt, when it came, was far from being decisive…”He vacillated, but overcome by the desire to reclaim his inheritance, he assented” (from “Requiem for Mughal Delhi” by By Muneeza Shamsie, a review of William Dalrymple’s book The Last Mughal).

And yet, “

…he was never quite in control. His page, Zahir Dehlavi, who later wrote an invaluable memoir, Dastan-e-Ghadr, described Bahadur Shah’s horror when he learnt the sepoys wanted to slaughter the British families held prisoner in the fort. He pleaded with them.

He asked the sepoys, Hindus and Muslims, to consult their religious leaders if they had the authority to massacre helpless women and children. “Their murder can never be allowed,” he added. But in the end, he failed to prevent it.” (from Muneeza Shamsie’s review)

So much for leading the freedom fighters.

The end of his leadership was also far from heroic: “When the victory of the British became certain, Zafar took refuge at Humayun’s Tomb, in an area that was then at the outskirts of Delhi, and hid there. British forces led by Major Hodson surrounded the tomb and compelled his surrender.”

Will the Honorary Dy Speaker admit that he may have been mistaken?

For some extra “fun”, read this leftist interpretation of Zafar’s life from an article written for CPI(M)’s newspaper last June. I thought this bit was the funniest:

“One should not take too literally Zafar’s statement at his so-called ‘trial’ in which he projected himself as a mere prisoner of the sipahis.”

Classic!

Forgetting History: Delhi's "Iron Pillar"

B Shantanu — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:49:22 EDT

I recently stumbled on this news-item about the development of a new type of corrosion-resistant iron by Prof Balasubramaniam and one of his colleagues at IIT, Kanpur (emphasis mine):

…Indian metallurgists have developed a type of corrosion-resistant iron that construction engineers would love. And vital clues for it came for Delhi’s famous Iron Pillar that has been standing tall for over 1,600 years.

Developed by Ramamurthy Balasubramaniam and his former student Gadadhar Sahoo of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kanpur, the iron contains phosphorus and shows remarkable resistance to corrosion, especially in concrete.

Ironically, Bala’s material is not new. It was being made by Indian ironsmiths centuries ago. Bala says he got the clue for developing this material from the six-tonne seven-metre tall Delhi Iron Pillar - a major tourist attraction in the Qutb Minar complex — that has been standing for centuries in the harsh weather of the capital without any corrosion.

“As a metallurgist, I was intrigued,” Bala told IANS. And his passionate quest to unravel the mystery that began in 1990s has now culminated in phosphoric irons.

…(commendably) All the work, he said, was done with institute funds without any external support.

Most of you of course know about the Iron Pillar but I was not aware that it was originally located at Udayagiri (roughly translated as “sunrise peak”) near Vidisha where it was part of a complex of temples and buildings.

At the Udayagiri site, the pillar almost certainly served an important astronomical function. The Udaygiri complex itself offers clear evidence of advanced knowledge and understanding of astronomy in ancient India - a knowledge that survived at least until the early centuries of the millenium (~400 A.D.).

Incidentally, the pillar appears to be further proof of the distortion of history in the dash to appear “secular” or “modern”.

So even though it is widely acknowledged that the pillar was constructed and erected during the reign of Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (375-413), instead of being called the Chandragupta (or Vikramaditya) Pillar, it is commonly referred to as the “Iron Pillar” or the ”Mehrauli Pillar”*.

Isn’t this exactly how an entire generation “forgets” its history? I wonder.

* As an interesting exercise, google for “Mehrauli Pillar”, “Iron Pillar” and “Chandragupta Pillar” - the results will speak for themselves.

Further Reading:

A review of “Delhi Iron Pillar: New Insights. Balasubramaniam, R. “

On the astronomical significance of the Delhi iron pillar by R. Balasubramaniam and Meera I. Dass

Who Will Listen to Para's Silent Screams?

B Shantanu — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 04:31:30 EDT

I read about this shameful and horrifying rape in Tehelka's recent issue and it filled me with rage and a deep sense of frustration - rage at what happened and the indifference of police authorities and frustration that these kind of crimes are still being seen through the prism of caste. Here is a shocking excerpt of what happened to Para Devi (from Tehelka):

"On June 23, Para, a Dalit daily wage labourer from Santoshpura, left home for work at 8am with her husband, Ranglal.

Feeling unwell during the day, she set out for the hospital; on the way, her neighbour Kalu Ram offered her a ride in his car. Two other men, Harsahai and Kajod, were in the same car and three others, Sohan Lal, Indraraj and Jagdish, were later picked up.

For the next three days, the six men drove Para from village to village, raping her in turn. When she protested, they beat her; when she asked for water, they gave her country liquor mixed with Limca. She was made to urinate in the car and given no food.

On June 26, Para was dropped, wounded, torn, only half-conscious, at the Phagi bus stand with Rs 20 and a threat not to open her mouth or her family would be killed. When her husband tried to lodge an FIR, he was turned away..."

What happened to Para was not (just) a crime against a Dalit women - it was a crime against a helpless woman, it was a crime against humanity, it was a murder of values that we cherish. Sadly the story has been published under "Dalit Window" in Tehelka)

All the talk of women empowerment comes to naught in the face of such incidents and no amount of condemnation will ever heal Para's wounds.

What will help is a steely desire to bring the culprits to book - and make an example of them.

What I also find very disturbing is the "silence" of the mainstream media, the political parties and the NGOs on this issue.

But then why should anyone bother?

Para comes from a remote village in Rajasthan, which most of us would have never heard about. She is poor, illiterate and unemployed.

To a glamour-obsessed media, she has zero value and offers no sound bites.

To the vote-obsessed political parties, she represents nothing - except the insignificant votes of 20 Bairwa families.

To the publicity-obsessed NGOs, she is not a good opportunity since the Women's Commission seems to have got there first.

The Women's Commission is probably the only one that comes out of this cesspool with some credit (in as much as it intervened to get the police to register an FIR).

But is it not ironic that in a state with a woman as Chief Minister, the women had to organise a "dharna" to be heard?

My head hangs in shame today.

A fresh look at Reservations and Quotas - PART II

B Shantanu — Sun, 7 Oct 2007 10:28:36 EDT

A few weeks ago, I wrote
a detailed post examining the various issues with the current system of reservations and quotas. In that analysis, I identified the following serious problems:

The present system does not address the fundamental issue of lack of good quality primary education
That there continue to be unfilled seats suggest it may not be working as it should
It appears to be mis-targeted and imbalanced
It is in danger of becoming self-perpetuating
It may fail to create a longer term positive impact and finally,
It may be based on faulty, missing, un-validated and inconsistent inputs.

In this post, I will try and look at some ideas and proposals that might help overcome at least some of the issues identified above.

What is the solution?

Let me say at the outset that I am not sure if there is/are any perfect solution(s) to this issue. In fact, I am not even sure whether any/all the ideas I am proposing (below) are practical and/or can be implemented. And yet, it is not possible to avoid the topic and I believe it is essential to have a serious debate on this. Please treat the thoughts below as catalysts to that discussion.

Here are a few ideas worth considering:

Privatise and heavily encourage provision of elementary education by the private sector. Done well, this could also boost entrepreneurship in rural and semi-urban areas and possibly generate some employment too. This addresses issues #1 and #2.
Heavily subsidise (through scholarships, grants and other means) education at primary and secondary level based on economic criteria. This addresses issues #1 and #2.
Offer needy and bright students continuing/long-term scholarships to help them progress to higher education. This addresses issues #1 and #2.
Offer extra incentives to set up educational institutions which will cater only to SCs and STs – or in areas dominated by SCs and STs. This addresses issue #3.
Put in a filter(s) to reduce the dominance of the current quotas by those from the “creamy layer”. This addresses issue #3.
Extend current quotas by a maximum of another 5 years and gradually phase them out (say by reducing 10% every 5 years) until they reach 20% (Assuming 50% reservations of seats/places at the moment, it will take about two decades to get to 20%). Then fill the seats and places that make up the 20% based on income and socio-economic backwardness indicators. This addresses issue #4.
Limit reservation for OBCs to 20% while re-examining the inputs based on current, validate and empirically verifiable data; Once better data is available, re-assess. This addresses issue #6.
Make a serious effort to gather data and better quality inputs; None of these measures will be very effective unless they are based on sound evidence (Evidence needed not only to justify the measure but to ensure that is well-directed and can make a difference). This addresses issue #6.

I believe a combination of these measures can create long-term positive impact and, over time, eliminate need for caste-based reservations.

The quota system can then morph into an affirmative action programme that is better able to address the needs of a developing society in the years to come.

Very Important:

I am putting forward these ideas to initiate a discussion. Although most of these views reflect my thinking, this is not etched in stone. The purpose of this piece is to start a dialogue and come up with a broad consensus on what might actually work.

Better ideas are very likely to emerge from this discussion. For that to happen, we must all be open-minded and ready to hear/think about opposing points of views.

The discussion will be enhanced by the breadth of participation and a spectrum of diverse views.. So please ask everyone/anyone who you think is concerned about this issue to write in.

If someone could get YFE (Youth For Equality) and others to respond, that would be even better.

Additional Ideas:

1. Polite Indian’s Deprivation Certificate (also suggested in slightly different form by Dr Vinaya Singh)

2. Purushottam Agrawal’s MIRAA Index

3. Arvind Subramanian’s Graduated Vouchers Scheme

Related Posts:

A fresh look at Reservations and Quotas

This, not reservations is the answer

Additional Reading (Highly recommended)

Are Brahmins the Dalits of today? - by Francois Gautier

The middle class deserves what it is getting - by Sushant Sareen which has the conclusion:

Frankly, the Indian middle class deserves what it is getting. The basic lesson which they need to learn is that if they don’t shed their supercilious attitude towards politics and don’t vote, and don’t express their outrage with everything that is wrong in this country, they will get by-passed.

Well said.

Comment, views, thoughts, suggestions and counter-points welcome, as always.

Zara, UK Fashion Chain, Withdraws "Swastika" HandBags

B Shantanu — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:52:40 EDT

The Zara fashion chain owned the Spanish company Inditex has withdrawn a recently introduced handbag from its stores after the design was discovered to contain swastikas

From the BBC website:

A customer who returned the bag to the shop when she noticed the symbol said staff had been “shocked” to see it.

As well as being the Nazi symbol, the swastika is also a religious symbol for Hindus and Buddhists.

…Rachel Hatton, said, “I was quite shocked - I took it back to the shop.” “Then obviously the shop assistants were quite shocked as well to find out this symbol was on there - it was not something that they’d noticed either straight away,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“Had the symbol been seen we would not have sourced that particular handbag,” said Zara spokesperson Susan Suett.

It appears that:

Zara may not have selected the handbag had the “swastika” been visible before the order was placed
The staff may not have sold it had they noticed the “offending symbol” which so “shocked” them
There is no difference between the Nazi “swastika” and the Hindu and Buddhist one
Selling anything with a “swastika” on it may be asking for trouble (- does not matter if it is the Hindu symbol which is revered by millions of people - oh, but they are all “Third-world”, aren’t they?)

Of course, no one bothers to dig a bit and find out if the symbols are actually identical and how an ancient religious symbol became associated with Nazism in the first place.

For those of you who do want to find out, please read: Of Swastika, Nazis and sacred symbols.

Compare and contrast this response to another “incident” in the UK from about two years ago: ”Harrods apology over Hindu bikinis“. Oddly, while a”Nazi symbol” evokes (justifiable but in this case, probably mis-directed) shock, people are surprised that Hindu Gods on bikinis caused offence.

Might it be something to do with our famed “tolerance” and perception that Hindus are “a community (that) can (be) victimise(d) with impunity?“

Politics & Corruption: How to "Fix the System"

B Shantanu — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:42:44 EDT

Or more accurately, how to begin fixing the system.

Some of you may have read my recent comments (here and here) in which I mentioned about writing a post on corruption. Two days ago, in an amazing coincidence, I received an email from Sanjeev on this very issue.

In the email, Sanjeev wrote,

“…my only concern would be that the initiatives cited (eg. the zero value rupee, 15% commission to Ghaziabad municipality, etc.) are likely to be cosmetic and unsustainable.

India needs systematic reforms of its governance, of the sort covered in my book. That is, in my view, the only long term solution.

My recent TOI article (on reforming the bureaucracy) is part of the attack we need to launch against corruption. Here are the responses I received….If you’d like to, I particularly recommend a relatively short chapter 5 entitled, “An analysis of political corruption in India“.

I read the chapter yesterday and I was stunned by the clarity of Sanjeev’s arguments and his insightful analysis.

Sanjeev’s basic contention is “socialist policies have created the opportunities for corruption in India, and our flawed electoral system design (which forces 99% of our candidates to get huge amounts of black money and to liaise with the mafia while contesting elections) creates the incentives for corruption. Governance reforms are therefore needed at both levels - to reduce opportunities, and to eliminate the incentives”

If you think of yourself as a concerned citizen of India - or someone who loves India and wishes it well, please do read this IN FULL - Chapter 5 An analysis of political corruption in India.

But for those of you pressed for time, below is a summary of the chapter, including Sanjiv’s diagnosis and his suggestions for reform.

No doubt I have lost a lot of flavour and punch in condensing an 18-pg document in a few bullet points; Hence the request to everyone to read the article full.

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The Situation Today, aka The Rot in the System

Our society and political system has failed to throw up outstanding leaders of stature, intellect and probity
Whatever else we may be today, we are definitely not a role model for anyone in the world on ethical standards
The kind of people our system attracts are power- and money-hungry individuals “who are not reflective on their use of power, unaware of the concept of freedom, and unwilling to listen to expert policy advice or innovations designed to create a great India. “
We therefore experience a depressingly corrupt and ineffective democracy in India where the qualifications for being given a ‘ticket’ to contest elections are: possession of a modest intellect, capped with serious moral defects, and (a) the ability to play fast and loose with public money, (b) close association with genuine, mafia-type criminals and (c) ability to threaten honest candidates to prevent them from contesting elections.
leaders
Unless we “build systems that will attract some of our best people to run for government…we are destined to perpetual mediocrity; perhaps much worse. “

The root of the current malaise is: “There are also so many compulsions for dishonesty built into our electoral system that good people simply aren’t interested in representing us.”

***

The Barriers and Compulsions that prevent good people from joining Politics

There is no reason to be honest
On the contrary it “hurts” to be honest; The system makes it financially punitive to do so and keeps prudent people out of the process (unless they are willing to compromise their integrity and honesty)
The low salaries (Rs 12k per month for an MP) keep the competent away from participating in the process

The underlying issues are:
a] the artificial (and ridiculously low) limit on electoral spending (Rs 25 Lakhs)
b] the routine violation of this limit
c] the lack of accountability and consequences of such a violation

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The Remedies

Raise the wages of MPs and MLAs, at least by a factor of ten; probably more, while getting rid of all of their ‘perks’.
Ensure state funding for elections
Dismantle election expense limits (that are routinely breached); instead have very strong audit systems with severe penalties for violations
Initiate a wider set of reforms of the electoral system e.g. making public the property returns of our representatives

***
For those of you who wish to read more, the entire book is available for download (for free) on Sanjeev’s website.

Sanjeev: I hope this generates some discussion and thought. As you said, this needs wider publicity and wider discussion. Unless we all agree on the “need” for reform, change will be hard to come by.

Sharon and Pragya: I hope this triggers some thought and you find the time to read Sanjeev’s chapter in full.

Related Posts:

Do we deserve the politicians we get?

How to earn Rs 50 crores in 5 years

End big-time corruption? I dont think so…

Corruption in Public Life – Are we the only ones?

BPD, BM, LP: Light at the end of the tunnel?

The Joys of Living in "Secular India"

B Shantanu — Sat, 8 Sep 2007 12:31:17 EDT

Some of you must have already read the "news" about the government officer in Bihar who faces suspension for coming to work with a "tilak" on his forehead.

According to one report, Special Secretary (Agriculure), Shri CK Anil "asked deputy director Lakshman Mishra not to wear 'tilak' on his forehead during office hours and threatened to suspend him."

Other reports are here and here.

Now, by most accounts, Shri Anil appears to be a fine officer who has a reputation for firmness and no-nonsense behaviour . A report from The Tribune mentions how he has taken on powerful leaders before:

"The news of the abrupt transfers of the Collectors of Siwan and Gopalganj in Bihar, even when the conference was examining the problem, came as a bolt from the blue. Mr C.K. Anil (Siwan) and Mr K.K. Pathak (Gopalganj) are known for their high integrity and character. As they were taking on powerful leaders like Syed Shahabuddin and Sadhu Yadav, Governor Buta Singh clipped their wings, apparently under pressure from Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav."

This time however he chose a mid-ranking government employee - it is exactly not clear why.

I find it hard to believe that the suspension order was purely because of the "tilak".

But if it was, Shri Anil has a LOT of explaining to do - hiding from the media is unlikely to make that go away.

While there are instances of "secular countries" prohibiting wearing of religious symbols (see e.g. the controversy around British Airways "ban" on wearing a cross and the French law that bans head scarfs in schools), a "tilak" is not exactly a headscarf and is less conspicuous than many other symbols of religious identity. It also has rich symbolism as most Hindus would know.

And India is neither Britain nor France.

This is the first time in recent years that I recall something like this has happened in India - as most of you no doubt know, "Turban wearing Sikhs are exempted from using a helmet" and India's "secularism" is of a different nature.

So is this an example of what Mark Tully memorably called "Secular Fundamentalism"?

It will be interesting to see how the drama unfolds. My guess is that the suspension order (if it has been issued) will either be revoked or never implemented (or it might be superseded by orders from the Chief Secretary.

I wonder what comes next. No Sikhs allowed in government offices with turbans?

Watch this space...and long live secularism!

P.S. Some of you might find this TIME debate interesting: "Should France Ban Head Scarves?"

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UPDATE: The recommendation for suspension has just been rejected by the Bihar Government.
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