I remember reading an interview of Verghese Kurien ( father of the 'white revolution' which transformed India into the largest producer of milk in the world and one of my heroes) where he said "We don't need foreigners telling us how to fry chips ( the potato kind) , my grandmother can do it better". He was responding to a question on the government allowing MNC's to enter the food/snacks market, under the pretext of it bringing in new technology. For some reason this statement of his has been etched in my mind. Many, at that time said he was saying this since he was afraid of the competition. Several people at that time also predicted the end of Amul saying that it would not be able to withstand the onslaught of MNC's and transnationals.
Well ten years hence Amul still continues to thrive. Not only that, the reverse of what was predicted is happening. The MNC's and transnationals are getting creamed by Amul.
This article which appeared in the New York Times talks about the recent successes that Amul has had in its recent foray into India's nascent ice-cream market. The market which is expected to grow at 20% annually is currently dominated by Hindustand Lever the Indian arm of Unilever. Amul is expected to emerge the market leader in ice-creams by the end of this calendar year.
What does HLL do when faced with defeat. Here's what the article had to say.
At Hindustan Lever, there is scorn for what is seen as Amul's concentration on grabbing more of the existing market share rather than working to expand it. "They are a farmers' cooperative, and they will always cater to that constituency," said J. H. Mehta, executive director in charge of the ice cream division. "Our constituency, on the other hand, is consumers."
Who afraid of whom now ?
Leveraging on its other strength of being the number one producer of cheese in India Amul has started selling pizzas thru its franchises. Priced five times lesser than its rivals Amul franchises are amongst the fastest growing pizza chains in the country.
Formed as a cooperative in 1946 by Moraji Desai under the advice of the "Sardar" to protect the farmers from rapacious milk contractors, Amul today has come a long way under the stewardship of Dr.Kurien. This is the swadeshi movement that Gandhi and Sardar spoke about and not the protectionist philosphies adopted and propogated by the Nehruvian Marxists.
In the meanwhile I am awaiting the time when I can buy Amul products at the local supermarket here in So.California! Now wouldn't that be "utterly delicious" !
Most of us have heard Ravi Shastri mouth the cliche "Cricket's a religion in these parts of the world", every time a match played in the Indian subcontinent.
No doubt cricketers and fans of the game are a religious lot. I remember the times when my sister and I used to do special "abishekam"and prayers for "puliyar- (ganesha, vinayaka, vigneshwara)" prior to an important India match (which by the way was every match that India played). Rediff has this interesting article on the new avatar of Ganesha called "Cricket Ganesha". This definitely makes interesting reading. The next time you hear Ravi Shastri you will know he is not far from the truth !
Considering today is Independence day (its 15th Aug and not 4th of July as many of you might think )and given that I am in rather patriotic mood, I will follow it up with a patriotic posting.
It is the complete text of Jawaharlal Nehru's speech to the Constituent Assembly in New Delhi at midnight on August 14, 1947. I personally love this speech for several reasons (at one time I knew the entire speech by heart-now I am bragging). But most of all it reminds us of all the promises we made at the time of independence that remain unfulfilled to this day. It serves as a constant reminder of the unfinished tasks that lie in front of every Indian.
Read on its a classic. Written and delivered by Nehru himself this one will remain in the minds of Indians for a long time to come.
"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially.
At the stroke of midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, then an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.
At the dawn of history India started on her unending quest, and trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her successes and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her strength. We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again.
The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?
Freedom and power bring responsibility. That responsibility rests upon this assembly, a sovereign body representing the sovereign people of India. Before the birth of freedom we have endured all the pains of labour and our hearts are heavy with the memory of this sorrow. Some of those pains continue even now.
Nevertheless, the past is over and it is the future that beckons to us now.
That future is not one of ease or resting but of incessant striving so that we might fulfill the pledges we have so often taken and the one we shall take today. The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity.
The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us but so long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over.
And so we have to labour and to work, and work hard, to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world, for all the nations and peoples are too closely knit together today for any one of them to imagines that it can live apart.
Peace has been said to be indivisible, so is freedom, so is prosperity now, and so also is disaster in this one world that can no longer be split into isolated fragments.
To the people of India whose representatives we are, we make appeal to join us with faith and confidence in this great adventure. This is no time for petty and destructive criticism, no time for ill-will or blaming others.
We have to build the noble mansion of free India where all her children may dwell. "
"India nu pani piyu che, Gujarat nu pani piyu che, aima bau takat che, helmet nathi jyothi " ( loosely translated-He has had India's water, Gujarat's water. That will give him enough strength. He does not need a helmet.)
what Ajay Patel, father of Parthiv Patel ( the recently capped wicketkeeper of India who is all of 17 years, which makes him the youngest wicketkeeper in the world to play test cricket ) had to say when he was told by a reporter that in England a wicketkeeper below the age of 18 needs to wear a helmet or get written permission from his parents seeking exemption for the same.
In his latest Op-ed titled "India, Pakistan & GE", Friedman reasons that the economic cost associated with going to war with Pakistan was what prevented India from taking drastic measures. Several US and European corporations outsource IT services, backroom operations etc from companies. Likewise several companies like G.E., Nokia have research centers in India. In his Op-ed he quotes examples of how the exectives of some US companies impressed upon their Indian counterparts that if the situation did not get better they would have to look for alternative sources for their business. This he says caused the Indian executives to lobby with the Indian government to pull back. Fair enough, corporate America did what was in its best interests. I am peeved with their Indian counterparts. What were they thinking ?
Back in 1998 when the US senate was debating whether it should renew the "most favoured trading nation" status for China in light of its poor human rights track record guess what happened. The Chinese businessmen and executives impressed upon their US counterparts the need for the status to be renewed otherwise they would face disastrous consequences in lost businesses. Corporate America was and is outsourcing a lot from China. Walk into a Wal-Mart or a Target and you will see it for yourself. Guess what happened, the US businessman lobbied with their congressman to ensure that the status was renewed ( maybe the Senate turned it down and the President vetoed it or something ). So as far as the Chinese businessman were concerned it was China above all. Why did the reverse not happen, like it happened in India. The Chinese businessman lobbbying with their bureaucrats to improve their human rights track record. It was their belief that the they were good and the US needed them as much as they need the US. They spoke the language understood by the US, the language of money. It requires a certain self-belief and self-esteem to be a superpower unfortunately we Indians lack it .That's exactly what the Chinese have and thats why they are on track while we are still searching for the track.
Let us not forget we faught Kargil in 1999 during the peak of the tech boom. Did the threat of nuclear war not exist then ? What happened then ? No one pulled out of India. Nothing happened and nothing would have happened even now. They have got no place to go atleast in the next five years. Its sad the executives and businessmen don't realize this. IT or no IT we ain't becoming a superpower anytime soon. Meanwhile the killings ( 9 pilgrims massacred 5 days ago, 27 people butchered on July 13, 34 women and children incidentally wives and children of the Army officers killed in May) continue unabated, the US is re-arming Pakistan to the teeth and what's worse, its pressurising Israel not to sell missile defense system to India.
Thanks but no thanks Mr.Friedman we don't need you to praise our businessman and tell them they are doing the right thing. There are many intellectuals both within and outside the country(I say pseudo-intellectuals) that just need a white man to tell them something and they believe it like its god's word. Please don't Mr.Friedman you will only destroy us. We need to do what is in our country's best interest just as the US has done and it continues to do. For that you only need to only look at your policy towards Pakistan during the Soviet invasion of Afghanisthan, after the Soviet withdrawl and now after 9/11. Need I say more. And how come Mr.Friedman we have not heard anything from you against the idea of the US attacking Iraq. The economy is still not out of recession. There is no proof of their involvement in 9/11. Probably for the first time the US is going to launch an unprovoked attack on another country. At the same time you preach to us why we should not go to war against Pakistan. Ever heard of the novel idea of 'practising what you preach' !
Maybe you should be writing on why Pakistan should a part of the "axis of evil" or why they should not be armed. What would be infinitely better is for you to fly to Jammu and Kashmir and see for yourself the plight of the people living there. Maybe you could click on this link and read for yourself the plight of the Kashmiri pandits.
Sometimes one needs to fight a war to guarantee peace.
I wonder why this never struck anyone before including Gill. For all that are too lazy to click and read the article. K.P.S.Gill a.k.a 'the Supercop' says that he is willing to go to J&K and try his hand at tackling the terrorim that is destroying the state.
It must be remembered that it was Gill that effectivey squelched the Khalisthan separatist movement that took roots in Punjab. The Khalistan movement was aided by the nice folks from the across the border. Given that the situation was similar to what is currently plaguing J&K it may not be a bad idea for the centre to give Gill a shot at cleansing J&K of these terrorists ( just out of curiosity how come no one in the Indian media calls them such. I have seen them being called militants, fidayeen and other such terms but nothing nice like vermins, 'scum of the earth', terrorists etc. I suppose thats another topic for another day.)
If I were a terrorist upon hearing this piece of information I would definitely be looking for an alternative profession. Too bad J&K is not listed in the stock market otherwise upon hearing this news the stock would have definitely soared to new levels..
So there has been another scam. Yawn! ok so whats new you say.. Fair enough. Only this time around action is being taken. Wait, No! I am not talking about a cover up operation. I meant actions to correct the mistake. Wow! This is definitely something new in the annals of Indian governance.
Anyway the storyline is rather familiar nothing out of the blue. PM appoints minister, minister abuses power, investigative journalists unearth the scam, there is an uproar in the parliament, oppostion wants government to resign ( or atleast the concerned minister), parliamentary proceedings are halted ( tax payer money wasted, but then who cares about them anyway ) , government announces 'inquiry comission' with directive to report back in 90 days, end of story. No report, no action and or corrective measures are taken. In anycase this time around the scam on hand is the method of allotment of petrol bunks, LPG agencies and kerosene dealerships by the Petroleum minister Ram Naik. Apparently it reeks with nepotism and whatever else you can think off. Needless to say there has been an uproar over this issue in the parliament and followed by a demand for everybody and their mother to step down.
Now for the twist in tale. The climax. Its sort of Shymalanesque.
The PM has actually cancelled all the allotments made since January 2000 and has called for a review of the allotment procedure. Agreed, this is not something that one should be proud or brag about. But such is the state of affairs that something like this is treated as a positive. The BJP promised 'governance with a difference', it has not lived up to its promise. The way it has handled this issue is a good start. Personally I think there should be a quick and thorough investigation with the findings made public. If there is any proof wrong doing then the concerned officials/ minister must be asked/made to resign.
Now, that would truly be a governance with a difference !
This is an interesting viewpoint on the population of India. I cannot quite claim that I subscribe to the reasoning in its entirety but I will concede that it does have some merit. One thing this viewpoint does highlight is that there is a silver lining to every dark cloud. This in no way means we do nothing about our high population growth rate. All that the article argues is that people are a nations greatest resource and a nation would benefit greatly from using them appropriately.
The following is the response by the CEC (Chief Election Commissioner) J.M.Lyngodh to a question by a foreign correspondent when he was addressing a press conference in New Delhi as to why he was 'allergic' to having international observers monitor the elections in J&K.
"We have a problem with the term 'international observers'. The time has gone, when the white man could come and tell you what you are doing is right or wrong. The era of headmasters is over."
Arrogant did you say. I think its very appropriate. You can read more on the press conference here. Needless to say this generated a huge uproar amongst the so called intellectuals in the media (I call them self-proclaimed intellectuals).
What do you think would have been the reaction if someone (say India) had suggested to the US government that there be a re-election in Florida (during the sham that eventually resulted in Bush Jr. asecending to the highest office in the country) and Indian officials monitor the proceedings ?
So what makes us any different that we need 'monitoring'. Our election commission has done a fair job over the last fifty years inspite of all its handicaps. I think its time we assert ourselves and let it be known that we are not going to roll over and play dead. The easy part is over, now we have to deliver on our pledge of free and fair elections. Otherwise it is going to be the case of famous last words.
Mr.Powell maybe you should try your luck with monitoring elections, referendum's with your new found buddy from across the border !
Nathuram Godse-the man who killed Mahatma Gandhi has often times referred to in the media as a "Hindu fundamentalist". The reasons offered for calling him a "Hindu fundamentalist" was because he killed Gandhiji, was a member of the Hindu Mahasabha, was affiliated with the RSS etc. For starters, I do not agree with the reasoning that he is an "Hindu fundamentalist" because he killed Gandhiji. The reasons why he killed Gandhiji will be outlined below in his own words. At this juncture let me also add it is NOT my intention to justify the killing of Gandhiji. What Godse did was wrong. I am writing this piece to question the belief that he was "Hindu fundamentalist" and "anti-national". Was he really ?
Allow me to digress a wee bit before I come back to the subject of this piece-Godse. I think it will explain a little bit more on why this piece is being penned.
Gandhiji was a great man and no one can question that fact. The very freedom that I enjoyed during my 21 plus years in India was due to him. I will also admit that I was a "blind" in my belief, devotion and reverence to Gandhiji. My belief was "Gandhiji was right and everyone else was wrong". That was my position in any argument. Please note that the key operative word in the previous sentence is-"was". I no longer am a blind believer in Gandhiji's. Despite, all his greatness I have come to realize he was prone to errors of judgement as well- at the end of the day he was "human" too.
Two incidents were responsible for making me delve deeper into my belief. The first one being a friend who said "Gandhiji was no visionary and he is in someway responsible for all the problems that we face ". To be very honest he was lucky to get away with all his teeth intact that night. But then that incident set me thinking. The second one was during a Thanksgiving dinner when someone said "Gandhiji's actions during the Khilafat movement were wrong" . Needless to say I tore into this individual and questioned his integrity to India! I have since realized he was right and I was wrong and I owe him an apology.
At the end of the day his intentions were good, although he may have made some errors of judgment. This does not mean we have to live with it, we have to build on the platform he provided us, correct the mistakes and forge ahead. But for him we would not have had a country !
Coming back to Godse, was he really a "Hindu fundamentalist" ? Not many may know what he had to say when his trial was conducted. I will let him speak for himself and will let the reader decide for himself/ herself whether he was a "Hindu fundamentalist" or true "Indian Nationalist", who had maybe a little bit more of a foresight than Gandhiji actually did.
The following few excerpts are from the long statement in English read out by the assassin himself on November 8, 1948 at the Red Fort before it became a part of the record that can be found in Printed Volume II Criminal Appeals Nos 66 to72 of 1949, Punjab high court.
'The background to the event of 30th January 1948 was exclusively political. The fact that Gandhiji used to recite during prayers verses from the Gita, the Quran and the Bible never provoked any ill-will in me towards him. In this vast area live people of various faiths and I hold that these creeds should have full and equal freedom for following their beliefs.
'In my writings and speeches I have always advocated that religious and communal considerations should be entirely eschewed in public affairs of the country... I have throughout stood for a secular State with joint electorates.
'I am prepared to concede that Gandhiji did undergo sufferings for the sake of the nation… I shall bow in respect to the service done by Gandhiji to the country and to Gandhiji himself for the said service, and before I fired the shots I actually wished him and bowed to him in reverence
'Since the year 1920, after the demise of Lokmanya Tilak, Gandhiji's influence in the Congress became supreme. His activities for public awakening were phenomenal… and were reinforced by the slogans of truth and non-violence. To imagine that the bulk of mankind is or can ever become capable of scrupulous adherence to these lofty principles in its normal life… is a mere dream. It was the heroic fight put up by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that first checked and eventually destroyed Muslim tyranny in India. It was absolutely correct tactic for Shivaji to kill Afzal Khan as the latter would otherwise have surely killed him. In condemning Shivaji, Rana Pratap and Guru Gobind as misguided patriots, Gandhiji has merely exposed his self-conceit.
'During more than thirty years of the undisputed leadership of the Mahatma there were more desecration of temples, more forcible and fraudulent conversions, more outrages on women and finally the loss of one third of the country.
'Gandhiji was, paradoxically, a violent pacifist… He had often acted contrary to his professed principles and if it was for appeasing the Muslim, he hardly had any scruple in doing so.
'By the Act of 1919 separate electorates were enlarged and communal representation was continued not only in the legislative and local bodies but extended even within the Cabinet… Government patronage to Muslims in the name of Minority protection penetrated throughout the body politic of the Indian State and the Mahatma's slogans were no match against this wholesale corruption of the Muslim mind. The position began to deteriorate and by 1926 it became patent to all that Government had won all along the line but Gandhiji... went on conceding one undemocratic demand after another to the Muslim League in the vain hope of enlisting its support in the national struggle.
'The communal principle became deeply embedded in the Reforms of 1935. Mr Jinnah took the fullest advantage of every situation. During the war, 1939-44, Mr Jinnah… promised to support the war as soon as the Muslims' rights were conceded; in April 1940, within six months of the War, Mr Jinnah came out with the demand for Pakistan on the basis of the two-nation theory.
'The 'Quit India' campaign of 1942 had completely failed. Britishers had triumphed and the Congress policy can be quite correctly described as 'Peace at any price'… The Congress compromised with the British who placed it in office and in return the Congress surrendered to the violence of Jinnah, carved out a third of India to him an explicitly racial and theological State, and destroyed two million human beings in the process.
'Gandhiji is being referred to as the Father of the Nation -- an epithet of high reverence. But if so, he has failed in his paternal duty… Had Gandhiji really maintained his opposition to the creation of Pakistan, the Muslim League could have had no strength to claim it and the Britishers also could not have created it in spite of all their utmost efforts… The reason was… the people of this country were… vehement in their opposition to Pakistan. But Gandhiji played false with the people. He has proved to be the Father of Pakistan.
'…after handing over crores of Hindus to… Pakistan, Gandhiji and his followers have been advising them not to leave Pakistan but continue to stay on. Every day that dawned brought forth news about thousands of Hindus being massacred… Gandhiji did not even by a single word protest and censure the Pakistani Government…
'About Kashmir, Gandhiji again and again declared that Sheikh Abdullah should be entrusted the charge of the State and that the Maharaja of Kashmir should retire to Benares for no particular reason than that the Muslims formed the bulk of the Kashmiri population. This stands out in contrast with his attitude on Hyderabad where although the bulk of the population is Hindu, Gandhiji never called upon the Nizam to retire to Mecca.
'About this very time he resorted to his fast unto death. Every condition given by him for giving up that fast is in favour of Muslims and against the Hindus. One of the seven conditions was to the effect that all the mosques in Delhi which were occupied by the refugees should be vacated… and be made over to the Muslims. Gandhiji got this condition accepted by the Government… Those were the days of bitter or extreme cold and on the day Gandhiji broke his fast, it was also raining. Families after families of refugees who had come to Delhi for shelter were driven out and while doing so no provision was made for their shelter and stay.
'The decision to withhold the payment of Rs 55 crores to Pakistan was taken by our government which claims to be the people's government. But this decision of the people's Government was reversed to suit the tune of Gandhiji's fast.
'All his fasts were to coerce Hindus.
'Honourable Pandit Nehruji has himself taken a leading part in the acquiescing to the establishment of Pakistan, a theocratic State. But he should have realised that it will never bring prosperity to the Indian Union with a State founded on fantastically blind religious faith and basis'.
Did he display uncanny prescience in making his last statement ? Over the last 50 plus years India has faced nothing but problems due to Pakistan that Gandhiji helped create. If even that can be excused, the policy of placating the minorities ( I will write more on the origins of this later ) was started in the time of Gandhiji and that to this date has caused more problems than anything else. We are probably the ONLY secular state in the world that does not have uniformity in its laws for all its citizens !
In closing the following was what Justice Khosla, one of the three judges hearing the appeal, wrote after his retirement: 'There was a deep silence when he ( Godse ) ceased speaking. Many women were in tears and men coughing and searching for their handkerchiefs... I have no doubt that had the audience of the day been constituted into a jury and entrusted with the task of deciding Godse's appeal, they would have brought in a verdict of 'not guilty' by an overwhelming majority.'
You be the judge and the jury and decide for yourself. Was Godse a "Hindu fundamentalist" or a "Indian nationalist " although he may have the blood of probably one of the greatest men of this century ?