Chinese Quote Sun Tzu, Is Trump Listening?

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

Sun Tzu the famed Chinese General had stated “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” For years this has been China’s strategy in dealing with the United States as it aims to topple Uncle Sam as the global leader in economic and military might.

The aggressive trade and diplomatic stance of the Chinese in the last three decades had paid them well, allowing them to make major dents in U.S. economy and slowly locking up its manufacturing industry. The bilateral trade in 2015 stood at little over 600 billion dollars with 367 billion dollars in favour of China is a testament to this success.

The surprise victory of Republican Donald Trump in one of the most anticipated US Presidential Elections has had alarm bells ringing in China. Even before the November 8 shock had sunk in the President elect dropped a bombshell by declaring that he would withdraw from Trans-Pacific Partnership on first day in office. Although China, the second largest economy in the world barring the European Union won’t be directly affected by this decision there are fears that the maverick Republican President-elect make declare a major trade war with the country.

As a part of his campaign he had covertly and overtly (more overly in real terms) promised to payback the Chinese whose currency devaluation has become a major cause of concern across the globe. His popularity among in the White community was a direct result of his attack on the Chinese and other countries that significantly export to the United States resulting in major loss of domestic manufacturing jobs.  

There are rumours in Beijing and Washington that Trump could impose an absurd 45% levy in tariffs and in such a scenario the Chinese could see their exports to United States cut to half and this could bring down the country’s GDP by as much as 2%. A rather realizable 10% levy would also hurt the Chinese exporters significantly and bringing down exports by as much as 15-17%. The Chinese aren’t likely to take this lying down and the multi-billion dollar American enterprises that have heavily invested in China are likely to bear the brunt for such a decision back home.  

 

Analysts are however sceptical about Trump embarking on any major economic war given the collateral damage it would have on his country’s own economy. Three weeks since his victory Trump the real-estate mogul known to carry his foot in his mouth has flip-flopped on several of his campaign promises. They believe that Trump is aware about the retaliation that is expected to come from Xi Jinping and this would remain another of his unfulfilled election rhetoric. There are growing fears in the US that such a trade war would further push trade dependant nations in China’s basket and may signal the downfall of the United States as the most dominant power in the world.  

According to Sun Tzu’s text “You can kill 1,000 enemies, but you would also lose 800 soldiers” Is Trump willing to bear such a high cost to stand by his election rhetoric. The Chinese don’t quite believe so.  

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8 Top Myanmar Infrastructure Projects

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

The story of Myanmar formerly known as Burma, has certainly been the most unexpected transformation in the 21st century. The country is making fast paced moved towards democracy after remaining secluded for decades under an authoritarian military regime. It is one of these turnarounds that most of the experts would not have thought in their distant dreams. The country is taking giant steps towards market economy though the state still rules with an iron fist. Rich oil reserves and its strategic location where it shares borders with two Asian giants India and China has made it one of the major investment destinations in the world. With the Myanmarese government paving way for foreign investments the country is seeing a boom in its economic activities. Years of seclusion and limited economic activities have inundated the country’s infrastructure in this once flourishing nation. Here we take a sneak peek at the top 8 infrastructure projects in Myanmar....Read More

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A Year On: What Modi Offered NE

By Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

It’s exactly a year, that Narendra Modi let NDA government has been at the helm of affairs in New Delhi. 365 days may be too early to judge the performance of a government that had earned the mandate to hold office for five years, but the hype and the hyperbola created by Modi and other BJP leaders during the election campaign has left the general people of this country a little impatient. There were a lot of promises made specific to the people of the North Eastern region right from promoting the bio-diversity to creating jobs, dealing with insurgency and overcoming the perennial problems of poor infrastructure in the region. The campaign was nothing short of a promise for a better tomorrow.

The Prime Minister during his election campaign in different states of the North East had made a number of promises for the people of the region. Calling this region “Ashta Lakshmi” a term borrowed out of the Hindu text he had said “Yeh Bharat Ke Bhagya Badalne Ki Astha Laxmi Hai (The Eight States Have The Potential To Change India’s Destiny)” while holding an election rally in Imphal in 2015. A year on we take a look at what the Modi led NDA government has offered the region and where has it failed to live up to the promises....Read More

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Lessons To Take from Nepal Earthquake

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

The recent earthquake that occurred in Nepal on 25th of April 2015 has left behind scenes of death and devastation. As aftershocks continue to this day millions of people in the Himalayan country live in spells of shock and fear. It has been the most devastating earthquake in the country since the 1934 Nepal-Bihar earthquake. The earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale followed by many aftershocks has left close to 10000 people dead in India and Nepal and hundreds of thousands homeless. The cultural loss has been in equal high proportions with many of Nepal’s heritage sites reduced to rubble. Billions of dollars of property has been damaged in the country as search and rescue teams from dozens of nations came to Nepal’s aid during the hour of crisis....Read More    

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What 15K Crore Road Projects Can Mean for NE?

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

North Eastern states of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur are at the bottom of the table as far as road density (kilometre per square kilometre) is concerned. The story isn’t anything to cheer about it even in the case of states such as Nagaland, Assam and Tripura where figures are better than the national average. Major share of the road in these states aren’t surfaced making them unusable during the monsoons. It is often said that development rides on communication and connectivity, and poor infrastructure has been one of the main reasons behind the sorry state of affairs in the region. It has led to underdevelopment which has sown the seeds for ethnic conflicts. These problems together with militancy have further dented the prospects of development and job creation in the region. Limited investments by a few entrepreneurs have earned little dividends and even these continue to dry up leading to huge brain drain to other parts of the country.....Read More

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Four Major NE Projects on Anvil

North East is one of the most underdeveloped regions in the country. Plagued by poor infrastructure and connectivity the region has failed to keep pace with other parts of the country in terms of growth and socio-economic development. The lack of infrastructure has fostered under development and growth of insurgency in the region. Many power and infrastructure projects are currently underway in different parts of the region that would solve some of the perennial problems of different states. Here we shall take a sneak peek into four major power and infrastructure projects in the region that have the potential to usher in a new era of connectivity, growth and overall development of the region...Read More

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Power: Only in Politics, Not in Homes!

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

I was born in a power surplus state. Childhood visits to relatives in South Assam would involve mocking them for regular power cuts. Since Meghalaya exported power in those days we could wear the crown of charity on our heads.  If that wasn't enough the road conditions there would arm us in our debates. After enjoying almost three decades of rains in the ‘Abode of Clouds’, I am on the receiving end from my relatives in South Assam. Jokes apart we are just taking giant strides towards becoming a failed state – power shortage, poor roads, and pathetic civic infrastructure, what is there for us to be proud of? We might soon have to prefix ‘erstwhile’ before ‘Scotland of the East’.

This is a result of the lack of vision and foresights of our leaders. Power demand always goes north and thus the government should have planned for this demand long in advance. Blaming Mother Nature for lack of rains is brushing the issue under carpet. Only a fraction of our demand is met through these hydroelectric projects and bulk of our requirement is purchased from outside over which the state has defaulted payments for months. The same MECL doesn't resist from sending us a ‘red bill’ if we default on a single month’s payment!

But how on earth do we even dream of having a visionary leadership in our state. In most parts of the last decade the Chief Minister irrespective of the person who has occupied the chair has been fire fighting within the government. Every day has been spent in trying to keep the members of the ruling party and coalition partners happy. In 42 years since statehood we have had 25 different governments and that would imply almost one year and seven months for each Chief Minister’s tenure. Compare this to Tripura which is a power surplus state and has had 10 governments in the last 52 years.

It is not only in the power sector that we have failed. In the next few years we might also face acute shortage of water. Cherrapunji and Mawsynram enjoy the distinction of being the wettest places on earth. Isn't it the biggest irony that these places face acute shortage of water during the winters? Even the almighty would laugh at us. Why haven’t we been able to harvest water?  Valleys can easily be turned into lakes and reservoirs which not only store water but allow us to generate electricity. The least that is spoken about our National Highways, State Highways and City Road the better it is. What a sorry state we have walked ourselves into.

In the recent past the NGOs have be at logger hands with the state government over implementation of Inner Line Permit to prevent influx of outsiders into the state. They can perhaps relax, if the government continues to maintain the status quo on development of infrastructure there would be no need for such measures! But hang on; we need not worry about all these issues. Our leaders can easily knock the doors of the centre and get a bailout package to pay their dues and purchase power. No one would ever be held accountable for the misery that we have suffered. 

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Arvind Kejriwal Contacts Insurance Firms To Insure His Cheeks

By: Subhadeep Bhaattaachaarjee

After he was slapped for the third time in less than a month, Aam Aadmi Leader and ex-Chief Minister of Delhi, Shri Arvind Kejriwal now wants to insure his cheeks. Sources close to him say that he has contacted some of the leading insurance companies in the country. It may be noted that Kejriwal has asked his close aids to look out for a policy from a nationalized insurance firm as private ones might work under instructions from Mukesh Ambani and might deny him any compensation. 
   

A party insider told this reporter that Arvind got this idea while praying at Mahatma Gandhi's samadhi in Rajghat after the third recent slap gate incident. Though the opposition termed it as drama for Kejriwal it was time to relax and recover from the 10000 Volt shock that he had received earlier in the day. The party insider said that “Bapu answered his prayers and suggested him that he lends his other cheek the next time. Arvind was reluctant and argued that he has become the biggest victim in trying to uphold Gandhian principles.”

Though the insurance companies don't want to comment on this officially an anonymous source from a leading insurance firm commented “We often get such bizarre request from politicians especially during the election season. During the last Lok Sabha polls a leader of the opposition wanted to insure the results as he was sure of losing.” The source added that “We are checking out our laws and by-laws to see if such a policy can be worked out. But one thing that I can assure you is the premium would definitely be on the higher side.”

This might also be a good opportunity to add to the party coffers after its public support has constantly been eroding since the 49-day slam bang game that the party was involved in. Many of its Lok Sabha candidates have withdrawn from the race after the party ‘high command’ failed to provide them the minimum funds required to fight the election in the true Aam Aadmi style. A disgruntled candidate was recently heard saying “I bought a dozen brooms from my own money but I cannot afford to buy brooms any more if the central leadership doesn't offer me the required funds.”

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Humility - A New Awakening

By: Sourabh Sen 

Blogging for the first time is a high. Especially if you are down a few pegs. It helps calm the nerves and removes any delusions of the blog receiving rave reviews ,if any, at all. Humility is the word of the day.

Now being high in the companionship of guys with whom you have shared the better part of adult life(and still not invoking IPC 377) , does lead us on an adventure where every other word/phrase/incident reminds us of tons of past incidents which are best not mentioned outside the circle of trust. It is ,but, customary.

As a true non believer of traditions and customs (apart from being a hypocrite), i have a sudden fixation on the word Humility. Ah Mr Gandhi.How art thou?

Now this chap interests me. You can scream your lungs out “Modi wave” but i will Pay to hear this guy speak in public. Life is not long enough to learn from one's own mistakes, we must also learn from others' mistakes and he makes me a better man (Diggy, Sallu and Chiddy just refine me). He made me follow politics. 

I actually believed in this guy when i was still in my early years of engineering and accumulating arrears. But then sense prevailed. And sense, downed with a few units of what we call the OH group, spells anger. 

And as the recent elections in Delhi showed, A LOT of people are drunk AND have sense. They voted for a guy who destroyed the Dynasty. But then One man cannot make a difference, even though SRK and Salman continuously try to prove otherwise. One man can show us where we are and where we should be , but his walk alone will not be enough to gauge the difference no matter how sexy his gait is. He needs everyone who is drunk and sensible to follow him. What do i care. But he did raise hope . 

Ah, finally a refill :)

Now then where were we. Yes Cricket. Dhoni you beauty. The best thing you did is not take credit for victories , so that you are not accountable for losses .Losses , a synonym for overseas tours. Overseas tours are a spiritual experience . Lord buddha could not have imbibed a sense of purpose into these men who are supposed to bleed blue(Steyn made them bleed red...). But then how can a deaf person appreciate Nirvana or Sabbath. Unfortunately,The board, headed by a cement-headed person, likes to listen to Simpleplan. The simple plan being play as many matches in the subcontinent (read flat pitches) and be on the top of the table. I know i will get screwed for this. Aussies/Proteas play acccording to their home advantage, why sholdn't we? All i have to say is Swan,and the drubbing we got from England, on pitches,which according to our Captain were not spinner friendly-enough. 

In conclusion, (since my quota of drinks are being gulped down with obvious enthusiasm ), you either believe in the power of last night studies and xerox stolen from friends, or, you really wish Mr Mukherjee had stepped out of his Palace and spoken to the angry youth who were but demanding justice . 

I part with the following lines

O Captain my Captain

Is our fearful trip done?

Steyn has rattled every bat

And ours have rattled None

O Capatin My captain 

the capitol elections are hung

The people have spoken and the voices are din

But ONE honest  voice is better than none

(Sourabh Sen is an engineer by training and a free thinking man by profession. One of those man from a small town who went out chasing his dreams and still seems to be torn between his profession and his dreams!!! He believes FAITH is more powerful than HOPE...well whatever that means)

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Congress Finally Names It Prime Ministerial Candidate

Post the drubbing that it faced in the election Congress has finally decided on declaring its Prime Ministerial candidate. To counter the Narendra Modi effect it has decided to declare the whole cabinet in advance which party Vice President Rahul Gandhi thinks would be even more transparent that Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party. The party has also done some re jig in the organization to ensure that it can prevent Modi led NDA from capturing power. 

Party President - Sonia Gandhi 

Sonia retains the job not because of her performance but Clause 103 (a) amended in 1976 of the Party Constitution that says once a Nehru-Gandhi kin has been appointed in any post in the party they hold it for life. Some Congress members such as Govinda also threatened to make a biopic reminding her of her motherly role in the party as he had done it in 2004. Sonia feels pressure of the post is lesser than having to associate her name with a Govinda flick. 

Vice President - Rahul Gandhi

He holds the post thanks to the party constitution and has decided to strengthen the organization and go about on his mission 'Discovery of India'. He couldn't find his great grandfather’s famous book in Parliament's library as former Congress President Sitaram Kesri never returned the book to the library after it was issued to him in 1996. The librarian is still calculating the fine and wondering whom to hold accountable as Rajiv Gandhi had signed in the column of introducer according to records. Scheduled in this trip are are a night halt with the Jyrwas of Andaman and lunch in a remote village in North East. 

Candidates for the Upcoming Polls 

Prime Minister - Nandan Nilekani

After Rahul's reluctance to face a drubbing in the hands of Modi, Congress wanted to field a man with a clean image and in Nilekani they found a perfect man to counter Modi's development and Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Image. Nilekani has taken up the challenge but wonders why his photo wasn't printed on the Adhar Cards as this would have made him popular among the masses. A tailor near Jama Masjid has been asked to stitch Kurta Paijama for him as he plans to shed his business suits.

Deputy Prime Minister - Digvijay Singh

Rahul's Man Friday and a family loyalist has been rewarded. According to party insiders Congress fears that Nilekani might not be a Gandhi loyalist thanks to his self-made man image. He had achieved everything without an influential surname and hence might not act a sycophant take orders from 10 Janpaath so Digvijay would do the counter balancing act. 

Home Minister - Manish Tiwari

After passing the litmus test on several occasions on Arnab Goswami's 120 minute (News Hour) Manish finally finds his name nominated for the Home Ministry. On his list are 14 new linguistic states, scrapping the CAG and renaming (read re-branding) the CBI from Central Bureau of Investigation to…shhhhh! All of us know that….. 

Defence Minister - Manmohan Singh

Congress wasn't keen on having him on board but our current Prime Minister who has often been termed weak requested for the post to do an image makeover. He is already planning to take on Nawaz Sharif at the first opportunity. He is also planning some big ticket purchase of VVIP choppers and taking over an abandoned sword making factory in Italy at Madam's insistence. MMS thinks our soldiers are likely to face hand to hand combat against the Chinese in Ladakh and swords would be the master weapon that would scare the Chinese.

Finance Minister - Robert Wadhra

Even the freest thinking corporate houses like to keep finances in their most trustworthy man and how can our Grand Old Party think otherwise. He promises big time reforms in the economy and plans to create a vibrant environment and offer tax relief to DLF. Swiss Bank would be allowed to set up branches in India and have been assured the power of secrecy. Also on cards are some disinvestment and the money would go to a certain trust that would look after the welfare of the Mango People (opps Aam Admi)

Foreign Minister - Shashi Tharror

The only think that worked for the politician from Kerala was his fluency over the language and understanding of international affairs. Plus the Congress feels it would be difficult to control his cattle class comments if he is handed over any other ministry. Tharoor has however been advised to keep away from the social media and also transfer some of his followers to Rahul Gandhi's Twitter handle so that he can share his brilliant ideas with them. 

Railway Minister - Up for Grabs

In the meeting it was seen that Congress doesn't have strong presence in West Bengal or Bihar as these are the only states that have traditional rights over this ministry. So for now no names have been declared and if Congress comes winning some allies such as Sharad Pawar might be offered this ministry. Congress leaders also discussed the demerits of further improvement in the country's railway network as it might fuel more migration to Urban areas where the party doesn’t fare well ever since BJP came into the picture. 

Coal Minister - To Go Under Auction

Coal Ministry seems to be one of the most prized ministries in India. With so much of allocation and so much money to be made the party has decided to auction the post of Coal Minister to the highest bidder. Rajeev Shukla who has already gained experience in IPL auction is oversee the deal. The party believes that they would be able to raise enough money from this auction to fund their election costs for 2014.

There was lots of chaos in the meeting and many state leaders wanted to be their names for other ministries such as Telecom, Civil Aviation, Shipping etc. But Rahul wants to keep these in the bucket for now to be traded with potential allies for support and also some Youth Congress leaders might find themselves in these ministries if UPA retains power as this will help Rahul create his exclusive line of sycophants.

P.S. This is a complete work of fiction and should be read with a light heart

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Mouth Watery Tikka at Hotel Golf View Suits

Some years back I had a friend from Cameroon who was a bit choosy about food. Whenever we went out to dine in Bangalore he would ask be if the food is healthy. Having accompanied him to restaurants serving delicacies from around the country I finally declared “We Indians only like tasty food, and care little about our health as long as we get that amazing sensation in our mouth and tongue.” During my recent visit to Gurgaon I had the opportunity to stay in Hotel Golf View Suits which prominently figures as one of the best Gurgaon guest house as far as the ratings and reviews are concerned.

Coming back to the discussion on food, after a tiring day’s work, meeting my client I wanted to enjoy the day with some spicy food. Was surely in no mood to go out and eat as that would definitely test the last bit of energy in my body. So I browsed through the guest houses’ website and immediately noticed the slogan ‘Delicious and Healthy Dining’ and instantly remembered what I had told my Cameroonian friend a few years back. Probably we do have ‘healthy and tasty’ food all synergised into one in India. The restaurant served Authentic Indian, Continental, Chinese, South Indian and various other cuisines and would definitely suit all kinds of taste buds. 

I ordered for some Chicken and Paneer Tikka to go with some Butter Nan from the restaurant in the guest house. I requested them to be prepared spicy hot as that is how I best like them. The service was prompt and within 15 minutes these were served to my room. As soon as the food was in the room there was a pleasant aroma all around. Served with fresh salad from the outside they looked delicious but as always I never like jumping into a conclusion about the food till I have tasted it. 

Both Chicken and Paneer Tikka tasted fresh and were packed with spicy flavours. Likewise Butter Nan was soft and went perfectly with these two delicacies. The spices had perfectly blended in lending that perfect taste that makes Tikka such a popular dish across the world. One thing I can surely stamp on that my stay in Gurgaon was quite an adventure. If it was a gruelling day with the client there was always something to cherish at Golf View Suits. Sometimes it was a walk around the Golf Course that would relax you but the best part was enjoying some mouth watery Chicken and Paneer Tikka. I just wished I could pack some home as this was surely one of the best Tikka that I had in my life. If not for anything else I won’t mind staying in this guest house on my next visit to Gurgaon.

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A Hotel Stay That Is Worth Remembering

As a freelancer who often has to travel to meet clients there are two things that I look for in a hotel – comfort (by which I don’t mean staying in a Presidential Suit) and secondly the budget as sadly all that I pay goes from my own pocket. So during my recent sojourn to Gurgaon for some evening tea with one of clients I started browsing through the net for a budget hotel in Gurgaon. Trust me there are so many offering so much that you often tend to get confused on which one to pick. Tall promises and well-crafted gallery are the hallmark of each hotel’s official website. So I started taking into account another factor that most of us consider while on a business trip ‘PROXIMITY’. 

My client was located in IFFCO Chowk and I had to look for a hotel nearby and also one that would offer me an easy access to Delhi where I could meet with some of my friends. Hotel Golf View Suits seemed perfect for my stay in Gurgaon. It is merely 3 kilometres from IFFCO Chowk and 1 kilometre from MG Road Metro Station. So taking prabhu ka naam I made a booking in the hotel. For a 3 star hotel in Gurgaon room rents starting at Rs. 1990 with buffet breakfast included and I couldn’t have asked for more. Among the facilities available 32" Flat Screen LCD TV and free WiFi Internet Access were some that attracted me. I can’t live without checking out on the latest news and sports and having access to the Internet. 

The hotel was welcoming with spick and span room that is the first thing that would strike anybody who stays in any hotel. The hotel staffs were available on call, all throughout the way looking to comfort their guest in a professional manner that most of us expect. It is located in sector 43 close to Golf Course Road and thus you can spend a nice evening waking by the course and relax yourself after a tiring day in the thankless weather that Gurgaon has on offer! This is something that one would look for while on an official trip where your client doesn’t see any good in your work when it comes to increasing the moolah. 

Hotel Golf View Suits offered me the perfect relaxing environment after a gruelling day. Another thing that struck me was the food. It was good and the prices even reasonable so it seems well within the reach of any walk-in freelancer who won’t need to worry about the credit card bills after tasting some of the best delicacies from India and around the world. I have stayed in good, cheap and sorry state hotels all my life and have come to the conclusion that tariff alone doesn’t decide on your experience. What is important is at the end of the day you need to walk out happy and this time I did so I would definitely stay in this place while on my next trip and also advise others to do so.  

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Human Migration is Natural; what is Unnatural are The Borders

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

As the spirits of festivity surround us and we celebrate the triumph of ‘good over evil’ some would question the purpose of such a write-up amidst the current scenario that engulfs our state and society. The fact remains that such an issue affects all of us either directly or indirectly. For long we have been pointing fingers at different communities for all the ills and failures in our lives. We have called names and looked down upon cultures, religions and social practices that we cannot identify with ours. There is no point pondering on the merits and demerits of the issue that has gripped over our psyche for last few weeks. It is a known fact that every individual or community would see it from the prism of prejudice and assumptions and what is right to me may be wrong to others and vice versa.

It is time that we look into this issue from a broader perspective. Migration is a natural phenomenon not just among the humans but also animals. Man and animals have always migrated and made new places their habitat. There are many reasons why people migrate from one place to another, at times to rule over the land as aggressors or in search of better opportunities of livelihood as migrants and at times to escape religious persecution as victims. Apart from this migration has also been encouraged by the local inhabitants and rulers to fill in void due to the skills and expertise that the migrants bring in. 

Throughout human history we have witnessed migration and it started many millennia back. For instance anthropologists have found out similarities between the Jarawa tribe residing in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with several tribes in Central Africa who are isolated by several thousands of miles. Similarly the powerful United States of America that we know of today is nothing but an amalgamation of different people – the English, the Irish, the Germans, the Hispanics, the Africans and of course the Red Indians who were the original inhabitants of the land. Similarly the British are known to share common inheritance with the Germans and not the original inhabitants of the land as many would believe.

Even in our motherland India no community can claim the land as their own. We have the Aryans who migrated from Central Asia. In our own state of Meghalaya we have three distinct tribes of people – the Khasis and the Jaintias are said to have migrated to this land from what is present day Myanmar while some historians suggest they migrated from as far as Central Asia. Similarly Garos are believed to have migrated from Tibet. In the above context wouldn’t it be right to say that no race of people has been a permanent settler anywhere in the world and thus claims about some land belonging to some communities won’t stand a case if human history is studied in deep.

The question now arises, How can a group of people who migrated to certain land before others call them outsiders? Going by the account of Vedas when Hinduism extended as far as Cambodia as proven by the great Angkor Wat temple complex dedicated to Lord Vishnu, can some Hindu fundamentalist group claim all the territory that lies between India and Cambodia? They can argue this temple complex to be a proof of Vashnavite culture which should have prevailed and all others who live on the land today be marked as outsiders who have destroyed the great culture.

We need to understand that borders are a recent phenomenon considering the fact that man first walked on this planet 30,000 years back. Cultural exchanges have made the world what it is today and binds us in a common brotherhood. The concerns about cultures being annihilated due to migration is also uncalled for as the survival of any culture lies on its custodians and not on the actions of others. Indian sub-continent was under the rule of the invaders for more than 800 years and yet the rich cultural heritage survived. Humans will thus continue to migrate and anybody standing against it won’t survive the test of time. 

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Raisina Hills Gets An Deserving Occupant

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

There has been a lot of debate about Pranab Mukherjee’s rise to become the 13th President of India and perhaps the stature of the man has alone led to many of those debates. Some saw this as a tactical move by the Congress ahead of the 2014 elections while others argue that UPA government has made a gamble sacrificing its chief trouble-shooter, manager and above all an authority on Indian politics and constitution. However the country can rejoice the fact that Raisina Hills has got one of its most deserving occupants especially as Mukherjee’s predecessor Smti. Prathiba Patil was seen by many as a historical accident by the Congress party and merely a compromise candidate when its initial choices were rejected by the allies. 

Pranab who many saw as one of the best Prime Ministers India never had would surely bring in dignity and grace to the office. A glimpse of which was seen in the way he managed his election campaign when he stayed away from personal attacks on his opponent Mr. PA Sangma who was all out against Pranab framing charges one after the other. The veteran from Bengal well knew the cards were stacked in his favour and refrained from acting childish like Mr. Sangma who was all along claiming a miracle would make him win. And what a poor tagline had he picked up for the campaign “I am a Christians, I am a tribal, vote for me” He was claiming the support of some Tribal forum in India however the results in North East and his own state Meghalaya should serve as an eye-opener for him as tribals didn't see him as their representative. It seemed like one of those agitations for reservations!

Now came the surprise came in from the BJP who many throught would support Pranab. It didn’t want to risk one of its names against the stature of Pranab and choose the second best deal of supporting Sangma who was blowing the trumpet of Tribal background and Christianity both of which are alien to BJP’s ideologies. So it was merely opposition for the sake of it. The party which has been out of power for 8 years seems to have lost the magnanimity which had earned it the tag of ‘party with a difference’. If the strategy was merely to be anti-Congress and attract AIADMK and BJD the leaders of BJP seems to putting their apples in the wrong basket. 

The greatest surprise perhaps came from none other than the 'icon of insanity' Mamata Banerjee. She not only rejected Pranab’s name but kind of humiliated the Congress by suggesting the name of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the post of President. This was an unprecedented move considering this was Bengal’s first shot at Presidency and Mamata risked going against the sentiments of the people of her state. This is why she is the ‘icon of insanity’. The insanity continued till the very end when Mamata made a U-turn and promised her support for Pranab with ‘pain’ in her heart.  She would shame many leading ladies in Tollywood with her melodrama.

And lastly Madam Sonia Gandhi made the biggest gamble as the Chairperson of the UPA.  She put a key man in the Rashtirpati Bhavan for 2014 and also removed Rahul Gandhi’s greatest roadblock in becoming the Prime Minister in 2014 if Congress makes it through. After all Mukherjee had worked under his grandmother, father and would never have liked to have a third-generation ‘reporting head’ from the same family. It remains to be seen if the mistake proves too costly for the Congress knowing Pranab Mukherjee he might strictly follow the constitution and not take a partisan decision if there is a hung Parliament in 2014. For now Raisina Hills is the address of the most seasoned politician and statesman in the country.

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How Indian Railways Can Increase Profits, Yet Care For the Poor

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

Does the title sound misleading? It might in a country which isn’t famous for streamlining costs and increasing profits. We have reached that time of the year when everyone is anxiously waiting for the Railway Budget and the Union Budget with the former setting the tone of the season. Not sure how many countries in the world do have a budget for a single entity. But such is the importance of the Indian Railways in our lives. Even the high flying people who might never have stepped into a station show some academic interest on the Rail Budget.

Over the years the Railway Budget has fallen victim to populist politics and diplomatic appeasement of different states and non-logic driven expansion. We have embarked on some challenging projects which have overrun costs and deadlines and ignored one of the most important things such as security. As 2012 budget approaches and there are talks of fare hike lots of arguments and counter arguments are emerging from different quarters. Let us look at some of the ways in which the Indian Railways can increase profits and yet not dent an Aam Aadmi’s pocket.

• First things first, get populism out of this ministry and prevent lunatic people from helming affairs. To woe voters these people announce projects, start new trains, freeze fare hikes and give unnecessary discounts. The policies of Mamatas, Lalus and Paswans have restricted the Railways from evolving into a modern unit. All these have ensured that the fourth largest railway is below international standards. 
• Increase the number of 2AC and 3AC coaches in the trains and reduce the number of sleeper coaches. This would sound anti-poor! Non-sense try booking any reservations 3 days after it opens and you find all the AC tickets booked. What does it prove? Most Indians where were used to travelling Sleeper Class a decade ago have upgraded, the brains which run railways have failed to take note of that. A 3AC ticket is approximately 2.5 times more than a Sleeper ticket and thus would increase the revenue (considering railways don’t incur 2.5 times hire expanses on operations and coach building).
• Introduce full AC trains at par Rajdhani Express between important stations. For instance a busy route like Howrah-Chennai doesn’t have one. It’s funny that some railway planners think every Indian would fly and low cost airlines would kill the AC trains. The 3AC fare on this route is 1250 and minimum flight fair is of the tune of 3500. The maths shows the opportunity as this distance could be covered in less 24 hours with smaller (less coaches) Rajdhani like trains.
• Hike fare on tourist trains such as the Darjeeling Toy Train, Kalka-Shimla Train. These are being run at huge losses. Such tickets are priced at one-fifth of what they should be. The logic behind this is that the locals should get a cheap transport. The fact is more tourists than locals use these trains. So hike fare and locals could be rather issues passes so as to not hurt their pocket.
• Start selling space in trains, railway stations and along tracks. This is being done but such is the model that small advertisers are barred from entry. Outsource it to an agency which allows people to buy advertisement spaces bypassing license raj system of tenders, applications and all possible models which prevent fair play.

Such steps taken can increase the operational profitability of the Indian Railways substantially with marginal increase in fare. These measures aren’t anything out of the box but driven by logic. India is changing and so should the railways. We Indians should also be willing to shell out a few extra rupees for this entity which is the lifeline of the country. After all we have not seen any hikes in the past 8 years which itself is some sort of a record!

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Are We Going Back to Greg Chappel Ways of Indian Cricket?

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

It is quite surprising that Team India which was favourites to win the World Cup (which they did) just about a year back is fighting hard to stay united on a cricket field. A team which rightly claimed Cricket’s most coveted title defeating Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in do or die games is falling like a pack of cards. Why is this happening? How is it that a team of talented players who were fighting it out as a cohesive unit just about a year back look in complete disarray? Well it seems we are going back to the Greg Chappel ways of playing the game! 

Let’s rewind into the past when the Aussie legend was in charge of the Indian Cricket (sorry but Rahul Dravid seemed more like an assistant in the team) we were encountering such lows with first round exit from the 2007 World Cup being the lowest point. There is one thing common between then and now – ‘uncertainty’ and such environments can lead to teams fragmenting which happened then and which is happening now. And the results are for everyone to see the team doesn’t look like one irrespective to the PR campaign that the BCCI and the team management is running. The team stands divided on thoughts, vision and perception. 

Greg Chappel had come with a plan to build a ‘team for the future’ but he ignored the present and his stint was one of the most disastrous phases in recent memory of Indian cricket. Although our new coach seems to be in the background the captain MS Dhoni seems to have got into the same though process. He wants to win the 2015 World Cup in Australia-New Zealand and is sacrificing the present. What else would explain the logic of rotation when there isn’t any guarantee that some of the youngsters playing in this tour would be in form and fitness to play the World Cup which is more than three years away? Rotating between Sachin, Sehwag and Gambhir has done little good to the team as did Greg’s ways of changing batting order and having different team meetings with seniors and juniors and starting an infamous battle ‘seniors versus juniors'.

Fielding is definitely one of the drawbacks of Team India and it also always been so but Dhoni’s argument of not being able to play the ‘Top 3’ for their friending abilities defies logic.  If good fielding sides would result in sure wins New Zealand which has consistently been one of the best friending sides would have definitely had much better record. So having good fielders won’t necessarily win you matches which are decided by batsman and bowlers with fielding playing a supporting role. Yes Sachin and Sehwag have been in awful form in the series but dropping them for their solely fielding abilities is insane. Saving 20 odd runs make no difference when your team bundles out below 200 on a regular basis.

Captaincy is as much of skills as it is diplomacy. A captain should know what to speak in a press conference and what to hide from the media. Dhoni’s honest attitude and revealing it all to the media hasn’t worked in favour of the team. He has lost his calmness, Midas touch and should find ways to adjust with the situation around him. Being candid isn’t always the right thing to do especially when the odd are stacked against you. It’s time that we try taking each series as it comes and forget about building a team for the 2015 World Cup or else a 2007 like early exit isn’t unlikely.

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Anna Hazare Showing Political Colours

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

Just a few weeks back the entire nation was under the grip of the Anna moment. His fast was being telecast live 24 hours a day. The popularity of his 21st century Satyagraha was so much so that Dhoni and his men getting drubbed 4-0 in a Test Series in England didn’t invite any attention! But against the script Anna Hazare who was being see next to Mahatma Gandhi and Jaiprakash Narayan has put a wrong foot. Now the man who has become the face of the fight against corruption has put his stamp on a non-Congress, non-BJP government at the centre.

 

As a free citizen of a free country he is entitled to freedom of speech and has got as much political rights as any of us. But he was being seen as the great crusader behind whom high flying IT professionals as well as the roadside cart puller stood together. Why on earth did he make such an immature statement? Now this entire statement will be seen as a political conspiracy by those belonging to the two main parties in India and those supporting them. Can Anna Hazare say that all those who joined him in the crusade were non-Congress and non-BJP people? Who is Anna to decide whom do we vote for?

He seems to be over optimistic about a non-Congress and non-BJP government and says he would support clean leaders. Now considering the true picture where very few people would have such kind of an image Anna might lend support to a M Karunanidhi, Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, J Jayalalitha, Mayawati or even an illiterate Rabri Devi. Are these namesthe ones we would see as our Prime Minister? I would still vouch for a Mamohan Singh, Arun Jaitley or LK Advani. Poor job Anna, you let us all down :(

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