Featured Post

Kashmir conflict-revisited

In early1980s, walking through the lush green fields, on crisp spring and summer mornings, on my way from the student hostel to the chemis...

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Of heroes and villains

In the last James Bond movie ‘Quantum of Solace’ James Bond approaches character Mathis for help, whom he (James Bond) have had imprisoned on the suspicion of being in cohort with crooks. Mathis terms James’ request as odd and remarks ‘but I guess when one’s young it seems very easy to distinguish between right and wrong. But as one gets older it becomes more difficult. The villains and heroes get all mixed up’. That brings me to the real villain who once masqueraded as a hero. Once I read his article ‘How to wipe out Islamic terror’ in Daily News & Analysis (July 16, 2011), I realized that may be he was not even masquerading rather he always had thuggery circuited. When people in their naivety saw him as a knight in shining armor, he in reality was an antagonist like Valdemort or Sauron. His enactment of disappearance during infamous internal emergency in India made him fabled and his antecedents like doctorate from Harvard added to that aura of his perceived brilliance. Even without writing the article, he through his sordid antics ever since had amply amplified that a doctorate and a faculty position in Harvard does not guarantee a saner predisposition and even much less an inclination towards being honest. Henry Kissinger in his memoirs managed to blend deception to the extent that sifting truth definitely becomes an arduous task. But in the case of Subramaniam Swamy, before any issue of dishonesty, comes the question of state of his mental balance. Ascendancy of decrepit deviants in a sense became the real legacy of internal emergency promulgated by Indira Gandhi following a high court decision that unseated her from parliament. That emergency brought sages and crooks together under the tutelage of JP. Since then Subramaniam Swamy has done, said and written enough to become a leader of the latter pack. His versions of solutions include abrogation of article 370 of the constitution and settlement of ex-servicemen in the valley; removal of mosques in Kashi and 300 other mosques. On a second thought, to give you a real glimpse into the insane mind of his, I leave you with a link to his article to protect my own sanity. http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/analysis_how-to-wipe-out-islamic-terror_1566203-all  

-Rajiv Kumar


Monday, July 11, 2011

Kashmir-normalcy in paradise

I have to admit in the beginning that the title of this post is intentionally (and maliciously) directed towards those who suddenly feel vindicated that there was never any problem in or with Kashmir. They think it is was just an aberration and the entire population went wayward and collectively decided to spoil twenty three years of their lives; raise an entire generation under the shadow of guns and grenades; curfews and hartals; crackdowns and frisking; killings and disappearances and to tolerate humiliations. Some might even go to the extent saying well they deserved and security forces are just doing sacrosanct job of protecting a piece of land from delinquents. The powers to be instead of gloating might have wisely applied themselves to use prevailing calm in the valley to strive for a solution to the problem? Because I don’t buy apologists refrain that there is no problem in Kashmir. The historical wrongs inflicted on Kashmir cannot be wished away. An unprecedented flow of tourists following high turn out in local elections does not mean everything is hunky-dory with the valley. I could understand the maliciousness of the main stream Indian media and right wing thugs in missing no opportunity in spreading untruth about Kashmir, but when purportedly secularists and intellectuals succumb to those canards, they only end up spreading saffron agenda. Kashmir problem did not start in 1989; that it only took a violent turn. Kashmir problem started even prior to 1947 and even much earlier. Without going into details, there has never been any ambiguity that the instrument of accession signed by the ruler of Kashmir and government of India was temporary. Kashmir had its distinct constitution, with a head of state elected by elected by state assembly and a council of minister headed by prime minister. Despite the tyranny of Dogra rule when time came Karan Singh, son of Hari Singh the last Dogra ruler who fled state after tribal invasion, was elected as the head of state and that arrangement continued until 1967 when Indian government imposed a hand-picked governor, like British resident commissioner. Most of the time appointed governors remained innocuous and sometimes were even gracious; but then there were also obnoxious like Jagmohan. And Jagmohan is the one person who can squarely if not entirely blamed for the cesspool that valley became subsequently where thousands of lives have been lost when those should never have been. Jagmohan displayed flagrant power play at the behest of Indira Gandhi by removing legitimate government of Farooq Abdullah in 1984. It was the time Indira Gandhi sent her two agents Jagmohan and Ram Lal to Srinagar and Hyderabad, respectively. While Jagmohan dismissed Farooq Abdullah; Ram Lal stabbed N. T. Ramarao. While the entire opposition first landed in Srinagar and then Hyderabad.  They succeeded in getting NTR reinstated but not Farooq Abdullah, who had been tagged with an anti-national label. Kashmir ever since dismissal of Farooq Abdullah has never been same again. As a matter of fact it was never same again ever since mid-night dismissal of Sheikh Abdullah and his subsequent incarceration. For those who think there was never any problem in Kashmir, it might be a time to take a lesson or two in history. It would be too much to ask mandarins of Indian government but should they relegate Kashmir issue under any naïve pretext, they will do only at their own peril.   
-Rajiv Kumar