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EDITORIAL JUGAAD

0507OCTOBER
OCTOBER
28 SEPTEMBER

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6 EDITORIAL NOIDA/DELHI

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2017


THE HINDU
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Symbols of a deeper stirring


The protests at Banaras Hindu University point to a new kind of gender assertion on access and rights
ing the annual routine of life in talk like grandparents. Equally tir-
many universities. The issues that ing to the current generation of fe-
triggered street processions and male students is the supervised
Law, faith, unreason sit-ins were often localised, even
trivial, but the restive spirit was
freedom offered to them as a fa-
vour.
Banning ‘evil’ practices by law is not enough: real. Their public fight is currently
Many national and provincial directed against gender discrimin-
social reform must be more broad-based krishna kumar
leaders felt that campus disturb- ation. There is plenty of it to fuel

M
ere legislation is not enough to eradicate super- ances indicated that the idealism of their struggle. It is there in hostels,
he old and historically im- the freedom movement had in admission procedures, in

T
stition from society, but laws do have the utility
value of curbing the prevalence of inhuman portant university at Varanasi waned. Some of them viewed classrooms and laboratories, and
rituals and practices. Seen in this light, the proposed is passing through a signific- youth discontent as a sign of in life outside the campus. But
ant moment. Educational institu- deeper idealism. They were right their anger is also about the role of
Karnataka law targeting black magic and inhuman prac-
tions seldom serve as precise mir- in this estimation. To the genera- caste in the selection of faculty and
tices may be regarded as social reform. The Karnataka rors of historical change because tion born after Independence, just positions carrying public respons-

GETTY IMAGES
Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices pedagogic and administrative about everything had begun to ibility. Both Allahabad and BHU are
and Black Magic Bill, 2017 has been approved by the rituals keep their inner life tightly look wrong. One of the first things festering pools of caste politics.
State Cabinet and is likely to be introduced soon in the under control. Banaras Hindu Uni- to cause dismay was the calibre of The colonial roots of the former
Assembly. It is not accurate to characterise this as just versity (BHU) is no exception. people who became vice-chancel- have proved just as weak to with-
an ‘anti-superstition bill’, as what it seeks to prohibit are Rather, like Visva-Bharati, estab- already become symbols of a distribution of eligibility for gov- lors. Those recruited to teach were stand caste pressures in everyday
lished by Rabindranath Tagore, deeper stirring than the officials of ernment jobs. the next major source of disillu- functioning as the idealistic roots
actions that offend human dignity, result in the exploit-
BHU has maintained a veneer of BHU have the wherewithal and Above all, BHU represented a sionment and cynicism among the of BHU have.
ation of gullible and vulnerable people or cause harm to normalcy governed by sacred cus- imagination to gauge. vision — one of many competing young. As new arrivals in the arena of
them. Organising macabre rituals, offering magical toms and rituals that have nicely visions in early 20th century — of higher learning, BHU girls are noti-
cures and threatening people, under peril of incurring preserved an empty shell of a spe- Different visions what India’s freedom might mean Growth of access cing a stench that boys do not, ac-
divine or supernatural displeasure, are covered by this cial inherited identity. The archi- BHU was the second university to in the sphere of education. The Layers of disillusionment have sed- customed as they are to the many
law, even though these can be treated as offences under tecture too conveys a sense of per- be set up in the Hindi heartland, monumental effort mooted and imented. For the BHU Vice-Chan- advantages that upbringing in a
the Indian Penal Code too. Perhaps ironically, it ex- manent normalcy, like that of a the first being Allahabad. The two sustained by Pandit Madan Mohan cellor to attribute the recent tur- patriarchal ethos offers. The city it-
temple. The decline in its institu- institutions were quite different Malaviya to set it up was part of an moil to ‘an incident of eve-teasing’ self is steeped in caste-centric
empts established religious practices and the propaga-
tional pride and standards had be- from the start. Allahabad Univer- intellectual struggle that did not is an insult to students. They be- rituals; even the language of daily
tion of spiritual learning and arts, besides astrology and gun in the 1960s. Barring brief epis- sity was created by the colonial last long after Independence: the long to a new provincial ethos, use, including its abusive variety,
vaastu. Overall, it tries to heed the line between reli- odes of precarious recovery, government, initially as an examin- struggle to engage with colonial subtly transformed by radical in- carries caste messages. The young
gious traditions and superstitious practices. Maha- descent into the shared hollow of ing institution like the other three subjugation through education. crease in access to school educa- women of BHU have studied
rashtra already has a law against black magic and other higher education in the Hindi belt set up in the mid-19th century. The engagement covered basic is- tion over the last 25 years. It has courses on gender and its associ-
‘evil’ practices. It is not clear if it has made much head- has been consistent. Only later did it acquire a unitary sues and choices in language, changed the social composition of ation with caste. Some of them can-
way in eliminating blind faith, but it must strengthen The recent sequence of events at character. Once known as the Ox- knowledge, and the pedagogic the campus population, imparting not resist applying this knowledge
BHU has an element of surprise be- ford of the East, the university’s ar- ethos. it far greater plurality than what to their personal lives and their su-
the hands of people willing to take on social practices
cause it points towards a new kind chitecture and courses conveyed Allahabad signified no such ex- prevails in the teaching faculty. Re- pervised campus lives. Having
steeped in ignorance and unreason. The proposed law of assertion and attempt to claim the British dream of creating a ploration — although it was located cruitment of teachers now been sent back home after facing a
ought to be seen as a reasonable restriction on the right institutional rights. The adminis- knowledge society after its own im- in a city with pioneers in academic provides reservation for the lower lathi charge, they will no doubt re-
to practise and propagate one’s religion under Article tration seems unprepared for this age in India. BHU, on the contrary, publishing and a literati that radic- and middle castes, but the domin- ceive sobering counsel from their
25 of the Constitution. As long as these restrictions are turn of events. Its reflexes consti- was intended to symbolise India’s ally changed the dominant idiom ance of upper castes and competi- elders, many of whom may not
in the interest of public order, morality and health, the tute the time-tested moves to min- pride in its heritage of knowledge. of Hindi literature. BHU, on the tion among them continues to have been to college. When they
law may withstand the test of constitutionality. imise, pacify and press forward. It Its financial independence from other hand, provided an academic shape the campus ethos. return after the semester break,
does not seem to realise, and may the colonial state and its residential base where Hindi’s development In this matter, BHU and Alla- they will notice how many more
It is not uncommon to read reports of disturbing
not accept if it does, that it is faced character signified an assertion as a modern language would bene- habad, despite their very different CCTVs have been installed to make
rituals. Among the rituals the Bill outlaws is the urulu with an unfamiliar kind of pro- and a search. The colonial model of fit from archival and analytical re- origins, have become identical. them feel safer.
seve, also known as made snana, in which devotees roll tester who refuses to be seen as a affiliating universities was essen- search. The same applies to male-centric
over food leftovers, the practice of walking on fire, client. The young women who paid tially that of a bureaucratic mech- Although student activism has ethos and policies. Young women Krishna Kumar is a former director of
branding children, and piercing one’s tongue or the price of mass protest by getting anism to examine, certify and an older history, its eruptions in- are tired of homilies by university NCERT. His latest book is an edited
brutally assaulted and injured have thereby maintain legitimacy of the tensified in the mid-1960s, disturb- officials and political leaders who ‘Handbook of Education in India’
cheeks. It is hard to make a case for retaining these
practices. However, it is possible that some may ask
whether everything that appears irrational to the less
believing should be prohibited by law. When the state
ventures to identify some practices — mostly prevailing
among groups in the social periphery — as incompatible
The smoke signals from China
with ‘civilised’ norms, it must demonstrate that these How to read the signs from the forthcoming Communist Party Congress
are wholly inhuman, or exploitative. One must de-
the half decade since, with the contender for Mr. Sun’s expected tion. Whether or not Mr. Xi’s name
nounce acts that harm women in the name of exorcism,
Chinese President rewriting the spot on the Politburo’s, innermost, is added to his “thought” (which
but is it possible to decry the very idea of devotees rules of institutional workings and seven-member Standing Commit- has not been given a formal title as
claiming to be “possessed” by god or the devil, except bureaucratic promotions, as well tee. yet) will consequently be another
from the perspective of a rationalist? Ultimately, it is as reshaping China’s diplomacy Party Congresses usually last key indicator of his sway within the
education and awareness that can truly liberate a soci- and sense of self in the world. between seven and 10 days. The Party.
ety from superstition, blind faith and abominable prac- length of October’s meet will be Finally, the Congress will be
GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

pallavi aiyar Consolidating control closely watched. If it’s shorter than scrutinised for any moves that
tices in the name of faith. Until then, the law will have to
Since coming to power, Mr. Xi has usual, it will signal that Mr. Xi’s might enable Mr. Xi to stay in a top
continue to identify and punish acts that violate the

F
or China watchers, the popu- strategically centralised control by rival factions found it tough going, leadership capacity even after his
people’s right to life, health and dignity. lar TV series, ‘Game of collecting a smorgasbord of titles. while a longer summit would imply second term as CPC General Sec-
Thrones’, is but an anaemic He not only leads the Party and the opposite. About 2,300 deleg- retary and Chinese President ends
trifle when compared to the back- military but is also head of several ates from different provinces and in 2022. For example, he might

An artist of the world room intrigue and power play ex-


pected at the 19th National Con-
gress of the Communist Party of
newly instituted bodies such as the
Central Leading Group for Com-
prehensively Deepening Reforms abashedly project power abroad,
constituencies like state-owned en-
terprises and the military will at-
tend the meeting and elect the
delay the designation of a
successor.
Mr. Kawashima hastens to point
The surprise winner of the Nobel Prize in China (CPC). The Congress will be- and the Central National Security and no longer makes any bones 200-plus members of the Party out that Mr. Xi is still far from all-
Literature is an abundantly deserving one gin on October 18, accompanied by Commission set up to combat ter- about its geostrategic ambitions. Central Committee. The Central powerful. Some push back from
platoons of analysts in paroxysms rorism and separatism. In January Committee will in turn vote for the sidelined groupings will almost

B
y awarding the Nobel Prize in Literature to Brit-
of tea leaf-reading, attempting to this year he took over as Chairman Three strategies CPC’s most senior positions. At certainly occur. But all Mr. Xi needs
ish-Japanese novelist Kazuo Ishiguro this year, decipher which men — no woman of the Central Commission for In- Shin Kawashima, a China scholar least 11 of the 25 members of the to steamroll his vision is the sup-
the Swedish Academy has pulled itself back to has so far been appointed to the tegrated Military and Civilian De- at the University of Tokyo, points Politburo are expected to retire, port of four out of seven members
more classical criteria in deciding who makes the cut. Party’s highest body: the Politburo velopment, only a few months out that Mr. Xi has deployed three unless an informal rule that re- of the Politburo Standing
While announcing the name, it strove to make this evid- Standing Committee — will control after being hailed by the CPC as a strategies to amplify his power: an quires members to step down at 68 Committee.
ent, even at the risk of reducing an appraisal of a great the levers of power in the country “core leader”, an epithet that has anti-corruption blitzkrieg, a tight- is relaxed. Whether or not Wang The composition of this group
writer such as Ishiguro to a trite high school essay. “If that is increasingly shaping global thus far only been conferred on ening of media control and a re- Qishan, Mr. Xi’s trusted anti-cor- will determine China’s attitude to-
affairs. three leaders: Mao Zedong, Deng structuring of the military. ruption honcho, stays on the wards global hot spots such as
you mix Jane Austen and Franz Kafka then you have
The one name every cup of tea is Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin. The anti-corruption campaign Standing Committee, despite be- North Korea and border disputes
Kazuo Ishiguro in a nutshell, but you have to add a little sure to reveal is that of reigning Until Mr. Xi’s presidency, China has been a particularly useful tool, ing 68, will be closely watched as with neighbours like India. A
bit of Marcel Proust into the mix,” said Sara Danius, the Party chief, Chinese President Xi had followed Deng’s diktat of “tao serving the dual purpose of tough- an indication of the President’s stronger Xi Jinping will likely see an
permanent secretary of the Academy. “Then you stir, Jinping. The million yuan question guang yang hui”, or keeping a low ening party discipline and purging clout. even bolder and more aggressive
but not too much, then you have his writings.” The is whether Mr. Xi will further ce- profile internationally, biding time inconvenient rivals. More than 200 China regionally and globally.
Academy perhaps tried too hard given the criticism, ment his power base, making him while focussing on domestic eco- officials, many of them in senior Leaving a mark Domestically, although western
and the awardee’s snub, that came its way last year the most formidable national nomic growth. The leadership of positions, have been removed in One likely outcome is the enshrin- Sinologists tend to see the central-
leader in the post-Mao era, or the Party had also evolved into a corruption probes, allowing Mr. Xi ing of Xi Jinping “thought,” the isation of authority under Mr. Xi as
when the prize went to American singer-songwriter whether there will be a last minute collective practice, resembling a to place loyalists or associates of crystallisation of the President’s having a potentially narrowing ef-
Bob Dylan; it had clearly been trying to push the envel- stunner, as a rival faction fights boardroom more than an imperial close allies in key positions. values and ideals, in the CPC’s con- fect on economic reform, many
ope in capturing newer forms of narrative-telling, after back court, with Chinese politics in- A recent example is that of Sun stitution. This is standard practice analysts within the country see his
bringing to the notice of a wider readership the brilliant Party Congresses are held every creasingly tied to predictable pro- Zhengcai, former party chief of for China’s top leaders. However, moves as stemming from the need
Belarusian journalist Svetlana Alexievich the year be- five years. Mr. Xi took over the lead- cedures rather than ruler’s Chongqing, considered by some to other than Mao and Deng, no other to ride roughshod over vested in-
fore for her oral histories dating back to the Soviet era. ership of the CPC from his prede- caprice. be a contender for future President leader has had their name tagged terests in order to push through dif-
cessor, Hu Jintao, at the 18th Con- But under Mr. Xi, this settled to- and a shoo-in for the Politburo. In on to their “thought”. Mao Zedong ficult reforms. Only time, and per-
Ishiguro is more of a purist, repurposing the classical
gress in 2012. At the time the CPC pography has been upended. The July, Mr. Sun was abruptly placed Thought and Deng Xiaoping The- haps the tea leaves, will tell.
forms to, as the Academy said, produce novels of “great Central Committee was packed Chinese President is a more charis- under investigation for disciplin- ory are known as such. But Jiang
emotional force”. It added that they “uncovered the with cadres handpicked by previ- matic and individualistic leader ary violations (a euphemism for Zemin’s Three Represents and Hu Pallavi Aiyar has reported from China,
abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the ous leaders, limiting Mr. Xi’s free- than his predecessors, Hu Jintao corruption) and removed from his Jintao’s Scientific Outlook on De- Europe, Indonesia and Japan. She is a
world”. In a body of work that also includes critically ac- dom of manoeuvre. But much wa- and Jiang Zemin. Moreover, under post. He was replaced by Xi- velopment do not have their Young Global Leader with the World
claimed short fiction, Ishiguro has consistently evoked ter has flowed down the Yangtze in him, China has come to un- protégé Chen Miner who is now a names appended in the constitu- Economic Forum
the loss of coordinates that individual characters sense
with the uncertainties of memory as well as of space
and time.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters emailed to letters@thehindu.co.in must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.

Ishiguro’s credentials are impeccable. Strong, albeit


Growth slowdown the tremendous damage economic woes will be got State of the Left to campus communism will Think ‘Bullet’
strange and unreliable characters; spare prose, used to
India’s economic expansion that a recession does to around in the long run A party which once had 44 further shrink it in politics. We have to always think
devastating effect; genres varying from science fiction has slowed to its lowest level employment, income and (‘Business’ page – “Jobs cut Members of Parliament and Ravi Mannethu, ahead about the future and
to fantasy, with no book of his reading like the last. Born in three years. Small the health of millions of worry Mittal, Goyal was a formidable political Pullad, Kerala plan for it (‘Left, Right,
in Nagasaki in 1954, Ishiguro moved with his family to businesses are struggling, Indians, Parliament should unfazed”, October 6). The force to reckon with in Centre’ – “Does India need a
Britain when he was five. He was a part of the great or even shutting down, after act quickly to keep the Prime Minister has spoken controlling UPA-I and -II has Part of the wheel bullet train?” October 6).
burst of new fiction-writing in the country in the 1980s, a major overhaul of both the economy from stalling. about all the “virtuous” now become weak and T.P. Sreenivasan’s article Rapid urbanisation and an
as the talent of writers as diverse as Salman Rushdie, Ian country’s currency and Whether the government economic initiatives that his meek in political influence (“States in Indian increasing middle class
sales tax system. will act on sage advice is yet government has undertaken and stature (Editorial – diplomacy”, October 6) population will need the
McEwan and Hilary Mantel came to the notice of a
Policymakers need to act to be seen (“Growth has but has failed to articulate “Theory and practice, does not include the first rapid mass movement of
global readership. His earliest novels harked back to Ja- now to ‘craft an effective fallen, but govt. can reverse any measures to stimulate October 6). The eroding significant State people.
pan, and they are still too little appreciated. But it was economic stimulus package trend, says PM”, October 5). the economy. This narrative base of the CPI(M) in West “interference” in external After a decade or so,
his third novel, The Remains of the Day, that stunned the that spurs growth and job K.M.K. Murthy, neither offers solace to Bengal is making its leaders relations. In 1962, the aviation fuel prices are
creation’. Without a Secunderabad citizens hamstrung by think of desperate Ministry of External Affairs, bound to be very high
literary world in 1989, also winning the Booker Prize.
The story of an ageing butler, it evoked the difficulty of stimulus of ‘a sufficient economic inactivity nor measures. Nonetheless, the through G. Parthasarathi, which would make flying
magnitude, the Indian ■ The economy appears to gives the Sensex and Nifty situation in Kerala is quite suggested to Nehru that air unaffordable. Hence a bullet
keeping one’s bearings in a shifting matrix of class, cul-
economy is likely to see a be in a shambles and indices an opportunity to different. The party is in a power could be used to stop train would be required. It
ture and history. Most of his characters understand dis- decline in growth or even a despite the gloomy rise. Clearly, the convincingly solid position Chinese supply lines but would also give a boost to
placement, a theme he keeps returning to in his books formal recession, leading to forecasts for the future, government is not prepared in Keralaand an alliance will this was vetoed by then infrastructure
in different ways. Thus, memory, time, past and present higher unemployment, leaders in the government or lacks the wherewithal to undoubtedly undermine its Chief Minister of West development, technological
are important signposts in the Ishiguro landscape. The declining or stagnant wages, are failing to recognise the address issues of prime credibility as a strong Bengal, B.C. Roy. There was achievements and create
names of his novels often indicate as much. These in- and a host of other pessimism and act economic importance. The political force. Moreover, enough intelligence to huge employment
clude his second novel, An Artist of the Floating World, economic problems’. judiciously to bring the start-up ecosystem cannot such a decision will not find believe that India had opportunities. It could be a
Combined with a ‘broader economy back on track. progress in a disturbed favour with the cadres. It is greater air superiority milestone in our transition
his most recent The Buried Giant, and his standout
unravelling of credit Instead, what has been business cycle. The an undeniable fact that vis-à-vis the Chinese. There from a developing to a
dystopian novel Never Let Me Go from 2005, about a markets, we can expect to noticeable in recent days is government must also take there are two factions in the is an indirect reference to developed country.
community of clones raised only so that their organs see continued spillovers a commentary of polemics public criticism in their CPI(M) right now. The need this in a book by former Badal Jain,
may be harvested. In its moment of crisis, the Swedish into other areas of the from the men who matter in stride. of the hour for the CPI(M) is Foreign Secretary J.N. Dixit. Bhopal

Academy has pulled out a winner. economy, most importantly the government who are Bibhuti Das, to consolidate its base in the M.V. Sundararaman, more letters online:
the labour market’. Given trying to convey that all New Delhi hinterlands. Limiting itself Chennai www.hindu.com/opinion/letters/

CM A ND-NDE
YK
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THE HINDU
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2017
NOIDA/DELHI

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Chronicles of a carnage foretold


At the peak of the Sri Lankan war, four activist-academics tirelessly documented the atrocities of all the warring parties. After one of them was killed, the rest fled the
country amid death threats. Nearly 20 years later, Meera Srinivasan listens in as they sit together in Jaffna and reflect on the political crisis of that time

O
n a September evening in 1989,
Rajani Thiranagama decided to
put in some extra hours of work
at the University of Jaffna, where she
taught anatomy. Around 6 p.m., she was
cycling back when she was shot dead,
right outside her home.
Her family heard the gunshots from
their living room, and wondered who
had been killed this time. The 35-year-
old Tamil academic was a prominent
human rights activist and mother of two
girls.

Four academics and a conflict


Thiranagama’s university colleague Ra-
jan Hoole remembers the period vividly.
Sri Lanka’s ethnic strife had escalated
and bloodshed had become common-
place. “Things were breaking down in
front of our eyes,” he recalled.
Hoole was speaking to The Hindu
along with his colleagues, Kopalasing-
ham Sritharan and Daya
Somasundaram. The three of them, and
Thiranagama, were the public face of a
local human rights organisation foun-
ded by academics of the university in
1988, almost five years after Sri Lanka’s
civil war broke out. The group painstak-
ingly documented, after arduous verific-
ation and cross-checking, the abuses
perpetrated by the warring actors — be
it the Sri Lankan armed forces, Tamil
militants including the Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), or the Indian
Peace Keeping Force (IPKF).
Their reports from the conflict zone
— when most other human rights monit-
oring was done from Colombo or
abroad — and insistence on challenging
the rebels’ intolerance of dissent within
their own community, even as others
shied away from doing so, marked them
out and exposed them to grave danger.
The three surviving members of the
University Teachers for Human Rights,
Jaffna (UTHR-J), gathered on the ver-
andah of Hoole’s home in Jaffna town.
Sritharan, who lives in Canada, was vis-
iting Jaffna after nearly 20 years.
A sighing breeze could be heard but
barely felt, and the dry mid-morning
heat enveloped us as they travelled back
in time.
After finishing their doctorates Aftermath: “Families of the several thousands who disappeared in the final stages of the war are still waiting for news from the government about their missing kin.” (Above) Sri Lankan Tamils at a protest in 2013 in
abroad, the young academics could Colombo; (Below) Rajani Thiranagama, who was killed in 1989; (Bottom) The academics: Daya Somasundaram (L), Kopalasingham Sritharan (R), and Rajan Hoole. GETTY IMAGES/ SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT/ MEERA SRINIVASAN * *

have easily found lucrative lectureships


elsewhere. But they returned to the

<
> There
country in the 1980s to teach at the Uni- shattered Tamil society. “Instead of had gripped Tamil society, where any was a need for a voice
versity of Jaffna. The university space bringing people together, it made the dissent or disagreement would be met that goes against leaders
then was intellectually congenial, with people powerless and atomised, and only with death. determining the dynamics.
vibrant debates among students and the trapped them,” Sritharan said. The LTTE did not spare several oth-
faculty on the ethnic tensions building This, they found, was rapidly eating ers who had helped the UTHR-J. Those
There was a need for counter
up around them. into the community, making people sus- identified and captured were subjected voices from the margins.
Hoole, an Oxford-educated mathem- picious of each other. They felt that to torture. “They still suffer from that Daya Somasundaram
Psychiatrist
atician, recalled the reason for becom- many pretended to support the LTTE experience,” said Sritharan. The aca-
ing a full-time activist amid simmering only in order to survive. Other Tamils, demics had at various points relied on
unrest: “The LTTE was boasting that the who either endorsed or were sympath- individuals who helped them despite Sritharan said. Even now, the Jaffna elite
larger the quantity of deaths, the etic to the armed struggle, believing it to their families’ affiliation to the LTTE. “A was making the same mistake, they
greater the political capital for its pro- be unavoidable, well-intentioned and postmaster once, a farmer, and many said. “We are not thinking about the
ject of a separate state.” People sud- self-sacrificial, strongly disagreed with other such ordinary people… locals like political and economic realities here, or
denly became more valuable as dead the UTHR-J and its co-thinkers, and con- them would not openly antagonise the about relating to marginalised Sinhalese
bodies, as numbers. “The option of be- tinue to do so to this day. The polarisa- LTTE. But they were very clear about people — that is not our priority. Our
ing comfortable in our academic lives,” tion within the Tamil community on “They thought they could disarm the right and wrong, they had a sense of priority is to use the international com-
he said, “just did not exist.” this issue was, and remains, such that LTTE in 24 hours. There were a lot of justice.” munity and India to teach Sri Lanka a
critics of the LTTE were labelled “trait- misjudgments and misconceptions in When Hoole spoke of the two Jaffna lesson. In the process, we don’t learn
The trigger for documentation ors”, just as the university too would understanding the LTTE. Not just the University students — Manoharan and anything. And eventually, we are getting
The July 1983 anti-Tamil riots in brand the academics later. Despite the Indian army, a lot of intellectuals also Chelvi — who worked with them, he more and more weak,” he said.
Colombo — in which nearly 3,000 epithets and evident risks, they per- failed to understand the LTTE,” could barely suppress his outrage. In Sritharan is convinced that their ana-
people were killed and over a lakh dis- severed in telling stories from the war Sritharan said, pointing to the heavy 1991, the LTTE caught and later ex- lysis in the 1980s and 1990s was spot on.
placed — catalysed the then-nascent zone. cost of this “naïve” perception. ecuted them. “They killed many of the They saw this coming. But “we failed in
Tamil militancy into an uprising for self-
determination. The several armed rebel <
> Everyone talks about it as a
people’s struggle but in reality,
This also meant detailing the role and
conduct of the Indian military deployed Antagonising the LTTE
dissidents who were directly or indir-
ectly associated with us,” he recounted.
arresting death and destruction.” What
could a few of them have done, he
groups, with varying ideologies and those carrying the guns in northern and eastern Sri Lanka to Around the same time, UTHR-J suffered All the survivors are haunted by the wondered. “At a personal level, I feel
centred on different personalities, decided the fate of the “keep peace” after the 1987 Indo-Sri its biggest blow, when Thiranagama was memory of those who lost their lives to very guilty. I feel I should have come
began mass recruitment, training, and Lanka Accord. killed. Though there has never been an fellow Tamils, just for non-violent back and worked in a small way. But it
struggle. The LTTE were not
arming of Tamil youth. It was clear to them that the LTTE investigation into her death, her col- dissent. was just not possible emotionally. I feel I
However, caught in the crossfire even keen that people was provoking the IPKF, dubbed by leagues and family are certain that she The LTTE actively encouraged the have failed.” Sritharan went under-
between the state and the rebels, the In- participate in a real sense. Jaffna society as ‘Innocent People was executed by the LTTE. Grimly Jaffna elite to migrate to the West and ground in the 1990s following death
dian military and the militants, and in Kopalasingham Sritharan Killing Force’, into wanton military re- aware of the depreciating value of life “milked them” for resources to con- threats. He was in Colombo first, and
Mathematician
the internecine struggle for supremacy prisals against the civilian population. within Tamil society, Thiranagama had tinue the war, while others back home then moved to India before taking up a
among the different Tamil rebel groups From what the activists could gather on predicted her death at the hands of a bore the brunt. “The struggle became UN job that took him to Afghanistan and
were powerless civilians. Deeply During the Vadamarachchi Opera- the ground, the IPKF leadership lacked fellow Tamil. Her untimely loss is some- very pathological. The university was Nepal. In 2008, he relocated with his
troubled by the violence that had en- tion, a Sri Lankan military offensive to clarity in deciphering and sensibly re- thing her surviving comrades are still destroyed as a place of scholarship, it family to Canada. Barring a brief visit to
gulfed Tamil society and determined to wrest control of Jaffna in the summer of sponding to the LTTE’s strategy. These unable to fully grasp. “If only we had became a dead institution,” Hoole said Colombo in 2006, he never brought his
record how it was corroding basic hu- 1987, Sritharan found that many people misjudgements spawned a string of hor- driven more sense into her…,” said on what seemed to him the beginning of family back as he thought it was unfair
manity, the four academics began to were no longer as indulgent towards the rors detailed in The Broken Palmyra, an Somasundaram, his voice trailing off. “I its degeneration. to subject them to constant fear and
chronicle and analyse the many atrocit- excesses of the LTTE as before. “They insider’s account of this period that the am not sure Rajani would have acted Over the next decade and a half, the risk.
ies regardless of who committed them. felt the Tigers were not really defending four of them co-wrote. The Jaffna Hos- any other way. She went too soon — we ethnic conflict took the exact route the
As the LTTE displaced the other Tamil them, but just provoking the army and pital massacre of October 1987, in which don’t have many people like that.” For academics had predicted — one of com- Re-evaluating the past and present
militias and became dominant, they running away. That was the real feeling Indian soldiers mowed down about 70 many who were uncomfortable with the plete destruction, as the horrific 2009- Persistent death threats in Jaffna forced
boldly challenged its political choices, of the people at that time, but it never patients and staff, is only one instance. LTTE brand of politics and militancy, end to the civil war proved. An estim- Hoole to live in India for a while, and
which, they felt, subordinated the well- came out.” It couldn’t have. By then the Sritharan once asked an Indian army her killing signified the moral crisis that ated one lakh civilians lost their lives as Somasundaram spent a few years away
being of the Tamil people to its ambi- Tigers’ intolerance to dissent was com- general why the IPKF was there. “In the the Sri Lankan army crushed the Tigers. in Australia. Both returned to Jaffna
tion of a separate state.
What led the four young academics
mon knowledge. Everyone knew that si-
lence was the price you paid for
list of priorities, maybe at the bottom
was Tamil interests. Their real interests
<
> The option of being
comfortable in our academic
Families of the several thousands who
disappeared in those final stages are still
after the war ended.
All through the war years, they re-
on an evidently perilous path? None of survival. were political and strategic,” he recalled lives just did not exist. waiting for news from the government mained engaged from where they were,
them began as opponents of the LTTE. “An existential crisis” is how from the conversation he had about 30 Rajan Hoole about their missing kin. The victor- and kept writing about the excesses. In
In fact, Thiranagama had provided Somasundaram, a psychiatrist, refers to years ago. Mathematician state’s “justice” that prevailed and still 2008, the UTHR-J released a detailed re-
medical aid to injured cadre. As the Sri the time. “It was a full-blown war. does has offered them little hope. port naming the state security person-
Lankan state turned savage, Tamil intel- People had to run for their lives,” he nel responsible for the summary execu-
lectuals like them could not but be sym- said. For him, it was a sudden confront- Shadow of a long war tions in August 2006 of 17 aid workers of
pathetic to movements against the op- ation with the reality of life and death, Hoole and Somasundaram returned to a French NGO in Mutur, in the eastern
pression of Tamils. The ‘Tigers’, as the with people dying on the road, injuries, the university after the war but found district of Trincomalee. The report de-
LTTE was also known, were projecting no food, a “complete breakdown” of they were still “outcastes” in an institu- tailed the grisly killings, the alleged role
an ideology of Tamil identity and pride everything. “That is what made me start tion that was still in thrall to the LTTE’s of state security forces in the murders,
that spoke to the fear and insecurity in thinking of a way to get back some san- ideology. The academics’ activism had a and the failure of the government to in-
their community in a way that only na- ity, some order,” he said, with a dis- professional cost, but that bothers them vestigate the crime.
tionalism does. As the LTTE became a claimer that he was neither a political the least. They worry more about the This visit to his home town, after two
de facto state in areas under its control analyst nor a student of liberation university that, in their view, is still decades, has not given Sritharan reason
and a parallel power to the state in struggles elsewhere. “There was a need mired in narrow Tamil nationalism. In for optimism. From his travels in the
other areas, its authoritarianism grew. for a voice that goes against leaders de- 2014, when Thiranagama’s associates north, he noticed that at one level life
As did scepticism among those like termining the dynamics, there was a and family tried organising an event at goes on for people, even as those who
Sritharan, also a mathematician. As a need for counter voices from the mar- the university to mark the 25th an- were severely affected during the last
student engaged in Left politics, he had gins.” The four of them, with the help of niversary of her death, the vice chancel- days of war continued to suffer. He is
once romanticised the revolution and many others, including trusted stu- lor then revoked permission at the last worried that their plight is used for
distant armed struggles. “But here, we dents, set out to collect as much inform- minute, claiming that no prior approval political sloganeering rather than to
were experiencing them in reality,” he ation as possible from ordinary people was taken and that the organisers were find ways and means to support them.
said. It was not what he had thought it in the Tamil-majority north and east, “always trouble-makers”. “There is no serious re-evaluation of the
would be. “Everyone talks about it as a from those who had witnessed the atro- Reflecting on Jaffna society, the aca- past or the present reality of our soci-
people’s struggle but in reality, those cities at close range. demics said over the years the elite have ety. The politics is the same as earlier,
carrying the guns decided the fate of the only made matters worse. “Our elite where a victim mentality is used to
struggle. They [LTTE] were not even Polarisation within the Tamils thought we could use India. I always felt avoid taking responsibility for our ac-
keen that people participate in a real In the academics’ reading, the escal- we were being stupid about it. We can’t tions and our political miscalculations,”
sense.” ating war and the armed struggle had use India, it is a bigger power,” he said.

CM A ND-NDE
YK
https://t.me/TheHindu_Zone https://t.me/pdf4exams

>
OPINION 9
ILLUSTRATION BY BINAY SINHA
Volume V Number 9
years in power to the Congress party’s last two, which
MUMBAI | 7 OCTOBER 2017 were so bad that it was reduced to 44 in the Lok Sabha.
I bet his supporters went home all fired up again, such
is his magic with words and so magisterial his sway over
WEEKEND RUMINATIONS public opinion. But worry showed on his face.
It also shows in many of his recent actions. His
T N NINAN attack on those “spreading pessimism” was prickly,
and of a piece with Indira Gandhi’s condemnation on

A Tale of Two Countries those “creating cynicism” in her crisis months and for-
mer US Vice-President Spiro Agnew’s fabled flourish
of “nattering nabobs of negativism”. The return of

I
the Economic Advisory Council he had dismantled
n India, the housing market is in the doldrums. In China, house prices in earlier was the first rollback of an idea. Within months
the last two years have risen by more than 40 per cent, and mortgages now of pouring scorn over Harvard-educated economists
account for half of all new bank loans — double the share a year earlier. he has now drafted one at least from Princeton (Surjit
In India, the government is looking for ways to boost economic activity; Bhalla) in this council. The second was the rollback of

There is something
in China, they are shutting down aluminium plants to control pollution, and the excise duty on petrol and diesel, weeks after sen-
ior ministers had aggressively defended these as most
clamping down on the housing market. In India, the debate on special economic
necessary to raise resources for development. The
zones saw a brief revival before dying down; in China, the Xiongan New Area, new tourism minister was so bold (this isn’t sarcasm,
south of Beijing, is being launched as another Shenzhen in the making (2,000 I agree with him) as to remind the whining middle

in the air
square km, a third bigger than Delhi state). In case you missed the point, classes that those owning motor-vehicles should stop
Shenzhen’s GDP is equal to more than three-quarters of India’s. While we talk complaining about taxes. Now, BJP leaders are tweet-
of Make in India and of exploiting low wage costs, Xiongan is designed for high- ing to thank the Prime Minister for this “pro-poor”
step. The finance minister has said he will write to
value-added industry.
chief ministers to cut their VAT. Between these two
In China they have built ghost towns; in India we have half-built tower It isn’t what you think. Political winds haven’t shifted yet. But the blinks came RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s “state of the
blocks. The ghost towns deliver revenue, because in China money from the sale union” address on Dussehra, expressing concern over
of land use rights goes to local governments and accounts for 30 per cent of their air is thick with doubts, economic stress is hurting and for the first jobs, prices, traders, and economic distress. This is
income. In India the costs are borne by might-have-been home-owners. The time since his rise in 2013, the PM is fighting back unusual when the BJP is in power.
benefits often go to clever operators; ask Mr Vadra.
here is a new pattern to how conversations often UPA, but has now gone on for too long. Six quarters of he government draws comfort from the state of
In India, we have imposed anti-dumping duties on steel imports, and
bankrupt steel companies are to be auctioned by banks; in China they added T begin these days, particularly if prominent
members of the entrepreneurial community are
consecutive GDP decline, two 1,100-volt jolts (demon-
etisation and the goods and services tax), job losses, and
T the opposition, its lack of a leader to match the
Prime Minister’s appeal, energy and focus, or a com-
new steel-making capacity in 2016 that is equal to half of India’s annual pro- present. Someone usually beckons you to a more pri- wage freezes (except in the government with the mon agenda. But as we know, a most popular leader
duction. But in some areas, the two economies are on the same page: Both have vate corner and begins: Seventh Pay Commission) are beginning to hurt. can also suffer a decline if people get so angry that
seen exports fall 10 per cent over two years, and both have seen trade revival in “Can I ask you a question off the record?” Most people may not care for the finer points of they vote against him, never mind the rival. That’s
2017. The difference is that China has a trade surplus while India has a growing “I am a journalist, I am never off the record, sir. So RBI reports, monetary policy, GDP, current account how Rajiv Gandhi lost despite his much larger major-
please ask me anything on the record,” I would say. deficit, balance of trade, real interest rates, and other ity in the Lok Sabha than Modi’s now.
deficit. Despite that, and higher inflation to boot, the rupee has dropped less
“No, that is ok, but it is a very sensitive question, so such exotic jargon. But the pain of somebody in the fam- That tipping point looks quite far yet. But there are
than the yuan, against the dollar, over the past three years. off the record please,” the interlocutor pleads. ily losing her job, or not being able to get one, or the frus- interesting straws in this wind. Among the first indica-
Then there are the mysteries of debt. In India the ratio of corporate debt to “Sir, I have nothing to say off the record. People tration of forced under-employment at the family tions of trouble for a leader is the appearance and pop-
GDP is only 51 per cent; in China it is a whopping 169 per cent. Never mind the might sometimes speak off the record with a journalist, mithai shop hurts. It also hurts if demonetisation ularity of inspired jokes, and in these times funny
difference, in both countries the private corporate sector has slowed fresh a journalist has no need to do so.” punched a six-month hole in the out- memes. About the Modi government, that started about
investment. With government debt it works the other way. China’s debt to It can go on for a bit on these lines put of your tiny bangle-making busi- six months ago and has gathered momentum. Second,
and then the deadlock is broken by ness. Having to wrestle with the intri- however broken the opposition may be, it has cracked
GDP is only 46 per cent, compared to the Indian government’s 69 per cent. So the person telling you, with a sheep- cacies of the GST now is just that much the science of social media warfare. The BJP used it bril-
Beijing has the fiscal headroom to push for growth, and used it last year; the ish dread, that it is he who wants to be salt over the wounds. The Prime liantly to demolish the Congress and allies. Now it
Reserve Bank has ruled that out for India. Finally, Indian households have a 10 off the record. He doesn’t want any- Minister’s popularity remains formi- doesn’t look so one-sided.
per cent ratio of debt to GDP; the ratio for Chinese households is 45 per cent. body to know he asked this question. dable. If there was an election now, it In fact, the balance of firepower in this electronic
Yet it is Chinese households, not India’s, that are fuelling a housing boom. In That word given, comes the question: doesn’t seem the result will still be rad- warfare is shifting. The Aam Aadmi Party has always
terms of systemic risk, China’s overall debt is more than 250 per cent of GDP, “Aap kya sochtey hain, kuchh ically different from the one of 2014 or been good at this, the Congress has learnt it, and the
hawa badal rahi hai? (Now, what do even what the last India Today ‘Mood very articulate and well-networked community of what
while more conservative India’s is barely half that. Yet China’s ratio of fresh you think? Are the winds shifting?) of the Nation Poll’ (August 2017, 349 The Economist described this week as India’s “lingering
investment to GDP is 50 per cent higher than for India. The reference is to the popularity NATIONAL INTEREST Lok Sabha seats for the NDA) showed. Left-liberal elite” has added its might, and the BJP has
Therefore, every forecaster has declared China’s growth is unsustainable. of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I SHEKHAR GUPTA But three things can be said for sure. competition. The BJP had put itself at a great advantage
Beijing said so too, and planned to step on the brakes for 2017, to bring down answer it with utmost honesty, and so The faithful have suffered for too long by controlling the message. That control is now fraying.
growth by two notches to 6.5 per cent. Only to step on the accelerator; growth I am writing it here on the record, with a simple “I don’t and doubts have begun to assail their minds. The Prime The Prime Minister put his oratorical best foot for-
think so”. What you are hearing is usual mid-term noise. Minister is not in decline as most incumbents are ward this week. He has no competition there. But at this
was 6.9 per cent in the first half. Here we keep saying things will improve, but
But there is, finally, some noise although it’s well past expected to be at the two-thirds point of their tenure. likely inflexion point, just this won’t be enough. Too
they have tended to go the other way. So China has reclaimed, after a gap of two the mid-term point in this government. But his ascent has stalled. Politics can’t stay frozen for much energy these three years has been invested in
years, its mantle as the world’s fastest-growing large economy. This, when its If such a conversation came up again over this week- nearly two years until the next polls. turning the party into an election-winning machine.
working age population is shrinking, while ours is growing. And talking of jobs, end, my response, however, may be somewhat clearer. Concern was visible in the Prime Minister’s spirited, Governance needs greater attention, ironically just
China expects to create 11 million urban jobs this year; for India, don’t ask. I might still say I don’t think the winds are shifting yet, hour-long speech to the gathering of company secre- when important state elections come closer. If the gov-
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has run an anti-corruption cam- but there is something in the air — something we taries this week, hours after the RBI had lowered this ernment doesn’t revive its waning momentum, a slide
haven’t sniffed since the electoral catharsis after the bit- year’s growth estimates further and denied the gov- can be lurking. Just changing the message won’t do. To
paign and snared some of his political rivals. Ditto with Prime Minister Narendra
ter years of UPA-2, its pessimism, and doubts. ernment the steroidal breather of a rate cut. The speech recover its mojo, the Modi government needs a more
Modi, who has snared some aam aadmi too; he now says (with some truth) that was vintage Modi. All fire, fury, ferocity, and confi- impressive set of economic figures to flaunt — and of
the entire Congress leadership is out on bail. Finally, in China the democracy he new doubts and some pessimism come from a dence. But, for the first time since 2013, he was fighting its own tenure, not from the UPA’s past.
wall is long gone; in India we have a press that is said to spread pessimism. T growing unease over the state of the economy. The
stall may have begun during the last two years of the
back. Combative for sure, but on the defensive. You
could read it in his repeated comparison of his three By special arrangement with ThePrint

Lessons from sleep-deprived fruit flies ings of your body. About half of your
genes are connected to the basic bio-
logical clock mechanism, said Emery.
Ishiguro, the lyricist
The biological clock genes are acti-
nomical world — a pas de deux familial advanced sleep phase syn- or people in perpetual light or dark- vated at some point in cells all over the EYE CULTURE son song, the meaning must not be
between our planet and the sun. drome, which makes them want to ness, their sleep-wake cycles continue, body, he said. “This makes sense self-sufficient on the page. It has to be
Like almost any Nobel finding, this go to sleep early in the evening and though they will gradually get out of because your whole body needs to
UTTARAN DAS GUPTA oblique, sometimes you have to read
work — conducted by Jeffrey C Hall, wake up around 3 am or so. sync with one another and with the be synchronised — optimised for the he announcement of the between the lines.” There is, however,
Michael Rosbash and Michael W
Young — was not done from scratch.
Back in the 1970s, Caltech biologist
Sehgal said she and other
researchers use infrared motion
sensors to track flies at rest,
real day-night cycle.
The system didn’t quite work
with just one gene, however, and
time of day.” In other words, timing
really is everything.
Even some scientists don’t fully
T Nobel Prize in Literature for
Kazuo Ishiguro was greeted
unanimously with acknowledge-
little mention of this skill in the Nobel
citation. “If you mix Jane Austen and
Franz Kafka then you have Kazuo
Seymour Benzer set the groundwork although until recently, biologists other researchers started to wonder appreciate the importance of circa- ment of the English novelist’s Ishiguro in a nutshell, but you have to
for their discoveries. He had been weren’t sure they could really call it of there was another part to the dian rhythms, said Sehgal. Many con- achievements, which includes the add a little bit of Marcel Proust into
exploring the connections between “sleep.” She helped change that by clock. Penn’s Sehgal in collaboration duct experiments on humans or oth- Booker winning The Remains of the the mix,” said Sara Danius, the per-
FAYE FLAM genes and behaviour in fruit flies, showing that if you disturb flies with with Young (one of the new Nobel er animals, then try to repeat the Day (1987). This was markedly dif- manent secretary of the Swedish
using chemicals to create mutant flies. light or by vibrating their enclo- winners) found that second part — a same experiment at a different time ferent from last year, when Bob Dylan Academy, which awards the prize.
He would observe ones with abnor- sures, they get sleep-deprived, just gene and associated protein dubbed of day and wonder why they don’t winning the award had sparked out- Last year, soon after Mr Dylan
t Nobel Prize time, journal- mal behaviour patterns, and then fig- like we do, and try to make up the “timeless,” because flies with dam- get the same result. Medical rage in many quarters, with Hari won the prize, Anna North, in an

A ists tend to celebrate the inge-


nuity of scientists. This year,
let’s show some appreciation for the
ure out which genes had been altered.
Sleep — or at least some form of
cyclical periods of rest — is one of
missing slumber. Researchers at
Caltech recently carried out similar
experiments to show that even the
age to this gene don’t appear to sleep
at all. Timeless binds to the PER pro-
tein at some point in the cycle, and
researchers are just beginning to
appreciate that the time of day
changes the efficacy and side-effect
Kunzru even claiming: “This feels
like the lamest Nobel win since they
gave it to Obama for not being Bush.”
opinion piece published in The New
York Times, criticised the decision.
“Yes, Mr Dylan is a brilliant lyricist.
ingenuity of evolution and the the most universal of animal behav- humble, literally brainless jellyfish then degrades when cells are risk of some drugs. Others are finding When this year’s winner was declared Yes, he has written a book of prose
human body instead. iours. Fruit flies snooze at night and cycles between activity and sleep. exposed to sunlight, thus allowing hints that it’s not just what you eat but on Thursday, The Guardian report poetry and an autobiography. Yes, it
The 2017 Nobel for medicine also tend to take a siesta in the day, What the trio of Nobel Prize win- the sun to reset our circadian clocks. when you eat that influences risks of did not fail to refer to it: “The choice is possible to analyse his lyrics as
went to three researchers who said University of Pennsylvania biol- ners did was pinpoint the PER gene, This leaves open the question of obesity and diabetes. of a writer who has won awards poetry. But Mr Dylan’s writing is
uncovered the workings of tiny ogist Amita Sehgal, who studies sleep make copies of it, and figure out how why these little clocks in our cells A handful of worrisome studies including the Man Booker prize inseparable from his music. He is
clocks inside your cells — clocks that and circadian rhythms. Among it works to keep time — or at least fig- evolved in the first place. Why not have pointed to health hazards of should pour oil on at least some of the great because he is a great musician,
tell you when to eat, when to stop Benzer’s mutant flies, she said, there ure it out part-way. just have sensors that react to working night shifts or flipping back troubled waters ruffled by Dylan’s and when the Nobel committee gives
eating, and when to shut off that were some with sleep disorders — So how does it work? Patrick changes in light, letting the Earth’s and forth from day to night, including win.” Such an attitude, however, the literature prize to a musician, it
computer and get some sleep. The short cyclers who slept every 19 Emery, a neurobiologist who studies rotation keep time for us? connections to metabolic disorders, seems to ignore the considerable suc- misses the opportunity to honour a
prize-winning work was done on hours, long cyclers who slept every 29 circadian clocks at the University of It’s all about foresight and antici- depression and even cancer. But soci- cess Mr Ishiguro has tasted as a jazz writer.” Yet, such an analysis is at best
fruit flies, but its findings are rele- hours, and a few that seemed to sleep Massachusetts, explains that PER pation, said Emery. Internal clocks ety needs people to work at night — lyricist, and the self-acknowledged spurious and at worst full of all man-
vant to us humans, since once evo- and wake at random. holds the code for a protein — the PER allow our bodies to be proactive rather from hospital nurses to security influence of his lyric writing on his ners of the classist way of considering
lution invents something useful, it Benzer discovered that these out- protein, whose production rises and than reactive, preparing in advance to guards to firefighters — and this fictional prose. literature that excludes anything
often spreads far and wide. In of-sync flies all had mutations in a falls in a negative feedback loop. Once shut things down during sleep and Nobel prize should remind us to put Mr Ishiguro has collaborated, except the written word, published
humans, mice, insects and a multi- gene called PER on the X chromo- it builds up to a threshold, it interferes gear them up before we awaken. It’s a high priority on research into keep- most famously, with American jazz by a few select outlets, for an exclu-
tude of other creatures, circadian some, she said. Humans and other with its own production, and the exist- not just sleep that’s controlled by ing them healthy. Beyond that, it’s a singer Stacy Kent and her saxophon- sive audience. Perhaps, the one text
clocks use chemical reactions and animals also have a PER gene, and ing PER protein degrades. The cycle these clocks — it’s also metabolism, reminder of who we are, and what ist husband, Jim Tomlinson; he con- that created this artificial dichotomy
feedback loops to keep time and people with mutations in PER some- starts over every 24 hours — or body temperature, hormone secre- we are: Fantastic machines tuned to tributed lyrics to their 2007 album is “The Love Song of J Alfred
connect living things to the astro- times suffer from a syndrome called approximately so. If you put fruit flies tion, liver function and other work- motion of the heavens. Bloomberg Breakfast on the Morning Tram. (It Prufrock”, by T S Eliot, in which,
was nominated for Best Jazz Vocal thanks to his dislike of all things
Album at the Grammy Awards in Romantic, the Modernist poet dis-
2009.) The title of the album is also cards the entire tradition of lyrical

BJP gets the chills toshop and fake images to manufac-


ture fake credit. Nobody put a gun to
its head to appoint prehistoric sexist
moralists to states and certification
data, and repackaging old schemes
with new names and misrepresent-
ing their impact and effect. And the
Prime Minister is solely and wholly
advertising a five-star hotel. The
words that stick to it are “jumla” and
“feku”. A skilled actor and clever
lighting can only take a useless script
inspired by Mr Ishiguro’s fourth nov-
el, The Unconsoled. Explaining it in
an interview to The Guardian in 2015,
he said: “You have been up all night —
poetry that could easily be put to pop-
ular music. Now, more than a 100
years later, who gets to decide which
song is literature?
Narendra Modi provided the per- boards and universities. responsible for the unnecessary, so far — the play is still lousy. heartbroken — but, in the early hours In fact, the very origins of Western
fect visual metaphor for why this is Nobody forced its silence over the cruelly incompetent bullet in India’s Today, servile television channels of dawn, you get on this tram and it is literature — and culture — are close-
so: He raised a bow to shoot an horrific lynching of Muslims and economic heart that was demoneti- masquerading as news keep huge full of these commuters who are ter- ly related to music and song, and
arrow into the effigy of Ravan, failed Dalits, making beef the huge liveli- sation. He is responsible for rolling farmers’ protests off the air and ham- ribly cheerful and comfort you, and quite delightfully, rather obscene
twice, then just threw the arrow a hood-destroying issue that it now is. out the GST in the cumbersome, mer at the opposition; people are there is a buffet at the end of the tram ones. I am referring to the phallic
lame couple of feet. A grand set-up The government decided to drape chaotic manner that is oppressing working harder at fewer jobs to afford and it has everything you want – fan- songs of ancient Greece. In Chapter
for an embarrassing flop. The car- Mohammad Akhlaq’s murderer in many businesses. less; and people wish their daughters tastic coffee – and everyone chats to 3.3 of Poetics Aristotle informs us that
toons just draw themselves. the tricolour. No one forced it to treat Having first successfully dis- could grow up elsewhere. Meanwhile, you and you stuff yourself with crois- the earliest comedies had their ori-
The BJP-led National Democratic protesting students like criminals, or credited and marginalised its critics, crony capitalism is thriving. Is it any sants.” The BBC review of the album gins in Dionysian processions, which
Alliance (NDA) seems to have squan- threaten Pakistan on national televi- the government is now blaming the wonder that even those voters who praised both Mr Ishiguro and Ms Kent would be full of obscene songs and
dered its massive political mandate. sion. Nobody made it force Aadhaar sour national mood on “panic” ignore or approve of the BJP’s vile for the narrative in the four songs on would display a fetishised phallus.
INTER ALIA Rampaging all over the electoral map down the throats of unwilling citi- spread by “pessimists”. It blames Hindutva agenda are fed up with its which they collaborate. Such processions were common in
MITALI SARAN off a springboard of public opinion zens. Nobody told it to jettison a com- citizens for not creating their own economic incompetence? Is it a sur- In his youth, Mr Ishiguro wanted many towns around the
made of similar disappointment and petent RBI governor. Nobody forced jobs. It is trying to find scapegoats. prise that consumer confidence has to be a songwriter and singer — Mediterranean even during
he weather in Delhi is finally derision aimed at the UPA, it set itself it to start dictating citizens’ dinner But it has only itself to blame for crashed? People look at the endless becoming a writer, which he did by Aristotle’s times. In recent times,

T turning, as is public opinion


in India. The bluster and gloat-
ing is gone. Three and a half years
up as a soaring, decisive doer. But
the perception was more PR than
substance, and the government’s
plates, culture, dress, religious, and
sexual habits. Nobody made it turn
nationalism into a bigot’s weapon.
dragging the country into an eco-
nomic quagmire, poisoning social
relations, infecting administration
boastful claims, then look around
them, and see the disconnect.
You can, as they say, fool all of the
studying creative writing at the
University of East Anglia, in his own
words, was less glamourous. Though
there have been attempts to revive
such fertility traditions. Such history
is not unknown to any student of lit-
into the Modi government, those who least controversial achievement has Nobody asked it to trample science with religion, and snuffing out tal- people some of the time; and some of he did not succeed in the music busi- erature. So, did the Nobel commit-
never liked the BJP are furious and been to prove that. It has punctured under superstition and religion, or ent and progress with regressive the people all of the time; but you ness in the beginning, song writing tee, reviled for awarding Mr Dylan,
openly derisive. Those who wanted to its own overinflated image with a turn institutes of learning into orthodoxy and destructive hubris. cannot fool all of the people all of the has been a major inspiration for his play a little inside joke this time
give it a chance have lost patience, spectacular set of unforced errors. Hindutva finishing schools. The truth is that this government time. The last government was “more respectable” fiction. In the around, by awarding another lyricist
and are openly derisive. Traders and Nobody forced the government Nobody asked it to force digital is made of people with a talent deficit deeply flawed, smug, and infuriat- same The Guardian interview, who was once an aspiring musician?
shop-owners, core BJP constituents, to promise us ~15 lakh each, then transactions on a nation where bank and an ego surplus, peddling a tiny- ingly corrupt, but on a steadily pro- Mr Ishiguro talks about how song- That’s anyone’s guess, but facts are
practically spit their disappointment, snigger that that was just election access, data connectivity, and elec- minded vision consisting of vainglo- gressive path. This one inspires only writing influenced his fiction writing: surely a delightful co-incidence.
and are openly derisive. Social media gimmickry. Nobody forced Mr Modi tricity are partial at best. Nobody rious dreams built on sand, hot air, international editorials warning of “One of the key things I learnt writing
is openly derisive. Even the shouty to wear a wildly expensive suit mono- asked it to force-feed children empty gestures, and overlarge stat- regressiveness and illiberality. lyrics — and this had an enormous Every week, Eye Culture features writers
trolls have gone quiet. grammed with his own name. rewritten textbooks filled with lies. ues. It’s like a shaky, tinsel-draped Yes, the weather is turning. We influence on my fiction — was that with an entertaining critical take on art,
On Dussehra, Prime Minister Nobody forced the BJP to use pho- Nobody pressured it into massaging billboard on poles stuck in the mud, can all agree to blame the climate. with an intimate, confiding, first-per- music, dance, film and sport
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14 hindustantimes HINDUSTAN T IMES, NEW DELH I
SATURDAY, O CTOBER 07, 2 017

§
e sta b l i s h e d i n 1 9 24
comment
§
Wildlifeparks thirdeye
BARKHA DUTT

needbetterlaws The new Jammu and Kashmir ad


There are no innovative ideas
in the MOEF’s new action plan
campaign goes beyond tourism
T
he new National Wildlife Action Plan (2017 – 31) that
has been recently unveiled sets out goals and targets
for coordination among various government agen- The film allow us to be gentler about Kashmir —
cies and attempts to chart a plan to increase the and for Kashmiris to be gentler to themselves
co-operation of communities with government agen-

I
cies for the conservation and protection of wildlife and forests in have always argued that the index of long obsession right into my mid-forties.
‘normalcy’ in the tumultuous state of It’s not that I am romanticising the situa-
the country. This is the third such plan, and it lays down the way Jammu and Kashmir must never be tion in the state; in fact I am warning against
measured by over-simplistic indices it. And it’s not even that all my experiences
forward for the next 15 years for the ministry of environment, for-
like over-booked flights and tourists in Kashmir have been happy. For speaking
ests and climate change. One of the focus
areas in the new plan is the need to
ourtake on the Boulevard in Srinagar. Every
government has made that fatal error, only
my mind and holding a complex position
that is neither Left nor Right, I have some-
to discover that turmoil, violence and the times been abused by ideologues on all sides
involve local communities into the conservation of wildlife. rage of the street can make the tourists van- of the trenches.
ish as swiftly as they arrived. There have been moments — especially
This spills over into the plans for management of tourism in wild- Yet, today, I want to talk about a new during the worse years of militancy — that
life areas. ad-film released by the tourism department reporting on the ground came with grave
of the state. Not just because I hope for visi- physical risks. And for calling out what I see
As wildlife tourism becomes more and more popular in India, tors to return to the wounded Valley or to be an increasing religious radicalisation
with the increasing popularity of national parks and wildlife because I think this will address the genesis I have been sneered at and mocked by Kash-
of the trouble in the state; but because after miri secessionists.
sanctuaries, the problems of encouraging such interest without the relentless and caricatured demonisa- So why did this ad-campaign make me
tion of the ordinary Kashmiri by prime time cry? Well, because journalism is often about
destroying the spaces that attract this attention has been a prob-
prejudice, here is finally an alternative view the intimacy of strangers and this little
lem. Studies show that tourist facilities, many are privately that humanises and validates the warmth of video quietly brought home all the varied
the Kashmir I know and love. moments of kindness and affection that it
owned, are often located too close to sensitive areas. A study pub- The video — already a viral phenomenon has been my privilege to experience in J&K.
lished in Conservation India shows that 72% of tourist facilities on the Internet with millions shares — It’s also an effective antidote — though
chronicles the vacation of a young couple in it’s sad that we need one — to the shrill
near national parks were established after the year 2000, and 85% Srinagar. The twist in is the tail when, in a hatred that has hijacked the Kashmir con- n A Kashmiri rows a boat on the Dal Lake in front of snow­covered mountains, Srinagar AFP
of them are located within 5 km of national park boundaries. case of mistaken identities, the couple dis- versation. Even though no less than the
covers that the man who has spent his day prime minister called for embracing Kash- have actually experienced the open-hearted (a Pandit and a Muslim-Vibha Saraf and
These resorts and hotels use local resources, draw water and shepherding them around is not the driver mir conceding that the way ahead could not affection of complete strangers. Yet, this pic- Mudassir Mir have sung its theme song);
wood from the area around the park — sometimes at the cost they hired, but a stranger who has made be built on ‘Gali’ or ‘Goli’(bullets or abuse), ture triggered a flood of online abuse with others say it has candy-flossed issues of
time for them. As they huddle around a fire in today’s age of media hysteria and social many bigoted tweets on my love for ‘Kash- anger and alienation. But come on — how
of the animals themselves, and dump garbage with no regard for soaking in Kashmir’s majestic beauty, the media toxicity, the mere mention of miri Muslims’, the emphasis on religion can any five minutes ever capture the com-
tagline appears: Jammu and Kashmir: ‘The Kashmiri people can invite a maelstrom reinforcing the horrible pettiness with how plete, multi-layered story of Jammu and
the environment. The action plan makes the usual recommenda-
warmest place on earth.’ of malice. some people regard the state. For me, this Kashmir?
tions for making wildlife tourism viable, such as the need to When one of the creative brains behind I learnt that when I used a profile picture tourism film captures the zeitgeist of an ear- What this film does is to allow us to be
the campaign, Jaibeer Ahmed first gave me on Twitter that shows a Kashmiri woman lier simpler Kashmir when we could still gentler about Kashmir — and for Kashmiris
“develop standards and guidelines to prevent damage to wildlife a preview of the film, I had an inexplicable hugging me tight and planting a kiss on my talk to each other, without personalising to be gentler to themselves. In an age of vio-
and habitats” and even delineates a “priority project” to “bring in response. Tears streamed down my face and cheek. The moment is all the more special to our disagreements. lence, needless aggression, polarisation and
I couldn’t quite determine whether this was me because I have no idea who the woman is Predictably the tourism campaign has TV bigotry, that alone is something to be
a mechanism for implementation of sustainable tourism in Wild- sadness or nostalgia or simply the effective and do not even know her name. She recog- been slammed by the extreme Right on all grateful for.
life Areas, WPAs, CMPAs and the mountain eco-systems, in sentimentalism of the product. I cut my nised me from television and enveloped me sides, both within Kashmir and outside it.
teeth as a journalist reporting from the state in her steely warmth. Some argue that it has failed to reference Barkha Dutt is an award­winning journalist
accordance with the prescribed guidelines.” in my early twenties and it has been a life- The tourism video spoke to me because I Kashmiri Pandits and their enforced exodus and author. The views expressed are personal
None of the recommendations are new, and given that success-
ful implementation of each requires co-ordination between agen-
eoning Protestant work ethic. The Brazil-
cies, ministries and private players, it is hard to feel positive
ians allegedly play “samba” football,
about the plan. Impact assessments of eco tourism plans, impos- far&near expressing a vibrant musical culture on the
field (this has not really been the case for a
ing a ceiling on the number of tourists and vehicles that enter a long time).
park, and framing rules for visitor behaviour within reserves, are KANISHK THAROOR But teams can stand for more than cul-
tural stereotypes. I was in rural Kerala dur-

U-17 World Cup puts India


all measures that should already have been in place. But even if ing the final of the 1998 World Cup. On a
these basic guidelines can be put in place now, and if inter-agency grainy TV screen that had to be thwacked a
few times to clear the picture, I remember
co-ordination can improve now, it will not be too late. watching Zinedine Zidane leap above the

on the football world map Brazilians to head France to victory. That


French team represented a changing nation;
it was drawn heavily from immigrant com-
munities, so much so that the grumbling far-
bigdeal SHREYAS NAVARE Let’s hope it wins the national team at least a portion of right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen dismissed it
as “not a real French team.” France’s talis-
the support lavished upon India’s celebrity cricketers man Zidane was born in Algeria. Other play-
ers hailed from Senegal, Ghana, and the

A
s somebody who loves football, like to have something more than vicarious French Caribbean. In winning the World
I have always been a bit envi- access to the passions of a football World Cup, they offered a glimpse of the real
ous of people who can look for- Cup. It’s a pleasure to watch India win crick- France, given shape on the field even as it
ward to following their coun- eting competitions, but the realm of cricket n A poster of the FIFA U­17 football World remained difficult for many Frenchmen to
try at a World Cup. I was in – inflated by the sheer numbers of the Indian Cup, Navi Mumbai AFP process off the field.
Germany in 2006 when the subcontinent – is fairly provincial compared The Indian football team represents the
World Cup was staged there. I joined to football. I long for the elusive day that I national football team even a portion of the breadth of the country. It boasts players of
throngs of Trinidadian “Soca Warriors” in might see India reach football’s truly inter- support lavished upon India’s celebrity Hindu, Sikh, Christian and Muslim back-
Nuremburg, watched Angolans pray in the national centre-stage. cricketers. grounds, from places as disparate as Kerala
main cathedral in Cologne, and got At the time of writing, India had yet to I’ve always been drawn to how football and the northeast (the under-17 squad is
swamped by a horde of Australians in Ber- play its inaugural game in the U-17 World distils whole countries into a handful of particularly full of players from the north-
lin. There is a carnival-like atmosphere to Cup, in which our young talent took on the men. It is a trembling crucible of identities. east, the growing centre of Indian football).
the tournament, which like a great fair dou- best of the United States. Even as hosts, The British historian Eric Hobsbawm wrote They are of course rather far from the
bles as a gathering of peoples. It didn’t mat- India goes into the tournament as decided astutely that nations become tangible international glory the French won in 1998;
ter that I had no representatives among the underdogs. Whatever India manages to through sport, that “the imagined commu- reaching a World Cup remains a remote
teams in Germany, I could still share in the accomplish on the field is secondary to what nity of millions seems more real as a team of prospect. But few other entities in Indian life
joy of others. it seeks to gain in stature by hosting this eleven named people.” capture this microcosm of the nation. Even
In Frankfurt, we ran into two young men youth competition. The U-17 World Cup puts There are obvious clichés conflating foot- a modicum of success would help exhibit to
draped in Indian flags. They were actually India in a place it hasn’t been for years: on ball teams and their national identities. The the world and – more importantly – to Indi-
British Indians, and with typically wry the footballing world map. Germans are routinely (and often incor- ans the remarkable diversity that is their
English humour they revealed why they I hope that galvanises more investment, rectly) characterised as methodical and effi- country’s greatest strength.
were flying the Tricolour across Germany: better coaching, training, and scouting for cient. The Japanese are technical and clini-
“This is the only way India will ever get to youth players, and more opportunities for cal. Even though their team is composed of Kanishk Tharoor is the author of
the World Cup,” they laughed. local footballers to pursue meaningful players with all sorts of ethnic backgrounds, Swimmer Among the Stars: Stories
I’ve always wondered what it would be careers in the sport. I also hope it wins the the Americans are known for their bludg- The views expressed are personal
contact@shreyasnavare.com

Values and a good work ethic have


few days later when the Delhi High Court is a minor.
overturned the rape conviction of film- Are we then creating a hierarchy of
anotherday maker Mahmood Farooqui. victims, with assertive, independent

NAMITA BHANDARE
Although the judge concedes that the
woman did say no, it was not, for him,
forceful enough. “A feeble no may mean a
women less deserving somehow of justice?
The judiciary needs to recognise women
as independent, adult authors of their
the power to make the world better
yes,” noted the judge. With respect, he’s own destiny. bles. Still, I asked her to serve it. The

Coercion under blackmail wrong. This is not a bad film-script with a


coy heroine. In life and under the law, no
means no.
In reinterpreting the meaning of
How does a court justify annulling the
marriage of a 24-year-old woman and
granting her custody to her father?
Mercifully, the Supreme Court sought to
amount of curry was indeed too inade-
quate in comparison to the number of
breads I religiously eat.
Afterpayingthe usual amount to her, I
innervoice
can’t be deemed consent consent in two recent cases, judges are
creating a dangerous precedent: future
rapists can plead that their victims either
didn’t say no, or didn’t say it strongly
right a previous order for an NIA probe
into Hadiya’s marriage by declaring that
the father cannot insist on custody. Yet,
the question remains: Why does a grown
Kajal Chatterjee
startedtoleave,butshecalledme.Shewas
stretching her hand out to return Rs.5/ to
me! “But why,” I asked. “Because I could
not serve you adequate vegetables,” she

P
erhaps the judges forgot that raping and blackmailing a fellow woman enough. woman need custody at all? Itwaslunchtime,butIwasbusyfinishing said. I did not accept it, but respect her
good girls never say no student. The men are out on bail. At the core of these orders lies a deep In 2013, widespread protest by women some pending work, so went to eat much supreme sense of accountability. It was I
and that we bring up our The order goes on to make sweeping and dark kernel of patriarchy. Does a led to tougher laws on rape. But four years later than my usual time. In a designated who insisted on having whatever she
daughters to ‘adjust’ and never observations on the woman student. Did woman’s right to legal redressal get later it is obvious that male attitudes have area within our office complex, a poor could offer as lunch, and still she felt the
complain. she complain? Where was the ‘gut diluted by her lifestyle choices or if she has remained frozen in time. woman — on the threshold of senior citi- need to return the “extra” money.
Either way, it seems ironic wrenching violence which normally exchanged past intimacies, say a kiss, with Perhaps one way to enforce change is by zenship—serveshome-madefood.Every Withalumpinmythroat,Iwasleftwon-
that judges in different courts this past accompanies such situations’? her rapist? teaching our daughters to say no. No to day,shecomesfromasuburbseveralkilo- deringhowbeautifulthissocietywouldbe
month seemed to be penalising women for Their lordships seem to miss the point. Writing for this paper, senior lawyer regressive orders. No to control. No to metres away in a crowded bus, carrying if all people had such values, work ethics
failing to say no forcefully enough. Never mind that she smoked or – gasp – Indira Jaising notes that largely it’s three being treated as children. two heavy bags loaded with food items. and accountability.
At Chandigarh, two high court judges had condoms in her room. Coercion under types of rapes that result in sentencing: As I reached her stall, she apologeti- Inner Voice comprises contributions from our
suspended the sentences of three law blackmail cannot be deemed consent. those coupled with murder, where the Namita Bhandare writes on social issues cally told me that she did have breads to readers. The views expressed are personal
students convicted by a lower court of The idea of consent popped up again a rapist is a stranger or where the victim and gender. The views expressed are personal offer to me, but had run short of vegeta- n Innervoice@hindustantimes.com

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THE TRIBUNE
10 OPINION CHANDIGARH | SATURDAY | 7 OCTOBER 2017

THE TRIBUNE Righting the wrong of history


established in 1881 Kurds demand freedom
S Nihal Singh gambit and Turkey’s President is

Shooting through the lip threatening to turn off the tap for the

I
T was a moment filled with great region’s oil exports, which provide 90
symbolism when the Kurds cast per cent of its revenues. The central
Service chiefs intrude into foreign policy votes in a referendum seeking Iraq government stopped the region’s
independence for the subsidy as punishment for its unoffi-

T
HE Modi government’s conscious blurring of the line between autonomous region of Kurdistan in cial oil exports through Turkey chok-
the military’s operational autonomy and partisan political northern Iraq. The world has turned ing the land-locked region. Iran has
objectives has rubbed on to the service chiefs. Army Chief Gen against the Kurds now as the colonial closed its air space to Kurdistan. Iran-
Bipin Rawat seemed to have overlooked the well-proven axiom that powers did in dividing up the Middle ian Kurds reportedly cheered the Iraqi
the key to accomplishing foreign policy objectives is skilful diploma- East after World War I. And a people Kurds’ referendum. And Iran and
cy, and not military prowess. His declaration that India is prepared for 30-million strong spread across Turkey have conducted military exer-
two-and-a-half-front war, which includes both the external and inter- Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria never got cises on Kurdistan border.
nal enemies, may have been tested in sand model war games. But in a state of their own. One of the several ironies is that Mr
public, none has gone so far as to suggest that one’s own citizens The countries ranged against Kurds Najmaldin Karim, the governor of
could also be potential enemies. The Indian Air Force Chief, who the are many. The US, which has used Kirkuk fired by the Iraqi government,
other day was complaining about badly depleting force levels, has and armed peshmergas, rated the best remains in office because the Kurds
now followed in his wake. fighters on the ground to chase the still control the area. Kirkuk is, of
Islamic State and its supporters out of course, a disputed area between the
The quick turnover of Defence Ministers may have compelled the
Iraq and Syria, is afraid of the break- Kurds and Baghdad and is one of the
government’s security managers to deploy the service chiefs in a
up of Iraq. Ironically, it was the US ROCKY ROAD: An ‘independent’ Kurdish state has to cross many hurdles yet. many issues that remain to be resolved.
domain reserved for diplomats and politicians. However, the rattling which enforced a no-fly zone over Thus far, Baghdad is refusing to coun-
of the sabres to essentially meet foreign policy objectives appears ter- Kurdish areas that enabled the Kurds ed by the oil-rich Kirkuk region, with a alliances with Saudi Arabia and Israel. tenance the departure of Kurdistan.
ribly misplaced. The Doklam standoff with China is a salutary lesson to administer their corner, which mixed population, in Kurds’ possession. The American aversion to the Kurds’ Inevitably, this tug of war can turn
in how military muscle is no substitute for diplomatic resourceful- evolved into the Kurdistan Regional In 2014, Iraqi troops ran away from the referendum simply flowed from the log- ugly because most of Iraq’s neigh-
ness. After the loud claims of victory, it now transpires that there are Government (KRG). Iraqi Kurds’ region against the onslaught of the ic of not further complicating a messy bours side with Baghdad for their
more Chinese soldiers in that region and what’s more, they have neighbours have parochial concerns Islamic State and Kurdish forces fought Middle East’s problems. Whether his own reasons. Whether President
restarted work on a road that was at the root of the standoff. Neither of their own restive Kurds receiving and won the area, with a stipulated dead- administration’s approach to the Kurds Trump can change the scenario once
Gen Rawat nor Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa, both ready to tee off a two- encouragement from the referendum. line for consultations of residents long will evolve over time remains to be seen. the Islamic State is finally thrown
front war, has any solution on resolving this security headache on a Yet Kurds are people who were gassed past. Baghdad stopped funding the Iran’s influence over post-Saddam Shia out of Iraq and Syria remains to be
tiny sliver of land. by Saddam Hussein’s forces at Halab- KRG over differences forcing Erbil, cap- majority Iraq is well known, with Shia seen. Mr Trump’s own inclinations
Despite the talking up of India’s defence preparedness, an audit has ja. Turkey has been fighting its Kurds ital of the Kurdish region, to export oil militias doing much of the fighting to would be not to complicate his prob-
in a war of attrition, with its leader in through Turkey, which is now threaten- protect the state. There are reports of lems further in his effort to divest as
revealed an embarrassing shortfall in India’s war reserves. And despite
prison for several years. Iran is nervous ing to switch off the tap. Baghdad’s ini- Iran as well as Turkey moving troops to much international responsibility as
the professed commonality of objectives, the service chiefs do not agree
of its own Kurds and Turkey’s Presi- tial reaction has been to stop internation- the KRG border. he can, despite giving the war in
on a unified military command like the well-oiled war machines of the dent Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued Afghanistan a fillip.
US, Russia and China. Historically, and as the US has painfully learnt,
sole reliance on military force does not work very well. Though nation-
stern warnings to Kurdish leaders. Syr-
ia is similarly inclined.
Despite protests and threats, the result of the referendum: a 93% turnout In the meantime, Mr Barzani seems
to have achieved something by refus-
alist sentiments are peaking, it will be perilous to cede space to the oth- Despite the avalanche of protests with an overwhelming vote for independence, is a historic landmark ing all entreaties to postpone the ref-
er side of the civil-military equation, even if temporarily. and threats, the result of the referen- . erendum and demonstrate to the
dum, a 93 per cent turnout with an world how overwhelmingly the Kurds
overwhelming vote for independence, al flights to Kurdistan, but this is in the As in the past, the Kurds are fight- desire a state of their own. It is an
is a historic landmark because Kurds, nature of opening shots in a long game. ing a lonely battle, but this time they arduous task requiring years of dedi-

BJP bigwigs in Kerala who have pined for their own state for
generations, have put their problem
upfront not to be brushed away under
Yet in a sense Mr Masoud Barzani, the
KRG president, has shrewdly calculat-
ed his move. He realises that the best
have nailed their flag to an over-
whelming vote for independence of
their state. Obviously, their neigh-
cated work. Among former American
diplomats, Mr Peter Galbraith has
been an avid supporter of the Kurdish
Upsetting a delicate social balance the carpet. There are, of course, a sea time with ground fighters helping the bours fear contagion from their cause and other sympathetic
of problems in taking the independ- US in eliminating Islamic State forces, brethren inspired by the Iraqi Kurds observers point out the raw deal given

I
T was fortuitous that BJP president Amit Shah was called back to ence issue forward. Nothing is simple is when the task remains unfinished. seeking an independent state, howev- to Kurds. With a large part of Kurdis-
the Delhi durbar a day before he was to lead an aggressive mob in the Middle East, fighting two major And perhaps he believes that the plight er tortuous the journey ahead. tan’s neighbours and the world
through the hometown of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. wars and innumerable other prob- of his people will prick the conscience An independent Kurdish state has to against its cause, can the Kurds still
The overgrown hamlet, Pinarayi, is the epicentre of a murderous two- lems, including a Saudi-led war in of the world in gradually undoing the cross many hurdles before it can emerge victorious? They have justice
decade-old turf war between the CPI (M) and the RSS. Shah was Yemen and the split in Arab ranks by great injustice done to his people. become a reality. In the short term, on their side even as the demands of
counting on the raised tensions to serve as the symbolic throwing of Saudi Arabia leading a boycott of fel- With President Trump in power in Baghdad is making life difficult for realpolitik militate against Kurds.
the gauntlet to Vijayan, who has never backed away from a good fight low Qatar on flimsy grounds. Washington, his policies remain unpre- those in authority in the Kurdish Kurds and their supporters hope they
in the badlands of northern Kerala. The BJP has tried its hand at sev- In Iraq itself, the picture is complicat- dictable. Thus far, he has cemented region, stopping flights as an opening will win in the end.
eral permutations in Kerala. Tribal rights’ activist CK Janu was draft-
ed into the NDA but she barely managed to save her deposit in the
previous Assembly elections.

Mere condolences won’t do


The BJP has a Christian card up its sleeve, courtesy KJ Alphons.
This approach may not work because of the RSS cadre’s antagonism
to the ‘People of the Book’. So what better than to fall back on the
BJP’s well-honed formula of ratcheting up communal tensions? This
is what Shah, with UP CM Yogi Adityanath in tow (even as two BSP
leaders were murdered a day before in his home state), wanted to Ratna Raman bai could not acknowledge the sympa- weapons, putting more lethal weapons
accomplish. Only, things are not that simple in Kerala. The Left, the thy being offered to them. into circulation, continues unabated.
Muslim League and the Congress have so far successfully mediated
the accommodation of all diverse groups in the power equation.
The BJP opted to sell its divisive brand of politics in northern Ker-
ala because of its proximity to Mangalore, in Karnataka, where the
T HE world is becoming a more
unhappy space to live in. Too
many tragedies, predominantly
caused by humans, are becoming the
order of the day. One way of reaching
Significantly, English is one of
India’s national languages and also
the ‘father tongue’ of an America
shaped by male founders. Arguably,
Twitter handles and handlers are effec-
The railways, battling with the col-
lapse of infrastructure, systemic break-
down and poor maintenance require
repair and expansion. We cannot be
‘gung-ho’ (unthinkingly enthusiastic)
Sangh’s spear carriers have plied their divisive trade since the 90s.
out to people who have lost near and tive in routine situations. Using them about a bullet train facility for the elite
Unsurprisingly, the BJP has won the Mangalore Lok Sabha seat five
dear ones is to offer condolences. to address deaths caused by human that is scheduled to run on a limited
times and feels that northern Kerala is ripe for Amit Shah’s booster ‘Condolence’ (Latin condole, words such as ‘sincere’, ‘heartfelt’ or failure to provide safeguards trivialis- track when essential facilities continue
dose of communal polarisation. In two Assemblies, it has already French condoleance) means to suffer ‘deeply felt’, which measure up to the es death in no uncertain terms. to receive short shrift.
been the bridesmaid seven times. Kerala is in distress because of the together, and feel another’s pain and gravity of the situation. It is a travesty Even more disturbing than the choice Such ‘diabolic duplicity’ (deceit) con-
slowdown in Gulf remittances and the fall in the prices of spices and grief. Usually when humans to offer ‘warm condolences’ as the US of medium and the ungrammatical tinues to be ‘condoned’ (acceptance of
rubber, its agricultural mainstays. At a time of economic pain, it may encounter ‘bereavement’ (loss due to President did in the aftermath of the message is the fact that heads of behaviour that is morally wrong) by
seem uncomplicated to fracture communal amity. But the pieces will death) the shock and pain experi- Las Vegas shooting. Apparently such democracies, in charge of the very supporters entrenched in the system.
be difficult to pick in a place not incorrectly called a “madhouse of enced makes them reach out and inappropriate usage can be surpassed. lifeblood of the process, need to do far Both horrific events happened close to
castes and religions”. offer condolences. Condolences are Social media ensures that anyone who more than merely express condolences. Gandhi Jayanti. Gandhi had astutely
part of the solicitous concern that can can see, hear or read receives immedi- In both these instances, the form of observed that ‘there is enough for
be communicated through language. ate notification of the gaffes made in expression itself becomes an indicator of everyone’s need, but not for every-
In spite of all our technological high places, globally. intention. The Vegas shooting was an act one’s greed.’ The hatred and greed of
Thought for the Day advancement, human life remains Worse than sending warm condo- of evil. However, the evil that allows law- the powerful triggers off the worst pos-
fragile and mortal and death continues lences, is to send condolences to peo- makers and politically elected represen- sible assaults upon humanity. Condon-
Money looks better in the bank than on your feet. to be the final frontier. An expression ple who have died, because the dead tatives to authorise the wielding of guns ing it will only lead to the proliferation
— Sophia Amoruso of condolence is usually prefaced with at the Elphinstone stampede in Mum- and the fitting of silencers on automatic of more hollow condolences.

letters to the editor


No second chance has cheated the public and should not be Why are Generals mum? not bother the average American. The making a bigger hole in the pocket of Stop this!
Apropos Harish Khare’s ‘No second trusted; he seems to be close to the RSS It is not for the Army to clear the litter wars of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan the common man. As of now, 80 per Apropos ‘Planned: Modi temple with
coming for Anna’ (Statecraft, October and is as good as a BJP worker. He will created by tourists and others (‘Clear- have only helped in perpetuating their cent revenue is spent on government 100-foot statue’ (October 6), the report
6), Anna Hazare relied heavily on the not launch any agitation, it is just a ploy ing garbage not job of Army’, October love for the gun and the macho image. machinery, which is 5 per cent of the is too shocking to be ignored. PM
compatriots of his 2011 movement. to remain relevant. 6). Politicians, bureaucrats and the R NARAYANAN, GHAZIABAD total population. This leaves little for Modi should ensure that such a catas-
He probably expected that someone, MAJ GURDEEP S SAMRA (RETD), LUDHIANA police are responsible for the sad state the development of the country. trophe does not take place. Let India
or one of them, would pick up the of affairs in the armed forces. Why KC RANA, CHANDIGARH not be a laughingstock of the world.
baton and keep the movement alive, does the senior hierarchy of the Help, don’t condemn RK CHHIBBAR, CHANDIGARH
but nothing of the kind happened. There’s only one ‘no’ defence services keeps quiet when Reference to ‘The nowhere people’
Each one of them reaped the harvest Refer to ‘Another decision lets down such orders are passed? Every Gener- (October 4), the conduct of our leaders Learn from China
in the area of his/her choice, leaving women!’ (October 3); the recent judg- al speaks a lot after retirement, but surprises me. Those who are strug- The middle ‘Training to be in New Truth matters
the credulous public waiting for the ment of the Delhi High Court poses a while in service, they fail to speak a gling to keep their skin and bones India’ (October 4) is a real narrative of Apropos Ravish Kumar’s open letter
good to happen. Surprisingly, Hazare serious question on the reasoning and single word when things are going together are being referred to as ter- what we experience in our day-to-day to Modi, this TV anchor appeals to log-
kept an enigmatic silence. He should logical attitude of judicial officers. It wrong. The defence top brass should rorists. The Rohingya have been aban- life. Overcrowded trains, traffic jams, ical reasoning. In a democracy, real
have continued to express his views is already a Herculean task for judges realise that things will only get worse doned by their country leader Aung long queues are a common sight. love and admiration of the masses can
on topical problems, along with what to establish consent in rape cases, if they keep mum for whatever reason. San Suu Kyi and neighbouring coun- There is no denying that the number be earned by speaking the truth and
he initially struggled for. Much has now this new approach would defi- HP SINGH, MOHALI tries are also cynically turning a deaf of trains and other modes of transport not by making belligerent statements
occurred since 2014 that needed a nitely make it worse. There can me ear to their appeals. In such a situa- have significantly increased over the day in and day out, as our aggressive
debate, but he has been silent on many reasons for a ‘feeble no’ — tion, the phrase ‘padosi hi padosi ke years, but the basic infrastructure leaders and their coterie do. Persons
demonetisation and GST. physical weakness or incapacity; Wild West even now kaam aata hai’ seems ironical. such as the widening of roads, laying like Ravish Kumar should be reward-
KIRAN SHARMA, SUNDERNAGAR mental shock; emotional blackmail; The US is born out of settlers from for- AYESHA MAJID, BY MAIL modern rail track and strengthening ed for their professional integrity.
dominating accused. How can the eign shores and their raw spirit of occu- public transport is required to cope KAMLESH UPPAL, PATIALA
mental status of every individual in a pation of the New World apparently with the influx of commuters in our
Trust lost particular situation, in a specific envi- lives on. The gun culture that had its Tax overdose overpopulated country. We should
It is very clear that since 2014 all that ronment, be judged? By doing so, we genesis in the need to protect their new- The Centre/state governments should learn from China, which is far ahead in ‘Very idiotic person’
Anna Hazare wanted was the removal of are giving a strong weapon in the ly acquired properties in the Wild West curtail the expenditure on governance terms of infrastructure development Refer to the editorial ‘Corrosive and
the Congress (‘No second coming for hands of the defence counsel to pro- era, thrives even now. Gun control laws by 30 per cent to create room for in spite of its growing population. repressive’ (October 4); VIP culture will
Anna’by Harish Khare; Statecraft, Octo- tect the rape accused. There should do not get passed as the august senators reduction in tax rates up to 10 per Without addressing this core issue, the not go until it is used in a humiliating
ber 6). His agitation, and also Ramdev’s, be no degrees of ‘no’ in rape cases, feel that a piece of American history is cent. The ever-increasing expenditure introduction of the bullet train will form. Instead of terming VIP as a ‘very
was a well-synchronised event. Anna otherwise every ‘no’ can easily be being given away. Scores of school on this account is tempting govern- cease the laying of new track and fur- important person’, we may change it to
wanted Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Shazia proved ‘yes’ in such cases. shootouts by gun-totting teenage stu- ments to increase tax rates and ther impoverish the railways. a ‘very idiotic person’. It may work.
Ilmi to stay away from elections. Anna SURINDER SAINI, AMRITSAR dents or armed maniacs on the loose, do impose fresh ones frequently, thereby RAJESH SHARMA, JALANDHAR CANTT RK KAPOOR, CHANDIGARH

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20 AN ECSTASY OF IDEAS THE TIMES OF INDIA, NEW DELHI
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2017

A thought for today


Failures of urban renewal reflect a
failure at all levels of government
EDWARD L GLAESER
The Futility Of Conquests
Wars have always been about land, but how important is that today?

City, Interrupted
Dipankar Gupta In terms of actual warfare, land can
also be misleading. In 1968, American
John Dryden once wrote, and South Vietnamese soldiers won the
“Beware of the fury of Aap Bia mountains on their 10th
the patient man.” And attempt, and after wasting hundreds of
Rains disable Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai … there cannot be a man lives. Yet, within a fortnight it had
more patient than one lost its strategic significance and the

A
s a parting shot from the monsoon, many Indian cities have
who has gone to war, American led forces abandoned what
been brought to a halt by heavy rains that completely faced bullets and seen his comrades die. they had fought so hard to claim. It was
overwhelmed urban infrastructure and caught residents And when they come back from battle, nicknamed “Hamburger Hill” by US
off-guard. On Thursday, Bengaluru was battered by the highest nearly all are enraged: “Wasn’t there a soldiers for their enemies, with their
rainfall for a day since 2007. Earlier this week, a cloudburst wreaked better way for both sides?” accurate ambushes, sliced bodies
havoc on Hyderabad. Two weeks ago Mumbai saw mayhem on The recent series on the Vietnam like a hamburger machine grinds
two days of continuous rain. It is with disturbing regularity that war produced by Ken Burns and Lynn meat, even of those who had just
Novick and written by Geoff Ward slicked back their hair.
we are seeing city after city being brought to its knees, complete (a long time India friend and wildlife Indian soldiers walked up the
with roads waterlogged, transportation jammed, people stranded, lover), makes just this point. After Icchogil Canal to the gates of Lahore in
houses flooded, power disrupted, and lives lost. Vietnam, America may still be looking 1965, but came back soon after for
While there is no way to avert natural disasters, India can prepare for a war to win, but each time it must territory was not on their minds. To this
its cities to stay standing through them. depend on hawks on the sidelines to send day people in India rue this decision, but
With increasingly common extreme innocent young people to fight, die, and did we really want to sit in a Pakistani
sometimes return. city? Land was precious in history, but
weather events, the country can’t afford Donald Rumsfeld, George Bush’s not today. Our brains have yet to process
to be lax. Recent rains have exposed secretary of defence, never saw real war. what our hearts already know. This is
two particular shortfalls. First, early- That did not keep him from supporting why China’s ambition to create islands

Chad Crowe
warning and communication systems America’s Vietnam involvement. Vice- in its southern seas is pure vanity;
need serious upgrading. Second, storm- president Dick Cheney evaded the extravagant, but also anachronistic.
water drainage systems need urgent Vietnam draft five times, but later his The current series on the Vietnam
company, Halliburton, made masses of war turns this poignant lesson into a
fixing. It’s unacceptable that despite money from hostile engagements in the front office; the real action happens metaphor. As land in this engagement
years of town planning experience, Middle East, including Iraq. Many army elsewhere, globally, in this case. Toyota was so far away, its irrelevance now
drains continue to be designed without personnel who breathe hell fire never has sold more than 5 million of its prized It is in this context we must stood out dramatically. This fact is
factoring in local topography, and even simple solutions to avert really had the experience of fire raining hybrid automobiles across the world place Sushma Swaraj’s otherwise hidden by homegrown
silting and solid waste deposits that choke inlets and reduce from hell, or combat duty. The Greek and not just in Japan. It employs more prejudice and conceit. On the other
tragedian, Aeschylus was right: the first than 3,50,000 employees and most of publicised comment that while hand, such is the story of all wars and no
drainage capacity aren’t being implemented.
If cities can’t deal with rains, an annual occurrence, their vulnera-
casualty of war is truth. them are not Japanese. The largest Pakistan was funding terror true soldier has ever sung in praise of
After all is said and done, after the market for Rolls Royce cars, till recently, bullets and blood. The experience of
bility to other calamities may be worse. So there must not be any delays war is lost or won, the futility sets in. was China, not the United Kingdom.
groups to conquer Indian death up close and very personal makes
in rigorous execution of straightforward disaster mitigation measures Wars have always been about land, but Tata produces Jaguars and Land- lands, India was setting up nearly every one of them pacifists at
such as auditing unsafe structures, conducting mock drills, and how important is that today? It once was, rovers, once British signature vehicles. AIIMS, IITs, IIMs and space heart. When brains and limbs are
identifying localised hazards. The loss of natural water bodies and in our dim past, when horsemen fought Bofors, to nail the issue, does not make scattered randomly over a land that
over territory; acreage was then the guns to fight its neighbours but sells research – all of these mock has little intrinsic worth, words can’t
wetlands to authorised and unauthorised constructions has worsened
the plight of our cities. Floodplains are overrun, mangroves are lost,
source of wealth and power. them elsewhere for other neighbours to borders but make wealth express the lies of war.
To aggrandise themselves, kingdoms fight. The AK-47 is Russian, but the So next time the bugle blows, catch
the carrying capacity of rivers has shrunk shockingly. Let’s reverse in history needed more serfs, more world uses it and some of them are hated and exports; all of these mock borders that sadness in its tone. Above victory
this trend. Amidst tall promises of futuristic smart metropolises, all tribute, more fields, more power. Then terrorists. but make wealth. and defeat, it remembers most of all the
too many Indians are still awaiting just normal functional cities. with colonialism, territory meant raw It is in this context we must place That territorial conquests mattered futility of beautiful, young lives now
material and captive markets. That too is Sushma Swaraj’s publicised comment less than global market domination was lost. It is this that makes its notes waft
now past tense. If land is a driver of war that while India was setting up beginning to be noticed nearly a century low; the musical counterpart of a

Only Yes Means Yes today it is not on account of its inherent


qualities but because religious and
cultural hate is best expressed through
geography.
AIIMS, IITs, IIMs and space research,
Pakistan was funding terror groups
to conquer Indian lands. Obviously,
India is winning because it has invested
ago. This is why many hoped that World
War I, and, when that failed, then World
War II, would be the war to end all wars.
Which self-respecting medieval knight
mother’s weep. But you won’t hear it
when the battle is raging. For your ears
to be ready, tempers must soften and
hard hearts tenderise. Otherwise, war
Sex without affirmative consent is rape National boundaries are like the in knowledge, information technology would have thought this way? is bred in the bones.

I
s it that hard to figure out if someone is willingly participating in
a sexual act? If one of the partners has not agreed, and the other
pushes on regardless, it is rape. When the Delhi high court
acquitted Mahmood Farooqui of rape charges, it made very unsettling
Hard selling of fad diets and vegetable juice: Why are we
observations about the unwilling woman’s “no” being imperfectly
communicated to the man. It blurred the unequivocal definition of
consent required by the 2013 amendments to rape laws; it shifted
replacing the fun and happiness in food with fear?
the burden back to the victim, who must now make sure the man has Bikram Vohra We are not stupid. Just as we a ‘fraidy’ cat.
know that smoking is bad for us The same measure can be
registered and processed her refusal.
The release of we also know that processed applied to anything that is
This sets a dangerous precedent for rape cases, a video called meats cannot be good. We also suspect. Add to this protective
allowing them to be cast as a tangle of confusions ‘What the He- know through sheer logic that decision an up in hygiene so
and desires and misunderstandings, weakening the alth’ and the taking in marbled red meats that your cast-iron stomach is
idea that sex must be an affirmative, conscious and general panic and oil soaked fast foods will not tested because you are
voluntary agreement, all the way. That does not take in its wake supersize us. Nothing surpri- avoiding contaminated road-
about how we are all eating our- sing there. If we overdo fried side foods, stale edibles and
the playfulness or sexiness out of it and make it a
selves into cancer, diabetes and foods and alcohol and eat cream post sell-by products and you
rigid contract – it simply means noticing the other early death has gone viral. It has in its many wondrous forms it reduce your risk to 0.5%.
person’s reaction, and respecting it. also spawned a few dietary will clog our arteries. Add to that an awareness of
Contrary to the common idea that a complainant’s word is cousins including one that com- The scaremongers have spurious colourings, injected
enough to prosecute a man for sexual violence, women struggle to pels you to drink only vegetable based their findings, though, on fruits and other imaginative
establish credibility at every step of the investigative and legal juice and all this effort will make American portions. The rest of food adulterations and the risk
process. This hostility still deters women from registering cases or your insides squeaky clean. dwindles even more.
What’s bad for you? Every- Add to the fraction of the
seeing them through. In the Farooqui case, with its observations thing. We are told that bread percentage the grimness and
about the “feeble” no, the high court has diluted the understanding (the staff of life), salt (of the If i eat a few rashers joylessness of life without your
of consent, and stacked the deck against women who seek justice. earth and worth it), sugar on a holiday morning By the same token it is holiday morning or fry an egg culinary delights and what is
(hi honey) and milk (of human or fry an egg or two on impossible to scientifically or two on toast to go with them, left to enjoy. For years fad diets
kindness) are foisted upon us by evaluate how a single food the skies will not fall. The odds wrecked happiness and tossed
toast to go with them,
Do It Like Xi’an a gigantic conspiracy of the
pharmaceutical industry, the
egg and dairy industry and the
meat and poultry mafias in
the skies will not fall
the world eats sparingly in
damages the human body. No
one has done any authoritative
study with a dedicated group of
volunteers eating only, shall
would fall to half which is 1%.
There is no gainsaying the
fact that spurious foodstuffs
and lack of a common yardstick
us on this sea of misery. Now, it
is being fine tuned with very
little scientific fact to make us
wallow in calorific guilt. The
India can boost its flagging economy conjunction with government comparison. You know how we say, cheese and figured for quality and safety contribute stress of denial is tangible.
connivance so that it is a win- much you need so if you ignore out how it affects them as to the illnesses listed in these
by boosting the tourism sector win for all ... except the consumer that simple factor there will be a compared to a group being current denouncements. If you
In ‘What the Health’ the
visuals compare eggs to smoking
Kanti Bajpai who is designated to keel over price to pay. The mountain of given placebos. Therefore the stop eating plump chickens five cigarettes and milk and
and become a statistic. French fries, the dozen bacon premise itself is flawed. which are hormonally enhanced dairy to pure poison. The trick
The economy is in the doldrums. Gone are the days of gloating We are all going to die. Right. rashers, salami, pastrami, etc The 2% risk factor is further that makes sense. If you scratch lies not in scare stories and
about India surpassing China in growth rates and leading There is no running away from in one serving are about the reduced by the difference bet- off dyed fruits and vegetable clever manipulations of the
the world economy. Manufacturing is stagnant in many that solitary reaper. And food is same as what we would consume ween a daily rational intake and or animal products treated mind but in moderate and
areas, employment may have declined (which is quite an a happy element in our lives. as mere mortals in a week. Ergo, an infrequent devouring of any with antibiotics to be made judicious consumption.
achievement) and exports have collapsed – even as world trade But we are being so easily the 18% risk is whittled down of these dining table adversaries. meatier and go organic no one You will live longer and be
is revitalising and countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam robbed of that joy. to a little over 2%. If i eat a few rashers on a would accuse you of being happier for it.
are increasing their exports.
Could tourism help boost growth? In 2016, tourism and travel contributed
10% of India’s GDP. The largest part of this was domestic tourism, amounting
dilbert Sacredspace
to about 88%. In hard times domestically, foreign tourism may be the more
dynamic sector. In any case, the government could do much more to increase Sleep Well
both domestic and foreign tourism. India is the seventh-largest tourist economy
globally. Given its riches, natural and manmade, it should be much higher. Sleep, and enough of it, is
My recent trip to Xi’an, China, suggests there is much India can do to improve
its tourist appeal. Leave aside heavy tourist advertising, improvements in
the prime necessity. Enough
visa issuance and provision of modern infrastructure, there are many micro exercise, and good food are
lessons to be learnt from China. other necessities. But sleep –
For one thing, China gets most of its foreign tourists from Asia, almost 70%.
Not surprisingly, it caters to all tastes and pocketbooks. This is reflected in air good sleep, and enough of it
connectivity, cuisine availability, language competencies of guides, types of – this is a necessity without
hotel accommodation and cultural preferences.
For a city of 9 million people and a history going back 3,000 years, it is remar-
which you cannot have the
kably modern. It is a big, bustling, commercial centre, which puts India’s first tier exercise of use, nor the food.
cities to shame. This means above standard amenities. It is spanking clean. Street
signs in English are everywhere. Transport is excellent – taxis, buses and the metro Edward E Hale
– and very cheap. A metro ride within the city was on average Rs 18. Eateries
abound – extremely cheap local food to expensive

What Does ‘Itadakimasu’ Mean, Really?


Western and other cuisines (including Indian).
rebootingindia I ate delicious, cheap local food, with no ill effects.
Xi’an is of course famous for the terracotta
warriors. The city received 500 million sightseeing visits from domestic and
foreign tourists over 5 years and earned $61 billion in revenue. The warriors Marguerite Theophil Before meals, Itadakimasu is said as a give them a gift, or even when they A modern poet, John Brugaletta,
receive about 1million tourists, about the same as the Taj. The site is beautifully thanks to the plants and animals that receive a free sample of something at has taken the word and concept, and
laid out so that there are virtually no queues. Buying tickets is streamlined in a

I
heard my Japanese friend say ‘gave their lives’ for the meal you’re a counter in a store. expanded and woven it into a beautiful
huge reception centre. It took me 2 minutes to buy a ticket. The site has toilets ‘Itadakimasu’ before a meal. It about to consume. It also contains At a retreat centre in Thailand, we, poem of gratitude that includes the
within easy reach – and they are kept clean. seemed like a before-meal blessing, thanks to all those involved, ranging as a group, collectively said this prayer lines, “I have received water, flowing
You need guides in China. Many sites do not have explanatory signage in so when all the dictionary offered was: from the hunter, farmer, grocer, by Thich Nhat Hanh: “This food is the and pooled, salt and fresh, cold and hot;
English. My guide spoke fluent English. Conversation with him revealed he had ‘There is no English equivalent for this transporter, seller and the ones in the gift of the whole universe: the earth, the wind off the ocean, among the trees,
been a guide for 20 years. Every year, he must attend classes to learn the latest on phrase,’ i asked her to tell me what it kitchen who prepared the meal. sky and much hard work. May we live in over wheat fields ...”
the terracotta excavations. He was punctual, neatly dressed and cheerful and meant. Itadakimasu, she told me, is a way that makes us worthy to He includes in his litany sea-creatures,
avoided any cloying or annoying intrusions into my conversation with friends. I learnt that more than saying, ‘Let’s also an attitude that embraces receive it. May we transform trees, fruit and vegetables in lovely
Every day, he waits his turn to get clients. It is not a free-for-all at the site. eat,’ the phrase is often translated as ‘I the idea that it is wasteful not our own unskilled states of lines and he ends with: “May I never be
Xi’an and its environs feature many other sites – the Shaanxi Museum, the humbly receive,’ by some, and by to finish what is on your plate. mind and learn to eat with ungrateful for any shelter, any mouthful
North and South Gate, the Drum Tower, the Bell Tower, among others. All are others as ‘I have received from on high.’ Her parents taught them that if moderation. May we take only of food or sip of water, any friendly
impeccably kept and regulated for tourists. One does have to watch out for pick- Japanese kanji ideograms are open to you are really sincere about foods that nourish us and pre- gesture, and offer of help, any touch of
pockets, touts and dishonest taxi-drivers, but i didn’t have a difficult moment. multiple interpretations, but the real that ‘Itadakimasu’ you said, vent illness. We accept this food understanding.”
Finally, Chinese tourists are voracious – they want to see everything on connotation may be said to be, ‘Bless all you should eat all your food, so that we may realise the path Gratitude keeps us mindful,
display. This means some jostling and elbowing but never ill-natured. At the the hands of those who cultivated since so many had worked hard of understanding and love.” connected and appreciative not only of
Shaanxi Museum, i was amazed to see the numbers and eagerness of the and prepared the food.’ So much in a just so you could be filled and the We were also encouraged food, but for all the blessings we are
crowd. People were somewhat noisy but quite aware of museum protocol – no
touching, no loud talking, no flash photography. Evidently, the government has
single word!
Masami went on to explain that
not go hungry.
Not only do people use the
speaking to keep conversation to a
minimum during the meal;
showered with.

invested in public and civic education. Itadakimasu is also related to the term before a meal, but also tree rather, we were invited to
Follow Marguerite Theophil at
speakingtree.in The Speaking Tree is also
India could outdo China in tourism: it still has an enormous heritage, Buddhist principle of respecting all when they accept something from bring our senses to enjoy the varied available as an 8 page newspaper every
whereas a lot was lost in China through war and modernisation. Both the living things, while helping you remain someone. With the literal translation colours, aromas, textures and flavours Sunday for Rs 3. Book your copy of The
larger and smaller amenities still need considerable attention. Tourism could mindful of the entire process that went being, ‘I humbly receive,’ this makes – and this was truly heightened in the Speaking Tree with your newspaper vendor
contribute to economic growth, but it needs sustained government policies. into bringing the food to the table. perfect sense. People say it when you absence of chatter. or SMS STREE to 58888.
10 Breaking Ideas
The Economic Times, Mumbai, Saturday, 7 October 2017

Taking the Sting There should be no worries over global financial stability now that the system is far more robust

Out of Compliance
GST’s teething pain will last a bit more, yet
From Wobbly to Rolling Taken together, the global econo-
The positive aspect of the changes that the Goods and my looks to be on track to register the
Services Tax (GST) Council has made and the finance mi- strongest rate of growth since 2011
nister announced on Friday is that the authorities are
this year. Since the recovery in 2011
was driven by aggressive stimulus The Science
willing to listen to the problems economic agents have and reflected a recovery from a deep
encountered in the rollout of the new tax. The solutions recession, the current global growth
is actually tracking at the best since
of Serenity
that have emerged will serve to ease the pain of compli-
ance, but are far from perfect. Rates have been reduced in Chetan Ahya the 2003-06 cycle.
Indeed, notwithstanding some
R VENKATESAN

T
27 items, the turnover below which a supplier can opt for moderation in growth that we expect While most present-day concep-
he global economy is post- in the second half of 2017, we esti- tions about mind and conscio-
the composition scheme and not pay GST has been raised ing a strong performance mate full-year global GDP growth of usness are based on sense per-
from .̀ 75 lakh to .̀ 1crore, people with up to .̀ 1.5 crore turn- with growth tracking at its 3.6%, which will also mark a return ceptions of biochemical process-
over can file their returns once in three months rather fastest pace since Q2 2014. of above-trend global growth. es of the brain, Hindu philoso-
Global growth is tracking Typically, business cycles end as phers believed that there was
than every month, and exporters will get the benefit of at 4.3% in Q2 2017 and the strong pace central banks tighten to respond to something more, that there was
exemption on their inputs, although paying a 0.1% GST of growth has been broad-based ac- the buildup of price or financial sta- the super intelligent energy be-
ross both developed markets (DM) bility risks. The pace of monetary hind consciousness.

FILE PHOTO
to enable their suppliers to claim input tax credit, till the
and emerging markets (EM). For the tightening is intrinsically linked to Here is a story: a queen, long-
beginning of the next financial year, after which export- countries that have reported Q2 2017 how central banks assess the risks to ing to greet the sage who lived
ers’ refunds would be facilitated by means of an e-wallet. GDP data, EM economies on aggre- price and financial stability. With across the river, vows that she
Their stalled credits for July and August would be relea- gate are experiencing the fourth qu- DMs and in particular the US being would fast until she feeds the
arter of acceleration in growth, wh- the most advanced in its cycle, the sage the next morning. But the
sed soon, as well. ile aggregate growth for the 10 DM Fed is at the forefront of the moneta- Back to business river, which separated the for-
All this will be huge relief to a small players. The gov- economies that have reported data ry tightening debate. est from the city, was in spate
ernment has allowed input tax credit held steady at 2%, about 40bps stron- that “I expect that the evolution of to address pockets of risks in select- that night. Worried at the pros-
ger than the preceding five-year aver- Fed Keeping a Watch the financial system in response to ed sectors. However, Chair Yellen in pect of breaking her vow, she
to be claimed on a monthly basis even age pace of growth. Core inflation has been weak in the global economic forces, technology, a 2014 speech highlighted that “it asks the king for advice. His
by those who buy their supplies from The strength in the global recove- US recently and we think that price and, yes, regulation will result soon- may be appropriate to adjust mone- counsel was simple, “Invoke
those who file their returns once a qu- ry has extended into Q3 as well. Man- stability risks are unlikely to emerge er or later in the all-too-familiar ris- tary policy to "get in the cracks" that the river goddess; tell her that
ufacturing PMI data, which is a time- in a quick fashion. Indeed, in the last ks of excessive optimism, leverage, persist in the macroprudential fra- if the king — her husband —
arter. This could mean a temporary st- ly coincident indicator for global gr- two business cycles in the US (which and maturity transformation re- mework”. had lived a chaste life till that
rain on tax receipts: input tax claims owth, has pointed towards continu- span a 20-year period), core inflation emerging in new ways that require To be sure, the Fed has to navigate day, the river should give way.”
would have to be honoured, even if the ed expansion. Of the 23 countries we has not accelerated meaningfully ab- policy responses.” a difficult path of ensuring that the Although not comfortable with
track and have reported August PMI ove the 2% mark even while unemp- How will central banks assess fi- economy is back on a sustainable the counsel, she speaks to the
tax for which credit has been claimed data, the global aggregate PMI is at loyment dipped below the so-called nancial stability risks? Fed Vice- growth path and fully leaving behind river. The river tossed up its wat-
and granted has not yet been paid to the exchequer. The 54.2 in August, the highest level in non-accelerating inflation rate of Chair Fischer had earlier laid out the the effects of the deleveraging phase er to its left and right, paving
government has also tried to allay fears among jewellers the five years that we have the data unemployment (Nairu). Certainly, framework according to which the while at the same time assessing and the way for her troupe to cross.
for. Within this group, 20 have PMI globalisation has played a role in Fed assesses financial stability con- tempering a more-broad based in- Bewildered, the queen asked
that they are obliged to take know-your-customer cred- reading of above 50, indicating exp- keeping price pressures contained, ditions, highlighting four factors: (1) crease in leverage. the king, on her return, “How
entials for even purchases by withdrawing the circular ansion, and 18 have a higher PMI re- and recent technological disruption financial sector leverage, (2) non-fi- could you call yourself chaste
ading in August as compared to July. has additionally weighed on inflation. nancial sector borrowing, (3) liquidi- Financial Deregulation when you fathered my children?”
that specified a turnover threshold for securing creden-
The recovery in both DMs and In this context, we think the Fed ty and maturity transformation and All things considered, our assessme- The king smiles and explains
tials, for the time being. This would lower the temperatu- EMs is well-founded. DMs are now will be increasingly watching the (4) asset valuation pressures. nt is that financial stability risks ap- the concept of satya, truth and
re that has been building up into a fever of resentment to out of the deleveraging phase, and risks to financial stability. Moreover, Based on recent speeches, the pear limited, though there are some the need to maintain an “outer
the tax among large sections of traders. risk attitudes of the private sector the experience of the pre-crisis peri- broad message from the Fed is that pockets of corporate credit and sub- balance and inner harmony”.
are normalising. Meanwhile, EMs od — when price stability risks were the financial system is significantly prime loans in the consumer space For, you can be connected to
The reality is that no country has undertaken switch- are recovering having made the nec- contained but financial stability more robust now. Hence concerns which bear watching. We expect the God and still perform all world-
over to a new tax regime without teething troubles. That essary adjustments to restore macro risks were building up and irratio- about system-wide financial stabili- Fed to continue to gradually lift real ly duties with detached involve-
stability. Moreover, there has been a nal exuberance was taking hold — ty risks seem limited at this point. interest rates over the forecast hori- ment. Raja Janaka’s zeal to ser-
said, it was entirely predictable that rushing into GST
virtuous feedback loop in that robust has increased the Fed’s focus on fi- That said, the Fed has also acknowl- zon, leaning against easy financial ve his people while not deviat-
without adequate groundwork and time for economic ag- DM domestic demand has fed thro- nancial stability risks in this cycle. edged that parts of the financial sys- conditions, particularly as unemp- ing from his spiritual quest form
ents to learn to comply would cause huge pain. If dance ugh to stronger EM exports, support- Indeed, chair Yellen had mention- tem are still somewhat less transpar- loyment rates are already low. a set of popular folk tales. The-
ing the recovery there. ed in her recent Jackson Hole speech ent and not as well understood, However, in the near term, the pace se explain the power of truth
we must while yet learning to walk, let us do it with all the
which adds uncertainty. of Fed tightening is less likely to de- and the need to maintain outer
cheer and mutual support we can summon. The natural question that follows rail the recovery in the US. The key balance between social, family,
is how the Fed would respond to the risk to watch out for would be if the career and material aspects of
The broad message from the Fed is that the financial buildup of financial stability risks. US takes up financial deregulation in life as well as maintaining an
system is significantly more robust now. Hence The Fed has, on previous occasions, away that could accelerate the pace of inner harmony between body,
pointed towards macro-prudential increase in leverage, increasing the mind, emotions and spirit.
concerns about financial stability risks seem limited
Better Democracy, Not measures as the first line of defence risks of a boom-bust scenario.

Citings
Secession, Way Ahead Remittance Inflows
MEME’S THE WORD
Technology &
Two referendums — by the Catalans in Spain and the Kurds in
Remittances to low- and middle-income countries are on course to recover
Iraq — represent two radically different historical contexts.
Yet, both signal extremely important warnings for nations. In
in 2017 after two years of decline. Global remittances, which include flows
to high-income countries, are projected to grow by 3.9% to $596 billion...
Economics
this era of populism, nativism and terrorism, separatist aspi- Migrant remittance inflows ($ billion), major recipients
80 W BRIAN ARTHUR
rations have the potential to severely undermine the project of
nation-states. The way forward lies, ideally, in devolution of
“If 70 $65.4 b India A year ago in Oslo Airport, I
Global
greater autonomy to regions and functional democracy, with- opportunity remittance
62.9 China checked into an SAS flight. One
60 32.8 Philippines airline kiosk issued a boarding
ina political framework that keeps the nation-state intact. For- doesn’t inflows 2017
30.5 Mexico pass, another punched out a lug-
Source: World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief

mation of new states — if unavoidable — should take place on- knock, build 50
$596 bn 24.5 France gage tag, then a computer scre-
en showed me how to attach it
ly through a process of dialogue and negotiation that culmi- 22.3 Nigeria
a door.” 40
19.8 Pakistan
and another where I should set
nates in peaceful action. the luggage on a conveyor. I enco-
Milton Berler 30 18.2 Egypt
The circumstances of the Catalan call for independence — Actor untered no single human being.
16.3 Germany
though less than 50% of the population 20 The incident left me feeling od-
13.8 Vietnam
participated in the referendum — is vast- dly that something in our world
10 12.9 Bangladesh had shifted. That shift, of course,
ly different from those of the Kurds. Spa- has been going on for a long time.
in was unified in the late 15th century, and 0
1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017P* It’s been driven by a succession
has remained united, despite the Basque * Projected of technologies — the internet,
Among major remittance recipients, India retains its top spot, the cloud, big data, robotics, ma-
separatist movement and the short-lived
with remittances expected to total $65 billion this year chine learning, and now artifi-
Catalan bid for independence in 1934. Ca- cial intelligence — together po-
talans nurse the grievance that they con- werful enough that economists
tribute more to the rest of Spain than what they get from that agree we are in the midst of a di-
gital economic revolution.
association. Iraq is an artificial construct of the region’s erst- But there is less agreement on
while colonial powers. The Kurds are spread out across Iraq,
Iran, Turkey and Syria, and have reasons to feel they have had
FOLK THEOREM how exactly the new technolo-
gies are changing the economy

UP: Some Comic No Relief


less than democratic participation in these states. and whether the changes are
deep. Robert Gordon of North-
The Middle East does not need a new war, which is guaran- western University tells us the
teed if Iraq’s Kurds secede and their cousins in neighbouring computer revolution “reached
states seek to follow suit. If the Catalans succeed, it will under- its climax in the dotcom era of the
mine the EU project and spur similar moves across the conti- 1990s”. Future progress in tech-
an, leaving the average 69.7% of lit- born outside clinics or hospitals. shed in a hospital there. nology, he says, will be slower.…
nent and in the UK. In this age of hyper-nativism, this is the erate UP dwellers far behind. The best way to summarise the qu- In early September, another 49 chi- I argued a few years back that
last thing that the world needs: a political bushfire controlling Travel in UP after sundown, say, 100 ality of people’s lives — the likeliho- ldren died in a women’s hospital in the digital technologies have cr-
which would almost be impossible. Devolution of powers and km east from dazzling Delhi, and you od of eating properly, drinking safe Farrukhabad, a six hour-drive from eated a second economy, a vir-
democracy are what the world needs. will descend into the heart of dark- water, getting healthcare, acquiring Delhi. On Thursday, October 4, The tual and autonomous one. But I
ness. The census of 2011says less than knowledge and skills, earning enou- Times of India reported between now believe the main feature of
37% of UP homes have electricity, gh, living with dignity and so on — is two days in June, 14 patients died in this autonomous economy is not
Abheek Barman better only than Bihar. summarised by one number. This is a hospital associated with the Ben- merely that it deepens the physi-
Irrespective of the quality of prog- the life expectancy at birth (LEB). It aras Hindu University (BHU). cal one. It’s that it is steadily pro-
ramming — mostly pedestrian, of- tells you how many years a person Since September, BHU has been viding an external intelligence
A tax court ruling what forms breakfast In 2016-17, the average Indian earned ten abysmal — owning a TV gives a born today is expected to live. rocked by students’ protests after its in business — one not housed in-
could spread to other meal rules too .̀ 1.12 lakh a year, about .̀ 9,300 every household a glimpse of the broader Better developed societies have officials tried to paper over the mol- ternally in human workers but
month. That year, the average per- world outside the chowk and mohal- higher LEB. So, someone born in estation of a girl student. Over time, externally in the virtual econo-
son in Kerala made .̀ 1.98 lakh a year, la. With greater awareness and inco- Sierra Leone today is likely to live 50 BHU has become a haunt of thugs, a my’s algorithms and machines.

(Ger)man Can’t Live by a monthly income of .̀ 16,500.


Uttar Pradesh is home to 200 million
people, the combined population of
Italy, South Korea and Spain. Each
me, 77% of Malayali homes own a
TV, compared to the pan-India aver-
age of 47%. In UP, only 33% of hou-
seholds are privileged to own one.
years, compared to a Japanese baby,
who will live to 84. This works for st-
ates as well. An Indian can expect to
live 68 years, the average UP-wallah
threat to women students looking
for a brighter future. BHU is in pri-
me minister Modi’s constituency.
Adityanath, who responded to the
From “Where is Technology
Taking the Economy?”

Bread, & Coffee Alone average person in UP earns .̀ 72,300


every year, around .̀ 6,000 per month.
The average ‘Mallu’ is two-and-a-
Till about 100 years ago, delivering
a child was a great physical risk for
mother and newborn. This risk falls
for a little less than 64 years. Her
Malayali counterpart will celebrate
her 75th birthday.
death of infants by mocking their
parents for “shunning their respon-
sibilities and making the governme- Chat Room
Whether a tax tribunal is the best authority on what compri- half times wealthier than the ‘Bhai- sharply when babies are born in Ajay Mohan Bisht, otherwise kno- nt responsible”, has been chief min-
ses a meal — in this case, breakfast — is far from certain. How-
yya’. Kerala’s prosperity has come
from decades of high investment in
maternity wards in hospitals and
clinics, rather than at home assisted
wn as Yogi Adityanath, heads a mutt
in UP’s Gorakhpur. Till recently, Go-
ister of UP since March.
The day ToI reported the BHU hos- Nobel Prize for
ever, since such a court in Münster, Germany, has decided to
venture into this territory, its verdict bears examination. It
education, healthcare and human
development. Malayalis acquired
by semi-skilled midwives. Nearly
every Malayali child, 99.8% at last
rakhpur was known as the place wh-
ere once-tycoon Subrata Roy began
pital deaths (apparently, a company
associated with a BJP lawmaker was
Kazuo Ishiguro
has decreed that the free bread rolls and coffee offered by a the ability to get skilled jobs across count, is birthed in an institution. his businesses. Through five days in supplying industrial nitrous oxide It’s heartening that the 2017
India. They were leaders of our More than 42% of UP’s babies are August, more than 70 children peri- as an anaesthetic), Adityanath gave Nobel prize for literature has
firm to customers and its own staff cannot be counted as bre- global diaspora. an interview to another newspaper. been awarded to British novel-
akfast (a taxable compensation) as it is not accompanied by Every 10 years, India conducts its Told that Kerala chief minister Pin- ist Kazuo Ishiguro. The presti-
butter, cheese, jam or cold cuts. It was considerate of the co- census, a gigantic operation that arayi Vijayan had asked him to learn gious award remained elusive
urt to clamp down on any move by taxmen to downsize the contacts every adult in a country of how to run public health from the for years despite his works on
1.25 billion to discover how they live, southern state, Adityanath said in the favourites lists. Ishiguro is
traditional German breakfast in order to extract a hefty ret- what they do, learn and so on. In all seriousness, “I say that the Kera- mostly remembered as a Briti-
rospective fine, but the order will be news to those who scarf 2011, the census found that over 90% la government should come to UP to sh writer who pulled away from
down espressos and lattes with croissants or doughnuts as of households in Kerala had access see how the system works there.… the mainstream contemporary
their approximation of the classic ‘Continental’ breakfast to electricity. They must see what kind of changes English letters and developed
This lengthened the productive ho- I have brought in.” his own idiom. His novel ‘The
as opposed to the more elaborate English or American ver- urs beyond sunset, gave children lig- Asked in his old age about the val- Remains of the Day’ stood out
sion that also includes eggs, bacon, sausages, hash browns, ht to study by, businesses and stores ue of humour, the Greek philosoph- for characterisation, particu-
toast and juice. They are obviously skipping breakfast — by to stay open longer and media, like er Plato said, “Serious things cannot larly of the duty-obsessed but-
German standards. radio, TV and films, to reach millio- be understood without laughable ler. Known for restrained exp-
ns. It allowed the spread of technolo- things.” From K Shankar Pillai, the ression and dealing with self-
Given the German penchant for precision and rules, as ref- gy, mobile phones and the internet. modern pioneer of political cartoo- styled delusions, time and me-
lected in the EU’s propensity to specify the curvature of ban- It let women use labour- and time- ning, to Abu Abraham, O V Vijayan mory in an exemplary fashion,
anas and meatiness of sausages among a host of other items saving tools like food processors, and E P Unny, Kerala has produced Ishiguro has cemented his pla-
FILE PHOTO

refrigerators, microwave ovens and the maximum amount of cartoon- ce as one of the literary greats.
both edible and inedible, this stipulation by a tax court does
washing machines. Unsurprisingly, ing talent in India. They will grasp
not come as a total surprise. In fact, a further elaboration on 94% of Malayalis are literate, ahead the human tragedy underlying Yogi M JEYARAM
what constitutes other meals cannot be ruled out either. of the 74% rate for the average Indi- That is, if the Taj is still in UP Adityanath’s joke. Sholavandan
EDITORIAL JUGAAD
28 SEPTEMBER

THIS PDF CONTAINS EDITORIALS OF


THE HINDU, BUSINESS STANDARD,
ECONOMIC TIMES,TIMES OF
INDIA,FINANCIAL EXPRESS, THE
TRIBUNE & THE HINDUSTAN TIMES

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