My interests, concerns, tastes and temperaments!

Freedoms of man, my critical core belief.

I can’t pretend to be other than what I am!

What am I? Who am I?

Such a question or questions can be posed as a plain simple self-questioning at a more pedestrian life. Or, such a question can be taken more seriously at a more philosophical level. The two levels interest me!

Yes, mere existence or to use a more heavy, philosophical-sounding “existential” questions, the way we live, the way we go about, the way we believe or do’ things’ the more material world of life and living interests me as much as the more sustained self-questioning that comes with a philosophical bent of mind. The subject of what interest me might range over wider areas of one’s life, one’s interests and one’s learning and much more challengingly what one had gone through life, the battles fought and lost and won! Yes, such thoughts and such experiences in this bad world only shape one’s outlook on life and world. I don’t see myself only in one dimension; there are many dimensions to my life and so many wider interests too!

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Vidarbha farmers’ continued suicides haunt the Prime Minister and the Agri Minister!

What needs to be done?  Prime Minister must deliver or ……!

Prime Minister had visited the farmers’ suicide zone of India, Vidarbha and listened to the farmers’ problem!  It is a nice gesture after two years of so much indifference! The CWC had seen sharp differences of opinion about the performance of the key players in the economic ministries.  The statistics provided by the Finance Minister about the prices rise didn’t find favour with many members.  This is a reflection on the handling of the price front as well as the entire farmers’ suicide trial that haunted the Prime Minister and the reluctant Agri Minister who followed him to Vidarbha!

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Will the nuclear deal with USA ensure energy security for India?

That civilian nuclear power is not going to come to help us in any near-term future.

There is a steep rise in fuel prices. The Congress play a cynical drama by Sonia posing as the saviour of the poor, the Left and the BJP do what they know, taking a procession on the Delhi streets! Is this all to fuel shortages?  Bush can be taken not a safe nuclear expert!  There are so many technical, economic and even political and military issues and that too when the USA is debating the Iran nuclear power plant and when India is also being drawn into such international strategic buildups, to talk of nuclear power as if it can be tapped at our will is a near fantasy.

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Our economy must be managed more efficiently!

Two years of Dr.Manmohan Singh Prime Ministership seem to have brought home many weaknesses without much to talk about many highpoints.  The management of the economy leaves much room for efficient and alert management.

The Prime Minister might have imagined that 2 years in office is a time for celebrations. But suddenly he is caught in a multiple crisis situation. The OBC quota, next, the office of profit Bill is yet to be resolved. Or, this will be the end of the road for him? Manmohan Singh’s virtues seem to have run out of steam. After all how long can you live with the typical Indian double mindset? The outward pretensions and the inward real politik!

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Sonia populism vs state CMs’ populism!

Is the National Advisory Council functioning? Aruna Roy resigns, others also lie low? Sound economic principles are needed in rural infrastructure development schemes. A pity such sound economic sense is missing now!

The so many populist schemes where heavy subsidy or subsidies or almost freebies, like free ration rice as in TN, or doles for unemployed graduates and post-graduates as in UP or massive debt write-offs, as again in TN and the so many other ” free”s, like free power, free this or that are now making the current UPA schemes like the employment guarantee scheme almost as no news!  Yes, the much-touted NREGS seems to have been grounded when the rural realities hit hard!

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I read with much sadness about the passing away of Ravi Dayal my friend from Oxford days. I had read the many obituaries and tributes to his memory by some of his friends who had worked with him at the Oxford University Press in India and I learnt much about the many endearing qualities of the man and his work at OUP.

Here I like to share my  rather many intimate friendship with this unique friend whom I treated as my own  in my close circle both while at Oxford as well as back in India where we went about our ways in different directions.

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Image of Indians changes, old prejudices die in Europe!

French President Jacques Chirac put up a brave face!

It was a humiliating climb down for him. French national pride was touched! The “unfriendly” takeover became suddenly “friendly” takeover!

The French and Luxembourg governments suddenly had to change course and come round to accept the Indian, India-born, businessman’s offer! Gaand Duchy of Luxembourg holds 5.5 per cent share in the new merged entity. The governments of France and Spain are the new” stakeholders” in the new company! Most French politicians and trade union leaders first opposed the take over. Even now, they are lukewarm, though they have to digest the new reality sooner or later!

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Wishing V.P.Singh a long life!

V.P.Singh turned 75 and we wish the former Prime Minister a long life. Though much is made of his recent political pronouncements, and New Delhi politics now revolves around certain key personalities like Vajpayee and Sonia Gandhi, V.P.Singh makes his role for the current political scenario relevant by his recent moves to resurrect himself, his persona is such value more for non-Congress political rallying points than of much help to the Congress as such. Considering the rather low-key political visions one can associate with Vajpayee and other senior politicians on the New Delhi horizon, V.P.Singhs stands out as a more complete political and cultivated personality.

I had become an intense follower of him briefly! And that was a time in Indian politics worth recalling and worth commenting about.

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Indians themselves don’t know!

This review has to be read in the context of the criticism made about the speech of the Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh when he accepted a Hon degree from Oxford University.

Discovering India’s past for the sake of Indians!
The Buddha and the Sahibs

The men who discovered Indian’s lost religion
Charles Allen, John Murray, pp 322

This is a remarkable book. This is written by an old India hand, Charles Allen has produced so many books of the Raj days, and he himself comes from a British family that had served India for six generations! This book is rather gripping in its intense truth telling passion, a passion I hope Indian readers share and reciprocate for what the author had done for restoring a great discovery of which, I doubt how many of this generation, from scholars to general readers, would be prepared for anticipating and once discovered how much they would reflect and gain by such an understanding of India’s past glory.

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Then, what about the nuclear deal with USA and our own energy security strategy?

There is a steep rise in fuel prices. They Congress play a cynical drama by Sonia posing as the savior of the poor, the Left and the BJP does what they know, taking a procession on the Delhi streets! Is this all to fuel shortages? What about really serious in-depth analysis by the government and experts and the more responsible behavior by the most senior politicians like Vajpayee, Karunanidhi and Lalu  Yadav and Sharad Pawar or even Deve Gowda? These politicians are seniors, with age and one hopes certain wisdom, and they should be doing more serious and responsible things. At least, they can ask some questions openly and ask for answers from experts who must know the difficulties better.

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