The lack of strategic thought has always cost India dear in the battlefield

IIPM Excom Prof Rajita Chaudhuri

Warfare: Strategically weak, are we?

Strategic thinking and military planning stem from political unity and coherence. Kautilya was the first to realise the need for unity and a powerful state to protect India from external invaders. He raised a massive 650,000-strong Mauryan army and generated a local RMA (revolution in military affairs) with a corps of 9,000 war elephants which were deployed to generate “shock and awe”. Kautilya was a pioneer in using information warfare against Alexander’s invading army. He thus unified India in just 25 years with his combination of war elephants, information war and covert operations.

Apart from Kautilya, no one ever thought of forward defence. Kautilya had secured the invasion routes by conquering Afghanistan and Baluchistan. After him, all the battles for the defence of Delhi were fought in the plains of Panipat and we lost each one of them. The Mughals could defeat Ibrahim Lodhi because they introduced the RMA of field guns, horsed archers and muskets – a deadly combination which caused Lodhi’s war elephants to panic and trample their own troops.

The third battle of Panipat was fought exactly 250 years ago between the Marathas and the Afghans of Ahmad Shah Abdali or “Shah Baba”. The Marathas had virtually won this battle, but ultimately lost it due to a total lack of discipline and coordination. One section of the Maratha troops moved out of the battlefield for no apparent reason and turned the whole tide of the battle. The Maratha artillery was taking a fearful toll on the Afghans when the Maratha mobile elements closed in from the flanks and came in the line of their own fire. The Indians thereby lost a winning battle. The problem was a lack of discipline and coordination. Indians have always been brave fighters individually. Their problem has been in functioning efficiently as a group.

The British organised the Indian sepoys into European-style modern Infantry battalions that were disciplined and efficient. The British native infantry defeated the Mughal style cavalry by generating the RMA of Infantry Battalions which could fire in disciplined rhythms, generate rates of fire of a thousand shots a minute and could decimate any cavalry charge.

India supposedly won its freedom via a peaceful and non-violent freedom struggle. Few realise the importance of the role played by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and his INA which shook the British and was instrumental in forcing them to leave. Mutinies had broken out in the British Indian Army and in Royal Indian Navy when the INA officers were put on trial at Red Fort. The British had crushed the peaceful Quit India Movement but they could no longer rely on the Indian Armed Forces as instruments of subjugation and control. So they left in a rather tearing hurry.

The post-Independence Indian political elite, however, tried to take the entire credit for the British decision to leave and attributed it to their non-violent struggle. They therefore laid far too much emphasis on soft power, diplomacy and peace. It was a leadership deficient in strategic thinking and skill. They neglected the military and discouraged strategic thought. The result was the tragic fiasco of the 1962 border war with China. It was an urgently needed wake-up call. India began to expand and modernise its military post 1962. Pakistan was worried and cynically decided to press home its eroding military advantage in the 1965 war. It was its last gamble to seize Kashmir by force and it failed.

The 1971 war was a historic and decisive military victory that broke Pakistan in two and put 93,000 prisoners of war in Indian captivity. In just 14 days Indian forces liberated Dacca and formed a new nation state. This local RMA of sorts was created by India’s complete dominance over the skies of Bangladesh. The Indian Army launched a swift blitzkrieg under the air umbrella. Indian fighter bombers helped to decimate the Pakistani Army’s resistance. In fact Gen. Niazi’s meeting with the then governor of East Pakistan, Adam Malik, in Dacca itself was attacked by the Indian Air Force fighters with rockets. The Mukti Bahini played a very significant role by waging covert action in the Pakistani Army’s rear and supplying accurate intelligence to the advancing Indian troops.

So far, we have failed to transform economic power into credible and usable military power. India’s political elite seem to think that nuclearisation has rendered conventional military force obsolete. This is a serious error. Today India faces a three front threat from China, Pakistan and Jihadis and Maoists. It rapidly needs to modernise its armed forces and encourage strategic thinking and awareness of military matters. The Bangladesh War revived the Kautilyan tradition of strategic thought. Let us not waste it again. There are no soft power answers to hard power realities. We can not afford to repeat 1962 all over again.

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Corporal punishment in schools claims two more lives

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Karnataka Education: Teachers turn tormentors

The practice of corporal punishment in schools has claimed two more lives in Karnataka. Afzal Hamza Fayaz (15) and D. Varun (17) are the recent victims of this evil practice. The two incidents occurred within a short span of a month. While Hamza hailed from Kasaragodu Tonka, a village close to Honnavar city in North Canara district, Varun came from Bellary city.

January 11, 2011 turned out to be the most unfortunate day in the life of Abida Hamza Sab, a widow, as she lost her only son, Afzal Hamza Fayaz, on that day. Afzal Hamza, studying in The New English School, Honnavar, had been running fever for the past two days when his Physical Education teacher K.D. Naik ordered him to run around the field. According to Hamza's classmates, after this Naik kicked and caned the poor boy who then collapsed. Hamza was admitted to a nearby hospital but his life could not be saved. As the news of Afzal’s death spread, a mob ransacked the school. A shocked Abida has also been on the hospital bed since then.

In another incident, D. Varun, a student of 10th standard in Shettara Gurushanthappa Composite School, lost his life to the tyranny of his science teacher Basavaraj on December 16, 2010. Varun hanged himself to death. It is alleged that the science teacher would harass and humiliate Varun for not wearing shoes amidst his valid reason of skin disease. When the boy complained about this to his parents, the teacher got enraged and threatened the boy to flunk him in exams. The suicide note written by Varun, but discovered only after a month of his death, read: “My science teacher Basavaraj is the sole reason for my death.”

The parents of both the victims have filed complaints against the teachers responsible for the deaths of their sons. “Only nine complaints have been registered so far, of which three are sexual harassment cases by teachers. We have recommended stern action against the teachers involved ,” Nina Naik, chairperson, Karnataka Commission for Protection of Child Rights told TSI. She conceded that most of the cases of corporal punishment in schools go unnoticed.

State minister for primary and secondary education, Vishweshwara Hegade Kageri said, “The government has sent circulars to schools for taking action against those who harass students. We will take stern action. I have asked for a detailed report and ordered probe into the incidents.” The government has always maintained this stand, but corporal punishment continues to claim innocent lives. In most of the cases, the culprits are protected by school management bodies thanks to the poor implementation of section 23 of Juvenile Justice Act.

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Saffron party's youth wing embarks on yatra to Srinagar

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For the first time in its history, the BJP has placed the reins of a very sensitive and important issue–the Kashmir issue in this case – in the hands of the party's youth wing, Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM).

As part of this move, a yatra was flagged off on January 12 from Kolkata, the birthplace of the party's founder Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. The Kashmir issue has been on top of BJP's agenda for decades. But in the past, sensitive issues such as Kashmir, Ram temple and Uniform Civil Code were taken up and handled only by the top brass of the saffron political party.

The yatra will pass through several states including Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh before culminating at Sri Nagar's Lal Chowk on January 26, where the BJP leaders plan to unfurl the national flag.

This is for the first time in the history of BJYM that a programme of this magnitude has been done on a core ideological issue. There will be about 150 public meetings on way to Srinagar during 16 days.

The yatra aims to make people, and especially youngsters, “aware of the separatist movement” in the state. There is a political undertone to this yatra too. The party wants to organise the youth against the Congress and counter Rahul Gandhi's drive to bring more and more fresh blood into the party fold.

The BJP has always protested agaisnt the implementation of Article 370 of the Constitution in Kashmir, under which Kashmir is allowed to have a separate constitution and flag. People from outside the state cannot purchase land in the state, apply for government jobs here or enjoy adult suffrage.

Anurag Thakur, president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, says, “The Kashmir issue is historical blunder by the Congress that the country is still grappling with. The root cause is the implementation of article 370. The day it is withdrawn, this unnatural line of division will be wiped out. The solution to Kashmir issue should be found out under constitutional ambit and not religious.” Talking to TSI, national general secretary of BJYM, Manoranjan Mishra says, “This is the biggest campaign in the history of the yuva morcha. We also plan to directly contact more than one crore youths through internet.”

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Tribal girls relate their experience with the Maoists

Orissa Maoists: Great escape, Great relief

“We can now sleep peacefully. We are now free from a life of hardship and terror,” said a 16 - year - old Shanti Soye, a Maoist, after she had surrendered to the police. Sudra Soye, Basanti Taisam, Sumitra Chattar and Raima Pingua also laid down arms after escaping from a Maoist hide - out in dense forests. The girls spent around two years in the camps.

“What we faced during these two years was exploitation and gruelling work. Our seniors always made us carry their luggage when moving from one camp to another in the jungle. Some of them even tried to molest us in an inebriated state. We complained to the committee head but nothing was done to stop the excesses,” revealed Raima Pingua.

The tribal girls, all of them aged between 15 to 17 years, were lured to join the Maoists with false promises. The leaders assured them of financial support and livelihood. They had also promised to solve the long-standing problems of the tribal people. But, as it turned out later, all that was mere eyewash.

Shanti Soye added, “I was taken to a Maoist camp by a girl of my village named Sabita. She lured me into dense forest in Telkoi area and there I was made a captive of sorts. I was given fitness training for about a month followed by arms training. When I asked them to let me return to my village, they refused.”

According to the police, Shanti, who belonged to Raighati village, was working as a deputy section commander under the direct control of Kaling Nagar Divisional Committee (KNDC) secretary Sushil alias Basanta. She was allegedly involved in several crimes including murder, attack on Police Station at Daitari, ransacking of liquor shops at Akul etc. The other girls, the residents of Ghasipura police station area, were working as cadres under the command of Dhiren, an area committee member of KNDC.

Ashish Kumar Singh, SP Keonjhar said, “The Maoist leaders attract the teenagers to join their organisation by giving false assurances. After spending a pitiable life for more than a year these girls have surrendered to lead a peaceful life. They will be settled as per the government’s rehabilitation policy.”

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What has a Ninjutsu Master got to say about His Holiness The Dalai Lama?

The Dalai Lama: War And Peace

A lot more than you know, for Stephen K Hayes was security advisor to His Holiness for the better part of the 1990s, and continues to be a spiritual friend'

What was your first impression of the Dalai Lama and how real was he compared to your perception of a Godman?
I first met the Dalai Lama in India in 1986. I was very much moved by the energy of his very presence and by his bearing. I later learned the Tibetans sometimes call him Kundun, which means "the presence". I was impressed by the intense way he paid attention to each question I asked, and the way he answered honestly and directly. I was no statesman or business figure or celebrity, but he nonetheless gave me his entire attention for the hours I spent with him at our first meeting.

As a Ninja you are a man of war while The Dalai Lama is the ultimate symbol of peace. How did the two meet and what was your common ground for conversations and camaraderie?
My martial art is a way to make peace when others might choose violence or conflict. As a ninja I am trained to be a protector. Training to fight wars or fight as a competitor in a cage is very different, not what my martial art is about. I first met the Dalai Lama in 1986, when I came to India following a one-month visit to Tibet. I believe he agreed to meet me as a way of asking for my insights as to how things were in Tibet. I met him again in 1987 in Indiana in the USA when he was there to visit his brother. I happened to be at a small conference in California with the Dalai Lama in 1989 when he received news that he had won the Nobel Peace prize, and I helped his staff with some of the unexpected security concerns when all the reporters arrived. After that, throughout the 1990s I travelled with the Dalai Lama as a security escort when he was in the USA.

Did His Holiness ever suggest a path away from the martial arts?
No. He always accepted that martial arts were the path of discovery of my youth. It was how I came to be the man I am today. I teach others how to be so strong that they can chose compassion and patience out of strength instead of from fear. At the same time, he always displayed the speech and actions of one committed to peace. That of course had an effect on me. Today I still teach martial arts around the world, but I also spend a part of every year in India or Nepal studying with Tibetan Buddhist teachers that the Dalai Lama introduced me to.

What is His Holiness like, away from the concerns of an exiled head of state or faith?
I always tell my friends that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is one of the few human beings I have ever met who totally lives up to his billing. He is so reassuring in his sincerity and compassion for all, and that is surprising for one who was born to be the spiritual king of his country. One might expect a more autocratic or impatient or haughty demeanour of a king, but none of that is there.

His Holiness has this amazing affinity and connection with the West, perhaps more so than any other Eastern Leader. What is the secret?
I think the key to the Dalai Lama's popularity in the West is his ability to speak from the heart in words that truly address the spiritual distress that people in the West feel today. He speaks in the common person’s common sense language, and his suggestions for spiritual peace do not come across as rigid religious commands. In that way he includes all people. Perhaps some other religious leaders present a strongly one-way view of how spiritual life must be, and that alienates all but the member believers..? The Dalai Lama does not do that.

His earnest speech allows many Westerners to be drawn to him, but at the same time I must mention that when he addresses higher level audiences of religious scholars, he exhibits an awe-inspiring knowledge of the depths of Buddhist teachings. He has the wonderful capacity to command both popular and scholastic presentations.

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That the Assam govt was caught unawares by the Bodo extremists exposes a lack of political will

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Bodo Impasse: Ball is in Dispur's court

November 8, 2010. It was the day US President Barack Obama addressed Indian parliamentarians in New Delhi. That very night, the NDFB (National Democratic Front of Bodoland) a banned rebel outfit, carried out a vendetta carnage in Assam killing many innocent people in cold blood. The casualties were mostly Hindi-speaking people residing in Bodo-dominated areas of the state.

The government should have seen it coming. That it did not reflects rather poorly on its ability to take prompt action when it is needed. On November 1, the NDFB had issued a press statement warning both the Central and state governments to stop the killing of the outfit’s cadre and innocent Bodo people. The militants warned that they would kill at least 20 Indians, be they from the Indian Army or the civilian population, for every innocent Bodo gunned down by the security forces.

Chillingly, they did just that. On November 7, a Bodo, supposedly an NDFB militant, was killed allegedly in an encounter with security forces. Exactly 24 hours later, the militant outfit struck in six districts, killing 24 people in the span of a day. Among the dead were innocent bus passengers, petty businessmen and even aged women. Despite a unified command system, the governments in Delhi and Dispur could do nothing to stop the designs of the extremists.

It is true that Dispur had some limitations. Army presence in Assam was reduced – securitymen were diverted to Jharkhand to comabt Maoists and to Bihar for the Assembly elections. Assam had 149 companies of the Army last year. At present, less than 100 companies are deployed in the northeastern state. To make matters worse, the state faces a paucity of policemen as there are more than 8,000 vacancies that are yet to filled. Dispur had initiated some steps in this regard including setting up of the elite Cobra battalion of CRPF. But the process of selecting state policemen as well as their training are going far too slow for comfort. That has allowed an extremist outfit like NDFB to run what could be described as almost a parallel government, as alleged by the opposition, in border areas, particularly on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river bordering Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan.

The state government has pitifully taken shelter behind these limitations to cover up for its failure to tackle the terrorists. However, it is still unable to explain its total inaction in the face of a prior warning of violence that ahd been issued by the NDFB. The bellicosity and brutal nature of the NDFB cadre became evident when it unleashed serial bombings, killing almost hundred innocent people two years back. Yet the Tarun Gogoi-led government in the state did not take any precautionary measures to thwart the NDFB rebels who had threatened to wreak vengeance on Indian people.

Union home minister P. Chidambaram, who had hurriedly arrived in Assam on November 12, while addressing a top-level security meeting in a CRPF guesthouse, ordered an all-out operation by the security forces against the NDFB faction that is on a killing spree in the state. Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, along with top police officials from the state, was present in the meeting. Chidambaram did not buy Gogoi’s suggestion that that Assam needed more security personnel. The Union home minister’s argument was that there were only about 150 NDFB militants in hiding in the state and it would not be difficult for the forces available in Assam to apprehend them.

NDFB is an offshoot of the long-drawn agitation by the Bodos for a separate Bodoland state. The Union government tried to assuage the feelings of the Bodo people by first granting them an autonomous area and thereafter putting the area under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The NDFB was totally sidelined in the entire process. A section of the NDFB is in government-designated camps after surrendering.

A few NDFB leaders, including its chairman Ranjan Daimary, are in jail. The group lost nearly 75 of its hardcore cadre in operations conducted by the security forces from January to November. Only those few who have remained outside are still clamouring for a separate and sovereign Bodoland and creating problems by resorting to terrorism.

What Assam needs today, besides additional Central forces, is the political will and acumen to take on the militant faction of the NDFB. The Bodo impasse will continue to be a thorn in the flesh unless the government in Dispur can muster up a coherent strategy to neutralise the extremists. In its latest fatwa, the belligerent faction of the NDFB has warned both Bodos and non-Bodos living in the Bodoland area not to conspire or hobnob with the security forces otherwise all would meet the same fate as on November 8. The government must take that warning seriously and act before it is too late.

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Several finance institutions exploit poor farmers

Orissa Agricultural loans: Micro Finance, mega bucks

A debt-ridden tenant farmer Ratnakar Jena of Andara village in Kendrapara district of Orissa committed suicide by consuming insecticide last month. The victim was landless and had taken loan from a local Micro Finance Institution (MFI) to cultivate the land he had taken on agreement. But a poor crop rendered him unable to pay back the loan in the stipulated time. A high rate of interest made the situation worse. And then there was pressure on the poor fellow from the MFI to repay the amount. In these circumstances, Jena had little choice and he chose the easiest way out— he quit! This is just one of the many cases of farmer suicide in the state. Although micro credit system is considered to be a tool for poverty alleviation, but the increasing number of farmer suicides under debt burden tells a different story. It shows that instead of providing relief to farmers, the MFIs are extorting money from them! It has often been complained that many fraud co-operative banks and micro finance institutions are operating in the rural areas of the state, and as expected, they do not go by the RBI guidelines and instead charge huge interest on the money they lend.

Although MFI operations in Orissa are widespread, there are no guidelines regarding the interest rate. In this context, noted economist Santosh Mahapatra opines, “While the banks provide loans to MFIs at 13 per cent (base rate 8 per cent and charge rate 5 per cent) but these MFIs charge 28 per cent to 36 per cent from their clients, which is obviously very high.” Kailash Mishra, chief of Awareness (India) Finance Limited, a micro credit organisation, says, “When MFIs take loans from the nationalised banks at 13 to 16 per cent, they will naturally claim more than 20 per cent from their clients.”

State Finance Minister Prafulla Ghadei says that the government is taking steps to minimise the exploitation of farmers at the hands of unscrupulous financial institutions by entrusting NABARD with a larger role in agriculture sector. NABARD will be the monitoring authority for the MFIs.

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Andhra Pradesh Maoists: Story of a 'red' herring

It came as a shock to many. Some refused to believe it when they saw her picture in newspapers. For those who knew her as Sirisha, a playschool teacher in Hyderabad, it was hard to swallow that the woman was actually a Maoist and her real name was Padmakka.

Padmakka, also called Nirmala and Sharada, is the wife of top Maoist leader Ramakrishna alias Akkiraju Haragopal, better known as RK. She was arrested by Orissa Police at Koraput where she was to meet her husband. She had a reward of Rs. two lakh on her head.

For the last few years she had been working as manager cum teacher at Rainbow Home-Aman Vedika, a playschool for orphans run by the NGO Aman Biradari at Seethaphalmandi in Chilkalaguda. “It is really hard to believe that one of my colleagues was an activist of an outlawed outfit,” a worker at the orphan home told The Sunday Indian.

Another important aspect in the episode is her strategic silence. The present times, particularly the last three years, are considered to be the period of “recession” (some analysts say it's extinction) in the 40- year history of Naxalism in Andhra Pradesh. Besides the leaders of Janasakthi, like Riyaz, almost all the top guns of CPI Maoists, including Azad, Sudharsan, Ravi Kumar, Madhav, Rajamouli, Patel Sudhakar, Sakhamuri Apparao were gunned down during this period. With the counter-revolutionary action of the state government, the organisational structure of the Maoists in North Telangana, Dandakaranya and Andhra-Orissa border suffered a body blow. During this period Padmakka probably thought it prudent to remain away from direct action and in disguise to dodge the police.

Padmakka had approached Aman Vedika through a lawyer in 2008. She introduced herself as Kandula Sirisha, a destitute woman with modest education up to plus two level.

“Though she was appointed a play teacher to the kids, she was later elevated to the managerial post considering her dedication towards the kids,” an executive at the Rainbow Home told TSI on condition of anonymity. Sirisha treated the kids with the same affection as a mother would her own children. While working almost round the clock she seldom availed leave. It seemed like she had no other interests in life.

However, Sirisha took leave for 10 days against some ‘exigencies’ at her native place, on November 9— a day before the north zone Deputy Commissioner of police, Nagi Reddy, and the local Inspector of police were to visit the place for distributing clothes and fruits to the children.

Later, the staff and the children of Rainbow Home were shell shocked to see her photo in the newspapers and on the television screens, with reports stating that Sirisha was a Maoist and was caught at the Andhra-Orissa border.

But the small kids, to whom she was a beloved amma (mother), can't understand all this. Blissfully away from the politics-ridden, complex world of the adults, the children of the orphanage only know that the woman— whatever be her name— loved them and cared for them. And so they loved her and cared for her. The rest they don't want to know. So the children, about a hundred of them, are yearning to see her back amidst them. As they also came to know that she was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days, the unyielding kids are reluctant to have food till their amma comes back. But as her return does not look possible, the people at the Rainbow Home are in a fix.

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WBPCB's arbitrary decisions hurt fireworks traders

Deafened by noise?

The West Bengal State Pollution Control Board’s dictum on noise pollution is not in accordance with the standard set by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The national standard at 125 decibels was fixed by the National Committee on Noise Pollution Control (NCNPC) after considering a detailed study done by National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Services (DIPAS). It also considered the permissible decibel standards in several other countries.

The WBPCB first set the permissible noise level at 65 decibel (dB) in 1996. But its decision was challenged in the Court where the counsel for the Board could not explain the logic behind fixing the noise level at 65 dB. Justice Bhagabati Prasad Banerjee of Calcutta high Court said in his order, “The Pollution Control Board in our view has acted in a manner which is illegal.” The court directed the Board to take a decision by October 3, 1997. The meeting with the fireworks dealers was held once, as had been directed by the High Court, but ended without any conclusion. Then, the PCB came out with new standard of 90 dB, again without any scientific data or study to support its decision. But it took shelter under Rule 3(2) of WBPCB Act, which empowers it to adopt more stringent standards. But can that right be exercised without any scientific logic?

Those who are directly affected by this decision include the manufacturers, workers and the traders who deal in fireworks. The fireworks industry is incurring losses in crores due to the PCB's arbitrary decisions.

West Bengal is the gateway to the markets for firecrackers— majority of which come from Tamilnadu’s Sivakasi-based industries— in eastern and northeast India. The Court has allowed importing fireworks of more than 90 dB (but less than 125 dB) for re-export out of the state. But the traders find it difficult as the police seize goods on way to export. A petition signed by 8000 traders and dealers, on behalf of the Pradesh Atasbaji Byabsaee Samity to WBPCB to adhere to the nationally accepted standard has been rejected. The Samity also approached the Standing Committee of the concerned department but it too went in vain.

The police, who seldom carry proper equipment to measure the decibels, harass the common people using firecrackers, and arrest indiscriminately even on festival days each year. They even do not care for the Supreme Court’s order dated March 26, 2007 that says, “…for the festivals and ceremonies, the restrictions can be relaxed… subject to directions given by the appropriate authorities of Department of Explosive”.

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All my films are a process of self-annihilation

Why are you more exhausted this time after completing "Guzaarish" than you’ve ever been before?
You noticed that? I am completely drained of all energy. I didn’t realise how tired I was until the film was over. Then my body just gave up. To get myself out of the house to promote the film is an ordeal for me. All my films are a process of self-annihilation for me. With every film of mine a part of me gets left behind. With "Guzaarish" I’ve left more than just a portion of myself behind. In it I’ve lived the pain of facing the isolation of failure after "Saawariya".

Was that a tough time for you?
Yes, it was the toughest time of my life. Suddenly everyone disappeared, and that included the people who had worked with me on "Saawariya" for two years... Because of the suffering I began to get seriously interested in the subject of mercy killing. After studying the super-sensitive subject for almost a year I concluded that every human being should have the right to die with dignity.

That’s how "Guzaarish" was born?
Yes, the pain and suffering and the dignity with which I bore them prompted me to make a film on mercy killing. I was shocked to read newspaper reports of people pleading to let the life of a critically ailing child/parent/spouse go. While researching on the subject I fobbed off all temptation to watch films on the subject of mercy killing. I didn’t want to get even remotely influenced in my thought and vision by what other filmmakers have done on the subject. Having said that, I confess I enjoy the pain underlining my creations. I love cinema so much that I want to give it more and more. I had to work ten times harder on "Guzaarish" than my first film "Khamoshi: The Musical".

Curiously "Guzaarish" is your third film on physically-psychologically challenged characters.
I want to ask you one thing: Aren’t the fighters who face and overcome all physical and psychological and social odds our real heroes? When I made films on the hearing and speech impaired, "Khamoshi", and "Black" and now about a quadriplegic, people asked, why films on such peripheral people? Because I want such special people to enter our mainstream society through mainstream cinema. My hero may not be able to walk but his spirit soars. He has a story to tell, jokes to crack, a life to live. Although so much has been taken away from him, Hrithik in "Guzaarish" understands the value of life better than you or me. A hero doesn’t have to beat up ten people and put his hands up in the air in slow-motion and sing love songs.

So are your films supposed to be for a social good?
No no! I make them for selfish reasons. My survival instinct has sharpened after "Black" and "Guzaarish". I met quadriplegics who have lost the use of their limbs but not their spirit. They are not dark, defeated people. Our specialist on the sets, Dr Indu Tandon introduced me to bright people paralysed in body, and yet they are so buoyant. One of these kids John Julius became the hero of "Guzaarish". Hrithik plays this caustic undefeated hero in a wheelchair. John and Hrithik became great friends. They started exchanging emails. Hrithik changed John’s life completely. If my cinema can change one life, I’ve achieved what I had to achieve. We had to get the details right. It’s about a quadriplegic. But it isn’t about quadriplegia. Hrithik plays a magician who after an accident brings magic into people’s life on the radio, and his interaction with the two people in his life, played by Aishwarya and Aditya Roy Kapoor.

Aamir Khan thinks the little girl in "Black" (Ayesha Kapoor) was treated brutally.
Yes, I keep hearing the girl was traumatised. But Behroze Vachha, who has spent all her life working with the deaf and the blind thought otherwise; whom should I believe? I don’t worry about what others have to say. My proudest moment was when the principal of the Helen Keller Institute told me after "Black" that what she couldn’t achieve in 60 years, I did with that one film. I rest my case.

Aamir had a lot of problems with your "Devdas" and "Black"?
He did. But that’s because he cares about my cinema. If he didn’t he wouldn’t spend so much passion talking about it. He may not agree with what I do in my films. But finally I make what I have to make. I appreciate it when an actor of his caliber brings out a certain perspective on my cinema. As long as the intentions are not to run my cinema down I am open to all criticism. He has problems with my cinema just as I may have problems with a lot of his performances.

Would you like Aamir to see your new film?
I would certainly like him to see "Guzaarish". He genuinely cares for cinema. I was upset when he brought up issues regarding "Black" when his "Taare Zameen Par" was on release. The timing seemed unfortunate.

Why are your films so often set in the Anglo-Indian community?
That’s the influence of my school and teachers. The passion with which they taught, the homes in which they lived and where I was invited on rare occasions… I was enamoured of their lives, their eating habits, their red wine in crystal glasses… It was so different from the Gujarati life that I led in my chawl in Bhuleshwar. It provided me an alternate reality.

Hrithik actually learnt magic tricks and got flabby to play the quadriplegic in "Guzaarish"?
I don’t believe in method acting. I don’t instruct my actors too closely. I just tell them what I want. I wanted Hrithik to know his character’s state of mind. If he played a magician, he knew he had to learn magic tricks. A person who is in bed for 14 years had to be flabby. I am glad Hrithik has reached a stage in his career where he’s ready to surrender to a part and not be concerned only with looking good. Audiences want to see stars become part of the drama.

How has Aishwarya Rai Bachchan grown as an actor since "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" and "Devdas"?
Because I know her so well I knew what to tap out of her in our third film together. Her character Sophia is very different from what she did in my earlier films. She is so strong and so resilient. She’s intelligent and hungry for good work because she lives in a family of great actors. She has nothing more to prove. She just enjoys the process of acting.

You’ve also composed the songs in "Guzaarish". How different is it composing your music from getting music from other composers?
You can never get the exact music you want from others. Since you know your characters you know exactly what kind of songs they would feel. The songs came from deep within me. I had a great time working with R.D Burman, Jatin-Lalit, Ismail Darbar and Monty. But the music in "Guzaarish" is my own and very important. My reward was when Amitabh Bachchan said he loved the music; it meant so much to me. Also, the fact that my songs have connected with the young people makes me want to go deeper into music.

People are commenting on the self-contained no-man’s land in which your cinema unfolds…
My films are my world. It’s a world different from the real world and different from the word you see in other people’s films. My "Devdas" was not set in 1939. It was timeless. This doesn’t mean I’d show Devdas talking on a cellphone. I want that moment that bonds two lovers to be relevant even a hundred years from now. For me the joy of crossing boundaries within mainstream cinema is what making films is about. I want to know how my quadriplegic hero Hrithik Roshan in "Guzaarish" is any less heroic than Salman Khan in "Dabangg". I firmly believe the common man has uncommon sense of aesthetics and drama. Wasn’t there a time when Bimal Roy’s films were mainstream hits? "Iqbal" and "Black" were hits in recent times. If Daniel-Day Lewish can be much appreciated as a quadriplegic in "My Left Foot", so can Hrithik Roshan. I’ve great faith in the audience.

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Why Mamta Banerjee is fit to be India's Prime Minister too?

IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism

DR. MALAY CHAUDHURI, CHIEF CONSULTING EDITOR, THE SUNDAY INDIAN

While reflecting on a Star Ananda programme that featured Mamata Banerjee amongst creative artists and intellectuals from different fields on the occasion of 'Vijaya Sammelani', it struck me to note that there is no other known politician in the whole country who finds pleasure in meeting creative artists and intellectuals, and discussing with them the current problems of policy issues and the ways to find solutions to them. It's incredible that despite her busy schedule, she meets intellectuals and creative artists almost regularly, and not just for a one-off photo opportunity. It is clear that she sincerely enjoys meeting them and discussing with them the problems of West Bengal.

This is something really worth thinking and pondering upon. Is there any other known politician in India who meets intellectuals and creative artists – the most sensitised of people – to discuss the direction of the socioeconomic change needed? In contrast, our dynastic democrats enjoy meeting dreaded criminals secretly, even openly, and are not ashamed to nominate them as candidates for electoral posts and induct them as ministers. Intellectuals around Mamata Banerjee are not only top experts in their respective fields, but they are excellent human beings. They are around her not because of the possibility to share power in the post election scenario – indeed, many of them have openly and publicly declared that they will not accept any political position in the government – but because they are committed to the people of West Bengal who suffered during the misrule of the corrupt Congress government for 30 years and then for another 33 years under the regional rural variety of Stalinist regimes.

Mamta Banerjee

Out here, it's worth mentioning that Jyoti Basu created history of sorts by demonstrating how a state level administration under an otherwise democratic Constitution at the Central level can be transformed into a dictatorial party rule by systematically rigging elections held every five years with the held of a unionised and most corrupt police force. Thus, dictatorship and party rule prevailed in West Bengal without the help of the army as well! In fact, Jyoti Basu is also famous for ushering in a state administration without any financial accountability! He openly denied the right of the Centre to ask for proper accounts for the money handed over to the state for implementing Centrally sponsored projects! He propounded the theory that since people of West Bengal contributed to the central kitty, which was the source of the fund handed over to the West Bengal government, the state government did not need to submit reports to the Centre on utilisation of the fund supplied by the Centre. In the process, state
budgets as well as Central funds were mismanaged and literally looted by the Left front parties to enrich themselves. The dynastic democrats of the Centre, of course, collaborated with the regional CPM Stalinists because they required numbers in the Parliament to continue their own loot, to promote crony capitalism and to share wealth cornered by the newly created billionaires by the dozens!

Most probably, people of West Bengal were the first to bring communists to power by the ballot way back in 1977. Although Kerala's communists were in power twenty years before in 1957, that was through a sort of caste and communal coalitions under the leadership of communists like Namboodripad and others including non-communists. In West Bengal, people in general were pro-poor under the influence of progressive writers and poets; and they voted consciously to bring into power a regime that they hoped will help the poor masses. And now, after being thoroughly betrayed by the Left front during the last so many years under Jyoti Basu and others, the masses are finding Mamata Banerjee a sincere and proper mass leader, who enjoys the image of being a non-corrupt politician. Her lifestyle – which is almost Gandhian – as a simple warmhearted person has contributed to her popularity immensely.

To electorally fight the self-styled Marxists of the most ferocious and unscrupulous variety who have immense money power (collected throughout the last 33 years) promoting corruption through a nexus of Ps (Promoters-Police-Politicians), Mamata Banerjee is likely to need coloured money and musclemen. But it is also clear, absolutely clear, that her involvement with questionable characters and coloured currency is minimal compared to the dynastic democrats in other states and the Centre. Therefore, the good-hearted and absolutely brilliant intellectuals and creative artists have reasons to be quite optimistic about the "change" she may usher in after coming to political power, when the compulsion to use colourful money and shady musclemen will no longer be there.

I would not deter from stating that she is absolutely superior quality material when seen against all political scamsters, patrons of criminals and corrupt crony entities of all varieties – despite their so-called "inner conscience" and commitment to "aam aadmi" (as per them, to those having income of up to Rs.5 to 10 lakhs) – as per definitions applicable to different states and their place in the corruption and political criminalisation index of parties.

Therefore, my support is not just for Mamata's Chief Ministerial candidature for West Bengal, but in the future even for the Prime Minister's post in the Centre, provided she really builds up a truly democratic party and implements a socio-political-economic programme with clear respect and perspective for the majority at the bottom of the pyramid; and provided she shows the way to reach out to the "suffering India" instead of standing only for the "shining India".

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Hollywood's finest leading ladies Milla Jovovich

IIPM Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Profile

A quick look at Milla Jovovich's filmography will tell you that she's not one to be messed with. Among Hollywood's finest leading ladies when it comes to kickass action, she talks about acting, stunts and motherhood with Neha Sarin

Tell us what you love about this character of Alice in the “Resident Evil” franchise that you keep coming back to her?
Well, I was always a real fan of strong female characters while growing up and watching Frederick Cats and watching Shira, and reading comic books and was really into Sci-fi, fantasy novels, and reading Dragon Land. I was a real fantasy geek growing up, watching Kung Fu theatre with my dad every Sunday, so for me I always had this dream of being one of those ninjas, it was always something I wanted to be and when I grew up, it was the same as well. Being physical was always a part of my life in a way, so when I got the opportunity to sort of be a past of this video games, it just seemed really fun, it was my brothers favourite game and he was like "Oh my God, you will play my favourite” so I pretty much did it for him and we never expected this kind of small film to snowball into what its become at this point. I met my husband through it and it's almost 10 years of my life dedicated to it and of course, I have such a love for it because it gives me an opportunity to do some that I love so much which is fly and do really crazy stunts.

What do you think it says about female empowerment?
Well, apart from Angelina Jolie's movies or the underworld stuff, it's one of the only films where girls really get to take control and they are not the ones saying, “look out, duck” which is normally the girls role in an action film which is either damsel in distress or a high powered corporate evil woman or something. But you seldom have a woman taking control physically and being able to take on these challenges physically…it's a very Asian thing; you see that a lot in Asian movies. You see really incredible action female theses, it is wonderful that it's been able to cross over and come over here.

What's interesting too is that the whole “Resident Evil” game franchise is based on female characters - Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, Veronica - these are all really strong females. My brother played Jill Valentine, he was not playing like the dude in the game, he was playing the girl…so even the boys were playing the girl characters, which says a lot about how much these women kind of hit a nerve in a lot of young boys. I think it's amazing that we were able to take that and translate into the film world because “Resident Evil” was always that kind of underground game.

Do you think 3-D has made a difference?
Definitely! It's a very immersive experience, as immersive as it is for the audiences; it was just like that for us as actors. You really can't cheat, so when someone throws a punch, a lot of times you are going to get hit by it because you have to be so close, so definitely as actors, we felt like one with our characters, because when those action scenes had happened, you cant lie, you got to get right in there so that the camera doesn't see you cheating and a lot of time there was no cheating.

You are a tough girl on the big screen but you are also a fashion and beauty icon. How's is that combination working out for you?

Well this year, I have been doing a lot of movies, so I haven't been able to do fashion week. I love fashion week but modelling has built my career along with acting, and I have been so lucky to make such amazing friends in the industry and it's made me who I am. That's for sure…being around artists, amazing writers and photographers and art directors, its made my style what it is, inspired by people, by different photographers and different images, the books that I read and people going, “Oh! You have to read this photography book” and just being able to educate myself aesthetically. It's definitely made me who I am, as a person, stylistically what I like.

This may sound weird, but as an actor, I live in a bit of an insulated world. I work on sets, or modelling jobs on a airplane, I have my family so when I come home, I stay home a lot because LA has become a zoo when it comes to paparazzi and stuff and things that I was never used to. Six years ago, you didn't have this kind of madness, so I have become very insulated in my world. So, its fun fore me to inspire myself, I don't like to be boring.

You are the star of the movie, you are in the franchise. How is it at home, as your husband is the director? Do you whack him?
(Laughs) What kind of an interview is this? What part of my life are we going into?

In “Resident Evil: Afterlife”, Alice becomes a human. What does that add to everything?
Oh, there is a joy to it, there is a bit of a sense of humour that she has that she has never really had before. There is a more relaxed quality to her, now that she is part of a team again, throughout all the movies, she was always the outsider, in the first film, she had no memory and then when she did get her memory, it was like, “Oh! You are responsible for this disaster” and then she went to being on her own and now is the first time that she's being able to interact with people on a level that's equal.

Does your daughter accompany you while shooting?
Oh! She goes with me everywhere. You know that's one of the biggest blessings, now that I am a mom I realise that this career allows me to bring my child to work with me which is so rare for working moms. I am so lucky that she can be a part of it, especially now that I am doing “The Three Musketeers”, she is having a great time, she has got all these inexpensive princess dresses, the bigger the better, the more cheesy and rhinestones, she loves it. When me and the other girls are wearing out costumes, she is wearing her dresses, pink and gold.

So you won't be surprised if she wants to be an actress like her mother?
I don't know but it's hilarious she is such an actress and it's really fun to see her perform.


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Rakht Charitra: A neo-modern-wannabe 300

Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....

A bloody disgrace

You would be forgiven if you thought the narrator was choking on something. Couple of moments later, you would be betting on throat cancer. Ramu has done it again!

Through a thoroughly predictable effort, Ram Gopal Verma has reiterated that he is systematically losing his balance of sanity. This time he chose to disgrace the clichéd theme of political feud. The plot is simple: Rivalry degenerates into macabre killings involving huge rocks, sickles and even a bore well. Prathap (Vivek Oberoi), the son of a murdered former politician is out to avenge the cold-blooded murder of his father and brother. His target is any and everyone who conspired against his family. As the setup is Andhra, the cast, excluding a few exceptions has been borrowed from the Telugu film-industry. Apparently the movie is based on a true story. Whatever it is based on had inspired Ramu to shoot a sequel due next month!! At this rate of increasing audacity, don’t rule out a remake of David Lynch’s “Eraserhead”.


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Jhoota Hi Sahi: Lacks the vital element of emotional engagement

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Judging by the number of names of lesser known philosophers touted around, you’d have expected the characters in "Jhootha Hi Sahi" to be a tad more realistic and matured. Instead most of the characters are conveniently written to pack in as much quasi pop philosophy as possible in two and a half hours. John Abraham is Sid, who runs a second hand book shop with his friends Omar (Raghu Ram) and Amit (Omar Khan). Thanks to a misprint on a suicide helpline number, Sid begins receiving calls on his home phone from people about to commit suicide. The chance connection results in Sid talking to Mishka (Pakhi) and they develop a strong bond.

Mishka coincidentally drops in to Sid’s bookshop, the next day and soon enough Sid fall in love. But complications are created by the existence of Mishka’s ex-flame (played by R Madhavan in a sketchily written role), Sid’s girlfriend, Krutika (Manasi Scott) and the fact that Sid has been cooking up fantastical stories about his life to keep Mishka upbeat about life on the phone.

The film has a few cute as well as hilarious moments but is terribly slow in its build up and is not cinematically engaging. A R Rahman’s music is decidedly below par and only helps jar matters further. Performances wise, there isn’t even a single one that stands out. At one point in time, Sid refers to a sketch made by Mishka as a painting. The film suffers from a similar flaw.

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Letters to Juliet: Enjoyable, but too conventional

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“Letters to Juliet” is one of those romantic comedies which comes right out of the canvas of a painter madly in love. You can safely place your bets on each guess you make on the next ten scenes or rather the next fifty. Vanessa Redgrave as Claire is totally stunning and so are the locales of Verona where the film is shot. The letters in question are letters written and pasted on the walls under the balcony of the star-crossed lover Juliet Capulet of “Romeo and Juliet” fame. Amanda Seyfried, playing Sophie, discovers a fifty year old letter written by Claire and makes her embark a journey to find the love of her life, Lorrenzo (played by Franco Nero). During the search for Lorrenzo, Charlie (Claire’s grandson) and Sophie fall in love. Though, the movie could not quite portray why. One just accepts it in the sun bathed cinematography which makes everything seem romantic. At the end, it’s all rather pleasant, but it’s also all rather conventional.

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Mobile handset production in India has seriously lagged the telecom services revolution.

IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management

Current trends provide an opportunity to rectify this anomaly. Can India take it up when it matters?

Post liberalisation, the grand telecom story has been a flagship of India’s corporate prowess, and has developed business models that are benchmarks for players across the world. However, the flip side of the story is that while players, both Indian and international, have lined up in good numbers for the telecom services space, a similar exuberance wasn’t visible in the telecom handset manufacturing space in the initial years.

Slowly but surely, the MNCs that saw India as a market also started seeing its potential as a manufacturing hub. LG has manufacturing facilities for handsets near New Delhi and on the outskirts of Pune. It is further planning now to set up a facility in South India to export handsets from here to European and CIS countries. Its Korean counterpart Samsung also manufactures mobile phones at its facility in Chennai. Market leader Nokia set up its plant at Sriperumbudur, Chennai, with a manufacturing capacity of 5,00,000 units per day. The Indian Cellular Association (ICA) came out with a report titled ‘Enabling the mobile handset and component manufacturing value chain in India’ in 2005, where it had mentioned that indigenous design and manufacturing would help companies achieve higher localisation.

Considering the present scenario, the field is expected to split wide open now with the right impetus. India has become the world’s second largest mobile handset market with the sales expected to reach 140 million units in 2010 and grow to 206 million units in 2014, a CAGR of 20% (Gartner). Trends could soon change, considering the thrust being provided by the emerging domestic players who have eaten up a substantial market share from established international players in a short time. As was reported by IDC some time back, market leader Nokia saw its market share drop alarmingly to 36.3% in 2009 compared to 54% in the previous year due to players like Micromax, Spice, Lava, Karbonn and G’Five.

They are likely to follow the trail of the MNC giants before them and get into full fledged manufacturing. Sure enough, Micromax is expected to invest half of the money raised through its upcoming IPO to set up a manufacturing unit in Chennai. Other players like Videocon, Lava, Wyncomm and Karbonn are planning to start manufacturing operations, while Spice has commenced trial production. In fact, even Chinese players like ZTE and Huawei feel that the 5-10% of benefit on shipping from China is attractive enough to set up operations here. “With most local companies including ourselves seriously considering manufacturing in India, the country seems to be emerging not only as the second biggest EMS location but also a mobile manufacturing hub,” says Arvind Vohra, Co-Founder & MD, Wynn Telecom Ltd.

There are major reasons for visualising India as a global manufacturing hub or production factory. Firstly, the cost effectiveness of manufacturing in India. Ganesh Ramamoorthy, Analyst, Gartner, states, “The opportunity is very high to set up a manufacturing base in India. Two factors are involved for decision (to manufacture) – volume targetted by companies and business model used.” Mobile connections in India will grow by 27.3% in 2010 to reach above 660 million with revenue of $19.8 billion to be generated (mobile services). Along with this, mobile penetration for 2010 is projected at 55.9%, which is expected to reach 82% by 2014. Mobile production revenue in India is expected to grow from $10.14 billion to $28 billion at a CAGR of 18.1% (Gartner). According to Pankaj Mohindroo, President, ICA, “Around 135 million phones were manufactured in India last year, which is 11% of total global manufacturing. Out of this number, around 70 million were exported.” The plan is to take the share to 20%. There are people who contest these figures, saying that manufacturing in India is actually more of assembling.

S. N. Rai, Co-founder & Director, Lava International Ltd. admits, “In the long-run China will not be too competitive as compared to India. In order to get the ball rolling for manufacturing in India the players need to achieve a ‘Critical Mass Production and Market Base’ which will make manufacturing here profitable.” Now it’s up to the government to seize the opportunity and ensure that the local handset industry gets the required force and capability to meet the demands in future. One of the key demands of the industry is to be provided STPI as was done for the IT industry. For a manufacturing sector to grow, the most vital aspect is the ecosystem and supply chain, where China has a huge advantage. Presently, very little component sourcing is happening in India. Only electrical and mechanical parts are made here whereas electronic components are all imported. Just as handset manufacturers are showing interest, the government needs to attract component vendors to set up production here, which will help keep the handsets competitive. A thrust at this critical time can do wonders for mobile handset manufacturing in India. It is a bus we can ill afford to miss.

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