This fact has faced the ire by the Indian media and by Salman Rushdie himself.
But, "Have we created a mountain out of a molehill? Does the present controversy deserve such a media attention? Is it due to the latest Islamophobia?" asks Firdous Syed
25 Jan 2012
Salamn Rushdie's non-appearance
Salman Rushdie did not attend the Jaipur literature festival as his creative expression has openly arrived under skepticism and has been indicated by the intelligence to be life-threatening.
Sino-Indian relations: Still in cold waters...
15 out of the 30 members had to be dropped by India who had to visit China as a part of a military delegation by not providing Visa or by expressing dissent over their inclusion, especially to an Arunachili... This is the 3rd instance when an Arunachili was not granted Visa by the Chinese...
Doesn't it indicate that the boundary issue is still rife? How do we solve it? Was an Arunachili included in the original delegation by purpose...?
Jabin T Jacob attempts to decipher it all...
Indian Police : Over-policing???
The Indian police system did not allow the outspoken Rushdie to express his views in the Jaipur literature festival...
Was it right on their part? Have they still upheld the ideology of Right of Speech...? Are they supporting the neo-liberal Indian?
Abhinav Kumar, A serving IPS Utharrakhand officer doesn't think so and he detailedly explains why... Infact, he beautifully explains the mechanisms of the Indian IPS, their roles and their mis functioning.
Tuberculosis is here to stay...
There is a direct conflict between the Hinduja Hospital and the Union Government in the type of TB that is endemic in Mumbai as of now, but one thing is for sure, whatever type of TB that is spreading out there, lack of infrastructure indicates it's here to stay awhile...
Lessons from the coup that failed
Bangladesh is happy that its armed forces foiled an attempt to destabilise the elected government. But the extremist, religious ideologies which reportedly influenced the plot are a cause for serious concern.
Bangladesh is no stranger to military interference in state affairs. It has endured many coups and mutinies in its 40 years of existence, as well as long spells of military rule. Ambitious generals have used the army to implement their designs. As it was part of Pakistan for 24 years, Bangladesh also has the passed-on legacy of the military meddling in politics. The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : Lessons from the coup that failed.
Three fundamental policy decisions are responsible for the heightened animosity: first, the Hasina government, with a three-fourths majority in Parliament, was determined to return the nation to its secular pro-liberation spirit; second, it took bold steps to improve relations with the neighbour which supported Bangladesh's historic Liberation War, and concluded progressive accords, addressing India's security concerns by taking a firm stand against its northeast insurgents; and thirdly, the government took the bold step of trying the perpetrators of the worst atrocities against humanity who collaborated with the marauding Pakistani army in the 1971 war.
Three fundamental policy decisions are responsible for the heightened animosity: first, the Hasina government, with a three-fourths majority in Parliament, was determined to return the nation to its secular pro-liberation spirit; second, it took bold steps to improve relations with the neighbour which supported Bangladesh's historic Liberation War, and concluded progressive accords, addressing India's security concerns by taking a firm stand against its northeast insurgents; and thirdly, the government took the bold step of trying the perpetrators of the worst atrocities against humanity who collaborated with the marauding Pakistani army in the 1971 war.
Secular, democratic Bangladesh is happy that its armed forces foiled an attempt to destabilise the elected government. But the extremist, religious ideologies, which reportedly aided the plot, cannot be erased so easily. The inroads made by the right-wing, fundamentalist elements in the army, are undoubtedly a worrying factor!
Goon with the wind
Jaipur's Rushdie-gate shows that mobocracy is gaining ground in India
Goon with the wind
-The Times of India, January 25, 2012
Goon with the wind
-The Times of India, January 25, 2012
'The biggest damage religion does is brainwashing children'
Q&A
Richard Dawkins is amongst the most provocative thinkers of our times. The Oxford University geneticist has waged a blazing intellectual war on religion, calling for the rule of science and rationality. At the recent Jaipur Literature Festival, Dawkins spoke about why he prefers science over faith, whether he is an 'atheist fundamentalist', - and issues such as immortality:
Interview - Q&A
-The Times of India, January 25, 2012
Richard Dawkins is amongst the most provocative thinkers of our times. The Oxford University geneticist has waged a blazing intellectual war on religion, calling for the rule of science and rationality. At the recent Jaipur Literature Festival, Dawkins spoke about why he prefers science over faith, whether he is an 'atheist fundamentalist', - and issues such as immortality:
Interview - Q&A
-The Times of India, January 25, 2012
Disconcerting Telepresence
The internet is creating new human networks not limited by geography or nationality
Disconcerting Telepresence
-The Times of India, January 25, 2012
"As more and more people experience activities through an internet telepresence, they are unlikely to care about what is American, what is Indian, and what is Chinese," says Narain D. Batra, professor of communications and diplomacy at Norwich University.
Disconcerting Telepresence
-The Times of India, January 25, 2012
"As more and more people experience activities through an internet telepresence, they are unlikely to care about what is American, what is Indian, and what is Chinese," says Narain D. Batra, professor of communications and diplomacy at Norwich University.
Republic Of Fear
A democracy shouldn't ban books
Republic Of Fear
-The Times of India, January 25, 2012
"When literary festivals ought to be a celebration of India's cultural vibrancy book bans, it is clear, have a train of unhealthy effects. They are one more weapon in the state's armoury to infantilise citizens and stymie civil society. It's time the government grasped the nettle by foregoing book bans, which would also entail repealing the ban on The Satanic Verses."
Republic Of Fear
-The Times of India, January 25, 2012
"When literary festivals ought to be a celebration of India's cultural vibrancy book bans, it is clear, have a train of unhealthy effects. They are one more weapon in the state's armoury to infantilise citizens and stymie civil society. It's time the government grasped the nettle by foregoing book bans, which would also entail repealing the ban on The Satanic Verses."
Inclement Weather
Ruling Akali Dal-BJP combine faces anti-incumbency in Punjab
Inclement Weather
-The Times of India, January 25, 2012
The ruling coalition party in Punjab, the Akali Dal-BJP, might not see itself in power post-elections. With the once-burgeoning economy now in skids, and with the party's promises being a smoke screen to the workings underneath, it wouldn't be over-optimistic to say that Congress might clinch power in the state.
Inclement Weather
-The Times of India, January 25, 2012
The ruling coalition party in Punjab, the Akali Dal-BJP, might not see itself in power post-elections. With the once-burgeoning economy now in skids, and with the party's promises being a smoke screen to the workings underneath, it wouldn't be over-optimistic to say that Congress might clinch power in the state.
Is the Navy's newest sub worth the price?
"Russian nuclear-powered submarine joins the Indian Navy as INS Chakra on a 10-year lease at a cost of over $one billion. Does it contribute to India's sea-based nuclear deterrence?"
The technology of INS Arihant is between first and second generation vintage. By comparison, the U.S. has ninth generation nuclear-powered subs which do not require refuelling throughout their lifetime.
The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Is the Navy's newest sub worth the price? The S-2 and the coming S-3 and S-4 vessels will lack adequate capabilities in three key areas of stealth, reactor design and missile range to become a deterrent against China, which with its Jin class subs is at least four decades ahead. These will have difficulty in even deterring Pakistan.
So there is a case to dispense with the S-3 and S-4 vessels which will consume enormous time and finances.We should leap-frog to work on S-5 vessels, with a new design and a powerful nuclear reactor, then India can hope to have a semblance of sea-based deterrence against China.
So there is a case to dispense with the S-3 and S-4 vessels which will consume enormous time and finances.We should leap-frog to work on S-5 vessels, with a new design and a powerful nuclear reactor, then India can hope to have a semblance of sea-based deterrence against China.
Developing long range ballistic missile would have to be an indigenous effort as it comes under global restrictive regimes. Why cannot ISRO with capabilities to propel rockets up to 10,000km help DRDO make 8,000km ballistic missiles? These hard questions need to be examined to produce credible sea-based deterrence.
Counter view: written by (Retd.) Vice Admiral Vijay Shankar.
This acquisition is an extremely perspicacious departure from the past for it is a concrete step towards the translation of the theory and realisation of the larger strategic maritime posture that serves policy.
As far as the economics of the matter is concerned, the deal is a sound one. Kudos are due to our planners who visualised a theory, saw a form and translated it to a force plan and now have given substance to each step of the way.
Pushing Iran to the brink
"The European Union has decided on oil sanctions that Tehran has long said would represent a declaration of war. What will follow?"
This decision to impose a EU oil embargo, sets a potential bomb ticking, timed to detonate on July 1. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Pushing Iran to the brink.
The U.S. has already begun beefing up its military presence in the region, and the IRGC is planning naval war games next month.
The U.S. has already begun beefing up its military presence in the region, and the IRGC is planning naval war games next month.
The Strait of Hormuz is the kink in the hose of the Gulf's oil supply to the world. A small amount of pressure can send crude prices soaring and starving the world's oil-dependent economies. Maintained over the long term, that is enough to strangle global economic recovery. But it is a decidedly double-edged one.
Until now the costs of a war with Iran outweigh the gains of setting the nuclear programme back. But if the U.S. were going to war over oil, that cost-benefit analysis would change.
Even if Washington and Tehran remain determined to avoid all-out war, with every passing month there is a rising chance of one breaking out by accident.
Caught between a rock and no place
"The United States has nearly halted the processing of visas for Iraqi refugees in Syria, leaving thousands of people who fled a war in their homeland marooned in a country in the grip of an increasingly violent insurrection, with little hope of leaving anytime soon."
The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : ‘Caught between a rock and no place'. Most Iraqi refugees are clustered in the suburbs of Damascus, can only wait as the unrest escalates and countries in the region like Israel worry about a new refugee crisis if Syria's government collapses or if a civil war erupts, two events that experts believe are increasingly likely.
Many Iraqis who escaped to Syria at the height of the sectarian violence were increasingly anxious, some have joined pro-government rallies to avoid deportation, while few want to go back to Iraq. But the stakes are higher now in the wake of the U.S. troop departure from Iraq.
The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : ‘Caught between a rock and no place'. Most Iraqi refugees are clustered in the suburbs of Damascus, can only wait as the unrest escalates and countries in the region like Israel worry about a new refugee crisis if Syria's government collapses or if a civil war erupts, two events that experts believe are increasingly likely.
Many Iraqis who escaped to Syria at the height of the sectarian violence were increasingly anxious, some have joined pro-government rallies to avoid deportation, while few want to go back to Iraq. But the stakes are higher now in the wake of the U.S. troop departure from Iraq.
The RBI's balancing act
The Reserve Bank of India has managed a delicate balancing act in the third quarter review of monetary policy 2011-12.
The reduction in cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 0.50 percentage point to 5.5 per cent will somewhat ease the tight liquidity conditions in the money market. The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : The RBI's balancing act. While the decision to leave interest rates unchanged sends a clear signal that the apex bank is still not comfortable with the overall picture on inflation.
The RBI is clear that the budget should come up with policy initiatives to induce investment and concrete measures for fiscal consolidation, if it is to start pegging rates down.
Nigeria under siege
The series of bombings in Nigeria, for which the extreme Islamist group Boko Haram has claimed responsibility, reveal many interconnected problems.
There is widespread resentment in the northern region because of the country's unequal development; poverty and low educational levels mean hardliners there can spread hostility to the central government in Abuja. The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Nigeria under siege. The north stands to lose much more than the south by any separation, because Nigeria's greatest foreign earner, oil, lies in the southern states.
The overwhelming majority of Nigerians do not take religious differences to extremes; inter-faith marriages are common, and the public are angry about the same things, such as police brutality and official corruption.
President needs to find effective ways of leveraging these qualities of Nigerian society into an effective political weapon against Boko Haram's deadly violence.
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