Organiser

Vol. LIX, No. 44, New Delhi, May 11, 2008

On N-deal Advani is right
India can and should secure an equal and better 123 deal
By O.P. Gupta, IFS (Retd)

THERE is no dearth of US experts, UPA-inspired spin doctors and Indian intellectuals who advise ad nauseum that India must quickly complete negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] and the Nuclear Suppliers Group [NSG] so as to rush the India-US Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement [123] to the US Congress before June/July 2008 and get signature of the outgoing President George Bush before he demitted office in January 2009. more >

Special Report
ISRO creates space history
Ten satellite launched at a time
FOC

INDIAN scientists created space history by successfully delivering 10 satellites in a single launch vehicle. The team of scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation under the leadership of Dr. Madhavan Nair achieved this feat on April 29. more >

A Matter Of Economics
This inflation is cartel driven
By R. Balashankar

THE UPA government’s inflation fire fighting has gone berserk. The Finance Minister P Chidambaram has amended his budget proposals thrice in two months. Concluding the debate on the Finance Bill on April 29, the Finance Minister told the Lok Sabha that the UPA government’s policies... more >

Editorial
Bangladesh Grameen Bank in Assam
Legitimate channels for illegitimate purposes

THE Congress Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi is taking undue interest in making the Bangladesh Grameen Bank open its branches in the state. According to reports in a couple of months three branches of the BGB will be opened in the state. more >

Local body elections in Uttarakhand
Victory of independents relegates national parties
By Ravindra Saini

THE BJP has managed to win only 18 out of the 60 posts of municipal chairperson in Uttarakhand Local Body (ULB) elections, just one ahead of the Congress. Independents won 22 seats, four ahead of the BJP. more >

Feature Article
A development vision for Himachal
By Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal

APRIL 15 is a red-letter day in the annals of Himachal Pradesh, as it was on this historic day in 1948 that the State came into existence after merger of 31 odd princely hill States. more >

Massive rally in the state capital, scintillating book release and a spiritual odyssey
L.K. Advani makes a big impact in Kerala
By S. Chandrasekhar

A confident and resurgent Shri L.K. Advani attended various programmes during his two-day visit to Kerala on April 26 and 27. more >

Sangh Samachar

Seminar on North East in Varanasi
Government protecting infiltrators in Assam—Vijaya Chakravorty - By Loknath
Baisakhi Milan by Rashtriya Sikh Sangat - FOC
National executive meeting of Grahak Panchayat in Gwalior - FOC
Bajrang Dal protests serial killing of cows in Delhi - FOC
Candle march by ABVP in support of Tibetans - FOC
Tribute to Prof. Krishnanand - FOC

Farmers die in Andhra
SEZs blamed
Samarchar Bharati, AP

TILL yesterday they were owners of 16 to 17 acres of farm land. Now they have become labourers in their own land. SEZs have swallowed up their land. So far 25 farmers lost their lives. more >

Iyengar yoga centre in Delhi
By Pramod Kumar

"DOCTORS at hospitals cure only a particular ailment at a time but yoga cures all disorders at one go. The medical science might have registered a remarkable progress today, but if we do not adopt the holistic methods of treatments which are in yoga, we might have to pay a heavy price in the coming days,” said Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, former Vice President of India. more >

Modi’s growth model has many admirers
By Deepak Kumar Rath

GUJARAT Chief Minister, Shri Narendra Modi said that with visionary initiatives of all, inclusive growth is taking shape in Gujarat, where a new word—RURBAN is emerging. more >

“Terrorism: A threat to national security” —Sushma Swaraj
FOC

"TERRORISM is enemy of the entire humanity. The international community should fight against it unitedly,” said senior BJP leader Smt. Sushma Swaraj. more >

Material progress: At what cost?
By O.P. Batra

THE neo-rich Indians and politicians may feel elated and proud that four Indians are among the ten richest people in the world, as per Forbes 2008 list. more >

My Country My Life launched in Kerala
“Advani: Politician, statesman and spiritualist”— P. Parameswaran

ON April 27, the grandiose and glittering Gokulam Park Hotel in Kochi was the venue for the official launch of My Country My Life in Kerala. more >

Bookmark

An insight into Kashmiri literature
By Vaidehi Nathan
The Courtesan's Keeper: A Satire From Ancient Kashmir, Translated by A.N.D. Haksar, Rupa & Co., pp 85, Rs 150.00

A dictionary of birds
About Indian Birds, Salim Ali and Laeeq Futehally, wisdom tree, pp. 122, Rs. 495.00 (HB)

Book Reviews by Manju Gupta

Colonialism and Nationalism
Raj to Swaraj: A Textbook on Colonialism and Nationalism in India, Ram Chandra Pradhan, Macmillan, pp 463, Rs 275.00

India’s spiritual dynamism
So Far So Near, Kinkar Krisnananda, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp 165, Rs 150.00

India’s Glorious Scientific Tradition-LV
Space is uniform while time is simple linear—Newton
By Suresh Soni

Politics defined post-Ayodhya
Our Republic Post December 6, 1992: A Dialogue, Jaswant Singh (Editor), Rupa & Co., pp 137, price not stated

A Reiki learner’s guide
The Reiki Guide: 200 Questions and Answers for Beginners, Lawrence Ellyard, Macmillan India Ltd, 192 pp, Rs 215.00

Cover Page

Conservative Estimates

Plan panel’s committee makes preposterous recommendations
UPA now cosying up to Naxals
By Ravi Shanker Kapoor

THE powers that be in our country are knowledge-proof. Do anything to get ride of their ignorance, but they remain ensconced in their own make-believe world, comfortably coexisting with shibboleths, myths and fabrication, which are conjured up by Leftists. more >

Economy Watch

Blame UPA for farmer suicides; farm crisis
By Naresh Minocha

PRIME Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has been projected by the media as guru of economic reforms ever since he unleashed radical initiatives after taking charge of finance portfolio in mid 1991. One of these initiatives was removal of statutory controls over pricing and marketing of all phosphatic and potassic fertilizers. This decision was taken to reduce fertilizer subsidy bill. more >

News Analysis

Tripura CPM leader’s terrorist connection exposed
By Raja Chakraborty in Agartala

CPM has been passing through probably the most crucial phase in its history in Tripura. One of its state leaders as well as a minister in the 12-member Manik Sarkar ministry has been named for having relations with an active worker of global terrorist organisations, Al Qaeda and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Bangladesh (HuJI). more >

The Moving Finger Writes

Ambedkar: Social reformist-cum-politician
By M.V. Kamath

IT is somewhat intriguing that the 117th birth anniversary of Dr B.R. Ambedkar on April 14 passed off quietly without much notice taken of it by the media. There was, of course, the mandatory flower offerings to his portrait in Parliament by our cynical political leaders who obviously had one eye on the forthcoming elections and another on the rising influence of Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh and the power of the dalit vote. more >

Think it over

Was caste a decisive factor in India’s defeat?
By M.S.N. Menon

NO, I do not think so, Why? Because the caste system was not so oppressive as is being made out. Let us see what A.L. Basham has to say on the matter. more >

Reminiscence

Veer Savarkar as a social reformer
By Dr. Shreerang Godbole

SWATANTRYAVEER Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (May 28, 1883 to February 26, 1966) was a fearless freedom fighter, social reformer, writer, dramatist, historian, political leader and philosopher. Unfortunately, Savarkar has been a victim of malice and misinformation. more >

Kids’ Org

Whoops! Historic bloopers to reckon
Compiled by Ratnadeep Banerji

“THERE is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home”, opined Ken Olson in 1977. Ken towered as the founder, chairman and president of Digital Equipment Corp (DEC) that had originally developed and fabricated 64-bit RISC microprocessor, Alpha AXP. Later everything was taken over by Compaq and subsequently sold out to Intel. more >

Media Watch

National media condones CPM crimes

ONE waits in vain for the media—specifically the English media—to take on the crimes of the CPM murderers. It is as if the media is hand-in-glove with the Communists who are in a tiny majority in India. Their two strongholds are in West Bengal and in Kerala in both of which states they have shown a total disregard to human lives and liberty. more >

Agenda

Clash of Buddhism and Communism in Tibet-II
UPA’s appease China policy is suicidal
By Dr Kunal Ghosh

A BRAHAMIC faiths have a marked tendency for destroying the older culture of the new lands into which they spread. After spreading into Europe Christianity nearly finished off the Greco-Roman Pagan culture of Europe. more >

Opinion

Price rise is unbearable, UPA clueless
By V. Shanmugnathan

THE prices of almost all the essential commodities like rice, wheat, sugar, pulses, red chlli, gram, edible oil, milk, fruits, vegetables, drugs and medicines have risen massively. The Government says that the market price of rice has gone up by 20 per cent, the price of edible oil has gone up by 40 per cent,... more >

Readers’ Forum

A Matter of Economics:
—NIKHIL GANDHI, Morkham, Ontario, Canada

A thorough analysis of globalisation in the past few issues of Organiser leaves no doubt about the chief causes of our country’s economic struggles. Add to this an honest historical account of Western imperialism and you get the ‘White Man’s Six-Step Formula for Success’. more >