Boundlessness and infinity are key to evolve

The need to fence off one’s physical territory – whether residential or commercial private property, an apartment complex, office premises or between nations – arises from mutual mistrust and suspicion and for safety and security. But ownership and possession, demarcation and divisions are so antithetical to the spiritual domain that promotes boundlessness; and these barriers are incongruous on the path leading to higher truths. Yet one is told, “You have to be practical.”

If dreamers and visionaries were ‘practical’ would we have witnessed bursts of innovation and creativity? If a sage were ‘practical’, would we be privy to deep philosophical insights that emerge from deep within her consciousness?

A recent study at Yale’s School of Environment reveals how the boom in fences is harming wildlife. Besides forcing genetic isolation, these unnatural barriers are hindering the movement of migratory species that need to move, unfettered. Which is why in South America, home of the jaguar, authorities have created borderless forest thoroughfares through various countries so that the jaguar can continue with its migration path. So too in Scandinavia’s northern parts where reindeer and indigenous tribes like the Inuit move between countries without artificial fencing/walls impeding their natural journeys for survival.

Former US President Donald Trump’s border wall between the US and Mexico not only prevented human movement but also that of wildlife, and led to breaks in landscape continuity. Jim Robbins reports in Yale E360, “Bighorn sheep or jaguars, for example, are cut off from others of their kind on the opposite side of the border. That means that the genetic interaction needed to keep small populations of jaguars or ocelots healthy may be affected. It also means bighorn sheep in Mexico may not be able to migrate north to escape a hotter and drier climate.” He adds that a new fencing project between Mongolia and China is impeding the movement of gazelles on their natural route. And says that fence ecology is intertwined with social and cultural issues.

Often, the effect of human ‘development’ and ‘civilisation’ is not a happy one; it tends to disrupt the natural order rather than add value to it. When acclaimed photojournalist Pablo Bartholomew, made preparations for an exhibition of his photo-captures of North eastern tribal cultures – the outcome of a Times Fellowship project in 1990 – he chose to hold it in the Northeast, rather than in the national capital; he wished to take it back to them. He said he wanted to remind the people of their own rich culture and sustainable traditions that they were in danger of losing to ‘development’ and ‘civilisation’.

Experts say that fencing off areas could also lead to concentration and/or flaring up of diseases that might have otherwise disappeared naturally; it could end symbiotic relationships between small, medium and large species that move about freely; it prevents people-to-people contact even among those with shared cultures and memories like those living in neighbouring countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Fences aren’t always a problem – in the right place they can be essential tools for conservation, to protect livestock from predators, and to protect human populations as well. But when taken too far, fences can end up disturbing the natural cycle that engenders life and chokes off free interplay of all creative and natural forces.

Are coincidences real?

There is a part of me that, despite myself, wants to entertain the possibility that the world really does have supernatural dimensions. It’s the same part of me that gets spooked by ghost stories, and that would feel uneasy about spending a night alone in a morgue. I don’t believe the Universe contains supernatural forces, but I feel it might. This is because the human mind has fundamentally irrational elements. I’d go as far as to say that magical thinking forms the basis of selfhood.

Our experience of ourselves and other people is essentially an act of imagination that can’t be sustained through wholly rational modes of thought. We see the light of consciousness in another’s eyes and, irresistibly, imagine some ethereal self behind those eyes, humming with feelings and thoughts, when in fact there’s nothing but the dark and silent substance of the brain. We imagine something similar behind our own eyes. It’s a necessary illusion, rooted deep in our evolutionary history. Coincidence, or rather the experience of coincidence, triggers magical thoughts that are equally deep-rooted.

The term ‘coincidence’ covers a wide range of phenomena, from the cosmic (in a total solar eclipse, the disk of the Moon and the disk of the Sun by sheer chance appear to have precisely the same diameter) to the personal and parochial (my granddaughter has the same birthday as my late wife). On the human, experiential, scale, a broad distinction can be drawn between serendipity – timely, but unplanned, discoveries or development of events – and what the 20th-century Lamarckian biologist and coincidence collector Paul Kammerer called seriality, which he defined as ‘a lawful recurrence of the same or similar things or events … in time and space’.

The biography of the actor Anthony Hopkins contains a striking example of a serendipitous coincidence. On first hearing he’d been cast to play a part in the film The Girl from Petrovka (1974), Hopkins went in search of a copy of the book on which it was based, a novel by George Feifer. He combed the bookshops of London in vain and, somewhat dejected, gave up and headed home. Then, to his amazement, he spotted a copy of The Girl from Petrovka lying on a bench at Leicester Square station. He recounted the story to Feifer when they met on location, and it transpired that the book Hopkins had stumbled upon was the very one that the author had mislaid in another part of London – an advance copy full of red-ink amendments and marginal notes he’d made in preparation for a US edition.

Hollywood provides another choice example of seriality. L Frank Baum was a prolific children’s author, best-known for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). He didn’t live to see his novel turned into the iconic musical fantasy film, yet he reputedly had a remarkable coincidental connection with the movie. The actor Frank Morgan played five roles in The Wizard of Oz (1939), including the eponymous Wizard. He makes his first appearance in the sepia-toned opening sequences as Professor Marvel, a travelling fortune-teller.

Movie lore says that, when it came to screen testing, the coat he was wearing was considered too pristine for an itinerant magician. So the wardrobe department was sent on a thrift-shop mission to find something more suitable, and returned with a whole closetful of possibilities. The one they settled on, a Prince Albert frock coat with worn velvet collars, was a perfect fit for the actor. Only later was it apparently discovered that, sewn into the jacket was a label bearing the inscription: ‘Made by Hermann Bros, expressly for L Frank Baum’. Baum had died some 20 years before the film was released but the coat’s provenance was allegedly authenticated by his widow, Maud, who accepted it as a gift when the film was completed.

While some coincidences seem playful, others feel inherently macabre

Some coincidences seem to contain an element of humour as if engineered by a capricious spirit purely for its own amusement. Not long after first moving to Canada in 2002, I made a dash across the busy Mississauga Road, misjudged the height of the kerb on the other side, tripped, fell awkwardly, and dislocated my right arm. After a few years, I noticed a stylish mahogany chair in the window of a charity shop, went straight in and bought it. I thought I’d have no trouble lugging the chair back to my flat half a mile away, but it turned out to be heavier than I expected and awkward to carry. As I was crossing the road where I’d had my fall five years previously, the chair slipped my grip, crashed to the ground and splintered its right arm. Hear the chuckles of the coincidence imp.

While some coincidences seem playful, others feel inherently macabre. In 2007, the Guardian journalist John Harris set out on ‘an intermittent rock-grave odyssey’ visiting the last resting places of revered UK rock musicians. About halfway through, he went to the tiny village of Rushock in Worcestershire to gather thoughts at the headstone of the Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, who died at the age of 32 on 25 September 1980, after consuming a prodigious quantity of alcohol.

A Guardian photographer had visited the grave a few days earlier to get a picture to accompany the piece. It was, writes Harris, ‘an icy morning that gave the churchyard the look of a scene from The Omen’ and, fitting with one of the key motifs of that film, the photographer was ‘spooked by the appearance of an unaccompanied black dog, which urinates on the gravestone and then disappears’. ‘Black Dog’ (1971) happens to be the title of one of the most iconic songs in the Led Zeppelin catalogue.

If we picture a continuum of coincidences from the trivial to the extraordinary, both the Hopkins and the Baum examples would surely be located towards the strange and unusual end. My ‘broken arms’ coincidence tends towards the trivial. Other, still more mundane examples are commonplace. You get chatting to a stranger on a train and discover you have an acquaintance in common. Y

ou’re thinking of someone and, in the next breath they call you. You read an unusual word in a magazine and, simultaneously, someone on the radio utters the same word. Such occurrences might elicit a wry smile, but the weirder ones can induce a strong sense of the uncanny. The world momentarily seems full of strange connections and forces.

It’s a state of mind resembling apophenia – a tendency to perceive meaningful, and usually sinister, links between unrelated events – which is a common prelude to the emergence of psychotic delusions. Individual differences may play a part in the experience of such coincidences.

Schizotypy is a dimension of personality characterised by experiences that in some ways echo, in muted form, the symptoms of psychosis, including magical ideation and paranormal belief. There is evidence to suggest that, within the general population, people who score high on measures of schizotypy may also be more prone to experiencing meaningful coincidences and magical thinking. Perhaps schizotypal individuals are also more powerfully affected by coincidence. Someone scoring high on measures of schizotypy would perhaps be more spooked by a death dream than I (a low scorer) was.

I have set naturalism and the supernatural in a binary opposition but perhaps there is a third way. Let’s call it the supernatural stance. This was the position adopted, in different ways, by Kammerer and by the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. Koestler’s The Roots of Coincidence (1972) introduced Kammerer’s work to the English-speaking world and was influential in reviving interest in Jung’s ideas.

Kammerer began recording coincidences in 1900, most of them mind-numbingly trivial. For example, he notes that, on 4 November 1910, his brother-in-law attended a concert, and number 9 was both his seat number and the number of his cloakroom ticket. The following day he went to another concert, and his seat and cloakroom ticket numbers were both 21.

Kammerer’s book Das Gesetz der Serie (1919), or ‘The Law of Seriality’, contains 100 samples of coincidences that he classifies in terms of typology, morphology, power and so on, with, as Koestler puts it, ‘the meticulousness of a zoologist devoted to taxonomy’.

The second half of the book is devoted to theory. Kammerer’s big idea is that, alongside causality, there is an acausal principle at work in the Universe, somewhat analogous to gravity but, whereas gravity acts universally on mass, this universal acausal force, as Koestler puts it, ‘acts selectively on form and function to bring similar configurations together in space and time; it correlates by affinity.’

Kammerer sums things up as follows: ‘We thus arrive at the image of a world-mosaic or cosmic kaleidoscope, which, in spite of constant shufflings and rearrangements, also takes care of bringing like and like together.’ This seems far-fetched but Albert Einstein, for one, took Kammerer seriously, describing his book as ‘original and by no means absurd’.

The theory of synchronicity, or meaningful coincidence, proposed by Jung follows a similar line. It took shape over several decades through a confluence of ideas streaming in from philosophy, physics, the occult and, not least, from the wellsprings of magical thinking that bubbled in the depths of Jung’s own prodigiously creative and, at times, near-psychotic mind. Certain coincidences, he suggests, are not merely a random coming-together of unrelated events, nor are the events causally linked. They are connected acausally by virtue of their meaning. Synchronicity was the ‘acausal connecting principle’.

The coincidence of the dream and the insect’s intrusion was the key to therapeutic progress

According to the physicist and historian of science Arthur I Miller’s book Deciphering the Cosmic Number: The Strange Friendship of Wolfgang Pauli and Carl Jung (2009), Jung considered this to be one of the best ideas he ever had, and cites Einstein as an influence. In the early years of the 20th century, Einstein was on several occasions a dinner guest at the Jung family home in Zurich, making a strong impression. Jung traces a direct link between those dinners with Einstein and his dialogue, some 30 years later, with the Nobel prize-winning physicist Wolfgang Pauli, a dialogue that brought the concept of synchronicity to fruition.

Jung’s collaboration with Pauli was an unlikely coalition: Jung, the quasi-mystic psychologist, a psychonaut whose deep excursions into his own unconscious mind he deemed the most significant experiences of his life; and Pauli, the hardcore theoretical physicist who was influential in reshaping our understanding of the physical world at its subatomic foundations.

Following his mother’s suicide and a brief, unhappy marriage to a cabaret dancer who left him for a chemist (‘Had she taken with a bullfighter, I would have understood, but such an ordinary chemist…’), Pauli suffered a psychological crisis. Even as he was producing his most important work in physics (formulating the ‘Pauli exclusion principle’; postulating the existence of the neutrino), he was succumbing to bouts of heavy drinking and getting into fights.

Pauli turned for help to Jung who happened to live nearby. His therapy involved the recording of dreams, a task at which he proved himself to be remarkably adept, being able to remember complex dreams in exquisite detail. For his part, Jung saw an opportunity. Not only was Pauli an extraordinary chronicler of dreams, but he was also a willing guide to the arcane realm of subatomic physics.

Meanwhile, Pauli saw synchronicity as a way of approaching some fundamental questions in quantum mechanics, not least the mystery of quantum entanglement, by which sub-atomic particles may correlate instantaneously, and acausally, at any distance. From their discussions of synchronicity emerged the Pauli-Jung conjecture, a form of double-aspect theory of mind and matter, which viewed the mental and the physical as different aspects of a deeper underlying reality.

Jung was the first to bring coincidences into the frame of psychological enquiry, and made use of them in his analytic practice. He offers an anecdote about a golden beetle as an illustration of synchronicity at work in the clinic. A young woman is recounting a dream in which she was given a golden scarab, when Jung hears a gentle tapping at the window behind him and turns to see a flying insect knocking against the windowpane. He opens the window and catches the creature as it flies into the room.

It turns out to be a rose chafer beetle, ‘the nearest analogy to a golden scarab that one finds in our latitudes’. The incident proved to be a transformative moment in the woman’s therapy. She had, says Jung, been ‘an extraordinarily difficult case’ on account of her hyper-rationality and, evidently, ‘something quite irrational was needed’ to break her defences. The coincidence of the dream and the insect’s intrusion was the key to therapeutic progress. Jung adds that the scarab is ‘a classic example of a rebirth symbol’ with roots in Egyptian mythology.

Whereas Kammerer hypothesised impersonal, acausal factors intersecting with the causal nexus of the Universe, Jung’s acausal connecting principle was enmeshed with the psyche, specifically with the archetypes of the collective unconscious.

In Jung’s wider theorising, these archetypes are primordial structures of the mind common to all human beings. Resurrecting an ancient term, Jung envisioned an unus mundus, a unitary or one world, in which the mental and physical are integrated, and where the archetypes are instrumental in shaping both mind and matter. It’s a bold vision but where, we are bound to ask, is the evidence for any of this? Beyond anecdote, there is none.

Pauli saw archetypal influence in the scientific theories of Johannes Kepler, the father of modern astronomy and, as the evolutionary psychiatrist Anthony Stevens argues in Private Myths (1995), a case can be made for grounding archetypes biologically by analogy with the innate releasing mechanisms identified by ethologists. If so, there is more than a grain of plausibility in the suggestion that archetypal structures have an influence in shaping thought and behaviour. But the entire Universe? Pauli aside, the idea of synchronicity received little support from the wider scientific community.

Contemporary cognitive science offers a more secure, if less colourful, conceptual framework for making sense of the experience of coincidence. We are predisposed to encounter coincidences because their detection, it might be said, reflects the basic modus operandi of our cognitive and perceptual systems.

The brain seeks patterns in the flow of sensory data it receives from the world. It infuses the patterns it detects with meaning and sometimes agency (often misplaced) and, as a part of this process, it forms beliefs and expectations that serve to shape future perceptions and behaviour. Coincidence, in the simple sense of co-occurrence, informs pattern-detection, especially in terms of identifying causal relationships, and so enhances predictability. The ‘world’ does not simply present itself through the windowpanes of the eyes and channels of the other senses.

The brain’s perceptual systems are proactive. They construct a model of the world by continually attempting to match incoming, ‘bottom-up’ sensory data with ‘top-down’ anticipations and predictions. Raw sensory data serve to refine the brain’s best guesses as to what’s happening, rather than building the world afresh with each passing moment. The brain, simply put, is constantly on the lookout for coincidence.

You drive a different car for the first time, and suddenly the same make and model seems to be all over the place

From a wide-ranging survey of psychological and neurocognitive research, Michiel van Elk, Karl Friston and Harold Bekkering conclude that the over-generalisation of such predictive models plays a crucial part in the experience of coincidence. Primed by deeply ingrained cognitive biases (self-attributional, confirmational, attentional, and so forth) and ill-equipped to make accurate estimates of chance and probability, we are innately inclined to see (and feel) patterns and connections where they simply don’t exist. ‘Innately inclined’ because, in evolutionary terms, the tendency to over-detect coincidences is adaptive.

Failure to detect contingencies between related events – for example, rustling in the undergrowth/proximity of a predator – is generally more costly than an erroneous inference of a relationship between unrelated events. Another driver of coincidence is what the linguist Arnold Zwicky calls the ‘frequency illusion’, a term originating in a blog post but that has since found its way into the Oxford English Dictionary: “frequency illusion n. a quirk of perception whereby a phenomenon to which one is newly alert suddenly seems ubiquitous.”

You might encounter a word for the first time, and then read or hear it later the same day. Or, you drive a different car for the first time, and suddenly the same make and model seems to be all over the place. This is due to a combination of two well-understood psychological processes: selective attention (homing in on salient objects and events); and confirmation bias (seeking out objects and events that support our beliefs and perceptions, while ignoring evidence to the contrary).

Van Elk and colleagues were not the first to signal the unreliability of intuitive judgments of probability as a factor in the perception of coincidence. Various authors before them – eg, Stuart Sutherland in his book Irrationality (1992) – have suggested that paranormal beliefs, including the belief that some coincidences are supernatural, arise because of failures of intuitive probability.

The so-called birthday problem or paradox, a staple of introductory classes in probability theory, reliably exposes the flaws of our intuitions. It asks what is the likelihood that two people will share a birthday in randomly selected groups. Most people are surprised to learn that a gathering of only 23 people is required for the chances of two of them sharing a birthday to exceed 50 per cent.

Turning to the probability of dream coincidences, suppose for the sake of argument that the probability of a dream coincidentally matching real-world events is 1-in-10,000, and that only one dream per night is remembered. The probability of a ‘matching’ dream on any given night is 0.0001 (ie, 1-in-10,000), meaning that the probability of a ‘non-matching’ dream is 0.9999.

The probability of two consecutive nights with non-matching dreams is 0.9999 x 0.9999. The probability of having non-matching dreams every night for a whole year is 0.9999 multiplied by itself 365 times, which is 0.9642. Rounding up, this means that there is a 3.6 per cent chance of any given person having a dream that matches or ‘predicts’ real-world events over the course of a year. Over a period of 20 years, the odds of having a matching/precognitive dream would be greater than even.

Attempts at understanding coincidence thus range from extravagant conjectures conceiving of acausal forces influencing the fundamental workings of the Universe, to sober cognitive studies deconstructing the basic mechanisms of the mind. But there is something else to consider.

Remarkable coincidences happen because, well, they happen, and they happen without inherent meaning and independently of the workings of the pattern-hungry brain. As the statistician David Hand puts it, ‘extremely improbable events are commonplace’. He refers to this as the improbability principle, one with different statistical strands, including the law of truly large numbers, which  states that ‘with a large enough number of opportunities, any outrageous thing is likely to happen.’ Every week, there are many lottery jackpot winners around the globe, each with odds of winning at many millions-to-one against. And, in defiance of truly phenomenal odds, several people have won national and state lottery jackpots on more than one occasion.

Set squat on the back of my armchair was a golden beetle, like the one in Jung’s consulting room. I am a naturalist, but coincidences give me a glimpse of what the supernaturalist sees, and my worldview is briefly challenged. Soon, though, for good or ill, I am back on my usual track. One final coincidence story from my personal archive illustrates this point. It concerns a meta-coincidence, that is, a coincidence about a coincidence. It was a warm afternoon in mid-June, and I was feeling sorry for myself. I was seriously sick, and I thought a good way to deal with self-pity would be to launch a new project. I would do some research into the psychology of coincidence. So, there I was, settled in an armchair surrounded by books and articles on the subject, including Koestler’s The Roots of Coincidence. Among other things, I’d been reading his account of Jung’s golden scarab story.

In need of coffee, I set Koestler aside and went to the kitchen, returning to find, set squat on the back of my armchair, a golden beetle, a rose chafer like the one that had made its way through the window of Jung’s consulting room. It must have flown in through the wide-open balcony door. I quickly took a picture in case the insect took flight again, and then nudged it onto my palm to return it to the wild, but it simply rolled onto its back and lay motionless. Dead. And in the evening I received news that my elder sister had died.

I didn’t believe there was a link, of course, but I felt there might be.  Believing and feeling. There was something else at the back of my mind. In Greek mythology, all that king Midas touched turned to gold. His daughter’s name was Zoe, and she too was turned to gold.

Ah, but rose chafers are quite common in Delhi; they are active in warm weather; the balcony opens out on a water meadow (a typical rose chafer habitat); et cetera. And it has since been suggested to me that the beetle was quite likely ‘playing dead’ rather than truly dead. Perhaps, after I’d thrown it back out onto the meadow, there was a ‘rebirth’ of the kind these creatures are said to symbolise.

Weird, though.

In Defence of Unschooling

It takes nerve to go against the grain and take your child out of school. But, for some, that’s when learning really starts. I know of a boy, let me call him Peter. Peter was seven when his mother decided that enough was enough. Reshma had spent years trying to support him to attend school. He’d started early on refusing to go, and she’d taken the school’s advice, which was to make him go. She became upset when discussing it: ‘They were literally taking him off me kicking and screaming. We live seven minutes’ walk from the school, but it would sometimes take 20 minutes, half an hour, to get there. Looking back, I just feel the guilt. It probably will never leave me, knowing what I know now. At the time, I didn’t have the confidence to self-advocate, for me, and for him. I was just assuming that this is what you have to do.’

Reshma had been sure that something was wrong, but the school saw the problem as Peter’s lack of discipline. When she went to school to ask for help, ‘They were very much like: “We know children. We’re telling you how it is. You’re just the parents, you don’t really know what you’re talking about.”’

Within the first term, Peter kicked the teacher. ‘They called us and said: “You need to teach him not to kick.” I asked what kind of consequences there were, and they said: “We’ll call the police if he doesn’t stop it.”’

Peter was diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss from birth, along with autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder when he was four. His parents paid for a private occupational therapy assessment, which found that he had a sensory processing disorder. The school saw the problem as Peter’s ‘bad behaviour’, not a sign of how challenging he found the school environment.

Reshma watched, helpless, as her son’s behaviour got worse. She knew this was distress, but the school did not see it that way. They thought he was disruptive and needed more discipline. She could see her son’s intense anxiety and how he expressed that through his behaviour. No one was listening.

‘It was horrendous. I can’t even describe how awful it was, being called in every day. He was disruptive in the classroom, attacking the children. They would say it was unprovoked. I’m like: “No, no, no. It’s not unprovoked. You might not understand but, in his mind, there’s a reason why he’s lost the plot.”’

We hear lots of stories like Reshma’s , and I know of a group that has a particular interest in how children learn outside of school. It educates its own children outside the school system. And it works with parents of neurodivergent children – those who often get diagnoses of neurodevelopmental differences such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia (differences in coordination) or dyscalculia (specific differences in numerical understanding), often in need of learning beyond the school environment. While some schools do a great job with their neurodivergent students, these places can be hard for parents to find and may be private and costly.

One of them works as a parent coach for home-educating parents. The other, Naomi Fisher, is a trauma therapist who works with parents and young people. They see children and families who are traumatised by their experiences at school. These are young people who find the environment of school so stressful that it can stop them from learning. They often show this distress through challenging behaviour, and they are then punished for this. The work involves helping them and their parents recover and find new ways to learn.

When school doesn’t work, families can become despondent and filled with dread that no other pathway exists for their children to succeed. But children can thrive outside the school system, and don’t need to replicate the things about school that made learning so hard.

Children aren’t blank slates. The same approach doesn’t work for all

Many children struggle with school. Not just because of bullying (although that is significant for many), and not just because of the academic requirements. Many children struggle with school because of other expectations. Being with people, all day long, with no space to unwind. The constant noise, and the way the toilets smell. The lack of choice, the requirement to comply with adult demands, and the chaotic nature of the playground. Many children find these things difficult, but for some they are intolerable.

At one level, it’s self-evident that we all experience the world in different ways. From very early in life, some babies can remain calm and placid in all sorts of circumstances, while others are disturbed by the merest squeak and need to be held by their parents night and day to feel safe. Children aren’t blank slates. The same approach doesn’t work for all.

Yet when it comes to school, we seem to forget this. We think that one approach should work for everyone, and that all children should thrive within the same system. Many professionals think that school is the natural place for all children and, if the child isn’t happy, the problem is the child, not the school – and definitely not the wider system of school.

When children are struggling to attend school, parents are told to insist that they go, no matter what. They are told that their child will fall behind academically, and that it will affect their test scores and learning outcomes – and possibly their whole life. As the psychologist Joanne Garfi says in Overcoming School Refusal (2018), her handbook for professionals and parents:

“If we learnt in childhood that we could circumvent our responsibilities as a student, we then expect the same will be the case in the workplace … Tackling school refusal at its inception is the only way to avoid the consequences.”

In books about ‘school refusal’, such advice is commonplace. As a first intervention, parents are told to give rewards for attending school and punishments for non-attendance. They are instructed to keep interactions and attention to a minimum if the child does not attend school. For instance, in Getting Your Child Back to School: A Parent’s Guide to Solving School Attendance Problems (2nd ed, 2021), the clinical child psychologist Christopher Kearney tells parents to ‘keep verbal and physical attention toward your child to a minimum’ if they do not get into school on a particular day.

Parents are often told that their children have ‘emotionally based school avoidance’ (EBSA), a term that essentially says that they don’t want to go to school because it distresses them. They are told that, if they allow them to avoid school, it will make it worse. Or, as the psychiatrist M S Thambirajah and colleagues put it in their book Understanding School Refusal: A Handbook for Professionals in Education, Health and Social Care (2007), ‘return to school … is the treatment of anxiety in [school refusal]’.

The rationale parents are given is based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for anxiety. The theory, according to the educational psychologist Tina Rae’s book Understanding and Supporting Children and Young People with Emotionally Based School Avoidance (2020), is that the children don’t want to go to school because they are anxious or fearful; when they don’t attend school, this anxiety gets worse. This leads to the recommendation that insisting that they attend school is the right thing to do.

If you avoid school because it makes you very unhappy, spending more time there is unlikely to change that

It’s true that avoiding something to avoid anxious feelings can make the anxiety worse. One of us, Naomi, is a clinical psychologist who uses CBT and has often successfully used this principle to help people become more comfortable with things they find frightening. Flying, for example, or being around dogs, or trying new foods.

There is, however, a problem with applying this approach to children and school. It assumes that the anxiety itself is the problem rather than a symptom of distress about something else, and it assumes that anxiety is irrational. It assumes that we can treat the anxiety, and then there will no longer be a problem – and that we do not have to change anything about school itself. It also assumes that school is neutral or positive, and cannot be experienced as genuinely threatening.

This isn’t always the case. A person might be afraid of dogs, but most dogs are not actually frightening and, if you spend time with them, you’ll discover that. On the other hand, if you avoid school because it makes you unhappy, spending more time there is unlikely to change that.

We accept that such reactions hold true for adults. Let’s imagine an adult who is bullied on the job, or feels that, no matter how hard they work, they are never good enough. They might well describe feeling anxious about this. A psychologist would be unlikely to tell them that the solution is to just keep going, no matter what. Instead, we’d suggest they address the cause of their unhappiness, which might mean talking to their boss or changing jobs or careers.

With children, however, we take a different approach. ‘Don’t allow them to avoid it’ often turns into ‘Make them do it.’ In our work, we hear stories of children being pulled out of cars while clinging desperately to their seats, begging their parents not to leave them. Parents tell us that they are told by the school and by professionals to ignore their distress and pleas because these are seen as either bad behaviour or anxiety. As Kearney put it in his book: ‘If your child sees that he is not going to get away with anything, that he has to go to school and you are not falling into this trap, then his complaints will taper off.’

But there is no evidence that forcing someone repeatedly to face something they don’t want to do will make them less anxious. In fact, it has the potential to make them much more anxious. Imagine how it would make you feel waking up each morning, knowing that you will be forced to go to a place where you’re unhappy. It would start to dominate your evenings and weekends, as you worry about what will happen the next morning. It would affect your health and your performance at work. Why would we think that children are any different?

We hear many accounts like Reshma’s, with children peeled off their parents screaming and brought into school in their pyjamas. It too frequently leads to increased anxiety and decreased ability to engage in learning. For some children, this goes on for years. They are stuck in limbo, not learning at school but not learning at home either, because their parents have been told to make home boring, and schools often refuse to send work home, preventing the children from keeping up with their classes.

As things get worse, parents feel caught between their child and the school. The children are unhappy and begging them not to go, but schools and psychologists are usually adamant: they mustn’t be allowed to stay at home.

In addition, there’s the fear of education welfare officers (also called truant, or attendance, officers) knocking at the door, which can happen at any time if a child is not at school. (Naomi had this happen when her doctor notified the council that her children were missing education, even though they were legally home-educated.) Threatening letters are sent, and parents can be fined or taken to court and serve a jail sentence if their children are not attending school regularly. Some children are even told that, if they don’t come to school every day, their parents might go to prison. For some families, their refusal to force their children into school against their will is used as evidence for a social services referral.

The situation is similar in many countries, where many families say that school attendance is prioritised over their children’s distress and there is a punitive approach to families whose children struggle with school. Taking your child out of school, in fact, can be a sure way to find social services at your door.

To avoid the resulting investigations (and because they often need to work away from home to earn a living), parents may be prone to push the school’s agenda despite children’s upset and fear. The distress seeps into every area of family life. Children wake at night, worried about the next day. Sundays are spent in tears, dreading Monday. Parents are told to keep a united front with school, and this has an impact on the child’s relationship with them. As Garfi writes in her manual:

“Parents are our front-line people. They are the ones who emotionally and physically prepare the student for school. If they weaken to the pleas and tears of the student, all the great work put in by teachers, psychologists and others involved falls flat.”

It’s easy to see why parents feel torn between their child’s distress and what the professionals are saying is best for them.

They realised during lockdown that their children learned more when outside the school environment

As part of this process, many parents learn to ignore their instincts about their child’s wellbeing. They are repeatedly told by professionals that their children are ‘fine once they get here’, even if the child says otherwise. Some parents are told that their own anxiety causes their child’s anxiety. The worse things get, the more anxious parents feel, and the more they are told it is their anxiety that is the problem. They start to doubt what they feel, and this makes it particularly hard for them to make the decision to stop trying so hard to make school work.

When parents finally make that break, they are going against all professional advice. Making the decision to stop is different for each family. For some, things get so bad that their child says they want to die, or harms themselves. Some notice how much more relaxed family life is during the holidays and how different their children’s behaviour is.

Many parents told the group that they realised during lockdown that their children learned more when outside the school environment, and everyone was happier without the constant tension about getting to school. One mother told them how she looked at her children in the back of the car one day as she was driving them to school and saw their grey faces and glazed eyes. They looked ‘switched off’. She decided there had to be a better way to do this, turned around and went home. The children didn’t even notice until they arrived back outside their house.

For Reshma, this happened after her son had finished Year 2 (1st grade in the US), when he was seven years old. She decided that she was going to try ‘elective home education’ (the legal term in the UK, which is used rather that home-schooling): ‘He didn’t go back in September.

In England (where Reshma lives) parents have the legal right to withdraw their children from mainstream school to home-educate by writing a letter of deregistration to the headteacher. They are then fully responsible for meeting the costs of their children’s education (including therapies, which are often accessed through school), and must satisfy the local education authority that they are providing a suitable full-time education. They are, however, allowed to decide how that education is provided, and there is no requirement that they follow the same curriculum as school or test their children. The authorities do not assess the children’s progress.

This process varies from country to country, and in some European countries (such as Sweden and Germany) home education is illegal. Children must be at school, no matter what. This puts families in a very difficult position, and some have even moved the country in order to home-educate their children.

The biggest challenge for many parents once their children are out of school is deciding what to do next. Suddenly, it’s up to them. Most parents were schooled themselves and, even when school has gone wrong for their children, they think that education equals what happens in the classroom. They try to replicate this at home, with a designated desk, bookshelves and even sometimes a whiteboard. They plan lessons and buy curricula.

Peter had left school several months before and stress levels in their house had dropped dramatically: ‘By January, I thought we’d be ready to do some learning. It was horrendous, the whole school stress came back into the house. I just tried to do a nice topic. I thought, we’ll do the skeleton, the human body.

‘I have a very vivid memory of him and me: “Can you just sit and listen for five minutes?” I’m pleading with him to try and do this. He turned to me at the age of seven and said: “You want this, I don’t.”

‘That was the pivotal moment.’

Reshma describes something that the psychologist Alan Thomas, an expert in learning at home, describes as an interactive process of discovery. Parents move away from the formal schooling approach because it is clear to them that the children are not engaged. They observe their children, and realise they are learning through the games they play, the conversations that they have, and the places they go. They see that their children are learning despite not sitting down and doing lessons. They move towards what we call self-directed education.

The way schools approached learning did not reflect what she knew about child development

Most parents who decide to do something different than school don’t set out to do self-directed education. Typically, they have no idea that learning can be different than schooling. We were no exceptions. Our decisions to educate our children outside the school system had more to do with a sense that there must be a better way, rather that knowing from the start exactly what that was.

Heidi is a former teacher who’d worked primarily with children entering the school system at the age of four, when they spend time exploring the world through play. Her professional development during her 10 years as a teacher focused on the importance of play in children’s development. Unfortunately, this wasn’t embraced beyond the first year of schooling and, as her own children approached compulsory school age (which is five, in England), she decided to home-educate and allow her children to continue to learn and grow through play. Just as they had been up until this point.

Naomi is a clinical psychologist with a PhD in developmental cognitive psychology. As her own children got close to school age, she became increasingly concerned that the school’s approach to learning did not reflect what she knew about child development.

There was a focus on early literacy and numeracy, rather than on exploration and play. In her clinical practice, she had worked with children who were already being called ‘behind’ by age five, and saw the impact that this had on their self-worth and view of themselves as capable learners. She decided that this was not something she wanted for her own children. Instead, she kept them at home and continued with play-based learning for as long as her children wanted to play.

In self-directed education, children are not made to learn or follow a curriculum. They are provided with opportunities, and they are able to choose what they want to do. When parents first happen upon self-directed education, they can’t believe that it will really work. However, there is a body of research showing that young people who are educated in this way do learn and develop, and they often go on to take exams and succeed in higher education. There are even schools that work on this principle – in the UK, Summerhill School, founded in 1921, operates to this day in Suffolk and does not require young people to attend lessons; in the US, at Sudbury Valley School in Massachusetts, lessons are also optional and happen only when agreed to by students.

Many parents are fearful of letting their children direct their own learning. What if they never start to set goals for themselves? What if they never want to work hard at anything? One of the things we observe is that a big change for self-directed children begins around puberty. This is the start of a period of intense brain development.

Adolescents gradually become capable of setting goals, concentrating for longer, planning, problem-solving and abstract thought – and, as this happens, they start to be able to learn in a different way. Whereas before they would prioritise doing what they enjoyed most in the moment, now they start to work towards a future goal. They started to practise the piano to improve, perhaps, or to develop their skills in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) to work towards being a dungeon master.

Being self-directed, we can insulate against pressure and age-related expectations, allowing for natural progression. I can’t believe I’m in this position. Peter is now doing a karate club. He’s doing a fitness session. And he’s doing online D&D sessions every week. He wants to go to Japan. When he has decided something is going to happen, there’s no stopping it.

Over the last 18 months, Peter has naturally been asking for more independence – for example walking into town, purchasing his own books, making his own bed, but also increasingly organising his day. Being self-directed, we can insulate against the pressure and age-related expectations, allowing for natural progression that is appropriate for them.’

The story is striking, but not unusual. We hear variations on it often. We hear of many children for whom quitting school has been the start of their education. It takes a strong nerve to go against the grain and take your child out of school but, for some children, that’s when they start to really take off.

Rahul, disqualification and defamation law

The law took its course. Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi stands disqualified following conviction in a defamation case where a Gujarat court gave him two years jail – the conviction and sentence together disqualify him from Parliament. Gandhi can contest in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections only if his conviction is suspended/ overturned, or if appellate courts reduce the jail term.

A magistrate’s court in Surat, on Thursday, convicted Rahul Gandhi for his remarks at an election rally in Karnataka four years ago. After being sentenced to the maximum permissible punishment for criminal defamation – two years of simple imprisonment, he has now been disqualified from Lok Sabha.

Gandhi is expected to take his fight against the conviction to the sessions court. But this is also a context in which all right-thinking people should reignite another fight, one which is far more significant for the future of democratic values in India – the fight against criminalisation of defamation. This is another of those colonial relics in our statute books, and like others of its ilk, it has been misused for long. Criminal defamation has a chilling effect on free speech.

Gandhi had, in 2013, opposed a UPA ordinance to dilute a judicial verdict – the Supreme Court had junked a leeway in law that protected MPs from disqualification while their case was in appeal. His stand was forward-looking as a measure to protect democratic integrity. Criminalisation of politics in India is a serious concern. Almost 30% of 2019 Lok Sabha members stood accused of serious crimes such as corruption and murder; MPs disqualified have been convicted of graft, murder, smuggling, sexual assault and hate speech.

Not the disqualification law, but the defamation law is where the rub is. There is no place for criminal defamation in a modern world. In 2016, after SC refused pleas to decriminalise defamation from three MPs, a bill on the same was introduced in Lok Sabha in 2017 by BJD’s Tathagata Satpathy.

One way of looking at this particular case is that politicians must develop a thick skin to prevent burns from the scalding heat of campaigning – voters are smarter than to swallow breathing-fire rhetoric. That said, given the highly competitive political system, there’s a case for politicians to dial down on coarse political speeches too. As Gandhi appeals his case, there should be no disquiet among opposition about the disqualification law. But on decriminalising defamation, there is plenty to be done by Parliament or by the courts, to end a law bad in spirit and practice.

UK Suffering from Drawbridge Mentality

The popular acronym NIMBY (‘not in my backyard’) is the deliberate opposition by residents to revised land use in their ostensible ‘backyard’, much like a ‘drawbridge mentality’ that implies a conveniently selfish campaign to oppose inward migration, ironically by those who partook an exactly similar migration earlier.

The redneck sentiment in the land of immigrants i.e., the United States of America, is reflective of this phenomenon. The inherent sense of perceived nativism (historically untrue), white supremacism, protectionism and anti-newcomer politics has anchored itself in Republican positions and emotions that lurk subliminally in the heartland of the land of immigrants.

This irony is compounded by a record number of antiimmigration laws enacted e.g., Alien and Sedition Acts (1798), Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), McCarran-Walter Act (1952) or even the more recent Executive Order 13769 (labelled ‘Muslim Ban’).

Thankfully, such regressive perceptions are routinely put to questioning (at least in some democracies like the United States of America) and the result is a far more multicultural America with an incumbent Vice President who has Indian ethnicity.

A far cry from the shamefully xenophobic comments in the report by the US Congress (in 1911) that shockingly described Indians as, “universally regarded as the least desirable race of immigrants thus far admitted to the United States”!

The coming of age with the domination of the Indian diaspora in corporate boardrooms, senate, multilateral agencies (World Bank, coming soon) to even cultural spaces have only contributed to the ‘American Dream’, as opposed to having wounded it.

Markers of symbolism have always been important, even if they do not necessarily lead to any extraordinary bias or substantiality towards any specific group or even to the land of the ancestors, in this case, India.

The elevation of Barack Obama to the White House may not have resulted in any disproportionate advantage to the African American or Black communities or even to the relations of United States with either Kenya or Indonesia (Obama’s ancestry) but it did assuage and allay many unfounded fears in the minds of the white supremacists and bigots subsequently. American politics was certainly better and more inclusive for Obama’s tenure, just as Hillary Clinton may not have won the day for women in United States (and perhaps like Barack Obama may not have lost out on any sizeable gender emancipation opportunity), but American politics is poorer for not having a women President ever. Inclusive democracy demands the celebration of all diversities, including minorities ~ just as India historically prided itself on its ‘Unity in Diversity’ once.

Importantly, neither did Barack Obama or now Kamala Harris try to disown their respective ethnicities to ingratiate themselves to the larger American identity.

This is unlike the infamy of a ‘whitewashed’ Bobby Jindal (unsurprisingly, a Republican) who openly downplayed his Indian-ness to attempt usurping and appropriating majoritarian markers.

Clearly symbolism and optics of retaining the vital balance (and not reneging oneself towards the ‘drawbridge mentality’) is important, but is under threat in the former empire, United Kingdom.

The dream storyline of former suppressed ethnicities going one better ‘across the pond’ in the United Kingdom with the advent of Rishi Sunak as the Prime Minister ~ that too, from the Conservative ranks was too good to last.

With many pictures of a Sunak adhering to his cultural roots, religiosity and reasserting his ethnic background doing the rounds, it was hoped that he and his cabinet full of minorities and varied ethnicities would never be accused of ‘drawbridge mentality’. But that is exactly what Sunak and his all-powerful Home Secretary, Suella Braverman (also of Indian ethnicity), are credibly accused of when they knowingly weaponise their electoral rhetoric by equating desperate attempts by immigrants to reach the United Kingdom shores as ‘invasion’.

Perhaps the premature delight in seeing people of varied colours and beliefs disabled the obvious tell-tale signs of ‘drawbridge mentality’ that was writ in the entitled and elitist past of a Sunak or that of an aggressively opportunistic Braverman.

The latter had described herself as being, “a child of the British Empire”, of being “proud of the British Empire”, with a supposed, “admiration and gratitude for what Britain did for Mauritius and Kenya, and India”! With such an ingratiating tone she would make her fellow-Tory, Prime Minister Winston Churchill proud.

He had described Indians as “a beastly people with a beastly religion”, going on to clarify that he “hated Indians”. But after Churchill was eased out of Prime Ministership in 1955, and 67 years after, Tory politics would have buried its xenophobic and racist views with the arrival of the likes of Sunak, Braverman, Priti Patel etc., What hadn’t been accounted for was the equally despicable phenomenon of a ‘drawbridge mentality’.

With ‘twice migrant’ status, Sunak and Braverman can seemingly close the door of any ethnic identity, empathy, or affiliation onto their own politics. They remain unabashedly hardline on immigration, proud Brexiters and old-school Tories.

This is a diasporic generation without any rose-tinted emotions about their land of ancestors (the viral Diwali puja photo-ops notwithstanding, as that cleverly makes the ‘South Asian’ connect, but only so much and no further).

So polarising was Braverman’s anti-immigration vitriol that her deputy, Robert Jenrick (White Tory Member of Parliament from Newark) regretted, “In a job like mine you have to choose your words carefully”.

But the point is that Braverman did choose her words carefully and it was indeed intended to ratchet anti-immigration and traditionally Tory spiel that could get questioned owing to the pigmentation of her own skin ~ hence the ‘drawbridge’ bravado.

While the UNHCR (UN Refugee agency) has also slammed the ‘stop the boats bill’ which proposes detention or removal to a third country without the right to seek refugee protection, the Sunak-Braverman duo remain defiant and unmoved.

Even though UK is not deluged with any sort of migration numbers to warrant a description like ‘invasion’ (unlike some European countries), such stronghandedness to do a ‘whitewash’ a la Bobby Jindal within the traditional Tory ranks, presumably to counter the implied discomfiture of having ‘Browns’ (worse, ‘Pakis’ as the racist tone goes), at the helm is discomfiting.

However, the honeymoon of the Indian diaspora’s success in the UK is over and the redlines of an electorally relevant ‘drawbridge mentality’ are visible all over.

Political Education

 In his autobiographical Seventh Letter, Greek philosopher Plato famously remarked, “The human race will have no respite from evils until those who are really philosophers acquire political power or until, through some divine dispensation, those who rule and have political authority in the cities become real philosophers”. Plato’s retreat to his ‘Academy’ for implementing his political ideals in contemporary Greek politics ended in abject failure and his Academy closed down in 529 BC. His later writings reveal the difficulty of shaping political systems on sound philosophical ideals and the crisis that he pointed out in the face of politics minus ideals has remained an unresolved enigma in the world of politics even today.

There is universal agreement that the best education in politics begins in schools. Introduction to history of national politics, brief notions of governance, quality of political systems and their impact on the life of citizens are the basic pedagogic framework of any education in politics at the rudimentary level. The purpose of such an introduction to political education is distinctly utilitarian. It is designed to promote political awareness, ideas of rights and duties, and the shaping of democratic systems and individual’s participation in them.

While the broad educational framework of political education is generally agreed, the methodology and applied pedagogy of the subject remains a contentious issue across the world, more so in India, where the education of politics more often slips into a politics of education that carries with it unhealthy acrimony and discord.

Curriculum experts have observed that the rudimentary pedagogy of political education, modelled with a different subject title, namely ‘civics’ may introduce school children to the preliminaries of a functioning democracy but in itself it cannot guarantee a genuinely felt political awareness. Interestingly, the National Education Policy, 2020 places political science in the specific context of legal education and teacher education and has not earmarked the role political science would be playing in the context of school education. The National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, 2009, widely considered as a bell-weather indicator of school education dynamics in the country places political science in the context of a wide spectrum of areas which need focus in school education. It says, “There is a need to shift the focus from an overwhelming emphasis on psychological characteristics of the individual learner to his / her social, cultural, economic and political contexts. Therefore, a rigorous engagement with issues of contemporary Indian society must necessarily be examined through an engagement with concepts drawn from a diverse set of disciplines including sociology, history, philosophy, political science and economics.”

However, the place of political science has remained compromised with the predominant practice of being merged with either history or a broad spectrum of social science subjects, thereby implying its status as a minor field of study among school subjects. This lack of importance is usually seen to amplify with very few school pass outs voluntarily opting to specialize in political science as a special field of study leading to compromised teaching and research talents available to the subject.

Interestingly, the importance of political science as a special subject of study that ought to begin as early as possible in a school education setting was underlined by the UNESCO as early as 1948 with the twin developments of a destructive world war and the political freedoms of several colonies, highlighting the importance of universal political awareness as an antidote to dictatorship and a guarantee of vibrant governance. With the foundation of the International Political Science Association in 1949, politics as a special subject of study attained a prominence and importance across most school education systems in Europe and the US.

In the Indian context, we find significant delays in the adoption of political science as a subject of study at school levels. The Secondary Education Commission, 1952-53 was silent on political education and instead stressed that ‘unhealthy trends of political life are to be avoided in schools’. The Education Commission of 1964 too maintained the need to delink school education from political education since it felt that school children are to be protected from political influence at all costs. The negative nuances associated with political education amplified into a general distrust of political awareness in school going age, thereby leading to delayed understanding of political and legal complexities of the social systems of the country.

Neglect of political education in schools has serious ramifications in the shaping of a healthy democratic set-up in the country. Ignorance of political processes, lack of knowledge on rights and duties make school children vulnerable to unhealthy political manipulation, ignorance of the roles and responsibilities of citizenship, compromised patriotic feelings and a poor mental connection with the country’s democratic apparatuses. This has a cascading effect on the body-politick as a whole.

Since we are in the throes of a path-breaking National Education Policy, 2020 that sets itself the task and vision of transforming the education system of the country as a whole, it would be a costly mistake if political science is not given its due place of importance in the education curriculum right from high school education itself.

To quote Pericles, a Greek philosopherpolitician of the fifth century BC, “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.” In other words, a lack of interest in politics would not prevent an individual from facing the negative nuances of a disjointed political atmosphere and the best protection for an individual citizen is an awareness of political systems, ideas of rights and duties and commitment to social living. This is best guaranteed by a scientifically planned political pedagogy, irrespective of individual academic specialization, that would begin early enough in a student’s education so as to leave a firmer impression on the mind. This is the best way forward for a vibrant political system and is the primary condition of a well-functioning democracy

Geo-Political Water Get Further Muddied by Algerian-Iranian-Russian Moves in Africa

The war in Ukraine is poised to enter a decisive phase as both Kyiv and Moscow prepare for a spring onslaught. The Ukrainian forces have already started receiving German-made Leopard 2 tanks and now Poland and Slovakia have decided to send its Soviet-designed MiG-29s to Ukraine. Add to this the recent collision – intentional or otherwise – of a Russian Su-27 fighter with a US MQ-9 Reaper over the Black Sea. All of this signals that the war in Europe is about to heat up further in the coming months.

But the strategic-security manoeuvring isn’t confined to continental Europe alone. We have seen a growing strategic embrace between Russia and China with Beijing in recent weeks indicating a more robust support for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. We have seen North Korea once again up the ante in East Asia in response to what it says are moves to curtail its strategic-security space. And then there are significant developments underway in Africa with Russia and Iran seemingly teaming up with Algeria.

I had written last year about how Algeria is facilitating Russian strategic-security influence in Africa’s Sahel region. Moscow has dispatched hundreds of its Wagner militia to Mali and Burkina Faso with Algiers’ help. Plus, given that Algeria is a key African energy supplier to Europe, its decision to downgrade relations with Spain last year was partially seen as aiding Russia continue its energy squeeze on Europe. Moscow’s tactics are clear. It wants to create a zone of influence in Africa to put pressure on Europe from the south while it carries out its Ukraine operations in the east of the Eurozone.

To establish this strategic chokehold on Europe, Russia needs to replace France as a stabilising force in the Sahel. And that is precisely what it is doing by exploiting latent African antipathy towards France and its self-serving policies in Africa. But since the second half of last year, another dimension has been added to this evolving strategic dynamic – the entry of Iran. The latter has clearly decided to side with Russia in its invasion of Ukraine by supplying Moscow with hundreds of its Shahed and Mohajer drones that have been used to target Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. And Tehran has been pushed into this strategic position by the missteps of the previous American Trump administration.

Tehran saw the unilateral cancellation of the Iran nuclear deal by Trump as a betrayal while the Abraham Accords normalising relations between Israel and certain Arab nations were seen as an attempt to further hem in the Iranian regime. Add to this the anti-hijab protests in Iran that the Iranian regime believes – rightly or wrongly – as being influenced by external forces. Thus, as a response, Iran has not only drawn closer to Russia and China but is also looking to up the ante by expanding its footprint in Africa by teaming up with Russia and Algeria.

There are reports that Algeria is ready to receive a significant supply of drones from Iran which will have an impact on the strategic calculus in the Maghreb. For, Morocco and Algeria have been locked in a strategic-security rivalry for decades over the Moroccan Sahara. Recall that this part of the Sahara in antiquity had significant ties to the Moroccan kingdom. But 19th century European colonialism hived off the Moroccan Sahara from Morocco proper and made the area a Spanish exclave. The rest of Morocco went on to become a French protectorate. It was after Morocco gained its full independence that it vowed to reunite the Sahara, which it did through the peaceful Green March of November 6, 1975. But a Sahrawi separatist group called Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, has carried out an armed campaign against Morocco.

In fact, Algeria’s backing for the Polisario is nothing more than a way for it to get back at Morocco for the 1963 Sand War between the two countries. And with Morocco emerging as a serious economic and strategic development partner for multiple African nations in recent years, Algeria has become increasingly nervous. And in its partnership with Russia and Iran, Algeria has found a new opportunity to strengthen the Polisario movement which was on its last legs – the US recognised Moroccan sovereignty over the Moroccan Sahara in 2020 – and push back against Morocco’s growing regional influence.

But this is bad news for both Europe and Africa. The growing trilateral partnership between Algeria, Russia and Iran will not only create a serious southern pressure for Europe but also possible turmoil in North Africa and the Sahel through militias like the Wagner. Imagine if Russia were to secure military bases in Algeria or the Sahel. This would seriously complicate the security situation in both Europe and Africa. The key here really is Algeria which is playing a troubling role. Its anti-Moroccan position sustains the Algerian regime. And because a large section of the international community has come around to Morocco’s point of view on the Moroccan Sahara issue – many have even opened their consulates in this part of the Sahara over the last few years – Algeria probably feels it has to do something to regain strategic ground in North Africa.

But countries like Russia and China, as well as the current Iranian regime, are trying to rewrite the global order which can lead to a more totalitarian world. Thus, there is a need to counter this new dynamic in Africa, check Algeria’s moves and work with countries like Morocco for a stable trans-Mediterranean zone.

Staying Alive

Survival is the ability to swim in strange water. Approximately 65 million years ago, a meteor crashing down to Earth resulted in 80% of all animal species going extinct—a loss so cosmic it’s hard to even fathom. The Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event is most widely known for wiping out the dinosaurs, but not all ancient reptiles were annihilated. One order in particular has proven especially resilient—and unusual—in its ability to stand the test of time: crocodilians, which includes true crocodiles, alligators, and caymans. These animals have much to teach us about how to survive swimming in strange water.

H.G. Wells once wrote that “Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.” And yet, crocodilians have proven to be an exception to this rule. They are among the most resilient animals on Earth, but not because of any extraordinary adaptations or leaps in evolution. Rather, a study published in  Nature Communications Biology journal found that a lack of change has actually afforded these reptiles the ability to stay thriving. They found an ideal form that has served them so well that they have hardly had the need to evolve over the millennia.

So what are the traits that have allowed these creatures to endure across the ages? Well, part of why this form has served crocodilians for so long is because it’s inherently versatile: they are ideally suited for an amphibious lifestyle on both land and water. That’s why the majority of these reptiles make their homes along swampy shores and rivers. A long physique and muscular tail make them excellent swimmers. Meanwhile, nostrils and eyes situated atop the highest parts of their head allow them to see and breathe while mostly submerged—even at night.

Part of crocodilians’ resiliency also resides in their sheer strength; they have one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom, with powerful jaw muscles that allow them to clamp down with as much as 250,000 pounds of pressure per square inch at the tips of their teeth. This actually exceeds what their teeth are capable of withstanding, which is why they go through so many; beneath each tooth is a column of ones ready to grow in and replace it. Crocodilians may go through as many 3,000 teeth in their lifetime. 

And then there are the mysteries of the blood, which is resilient in its own right. Despite often accruing wounds from war with both prey and predators—including other crocodilians—these reptiles rarely get infections. Research has found that their blood possesses proteins that provide some innate immunity against harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi, which often run rampant in swampy waters. Its potential for helping humans has been the subject of much medical research, some of which has even found it capable of suppressing HIV.

Of course, a species’ survival also depends on its ability to safeguard the next generation. As for crocodilians, despite being such ferocious predators, most species are also gentle and nurturing with their young. A mother will dig a hole to place her eggs in and keep them warm, standing guard against any potential foe. When they are ready to hatch, her young start to chirp—and she uses her same deadly jaw to delicately help them break through their eggs. She will then care for them for months after they hatch, even keeping them safe by placing them directly in her mouth.

Over the last few years, I have written odes to evolution and waxed poetic on the importance of adaptation for our survival, which I believe wholeheartedly. At the same time, crocodilians remind us that when the waters around us are murky and dripping with danger, there is also resilience to be found in staying true to ourselves. We can trust the tools we already have within us to navigate our swampy surroundings, the endurance that flows through our very veins—our ability to show strength and nurturance in equal measure.

Artificial Intelligence or Idiocy Incarnate

The problem with the new chatbots is not just that they are often stupid and naive; it is that they are not “stupid” or “naive” enough to pick up on the nuances, ironies, and revealing contradictions that constitute human culture and communication. Worse, by relying on them, we risk succumbing to the same obtuseness.

There is nothing new about “chatbots” that are capable of maintaining a conversation in natural language, understanding a user’s basic intent, and offering responses based on preset rules and data. But the capacity of such chatbots has been dramatically augmented in recent months, leading to handwringing and panic in many circles.

Much has been said about chatbots auguring the end of the traditional student essay. But an issue that warrants closer attention is how chatbots should respond when human interlocutors use aggressive, sexist, or racist remarks to prompt the bot to present its own foul-mouthed fantasies in return. Should AIs be programmed to answer at the same level as the questions that are being posed?

If we decide that some kind of regulation is in order, we must then determine how far the censorship should go. Will political positions that some cohorts deem “offensive” be prohibited? What about expressions of solidarity with West Bank Palestinians, or the claim that Israel is an apartheid state (which former US President Jimmy Carter once put into the title of a book)? Will these be blocked as “anti-Semitic”?

The problem does not end there. As the artist and writer James Bridle warns, the new AIs are “based on the wholesale appropriation of existing culture,” and the belief that they are “actually knowledgeable or meaningful is actively dangerous.” Hence, we should also be very wary of the new AI image generators. “In their attempt to understand and replicate the entirety of human visual culture,” Bridle observes, “[they] seem to have recreated our darkest fears as well. Perhaps this is just a sign that these systems are very good indeed at aping human consciousness, all the way down to the horror that lurks in the depths of existence: our fears of filth, death, and corruption.”

But just how good are the new AIs at approximating human consciousness? Consider the bar that recently advertised a drink special with the following terms: “Buy one beer for the price of two and receive a second beer absolutely free!” To any human, this is obviously a joke. The classic “buy one, get one” special is reformulated to cancel itself out. It is an expression of cynicism that will be appreciated as comic honesty, all to boost sales. Would a chatbot pick up on any of this?

“Fuck” presents a similar problem. Although it designates something that most people enjoy doing (copulation), it also often acquires a negative valence (“We’re fucked!” “Go fuck yourself!”). Language and reality are messy. Is AI ready to discern such differences?

In his 1805 essay “On the gradual formation of thoughts in the process of speech” (first published posthumously in 1878), the German poet Heinrich von Kleist inverts the common wisdom that one should not open one’s mouth to speak unless one has a clear idea of what to say: “If therefore a thought is expressed in a fuzzy way, then it does not at all follow that this thought was conceived in a confused way. On the contrary, it is quite possible that the ideas that are expressed in the most confusing fashion are the ones that were thought out most clearly.”

The relationship between language and thought is extraordinarily complicated. In a passage from one of Stalin’s speeches from the early 1930s, he proposes radical measures to “detect and fight without mercy even those who oppose collectivization only in their thoughts – yes, I mean this, we should fight even people’s thoughts.” One can safely presume that this passage was not prepared in advance. After getting caught up in the moment, Stalin immediately became aware of what he had just said. But instead of backpedalling, he decided to stick with his hyperbole.

As Jacques Lacan later put it, this was a case of truth emerging by surprise through the act of enunciation. Louis Althusser identified a similar phenomenon in the interplay between prise and surprise. Someone who suddenly grasps (“prise”) an idea will be surprised by what she has accomplished. Again, can any chatbot do this?

The problem is not that chatbots are stupid; it is that they are not “stupid” enough. It is not that they are naive (missing irony and reflexivity); it is that they are not naive enough (missing when naivety is masking perspicacity). The real danger, then, is not that people will mistake a chatbot for a real person; it is that communicating with chatbots will make real persons talk like chatbots – missing all the nuances and ironies, obsessively saying only precisely what one thinks one wants to say.

When I was younger, a friend went to a psychoanalyst for treatment following a traumatic experience. This friend’s idea of what such analysts expect from their patients was a cliché, so he spent his first session delivering fake “free associations” about how he hated his father and wanted him dead. The analyst’s reaction was ingenious: he adopted a naive “pre-Freudian” stance and reproached my friend for not respecting his father (“How can you talk like that about the person who made you what you are?”). This feigned naivety sent a clear message: I don’t buy your fake “associations.” Would a chatbot be able to pick up on this subtext?

Most likely, it would not, because it is like Rowan Williams’s interpretation of Prince Myshkin in Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot. According to the standard reading, Myshkin, “the idiot,” is a saintly, “positively good and beautiful man” who is driven into isolated madness by the harsh brutalities and passions of the real world. But in Williams’s radical re-reading, Myshkin represents the eye of a storm: good and saintly though he may be, he is the one who triggers the havoc and death that he witnesses, owing to his role in the complex network of relationships around him.

It is not just that Myshkin is a naive simpleton. It is that his particular kind of obtuseness leaves him unaware of his disastrous effects on others. He is a flat person who literally talks like a chatbot. His “goodness” lies in the fact that, like a chatbot, he reacts to challenges without irony, offering platitudes bereft of any reflexivity, taking everything literally and relying on a mental auto-complete rather than authentic idea-formation. For this reason, the new chatbots will get along very well with ideologues of all stripes, from today’s “woke” crowd to “MAGA” nationalists who prefer to remain asleep.

India played diplomatic hardball & British response was that it still gives ‘aid’ to an India whose economy has overtaken its own

In a hardball diplomatic move, India removed extra barricades outside the British high commission and the residence of the high commissioner in New Delhi on Wednesday. And, presto, security outside the Indian high commission in London that again saw pro-Khalistani protests was noticeably better than earlier. That it came to this is entirely the fault of Britain, which seems to have confused earlier Indian interventions with a sign of weakness. The tricolour was forcibly lowered by vandals at the Indian high commission in the earlier incident on Sunday – surely a major violation in terms of responsibilities to protect diplomats and missions. Any reading of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, which obliges the host nation of a diplomatic mission to provide adequate security for mission premises and to prevent any intrusion or damage, should make it clear that London had failed in its obligation.

India, therefore, had to send a message. If being nice doesn’t work, sometimes in diplomacy one has to act a little rough. It’s a moot point whether when it comes to India, Britain suffers from imperial delusions. Or whether London will only respond to hard power gestures. Either way, the onus is on the Sunak government to repair relations from this point on. Bear in mind that India has plenty of leverage – Indian students in Britain are a major funding source for higher education, even for second rate British universities (this, of course, also says something about India’s education standards), Indian rich are important players in London’s luxury real estate market, India is the biggest market for Scotch whisky by volume, minus India, the Commonwealth, a semi-defunct institution that’s nonetheless dear to British royals and ministers, will look even more dead…

None of this, of course, needs to or even should come into play. But it’s useful to remind the country with the smaller economy what current realities are.

And the joke is not here. The real joke lies in another stupid UK statement.

An uninvited guest from a foreign land took up residence in your home. First by cunning, then by force, your guest made himself the master of your house.

The guest-turned-master systemically plundered all the wealth from your home and transferred it to his own country. Finally, force of circumstances compelled the invasive guest to depart and go back to the palace he’d built with his stolen riches. However, over time, your former guest squandered much of the looted wealth. Meanwhile, you worked hard to rebuild your lost fortunes and your bank balance overtook that of your robber.

Chagrined by the reversal of roles, your former enslaver spread rumours that he was still doling out a pension to help you keep body and soul together.

That sums up the inglorious tale of the rise and fall of the Raj, and the current relationship between the UK and India.

A British organisation called The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) has reportedly claimed that the UK still gives India annual aid worth some £2 billion.

Officially, Britain stopped giving aid to India soon after 2012 when then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee described the assistance of £280 million as “peanuts”. By that time India had already developed its space programme and its nuclear capability, and was itself providing aid to other countries. Now India’s economy has overtaken that of Britain to become the fifth largest in the world, after the US, China, Japan, and Germany. So, the UK’s claim of still giving India aid deserves the derisory dismissal of not just “peanuts” but BS, short for British Sophistry.

However, there could be another way of looking at the “aid” supposedly given by Britain to India. The Raj siphoned off far more than Britain’s  £2.2 trillion GDP in 2021.

So, in order to repay what it owes, perhaps it’s resorting to EMIs, or equated monthly installments. Or should that be payments for England’s Manifest Injustice?

Your arth (money) grows when it finds arth (meaning)

The word arth‘’ in Hindi has a dual meaning. It means ‘money’ and it also denotes ‘meaning’. Yet, all arth– money or wealth – doesn’t necessarily have arth – meaning or value.

We earn money to sustain ourselves and to lead a comfortable life. This money is essentially in the form of currency, which plays out in various transactions, or prices in our daily lives. But to grow, money needs to have meaning and value. And there are some time-tested ways, money can find meaning.

One, money must find flow, movement, or currency. It must find a path for broader usage, utility and growth. It is useless when hoarded without any utility to the one who possesses it. Statesman and philosopher Kautilya defined hoarded wealth as vyartha, a liability. For artha to be in shape and to prosper, it must be used in transactions – either as an investment, or as expenditure.

Two, money must be given time to grow. Time affords prosperity through the power of compounding and patience. A Systematic Investment Plan (SIP), for instance, demonstrates how it works wonders in mutual funds. The virtue of patience also serves us well while dealing in stocks. Business magnate and philanthropist Warren Buffett says, “The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.”

Three, money is safe and grows only in good hands and good company. Apart from our healthy habits, the right advice or counselling from well-meaning friends and advisers helps us manage money well. We know how, in the Mahabharat, the counselling of Shakuni led to Duryodhan’s fall. If we are surrounded by people who have sumati, noble intent, risks of our losing money are less.

Four, sources and usage of money need to be fair and auspicious. Means of earning money and ends for its use need to be transparent, fair and ethical. Any arth, wealth, gained through the path of adharma, unrighteousness, finally results in anartha, disaster. In the Buddhist and Jain literature too, Lakshmi is considered a goddess of affluence, abundance and auspiciousness.

Five, money must be shared. Accumulation of money, exclusively for self, is a self-serving and egocentric activity. Wealth loses its glitter and its charm beyond a point. However, we can satisfy our soul by using our material wealth for ‘common good’ and higher purpose.

Six, money should not blind, overwhelm, or enslave us. Dazzled and enamoured by its exterior facets – status symbol, power, flamboyant lifestyles – we dance to money’s tune sometimes and become its slave. With our wisdom held hostage, we continue chasing wealth and invite misery. Emphasising non-attachment from material possessions, Sri Ramakrishna said: “Taka Mati, Mati Taka” – money is mud, mud is money.

Lastly, money is countable but needs support of the uncountable. “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts,” said Albert Einstein. Reimagination of ‘wealth’ in terms of health, relationships, goodwill, character and contentment can add new perspectives to creation and use of money.

Tirthankar who can be Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh

As per Jain cosmology, universe is Anadi-nidhan, eternal. The two time-cycles, Utsarpini, in which all good things – knowledge, happiness, life span, stature – are in ascending order, and Avsarpini, during which all these are in descending order, when joined together, make one rotation of the time wheel called Kalpa. At the end of Avsarpini, all living beings, except a few, are destroyed. Thereafter, Utsarpini cycle starts and human beings, animals, birds and vegetation start taking birth.

Avsarpini begins with the Bhogbhumi system where nobody needs to do anything and all requirements like food, clothing, and housing are provided by the Kalpavriskha, wish-fulfilling tree. Gradually, the power of Kalpavriksha recedes and people start suffering. At this juncture, Karmbhumi system starts and Tirthankars take birth to educate people how to earn their livelihood.

Rishabhdev was the first Tirthankar, and he imparted the knowledge of Shat Awashayak, six essential activities: Asi – fighting skills to protect self and others, Masi – writing; Krishi – agriculture to produce foodgrain and vegetables; Vanijya – trade; Vidya – acquiring knowledge and teaching others; and Shilpa – crafts and asked people to adopt an activity of their choice, irrespective of their origin.

Bharat, the eldest son of Rishabhdev, is said to be the first Chakravorty, the one who conquered the whole world. The Jains believe that our country is called Bharat after him. Rishabhdev had two daughters. To his daughter called Sundari, he taught Anka-kala, knowledge of numbers, and to Brahmi, the other daughter, he imparted Akshar-kala, knowledge of alphabets. And since Rishabhdev initiated all worldly activities, he is called Brahma, the creator of Srishti.

In his life span of 84 lacs purvas, equivalent to 84,00,000 x 84,00,000 x 84,00,000 years, Rishabhdev ruled Ayodhya for 83 lacs purvas. During his rule, crime was negligible. And reprimands such as ‘Haa’ – oh, what have you done, to the first-time offender; ‘Maa’ – don’t do this, to the second timer; and ‘Dhik’ – shame on you, to the third-time culprit, were sufficient to reform them and deter others from committing any crime.

After ruling for 83 lac purvas, Rishabhdev renounced all his possessions and took muni diksha and became an ascetic, roaming naked. After rigorous penance of 1,000 years, he attained Kaivalya Jnana – omniscience, and preached the universal and eternal principles of satya, truth; ahimsa, non-violence; achaurya, non-stealing; aparigriha, non-possession; and sheel-brahmacharya, celibacy.

The first Jain Tirthankar is also called Vishnu, preserver of the world, as he was the first to declare that plants and trees also have life and urged people to protect all species, including micro-organisms present in earth, water, fire, air and vegetation.

Rishabhdev attained nirvana, salvation, at Mt Kailash, putting an end to his cycle of birth and death. Since he completely destroyed his karmas and their bondages, he is also Mahesh, Shiv, the destroyer of Srishti.

In Vedic culture, the holy trinity – Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh – are considered different entities, but in Jain belief system, the triumvirate is none other than Rishabhdev, who is also the originator of Jainism, not Mahavir, as many believe. He is the guru, scientist, environmentalist, and visionary, who showed us the path of livelihood and liberation.

Tagore and Swami Vivekananda

“So far as I can make out, Vivekananda’s idea was that we must accept the facts of life. We must rise higher in our spiritual experience in the domain where neither good nor evil exists. It was because Vivekananda tried to go beyond good and evil that he could tolerate many religious habits and customs which have nothing spiritual about them. My attitude towards truth is different. Truth cannot afford to be tolerant where it faces positive evil; it is like sunlight which makes the existence of evil germs impossible.”

Tagore said this to the French Nobel laureate Romain Rolland in Geneva on 28 August 1930 in the course of a dialogue between them regarding the question of intolerance prevailing the world over. In the same year Rolland published his famous biography of Swamiji, entitled The Life of Swami Vivekananda and the Universal Gospel. The title itself tells us how Rolland was influenced by Swamiji’s works. Each word of this book reflects the tremendous inspiration its author had assiduously drawn from Swamiji. It simultaneously hints at the fact that the impact of Swamiji’s life and thought on many a renowned thinker abroad was already powerful like it was on numerous thinkers at home.

In order to mark his exceptional estimation of Swamiji, Rolland wrote in the Prelude “nobody ever came near him (Swamiji) either in India or America without paying homage to his majesty.” Similarly, he also wrote, “He was energy personified, and action was his message to men”, and “Battle and life for him were synonymous.”

Incidentally, he had brought out a biography of Swamiji’s Guru, Sri Ramakrishna, the previous year, that is in 1929. Therefore, it could be legitimately presumed that his mind being fully charged with Swamiji’s ideas at that moment, he must have had enough to say about him to Tagore. More so, it was because Tagore, too, by then, knew considerably well about Swamiji, after getting over his initial reticence about him.

Tagore was a follower of Romanticism. Accordingly, his love for Nature (Prakriti) was legendary which found expression through his innumerable poems. On the other hand, Swamiji was a Vedantic Transcendentalist who went above Nature and realised the Truth. Tagore never liked to go beyond Nature while Swamiji was bent upon breaking the bondage of Nature upon him. Swamiji said, “Religion is the science which learns the transcendental in nature through the transcendental in man.”

Tagore was talking about relative truth which, by its diverse character, is obviously different from the immutable Absolute Truth. Transcendental experience of the Absolute Truth, which is beyond all senses of opposites (Dwanda), couldn’t be identical with the relative truth of the empirical world fraught with dualities such as good and evil.

Swamiji was a realised soul of the highest order. In the consummation of his spiritual attainment, he experienced the Absolute Truth of Oneness, as a result of his rigorous non-dualistic sadhana. It was indeed his subjective spiritual accomplishment of Nirvikalpa Samadhi, in which annihilation of the senses of duality takes place. But then, in his normal state of mind he wasn’t at all defiant of the empirical phenomenon which was very real to his senses, comprising the feelings of pain and pleasure. He rather spent his whole life for the alleviation of the suffering of man caused by evil, empathising with the pains of all and sundry. An extraordinary spiritual depth alone helps to understand Swamiji in the right perspective.

Whether Tagore’s perception about Swamiji’s attitude towards tolerance was then right or not is beside the point, for he also had his spiritually elevated personal experience. The point is that, in order to be able to understand his thoughts and ideology, he was, evidently, sincerely studying Swamiji’s works at the time. Although he had passed away almost three decades earlier, Swamiji was nevertheless quite important to him which at least didn’t seem the case during Swamiji’s lifetime.

This implies that Tagore could not ultimately ignore and remain silent regarding Swamiji in spite of his differences on various accounts born of the Brahmo obduracy in him, like his stout reservation against Swamiji’s Kali, Guru and Incarnation worship. A few years before Swamiji’s demise, Sister Nivedita, who had a close friendship with Tagore, tried hard to bring them together to speak but her endeavour proved futile. They indeed participated at a tea party arranged by her for that purpose.

However, ironically, there wasn’t a single word said between them. She could well observe that the silence among them was sedulous though they knew each other very well from their early boyhood. Besides, it was well known in the Tagore household that Swamiji was highly reverential to Tagore’s father who also used to love him dearly. There is a need here to remember the fact that Swamiji once had an intimate link with the Brahmo movement, of which Devendranath was a frontline leader and his son Rabindranath was now the torch bearer who had induced nuances in the movement. Swamiji severed his connection with it because he was disillusioned with its superficial spiritual culture, God-realization being his chief concern and he was then resolutely in search of God.

Interestingly, in Tagore’s belief, Swamiji’s association with Brahmo Samaj wasn’t a problem in his subsequent spiritual life. In Tattwabodhini (Agrahayan, 1318) he wrote: “That Vivekananda was once an enthusiastic Brahmo wasn’t a hindrance to his subsequent transition to another path.” Perhaps in the year 1930, Tagore first, paradoxically, started saying things seriously about Swamiji in public and he was mostly in full praise of him. Maybe, he couldn’t stay quiet after witnessing the unprecedented excitement regarding Swamiji’s message amidst the youth of the country.

He significantly wrote in Pravasi (Jaishtha, 1335) around this time: “In India of modern times, it was Vivekananda alone who preached the great message which is not tied to any dos and don’ts. Addressing one and all in the nation he said: in every one of you there is the power of Brahman; the God in the poor desires you to serve Him. This message has roused the hearts of the youths in a most pervasive way. That is why this message has borne fruits in the service of the nation in diverse ways and in diverse forms of sacrifice. This message has at one and the same time imparted dignity and respect to man along with energy and power.

The strength that this message has imparted to man is not confined to a particular point; nor is it limited to repetitions of some physical movements. It has, indeed, invested his life with a wonderful dynamism in various spheres. There at the source of the adventurous activities of today’s youth of Bengal is the message of Vivekananda ~ which calls the soul of man…”

A few years later he wrote in Udbodhan (Ashwin, 1348): “Some time ago Vivekananda said that there was the power of Brahman in every man, that Narayana wanted to have our service through the poor. This is what I call real gospel. This gospel showed the path of infinite freedom from man’s tiny egocentric self beyond the limits of all selfishness. This was no sermon relating to a particular ritual, nor was it a narrow injunction to be imposed upon one’s external life. This naturally contained in it protest against untouchability ~ not because that would make for political freedom, but because that would do away with the humiliation of man – a curse which in fact puts to shame the self of us all.

“Vivekananda’s gospel marked the awakening of man in his fullness and that is why it inspired our youth to the diverse courses of liberation through work and sacrifice.”

Actually, the 1930s decade was a period in which Tagore perceived Swamiji and his Guru in a parlance that was altogether different from his perception about them before. In 1935 he gave a message in the form of a poem to Ramakrishna Mission, making obeisance to Sri Ramakrishna on the occasion of his birth centenary celebration.

On 3 March 1937 he famously participated in the concluding function of the celebration and read a carefully written paper, offering glowing tributes to Sri Ramakrishna, before a huge, pindrop silent, gathering at the University Institute Hall of Calcutta, remaining seated on the stage for the next three hours of the meeting notwithstanding his poor health.

He was amazed to see such a well managed function with perfect discipline. On the following day when its convener Swami Sambudhananda accompanied by Ramananda Chattopadhaya (editor of Pravasi) went to enquire about his health he said: “I am quite well. Swamiji, many thanks to you. It was the first time in my life that I had experienced such a peaceful meeting in spite of the presence of such a large audience. Truly, I have exceptionally enjoyed this meeting. I am overwhelmed by seeing the organizing ability of Ramakrishna Mission. You are really doing a big work.”

That was not the only occasion that he praised the activity of the Mission established by Swamiji. In his perception Swamiji’s work was of a very high quality. He never shied away from appreciating it amply whenever opportunity came.

Above all, he was visibly influenced by its modus operandi to apply it in various ways in his work at Viswa Bharati. Beginning from the plan of establishing and accomplishing the “Brahmo Vidyalaya” of Bolpur, next by his instruction from it to “Brahmacharya Vidyalaya” for all students irrespective of race or religion, and then its transformation into “Viswa Bharati” with a clean and liberal environment of harmony (samanwaya) among different indigenous cultures is its clear implication.

Ways to be calm – and why it matters

Is being calm about passivity and numbness, or is it a superpower that makes us strong? Is calmness a passive state of being, involving numbing oneself to what’s really going on? Is it in some cases unnatural – sociopathic even? Or is a sense of tranquillity one of our greatest qualities? Here are five ideas about calmness, from the philosophy of serenity to the music, art and poetry that can make us feel peaceful – and how to find our “flow”.

Stoic serenity

“Stay calm and serene regardless of what life throws at you,” advised the Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Sounds easier said than done, you would think. But the Stoic Aurelius had a knack for making calmness seem easy to achieve. The philosopher Epictetus and other Stoics believed that finding calm was essential – and within our control.

Aurelius’s famous work Meditations is, according to John Sellars – author and Reader at Royal Holloway, University of London – all about “putting our everyday cares and concerns into wider perspective”. As emperor of Rome, Aurelius faced huge pressures but, Sellars tells BBC Culture: “He often reminds himself how brief his life is compared to the vastness of time, and how small it is compared to the whole of the cosmos.”

In line with his Stoic life view, Aurelius also reminds himself constantly that “whatever frustration or negative emotions he might be feeling are ultimately the product of his own judgments or interpretations about situations, and so, as a consequence, things within his power to control,” says Sellars.  In order to make good decisions we need a calm frame of mind so that we can pause and reflect, rather than behaving merely reactively – John Sellars

But why the emphasis on being calm? Is it really that important to find peace? In the Stoic mindset, it seems, calmness is everything – it is strength. As Aurelius writes in Meditations: “The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength.”

Sellars explains: “Calmness is essential to living a good, happy life, Marcus and his fellow Stoics would insist. This is because a disturbed or troubled mind isn’t going to be able to make sensible, rational decisions. The person in the grip of violent emotions, for instance, literally isn’t thinking straight. They have been overcome and may act impulsively or violently. In order to make good decisions we need a calm frame of mind so that we can pause and reflect, rather than behaving merely reactively.” 

According to the Stoics, we just need to see that calmness is within our control. Whatever is going on in the world, “it all depends on our judgments and interpretations of situations, not the situations themselves,” explains Sellars. The philosopher Epictetus, he adds, who was Aurelius’s primary influence, wrote: “When we are frustrated, angry or unhappy, never hold anyone except ourselves – that is, our judgements – accountable.”

This core Stoic idea was, says Sellars, “a huge influence on the founders of modern cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and its effectiveness has been proven by the many studies of CBT that have been made”. 

The electronic album Stellar Drifting by George FitzGerald is inspired by the cosmos – Setting Sun is a particularly tranquil listen (Credit: George FitzGerald)

Electronic escape

From supposedly soothing pan pipes to ambient rainforest sounds, we are all accustomed to the stock idea of soundscapes as a calming backdrop. But of course the sounds that each of us find restful are by definition a personal thing, and there is no one-size-fits-all soundtrack that will promote peacefulness for all.

Just as the Stoics emphasised perspective and how small each of us is compared to the whole of the cosmos, electronic music artist George FitzGerald looked to the universe and the stars for inspiration for his 2022 album Stellar Drifting. The musician told MusicTech: “To me, [space] represented the furthest point away; the grandest vision of humanity.” FitzGerald spent time in New Mexico driving in the desert and stargazing. “Space gets you out of yourself. It reminds you that we’re tiny and insignificant.”

He took images of the universe collected by Nasa and, by feeding them into new software programmes, converted them into sounds, which he then developed into the 10 tracks on the album. He also used audio recordings from probes that were floating around the solar system.

Electronic, garage and house music have for decades been a form of escapism, first evolving in the interesting margins of society, and uniting disparate groups. And according to FitzGerald, the stars in the sky are an escapism, one that connects all of us. Probably the most calming track on the album is Setting Sun, to be enjoyed not necessarily on a busy dancefloor, but rather lying on a sofa or standing on a hillside, contemplating the vastness of the universe – and our own insignificance.

Art of tranquillity

Likewise in visual art, one viewer’s tranquil, meditative experience is another’s intense psychodrama. The New Yorker describes the work of Swedish artist Hilma af Kilmt as “fearfully esoteric” and resonating with a “restlessly searching mood in present culture”. For other spectators, masterpieces such as The Ten Largest, Group lV, No. 3 Youth 1907 are quintessentially peaceful in their enigmatic otherworldliness.  

A Swedish mystic and painter, Af Klint developed her own lexicon of pastel-hued shapes several years ahead of other more feted abstract artists. An exhibition this April at London’s Tate Modern will explore her work alongside that of Piet Mondrian. “At the heart of both of their artistic journeys was a shared desire to understand the forces behind life on Earth,” says the Tate. Like others before her, Af Klint viewed our existence as only a small element in the larger scheme of things

Af Klint began her career as a landscape painter, inspired by nature, and then her work began to represent natural forms that veered towards abstraction. Spirituality, theosophy and philosophy were central to her out-there vision, and her work reflects that sense of something bigger than us at play – in fact she actually believed her works were painted under the direction of higher spirits. Like others before her, she viewed our existence as only a small element in the larger scheme of things.

Undeniably woo-woo though her vision was, her interest in metaphysics and theosophy was intricate, even semi-scientific, and with its own internal logic – she was drawn to both the spiritualist writings of the founder of the Theosophical Society, Madam Blavatsky, and the philosophical ideas of the Medieval mystic Christian Rosenkreuz. She wanted her work to facilitate spiritual mediation that would transcend physical reality, and to visualise a kind of astral world.

Who knows the precise motivation or meaning behind these extraordinary, liminal, enigmatic artworks? And perhaps that mystery and other-worldliness is what makes the act of looking at them, to some of us at least, such a profoundly peaceful experience.

Harmony of haiku

The traditional form of Japanese poetry, haiku, which consists of 17 syllables in three lines, is widely considered to have a calming effect on the reader. The structure of haiku follows a strict syllable count, and it encourages the poet to focus on a single image or moment, which in itself has a meditative effect. The use of nature imagery in haiku also evokes feelings of serenity and peace. The brevity and simplicity of haiku allows the reader to contemplate and consider the meaning and the imagery without feeling overwhelmed by excessive ideas and language.

Matsuo Bashō of the Edo period, the best known haiku poet – his complete poetry is translated in the book On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho – was born in Iga-ueno near Kyoto in 1644, and he began writing verse while acting as a companion to a local aristocrat. Bashō was not only a master of haiku, but also a Buddhist monk and a great traveller – when he travelled he relied entirely on the hospitality of temples and fellow poets. 

His gnomic poems combine the Zen idea of a oneness with creation with kurami, or lightness of touch. Each of his poems evokes a scene from the natural world – a leaping frog, a summer moon, cherry blossom, winter snow – which suggest the smallness of human life in the context of the vastness of nature. Pithy and spare, his most famous haiku is The Old Pond: “Old pond/ A frog jumps in –/ The sound of water”. Another is A Leafless Branch: “On a leafless branch/ A crow comes to rest –/ Autumn nightfall”.

Bashō led a solitary life completely free from possessions. Arguably, his haiku are the result of a keen eye and a meditative mind that have been left clear from the distraction of “stuff”, and so he is more alive to the beauty of the world around him – and closer to his own intuition.

The wandering poet Matsuo Bashō was the master of haiku – he renounced all belongings and travelled far and wide, finding inspiration (Credit: Getty Images)

As Daisetz T Suzuki writes in Zen in the Japanese Culture: “A haiku does not express ideas but… puts forward images reflecting intuitions. These images are not figurative representations made use of by the poetic mind, but they directly point to original intuitions, indeed they are intuitions themselves.” The suggestion is that the composition of haiku is so intuitive, it is almost unconscious.

Haiku and their close attention to the details of nature are part of the wider Japanese concepts of nagomi and ikigai, which roughly translated equate to a sense of meaning and harmony. “[Haiku] gives us an insight into why the word ikigai exists in Japanese,” writes Yukari Mitsuhashi in Ikigai: Giving Every Day Meaning and Joy. “In our everyday lives, whether we are immersing ourselves in nature or devouring traditional Japanese food, paying attention to detail grabs our focus on to what is right in front of us, instead of wondering about our to-do lists in our head… permitting us to find joy and ikigai in simple, everyday things.”

And the principles of haiku can be calming when applied to other areas of life, too. In his book Goodbye Things, Funio Sasaki writes: “Traditional paintings have few figures in them and value negative space. Japanese calligraphy and brush paintings are in black and white. Haiku is the shortest poem form in the world. These are a few examples of a minimalistic aesthetic in Japanese art and culture.” In the book, Sasaki, like Bashō all those centuries before, decides to give away most of his possessions, and explores the feeling of calm and tranquillity that results: “There are more things to gain from eliminating excess than you might imagine: time, space, freedom, and energy, for example.”

Find your flow

Calmness is regarded by some with suspicion – is a state of calmness really just a state of passivity? A surrender of engagement, giving up, or, worse, a sociopathic disconnection?

But being calm need not equate with being passive or numb. When we’re absorbed in something we love – music, gardening, drawing, knitting, writing, whatever it is – we can enter an almost trance-like state of calm, mesmerised by what we are doing. As Mitsuhashi argues in her book about ikigai, immersing ourselves in nature or a particular activity makes us focus on what is in front of us, freeing up our minds from other things, and enabling us to find peace.

In her classic work The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron encourages the reader to “make a commitment to quiet time”. She writes: “Creativity occurs in the moment, and in the moment we are timeless”.

And author Mihaly Csiksezentmihalyi argues that what really makes us feel not only calm and peaceful, but also glad to be alive, is unlocking a more fulfilling state of being. He calls this state of mind “flow”. In his book Flow: The Psychology of Happiness, he throws light on the idea that many philosophers before him have posited – that the way to peace doesn’t lie in mindless detachment, but in mindful challenge. Each of us finds our flow in different ways, and our sense of calm.

Is a martyr’s death truly an act of freedom and resistance in everyday life marked by oppression and violence

The ninth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded for not converting to Islam and his companions were hacked to death. He was unwavering in his faith and became a martyr. Similarly, an octogenarian Christian bishop is condemned to death for his beliefs. Even while bound to a wooden stake, as Roman authorities order his immolation, the monk still refuses to blaspheme against his god. A crowd gathers to watch, including the monk’s companions, who look on with horror and reverence as the pyre is lit. But the flames fail to extinguish his life, and a dagger finishes the job. The bishop Polycarp is dead.

His companions rush to gather the body, creating a commotion so chaotic that Roman authorities must physically restrain them. They seek his remains, hoping to preserve Polycarp’s bones as relics of suffering and dedication. Through death, the monk becomes a martyr, and Saint Polycarp’s story begins to spread Christianity further across the Roman Empire. But his martyrdom represents more than the spread of a single oppressed religion: Polycarp’s sacrifice in the 2nd century CE shows what it can mean to wield death as a form of resistance. A form that will shape the ambit of political action in the millennia that follow.

The history is filled with martyrs like Guru Tegh Bahadur and Polycarp, but martyrdom is not an invention of any particluar religion. In the settled societies of the Mediterranean basin, martyrs challenged repressive political power. Members of various philosophical streams,prominently Stoicism, used self-inflicted and assisted death as a performance of their exalted position over a debased society. A well-known example is Socrates who accepted the death penalty for corrupting the youth of Athens during the 4th century BCE. Defying death, he reasoned, would have set a negative example to those supposedly ‘corrupted’ youth. Over the following centuries, as civilisations rose and fell, philosophers and holy men of all kinds used death to symbolically oppose unjust rule – in some circumstances, death became the sole avenue for action. But was it effective?

What may often seem a desperate and futile act can sometimes assume critical political expedience. For this reason, death’s uses have only proliferated since the days of Polycarp. Understanding the political afterlife of death, specifically through martyrdom, has become only more complex and urgent in a world of oppressive state control, colonisation, insurgency and counterinsurgency. While death inevitably brings certain processes to a swift halt, what novel possibilities can it open?

An understanding of death’s political possibilities could be informed by turning to relatively recent examples of philosophers, activists, Marxists, insurgents,  paramilitary groups and Buddhist monks who have used death to achieve their goals. But there is a longer trajectory to the political uses of death, one that requires tracing the history of sacrifice in the Abrahamic traditions. Judaism, Christianity and Islam have all employed death to further their cause and rally members for political ends. The sacrality of martyrdom and martyrs in these religions cannot be overemphasised. Although these religions focus heavily on the moral direction of quotidian conduct to avoid otherworldly damnation, martyrdom is seen as an extraordinary avenue to achieve communal esteem and ethereal salvation.

One of the inflection points for this longer trajectory begins with Abraham. In the Book of Genesis, God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a ‘burnt-offering’:

Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Abraham builds the altar, lays down the wood, binds Isaac, and prepares to sacrifice his son, but God stops him – a nearby ram becomes the ‘burnt-offering’. The binding of Isaac and his potential sacrifice demonstrate the centrality of sacred death in all the Abrahamic faiths.

During the Greek and Roman empires, as Jews faced increased persecution, sacrifice became central to Jewish life and theology. The role of martyrdom was further cemented through various eras of persecution under the rule of Christians and Byzantines. Even today, the Jewish victims of the First Crusade (1096 CE) are almost unanimously revered as martyrs. However, martyrdom is not always easily incorporated. Its role has been complicated by the Holocaust: does the widespread death of Jews in the mid-20th century constitute martyrdom? According to Rabbi Shira Lander, applying the concept of martyrdom, in terms of divine judgement, to the Shoah is often considered blasphemous. However, numerous instances of collective and individual resistance during the Second World War, within concentration camps or the Jewish Ghettos, are undoubtedly viewed through the lens of martyrdom.

Christians understand Christ’s death as a redemptive act in the service of humanity

In contemporary times, the Jewish tradition of martyrdom is seen in the Zionist movement and the conduct of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who have efficiently employed it in the name of territorial annexation and national sovereignty. Within their ranks, the prestige associated with sacrifice results in substituting material rewards for symbolic gain. Martyrdom dominates the imaginary of the IDF. David Ben-Gurion, the founder of the state of Israel, considered the knowledge of martyred biblical military heroes a necessary precondition for proper induction into the Israeli military. The forces operate within what the Israeli political scientist Yagil Levy calls a theocratic framework of sacrifice. But it’s important to note that Zionism and the IDF do not singlehandedly encompass either the Jewish theological doctrines or the evolution of Jewish militancy and its culture of martyrdom.

Christianity also coalesces around sacred death: the binding of Isaac foreshadows the crucifixion of Jesus. Christians understand Christ’s death as a redemptive act in the service of humanity, an ultimate sacrifice to selflessly atone for humanity’s sins. While many scholarly traditions view crucifixion as a passive act, representing victimhood, the simple fact that it continues to deeply resonate within Christianity makes it anything but passive. In the Apostolic Age, from around 33 to 100 CE – the first decades of the religion – the veneration of sacred death was further cemented. It became so central to early Christian culture, that many scholars define Christianity as the emergence of a ‘cult’ of martyrdom. Saint Polycarp’s death contributed to this view.

One of the most influential contributors towards this glorification of martyrdom was Eusebius of Caesarea, a Greek bishop, polemicist and historian who produced multiple works about Christian martyrology during the 4th century CE. His text On the Martyrs of Palestine details the stories of Christians who were tortured and killed. Its first sentence begins:

Those Holy Martyrs of God, who loved our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, and God supreme and sovereign of all, more than themselves and their own lives, who were dragged forward to the conflict for the sake of religion, and rendered glorious by the martyrdom of confession, who preferred a horrible death to a temporary life, and were crowned with all the victories of virtue, and offered to the Most High and supreme God the glory of their wonderful victory, because they had their conversation in heaven, and walked with him who gave victory to their testimony, also offered up glory, and honour, and majesty to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

Early Christians who were martyred, including those described by Eusebius, became the focus of pilgrimage, as believers journeyed to see the remains or burial sites of those who had been ‘rendered glorious’ by ‘a horrible death’. From the time of the crusades to the Middle Ages, the ‘cult’ of martyrdom intensified. By the time the Christian theologian Thomas Aquinas wrote Summa Theologiae in the late 1300s, he described martyrdom as a ‘perfect’ human act – in fact, singularly perfect, as a symbol of virtue and fortitude. But for Aquinas, the ‘perfect notion of martyrdom requires that a man suffer death for Christ’s sake.’

In Islam, death became part of a central strategy. As in Judaism and Christianity, death was used to establish and proliferate the religion. In fact, sacred death played such a key role in the early years of Islam, between 622 and 950 CE, that martyrdom became a military problem. These early years were an era of contentious politics and fierce battles, in which sacrifice for God represented an ultimate authenticity of belief. There is evidence that military commanders were irritated by the abundance of self-sacrificing martyrs and the lack of prudent fighters who displayed a reluctance to die. One prominent example, according to the historian Alfred Morabia, were the muttawi’a or volunteers who readily sacrificed themselves during Muslim confrontations against the Byzantines, especially during the 7th and 8th centuries.

In the Quran, Islam’s foundational text, martyrdom is inextricably tied to the struggle for faith, and it remains deeply venerated. Martyrs are accorded an exalted status as well as a guarantee for a secure afterlife. Multiple verses attest to this, the most repeated being from the chapters Al-Baqarah and Al-Imran:

وَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاء عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ

‘But do not think of those that have been slain in God’s cause dead. Nay, they are alive! With their Sustainer have they their sustenance …’

وَلاَ تَقُولُواْ لِمَنْ يُقْتَلُ فِي سَبيلِ اللّهِ أَمْوَاتٌ بَلْ أَحْيَاء وَلَكِن لاَّ تَشْعُرُونَ

‘And say not of those who are slain in God’s cause, “They are dead”: nay, they are alive, but you perceive it not.’

Within the logic of Islam, martyrdom is legitimised when it advances the aims of the faith. However, according to Mahmoud M Ayoub, an influential Lebanese scholar of Islam, in some branches of Islam a martyr with secondary motives – including the desire to claim material reward, display bravery or defend their wealth, family or land – is no less legitimate, as long as faith is the primary motive.

Muslims slain in prolonged battles against the occupying US military were virtually accorded the status of saints

When a Muslim dies, their body is washed and wrapped in a shroud before burial. But Muslim martyrs are displayed in an open casket wearing the clothes they died in. According to the Islamic tradition, they have already been purified by their death – by a selfless act in service of the faith. Special rituals and occasions are also associated with the remembrance of the martyrs’ sacrifice, especially for those slain during the formative years of Islam. When a Muslim becomes a martyr, their family members and acquaintances are discouraged from mourning. Instead, they must express gratitude. According to the Quran, martyrs are not dead. In a temporal sense, the continued ritual performances of remembrance keep them alive in the afterlife.

These performances may take place at the burial sites of martyrs, which are often positioned away from regular graveyards. The graves of martyrs hold reverential status within Muslim societies.

In 2002, the veteran war correspondent Robert Fisk visited a martyrs’ graveyard in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He describes the way that those buried there – Muslims slain during prolonged battles against the occupying US military – were virtually accorded the status of saints by locals:

The people of the Taliban’s former caliphate tended the graves in their hundreds. On Fridays, they came in their thousands, travelling hundreds of miles. They brought their sick and dying. Word had it that a visit to the graveyard of bin Laden’s dead would cure disease and pestilence. As if kneeling at the graves of saints, old women gently washed the baked mud sepulchres, kissing the dust upon them, looking up in prayer to the spindly flags that snapped in the dust storms.

Igrew up in India-administered Kashmir, a region marred by decades of conflict, popular insurgency and ferocious counterinsurgency. Here, the idea of politicoreligious sacred death remains a pervasive and omnipresent feature of daily life. Those believed to have been slain for the cause of Kashmir’s freedom, and Islam, are popularly revered within the social milieu as their families receive increased social acceptance and status. efore burial, the bodies are displayed openly in large funerary processions. After attempting to touch the feet, face, beard or torso of these bodies, the mourners caress their chests or faces, as if to gather piousness. The bodies are then buried in special graveyards that are spread across Kashmir’s towns and villages. During these funerals, family members apply henna on the hands and feet of their slain kin, in addition to showering them with sweets. This is done in imitation of the rituals that are generally carried out during elaborate marriage ceremonies in Kashmir. The performance that follows death is a mix of celebration and mourning. They celebrate because the dead have received the highest level of spiritual salvation that can be accorded to a Muslim: Jannah (paradise).

The history of martyrdom in the Abrahamic traditions shows the strategic role that sacred death played in the formation of these faiths – a ‘strategy’ that furthered spiritual and political aims. Through these traditions, death became discursively understood not only as a ‘perfect’ act in the present, or a way of living forever, but also a means of resisting oppression and creating change. But, in Kashmir, sacred death takes on an explicitly political register. Often, the only dissentious politics that can be performed in Kashmir revolves around death.

In pictures and videos, the insurgent is seen touting a gun, pointing the index finger of his right hand to the sky

On university or college campuses, where unionising and campaigning remains virtually banned, students often organise funeral prayers for those who they believe are martyrs. However, state authorities have now put an end to these funerary processions by refusing to return the bodies of slain Kashmiris to their families. Instead, they are buried discreetly in faraway border areas. Halting this performative culture of martyrdom was seen as a strategic victory by one of the region’s top-ranking police officials because the observance of large-scale funerary processions significantly enabled recruitment within insurgent ranks. The seizure of bodies by state officials and the performative culture of martyrdom used by Kashmiris to express political resistance reveal the critical position of death within the region’s politics.

The notion of death remains an active core around which the insurgency coalesces. At the end of dogged gunfights between insurgents and the Indian military, dead rebel recruits are often found carrying extremely low-grade weaponry or no weapons at all. This points towards an alternative motivation, beyond material gains, that seems to drive the Kashmiri insurgency against the state’s military structures. This motivation becomes more stark in the visual material created by these young men in the immediate aftermath of joining the insurgency. In pictures and videos, the insurgent is seen touting a gun and pointing the index finger of his right hand to the sky, signifying the Shahada or ‘witnessing’ of the oneness of God. The Arabic term for martyrdom, ‘shaheed’, which appears in the Quran, literally refers to the act of witnessing. Etymologically, this is close to the English, Greek and Syriac words ‘martyr’, ‘martus’ and ‘sahda’, respectively, which all refer to the act of witnessing.

In recent times, the insurgents and their families have also recorded what are known as ‘last calls’ or ‘final calls’. In these phone conversations, an insurgent, who is engaged in a gunfight with the Indian military and has no hope of escaping alive, calls back home for a final farewell. These deeply personal and intense phone calls, which are recorded and then circulated on social media, give insight into the dynamics of the insurgency in Kashmir, illuminating the motivations that drive Muslims to fight despite facing overwhelming odds against India’s enormous counterinsurgency grid. In the calls, pleasantries are exchanged before the young insurgents emphasise their proximate martyrdom for the sake of Islam, and urge others to carry forward ‘the mission’, a euphemism for armed insurgency against the Indian state.

This practice of death as politics appears in other contemporary contexts, most prominently in Palestine. In December 2022, Palestinians mourned the killing of 23-year-old Ahmed Daraghmeh, a professional soccer player. He was killed by the Israeli military during a raid on the West Bank city of Nablus. His funeral was attended by hundreds if not thousands of people, and turned into a site of protest against the occupation. Whether it be after the killing of a Palestinian civilian or of a militant commander, funerary processions have always been potent settings for Palestinians to express political resistance to the Israeli occupation.

An important Arabic term in the context of Palestinian self-sacrifice and martyrdom is ‘Istishhad’. According to Bassam Yousef Ibrahim Banat, a Palestinian sociologist, the term denotes the act of self-sacrifice for the cause of Palestinian liberation. Banat writes: “Self-sacrificing for the sake of the group is a term expressed by Palestinians through the ‘Istishhady’ (suicide martyr) which has religious and popular significances given to the person, who with premeditation and full consciousness, makes a decisive decision to sacrifice himself.”

In recent years, the Israeli authorities have actively focused on putting an end to this expression of Palestinian politics through death. The funerals of those who are conceived to be martyrs are often met with brutal military violence, and remain criminalised. This was demonstrated during the funeral of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian American journalist shot dead in May 2022 by Israeli forces while covering a military raid in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military warned Abu Akleh’s brother against chanting slogans and displaying Palestinian flags at the funeral, and then attacked the mourners and pallbearers.

Shaban’s body was released after four months. Authorities ordered the family to complete the funeral in an hour

In an apparent attempt to halt this rallying around sacred death, Israeli authorities sometimes confiscate the dead bodies of Palestinians to use as leverage. These bodies are held for months in refrigerated mortuaries and released only after protracted negotiations with Palestinian families. The conditions of release often hinge upon how the subsequent funerals will be organised by these families. Israeli authorities will urge them to bury their dead in the middle of the night, with minimal visibility. For the social scientist Suhad Daher-Nashif, this ‘colonial management of death’ complicates the Palestinian experience of mourning and turns it into a ‘spiral’ rather than a ‘linear’ phenomenon. Through an interview in 2016 with the father of a killed Palestinian named ‘Basel’, Daher-Nashif shares the pain of being denied closure:

My son was held for 75 days; every day we heard something different; they played with our emotions. On the day my son [was] killed, two more also were killed. … Death became part of our daily life; we became 18 families; this distracted me from my own trauma and [I] felt that it was a trauma for the whole community. We began to create pressure to get the corpses back. After 45 days of waiting I couldn’t stand it anymore. I couldn’t work. One Thursday we received the news that they would release them the next day, Friday. They chose that day because a snowstorm was expected. They chose it especially to prevent us from having an appropriate funeral.

The experience of Basel’s father is not exceptional. Samah Jabr, a Palestinian psychotherapist, writes about the exhausting negotiations between Israeli authorities and the family of Ahmad Abu Sha’aban, a young Palestinian killed in August 2015. Shaban’s body was released after four months, and authorities ordered the family to complete the funeral rituals in an hour or so. This protracted crackdown against mourning in Palestine again reveals how critical death has become for political expression in the region.

How should we grapple with what is at stake in this fraught dynamic of death, power and politics? For Achille Mbembe, the Cameroonian public intellectual and critical theorist, manifestations of power and sovereignty are forms of ‘necropolitics’. From this perspective, contemporary power is the condition of wielding death: being able to apply it, withhold it, prolong it. This power has led to the creation of ‘death-worlds’ inhabited by ‘living dead’. But death and politics are tangled in complex ways. To conceptualise the subversion of necropolitics, Mbembe uses the figure of a Palestinian suicide bomber. The long history of martyrdom in the Abrahamic traditions, or Kashmir, provide other examples.

But the question remains: what utilitarian political end, if any, does death serve, especially in the contexts of unpopular rule, armed insurgency, and sovereign necropolitical death? G W F Hegel has one response. Hegel describes voluntary encounters with death as non-nihilistic, and maintains that these acts form an essential element of subject-formation. Confronting death, whether as an individual or collective, inevitably transforms the subjective experience of the living or those left behind. Terry Eagleton, the Marxist literary critic and public intellectual, has another response. In his treatise on martyrdom, Radical Sacrifice (2020), Eagleton writes about the ways that voluntary death can overcome the ‘demonic compulsion’ of the Freudian death drive and transform what appears to be a necessity into a practice of freedom. When everyday life is pervasively animated by oppressive forms of enforced death, can death itself be appropriated and turned into an act of resistance and freedom?

Death is a preferable form of political expression for people oppressed by conditions that stretch across time

Eagleton is not the only one thinking of death as freedom. In Starve and Immolate (2014), the political theorist Banu Bargu continues this thread by offering an alternative to sovereign necropolitics: necroresistance. What is striking in Bargu’s case is the way that this form of resistance overlaps with Abrahamic martyrdom. Through the example of imprisoned Marxist dissidents held in the depths of Turkey’s carceral system, Bargu powerfully shows how death, and its attendant rituals and discourses, can assume a theological character even among the supposedly nonreligious. This is not incidental. Bargu describes theologisation as a necessary precondition for necroresistance, and maintains that it has resulted in the production of a new kind of Marxism for the Communist cadre in Turkey: ‘sacrificial Marxism’, which involves martyrdom being systemically appropriated as a ‘central ethico-political value’ and transformed into a vehicle for ‘ideological and cultural propagation’. Necroresistance, when viewed in opposition to necropolitics, can become a potent force of popular political expression.

When is such expression appropriate? For Frantz Fanon, the great philosopher and anticolonial militant, death is a preferable form of political expression when people are oppressed by conditions that appear to stretch across time – an all-encompassing ‘web of three-dimensional violence’. Ending what appears to be a territorially endless and temporally eternal regime, by any means necessary, may include death.

This form of death cannot be dismissed as simply desperate and futile. Not for Fanon, for Bargu, for Kandahar’s insurgents, for Polycarp, nor those whose martyrdom became an expression of dissentious politics. For them, and others, death may not only be logical, but revelatory.

A Fast Furious America Confronts China’s Gradualism

While China builds up its diplomatic presence in the Middle East and is perhaps looking forward to brokering a ceasefire deal between Ukraine and Russia, in the South China Sea it has been gradually building strategic advantages that threaten the vital interests of the United States and its allies. This has been happening over the years when the United States was engaged in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other Middle East conflicts. Today China has become an important military force in the South China Sea, an area through which trillions of dollars of trade flows every year and is critical to the defence of Taiwan.

China made itself indispensable to the United States in its dealing with North Korea, climate initiative, and other global issues. In fact, China was using North Korea as a weapon to browbeat the United States to soften its stand on other issues. The United States lowered its guard, overlooked what was happening in the South China Sea, and ignored the fact that China was stealing American intellectual property and spying on its vital trade secrets.

The entire disputed area in the South China Sea, consisting of 250 islands, atolls, shoals, and reefs, including the Paracel and Spratly Islands, is claimed by several countries in the region including the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Japan’s geopolitical interest in the region is indisputable. Nevertheless, under the benign umbrella of cooperation with the United States, China kept pursuing its own hegemonic interests in the region. China has finished the build-up of all the seven Spratly artificial islands with complete military infrastructure, and aircraft hangars, docks, satellite communications, and shelters for missiles and missile platforms, according to reports. While China was building artificial islands, it went on politely asserting that it had no intention of militarising the islands. The region is rich in oil and gas and abundant in fisheries.

China’s build-up in the South China Sea threatens not only the security of American allies including Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines but also poses threat to vital industries such as advanced semiconductors manufactured in Taiwan. According to American military experts, the strategic advantages that China has made over the years in the region are irreversible. Only a major conflict could remove China from its firm hold on the regional geography. In future conflicts, China could interfere with international trade. China has been accusing the United States of interfering in the region implying that the whole region is under its hegemony

Today there’s an overwhelming bipartisan consensus in the United States that China is a major security challenge for the country, as it became clear after the spy balloon incident which resulted in heated exchanges between the two countries.

In order to play a global role on the world stage President Xi Jinping has been asserting his power in many ways, militarily, economically, and diplomatically. On 10 March China shook up the world by announcing that it had brokered a deal between two long bitter rivals in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Iran, and brought them together to reopen their embassies which had been closed for seven years, following the execution of a Shia cleric by Saudi Arabia.

This is of course a major diplomatic development that may have a tremendous impact not only upon the leadership role which the United States has been playing in the Middle East but also on Israel’s complicated geopolitical relations in the region. China is a major trading partner of both Iran and Saudi Arabia. Forty per cent of its oil imports come from the region and no doubt it serves its interest if there’s peace between two rival countries. Just as China has been building bases in the South China Sea without raising any alarm until recently, it has been trying to do the same thing in the Himalayan region also. Since its conflict with India in 1962 it has been gradually advancing and craftily building its bases in the Himalayan region and encroaching upon Indian territory in spite of several agreements based on the international boundary and the lines of actual control. A major conflict took place in 2020 in Galwan Valley in Ladakh during which 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed.

India knows that an agreement with China does not mean anything if it does not suit China’s interests. As a revanchist power questioning established historical facts in order to advance its claims, China has been trying to rewrite history. First, it lays a cartographic claim based upon its own interpretation of history, and afterward, it nibbles small territories, nimbly and incrementally, establishing its presence without raising any alarm; and when its physical position becomes strong and irreversible, then it claims that this is the reality, and the present actualities should be accepted as fait accompli.

China plays a long-term game. Its slow and gradual manoeuvres leave its opponents puzzled as to what kind of response would be proportionately adequate. Whether it is nipping territory in the Himalayas, hill by hill, valley by valley, or it is the reclamation of reefs and atolls in the South China Sea, China’s international conduct has been destabilizing. While India has yet to find out how to deal with the coercive and deceptive behavior of China, the United States is determined not to allow China to get away with its aggrandizement.

The Indo-Pacific region has become central to US foreign policy, despite Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which eventually, when the war is over, would become integrated with Europe. Apart from its renewed alliance with the Philippines regarding the establishment of new military bases, and the quadrilateral alliance Quad, including India, Australia, and Japan, President Biden recently signed the AUKUS deal with the United Kingdom and Australia that would enable Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines to face China’s challenge.

China’s aggressive behaviour has alienated its neighbours. In spite of the militarization of the artificial island bases, China has not been able to dominate the region – not at present. Other regional powers have begun to assert themselves. They have also upgraded their military installations on islands under their control. They have begun to explore oil and gas reserves on their own thereby challenging China’s efforts to control the region totally. Once again, the United States has become indispensable for free trade and security of the region.

The biggest challenge to China has come from the Philippines. When China took control of the disputed Scarborough Shoals, the Philippines took the case to the International Court of Arbitration, and won the case. But China rejected it. Its rejection of the international arbitration decision shows that China doesn’t care for the international rule of law when it does not suit its strategic interests. This however opened the door for the United States to re-establish its security relations with the Philippines resulting in the Enhanced Defence Cooperation (2014) agreement, which was a landmark diplomatic achievement.

Unlike Barack Obama who bent over backwards to seek China’s goodwill as a rising global power, Donald Trump totally rejected China’s hegemonic claims on the South China Sea – the policy which the Biden administration has continued with greater vigour and determination and with the full support of Republicans and Democrats.

In the Middle East, China seeks peace, but in the Himalayas and the South China Sea, China has been behaving like a bully.

Five Vedic Mantras Constitute The Hymn of Noble Thoughts

Positivity, which is faith in one’s ability, is the first step towards success in any endeavour. The mindset of a person determines the trajectory of his life because that is the genesis of all speech and action. Purification of the mind is the key to shaping a positive destiny. Today, psychologists are beginning to realise the power of positive thinking, positive self-talk and positive affirmations.

An ancient hymn in the Vedas, titled the Shiva Sankalpa Suktam, ‘The Hymn of Noble Thoughts’, is said to be the most ancient, authentic and profound text on this topic. It is a short hymn of just six mantras, but its impact is life-changing. As more and more people suffer from depression and anxiety, the message of this text becomes more relevant today than ever. Each of the six mantras of the hymn creatively describes the mind in an empowering way along with the powerful refrain at the end: “O my mind, have noble thoughts!”

The first mantra highlights the incredible speed at which the mind moves. It describes the mind as the light of all lights, given that it is the essential sense in all sense organs and faster than even light. The second mantra states that it is because of the mind alone that brilliant men can perform rituals. Even the most sublime actions by the most brilliant people are possible only due to the mind. Thus, the mind is the root of all action.

The third mantra makes it clear that the mind is the instrument that makes it possible to acquire any knowledge, whether mundane or spiritual. The mind is described as being of the nature of the light of immortality.

The fourth mantra states that it is only through the mind that we can think in the present, brood over the past and imagine the future. The mind is thus the creator of time, and it allows a person to create the story of his life.

The fifth mantra states that even the knowledge of the Vedas, the highest knowledge, is possible only due to the mind. The mind is thus more sacred than even the Vedas, the most sacred texts.

The sixth and last mantra inspires the mind to be a good charioteer that steers the senses in uplifting directions. It describes the mind as situated in the centre of one’s being, that is, being the essence of one’s existence. It further states that the mind is free of old age. Not only does the mind not stop thinking when the body ages, but it keeps on working at the same lightning speed. This is an indicator of its infinite power.

The human mind is the most powerful tool in existence. When its potential is tapped into, it can transform us into divine beings. By observing and repeatedly reminding oneself of the power of one’s mind, a person begins to realise its true value. Now he will not waste it on useless and negative thoughts. He will fill it with useful, positive, or noble thoughts, which will manifest as noble words and actions in the world. The next time you have a negative thought about yourself or anyone, tell it, “O my mind, have noble thoughts!”

India in the Altered Geo-Political Scene

The non-aligned movement originated in international politics from a group of states that shared the peacetime policy of avoiding political or economic affiliations with the major power blocs. At the beginning, the non-aligned movement consisted primarily of Asian and African states that were once colonies of the Western powers and were wary of being drawn into a new form of dependence by the West or by the communist bloc.

Founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and Sukarno of Indonesia, the basic concept of non-alignment originated in 1955 at Bandung, Indonesia. It was the first Afro-Asian conference that set out to promote concerted economic and cultural cooperation and oppose colonialism. Twentyfive countries attended the conference.

It affirmed the right to independence and to neutral coexistence in the Cold War between the East and the West. The movement mandated seeking development assistance from both the US and the Soviet Union while refraining from forming political or military alliances with either country.

The first conference of the non-aligned movement (NAM) took place in Belgrade, in September 1961 under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia. Apart from the three leaders of the Bandung conference, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana complemented the leadership making it five. The selection of Belgrade as the first venue of the conference deserves a mention.

As premier and president of Yugoslavia, Tito developed an independent form of socialist rule in defiance of the Soviet Union. He pursued a policy of non-alignment, built ties with other non-aligned states and improved relations with the western powers. President Tito displayed courage to defy USSR. During the Cold War era, NAM played a vital role in stabilizing the world order and preserving peace and security. Non-alignment did not mean neutrality of state on global issues; it meant peaceful intervention in world politics.

The towering presence of Nehru, then Prime Minister of India, as one of the founder members was highly visible in framing the policy of nonalignment. Principles of NAM were largely guided by Panchsheel, the five principles of peaceful coexistence enunciated in the agreement between the Tibet region of China and India signed on 29 April 1954. Of the five, three principles were included in the nonalignment document. They were a) respect for sovereignty, sovereign equality and territorial integrity of all states, b) respect for the political, economic, social and cultural diversity of countries and peoples and c) promotion and protection of multilateralism and multilateral organisations as the appropriate framework to resolve, through dialogue and cooperation, the problems affecting humankind.

The policy of nonalignment revealed a glorious and glittering history of post-World War II India. Independent India born out of partition was looking for a strong foundation to enrich and strengthen liberal democracy in the crisis ridden world devastated by the war. For a poor country that just achieved independence, it was an arduous task to maintain sovereignty and strengthen democracy and at the same time maintain international neutrality.

It is not that easy in today’s world to understand and comprehend the importance and significance of non-alignment that India pursued and adopted to make the country prosper seventy years ago. In spite of many frustrations, many denials, many failures and many errors, India continued to follow the principles of nonalignment.

India achieved unique distinction on the world stage to take its nascent democracy to new heights by keeping equidistance in the bi-polar world. Nehru’s charismatic personality, his political sagacity, his acceptability as a great leader of the country along with his position and prestige in the world contributed greatly to India’s strength in world politics. India’s backwardness, poverty, underdevelopment and poor military strength did not matter.

It was recognition of India’s civilisation, tradition and culture. India under Nehru’s leadership set a unique example in the world by following the principles of non-alignment. Later many Asian and African countries after attaining independence emulated India’s policy. Many experts had commented that India’s foreign policy was at its best during that period. India being a founder and the largest member in NAM was an active participant in NAM meetings till 1970. India’s inclination towards the erstwhile USSR created confusion in smaller members. It led to weakening of NAM and small nations drifted towards either US or USSR. India skipped the 17th NAM summit held in Venezuela in 2016.

Very recently, India has received another honour. It will be the leader of G-20 countries for one year. The G-20 summit is held annually under the leadership of a rotating Presidency. India holds the Presidency from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023. It is the first ever G-20 summit to be hosted in India and also in South Asia. Brazil will take over from India to host the next summit.

The G-20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union. It is composed of most of the world’s largest economies including both industrialised and developing nations. These nations represent around 85 per cent of global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, about two-thirds of the world’s population and 60 per cent of world’s land area. Initially the objective of the G-20 was to create a new financial architecture to achieve global economic stability and sustainable growth. This was considered necessary by the industrialised nations and developing economies in the wake of 1999 Asian financial crisis followed by another global economic and financial crisis of 2007.

The G-20 group was designated the “premier forum for international economic cooperation”. There are six Asian countries in this group of twenty. India is one of them. The other five are China, Indonesia, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.

India is a major developing economy and has a vital stake in the stability of the international economic and financial system. India has been setting ambitious targets to keep infrastructure investment on track and also put in place problem resolution mechanisms to overcome implementation bottlenecks. In the modern world, economic growth and military strength are the two determinants of power equation.

On these two factors, India is marching forward. India is a nuclear weapons power and has for all practical purposes, abandoned the call for global nuclear disarmament. In foreign policy, India’s joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a coalition seen by many as a counterforce to China’s rise in the Indo-Pacific and getting membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation led by China shows India’s balancing approach in the new global order. While taking over the Presidency of G-20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “India’s G-20 Presidency will work to promote the universal sense of oneness. Hence, our theme ~ One Earth, One Family, One Future”

PIB, Mumbai in a press release said, “India is deeply committed to democracy and multilateralism. India’s G-20 Presidency would be a watershed moment in her history as it seeks to play an important role by finding pragmatic global solutions for the well-being of all and in doing so, manifest the true spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or the ‘World is One Family’.”

The agenda of G-20 now goes beyond macro-economic and financial stability. The expanded agenda includes trade, sustainable development, health, agriculture, energy, environment and climate change. In international law, almost all these functions fall under the jurisdiction of United Nations. There are numerous multilateral treaties on these subjects and agencies to implement them. Twenty countries composing G-20 cannot be the arbiter and decision making authority on collective security, responsibilities, commitments, strategies and institutions.

Overlapping responsibilities in international relations and global order should stop and the implementation of these subjects should remain within UN domain. India’s leadership in the G-20 summit this year and India’s leadership of non-alignment seventy years ago reveal contrasting pictures. G-20 presidency is by rotation. It is for a year. This is a common practice in international relations. Two days’ summit conference cannot change the world for the better. India’s turn will come next after many years.

India has achieved this status as a developing country, one among the twenty. No doubt this is a great achievement. As against this, India’s leadership on non-alignment was original and everlasting. It had no parallel. It cannot be replicated. It cannot be duplicated. India attained that status as a poor country, just free from the shackles of foreign yoke. That was a wonderful and glittering history of which all Indians should be proud.

Imperative need to avoid War

All eyes will be on Moscow as China’s President Xi Jinping arrives for an official state visit to Russia from Monday to Wednesday 21 to 22 March.

China wants to solidify its relations with Russia and Russia is sending a clear signal to the Europeans and the Americans that they can easily do without the support of the Western nations. After all two-thirds of the world’s population now live in countries that are either neutral or directly opposed to the sanctions imposed on Russia by the Western countries.

Political scientists and politicians in the Western world have been arguing for almost a decade on what ought to be the best policy towards Russia, which is no longer a super power. Nevertheless, it remains an important nation with enormous access to energy sources.

The realist school of thoughts, whose exponents are, for example, John J. Mearsheimer, professor at the University of Chicago, have argued that there was no need to provoke Russia by expanding NATO eastwards, and a former adviser to Mikhail Gorbajtov, professor Jeffrey Sachs, at Columbia University, has openly claimed that assurances were given to the former Soviet Union that NATO will not expand eastwards, taking into account Russia’s concern for stability and security.

But already under Bill Clinton’s presidency, in 1999, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland were included in NATO. The Russians were taken aback but were too weak to protest. In the second round in 2004, NATO expanded to include Estonia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Russia once again watched NATO drawing closer to its borders, but its objections were once again hardly taken into consideration.

In 2008, at a summit in Bucharest, when NATO proposed inclusion of Georgia and Ukraine, Russia once again objected seriously, and luckily France and Germany opposed the move by the US government under George W. Bush. Russia intervened in Georgia and took control of separatists regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, making it clear to the Western world that the limit had been crossed. Still nothing changed.

In 2014 when a coup to dismantle the democratically elected leader in Ukraine, Yanukovych was supported by the West, Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland at that time admitted in an interview with CNN that the USA had invested $5 billion to promote democracy in Ukraine, in other words supporting the coup. Moscow reacted by invading Crimea and incorporating it into Russia as almost 60 percent of the population there were already Russian-speaking Ukrainians. So there were ample signals sent by Moscow that the times had changed and it was no longer willing to accept passively the eastward expansion of NATO right up to its borders.

Russia has realized that if NATO gets a stronghold in The Black Sea, its possibilities for maneuvering would be drastically reduced. When NATO did not give in an inch on accepting the Russian terms and conditions of making Ukraine a buffer state, Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and the rest is history.

The realists like the above-mentioned John Mearsheimer, wrote a book titled “ The tragedy of great power politics” in 2014, making it abundantly clear to the leaders in The West that China’s rise would be problematic for America and hence it would be in the West’s interests to keep China and Russia apart. The message fell on deaf ears, as it was not the realists who called the shots in Washington and no one was willing to see the world from a multipolar perspective. The Realists were extremely disappointed in USA, and kept arguing that America was unable to act in its own interests and it was in US’s interests to show understanding towards Russia’s concern for maintaining a physical distance to NATO forces.

Russia could have easily played a constructive role in containing China, which is a true economic power and hence a real threat to the hegemony of western influence.

China is cozying up to Russia because it is entirely in its interest to keep the West engaged in other wars. The liberals who have pushed democracy and hold on to the ideals of liberty and a state’s right to sovereignty and to make its own decisions, have done their best to support Ukraine, and the Biden administration, composed of liberals and neo-conservatives, have already donated more than 100 billion dollars in support to Ukraine, which includes both humanitarian and military help.

The present government in Washington has rejected the realists’ warnings and have stuck so far to the liberal ideals. But for how long?

Scientists who are experts in atomic energy and bombs have recently warned in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists that the Doomsday Clock says 90 seconds to midnight. In one of the articles published in the Bulletin, the scenario of an all-out atomic war between USA and Russia is estimated to cost up to 360 million lives. One cannot escape a nuclear war if one lives in Europe. European lives are in danger.

Russia, contrary to all predictions, is having the upper hand in the war in Ukraine, and after the fall of Bakhmut will most likely be able to consolidate its positions and would render Ukraine unable to regain its territory back anytime in the near future.

Meanwhile, the Western countries keep increasing their support and keep promising consignments of more lethal weapons, and it seems that the war is escalating to an extent where it is likely that NATO countries could easily get drawn into the conflict. Russians are claiming that NATO forces are caught fighting in Ukraine and the downing of an American drone in the Black sea is another warning to us all that things can easily go wrong.

We can hope that some sense prevails and as professor Jeffrey Sachs, in his recent address at Oxford University warned that it is time to be really afraid.

The war in Ukraine is getting severely dangerous and can easily result in a direct involvement of some belligerent NATO members like Poland or the Baltic countries, igniting unforeseeable consequences.

It is time to listen to the atomic scientists and the realists and deescalate the conflict from a nuclear brinkmanship.

Amritpal Singh’s Anti-India Blueprint Revealed

The wide range of “illegal activities” that Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh has been carrying out include sourcing weapons from Pakistan through its spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence to attempts to divide Punjab on communal lines, intelligence operatives tracking him have told NDTV on condition of anonymity.

Amritpal Singh, the chief of “Waris Punjab De”, a radical organisation started by actor and activist Deep Sidhu, is on the run from the police. He claims to be a follower of the Khalistani separatist and terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, and his supporters call him “Bhindranwale 2.0.”

Here are brief details about Amritpal Singh’s activities and alleged conspiracies linked to him, according to intelligence sources:

Stockpiling Weapons

​*Helping in distributing weapons sourced from Pakistan through the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

*Storing weapons in illegally run de-addiction centres and a gurdwara in Amritsar’s Jallupur Khera neighbourhood.

*Carrying weapons, that too illegal, without arms licence.

*Defying government order against open display of firearms.

Shady Funds

*Giving no account of money collected through programmes organised by Waris Punjab De, such as the religious march Khalsa Vaheer.

*Misappropriating funds in the name of Khalistan.

*Maintaining a large convoy of expensive vehicles without giving any account of the expenses and sources of money.

Dividing Society

*Trying to create an atmosphere of fear and dividing society in Punjab on communal lines.

*Showing intolerance towards non-Sikh migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

*Anandpur Khalsa Fauj (AKF) trying to set Hindu vs Sikh and Christian vs Sikh narratives to create tension.

More Controversies

*Leading young people towards “gun culture”.

*Deliberately misinterpreting Guru Gobind Singh’s teachings so that people take up arms.

*Promoting a concept of instant justice, thus encouraging young people to take the law into their hands.

Changing World Order & India

Since the time the world faced Covid-19 Pandemic, it is slowly coming to terms with the disruptions caused by the virus. The most profound impact of the pandemic had been on the healthcare systems along with the more persistent & disastrous impact on the world economy.

Actions by governments to counter the infections and contain the spread of the virus gave rise to global supply shocks, especially in manufacturing. Lockdowns and other measures to contain the virus caused widespread business disruption. The pandemic thus resulted in the great economic and financial crisis of the 21st century. Additionally, the crisis has also exposed the fragile nature of the global economic and geo-political order.

Covid is said to have substantially altered the current world order, creating a space for aspiring emerging powers like India to take centre stage and help shape a new world, with a better future for all, according to observers.

Simultaneously, the onslaught of the virus has resulted in the world experiencing exponential growth in digital services and infrastructure, from the adoption of large-scale work-from-home arrangements to the use of cloud services and video-conferencing. Many tech leaders have noted that the advancements in digital transformation that were achieved within a couple of months, normally would have taken two to three years.

Despite the economic devastation caused by the virus, India’s response had been commendable, with the country having successfully managed a deadly second wave of the virus in early 2021.

In addition to protecting her own population, India has also acted in the world’s best interest by providing medical supplies and equipment to more than 150 countries across the globe, and contributed to the critical supply of the Covid-19 vaccine to the world market.

Contribution expected of India

The observers feel that the pandemic is an important turning point for India to introspect on its potential as a global leader.

It is obvious, the International System will not change on its own. From the pandemic to the issue of climate change & further to the conflict in Ukraine, the urgency and disagreements have made it difficult to embark on long-term reforms in the world. India’s role in this could prove decisive, it is opined.

India’s commitment to the Pandemic Fund, a pioneering financial mechanism introduced in the G20 Summit in Indonesia, highlights the need for targeted investments that strengthen pandemic preparedness and response capacities at national and global levels.

According to observers, this sort of innovations and leadership are needed by the international order to help people face the compounding, confluent crises and empower them to seek and pursue opportunities.

India has done much better than others around the world, Christine Lagarde, the President of the European Central Bank has reportedly expressed. She says, there has been continued progress, if one looks at the GDP figures of India. Also, although unemployment in the country has increased, but not in dramatic ways, she has opined.

Today, conflicts and crises are battering nations. India, as the host of G20 Summit during the current year, and the rising power from the Global South, is believed to be in a unique position to push for action to address the challenges faced, but also to bring forth specific ideas.

India, it is believed, has a proven track record at home, and a wealth of innovative ideas that have emerged in recent years. With India’s leadership, the world can ensure that today’s institutions and agreements are positioned to better serve the lives of the most vulnerable around the world, it is opined.

This year is being seen as a once in a generation opportunity to improve the International Order. Reviews of major international initiatives, such as, the Paris Agreement, the UN Climate Conference scheduled in November, 2023 from 30th November to 12th December 2023, the most significant international commitment to meet the climate crisis, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, SDG Summit scheduled in September, 2023 on 20th & 21st 2023, the most ambitious efforts of the 21st century to improve the lives of the poor and vulnerable, are scheduled this year.

It is expressed, International Institutions and Agreements could vastly expand the quantity and quality of capital available to the developing countries, who are eager to empower their people with renewables, to invest in agriculture that is good for people and the planet, and prepare themselves for the potential disease outbreaks. At the G20 Summit, as well as in Paris, India can bring this innovative spirit and help other nations achieve some of these breakthroughs, it is believed.

It must be noted in this connection that the World Bank’s India Director, Auguste Tano Kouamé has also praised the Indian Government for various steps it has taken to make the economy resilient and the efforts the Indian government is putting to make the economy dynamic.

It needs to be noted that, the joint declaration at the end of the summit at Bali in Indonesia had significant mention of all the suggestions and observations made by the Indian Prime Minister during his address, which effectively indicated that the voice of India can no longer be ignored. Also, as the two-day summit came to an end, the world’s major economies seemed to have endorsed India’s take on global issues, which included the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The final declaration of the G-20 summit accordingly resonated with the views put forward by PM Modi. This thus showcases the weight India’s voice carries at the global level now, hence the expectation.

Spotting 3 leadership superpowers traits

When we were kids, our imagination allowed us to believe in the superpowers that our heroes had in our favorite stories. As we grow up, we look to shed ourselves of “silliness” and perhaps “force” our brains to relegate supernatural occurrences to comic books and movies.

Along the way, some of us recognize that superpowers are very much a part of life and used by extraordinary people we encounter in our professional lives and then, observe and try to learn from them. These people have ways of making significant contributions to the success of organizations. Some of these everyday professional superheroes can keenly find solutions to obstacles, others predict the future, while a few can even practice mind control (well, not really, but close).  

After working with over half of the Fortune 100 companies, here is a short list of these extraordinary skills, and most important, how to identify them when you are interviewing for new team members or leaders.

“ALL-KNOWING” (AKA NATURAL CURIOSITY)

Like a superpower in a movie, I have observed that either people have natural curiosity from an early age (possibly born with it) or they don’t. It is not something that can be taught. These people are driven by a “hunger” to always learn new facts, insights, perspectives, methods, options, etc. They are better researched than anyone.

Everyone has met one of those naturally inquisitive people, who ask probing questions with ease, respect, and grace. They collect, retain, and use information in a manner in which some only dream. They listen better than others and take nothing for granted. Not only do they look for new content, but they understand intuitively the context of the information. They are in the know and have the answers, yet remain open to new perspectives. The naturally curious are lifelong learners and maintain a growth mindset.

These people often lead with passion, solid judgment, and mindfulness. They are coachable, flexible, and can teach others without much arrogance. This is a superpower in business.

There are a number of ways to uncover natural curiosity and learning agility within someone. First, if they ask at least as many questions as you do, take it as a good sign. Not only are the number of questions important, but the nature of those inquiries.

Do they demonstrate an interest in meaningful, insightful areas?

Are they not just based on fact, but rather conceptual in nature, such as, “What does success look like?” or “How do things work?”

Asking several questions that are deeper than surface level is an excellent indication of natural curiosity.

How do you know if they have the capacity to take what they learn and use it to boost their own value to the company? Try role-play. Ask them a complex question in an area in their scope of practice that you hope for them to know, a topic relating to your company, their work experience, or the role. For example, ask them to give you the elevator pitch on your solution (or some other exercise).

There is a good chance that a person with natural curiosity will do a decent job (they should have done some research prior to the interview), but they will usually leave plenty of room for improvement.

After they finish, let them know that they did all right, but give them feedback on how it would have been better. Then, see how they react. Are they grateful for the feedback? If so, they enjoy being coached.

As the final test, tell them to repeat the practice after your feedback. You will quickly uncover whether they actually listened and were able to take your feedback and put it into practice. Now, that is learning agility in the moment.

“SEEING THE FUTURE” (AKA STRATEGIC THINKING)

No one can really predict the future, but some people seem to make a lot fewer mistakes than others. Strategic thinkers consistently consider the many variables of a scenario and intuitively estimate probabilities in such a way that it becomes a lot easier to make decisions that will lead to greater success than others.

Thinking about how to get from where the business is today and where you want it to be in the future requires a leader to be strategic. One could argue that natural curiosity is a prerequisite for this skill but that strategic thinking is the ability to use experience and information in a manner that allows one to design a path to success.

To design the right plan, they need to demonstrate using the right micro data (e.g., profit margin) with macro trends (e.g. industry direction), people, process, assets, and technologies to work backward from the ultimate goal. This high-level logical thinking is not for everyone, and demonstrating it is challenging.

One of the most effective ways to evaluate the presence of this particular superpower and put it to the test is by giving a candidate an actual problem to solve. You can do this during the interview and/or give them a take-home exercise for delivery or presentation later.

Describe a current challenge or opportunity and ask them how they would solve or take advantage of it. One positive by-product of giving a candidate an exercise to take home includes testing their real interest to go the extra mile to get this job.

Their answer or presentation should demonstrate an understanding of what is, what can be, and how to get there. Analyze their answers carefully as a team and look at their considerations, logic, use of data, and communication skills.

“MIND MELDING” (AKA EMPATHY)

The ability to see the world through the eyes of another person seems supernatural, but it is a part of the human condition. Some of us, however, do this better than others and know to put this skill to work for to benefit the business, themselves, and the other person.

Empathy allows one person to temporarily walk in the shoes of another, relating to their reality in a meaningful manner and perhaps even sensing their feelings. People with this superpower customize their actions, messages, behavior, and style in a manner that is more accepting to those with whom they interact. They make others feel more at ease, comfortable, and trusting. This is a critical skill when leading or selling.

Consider how you feel during the conversation. Then, ask the others (hopefully a diverse group) that interviewed the person how they felt. How you (and others) felt are raw reflections on the candidate’s ability to relate. If it felt good, this is a positive indicator.

Then, ask yourself if the candidate’s questions and conversation led you to believe they wanted to understand your motivations, desires, aspirations, and concerns. Did their agenda include wanting to understand your reality and relate to it? If the answer is “yes,” that is another good sign.

Finally, try to give them a difficult situation that includes a prospect, customer, employee, or manager, and ask them how they would handle it. Based on their response, you will be able to tell if they are customer-centric or egocentric in their approach.

There are many job requirements, experiences, certifications, and past successes you may desire and interview for when filling a new executive position. After you check the boxes for nonnegotiable requirements on a résumé and indications of a strong work ethic and cultural fit, look for these three superpowers to see if you are dealing with an extraordinary person. If you are, then you are more easily able to predict the future success of this pending, critical new team member.

If a potential new colleague is curious beyond normal, can problem solve in a surprising manner, and is able to understand the world you live in, then make them an offer they cannot refuse.

Adivasi Literature- the Voice of the Voiceless-Being Consistently Ignored by So-called Intellectuals

In the diverse fabric of Indian literature, Adivasi literature is a genre left untouched by most intellectual critics and writers. In the name of preserving Adivasi culture – our society has only romanticised their songs and dances, their clothes and costumes but they never felt an urge to stand beside them when they were evicted from their lands. Have they ever tried to protect the oppressed, helpless Santhali women? In the pitch dark sky of the Adivasis, Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar emerged as a bright star. He gave voice to the voiceless, he made the inconspicuous marginalized world visible in his book “The Adivasi Will Not Dance” – which was published in 2015 and bagged the “Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar”. In spite of winning such a prestigious award, the book remained almost unnoticed throughout all these years.

“The Adivasi Will Not Dance” is a collection of ten short stories (such as “They Eat Meat”, “November Is the Month of Migrations”, “Blue Baby”, “Merely a Whore”, “The Adivasi Will Not Dance” etc.) where the writer dealt with subjects like hunger, poverty, displacement, imposition of culture, religion and language etc. Unlike the intellectual aesthete, Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar scarcely paid any attention to the aesthetics of storytelling; rather he wrote and structured the stories with a harsh tone by portraying the strident reality of Santhals, to awaken the reader from slumber.

If we read the anthology chronologically, we will notice how Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s pen slowly intensified the plights of an unnoticed civilization with each story and how for the reader each story has become a distressful read. In the third story of the anthology – “November is The Month of Migration” – the author writes about Talamai Kisku – a twentyyear old Santhal girl who had to sell her body for fifty rupees and two cold bread pakoras to a RPF jawan. While she was moving to Namal from her village, a jawan offers her food and fifty rupees and Talamai gets ready to lie with the stranger because she was hungry. The author writes: “She just lies – passive, unthinking, unblinking – as cold as the paved ground she can feel through the thin fabric of the gamcha, as still as an inert earthen bowl into which a dark cloud empties itself.’’ The story is about hunger and utter poverty. Talamai’s plight is certainly a distressful read. We find ourselves helpless and speechless.

“Merely a Whore” tells the tale of a brothel. Many years earlier, the brothel-keeper, Jharna di was the mistress of a zamindar near Lakkhipur. After a devastating drought the farmers started moving away and the zamindars sold their properties to the mining farms. As a consequence, the outcast colonies slowly transformed into a red-light area. The author primarily weaves the story between two characters — Sona (a prostitute) and Nirmal (a regular customer). Nirmal was a regular customer of Jharna di’s brothel but never slept with any other girl. As time passed, Sona fell in love with Nirmal because no other customer used to talk and touch Sona as tenderly like Nirmal did. Sona dreamt that she would spend the rest of her life holding Nirmal’s hand. Her dream crumbled when Nirmal refused to give her the love she was asking for. Before getting married Nirmal visited Jharna di’s brothel but this time he chose the more attractive new girl Tina. Jharna Di understood everything and said to Sona in a sympathetic but stern voice: “Life teaches us lessons. Learn those lessons and move on.”

The book ends with the story named “The Adivasi Will Not Dance”. Written in the first person, the story is like the testimony of Mangal Murmu – who is a musician and a veteran farmer. He is writing the story sitting in a jail. He writes with rage: “We Adivasis will not dance anymore. We are like toys – someone presses our “ON” button, or turns a key in our backsides and we Santhals start beating rhythms on our tamak and tumdak.” Mangal Murmu’s detailed narratives dipped with his rageful emotion portray the miserable state of Santhals in Jharkhand. The coal mines in the suburbs of Jharkhand had evicted people from their villages in the name of development and painted everything black.

For Mangal Murmu, the colour black symbolizes the deplorable situation of his community – he writes: “Our children – dark-skinned as they are — are forever covered with fine black dust. When they cry, and tears stream down their faces, it seems as if a river is cutting across a droughtstricken land.” This short story is inspired by true events when Adivasi farmers were arrested and beaten black and blue by the police for protesting the building of the Jindal Power plant in Jharkhand, as then president Pranab Mukherjee laid the foundation stone.

Mangal Murmu was invited to perform in front of the president. On the day of that event, Mangal Murmu climbed on the stage and addressing the president he said in an indomitable voice: “Unless we are given back our homes and lands, we will not sing and dance. We Adivasis will not dance. The Adivasi will not… –” The story ends here. The police did not let Mangal Murmu speak. His voice goes unheard and unnoticed like the rest of his community.

Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar wrote all these short stories in the last decade and they appeared in various periodicals such as The Four Quarters Magazine, The Statesman, Northeast Review etc. The writer had to pay a hard price for writing these stories. He was accused of portraying the Santhal women in an obscene manner and suspended from his job. It was the writer’s commitment towards the community he represents which kept him writing. Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar is a literary figure of contemporary times who is not trying to secure his place in the intellectual space; rather he is trying to give a literary shape to the plight of an unnoticed community through his pen.

Physical Cues To Walk Away From an Argument

When discussions with loved ones turn heated, the energy in the room can feel as though it’s suddenly shifted. A spirited chat about the news or even the plot of a TV show episode can lead to slamming doors, hurt feelings, and awkward silence. While it can be healthy to have disagreements, fighting with people you care about can also be damaging and draining—especially when the onset of an argument feels as though it came out of nowhere and is headed nowhere good. But, how can you tell the difference between a productive disagreement and a fight that would have been better off not picked? Well, according to experts, we can glean some guidance about when to walk away from an argument based on both the nature of the conflict itself and also body-language cues.

First, it’s important to differentiate between an argument and a discussion. While a discussion is typically a back-and-forth, open-ended exchange wherein everyone involved feels calm, an argument can feel more threatening. If it feels like you really have to defend yourself, that’s really when you’re arguing. The energy changes, and you feel like you have to be guarded. When you sense a threat, the limbic system—the part of the brain that includes the amygdala and processes emotions and memories—then activates a fight or flight response to regain safety. That can cue rapid thoughts, a perceived lack of control of your emotions, or heavier or faster breathing.

After you’ve ascertained that your discourse with a loved one has exited the land of friendly discussion and entered the potentially damaging state of arguing or fighting, it might be time to consider removing yourself from the situation. Certain body language signals can help us gauge when to walk away from an argument. And, there’s value in doing so: You’re not biologically wired to think clearly when you’re arguing. Body-language signs that an argument is starting

Reading, recognizing, and being able to interpret these cues can help you decide how to proceed, which may involve leaving the conversation. People respond to perceived stress and threats differently, so some people may withdraw or grow quiet when they feel threatened in an argument, while others may show signs of being more aggressive. The voice may raise, the muscles may tense, there may be some sweating, or the eyes get wider, and sometimes nostrils flare. Other responses read more like retreating, some people will take a step back or lean away from you, and they’re trying to get some physical as well as psychological space…. Some people will start playing with their hands.

Since these signs reflect a wide spectrum of behaviours, it’s important to consider them in comparison to the person’s usual behaviour for being able to gauge whether you’re in the midst of an argument. When you get a sense of how they typically are and you see a change in how they act, that’s your a-ha moment [that you may be fighting or about to start. If someone is calm and cool and you notice they’re starting to get agitated, then you know something is up.

But, context matters, so consider, for example, the setting and topic of what’s being discussed before you make your next move. Isolating actions or words without acknowledging the full picture of the situation can lead to confusion and more hurt feelings. If you misinterpret, you can ascribe meaning to something that doesn’t exist and can damage a healthy relationship. And remember that the other person is doing the same processing and will feed off your reactions and expressions.

Physical signs that you should walk away from an argument with loved ones

1. A look of contempt

One lip corner comes up just a little bit, as in a smirk, and it indicates moral superiority. When someone feels they know more than you or are above you, they’re not likely to listen to or respect what you have to say.

2. Eyes glaring, lower eyelid and lips tightening, and eyebrows in a straight line

Even if someone tries to hide their anger, you can read subtle signs on their face. The eyebrows come down a little bit and form a straight line and the eyes can glare and the lower eyelid and lips can tighten. Part of a healthy conversation is to express all emotions in a constructive way, so that’s why you have to be careful when you see signs of anger, but someone is trying to pretend they’re not angry.

3. Finger-pointing

Finger-pointing to emphasize a word or feeling, whether it’s directed somewhere in the distance or at your face, is a gesture that can signal rising anger levels. Finger-pointing is a way of showing aggression…it can make people defensive. This can kick-start a cycle of communication that’s not so effective for guiding an effective and emotionally safe conversation.

4. Eye-rolling

Eye-rolling should be read in context, as it can indicate both annoyance and tiredness. That said, it’s a gesture that’s universally considered rude, and someone who does it, likely knows you can see it. It’s pretty obvious when you roll your eyes, and that’s something that the majority of parents teach their kids not to do.

5. Slumped shoulders

Slumped shoulders signal exhaustion, and fighting when you’re tired isn’t productive. “It’s a silent disconnection, they’re still there but that doesn’t mean anything is going in,” Cobb says.

6. Turning hips, feet, or shoulders away from you to disconnect

Subtle shifts away from you can indicate that a person is trying to disconnect. It doesn’t have to be a big, obvious turn with their back facing you. Watch the direction hips, feet, and shoulders point because, generally, we face the person to whom we are listening or speaking. These actions signal someone is done with the conversation and is trying to create physical space or find a way out.

Are you not growing fast enough?

Growth and expansion are buzzwords of this day and age. Everybody wants to grow at lightning speed, a three-year-old child wants to get rid of his tricycle and ride a bicycle, a graduate wants to become the CEO, the start-up wants to become a unicorn, and so on.

If there is one word that is anathema to contemporary aspirations and ambitions, it is ‘limits’. Nobody likes being told that they have limits. A mother telling her young child that a bicycle might be big for him right now would have many detractors. Some would outrightly say that she is ruining the child’s future by imposing limits on him. Similarly, someone telling their boss that the new plan for expansion is impractical would be seen as an impediment to the company’s growth plans. Everyone wants to be limitless; soaring and ever-expanding.

Many would argue that if the Universe is limitless and ever-expanding, why should we not be so? For one, yes, the Universe is expanding, but it is in that state simply a cluster of gases. Living, breathing humans are a little more than gases zooming through nothingness. Limits are an essential quality of our beingness. For instance, the human eye can only see light wavelengths from 380 to 700 nm. Even here, our eyes have a structural blind-spot where we can’t see anything. Similarly, we cannot hear what bats and whales can. Man is neither the fastest being on earth, nor the longest or strongest. Yet we hate the idea that we have limits or that we are limited in any way. Why? Because having limits has become something of a buzzkill. If there is a limit to the amount of money we have, it is seen as a limit to our relevance in the world. If there is a limit to the amount of power we have, we see ourselves as weak and open to attack.

But what if limits were meant not to bind but help us? What if someone told you that limits on your pursuit of wealth were intended to assure that wealth did not impede happiness? What if limits on power were designed to stop you from autocracy and dictatorial tendencies.

We push our bodies day in and day out in gyms, with various protein shakes and powders, growth hormones and steroids. This disavowal of limits is the root cause of the recent tragic deaths of young actors, who were apparently physically fit. But their hearts gave away under the constant strain of pushing the body’s limits.

The sun is limitless, but on earth it is limited by night. What if it tried to push the limits of day and night? What if the earth decided to break the limits of gravity and go closer to the sun? Limits are the natural order of things. Limits do not bind, when we live with our limits, our life then enjoys a sense of balance and harmony and becomes truly beautiful.

To quote from the Mahasubhasitasamgraha, a compendium of Sanskrit aphorisms: ‘Atitrushna na kartavya, trushna naev parityajaeth Shaneha shaneshchaha bhautakvyam svayam vittammupajritamaha’ – Avoid extreme yearning but do not avoid desire itself; learn to enjoy all that you have earned in moderation.

India is Really a Roti Republic

You shall not live by bread alone is the Biblical injunction. But in India bread has various avatars, and each one can bost of being the best. Bread is said to be the staff of life. And, by that token, the Indian thali is very well-staffed indeed. In Hindustani, roti is the generic term for all kinds of bread, and India plays host to an encyclopedic variety of roti recipes.

The most common of all rotis is the ubiquitous chapati, the clandestine distribution of which is said to have presaged the 1857 War of Independence.

With a few tweaks, the chapati transforms into several avatars, such as the crisp Gujarati and Kutchi khakra which, properly stored, remains edible for days and was a life-saving staple for vegetarian travellers to foreign shores who carried plentiful stocks of these in the days when shakahari fare was as much a rarity in outlandish regions as an eight-day week.

With the addition of a few spices and a touch of oil, the khakra can become a supple thepla, which also has a venerable shelf life.

As a child, my favourite was the puran puri, or puran poli, as it’s called in Maharashtra, a roti stuffed with sweetened, mashed daal, and served piping hot with lashings of ghee on top.

That a puran puri, or poli, tastes just as sweet by any other name is witnessed by the fact that in the south it’s called obbattu, bobbattlu and bakshamulu.

Pan fried, the chapati becomes a paratha, enveloping a variety of stuffings, veggie and non-veggie. Vying for the title of Prince of Parathas are Kolkata’s Mughlai paratha, which requires the constitution of an army mule to digest, and Kerala’s Malabari paratha.

Deep fried, chapatis become puris, or maida luchis, a mega version being Bengal’s Radhaballabhi, which approximates the size and shape of a football and needs an ace soccer player’s appetite to tackle.

Leavened, chapatis morph into naans, the best being the Roghni naan in Kolkata’s Amber restaurant, the khameeri roti, the speciality of Old Delhi’s Karim’s, and the poi, pao, and, my favourite, the undo made by Goan poders, or bakers.

Factory-made, sliced white bread is a metaphor for monocultural societies. Our Republic of many handmade rotis is edible proof of the diversity to which we are born and bread.

Putin’s Arrest Warrant: All Sound & Fury Signifying Nothing But Lunacy

The International Criminal Court (ICC) based in The Hague has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the country’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights. Charges include suspected involvement in the ‘unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.’ The ICC statement read, “There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for having committed the acts (child abductions) directly, jointly with others and/or through others (and) for his failure to exercise control properly over civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts.”

The ICC has no powers to enforce arrests on warrants that it issues. It banks on member states to detain and hand over those it declares as criminals. The Russian foreign ministry spokesperson responded to the warrant stating, “The decisions of the ICC have no meaning for our country, including from a legal point of view. Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC and bears no obligations under it.” Former Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, in a tweet, compared the warrant to toilet paper. He tweeted, “No need to explain WHERE this paper should be used.”

The ICC President, Piotr Hofmanski, countered Russian rejections by claiming that the court has authority over crimes committed in territories of states which accept its jurisdiction. Ukraine, though not a member of the statute of the ICC, has granted it jurisdiction over its territory. In 2014 Ukraine sent a letter acceding to ICC’s jurisdiction. President Zelenskyy welcomed the ICC warrant by stating, “This is a historic decision which will lead to historic accountability.”

The US, also not a party to the Rome Statute, applauded the ICC announcement. A State Department spokesperson stated that the ICC decision was reached independently, hinting at no US involvement. At the same time, the US believes that the case would impact Putin’s diplomatic visits. The US has officially not shared evidence it claims to have collected on Russian crimes in Ukraine, as it fears it could open doors for the ICC to prosecute US citizens in the future. President Biden commented, “I think it’s justified. I think it makes a very strong point. Putin clearly committed war crimes.”

This is the same US leadership which threatened the ICC against accusing any American soldier of war crimes in Afghanistan though abundant evidence existed. In September 2018, the US National Security Advisor John Bolton termed the ICC as ‘unaccountable’ and ‘outrightly dangerous’ to the US, Israel and other allies. He added, “If the court comes after us, we will not sit quiet. We will ban its judges and prosecutors from entering the United States. We will sanction their funds in the US financial system, and we will prosecute them in the US criminal system.” Mike Pompeo termed it as a ‘Kangaroo court.’ The ICC never issued any warrants.

European nations also welcomed the ICC’s action against Putin. However, none raised a finger when the US threatened the ICC over accusing its troops for violations in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. No wonder Russia adopted a similar approach.

US spokespersons mention that any relief from western sanctions can only be considered once Russia complies with the ICC warrants, an act which Russia would never undertake. It does appear that the ICC was nudged to issue its warrant as it ensures sanctions on Russia cannot be lifted even if a peace agreement is reached between Moscow and Kiev

Heads of state to have been indicted by the ICC for war crimes include former Liberian President Charles Taylor, Omar al-Bashir, of Sudan and Slobodan Milosevic, from Siberia, all from insignificant nations. Yet, none was arrested and tried while in the chair. Gadhafi was indicted but could never be arrested as he was killed in a US-led operation, while Bashir was arrested, tried and sentenced for other crimes in Sudan. The other two were arrested and deported to the ICC only after being overthrown. Never has a head of state of a permanent member of the UN Security Council been accused by the ICC, Russia being the first.

In recent times there have been multiple visits by Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General to Moscow seeking an end to the conflict. These are likely to continue, implying that the UN is officially engaging with a global criminal. Similar announcements will be made when other heads of state interact with Putin, Xi Jinping being the first in line. Diplomatic communications and heads of state visits will possibly continue, making a mockery of the ICC’s directions.

Currently the US, Israel, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, Iran and China are not members of the statute of the ICC. States which matter are missing, while those with little influence are there. ICC regulations mention that in case Putin visits a state which is a member of the statute, he is to be arrested and sent to the ICC. The forthcoming visits of Putin include two to India, for the SCO and G 20. India does not recognize the ICC, hence will not adhere to its demands. No state, whether a member of the Rome statute or not, is likely to arrest and deport Putin, none arrested even Bashir, only making a mockery of the warrant.

Will the warrant have any impact on the ongoing Russo-Ukraine conflict other than providing a few minutes of publicity? Unlikely. On the contrary, it would unite Russians into backing Putin in the war as the ICC will be viewed as a western tool to add pressure on their country. It could prolong the conflict adding to the suffering of Ukrainians who continue to fight a proxy war for the west. It would also embolden Putin to extend his grip on power removing any opposition thereby ensuring that no one contemplates humiliating him by handing him over to the ICC.

The ICC will wait, hoping that Putin is sent for trial if deposed in Russia, which is unlikely. No nation would contemplate arresting a head of state, even if indicted, as it would set a wrong precedent. The diplomatic hype over the warrant will end in a few days and it would be business as usual.

Providing extremists, of any hue, any latitude can be dangerous

Punjab is reeling. The operation to catch Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh, who security agencies now reveal has “links” with both Pakistan’s ISI and the Islamic State, has also meant an internet ban for all of the state. He has been invested in by actors out to harm society’s fabric, India’s peace, finding a home in continuing grievances in some sections of Sikhs.

The Khalistan issue has cropped up for a while, yet our surveillance and intelligence were caught unawares by Amritpal’s show of strength. The Sikh community has also long made public its vexation over slow progress on the 2015 sacrilege cases; trial of main accused Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim and followers is yet to start.

Punjab’s AAP government recently moved the high court saying Haryana’s frequent paroles to the Dera chief, a rape and murder convict, have renewed demands for release of ‘bandi singhs’ (Sikh prisoners) in Punjab’s jails.

Punjab and India can ill afford an episode of state vs far-right militancy. Yet far-right outfits seem to enjoy indulgence in other states too. In Maharashtra, openly Islamophobic rallies in various districts are on for months, organised by Sakal Hindu Samaj, a collaborative of hard-right Hindu outfits. Police should know nothing is local anymore, everything can turn viral and virulent.

To ban internet for simply a police chase, over fears of the spread of fake news, cannot help catch Amritpal but can cripple life – bulk of economic activity is via UPIs. A ban also stops real information, spreads anxiety and alienates the public – something the AAP government should think about. To counter fake news on social media, the state must work with and if necessary come down on Big Tech. GoI often demands content takedowns. Yet Sakal Hindu Samaj’s rallies, Ram Rahim’s videos and Amritpal’s speeches are easily available.

The crackdown on Amritpal started two days after G20 events in Amritsar were held under paramilitary bandobast. The message is clear. Political parties and police allowing extremist religious outfits unfettered public outreach online and offline is plain dangerous – maintaining law and order should not be chasing a chimera.

The Art of Talking to Strangers

Believe it or not, talking to new people won’t kill you. Part of me has always wanted to be the kind of person who breaks the ice with a fellow aeroplane passenger or engages in easy banter while in line at the grocery store. When I witness that kind of gregariousness in others, I feel envy; I assume their lack of inhibition means they lead more exciting lives. How many grand love affairs or tales of adventure began because someone had the nerve to say hello? Alas, more often than not, talking to someone I don’t know inspires low-level dread, and I avoid it entirely.

I’m not alone. In a 2022 study, Gillian Sandstrom, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Sussex, noted that people are “remarkably pessimistic” about talking to strangers, despite copious research linking frequent social interactions with happiness. According to Sandstrom, we tend to exaggerate the potential for negative consequences in such encounters, and actively avoid them. As a countermeasure, she organized a weeklong scavenger hunt and gave participants “missions” that involved initiating conversations with strangers who met certain apparently arbitrary criteria (e.g., “Find someone who’s wearing a hat”). The results aligned with Sandstrom’s hypothesis: on average, these random interactions were far more pleasant than people expected.

Eager to test her theory, I gave myself a week to replicate Sandstrom’s assignment, which meant speaking to around 30 people. I had no excuse not to try: I encounter hundreds of strangers every week. If I forced myself to talk to enough passing randos, it might begin to feel more natural.

How many tales of adventure began because someone had the nerve to say hello? Alas, more often than not, talking to someone I don’t know inspires low-level dread, and I avoid it entirely.

The hardest part of starting a conversation with a stranger is finding an excuse to talk to them that didn’t verge on the creepy. One of my missions was to speak to someone who was eating. “Is that scallion cream cheese?” I asked a guy on a park bench who was stuffing his face. It came out a little more aggressive than I intended, but once he realized that I wasn’t a maniac, we had a delightful conversation about the decadence of the everything bagel. When I spoke to an attractive woman on crutches for my task of engaging someone who “looks sad,” I was paranoid she’d figure me for a pickup artist. Instead, she humoured me when I told her about my knee issues.

Here’s a tip: if you can pull it off without being too cute, asking strangers about the perks of talking to strangers can be an effective strategy. I used this approach with people required to interact with the public as part of their job. Among the bartenders and hairdressers I spoke with, a common response was that chatting with customers was one of the most enjoyable aspects of their day, providing a little burst of unpredictability. A café worker with peroxide-blond hair told me that he was an expert at guessing a customer’s order based on their appearance—yoga clothes? almond chai latte—but felt a distinct joy whenever he got it wrong.

The same can be said about an impromptu exchange with someone you encounter on the street. My experiment didn’t transform me into a fearless extrovert. But it was a useful reminder that when it comes to keeping life interesting, it pays to make room for the occasional surprise.

Attaining life in all its fullness

The goal of spirituality is to enable human beings to attain life in its fullness. This is the least understood, or most misunderstood, of Jesus’ teachings.

One such misunderstanding is that having life in its fullness means becoming richer. This quantitative fallacy equates life with ‘having’ rather than ‘being’. In this view, one’s life is godly depending on how much one prospers. This strange notion drives the prosperity Gospel. It appeals to many Christians, though Jesus himself ‘had nowhere to lay his head’.

The second misunderstanding is that it denotes a safe, secure life, free from all suffering. This too is strange because Jesus is known, and revered, for the unthinkable suffering he endured. Christians worship the Cross and pray for total exemption from suffering, which is strange, to say the least. At any rate, life without suffering caricatures life. It has never existed, nor will it ever exist.

The more ‘spiritual’ among Christians assume that extraordinary spiritual gifts and powers characterise life in its fullness. So, miracle-workers and the high and mighty in the religious hierarchy are supposed to be ‘filled’ with spiritual power and the extraordinary graces that go with it. But, on a closer examination, many of them prove to be pretty ordinary; well short of the spiritual benchmark of life.

What then does ‘life in its fullness’ mean?

Everything depends on how a person understands himself; for one has to seek and attain this state for oneself. One can seek only as per one’s understanding of oneself. The distorted understandings listed above arose because of a misconception in this respect. We are conditioned to think of ourselves as autonomous and self-contained individuals, sharply distinguished from everything else.

According to Jesus, we are to attain ‘life’ in its fullness, not a life of fullness. Seeking the fullness of ‘life’ is quite different from seeking the fullness of one’s life. Life is a great deal more than each one of us, and all of us taken together. The notion that we are discreet, autonomous, selves who ‘own’ their life – as in ‘my life’ – is a delusion. We are part of a seamless web of life that extends to the cosmos. This is intuited in the astrological assumption that the configuration of celestial bodies at the time of one’s birth affects a person lifelong. Ideally, the whole of life should express itself through each individual. One’s life should mirror life in its fullness.

Such ‘fullness’ embraces everything and everyone. It excludes none. That is why to the spiritually enlightened, there are no strangers and enemies. The Indic spiritual vision of tatvam asi, that thou art, adumbrates this mindset. Certainly one of its meanings is that labels of otherness should be inadmissible. The proof, therefore, that we are oriented to ‘life in its fullness’ is that we feel at one with all human beings; indeed, with the whole of creation. The entire world is my home.

Life can be had only in full, for it is dynamic. Just as we cannot breathe in half – inhaling alone – so also, we cannot live life in part. Restlessness lurks wherever what is meant to be whole is kept in part-ness. Like the two halves of an apple sliced in the middle, it will be burdened with the pressures of disequilibrium. Such a state contravenes the law of nature. Only human beings entertain the delusion that they can live as isolated atoms; or that it is an achievement to do so.

Message of Ramazan

Ramadan is the holy month when Muslims, about one fifth of the world’s population, undergo a rigorous fast (not even a drop of water or spittle passes their throats). Muslims around the world take a journey within ~ to discover their inner strengths and strive zealously to subjugate their evil instincts. It is abstinence in its literal, metaphorical and allegorical sense.

From dawn to dusk each day this month, Muslims do not eat, drink, smoke, use perfume or apply leeches and abstain from conjugal relations. It is the month of Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month of the Muslim lunar year, a month of sacrifice and humility punctuated by joyous family gatherings, during which conscientious observance of every divine commandment marks a high-water mark in the life of every Muslim.

The rules of Ramadan are fairly straightforward: for one month, all practicing, able-bodied Muslims over the age of 12 are forbidden to eat or drink from sunup to sundown. Muslims believe that during this month the gates of hell close ~ meaning the devil is unable to tempt them during a month of discipline, charity and self-control. The objective of the fast, which also prohibits participating in “sensual pleasures” such as smoking, sex and even listening to music during daylight hours, is to diminish believers’ dependence on material goods, purify their hearts and establish solidarity with the poor to encourage charitable works during the year. It’s as much a period of self-growth as of self-denial. Prophet Mohammad reportedly said, “He who does not abandon falsehood in word and action in accordance with fasting, God has no need that he should abandon his food and drink.”

The origin of the word Ramadan comes from the classical Arabic root, ramida ,ar-ramad or ramdaa, meaning scorching heat or dryness ~ believed to be either in reference to the heat of thirst and hunger or because fasting burns away one’s past sins. The first Ramadan is thought to have occurred during the middle of summer. In other words, Ramadan is a month meant to purify the body of toxins and the soul of the lavish desires of life, such as greed, hatred and malice. This period is called Ramadan in Iran and Turkey and Ramazan in the Indian subcontinent.

The month of Ramadan is further divided into three parts, consisting of ten days each. Each ten day period is referred to as ashra, which is the Arabic word for ten. These three parts are the Rahmah (God’s mercy), Maghfirah (God’s forgiveness), and Najah (salvation). The first 10 days of the month of Ramadan are dedicated to mercy from Allah. The next 10 days focus on forgiveness from Allah and the last 10 on freedom from Hell Fire.

Ramadan commemorates the time when Quran was first revealed to Prophet Mohammad about 1,400 years ago through the angel Gabriel. This revelation was the final link in the chain of divine communication, which includes the Commandments of Moses, the Psalms of David, the Scrolls of Abraham and the Gospel of Jesus.

Fasting or sawm is one of the vital pillars of Islam. Sawm is derived from the root sama which means ‘to abstain’ ~ Although sawm is most commonly understood as the obligation to fast during Ramadan, it is more broadly interpreted as the obligation to refrain between dawn and dusk from food, drink, sexual activity, and all forms of immoral behaviour, including impure or unkind thoughts. Thus, false words or bad deeds or intentions are as destructive of a fast as is eating or drinking. As Lent may be prescribed for Christians and Yom Kippur for those of the Jewish faith, Ramadan is an eagerly awaited interval for Muslims to utilise the absence of food, drink and other luxuries, as an opportunity to concentrate on prayer, meditation and worship. This in turn encourages greater reflection on life itself and appreciation for the resources we sometimes take for granted

Unintentional breaking of the fast is not punished, and Muslims are enjoined to break their fast if there is a threat to health. Other types of infractions require restitution. This is of two kinds: Qada, which involves making up missed days, and Kaffarah, which additionally exacts a penalty from the transgressor.

The devout Muslim is also expected to observe the Shari’a, which means “the path to follow.” Based on the Koran, the deeds and sayings of Mohammad and the consensus of Islamic scholars, the Shari’a is not just a compilation of criminal and civil law, but a complex, all embracing code of ethics, morality and religious duties. It is a sophisticated system of jurisprudence that summarizes 1,400 years of experience and constantly adapts, in subtle ways, to new circumstances. The Kaaba, a shrine in the Grand Mosque of Mecca is, for Islam, the most sacred place on earth, and making the pilgrimage there at least once in one’s life is one of the basic obligations of devout Muslims.

In many ways, Ramadan mirrors a form of spiritual renewal ~ a time for new resolutions and a revival of inner peace. Similar to how one might attend a nature retreat once a year to escape the humdrum of a dogeat-dog world, Ramadan provides an internal retreat where the mind and its natural ‘thirst’ for knowledge, awakening and reason is given greater precedence over the physical needs and desires of the body ~ needs which are regularly served but rarely satisfied.

Human desire in its bare essence is animalistic and somewhat selfish. It has been the evolution of teachings of faith that has kept in check much of our primitive need for constant selfgratification.

The struggle for internal balance and control of the self is as old as mankind. Ramadan is a long arduous ordeal to prepare mankind for a journey into a new year with renewed spiritual energy and fresh pledges.

It is a means of building self control and striking a balance between the spiritual and the mundane. It is a way of adapting one’s life to subjugate the evil instincts and vicious ambitions like lust, greed and hatred.

Islam has a beautiful word to describe this war against man’s carnal instincts. It is called jihad .In fact Islam repeatedly emphasizes it and calls it the ‘greater jihad’. The “greater struggle” is the personal one: the struggle to resist temptation, combat one’s own evil traits and imperfections, and become a better person in God’s sight.

The King James Bible speaks of it as seeking ‘The Kingdom of God’ and the Hindu spiritual classic Bhagavad Gita represents it in the battle of Kuruksetra.

For a Muslim seeking Ramadan’s spiritual bliss, it is like a traveler climbing a mountain; the higher he goes the farther he sees. It elevates the human mind to great heights of ecstasy, comparable to what the greatest English poet John Keats experienced when he discovered Chapman’s Homer:

Then felt I some watcher of the skies

When a new planet swims into his ken,

Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes

He stared at the Pacific ~ and all his men

Looked at each other with a wild surmise ~

Silent upon a peak in Darien

An Invocation for My Native Country

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where the nation is liberated of the fifty million pending cases;  

Where judges and judiciary are free of dates and adjournments;

Where the people have not been tormented by the narrow procedural laws;

Where Aryans and Salmans are not treated as special creatures;                                                              

Where the cases are not delayed and lost due to aggressive Sibals and Singhvis;                                   

Where the truth is not lost its sheen into the tedious desert of dead books;                                             

Where unmeritorious are not donning the highest chair of justice;                                                          

Where anarchists are not given honourable name and space.   

Where law-breaking is not treated as dissent and freedom;     

Where litigants are not made to wait for generations for justice;                                                               

Where judgments come out from the strength of truth;

Where My Lord is guided by four modes of thoughts and action-                                                           

Honesty, punctuality, integrity and knowledge;                                                                                                 

Into that aura of enlightenment, O Krishna my country awake.  

Is America’s dominance in international finance finally about to end?

The massive United States economy has been at the center of world finance for a lifetime. But that economy, and the international system based on it, cannot last forever. Anyone willing to face the reality of America’s impossibly enormous debt can see that this is an economy that is gravely sick. Other nations recognize this and seek to protect themselves—and to take advantage.

The system set up after World War ii sought to stabilize international finance around the victor, using the U.S. dollar as the main currency for international transactions. This status brings a high demand for U.S. dollars. It also means that the U.S. has been able to print or electronically create enormous amounts of dollars without the value of those dollars decreasing nearly as much as it normally would. Adding this asset to the nation’s large population, abundant natural resources, advanced industry, dominant military, geographic advantages and other blessings has helped make America the wealthiest nation in world history.

At this point, it is also perhaps one of the most financially reckless nations. In the last few years, it has printed trillions of dollars. Its exorbitant debt has doubled since 2010 and tripled since 2008, surpassing $31 trillion last year. The American government now owes 123 percent of what the entire nation can produce in a year, and still it refuses to make any meaningful cuts to its spending.

The United States has long been warned that its reckless financial spending will have consequences, but those warnings have been ignored. As it continues to make financial decisions that are mathematically impossible to sustain, as its government and society become increasingly self-destructive, as its interests clash with those of other nations, and as it uses the dollar-dominated financial system to impose sanctions on its adversaries, the dollar becomes less and less attractive, and alternative currencies and systems become more and more so.

The dollar is facing several threats, any one of which could prove fatal to an already ailing currency. It’s possible that more than one of these factors could strike at the same time. Americans should recognize that their economic system and the corresponding prosperity could collapse almost overnight.

How close are we to the moment that the global financial system will turn against America?

Beyond Its Means

Over the last 70-some years, Americans have enjoyed extraordinary prosperity, and with America’s rise, other nations were lifted out of poverty as well. Over the years, however, America has also grown increasingly materialistic.

This spirit of excess and selfishness, financed largely by debt, is one of the main morbidities killing the American economy. And when the economy collapses, so too will the society.

The average consumer credit card balance in 2022 was $5,589, according to Experian. Individuals have responded to rising costs and uncertainty by continuing to live beyond their means. The credit bureau TransUnion stated that total U.S. consumer credit card balances reached a record high of $930 billion in the last quarter of 2022, $145 billion higher than the previous year.

At the same time, the U.S. has unabatedly continued to consume goods and services in a way that feeds its already massive trade deficit. In 2021, America imported $845 billion more in goods and services than it exported. Last year, its chronic deficit rose to a new record high: $948 billion.

What happens when U.S. government institutions can no longer pay their debts to the American public ($24.5 trillion), to other U.S. government institutions ($24.5 trillion) and to foreign nations ($4.5 trillion)? What happens when trillions in imports stop flowing? Financial horror would result.

Other nations know this and have already begun decoupling from the U.S. economy.

The Decoupling Has Begun

The U.S. dollar was set up as the dominant currency for international transactions in 1944, when world leaders met in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, as World War ii was nearing its close. The Bretton Woods Agreement tied major currencies to the dollar at a fixed exchange rate backed by gold held in vaults. However, the U.S. backed the dollar with less and less gold until 1971, when it abandoned the gold standard completely.

Today, central banks around the world are again accumulating gold at a rate not seen in more than 50 years. Last year marked a 152 percent increase in acquisition of gold by governments compared to the previous year, which the World Gold Council attributed to geopolitical turmoil and high inflation.

Leading the rush for gold were Turkey, China, India, Egypt, Qatar, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Many of these countries have also expressed interest in joining the brics alliance currently linking Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The alliance controls an increasing amount of gold and roughly a quarter of the world’s gross domestic product. And one of its goals is to abandon the dollar.

At the same time, these nations are uniting against U.S. sanctions.

The U.S. has dominated international finance through its currency and its influence in the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (swift) and other systems. But U.S. sanctions appear to be losing some of their punch.

The U.S. blocked Russia from access to some of these systems due to its invasion of Ukraine, yet in its 2023 forecast, the International Monetary Fund expects that Russia will be economically better off than Germany and the United Kingdom. The report added that sanctions against Russia have failed. Why? EuroIntelligence wrote: “Our blunt answer is this: A large part of the world hates us [America] more than it hates [Russian President Vladimir] Putin” (February 2).

Even during a full-scale invasion of a neighbouring country, Russia appears to have more friends than enemies. And even its supposed enemies seem halfhearted. Large economies such as Brazil, China and India have remained neutral and have not imposed strict sanctions on Russia. “The world is almost united in condemnation of the war. But when it comes to sanctions, large parts of the world are united in their opposition to the West” (ibid).

Meanwhile, Iran and Russia signed an agreement in early 2023 to decouple from the U.S.-dominated system and create a system to connect their banks directly and free them from U.S. financial pressure.

Even other Western nations that depend on the U.S. financial system worked to prevent the sanctions early on. Germany, for example, has been accused of preventing serious sanctions—such as cutting Russia off from swift, the main payment method used by businesses around the world.

U.S. enemies—and allies—around the world can see these major signs that U.S. financial dominance is waning.

Since January 2016, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (aiib), a multilateral development bank, has financed infrastructure projects in the Asia-Pacific region. Headquartered in Beijing, China, the aiib connects members from over 100 countries and works to undermine the use of the dollar.

The European euro and the Chinese renminbi currencies have been nibbling at the dollar’s dominance.

The formation of the eurozone in 1999 greatly reduced the use of the U.S. dollar in Europe. 2023 is seeing a similar trend in Latin America. In January, Brazil and Argentina announced early talks in the creation of a common currency and plans to invite others to join the bloc in the future. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promised while campaigning last year, “We are going to create a currency in Latin America because we can’t keep depending on the dollar.”

Brazil and Argentina are the largest and third-largest economies in Latin America. If this currency is successful, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela (the other members of the mercosur trade bloc) are likely to adopt it as well.

The Bank for International Settlements, called the “bank for central banks,” claims that the U.S. system is flawed and needs to be replaced. It started the mBridge technology to connect digital currencies of central banks with one another. Between Aug. 15 and Sept. 23, 2022, Hong Kong, Thailand, China and the United Arab Emirates tested mBridge, which works independently of U.S.-connected international financial systems.

Competing Petro-currencies

Another major factor that has upheld the strength of the dollar is its connection to oil. Most countries use the U.S. dollar as the currency for international oil trade. The foundation for the so-called petrodollar was laid in 1945, when U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt met Saudi King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud. At the time, trust in the U.S. economy and military was high.

A lot has changed since 1945. “It was the beginning of one of the most important geopolitical alliances of the past 70 years, in which U.S. security in the Middle East was bartered for oil pegged in dollars,” the Financial Times wrote. “But times change, and 2023 may be remembered as the year that this grand bargain began to shift, as a new world energy order between China and the Middle East took shape” (January 3).

On Dec. 8, 2022, Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping signed a strategic partnership agreement with Saudi Arabia, the largest producer of crude oil in the world.

“China wants to rewrite the rules of the global energy market,” Credit Suisse analyst Zoltan Pozsar told the Financial Times. He said we may be seeing “the birth of the petroyuan” (ibid).

National Interest noted on January 3 that Xi’s trip “set off a storm of anxiety in Washington.” Saudi Arabia helped strengthen the U.S. dollar. Now it may turn to strengthen the Chinese renminbi instead.

On January 17, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan invited other countries to hold discussions for trade in their respective currencies. “Saudi Arabia’s recent announcement that the government is open to accepting payment for oil in currencies other than the dollar is a major announcement ignored by the presstitutes,” economist Paul Craig Roberts wrote on January 30. “The end of the petrodollar would have severe adverse effects on the value of the dollar and on U.S. inflation and interest rates.”

If oil is no longer sold in dollars, then a gigantic and critical chunk of international trade will begin functioning according to the interests of other nations. Demand for the dollar will drop, as will its value.

Europe’s Response

The resulting economic upheaval would affect not only the U.S. but also Europe.

The 2008 financial meltdown was fueled primarily by America’s outrageous debt. Yet what has the U.S. done to correct that problem? Absolutely nothing. Again, the gross national debt that reached a staggering $10.3 trillion in 2008 has since tripled to $31 trillion.

The writing is on the wall. If a debt crisis explodes, the shock waves will once again be felt in Europe.

Imperatives of Indo-Japan Security Cooperation

Indo-Japan relations are embedded in history. Exchanges between the two countries started in the 6th century BC when Buddhism travelled from India to Japan. Since establishing diplomatic ties, the two countries have enjoyed cordial relations. In 2008, India and Japan signed a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation. Since then, Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meetings, annual Defense Ministerial Dialogue and Coast Guard-to-Coast Guard dialogue are some of the defence and security measures adopted by the two nations. The Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement came into force on 11 July 2021. So long as China remains both countries’ foremost and impending security concern, India and Japan, who have no issues in their bilateral relations, must further their partnership and deepen their security ties.

Hon’ble Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, visited India almost same time about one year ago. This visit was against the backdrop of the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. He is again here on 20-21 March in Delhi for bilateral talks with Hon’ble Prime Minister Narender Modi. This time, discussion is believed to be focused on areas such as defence, security, economic ties, skill development, clean energy, etc.

This meeting between two Prime Ministers is very consequential, especially when India and Japan hold the presidencies of G20 and G7, respectively. So this meeting offers an opportunity to discuss how G20 and G7 can collaborate on converging priorities on critical issues such as defence & security, health, energy and economic security.

The Hon’ble PM of India is likely to visit Japan in May this year to attend the G7 meeting as a guest country on the invitation of the Hon’ble PM of Japan. The Ukraine-Russia conflict and its effects on geopolitics will also form part of the agenda. There are differences between India and Japan on the issues related to the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Japan’s opinion more or less aligns with the West led by the US.

Both countries are likely to unveil a free and open Indo-Pacific region plan. It is believed that Japan’s plan is expected to include providing non-military equipment and infrastructure support for the countries facing Chinense imminent threats, especially in the South China Sea. Making such an announcement in Delhi attaches importance to India.

As per reports published on 20 March 2023, the major areas on the agenda during the meeting between the two Prime Ministers will be:

Defence and security: Both defence and security have become essential pillars of cooperation between the two countries and are crucial in maintaining peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. In Jan 2023, the first joint fighter aircraft exercise called ‘Veer Guradian’ was conducted in Japan, which was a great success. It was followed by the army exercise ‘Dharma Gurdian’. Maritime security has also seen progress between the two nations. In Sep 2022, a joint Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMESX) was conducted. In Nov 2022, India participated in the International Fleet Review in Japan and the Malabar exercise off-coast of Japan.

Trade and economic ties: The bilateral trade between the two countries stood at $20.75 billion in 2022. Both countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2011. This agreement encompasses trade in goods and includes services, people-to-people contact, intellectual property right, customs, and cultural ties.

Partnership in clean energy: This was launched during the annual summit last year. The aim is to promote energy cooperation by utilising energy resources and technologies to ensure energy security, carbon neutrality, and economic growth.

Importance of Indo-Japan ties

Highlighting the importance of Indo-Japan ties to ensure peace and progress in the Indo-Pacific region, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Japan said that it gives him immense pleasure to visit the land (India) where the dynamics of the world converges. Both countries argued that any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the world is unacceptable and that a peaceful resolution based on the rule of law should take precedence. The present situation in the world makes more sense to gear up our efforts to achieve a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ region. India and Japan are the two leading democracies in Asia as well as in the world; thus, they are the guardian of peace and security in the region. As India and Japan assume the presidencies of G20 and G7, respectively, they have opportunities to make an impact on the geopolitical situation.

The significance of the India-Japan strategic ties is even more reflective in a world where ‘change and uncertainty’ only endure. The old symmetry has been disturbed even though a new equilibrium is yet to rise. We might even have arrived at a century of protracted ambiguities.

One of our most propitious bilateral ties of the 21st century is the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. It is a special relationship in many ways and global in its consequences. Our relations stand primarily metamorphosed in recent years. Asia, home to 60% of the worldwide population, has done remarkably well on the economic front to appear as the new pivot for international economic growth. The continent is perceiving the concurrent economic rise of several powers go, together with some of the highest military expenditures in the world. Nevertheless, a stable regional security construction has yet to emerge. The absolute leap at which China has heightened its all-inclusive national power has also led to questions about the future’s shape in this region.

India and Japan must endure for peace, progress and development. World can’t afford to have neo-colonial sorts of economic or security domination. There are numerous prospects for India and Japan to work together based on their national interests.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to India could be a turning point in bilateral relations between India and Japan. We have many common points to take our economies to further heights.

Combining Japan’s capital and technology with India’s rich human resources and skills could become a robust and persuasive combination. As the growth in China declines, India offers Japan a suitable alternate global hub for starting a competitive manufacturing base for tapping international markets.

India and Japan have accomplished noteworthy progress in their cooperation in defence, space, cyber, digital, energy, artificial intelligence, education, agriculture, health, disaster risk reduction, waste management, infrastructure, and urban renewal.

The dynamics in the Indo-Pacific now extend far beyond economics, with a new security dimension as China’s rapid military growth brings disturbances to the existing equilibrium. India is approaching this situation by establishing a vision for the Indo-Pacific as an open and inclusive region. The evolving geopolitical scenario has made Japan more interested in defence and security cooperation. Japan has amended its arms control policies and demonstrated the willingness to work with India in all possible fields and support India at political forums.

Sound & Fury About Indo-Pacific

While the rest of the world was in the Stone Age, ancient India had reached the zenith of human development. The accent shifted from conquering the world to gaining control over the mind. Generations of Indians mastered the inner world. Success and happiness came as by-products. When we lost this inner enrichment, external bankruptcy followed.

Like Gulliver, we are asleep to our real worth. And the Lilliputians of the world are holding us to ransom. All we have to do is to wake up to the powerhouse of knowledge we are heir to. The Bhagwad Gita, written 5,000 years ago, addresses the Arjun of today – dynamic, ambitious, young adults seeking excellence.  It prescribes the formula for success.

The young are talented, knowledgeable and hard-working. But there are the last-minute nerves and stunning defeats that come in the way. A brilliant student well-prepared for the exams suddenly goes blank. An outstanding sportsperson fails because of his obsession with the trophy. A job aspirant is anxious about the job and fumbles at the interview.

Action is under your control. Fruit is dependent on factors beyond your influence. Dependence on the fruit makes you a slave to the world. The First Class in the exam or the Olympic Gold is not under your control. But nobody can take away your knowledge or the fact that you are an outstanding athlete. Find fulfilment in the action. Give your best to it. Enjoy it. You gain merit. You are independent of the result. And success is yours.

Fix an ideal beyond your selfish, self-centred interests. The higher the ideal, the greater is the energy, enthusiasm, and creativity. If you think of the goal while acting, the mind shifts from the present action to the fruit, which belongs to the future. Your concentration slips. Action becomes flawed, resulting in failure. And you are stressed out. When a student is anxious to get good marks, the mind is not on the question paper. He commits a series of mistakes and underperforms. A batsman in his nineties thinks of the hundred, not of the next ball, and gets out.

While acting focuses entirely on it. Do not allow the thought of fruit to interfere with the action. The action will be perfect. Success will be yours. And your mind will be at peace. Such a person is defined as a sannyasi – a person of renunciation. Not a celibate priest or one who has retired to the Himalayas.

A selfish person with a myopic view of life achieves neither excellence nor is he happy. To excel and be happy one must necessarily have a higher mission in life. And act dynamically. An inactive, lethargic person will not achieve anything.

Centuries before Six Sigma, Vedanta prescribed a six-point path to success in the Gita, 3:30. It consists of two aspects – creating energy and plugging the dissipation of energy.

Energy is generated by three methods. The intellect directs all thoughts to the chosen goal. All energies – light, wind or water – gain power when unidirectional. Thoughts meandering in different directions lose power. The mind surrenders to the goal, is devoted to the ideal. When you play for the country, the power of 1.3 billion Indians rests in you. And the body acts dynamically. The more you act, the more energy you generate.

This energy gets dissipated in three ways – worry over the past, anxiety for the future and frenzy in the present. The intellect focuses the mind on the present action and does not allow the mind to meander into wasteful avenues of the past and future.

Nothing in the world lasts. Everything changes passes and is impermanent. So, acquire and possess the whole world. But never depend on it. Seek the one permanent anchor within. The abode of infinite bliss.

Gita offers a roadmap for success

While the rest of the world was in the Stone Age, ancient India had reached the zenith of human development. The accent shifted from conquering the world to gaining control over the mind. Generations of Indians mastered the inner world. Success and happiness came as by-products. When we lost this inner enrichment, external bankruptcy followed.

Like Gulliver, we are asleep to our real worth. And the Lilliputians of the world are holding us to ransom. All we have to do is to wake up to the powerhouse of knowledge we are heir to. The Bhagwad Gita, written 5,000 years ago, addresses the Arjun of today – dynamic, ambitious, young adults seeking excellence.  It prescribes the formula for success.

The young are talented, knowledgeable and hard-working. But there are the last-minute nerves and stunning defeats that come in the way. A brilliant student well-prepared for the exams suddenly goes blank. An outstanding sportsperson fails because of his obsession with the trophy. A job aspirant is anxious about the job and fumbles at the interview.

Action is under your control. Fruit is dependent on factors beyond your influence. Dependence on the fruit makes you a slave to the world. The First Class in the exam or the Olympic Gold is not under your control. But nobody can take away your knowledge or the fact that you are an outstanding athlete. Find fulfilment in the action. Give your best to it. Enjoy it. You gain merit. You are independent of the result. And success is yours.

Fix an ideal beyond your selfish, self-centred interests. The higher the ideal, the greater is the energy, enthusiasm, and creativity. If you think of the goal while acting, the mind shifts from the present action to the fruit, which belongs to the future. Your concentration slips. Action becomes flawed, resulting in failure. And you are stressed out. When a student is anxious to get good marks, the mind is not on the question paper. He commits a series of mistakes and underperforms. A batsman in his nineties thinks of the hundred, not of the next ball, and gets out.

While acting focuses entirely on it. Do not allow the thought of fruit to interfere with the action. The action will be perfect. Success will be yours. And your mind will be at peace. Such a person is defined as a sannyasi – a person of renunciation. Not a celibate priest or one who has retired to the Himalayas.

A selfish person with a myopic view of life achieves neither excellence nor is he happy. To excel and be happy one must necessarily have a higher mission in life. And act dynamically. An inactive, lethargic person will not achieve anything.

Centuries before Six Sigma, Vedanta prescribed a six-point path to success in the Gita, 3:30. It consists of two aspects – creating energy and plugging the dissipation of energy.

Energy is generated by three methods. The intellect directs all thoughts to the chosen goal. All energies – light, wind or water – gain power when unidirectional. Thoughts meandering in different directions lose power. The mind surrenders to the goal, is devoted to the ideal. When you play for the country, the power of 1.3 billion Indians rests in you. And the body acts dynamically. The more you act, the more energy you generate.

This energy gets dissipated in three ways – worry over the past, anxiety for the future and frenzy in the present. The intellect focuses the mind on the present action and does not allow the mind to meander into wasteful avenues of the past and future.

Nothing in the world lasts. Everything changes passes and is impermanent. So, acquire and possess the whole world. But never depend on it. Seek the one permanent anchor within. The abode of infinite bliss.

China’s peacemaker role exposes limits of America’s power

Taking a playbook out of India’s peacemaker role from yesteryear, Beijing stunned the diplomatic world with a brokered rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Traditionally aloof from geopolitics, except for flashpoints on its immediate periphery, China is poised to become a key player in conflict-ridden West Asia. Even if it is symbolic to begin with, the peace deal reflects the limits of US power, the emerging multipolar world order, and how regional states are re-discovering that their national interest lies in adapting to and exploiting the powershifts underway.

US role as a security guarantor to a select group of client states at the exclusion of the independent-minded ones, always meant the security architecture was a hierarchical one. It had one major power shaping the questions of war and peace. The military interventions in Iraq (2003), Libya (2011), Syria (2012), and the containment of Iran were all aimed at creating a unipolar security architecture. Instead, the world saw instability, proxy wars and eventually a power vacuum, which the US found impossible to manage.

With the world again moving toward a multipolar distribution of power and influence, the main regional powers like Iran, Saudi Arabia and perhaps even Israel are recognising that Washington alone cannot sustain a security architecture. Since the Syrian war, Russia has already shown it has the military means and will to intervene in the region to assist states facing threats to regime or territorial security.

China’s role is different. It is building on the basic frustration and war fatigue in the region and beyond. The US cannot play this role because it is seen to fall in one camp — the Israel/GCC camp with all US diplomatic initiatives aimed at stabilising ties and promoting engagement inside its broad alliance tent. Even US national security advisor Jake Sullivan admitted: “We were not in a position to be mediator…given our relationship with those two countries…”

China, backed by Russia who continues to play a vital role as a security partner to Syria and Iran and has common geoeconomic interests with major oil producers like Saudi Arabia, is now promoting an alternate multipolar security framework — more balanced, less dependent on any single great power, and, crucially with regional states as primary stakeholders of the regional order.

The other major trend this diplomatic event reflects is the shift in geoeconomic power to Eurasia and Asia.

With Europe ruling itself out through short-sighted policies, West Asian states rich in resources and energy are looking to integrate into more open and broader networks of trade and investment collaboration. This structural trend is partly China’s creation to the extent of its own rising economic strength. The economic statistics are instructive. China surpassed the US a decade ago as the biggest commercial partner for West Asia and it recently replaced the EU as West Asia’s main bilateral trade partner, with over $330 billion in two-way trade.

The region is the largest energy supplier to China, accounting for nearly half of its oil imports. With the reordering of manufacturing supply chains and shifts in globalisation, West Asian powers are now looking to the future. Within the next five years, West Asia’s trade with Asia is projected to exceed its commerce with OECD economies. The Saudi-Iran rapprochement is a reflection of this new reality.

But what we are really witnessing is a contest between an exclusive bloc-based collective security concept and a more flexible, inclusive, multipolar one. The former approach, at least in the post-Cold War era, sought to transcend the very dynamic of a balance of power by attempting to extend US unipolarity to the complex West Asian region. The latter accepts the balance of power as an inevitable dynamic of regional geopolitics but seeks to channel it in more pragmatic directions.

In this instance, the Chinese approach is unique in that it has not followed the projection of its military power or security guarantee offers to reassure West Asian states to pursue détente. Regional states already have other formidable allies like the US and Russia as their main source of arms or military assistance. Beijing merely tilted a preexisting balance that was ripe for a new equilibrium. As Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister remarked a few months ago, most regional states do not view ties with the major powers as “a zero-sum game by any means.”

For India, this development portends a reality that has been staring Delhi in the face in recent years. West Asia is becoming multipolar with the economic and security choices before the region’s key players increasing with each passing year. China smartly leveraged the region’s desire for peace and stability by nudging two key protagonists together, while also showcasing a constructive global role as a sharp contrast to the US. But regardless of who brought them together, a stable West Asia with Iran and Saudi Arabia integrating into the regional and Eurasian economy and investing less in destabilising security policies and proxy conflicts is beneficial for India too.

Countering attempts to revive militancy in Punjab

The fears of a revival of the Khalistan movement had never died completely and were always lurking in the shadows.

The 2nd generation in the Sikh diaspora, which hardly had any real-time exposure of living in India, lacked the understanding of India’s cultural dynamics, inter-religious harmony and diversity. They have been nurtured on the politically-motivated propaganda engineered by Sikh extremist leaders and the ISI, of injustices and killings that Sikhs faced in India during the separatist movement. The false propaganda machine also thrives on lies that even now the Sikhs in India are facing suppression in India at the hands of the Indian state and the Hindu nationalist parties.

They are the members of proscribed terrorist organizations like Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) and International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF). US’s National Counter-Terrorism Strategy unveiled in October 2018, categorically stated that Babbar Khalsa wants to establish an independent Sikh state through terror and violence. After the Sikh militancy was crushed in Punjab, the groups mentioned above had largely confined themselves to low-profile activism.

However, from 2015 the Khalistan movement has been on the rise again. The movement’s second avatar now has a far more influential Sikh diaspora extending logistical support. It includes organizations like the SFJ and the Canada-based Poetic Justice Foundation (PJF), apart from the conventional Khalistan network. Their propaganda, which is also carried out through gurudwaras in their countries, is primarily built around Operation Blue Star and the anti-Sikh riots that followed Indira Gandhi’s assassination. Informed sources indicate that the Sikh extremist groups have moved beyond activism and have started indulging in violent activities.

In the past six years, more than 20 incidents, including murders of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Hindutva leaders and attacks on Sikh preachers, have been linked to Khalistan separatists. Such attacks are being carried out to sow disharmony in Punjab and the ghost of the long-dead Khalistan movement is now sought to be revived, mostly from overseas.

As the Khalistani cause has little traction in Punjab, Pakistan’s support of Khalistani extremists entails leveraging extremists based in Canada and some other countries, including supporters with ties to terrorism.

The Pakistani establishment is seeking to forge an understanding between Sikh extremist groups and Pakistan-based Islamist outfits as well as Kashmir-centric terrorist groups for targeting Indian interests.

ISI has been using drones since 2019 to offload weapons and drugs in the border areas of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. At least a dozen cases of drone-based consignments have been detected since September 2019.

The farmers’ protests, which first erupted in Punjab last September, became a major rallying point for sections of the Sikh Diaspora. The protests may have given the ISI and some North American groups a springboard to revive the Khalistan sentiment, using social media and web channels for their propaganda. The farmers’ outfits have tried to keep Khalistan backers out of their agitation, but perhaps without total success.

To counter the revival of militancy in Punjab, action needs to be taken on multiple fronts. They are elucidated as follows:-

1.The major reason for the ‘revival’ of militancy in Punjab is the support from the Sikh organizations based abroad.

Intelligence agencies should find substantial evidence and link these front organizations to the militants in Punjab. The senior leadership of these organizations should be extradited and tried in India. Moreover, their properties should be seized. The MEA needs to be more proactive and must assert its presence in the international forums. It is unfortunate that even after great efforts by the Indian security agencies, most of these organizations and their leaders are not affected detrimentally.

Indian diplomats should cultivate better relations and network with the countries where these organizations are based. An informal group in international media must be formed to support India’s cause. Also, some splinter groups of the Khalistan supporters may be propped up by Indian intelligence agencies to counter the propaganda of the pro Khalistan groups.

Apart from banning organizations like SFJ, Indian diplomats need to engage with their counter parts and ensure that no support is extended to such organizations. India’s displeasure should be conveyed in no uncertain terms to all the countries that help foster the Khalistan movement in any way.

The MEA should present dossiers prepared by the Indian security agencies to their counter parts to make India’s case strong and clear.

Moreover, we must insist on quid pro quo from these countries particularly Canada, UK and Germany, in exchange of our support to them against Islamic organizations like the ISIS.

Indian intelligence agencies should also have something on the lines of the ISPR, the public relations wing of the ISI.

2.To tackle the militancy cases, we should have a unified command centre in Punjab involving the IB, RAW, NIA, Military intelligence and Punjab police. It will of course help in immediate dissemination of information and a much quicker response from the concerned agencies. Experts should be recruited to monitor and control the data and metadata of the content providers, particularly foreign based. Young people, experts in cyber warfare and hacking can be hired to trace the activities and movements of the suspects. The banking and financial transactions of the suspected individuals or groups should be constantly monitored.

The security agencies should have funds specially to purchase cyber tools and equipment. They should not only train some of their own men but also hire experts working in cyber technology.

Whatsapp, Facebook and other application companies should be made responsible to provide relevant information to law enforcement agencies instantly.

Fake profiles on social media using false Sikh identities should be immediately blocked and counter propaganda should be done.

If required, certain legal amendments can be brought to admit evidences of phone data.

3.The Khalistani factions and their supporters have woven a false narrative sowing the seeds of disaffection amongst the disgruntled people, particularly the youth of Punjab. They have been using various forums and have been particularly effective on social media like Face book, Twitter and even Clubhouse. We need to counter this narrative by having an active presence on all these platforms and the social media. The representatives of the Indian Government posted abroad should cultivate relationships with global think tanks, publishing houses, news agencies to get articles published in favour of the work done in the state of Punjab by both the central and state governments. Even the sizeable Indian diaspora can augment the dissemination of positive information about the Indian state. Seminars may be organized by Sikhs, preferably popular and non controversial, with the support of the government informally.

A separate budget should be earmarked to hire articulate, erudite preferably Sikhs and Punjabi persons to speak about the glorious past and the promising future of Punjab. There should be a sustained campaign to counter the false narrative. The government should invest more in the vernacular media.

Unfortunately, the media at times has spoken too much about ‘Khalistan’ giving unnecessary publicity and credence to a dormant issue. The media should definitely tone down its discussions about Khalistan and refrain from using the ‘K’ word as much as possible.

4.Punjab was among the richest state of India but for various reasons, it lagged while India progressed further in the early 2000s. The youth of Punjab did not participate much in the modern Indian economy. The youth felt left out. Many of them fell prey to drug addiction and some of them got attracted to militancy too. The minds of unemployed, disgruntled youngsters were fertile grounds for sowing the seeds of an anti establishment thought process.

Hence, there is an urgent need to revive industries, particularly those related to agriculture in Punjab. Special attention should be paid to the hot spots of trouble. The youth have to be meaningfully employed. The almost dormant tourism industry has to be supported. Youngsters have to be given training though the Skill India mission and other government schemes. The state government should provide incentives to people to start new businesses and start ups, particularly related to new age economy. There should be a much better synergy between the centre and state. The incentives and packages from the central government will definitely invigorate the people of Punjab, and alleviate the feeling that Punjab was given a step motherly treatment by the centre.

5.Punjab was long known for producing sportsmen of both national and international levels. A culture of sports has to be cultivated from schools to colleges. More sports universities should be established. The CAPFS, state police and various government organizations should have more recruitment through sports quota. This move will certainly motivate the youth to be attracted towards sports. The various paramilitary forces and army should train the people, particularly the youngsters of the border population so that they can qualify for the recruitment tests of these forces.

The state should also draft a new education policy, laying more stress on new age technologies. The textbooks and curricular should emphasize on the work done by the government for the betterment of Punjab. Youngsters should be given a purpose, a meaning to their lives. School children, particularly of the rural areas, should be encouraged to work with the police as student police cadets.

The demand for drugs has to be reduced substantially and finished ultimately. Apart from a sustained campaign against drugs, it should be ensured that the youth who had been treated in the de-addiction clinics should not have a relapse. The youngsters should be educated properly and a scientific follow up of the health of the de- addicted youth should be done.

6 (a) The ISI has been using the borders of Punjab to promote Narco terrorism for quite a long time. The sealing of borders is paramount in defeating the designs of the ISI and pro Khalistan supporters. The routes to supply drugs are also used to smuggle weapons. The BSF mans the borders diligently but security measures have to be augmented using technology. A number of simple yet cost effective measures can be used to support the border men.
Installation of the following low cost technology measures have already been found effective by the BSF in the AOR of Rajashtan:-

i) Infra red sensors
ii) Laser beams
iii) Improvised alarm systems
iv) CCTVs
v) PTZs

Latest software systems can be combined with the CCTVs and PTZs to have a virtual fence on the display monitors and have an alarm go off if any crossing takes place.

In addition to these, the HHTIs and other thermal sensors need to be effectively utilized with a quick turnaround rate for repairs. The new pilot project of SMART fence is a step in the right direction.

b) The staff of G branch of BSF should be more tech savvy and better trained. Moreover, they should have a good command of the local language and culture to extract more information from the locals. The secret service fund should be more generous, though based on results gathered from the information. All the Intelligence agencies should have excellent coordination and exchange real time information. Often, the location of a suspicious satellite phone reaches the BSF through the NATGRID after a substantial time lapse. This anomaly has to be rectified to have any meaningful action.

c) There is no effective solution to the challenge of enemy drones being used to drop weapons, fake currency and narcotics in our area. The guns are hardly effective as the drones are too high and barely visible, particularly in the nights. Latest anti drone technology can be imported. At the same time, our own IITs, DRDO and even private defence equipment manufactures can be asked to develop a technology to counter drones.

To counter the threat from drones, a unified command of the BSF, air force and the army can be set up to alert about the sighting of an enemy drone.

Now that the BSF has got jurisdiction up to 50 kms, it needs even better coordination with the local police. The BSF has also demanded powers to intercept calls of antinational elements and smugglers. These powers will definitely help the BSF to act on intelligence really fast.

The riverine gaps along the international fence have to be specially taken care of. More manpower should be deployed in those areas, of course supported by CCTVs and other force multiplies. High mast lights and LEDs are quite effective in illuminating the border areas.

A proper and detailed database should be made of all the smugglers and anti national elements by the BSF in consultation with the NCB and state police. The database should be uploaded on an app for instant access any detail of the antinational element.

On the other hand, the vigilance branch of the BSF should keep a tab on the personnel of the BSF too, to prevent any connivance with the smugglers. Their social media accounts should be checked. The ISI often uses honey traps to elicit information from our BSF jawans.

7. To thwart the nefarious designs of the ISI to promote Narco terrorism in Punjab, the NCB needs to have a bigger presence in Punjab. The Punjab police should also have an STF headed by senior police officers. Huge rewards can be announced for the haul of drugs and arrest of the kingpins. The antisocial elements that are sent to jail should not be allowed to run their business from the confines of the jail. The prosecution should ensure that smugglers do not come out on bail easily; rather all efforts should be made to ensure conviction.

The new law that designates even individuals as terrorists is a welcome move. The NIA and other security agencies must seize their assets and ask the counterparts abroad also to act against them.

Our agencies should keep a tab on the source of terror funding. Various means of siphoning money into our country should be effectively blocked. Terrorists and their sympathizers should not be allowed to take advantage of the weaknesses in the banking system and misusing them. Even the dark web, havala rackets and crypto currency transactions should be closely monitored. Some dubious NGOs and even movie production houses have been used as routes to transfer money into Punjab, ultimately to support the Pro Khalistan movement. Their accounts should be scrutinized and strong action should be taken if any illegal activity is noticed.

8.The Punjab police have to be more professional in dealing with the rise of militancy. First and foremost, there must be a strong political will to make the police function independently. A strong, professional and incorruptible DGP will post a similar set of officers in the districts. Young officers of the IPS and CAPF can be called on deputation, if need be. The weaponry and surveillance techniques should be upgraded. Sadly a few Punjab policemen were seen without bullet proofs and obsolete weapons, when fighting with terrorists in Dinanagar near Pathankot. The training of policemen needs to be professional on the lines of NSG and other commando forces.

Quite a few policemen are facing problems due to their role in fighting terrorism around 30 years back. They should be provided legal support by the Government in case their cause was justified.

The knowledge and experience of officers who have worked in Punjab during the peak of insurgency must be utilized to train and familiarize young officers to counter the pro Khalistani resurgence.

The Punjab police must develop a quick response system, especially to tackle problems related to militancy. It can have high speed vehicles and motorcycles moving fast on getting calls on special telephone numbers.

The police should forge more partnerships with the public to earn its trust and let go of its dictatorial and feudal image. Police public committees can help the police get better information and also dispel a lot of rumors floated by the parties inimical to a peaceful Punjab.

Even small time criminals and local gangsters can be used by the ISI to carry out terrorist operations. Such groups should be found out and decimated immediately. Exemplary action should be taken against militants and their supporters. The top brass of the militants, both in India and abroad should be specifically targeted. Once the leadership is weakened, it will not be difficult to control the nascent militancy. The NIA and other agencies must gather comprehensive evidence and special courts must be set up for the trial of the accused.

The leaders need to be separated from their followers. The state should go all out against the leaders and punish them legally and financially. At the same time, the followers should be shown a ‘humane’ face and allowed to join the mainstream again. They can be provided training in skill development and become special police officers too in some cases.

At the same time, the state agencies should not go overboard in their drive against militancy. The human rights of the accused should be respected. The torture and extra judicial treatment of the militants or suspects should be out of question.

It should be noted that all counter-militancy efforts must be conducted within the letter and spirit of the law and under firm civilian political command. Excessive force and disregard for human rights is not sustainable in a political democracy, it will only fuel militancy.

9. The ISI First tried to disturb the communal harmony in 2016 by masterminding desecration of religious books and targeting Sikh and Hindu temples to radicalize the youth.

A number of Hindu leaders, particularly of the RSS were killed. The terror groups even killed religious leaders of Christian and Namdhari communities. Several psy-operations like incidents of sacrilege of the holy scripture of Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib have also been reported. Such incidents add to the perceptions of injustice against the Sikh community. These cases have to be investigated thoroughly and the offenders should be brought to the book.

The Punjab police and intelligence agencies should be very alert to these kinds of developments. They should develop sources, particularly around religious establishments to gather Information well in time. The police should have regular peace committee meeting in villages and Mohallas to foster trust.

A tab should be kept on the social media and phones of the unscrupulous elements in those areas.

At the same time, a close watch must be kept on the changing social dynamics in the region. In the absence of any proper leadership, some groups, particularly of the poor and backward community, might waver towards militancy.

10. The brazen propaganda, pro Khalistan rallies and even public venerations of slain terrorists should not be allowed. Perpetrators should be asked to refrain from these activities. And if the atmosphere is conducive and these is little or no chance of a law and order problem, strict action should be taken against the offenders.

11. Pakistan always had the doctrine to bleed India into a thousand cuts. After the abrogation of Act 370, Pakistan’s proxy war in Kashmir is not working. Thus, its need to ignite the Khalistan Movement. It is Pakistan’s objective to destabilse the law and order situation in Punjab and revive Khalistan linked terrorism in the state.

The Pak army and ISI have organized training camps for Jaish, Kashmir and Khalistan militants along the border. On the direction of the ISI, Khalistan militants established contacts with Punjab gangsters and smugglers who know the state and its escape routes, to ignite the fire of militancy again.

The nefarious designs of Pakistan have to be answered in its own language. RAW and Indian security agencies can fan the fire in trouble spots like Baluchistan.

If need be the Indian army can again launch a few Balakot like strikes, as a last resort.

It will not be a surprise if there is Chinese support to the cash strapped Pakistan. China is already supporting the Taliban. Some of the surplous weapons of Afghanistan will definitely find way to India, particularly Punjab.

Costs have to be imposed on Pakistan in the form of cross border activities by the RAW. A low level equilibrium has to be maintained with China.

India should try its best to put Pakistan on the black list of the FATF for money laundering and terror financing. Pakistan has so far avoided being on the black list with the help of China but India must keep providing evidence to the FATF and the UN.

Conclusion

The government should come down heavily on the political patronization of all anti national elements. The nexus of unscrupulous politicians, policemen and anti national elements has to be destroyed. If the police is given a free hand, the drug syndicate can be demolished. On the other hand, if we manage to garner international support to marginalize the pro Khalistani groups, the resurgence of militancy in Punjab can be ripped in the bud.

An attempt to glorify Khalistan ideologues aside, the movement has little traction on the ground. Khalistan is an idea, and an idea never dies. There is a tiny section among Sikhs who propagate this. But the movement has no resonance in Punjab.

A truth and reconciliation commission, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge may document the accounts of victims and witnesses of the anti-Sikh riots.

If a closure is brought to [Operation] Blue Star and justice is ensured for the 3,000-odd victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, it will allow the Sikh community to move forward; else, the spectre of Khalistan will remain a tool for vested interests to exploit.

The Indian state must win back the hearts and minds of the disaffected people of Punjab. Winning the confidence of the people is the only real long term solution to this protracted crisis

Insulate Thyself from material shocks

 People the world over crave for change to deviate from the monotonous day-to-day existence. There is need for a flutter now and then, as a reassurance that life is flowing along the right line.

The concept of an insular Tahiti that Herman Melville describes in his classic work Moby-Dick is suffused with significance about life that beckons beyond the mundane and stultifying. “For as this appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of man there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by all of the horrors of the half-lived life.”

I strongly suggest not dying with your music still inside you. For me, it was about finding a passion “that won’t shut up” and “finding your music somewhere, in some-time”. Among the passions suggested in this context were painting, writing, dancing, walking, teaching, watching birds, helping the sick, the sad or the lost, once a month, not out of obligation but out of an urge.

Going beyond the letter of this suggestion, to follow it in spirit could also manifest in an intimate communion with nature through, for instance, a brief fulfilling non-material vacation to the rural backwoods. Such a vacation would, undoubtedly, provide idyllic opportunity to discover one’s own ‘insular Tahiti’, take in its lush green ambience, its oxygen-rich freshness, its mother-of-all-music sounds and return prophylactically empowered to tackle the ‘ills’ of daily life.

This transcendental refresher vacation from time to time would enable one to feel liberated from the demands of flesh, with incessant rantings and promptings of the ego. A deeper meaningful connect with nature would entail being insulated from harmful obsession with materialism. When fully ‘earthed’, one becomes, in a sense, impervious to material shocks. It provides exposure to completeness that proves handy in not being overwhelmed by the conventional world, with its illusory trappings.

To achieve unadulterated communion with nature during this unique vacation, the vacationer would have to dispense with techno-material comforts of the world that he is seeking a break from. He would, thus, need to embrace a comparatively elemental environment, with provision of basic food and unassuming shelter, and jettison all material niceties with a whiff of technology about them.

Items that would need to be ‘green axed’ include ACs, mobiles, laptops, washing machines, microwaves, radios, processed foods. Of course, parting with the mobile would, perhaps, cause separation anxiety. But then what use would a mobile serve when the vacationer is the sole audience for nature with its myriad audio-visual attractions, in a powerless and towerless terrain far from the madding crowd.

The government could, perhaps, consider tax incentives for promoting such earth vacations while identifying suitable spots for them in different regions, with emphasis on naturally derived food and solar energy usage for cooking.

Such a ‘natural’ vacation promises to be a detoxifying and creative experience, with nature providing the kind of spiritually earthed education that will make one return complete and truly enlightened, without leaving trails of carbon footprints behind.

Every Action Has a Cost

Every journey begins with a single step. The first that Mao Zedong took in his famous Long March began on Oct 16, 1934. It has not yet reached its destination. China’s progress towards its destiny is still ongoing.

In 1934, Mao and his companions in the Red Army were in retreat, pursued by the Nationalist Army under Chiang Kai-shek. A hundred years later, the Red Army has morphed into the People’s Liberation Army, with an active force of over 2.2 million and 1.2m in reserve.

Today, Chiang Kai-shek’s successors are marooned on the island of Taiwan, protected by 169,000 active military personnel with 1.66m in reserve, its political continuity underwritten by the United States.

In 1985, the defence policy of the People’s Republic of China under Deng Xiaoping changed dramatically. From a strategy to “hit early, strike hard and to fight a nuclear war”, China has “focused on increasing mechanisation and informatisation to be able to fight a high-intensity war”. Aiming at “quality rather than on quantity”, it has reduced its armed forces by over 1m and cut its bloated leadership by 50 per cent.

Nevertheless, China carries a big stick of 350 nuclear warheads. Pakistan has 165. (Readers should know that one nuclear device can annihilate half a million humans.)

So, why does the stronger China not invade its offshore island of Taiwan and be done with it, as Nehru did with Goa in 1961?

It is clear that China has adopted Winston Churchill’s advice that “Jaw-Jaw is better than War-War”. Ever since the PRC took its seat in the United Nations, ousting Taiwan from the Security Council, it has watched with dismay as the UN has become (to use Mao’s telling phrase) “a running dog” of neo-imperialist Western powers.

While China has often exercised its veto to protect UN member states from the idiocies of the US and its accomplices, it has not been able to make the UN fulfil its role as a peacemaker. The UN’s blue helmets have all too often brought shame, not honour, to its peacekeeping operations, especially in war-torn Africa.

China has decided that enough is not enough. By brokering the recent rapprochement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, China has taken its first significant step in its Long March as an international peacemaker of the first resort.

It has left the Russians to recall its stale success in brokering the Tashkent Declaration between India and Pakistan in 1966, and its off-stage encouragement of the same parties to sign the now now-sterile Simla Agreement of 1972. It has left the US to savour the bitter aftertaste of the accords it brokered in 1978 between Israel and Egypt at Camp David, and the subsequent 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO, signed at the White House.

If one peels away the superficial layer of China’s latest diplomatic initiative, what is revealed are two realities.

The first is that such a reconciliation would not have been possible without the will of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His Gestapo-like treatment of his mega-rich Saudi kinsmen has been forgotten.

His alleged involvement in the murder of his fellow Saudi Jamal Khashoggi has liquefied in the acid of oblivion. The conflict between his Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi rebels in Yemen supported by Iran continues to smoulder. MBS, meanwhile, remains the undisputed ruler of the Crown Princedom of Saudi Arabia.

Iran’s decision to let China act as mediator is a reinforcement of the late Ayatollah Khomeini’s derisive view of the US, as “the great Satan, the wounded snake”. Iran has learned that it owes nothing to its Pahlavi past. It has found its place in the 21st century as an independent nation in the Eastern hemisphere, not an acolyte of a distant US.

Should Pakistan expect its iron brother China to help it resolve its simmering disputes, particularly those with India? In a rational-minded subcontinent, this might have been a possibility. Under Prime Minister Modi’s India and a rudderless coalition-led Pakistan, there is no hope in heaven, and certainly not on earth.

Pakistan’s priorities really are not Jammu & Kashmir or the Indus Waters Treaty, nor the rehabilitation of its flood affectees. It prefers to remain in a state at war within itself, a domestic War-War not Jaw-Jaw.

The latest weaponry being deployed by its politicians are the gifts given to its sticky-fingered leaders during their foreign tours. The recent disclosure by the state Toshakhana exposes their unseemly rapacity.

Diamond-studded trinkets and bullet-proof cars were acquired by donees at a fraction of their market price. It is a pity that Pakistan leaders should have placed such a similarly low value on their own integrity.