Chindu facing financial crunch?

When I picked up Chindu this morning, I was surprised to see that it carried a full page ad (atleast the Chennai edition) for a luxury home builder on its front page. Not that it's uncommon in India, but Chindu never misses an opportunity to pat itself on its back for not selling away its front page to advertisers (though selling the front page to "ideological partners" is perfectly fine).
As recently as Jan 14,2008 the Liar-in-Chief penned this rather effusive self congratulatory piece to mark the 50 th anniversary of the day when news replaced advertisement on the front page.

From that piece: (control your giggle)

Trust is the most important asset of a serious newspaper. “Our Front Page,” the third editorial published on January 14, 1958 and reproduced here, is a fine example of how a great newspaper wins and renews trust by being transparent and by communicating openly with its readers, advertisers, and distributors. The interplay of tradition and modernity, of continuity and change is an important theme here. So is the commitment to maintain “the high standards of journalism” as a “public service.” The observation that “we have moved into an age when events go rushing by in such headlong fashion that a reader to-day has often no time even to pause ‘to open his paper’ for the news but must get it the moment he picks his paper up” sounds contemporary (except that in several mature media markets, although not in India, fewer and fewer young people seem to be picking up printed newspapers even to scan the front page).

Till Jan 14 the readers did not have time and hence news had to be on the front page, but on Feb 29, the reader "suddenly" (like "sudden removal of Modi") has all the time in the world? What has changed? What about the "commitment to maintain “the high standards of journalism” as a “public service.” "? Perhaps it might have dawned on the editor that the paper in any case isn't maintaining that and might have decided to fill the coffers with some easy money. Where has all the Chinese money gone? Given the massive Chinese investment in American bonds, the recent turbulance in American markets might have wiped off a significant portion stemming the fund flow to propaganda vehicles. Poor Chindu has to fend for itslef - atleast for now.

I feel sorry for the paper for it is contradicting itself with a sickening frequency. The paper revels in shamelss doublespeak and this latest "change" is no exception. It is consistent with the paper's policy of "Don't practice what you preach".Today's mess was compounded by the fact that the paper carried two mastheads. The Front page carrying the ad had a masthead as also the next page which carried the news. It was a meek attempt to show that "Look.. This inner page is the actual front page and not the one carrying the ad".

What is right in Kosovo is wrong in Gujarat

Look who is providing column inches to the action - reaction theory. The same theory that was met with derision in Gujarat suddenly becomes a legitimate tool to fight the US.

Having recognised Kosovo’s independence, Washington has openly violated Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. So, why is it angry at a Serbian student who did a similar thing to the U.S. Embassy? Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/25/stories/2008022553741100.htm

Is Chindu plain stupid to contradict itself so openly or does it think its readers must read any garbage thrown at them?

Brinda leads list of intellectuals

Intellectuals, artists and women activists have expressed deep concern over the observations of Chief Justice of India (CJI) K.G. Balakrishnan against human rights activist Teesta Setalvad in open court on February 19.

The signatories include Brinda Karat, Vina Mazumdar, Jayati Ghosh, Githa Hariharan, Rajni Palriwala, Syeed Mirza, M.K Raina, Indra Chandrashekhar, Rajan Prasad, Virendra Saini, Ram....

http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/25/stories/2008022553821200.htm
Thankfully there was no photo. You rarely get to read any Brinda news sans photo on Chindu.

Coming to the news, these so called social activists are often overtly sensational and deserve to be treated with the contempt that the CJI displayed in this case. It don't understand why Teesta and her cohorts can't exhibit the same zeal in pursuing issues that embarrass a non-BJP party/organization.

Slap in the face of ELM

http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/24/stories/2008022450190100.htm

It is fashionable for India's spineless ELM to "invent" " facts" justifying Islamic extremism. Till 2002 , every terrorist act was attributed to Babri Masjid - never mind the fact that the masjid came down in 1992 but Kashmiri terrorism started at least 3 years earlier. From 2002, Akshardam, Malgaon, varanasi, Parliament attack, IISc attack, Mumbai 7/11,Delhi Diwali Bombs, Samajhuta, Hyderabad Mecca Masjid bombs and the n- J&K terror strikes are all because of Gujarat! Not content with this, the ELM blames the "alleged" marginalization and neglect of the minorities , lack of employment and educational opportunities as the prime reasons for the "frustrated" (and innocent?) youth to turn to terrorism. By some strange logic, the Dalit and other socially backward youth - who too "allegedly" face similar hardships - never manage to get hooked to terrorism. It is only the poor and innocent minority youth. But will education and employment solve the problem and wean away Muslim youth from terrorism?

People like Yahya Iyash Kamkuttdy give the answer. An REC Calicut graduate, Yahya graduated with distinction in Engineering and was employed with GE. Why did he take to terrorism? What effect did education and employment have on his psyche? It has only made him plan heinous crimes with greater sophistication. What about the Glasgow bomber who was a doctor? Several of those arrested on terrorism charges hold post graduate degrees. Who is the ELM trying to cheat by suggesting education and employment?

Even if one were to accept the ELM's reasoning, how does it explain the spread of Islamic extremism from New York to Bali? It is an indisputable fact that this hydra-headed monster is a global phenomenon. Does the ELM say that in each of these countries the Muslims are marginalized? Isn't it ironic that people who float such senseless ideas are called "intellectuals" ? If Muslims are up in arms in every region of the world then there certainly is a problem that prevents them from co-habiting peacefully. Their retrograde customs, treatment of women, intolerance and their inclination to live in ghettos could be factors that prevent them from living in harmony with people from other faiths. Add to this a vicious propaganda of marginalization and the pseudo secular political class that merrily divides people for votes, you have the spark necessary to set the house on fire.

It is high time that the ELM stopped pandering to minority interests and start treating issues objectively. Every religion -not just Islam- has some historical reason or the other to be rebellious. Can everyone take to arms?By refusing to accept that certain Islamic elements are being unreasonable and unjust , the ELM is only running away from the problem. If it does not have the guts to take the bull by its horns, it may jolly well shut up and leave the job to more competent entities while it continues to lick the shoes of jihadis. By sympathizing and justifying extremism, the ELM is making this world more dangerous.

Avidya begins her 2009 campaign

Avidya, who, with her incredible mathematical skills, has predicted a landslide victory for Congress in Gujarat elections, is back with new agenda - 2009 elections. She starts off her analysis by deciding the winner. Now she will go out to find evidence to support her. I am sure she will find a lot of evidence and we will hear a lot about it in her "Election Analysis". Let us all prepare ourselves to be overfed with "Analysis".

The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : Election 2009: Congress tortoise and BJP hare

The BJP is not as well placed to face the general election as it claims.

"Eminent Historian" on detoxifying textbooks

Chindu is the mecca for all these lunatic lefties. They get prominent space on this propaganda machine. The fact that most of these text books have been written under the benign eye of the Congress will be conveniently withheld.

The Hindu : Opinion / Interviews : Upholding scientific principles of historical writing

Detoxifying textbooks was a proposition advanced after the last election. Almost four years of UPA rule are over. Are you happy with the way that process has progressed?

The remaining 97 per cent of schools use textbooks that are much more
communal than the NCERT textbooks concocted by the BJP dispensation. If
detoxification were to be effective, this large segment had to be
cleansed of communalism.

SIMI and CHINDU, some links

it is time to ask the sources of funding for chindu. i am curious to
know what amount of simi's money is allocated to propaganda and
chindu's share of this budget.
it is an absolute disgrace that this rag newspaper is making business
out of "hindu" to support "islam".

---------- Forwarded message ----------
SIMI and CHINDU, some links:

The impression is unshakeable that the BJP-led coalition is highly
selective - and calculatedly so - in applying the `unlawful activity'
yardstick as between the Sangh Parivar outfits and those belonging to
the minority communities
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2001/09/29/stories/05292511.htm

To espouse Islamic tenets is not a communal act. The question is not
whether SIMI is a communal organisation, but whether SIMI and its
members are involved in terrorist activities.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/10/06/stories/05061307.htm

But POTO was not just a repeat of TADA. It added fresh chapters on
unlawful associations (already otherwise covered by the Unlawful
Activities Act, 1967 which was used against SIMI in September 2001),
forfeiture of property and telephone tapping.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/01/11/stories/2002011101271000.htm

POTO is at once a tool of diplomacy, to earn brownie points abroad,
and a weapon of repression at home devised by a regime which bans the
Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) but not the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad (VHP) or the Bajrang Dal.
http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fline/fl1825/18250970.htm

Fidel Castro is a hero:N.Ram

Here is evidence that communist dope clutters clear thinking. N.Ram claims Cuban disaster management system is better than America's. By communist logic, Cuba has world class public sector schooling and health. So let us all Indians salute Castro and declare today as Fidel Castro day and celebrate it as national day. May I suggest that Chindu celebrate Castro's achievements by declaring a one-year holiday to its operations.

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : A hero of our times

They include good public-sector schooling, a high-quality public health
service, and a disaster-management system far better than the
third-world shambles exposed by Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. in 2005.

While saluting a hero of our times, the people of India will wish Fidel a reposeful retirement and happy soldiering on — in the realm of ideas, as he has promised to do.

Special privileges to fringe Left parties

Lok Jan Shakti Party contested and won more seats and so did Pattali Makkal Katchi. But Chindu is more interested in what this little known leftist non-entity RSP thinks about the nuclear deal.

The Hindu : National : Left cannot lower guard on nuclear deal: RSP

Though the Left parties have forced the UPA government to review its decision to proceed with the civilian nuclear deal with the U.S., the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) on Friday said the danger was far from over and the Left could not lower its guard.

Communist harmony

This story goes missing in Chindu, while a lot of trivial but positive aspects of CPM are invariably reported. Selective reporting, Chindu style.

The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Bengal | Cadres convict leaders and thrash them

CPM supporters beat up their leaders in Burdwan’s Kanksa last night accusing them of corruption, hours after young cadres in Durgapur used the slap-and-punch pill on their seniors for going back on their promise of jobs.

Some 500 men and women raided the local committee office about 160km from Calcutta while the leaders were watching a film around 9pm.

As committee secretary Debatosh Banerjee wondered what was happening, the villagers took him by his collar and dragged him out.

The leaders were accused of paying less than the villagers’ due under the rural employment guarantee scheme. The law ensures labourers’ job to the poor for 100 days a year.

Leaders sample cadre fury

Durgapur, Feb. 18: Unemployed CPM supporters marched into a party office here, dragged out their leaders and beat them with broomsticks and sandals because they had reneged on their promise of jobs.Thirty youths armed with red flags marched into the party office in the Coke Oven area around 9am. Villagers said the leaders of the Namo Sagarbhanga local committee initially denied promising jobs but went on the defensive later.The youths ransacked the office and battered two motorcycles parked outside.They said the leaders had promised them unskilled labourers’ jobs at local sponge iron and steel units when they were being set up.Sanatan Bauri, 28, who had studied till Class VIII, said all the attackers were CPM supporters. “We work hard during polls and other occasions. We had no option but to revolt.”He added that complaints to the Durgapur zonal committee had proved ineffective.“The leaders have a good time over alcohol and films in office. Their relatives get the jobs,” said Ranjit Mondal, 25.

Fwd: At Chindu, a photographer is one who downloads photos from the net

i also remember the editor-in-chief justifying frontpage photos of
blood, violence and terrorists as "editorial judgment". self-critical?
no way. the communists can never be wrong.

----------------
Readers may remember a big blunder on the part of Chindu which the
Editor's Writer had to confess, a few months ago:

"......a reader points out that the accompanying photograph captioned
"Marching ahead: An elephant herd on the prowl in the plains of Kodagu
district", was not that of an Asian elephant herd but of an African
elephant herd. The African elephant can be quickly distinguished from
the Asian elephant by its greater size and its larger ears. The
African elephant also bears tusks in both sexes. This can be seen in
the picture. The correspondent clarifies that the error occurred as
the picture was downloaded from a website by a photographer who was
ignorant of the difference between an African and an Asian elephant."

http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/14/stories/2007091453791300.htm

------------------

Some days ago, I happened to read a telling commentary on this
stupidity of Chindu & Co in another blog.

The Genius that's the Hindu and the Reader's Editor

http://chenthil.blogspot.com/2007/09/genius-thats-hindu-and-readers-editor.html

"I never knew that a photographer was one who downloaded photos from
some website."

Posted by Anonymous to The Chindu at February 18, 2008 9:39 AM

Why is Xinhua called propaganda?

My take is this: Because it puts China above all logic

The Hindu : Opinion / News Analysis : When readers need an independent assessment

There was an interesting reaction to a Xinhua story that appeared on the “Newscape” page some days ago. It said a Chinese hospital had successfully transplanted a heart, liver, and kidney into one patient, the first such operation in the country. The 47-year-old female patient had been diagnosed with uraemia and liver cancer. While planning kidney and liver transplants, the doctors found she had dilated cardiomyopathy and needed a new heart.

A consultant urologist-transplant surgeon wondered whether the news had been approved by The Hindu medical team (I had to tell him that there was no such team!). He said the presence of cancer is a contraindication for any kind of transplant, as the immunosuppressants given after the surgery would help in the spread of cancer. A transplant for such a patient is ethically incorrect, he said. I could find no way to get a clarification from Xinhua. A transplant surgeon I know explained that in such cases the organ affected by cancer is removed, and after ensuring that there is no spread, the transplant is done.

The surgeon who raised the issue said a 2-3 year wait is needed to ensure that cancer cells are not in circulation and transplant can be done only if there is no recurrence. With immunosuppressants, even if there is one cancer cell, it can become full blown cancer. This, he said, is the conclusion of a well-known study from the west.

Change in "Reactions" template

We have long captured the standard template used by Chindu to capture nationwide reaction to events.
It starts off with CPI()M's reaction and then Karat's.
Then we hear CPI's views on the event.
The other Left parties get to express their opinion.
Then comes the Congress (of minority government fame).
If space permits, the BJP might find a mention in the last line.

Now, this template has been changed to reflect the changing realities and the growing importance of Left as perceived by Chindu. CPI(M) and CPI have two separate articles allotted to their reactions instead of being clubbed together. A few perceive this as an indication of widening cracks between the two parties.

The Hindu : National : Inaction poses threat to social amity: CPI(M)

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday criticised the Maharashtra government for its “delay in arresting Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray” and staged a “social amity” dharna at the Azad Maidan here.

The Hindu : National : Parochial tendencies, a grave threat: CPI

The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Tuesday condemned the incidents of violence against north Indians in Mumbai and other places in Maharashtra, saying parochial tendencies were posing a grave threat to the unity and integrity of the country.

Karat chronology

The amount of coverage Karat gets on Chindu is sickening. He is the Chindu's star, isn't he. His foremost agenda is oppose BJP. Then comes opposition to America and finally the support for bourgeois. Chindu's agenda starts with supporting China and opposing BJP. With such synergies, it is natural that Karat is the darling of Chindu.

Karat is opposing India's ties with Israel. He does not want any cooperation with US but advocates strong ties with China. Also, he calls BJP communal, while batting for strong ties between the atheist communists and the virulently chauvinistic Church. You can't expect Chindu to call Karat's bluff.

The Hindu : Front Page : Karat: third front will be cohesive entity, not just electoral alliance

Reiterating his party’s resolve to forge a third alternative in the country, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat has said that the third front would be founded on the three principles of consistent opposition to communalism, agreement on a common minimum programme and a firm commitment to an independent foreign policy and pro-people economic policies.

The Hindu : Front Page : CPI(M) to step up campaign against deal

The Left will ask the United Progressive Alliance Government not to conclude the India-U.S. nuclear deal with the Bush administration, which would turn lame duck in a few months. “We would like the Government of India to initiate a comprehensive talk with the new administrative dispensation that would come to power in the U.S. after the coming presidential elections,” CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said on Monday.

The Hindu : Front Page : Karat for Church-Left talks

Declaring that the Left would continue championing the cause of minorities, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat has called upon Church authorities in Kerala to be ready for an open dialogue with his party and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government on issues of concern to them.

lopsided review on karanjia

to the anonymous person who has posted the below comment, please
consider joining this blog. anonymity is assured.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
R.K. Karanjia: Living through the Blitz
- P. Sainath

"At the height of the Sino-Soviet hostility, Karanjia managed
exclusive interviews with the leaders of both the USSR and China
(including a rare meeting with Zhou en Lai.) He also had one with the
Pope in the same period. His early interview with Mr. Castro, though,
was very Blitz."

Sainath writes lots of stuff about his professional association with
Karanjia. Of course, he does not reveal certain "uncomfortable" facts!

It is left to Hindu journalists to complete Karanjia's biography.
---------------------------
http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/feb/02russi.htm

The editor who defined Indian journalism -- Tarun Vijay

According to Tarun Vijay: "In his later years he (Karanjia) turned
deeply spiritual and the final turning point came during the Ayodhya
movement. He was the first editor in a mainstream journal who
supported the Ramjanmabhoomi movement openly. First Francois Gautier's
column began appearing in Blitz supporting the Ram agitation
spiritedly with impeccable logic."

--------------------------

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/268196.html

Sudheendra Kulkarni

Sudheendra Kulkarni says: "In the last phase of his journalistic
career, he became increasingly disillusioned with communism and the
Communists anti-Hindu secularism. Simultaneously, he became a strong
sympathiser of the BJP and the Ayodhya movement. It was then that he
insisted I replace Sainath as deputy editor and give a new, pro-Hindu
orientation to Blitz".

--------------------------
Funnily, Chindu carried the photo of the "wrong" Karanjia and
corrected the situation with the correct photo, the next day in the
print edition. Surprisingly, the "wrong" photo persists in the web
edition!

Posted by Anonymous to The Chindu at February 09, 2008 9:47 AM

Chindu celebrates the Chinese new year

i wonder how long before the chindu declares a holiday for chinese new
year in place of a hindu festival.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Chindu's own China specialist(rather, admirer) seems to be all excited
about the Chinese new year.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/07/stories/2008020756192400.htm

China moves into the lunar Year of the Rat

Pallavi Aiyar

"There are 12 animals in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, and
the rat is the first in this series. Legend has it that all the
animals concerned were in a race to cross a broad river."

Note the absence of mocking qualifiers such as "mythology"
(exclusively reserved for Hinduism-related news and reports) in the
article and also the feel good tone of reporting, completely devoid of
derision, ridicule, scorn and condescension otherwise liberally dished
out in reports dealing with Hindu faith.

Posted by Anonymous to The Chindu at February 08, 2008 10:45 PM

Bitter 16

Whoever says sweet 16 must think again - more so if you happen to work with Marxist rags. All embarrassing stories- there have been plenty of late - have made page 16 their home. And the corners are reserved for the most uncomfortable among them. In the last post, I had mentioned about the killing of AIFB workers , now on the bottom most corner of Page 16, I find this absolutely outrageous news item.

China objects to PM’s Arunachal visit

NEW DELHI / MUMBAI: Amid warming of ties, China has taken exception to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh and his assertion that the State belongs to India, evoking a strong reaction from New Delhi.

Almost a week after Dr. Singh visited Arunachal Pradesh and said the State is “our land of rising sun”, Chinese Foreign Ministry officials have conveyed to officials at the Indian Mission in Beijing that they are unhappy with the visit and Dr. Singh’s comments there.

Beijing feels that it was not appropriate for the Prime Minister to visit a State major parts of which it claims are its territory.

Such a shocking claim should have made headlines on every self respecting newspaper/TV channel. NDTV made this the lead story on its 10.00PM slot. HT and ToI mentioned this story on their front pages. But communist coolies have hidden the story and instead profess a policy of "give and take" which smacks of impotence and not diplomacy.

This outrageous claim has its roots in Tibet. In a cheap case of quid-pro-quo , India "recognized" Tibet as an integral part of China for the latter to "recognize" Sikkim as Indian territory. Now going a step further, the Chinese have gathered the audacity to stake claim to Arunachal saying AP has had historic ties with Tibet! The Chinese , no doubt, must have been emboldened by the meek Indian leadership and with active support from servile propaganda vehicles, they may even claim the entire north east is theirs.

It is unpardonable for a paper - which ironically calls itself "India's National Newspaper since 1878"- to treat this story with kid gloves. If it is going to hide behind its age old unconvincing "news - and - opinion -are - editor's - prerogative " reasoning , it must stop making absurd claims about being India's national newspaper and instead openly declare that its loyalties lie firmly in Beijing. It has so far remained mum on AIFB killings - not a single edit or news analysis. This latest Chinese assault on Indian sovereignty will go the same way.

"objectivity" - thy name is Chindu?

The left lunatics(LL) have started washing dirty linen in public. The past year or so has left the LLs and their bootlickers red faced with brickbats raining on them for Singur, Nandigram, Rizwanur Rahman, inept handling of bird flu etc etc. The latest is the killing of forward bloc supporters by the Bengal police. The livid bloc leaders have slammed CPM for "alleged" police brutality.

When all hell is breaking lose in Bengal, Chindu brushes the issue under the carpet. While this story has hogged the headlines in most newspapers and TV channels, Chindu relegates the story to a left corner (no pun intended) on page 16. Here is how its "special correspondent" reports the story:

Four persons, stated to be supporters of the All India Forward Bloc

There is no certainity that they are AIFB workers. Afterall , are they VHP or RSS members to be categorically identifed? "Objective journalism of the highest standards" mandates that an element of uncertainity be maintained when the killers are your friends.

....when police fired on a mob that attacked the office of the sub-divisional officer on Tuesday

Here is the clean chit to the police. Judge Ram, using his supreme judicial knowledge, opines that the "mob" "attacked" and the police firing was provoked.

The incident occurred when AIFB supporters turned violent during a State-wide law violation programme organised by the party in support of its demand for proper implementation of the National Rural Employment Programme, among other issues.

Will Judge Ram tell his readers what "other issues" were the "violent supporters" protesting against? Corruption, irregularities in rationing , cancellation of special economic zones (SEZs) policy to secure farmers' land rights and job quotas for Muslims. Why has he stopped with NREGS irregularities?

The State leadership of the AIFB has called a 24-hour State bandh on Wednesday to protest the police firing that, it claimed, was aimed at peaceful demonstrators

Yet another caveat....

Karat says Congress encourages extremism

But he still continues to support Congress at the Center. Also, he is not worried. Not surprised at all. After all, it is in the best interests of China. How ironic, that he accuses Congress of "double standard". Talk of pot, kettle, black...

The Hindu : Front Page : Karat: Congress encouraging extremists in Tripura

“The Congress is one party which encourages extremists. When Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister, he encouraged extremist forces in Tripura to destabilise the Left Front government. In the last Assembly elections we saw the Congress forging an alliance with the INPT. We told the Congress leaders that what their party is doing in Tripura is detrimental not only to Tripura but also to the entire country. The INPT is not an ordinary political party. It is backed by extremist forces and it is only a mask of extremists. We are not worried. We are sure that the people of Tripura will defeat the Congress-INPT alliance,” said Mr. Karat while addressing a State level election rally here organised by the ruling Left Front of the CPI(M), the CPI and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP).

He accused the Congress of adopting “double standard” ...

Why is a marxist paper "borrowing" from Marx?

The Mount road Marxist has always stood for Marx. What an irony that N.Ram now has to "borrow" from Marx. Is it because Marx has ditched marxism to turn capitalist, and started charging copyright fees for all his quotes?

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : Vicious parochialism

To borrow from Marx’s ironic observation, drawing from Hegel, history repeats itself, “the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.”

Who is this lunatic V.R.Krishna Iyer?

This lunatic wants us to go back to the stone age. He thinks the pre-91 era is the socialist paradise. How about preaching to the communists in West Bengal first.

The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : Needed, a renewed socialist concern

A planned economy and public morality with the common good of society are crying needs today.

In substance, our pledge was not to create a creamy layer of wealthy industrialists, latifundists or toxic technologists, or to invite foreign investments and duty-free imports that will wipe out swadeshi. A socialistic pattern of society has been our dire desideratum.

Jawaharlal Nehru voiced in the Constituent Assembly the fundamental national proposition when he argued: “We have given the content of democracy in this resolution and not only the content of democracy but the content, if I may say so, of economic democracy. Well, I stand for Socialism. I hope India will stand for Socialism and that India will go towards the constitution of a Socialist State.”

The generation of Professor Harold Lasky; the political peers of Nehru and Subash Bose; Left intellectuals like E.M.S. Namboodiripad; P.C. Joshi, Jayaprakash Narayan, Dr. Ambedkar; and all leading British thinkers such as Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, Sydney Webb, belonged to the socialist fraternity. Small wonder, cadres and leaders of the nationalist movement were comrades against imperialism and capitalist ideology. Socialism was strengthened by that phenomenal expounder of dialectical materialism and Communism, Karl Marx.

Even today, under the Constitution India is a Socialist Republic, and every Member of Parliament and Minister, the President and the Governors, are oath-bound to uphold the Socialist mandate.

The glory of Bharat can be regained only if the democratic socialists of India unite without factions and divisions. They have to win, without discrimination, distributive justice by full and fair use of its resources. They should give a just opportunity for all to share its work, wealth and happiness. The latest technology should be geared to maximise the common people’s economic worth, and the educational facilities, in order that the needs of the underprivileged are met as the state’s first charge, far above the pampered seven-star pleasures of the millionaires. The health, egalite and income of “We the People of India” should desiderate socialist concern.

The patriotic, truly crimson comrades of India, the Communists of plural parties, will you listen to the noble command of Karl Marx as still relevant to India:

Will Dr. Manmohan Singh assert, as Nehru did, “I am a socialist?” Will Sonia Gandhi, as Indira Gandhi did, swear for nationalism or emphasise the Republic as being Socialist?

Every now and then, such communists (lunatics) come forward to interpret "socialist". That was the reason why the word was sought to be removed by the PIL. The Supreme Court, unfortunately, struck it down (full text below). That means, there are atleast two words -- socialist and secular -- in our constitution that are not unambiguously defined.


IndianExpress.com :: Supreme Court says no to deleting ‘socialist’ from Constitution

Defining socialism as a means of public welfare, the Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea that the word “socialist” should be deleted from the preamble of the Constitution.

“Why do you take socialism in a narrow sense defined by Communists. In broader sense, it means welfare measures for the citizens. It is a facet of democracy,” a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan observed.

The Bench was hearing a PIL seeking direction to delete the word “socialist” from the preamble of the Constitution on the ground that it was originally not there and adding the word amounted to re-writing it.

“It hasn’t got any definite meaning. It gets different meaning in different times,” the Bench observed.

However, it agreed to hear the PIL which also sought to strike down the provision of Representation of People Act (RPA) requiring a political party to adhere to socialism for being recognised.

N.Ram kicks off campaigning for 2009 elections

Naxal Ram has set the agenda for 2009 elections. Very soon, you will see star campaigners like Avidya entering the scene with strong mathematical models to predict why the numbers are against the NDA.

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : From despair to hope

Does all this portend a National Democratic Alliance victory in 2009? Not by a long shot. The BJP has visibly recovered from its 2004 defeat but the NDA is far from looking the winner. Since 2002, as many as nine constituents have parted ways with the BJP and the NDA. This does not include the Telugu Desam Party, which was the NDA’s biggest outside prop, and the Trinamool Congress, which seems on the verge of quitting the alliance.

Strange political terminology in Indian politics: NDA is distinctly anti-muslim, whereas its opposition, the congress, is not pro-muslim. How about the Congress implement Uniform Civil Code, which the BJP is supporting?
Minority appeasement exists not in the secular dictionary, but in real life.

Should BJP stalwarts introspect on this, they will discover a pattern: the deserters uniformly cited the party’s anti-Muslim policy as the reason for quitting the NDA. To be sure, politics has made strange bedfellows in the past, and the BJP’s dream of expanding the NDA may yet come to fruition. But many of the Hindutva party’s former allies need the Muslim vote more than they need the BJP. Indeed, there is a lesson in this for those who are in a hurry to anoint Mr. Modi as the BJP’s next great white hope.

Here is Naxal Ram's open call to NDA to indulge in minority appeasement and dump the communal hindoos.

And in middle of all the racism controversy going on, what is with Naxal Ram calling Modi "the great white hope" -
a term with distinct origins in racism.

N.Ram wants a petition to hang Harbhajan

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : All’s not well that ends well

Nevertheless, Harbhajan — a four-time offender against the Code of Conduct prior to Sydney — can count himself lucky in getting away with a conviction

N.Ram is clearly not happy that Harbhajan has not been sent to the gallows.

Racism is a grave offence in sport and the poignant fact is that Symonds, a black cricketer who was at the receiving end of some ugly ‘monkey gestures’ from the stands during Australia’s last tour of India, believed that Harbhajan had for the second time called him a “monkey.”

What has Symonds being called "monkey" by the crowds got to do with Harbhajan? This is the same old communist trick of deceit by association. The behaviour by Australian crowds has not exactly been exemplary. Just one example:

Egg thrown on Murali's face in Australia - Cricket - Cricket and Sports - MSN India

Australian fans showed no let up in their hostility towards Muttiah Muralitharan and a group of fans threw an egg on the Sri Lankan spin wizard's face in Hobart.

Constantly jeered by the hostile crowd and branded a chucker by the then Australian Prime Minister John Howard, a hurt Muralitharan boycotted the tour in 2004.

That, however, had little effect on the Australian crowd, which got even more hostile as the Sri Lankan looked set to overtake Shane Warne's world record of 708 Test wickets at the leggie's home turf.

Should we not take these into account while evaluating Symond's unprovoked sledging.

More importantly, when did monkey become a racist term? Sledging is saying something that hurts the other person. Symonds started it and he got it back. The Judge recognized it but not the "holier-than-thou" Chindu.

What was indefensible, from the standpoint of the spirit of cricket, was the BCCI’s unsporting tactics to pre-empt due process and the threats or implied threats to call off the tour. By behaving very much like cricket’s bullying financial superpower, it has lost goodwill round the cricket world.

Chindu wants BCCI not to stand up for its players but be perpetual slaves, first to the Chinese and then to anyone else. How about we talk about Australia's goodwill for a moment? Or how about Ricky Cheater Ponting's goodwill?

One reader summarizes it well for us.

The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Harbhajan episode

What invective did Symonds utter and if he indeed did utter something, why has he been let off? If Bhajji can be punished for an alleged misdemeanour, why not Symonds? And what has the BCCI done to ensure that the Australians do not indulge in offensive on-field behaviour again?
- Ananth Seth, Secunderabad

Any answers, Chindu?