DANCING DIPLOMACY

RAJ SHEKHAR JHA

It was not his winning rhetoric but his shaking legs with the children that stole the heart of India. The affable Obama’s radiated warmth and friendship, seldom displayed by Indian politicians. It brought smile on the faces of millions of people across the world, looking for peace and prosperity.

President George Bush tried playing drums during a visit to an African country and found it works and works better and faster.

Now many more presidents and prime ministers visiting India will take to the dance diplomacy but don’t expect Pakistan president Zardari to come and dance with Sonia Gandhi or Manmohan Singh to ease indo-Pak tensions and establish better relationship.

SANJANA SAKSENA

Defining Moment

President Obama considers US-India partnership as “one of the defining relationships” of the 21st century. His just concluded visit proves the point.

Started on a sensitive note, Obama failed to mention Pakistan in his introductory speech from the iconic Taj hotel, the site of the horrific terror attack on 26/11. The victims’ families and survivors were expecting at least a presidential condemnation of the inhuman act. Nevertheless, the issue came up when a Xaviers student asked him a question.

By landing in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, the president sent out the right signal that the visit is more of business than protocol.

PRERN BARUAH

All state visits are great photo-ops and lofty rhetoric. Nevertheless, President Obama came with an entourage of 200 CEOs not for sight-seeing, of course, but to do business with India. That India has emerged as a global business destination is indeed undeniable.

The President sent a strong message to Islamabad when he said terrorists having “safe havens” within its borders is “unacceptable”. He asked Pakistan to bring the terrorists behind the Mumbai attacks to book.

On Obama’s own admission, more agreements were concluded during this visit than any other. But the most important of most all is the nuclear deal and the lifting of the ban on hi-tech imports needed for ISRO, BDL and DRDO.

Juhi chakroborty

Words, Words, Words!

President’s Barack Obama’s stay at the Taj did send out a powerful message to the world. But what India needs is not symbolism or the kind of rhetoric excellence that he displayed in Parliament but firm action to force Pakistan to drop its terror agenda.

The President’s remark that Mumbai is a symbol of the incredible energy and optimism that defines India is indeed a great tribute. And by interacting with children of four orphanages, the US first lady, Michelle Obama, touched on a very sensitive chord. She communicated the importance of education to countries competing for prosperity.

MONIKA TRIPATHY

ACT, OBAMA, ACT

It is heart-warming to see that the Obamas prize good relations with India. Notwithstanding his eloquence in Parliament, his economic policies are skewed against Indians, to create jobs for Americans.

American Presidents are known crowd-charmers. Bill Clinton and President Eisenhower and now Obama mesmerized Indian crowds. John F. Kennedy, the most admired of American Presidents, was shot dead before he could visit India. But Presidential charisma alone will not help build up good relations. To say the least, Obama’s actions must match his eloquence.

KASHIKA SAXENA

REALITY BYTE

Political pundits read too much into the much-hyped Obama’s three-day visit to India. When Obama declared India a world power and the fastest growing economy, it was music to Indian ears. And when he declared the US support to India’s claim for the UNSC seat, it touched a chord of our national pride.

But remember while India and the US are ideological allies, the US and China are business allies. The fact remains that it took two years for him to visit India after assuming office which shows where India stands in the scheme of things.

SANYA AHUJA

THE NAKED TRUTH

The US President came to India determined to take something back home – jobs for jobless Americans. India and the US signed a $10 billion trade deal, meant to create 50,000 jobs. It would require 300,000 new jobs a month to make a dent on unemployment at the rate of 10% annually.

Issues like Kashmir, terrorism, UNSC are mere talking points, or metaphorically the fig leaves to cover the naked truth.

NIKSOMANIA ON FACE BOOK

If you are on Face Book and yet missed Niks’ spurt of creativity, you indeed have missed something. Many of those who read The Times of India did so for R K Laxman’s cartoons. Many of those who subscribed to Shanker’s Weekly did so to regale themselves on Shanker’s immortal works. Today the lives of many Netizens are enlivened because of Niks’ artistic impulses.

Started acting at the age of nine, the creative spark in Niks developed right early. He won many prizes in essay-writing, short story-writing, composing poems, painting, acting and ottam thullal (kind of dance).

Niks is blessed with the best of friends and the best of teachers; often his teachers became his friends. His ambition is to become a playwright and author. Don’t be surprised if you see Niks on the screen because artistically he belongs to the world of acting. His wife would be extremely lucky as he is a good cook. He is fond of playing with children.

A CATASTROPHE CALLED DEMOCRACY

RAJ SHEKHAR JHA

The real catastrophe is not that thousands of crores of rupees have been laundered in the Commonwealth Games, nor that out of the 103 flats meant for war widows, only three went to them, but that nobody believes that the guilty would ever be brought to book or justice done.

On India’s independence Winston Churchil said, “Power will go to the hands of rascals, rogues and freebooters. All Indian leaders will be of low caliber and men of straw. They will have sweet tongues and silly hearts. They will fight among themselves for power and India will be lost in political squabbles.”

SANJANA SAKSENA

What did CM Ashok Chavan whisper in President Obama’s ears when he greeted him; “Sir would you like a sea side flat at Colaba. Obama may be bless fully unaware of the Adarsh Scam nor has he heard of the general, but he, of course, has heard of Suresh Kalmadi, especially after the TOI cartoon depicting Kalmadi introducing Obama as President Osama, to the utter horror of Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh.

ARANI BASU

Three cheers to the three musketeers of corruption- Kalmadi, Chavan, and General Kapoor.

SHREYA JAI

Padmashree for corruption

May I suggest that the coveted Padma awards be given to the following three-

1. Suresh Kalmadi, the idol of Corrupt, who had the audacity to divert tax- payer’s money worth 2000 crore

2. Ashok Chavan, the real estate agent of Maharashtra who is also the Chief Minister

3. Gen. Deepak Kapoor, the real patron of Kargil widows and Orphans

HOW TO PRACTISE: THE WAY TO A MEANINGFUL LIFE

by the Dalai Lama

The Need for Peace and Kindness
I travel to many places around the world, and whenever I speak to people, I do so with the feeling that I am a member of their own family. Although we may be meeting for the first time, I accept everyone as a friend. In truth, we already know one another, profoundly, as human beings who share the same basic goals: We all seek happiness and do not want suffering.

TWO WAYS TO HAPPINESS
There are two ways to create happiness. The first is external. By obtaining better shelter, better clothes, and better friends we can find a certain measure of happiness and satisfaction. The second is through mental development, which yields inner happiness. However, these two approaches are not equally viable. External happiness cannot last long without its counterpart. If something is lacking in your perspective— if something is missing in your heart—then despite the most luxurious surroundings, you cannot be happy. However, if you have peace of mind, you can find happiness even under the most difficult circumstances.

Material advancement alone sometimes solves one problem but creates another. For example, certain people may have acquired wealth, a good education, and high social standing, yet happiness eludes them. They take sleeping pills and drink too much alcohol. Something is missing, something still not satisfied, so these people take refuge in drugs or in a bottle. On the other hand, some people who have less money to worry about enjoy more peace. They sleep well at night. Despite being poor in a material sense, they are content and happy. This shows the impact of a good mental attitude. Material development alone will not fully resolve the problem of humanity's suffering.
In this book I offer you, the reader, valuable tech- niques from Tibetan traditions which, if implemented in daily practice, lead to mental peace. As you calm your mind and your heart, your agitation and worry will naturally subside, and you will enjoy more happiness. Your relationships with others will reflect these changes. And as a better human being, you will be a better citizen of your country, and ultimately a better citizen of the world.

KINDNESS
We are all born helpless. Without a parent's kindness we could not survive, much less prosper. When children grow up in constant fear, with no one to rely on, they suffer their whole lives. Because the minds of small children are very delicate, their need for kindness is particularly obvious.

Adult human beings need kindness too. If someone greets me with a nice smile, and expresses a genuinely friendly attitude, I appreciate it very much. Though I might not know that person or understand their language, they instantly gladden my heart. O n the other hand, if kindness is lacking, even in someone from my own culture whom I have known for many years, I feel it. Kindness and love, a real sense of brotherhood and sisterhood, these are very precious. They make community possible and thus are crucial in society.

THE HUMAN POTENTIAL
Each of us has a valid sense of self, of "I." We also share fundamental goals: We want happiness and do not want suffering. Animals and insects also want happiness and do not want suffering, but they have no special ability to consider how to achieve deeper happiness or overcome suffering. As human beings, endowed with this power of thought, we have this potential, and we must use it.
On every level—as individuals, and as members of a family, a community, a nation, and a planet—the most mischievous troublemakers we face are anger and egoism. The kind of egoism I refer to here is not just a sense of I, but an exaggerated self-centeredness. No one claims to feel happy while being angry. As long as anger dominates our disposition, there is no possibility of lasting happiness. In order to achieve peace, tranquility, and real friendship, we must minimize anger and cultivate kindness and a warm heart. This can be achieved through the practices I will describe in this book.

Developing a warm heart ourselves can also transform others. As we become nicer human beings, our neighbors, friends, parents, spouses, and children experience less anger. They will become more warm-hearted, compassionate, and harmonious. The very atmosphere becomes happier, which promotes good health, perhaps even a longer life.
You may be rich, powerful, and well-educated, but without these healthy feelings of kindness and compassion there will be no peace within yourself, no peace within your family—even your children suffer. Kindness is essential to mental peace. As you will see in the pages ahead, the central method for achieving a happier life is to train your mind in a daily practice that weakens negative attitudes and strengthens positive ones.
The big question is whether or not we can practice kindness and peace. Many of our problems stem from attitudes like putting ourselves first at all costs. I know from my own experience that it is possible to change these attitudes and improve the human mind. Though it is colorless, shapeless, and sometimes weak, the human mind can become stronger than steel. To train the mind, you must exercise the patience and determination it takes to shape that steel. If you practice improving your mind with a strong will and forbearance by trying, trying, trying, no matter how many difficulties you may encounter at the beginning, then you will succeed. With patience, and practice, and time, change will come.
Do not give up. If you are pessimistic from the beginning, you cannot possibly succeed. If you are hopeful and determined, you will always find some measure of success. Winning the gold medal does not matter. You will have tried your best.

ASHIRBAD RAHA

ashirbad.raha@gmail.com

DISTURBING THOUGHTS

83 districts in 9states won't hoist the Indian Flag today...
They are ruled by naxals..Another 137 strongly influenced..
And then there is J&K, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur.battling insurgency..
Scams all over..Farmer suicides..Rotting grains..Hunger deaths..
Time to rethink about the road India is travelling..
...A nation just 64 years old, already down with serious diseases..

Perhaps its time for another GANDHI..!

NEWSPAPERS IN THE LION’S DEN

TSJ’s former Dean Gautam Adhakari from Washington replies to Kashika Saxena’s questions:

Has the concept of news changed since you joined the profession well over 40 years?

The concept of news has not changed but the manner in which it is presented has. Also, what kind of news should hit which part of a paper or broadcast segment and the content mix in newspapers have changed. Print has had to adjust to television in order to remain relevant and that has required many changes in assessing newsworthiness. Television has been setting the content mix agenda (heavy on entertainment and sport) by and large even as the political agenda is often set, at least in the US, by serious newspapers like the New York Times. The changes have been happening at various speeds in different countries around the world. In India, TV is exploding and has begun to dominate the media market in India though newspapers have managed to hold out for the time being. In the West, blogs, the internet and social networking (Facebook, Twitter, Text messaging) are a threat to both newspapers and TV. (I could speak for an hour or two on this subject, as I used to, but in a short answer can't elaborate more than I have).

Which are the global newspapers you admire most?

The New York Times: Highly balanced, thoughtful, mature without being boring. Strong on analysis, good commentary.
The Financial Times: Excellent source of economic information and perspective, it also has fine cultural coverage.
The Economist: A weekly library in capsule form. Wise, witty and irreverent. It is a must-read for people like us.
The Guardian: A very informative paper which is not as leftist as it used to be though it remains left-leaning.

(I don't want to recommend papers in languages other than English because all my reading today is in English).

Which are the five books you would like to recommend to students of TSJ that could be called `must read’?

A very difficult question to answer because I would probably recommend 50 books, not five. History and basic economics are crucially important. Essential to a journalist's intellectual growth would be a book on world history, one on modern Indian history (Ramchandra Guha's India After Gandhi would serve the purpose), a couple of books (non-technical) tracing India's economic development, a book or two on globalization, and some modern fiction. For style, I would suggest George Orwell for classical journalism and a couple of books by humorous columnists. (I could go on and on but space and time are limited).