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Times of Pakistan In the wake of The New York Times report that President George Bush had secretly approved orders in July that would for the first time allow American Special Forces to carry out ground assaults inside Pakistan without the prior approval of Islamabad, and its public confirmation by US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen who told a Congressional hearing that he was ‘‘looking at a new, more comprehensive strategy for the region’’ that would cover ‘‘both sides’’ of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, it is clear that Washington is desperately out to weed out Al Qaeda-Taliban elements from the safe haven they enjoy in Pakistani territory bordering Afghanistan. Last week, American Navy Seals — part of the Special Operations Forces — swept into Pakistan in an airborne attack to take out terrorists, when some two dozen people were killed. The raid has caused outrage in Pakistan, with its Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani making it categorical that its sovereignty and territorial integrity will be protected at all costs and no external forces will be allowed to conduct operations inside the country. Prime Minister Yousaf Gilani has backed the Army chief’s criticism of the new US policy in the war on terror that has taken it well within Pakistani territory in its hunt for terrorists. On the other hand, US officials say that eliminating sensitive (read Al Qaeda-Taliban-infested) pockets in Pakistan’s northwestern areas are critical to reducing attacks on NATO and American forces in Afghanistan. In fact, in a speech at the National Defense University on Tuesday, President Bush warned that ‘‘extremists are using Pakistan as a base from which to destabilize Afghanistan’s young democracy’’, adding that ‘‘defeating these terrorists and extremists is in Pakistan’s interest... also Pakistan’s responsibility — because every nation has an obligation to govern its own territory and make certain that it does not become a safe haven for terror’’. This is one of the strongest indictments of Pakistan by Bush, and indicates a shift in the approach to the war on terror in Afghanistan — where the Pakistan Army and its ISI, as the US is only too aware of, seeks a strategic depth, and for which the Pakistani military establishment has had a lenient view of terrorist activities aimed at destabilizing the fledging Afghanistan democracy. Now that Bush has for the first time identified ‘‘parts of Pakistan’’ as a separate territory, distinct from Afghanistan — ‘‘each of these places I’ve discussed today, Iraq, Afghanistan, and parts of Pakistan, pose unique challenges for our country’’ — Pakistan finds itself embroiled in a situation when it can neither jettison its status as a US ally in the war on terror, nor chart out an independent counter-terror course because it does not have the resources to back such venture and its pro-Islamist military establishment itself would undermine the endeavour. Today, then, the times of Pakistan are different. True, Musharraf is gone and there is an attempt to institutionalize democracy, with the Army under the new chief showing disinterest in political affairs — ostensibly to secure the foundations of democracy. However, as it grapples with the burden of having to share with the US the war-on-terror discourse even as Bush has made up his mind to clinch the trophy by eliminating terrorists spread right up to Pakistan’s northwestern areas, the US’ hitherto most trusted ally finds itself pitiably entrapped. Should one call it the Musharraf legacy? Source: sentinel assam

Not Really a Fugitive Dawood Ibrahim, India’s most wanted criminal, has been donning a clean-shaven face since 2003, but this information is not due to any intelligence activities by our agencies. This has come to light after the arrest of 1993 serial blasts accused Karimulla Khan by Mumbai police’s crime branch last month. The face of Dawood in Khan’s album is sans his characteristic moustache. Khan, who has claimed to have worked in Dawood’s palatial bungalow in Karachi’s Clifton area, has told his interrogators that Dawood has also put on a little weight and now appears to be a little fairer than he used to be. Khan’s album has pictures of Dawood’s brothers and some of his Karachi establishments too. So what will New Delhi now do? In fact these are no new revelations, except for Dawood’s ‘new’ look — as old, in reality, as five years though. New Delhi’s response to the Dawood criminality has always been that of dealing with a fugitive, while the truth is that he has long enjoyed generous Pakistani hospitality — so much so that his health is such a great concern in Pakistan that special quarters have been set up near his bungalow where at least one doctor and two nurses are always present. India should tell Pakistan to hand over Dawood to it or face the music. But does the UPA government have the guts to sound it? Source: sentinel assam

Countering the Radicalization of Indian Muslims JP Rajkhowa The outlawed Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) has hogged media headlines in recent days after its involvement was established in the Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Surat blasts. These terror acts led to cessation of economic activities in the otherwise booming States of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka. These consequences suited both SIMI and its associates like HuJI and LeT, and of course their mentor, Pakistan’s ISI. The Taliban chief, Mullah Omar, should also be particularly happy as SIMI has drawn its inspiration from him to revive the ‘pristine glory of Islam’. Mohammed Wajihuddin, a moderate, nationalist intellectual writes: ‘‘Long before the SIMI was outlawed in 2002, there was a particular sticker produced by it that adorned walls and drawing rooms in Muslim pockets across the country. ‘Secularism, No; Democracy, No; Nationalism, No; Polytheism, No; Only Islam,’ it proclaimed. The very choice of words was revealing: this was the work of youth educated not at some moribund madrassa, but at secular institutions. Barring Mufti Abdul Bashar Qasmi, who went to Darul Uloom, Deoband (UP), all the other accused in the recent serial blasts in Ahmedabad are products of secular institutions. Safdar Nagori is a mechanical engineer, Abdul Subhan Qureshi a computer whiz, Iqbal Sheikh holds a diploma in electrical engineering, while Giyasuddin Ansari has an ITI diploma in radio technology. Has secular education failed? Is radicalization the only option available to some of the educated Muslim youth?’’ (The Times of India, September 8, 2008). Quoting secular activist and Islamic scholar Asghar Ali Engineer, Wazihuddin continues: ‘‘Secular education is not an antidote to radicalization any longer. Just as the Hindu middle class is getting increasingly communalized, some well-off Muslims might have been radicalized too.’’ Engineer accepts that SIMI succeeded in radicalizing a section of the Muslim youth in the 1990s and weaned them away from the mainstream. ‘‘How can one deny it when the Jammaat-e-Islami itself disowned SIMI after the latter declared violence as its method of avenging injustice?’’ he asks. ‘‘Ironically, the founder of SIMI is himself aghast about the doings of the organization. Mohammed Ahmadullah Siddiqui, who now teaches journalism and public relations at Western Illinois University, confessed in an interview, ‘I am sorry to see that the organization is departing from its basic objective (of purifying Muslims). One of the most noticeable things about the Prophet Muhammad, as described by the Quran, is that he spoke of mercy for humankind. How can the followers of that faith show a fist and think of violence?’’’ Wazihuddin believes that a terror group’s task is made easier by a deep alienation and a sense of victimhood among a section of the educated youth, which have taken place beginning with the ‘‘destruction of Babri Masjid and the subsequent Mumbai riots to the Gujrat pogrom of 2002. In the absence of reconciliation, however, its antithesis — disaffection — has been striking deep roots in Indian soil. Ghettoization and a sense of persecution have pushed angry youth into the waiting arms of jihadis’’. Condemning the bomb blasts at Bangalore and Ahmedabad, and expressing serious concern over ‘‘India’s ability to tackle terrorism’’, M Rajaque Rahman has opined that terror groups have been able to convince more Indian Muslims to support them and act as their sleeper cells. This needs to worry India as a nation. He says: ‘‘More than the bombs, what threatens India is the increasing radicalization and indoctrination of young professionals and the educated. The unfolding details of the recent terror plots dispel the perception that Islamic radicalism is a domain of the marginalized and uneducated. That the lack of spiritual education among Muslims is the main cause of the spread of Islamic terrorism is borne by the fact that it has coincided with the rise of Wahabism as the more vocal and dominant brand of Islam. The ultraconservative philosophy robbed Islam of its rich spiritual facets and propagated a one-dimensional interpretation of the Quran and the Hadith. The Tablighi Jamaat, the Muslim revivalist movement, is effectively the flag bearer of Wahabism in the Indian subcontinent. For them (Tablighis) the concept of jehad literally means fighting against infidels. More spiritually oriented sects of Islam interpret the Quranic promise of heaven for one who performs jehad as a reward for a struggle against one’s soul (nafs). This limited understanding has corrupted the minds of many. The time has come for some serious sermons on peace and coexistence from the pulpit. Spiritual education is also vital to channelize youth energy into constructive pursuits. If youth today attain a multi-cultural, all-inclusive spiritual education, they would not take to the barbaric tooth-for-a-tooth or eye-for-an-eye response. The whole nation has to be involved in this task of peace education. Indian Muslims must now stand up and assert that they will not be fooled by fanatical posturing of a few fundamentalists and the misguided’’ (The Sentinel, September 5, 2008). It is heartening to note that intellectuals like M Rajaque Rahman are strongly condemning the destructive role played by some Muslim clerics in brainwashing the Muslim youth into misinterpreting jehad. In his own words, ‘‘I recall a huge public gathering in Bangalore where hard-line Islamic evangelist Zakir Naik dismissed the phenomenon of Islamic terrorism as mere imaginations of the Indian media. Such trivializations should be denounced not only as a desperate attempt at playing to communal constituencies but also as a dangerous camouflage to mask the mujahideen’’ (The Sentinel, ibid). Praveen Swami, in his write-up ‘‘Driven by Hate’’ (Frontline, August 19, 2008), states that in a controversial speech on Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, Naik proclaimed ‘‘that if he is fighting the enemies of Islam, I am for him. If he is terrorizing America the terrorist — the biggest terrorist — I am with him... Every Muslim should be a terrorist... The thing is, if he is terrorizing a terrorist, he is following Islam’’. It is unsettling that such dangerous pronouncement by the Islamist cleric has not invited any legal action against him from the establishment. In one of my columns, immediately after the serial blasts in Bangalore and Hyderabad, I had stated that the Indian Mujahideen, which claimed responsibility for the same, could simply be a front organization of SIMI & LeT/HuJI, not a new set-up. Praveen Swami has now more or less confirmed this, and quotes from a 14-page manifesto sent by e-mail in the name of Indian Mujahideen, minutes before the serial bombing in Ahmedabad, explaining just what it now seeks: ‘‘The Indian Mujahideen is raising the illustrious banner of jihad against the Hindus and all those who fight and resist us, and here we begin our revenge with the help and permission of Allah — a terrifying revenge of our blood, our lives and our honour that will Insha-Allah terminate your survival on this land.’’ The manifesto calls on Hindus to ‘‘realize that the falsehood of your 33 crore dirty mud idols and the blasphemy of your deaf, dumb mute and naked idols of ram, Krishna and hanuman (sic) are not at all going to save your necks from being slaughtered by our hands’’. It demands that Hindus change their attitudes, lest ‘‘another Ghauri shakes your foundations, and lest another Ghaznavi massacres you, proving your blood to be the cheapest of all mankind’’. What disturbs a patriotic Indian is that a students’ organization — SIMI — supposed to promote the cause of Islam among the Muslim youth of India by guiding them through the correct path of the holy Quran, has turned out to be a terrorist organization. Now is the time for nationalist Muslims, who represent at least 90 percent of the Muslims in the country, if not more, to come up with open condemnation of and protest against radicalization of Islam under the Wahabi model and ostracize the terrorist outfits. Let the Muslim intellectuals guide the youth in a proper direction by educating them as to what Islam really stands for, what the Prophet and the Hadith really wanted a Muslim to follow and perform. Let Indian Muslims appreciate what writer Firoz Bakht Ahmed says: ‘‘India happens to be the safest place for Muslims — even safer than Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Let it be said here that anger against Muslim zealots is common among younger educated Muslims since they feel upset about the fact that the media is not giving place to liberal Muslims and is taking them to be the spokespersons of the community’’ (The Sentinel, August 22, 2008). And as famed actor Shabana Azmi rightly says, Indian Muslims are in safer place because ‘‘the Indian Muslim has a stake and space in Indian democracy. It’s a very huge thing that we are a part of a democracy and Indian Muslims can aspire to become a Shahrukh Khan or an Irfan Pathan or the President of India and that makes the Muslims far more hopeful and far less in despair than in other parts of the world’’ (The Hindu, August 17, 2008). It augurs well that, of late, Muslim intellectuals have realized the gravity of the situation brought about by Islamic terrorism and have come out openly to condemn it and urge upon the Muslims to decry terrorism and radicalization. The Hindutva hardliners must appreciate the noble endeavour of some liberal Muslim intellectuals and activists of the country. (The writer was Chief Secretary, Assam) Source: sentinel assam

the OP-ED page

Indian Democracy: Any Beauty Left? Dr Prabin Chandra Sarma The concept of beauty of Indian democracy for a common man is mostly incomprehensible because of diverse claims made by political parties and their masters. The popular view is that the beauty of Indian democracy is destroyed mostly by the politicians themselves taking advantage of the innocence, ignorance and gullibility of the people. Vast multitude of Indian populace believe that the beauty of Indian democracy seen by politicians is nothing but a reflection of their hypocrisy. The arguments and explanations they advance in favour of the fascinating beauty of Indian democracy make us more confused and at times it becomes bewildering as to where actually the beauty is hidden. If viewed critically and analysed objectively, it reminds us of a famous puzzle of the description of an elephant by a group of blind men. In some parlance Indian democracy is stated to be mature enough to endure the stress and strain in the midst of a plethora of turbulent events the country had to encounter. But the surviving freedom fighters and the ones who want to see India as a nation Mahatma Gandhi imagined it to be, are greatly disillusioned. They did not crave for the Indian democracy as it functions today. The founding fathers of the Constitution implanted in it the enviable beauty that the democracy of the nation will be of the people, by the people and for the people. It was given to the people to translate the goals enshrined in the Constitution. The travesty of truth is that the democracy is today mostly of the politicians, by the politicians and for the politicians, and the Constitution is unabashedly grabbed by them. The politicians are now the masters over the people. They have betrayed the trust reposed on them and disgraced the sanctity of the oath they took in the name of the Constitution. May it be termed as decadence of political morality or a starting point of degeneration in the Indian democratic system? This kind of beauty is perilous. The whole of the world knows that India is one of the most corrupt nations, and the worst of all is that the criminals have made it possible to be not only people’s representatives, but many of them are ministers as well. Should the Indian democracy allow murderers, dacoits, robbers and people involved in other heinous crimes to be people’s representatives? Will this trend allow the spirit of Indian democracy remain unhurt? This criminality will degrade the nation beyond redemption. Today’s Indian democracy has given rise to a stage when leaders are in a position to subvert the Constitution. Can a person accused of complicity in matters of national security and sovereignty be allowed to seek election without being proved that he/she is above board? Do we have to believe that Indian polity has allowed endless loopholes in the legal system of democracy where political leaders are immune to the kind of punishment the common people have to suffer from? The failure of our democracy, which belongs to the people, lies in the fact that a not single political leader who indulged in unforgivable crime could be inflicted with rigorous punishment for the safety of Indian democracy. It is indeed very sad to comment that all aspects, within the sphere of Indian democracy, begin with and end in corruption. Even, on occasions, the judiciary is also tainted with this devil. It may be said with an amount of emphasis that corruption, in the Indian democratic set-up, is institutionalized and now it is all-pervading. It has started from the top to allow it to thrive with vigour at the bottom. It is not limited to only financial affairs. It has percolated to the basic human psyche and this incurable epidemic has been seen to have been fostered with skills and diligence. The logic behind every kind of immoral corruption is to overcome the obstacles to get something in quickest possible time, if need be, by depriving others. This Indian democratic beauty has helped the country to be morally degraded. One of the worst forms of corruption that kills the spirit of democracy is to prop it up by purchasing votes whenever it is considered expedient. The recent spectacle of throwing wads of thousand rupee currency notes in crores to exhibit the power of democracy is one of the worst slurs the country has ever witnessed. These criminals, expectedly, are not dragged to the court of law as yet, not to speak of putting them behind the bars. On the other hand lakhs of people accused of minor crimes are languishing in the prisons for decades. The worst is yet to come when no innocent person will be able to live with dignity. The pioneers of the worst form of corruption are mostly from politicians and bureaucrats, and the agents they recruit. After independence, India professed welfare of only one kind of people upholding human values and every one of them would strengthen only one great Indian composite culture in spite of their ethnic diversities. After 60 years of democratic functioning, the power-greedy politicians of the country found it wise to keep the divisions amongst the people in tact. Efforts are also on how the segments can be still further increased to seek power. This retrograde step has set in motion for perpetuating reservation of the communities to seek government favour of individuals and not the entire people of the community to which they belong. The politicians have forgotten that every individual is equally potential, unless otherwise physically and mentally retarded, to achieve success — provided they are not denied justice and equal opportunities. To make Indian democracy a success, it must be revamped with dedicated people of competence to translate the ideals into reality. India was secular for thousands of years, and it was peerless. Unfortunately, the present class of democrats of the country are out to smear the sparkling gems of the Indian Constitution — and particularly by those politicians who once discredited the seats of power. One of the fallouts of this uneasy situation is to give rise to a large number of political parties each one with a particular agenda of service to the people. Many of these party leaders bring in the question of regional disparities. Regional aspirations are not only suppressed but also discriminated. The so-called national political parties and their governments on many occasions have violated the principle of justice, and democracy has been a tool in the hands of autocrats. The phenomenon of coalition in governance with the help of a CMP (Common Minimum Programme) works only for the partners and not for the good of the nation as a whole. Many kinds of experiments have been made in Indian democracy to remain in power or to remain closer to the power centre. One of the most common is to exploit the weakest point of the downtrodden masses in general and to appease the Muslims in particular. Barring only a very few, all political parties, either national or regional, speak for the safety, security and other welfare measures in preference to the people of other communities — even if they are involved in treason or sedition. Whenever a criminal is found to destroy peace or is out to create terror, he should be given exemplary punishment in the interest of the nation. A terrorist cannot have any religious identify. Unfortunately, the glittering Indian democracy has compromised many acts of violence perpetrated by Islamic fundamentalists. Lakhs of Hindus had to flee their ancestral homes in Kashmir. Thousands of temples of Hindu faith have been destroyed in Kashmir, in this secular country. Today Assam is being overwhelmed by the influx of Bangladeshi Muslims in lakhs and the State is heading for losing its identity. Indian democracy, to conclude, has given unlimited freedom to politicians of all hues to enjoy unfettered fundamental rights in their own favour. This has created a neo-class of people who are not at all bothered about the masses in general and their plight, paradoxically running counter to the philosophy of Indian democracy pledged for. (The writer, a former Principal of Pandu College, Guwahati, was also an MP) Source: sentinel assam

Survival of the Richest Dr Jyotsna Bhattacharjee Assam is one of the poorest States in the country and the rural population mainly depends on paddy cultivation. But for a good crop, congenial weather condition is required. If there is flood, as it too often happens, it has a devastating effect in the food output. But in recent times the situation has gone from bad to worse, and prices of essential commodities have almost reached the sky. Leave aside poor people below poverty line, even those belonging to upper middle class are gasping under the weight of excessive price rise. Even the prices of basic food items like rice, pulses, mustard oil, flour etc have gone beyond the reach of the common man. They were once easily available for the economically backward section. They were not so costly even a couple of decades back, but now they have gone beyond our imagination. Potato, gourd, leafy vegetables etc, which were once termed as poor man’s food, have now leaped to join the company of their aristocratic cousins like tomato, capsicum, carrot etc. Onion, garlic, spices add that extra flavour to the curries we make, which make our preparations more palatable. But they too may become scarce in middle class kitchens soon. Sugar — an absolutely necessary ingredient for making tea, coffee or sweets — has become so expensive that one has to think twice before making a cake or a sweet dish. Price rise is nothing new in our country, especially in our State. But never before did prices rise in such a galloping speed. Leave aside costly items like meat or fish, even a simple vegetarian meal costs the earth. I cannot recall to my mind anything which may be termed as cheap. Fruits and vegetables are essential for good health. But very few people can afford to give fruits to their respective families, yet they are indispensable for good health. It is said that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. But even to save our life we cannot buy an apple, for its exorbitant price. Whether it is mango, pineapple, pears, pomegranate or grapes, they are priced so high that only a few lucky people can buy them. Even the banana prices are skyrocketing. The prices of dry fruits like raisins, cashew nuts, almond, pistachios etc are staggering. Fruits are necessary not only for the children, but for the young and old alike. Even babies are deprived of their daily quota of juice, which may affect their health in future. Everybody knows the importance of milk for growth and development of children. It is also necessary for young, old and sick people. But the milk we get, after paying Rs 20 per litre or more, is three-part water and one-part cheap milk powder. I asked the milkman why his milk was so watery and tasteless. Without a blink he replied that his cows were fed on water hyacinth, hence the milk turned watery. Not being an expert on cow’s food, I had no reply to his bland explanation. But I did say severely that I was sure he watered the milk. My son, who had overheard the conversation, came out and quipped, “At least don’t mix water from the drain with the milk powder”. The milkman rolled his eyes heavenward and said piously, “That would be sin. I never mix dirty water with milk — only clean tap water.” My son burst laughing, but I was not amused. We pay through our nose for adulterated food items. The people are at a loss, wondering how to solve the problem of adulteration, since the authority concerned is entirely indifferent to it. In other States of our country, people get pure milk; even in our neighbouring Kolkata, one easily gets pure unadulterated milk and those who can afford turn to tinned milk powder, with famed brand names, the quality of which is believed to be far better than the milk we buy from the suppliers. Possibly only in our State such large-scale adulteration can take place, and those who are in power seem to be in deep slumber. Traders are free to make pots of money by adultering essential food and are at liberty to increase prices at their will, and no question will be asked if they know the tricks to oil the wheels of the powers-that-be. And if the common people suffer, who cares ? After all, life is three a dime for a common man. Public distribution centres are totally ineffective in catering to the needs of people. One has to make rounds of these shops with ration card in hand to procure essential items. Often the stock reply is that the items have not arrived. Some of these shops remain closed for the better part of the day. Hence many people have to buy things in the market. Actually we are between the devil and the deep sea, and do not see our way. We know very well that despite paying the exorbitant price, we are getting only substandard commodities — yet we have no option. After all, one must eat to live. Indian hospitality is proverbial and Assamese hospitality is overwhelming. Even when you are full up to the neck, your kind hostess would urge you to take one more puri or a little more pulau. But now it is getting increasingly difficult to offer the guest even a cup of tea. Hence the famous Assamese hospitality is at stake! In his famous book Origin of Species, Darwin mentioned four essential conditions for evolution. One of the tenets is “struggle for existence” which may be regarded as an apt description of the present situation. Possibly those species of the ancient era never struggled as hard as we are doing. The last condition, mentioned by Darwin, is “survival of the fittest”. Some modification may be made with some words to fit in the present condition. The word ‘‘richest’’ may be put in place of Darwin’s ‘‘fittest’’! (The writer is a former HoD, Philosophy, Cotton College, Guwahati) Source: sentinel assam

The Rise of China Mahmood Hassan "Our nation is wanting in strength. If our bodies are not strong, how can we attain our goals and make ourselves respect?” This was what Chairman Mao Zedong said to his followers in 1917 about staying fit to build a strong nation. This was clearly reflected in the recently concluded Olympic Games in Beijing that was the best ever organized event in the history of the games. Two decades ago, China won only five gold medals in the Seoul Olympics, whereas in the 2004 Athens games they increased their tally to 32 gold medals, second after USA. But this time, by their excellent strategies, they were able to outclass USA’s dominance in respect of gold medals in three continuous Olympic Games prior to Beijing games. For Athens games the sports officials targeted 20 golds but got 32, and now this time they targeted 40 golds but got 51, which is more than expected. China has always excelled in disciplines like table tennis, badminton, gymnastics, shooting, diving and weightlifting. But this time they targeted some more disciplines to show result: swimming, canoeing, kayaking, fencing etc. The State General Administration of Sports of China started a policy called “119 projects” to aim for getting exactly 119 medals. This policy yielded positive results by getting 100 medals. This shows the planning of that country’s sports administrators. Earlier, being called a “sick man of Asia”, China was an unknown entity till the early eighties when it was seen only as an agrarian nation whose closest international partner was Albania. Today, by their spectacular show, they have proved that they are as good as the Americans and Europeans in their economic and sporting strength as envisioned by Mao Zedong. China has increased its trade with African and South American nations by six-fold since 2001. The country is today the largest consumer of steel, copper, coal, cement, grain and meat. It has the largest pool of engineers who have constructed state-of-art buildings in downtown Beijing including the Bird’s Nest Stadium and the Water Cube which can withstand typhoons and earthquakes. Moreover, it has become a leader in the production of computer chips, carbon fibre, enzyme products, and the investment has passed the two trillion dollar mark now. The annual average rate of growth of this sporting giant is 10 per cent, which is higher than India’s. India has to learn a lot from this rise to prominence in all respects as an Asian neighbour. China was awarded the Olympic Games in 2001 by the International Olympic Committee. But its sports administration started the quest for gold much ahead of time. More than four lakh athletes were trained in more than 30,000 sports academies spread out across the country. One such school is the Luneng Table Tennis School where there are 80 table tennis boards for training 230 students with up-to-date technology and facility. Young gymnasts took maximum number of gold medals in gymnastic competitions by staying in the sports academies for several years to become Olympic champions. These young gymnasts started their career at the tender age of six or seven years. The kids would stay in schools and could see their parents only once in a week. Exposure was given to as many 445 talented athletes by sending them to various international competitions including the World University Games in Bangkok in 2007. China has realized that proper academies, proper training, proper diet, proper coaches, and proper environment are necessary for competing with the best in the business. Monetary showers have been rained on Indian medal winners and even quarterfinal qualifying boxers. It seems that Indian sports administrators have adopted a policy of rewarding medal winners, not creating medal winners like their Chinese counterparts. The wealth showered on the winners should have been invested in the development of sports much earlier. Three of the boxers qualifying for the quarterfinals came from the unknown Bhiwani boxing club started by a boxer by the name of Jagadish Kumar by mortgaging the property of his parents to fulfil his dream of producing world-class boxers. Likewise, bronze medallist Sushil Kumar had financial constraints to continue his training. Yet he did not bow down to the circumstances to continue his dream. The Wrestling Association took the Indian wrestlers to Belarus and Cuba as part of their training schedule to get some international exposure. Gold medal winner Abhinav Bindra made it to the Olympics on his own as his prosperous father built a shooting range for him at his home in Chandigarh along with a high-tech gymnasium, swimming pool and a tennis lawn. Shooting, boxing or wrestling requires tremendous mental strength, apart from physical and technical finesse. Achievement in these disciplines at Beijing proves that Indians have the capability to excel at the highest level. But can the authorities follow the Chinese model? As we prepare for the Commonwealth Games in 2010, we have to learn from what China did. Like the Chinese sports policy, our administrators have to adopt the strategy of ‘‘catch them young’’ to show good performance as shown by the Bhiwani boys. Former President of China Zhiang Zemin stated that the reason of the sporting success of China was embedded in its elite sports system called ‘‘Jugao Tizhi’’, which translated the “entire country’s support for the elite sports system”. It was a part of the centralized policy of the Communist state as reflected in its polity, economy and ideology. Being a developing nation, China has used its achievements in sports as a vehicle to augment its national and international reputation of becoming an economic superpower too. The country that was criticized as living behind the ‘‘bamboo curtains’’ by the West has shown that it has caught up with the West. Can India follow suit? (The writer is SDO-Sadar, Baksa, BTC) Source: sentinel assam

Of Ramadan Danish Ahmad Khan The holy month of Ramadan (or Ramzan as it is known in this region) holds a special significance for the people of the Indian subcontinent. It is when the faithful not only show piety and compassion but try to send across a strong message of communal harmony. Muslims use the lunar, Hijri, calendar in their reckoning of time where the day starts just after nightfall and ends at the succeeding nightfall. According to the traditions of Prophet Muhammad, it is mandatory that the sighting of the new moon takes place before the fasting is started. If that does not happen on the expected date, the fast should begin the following day. During Prophet Muhammad’s time when there was confusion about starting of Ramadan, the Prophet’s advice was to start fasting after marking the Ramadan crescent moon and to stop fasting after marking the Shawwal (the ensuing month) crescent moon. Muslims in the subcontinent, particularly India, still follow the rules of the local muftis, who insist on actual sighting of the moon by two reliable Muslims. They do not rely on the announcements made by countries like Saudi Arabia though at times muftis may accept the ruling of Pakistan’s Hilal Committee (Crescent Sighting Committee). As such, there is a hilal committee in every city in India headed by a mufti or imam of the grand mosque in the city. Besides, there is a central moon sighting committee in New Delhi which decides and announces the date after ascertaining the reliability of people who claim to have sighted the moon. The sighting of the new moon is a social event in itself. It is a joyous moment for every Muslim. From the evening, hordes of children and elders can be seen on their rooftops, trying to catch a glimpse of the new crescent. The moment the new moon is sighted, people raise their hands in thanksgiving to the Almighty. The enthusiasm is such that it is welcomed by bursting of crackers. Once the sighting is confirmed, sirens fitted on mosques wail. On occasions there had been conflicts between muftis over the sighting of the moon. Thus, in the same region, there have been reports of fast and celebration of Eid on different dates. Normally muftis try to arrive at a consensus to avoid conflict, which the mass of Muslims resent. Arabs living here in India follow the Saudi announcement of the beginning of Ramadan and Eid celebration. Some in Kerala also observe fasting like the Arabs do. In Delhi, Arabs have their own mosque — in Defence Colony. Besides, a mosque is located in the Sudanese embassy where Eid is celebrated usually one or two days before Indian Muslims mark it. During Ramadan, in Muslim localities, prices of eatables like fruits and dry fruits and other essentials soar due to the increasing demand. Dates imported from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran are in great demand since the faithful prefer to break their fast by eating a couple of dates following the tradition of Prophet Muhammad. The month of Ramadan also promotes communal bonds. It is an occasion for politicians to organise lavish Iftar parties. This is when politicians of all hues send out a message that the people of India are one. (IANS) Source: sentinel assam