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Articles Archive for December 2011

British Rule in India, Quotes »

[19 Dec 2011 | One Comment | 131 views]
Quote of the week..

English is a mark of India, not Bharat.

Here is the relevant excerpt:
Surprisingly, for an Englishman who was knighted by the British monarchy in 2002, Tully was less than enthusiastic about the growing status of English as an aspirational language of the Indian middle class. “Learning English is an economic asset,” he said. “But the problem is its impact on regional languages. English is a mark of India, not Bharat,” he added.
The interview also has some quotes on Smt Sonia Gandhi. Also read, “Secular Fundamentalism”..alive and kicking in India
Somewhat Related: “The …

Corruption in India »

[15 Dec 2011 | 18 Comments | 470 views]
Now worrying about Arvind Kejriwal..

From a recent news-report on Arvind Kejriwal’s visit to Lucknow (whose title is interesting in itself: गलती थी मोदी की तारीफ,आन्दोलन सांप्रदायिक हुआ तो अलग हो जाऊंगा’  - Modi’s praise was a mistake, will leave if movement becomes communal), a few excerpts & quotes that might set you thinking:
केजरीवाल ने बताया कि जब भी कोर कमेटी का विस्तार होगा, उसमें दलित व मुसलमान को भी शामिल किया जाएगा। बैठक में तय हुआ कि अब पोस्टर हिंदी के साथ उर्दू में भी छपेंगे।  [
[loose translation] Kejriwal said that whenever the core committee is expanded, …

Quotes »

[12 Dec 2011 | 4 Comments | 143 views]
Quote of week..

We will defend any citizen’s right to freedom of speech till our last breath
… But, we don’t want this kind of content to be on the social media.

From the transcript of an interview with Karan Thapar
Related Posts:  On Artistic Freedom, Censorship and Responsibility

Development Related, Geo-Strategic Issues (incl. Nuclear, Oil, Energy) »

[10 Dec 2011 | 8 Comments | 322 views]
Some numbers to put Kudankulam in perspective..

From Koodankulam stalled again: Sinister geopolitics by Radha Rajan, below are some figures to put the whole debate in perspective*:
*** Excerpts ***
India needs 1, 00,060 MWe of power while we are generating only 1, 00, 034 MWe. Of this –

60% is Thermal power which uses coal, diesel and natural gas as fuel
25% is Hydro
7% is from non-conventional sources like solar, wind and bio-gas; and
2.9% is nuclear

World average for nuclear power is 20%. 75% of all France’s power requirements is met by nuclear energy.

20% US
18% UK
12% Germany; and
5% China

In addition …

Ancient Hindu Political Philosophy, Ancient Indian History, Development Related, Politics and Governance in India »

[7 Dec 2011 | 15 Comments | 595 views]
Kautilya’s Arthashastra: A Neglected Precursor to Classical Economics

Thanks to Sanjeev for alerting me to this remarkable paper.  It is actually more than 15 years old (!) and was published in the journal of the Delhi School of Economics. It is remarkable for it shows that Bharat was far ahead of its time in ancient days when it came to cutting-edge economic theory and Chanakya was perhaps the pioneer of classical economics, free trade and progressive taxation policies..Excerpts from the paper below (you can download the pdf created by Sanjeev here).
Kautilya’s Arthashastra: A Neglected Precursor to Classical Economics

Quotes »

[6 Dec 2011 | No Comment | 105 views]
Quote of the Week..

It is hard to conceive of a government farther removed from the people in spirit or sympathy than is that of India.
There has been a marked change for the worse in this respect within the past twenty-five years..

These words were written more than a 100 years ago – but could well be describing the situation we find oursleves in today.
Source: The New Nationalist Movement in India by Jabez T Sutherland.
Related Post: A leaderless nation stumbling from one crisis to another