Here is what I read this weekend….
First, a strong case by Prof R Vaidyanathan on why our “kirana” stores need to be supported (emphasis added):
…More than 125 lakh kirana stores provide a source of livelihood to 16 crore people…The retail trade comprises all kinds of people and formats — from street vendors to departmental stores of various types, shapes and characteristics.
More than 80% of trade is accounted for by partnership and proprietorship forms — often called the unorganised sector. The kirana shop adjacent to my home opens at 7am …

This weekend, three excerpts – on three very different topics – sent to me by three friends.
The first is an excerpt from a keynote speech delivered by Sh Sam Pitroda on “India in a globalized world” at Nehru Centre, Mumbai (Thanks Prashant):
…Today, education is definitely on the national agenda. I believe that this is a great window of opportunity because we have a very large young population. We are prepared to invest on education. Our economy is growing at 8 to 10%. But, at the same time, don’t have big …

This weekend, please find a selection of articles from the North-East, touching on some of the topics previously discussed here. More “Notes from North-East” next week. Stay tuned.
The first extract on Majuli, the world’s largest riverine island in the world and its “Satras“:
Majuli was one of the nerve-centres of the Neo-Vaisnavite Movement during its heydays. It was at Majuli (then known as Dhuwahat, Ahom territory) that Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva met his foremost disciple and apostolic successor, Madhavadeva for the very first time, in the 16th century. This event, referred to …

Dear All:  This weekend reading is in a different format from previous ones…Please do give me your feedback or indeed other ideas for improvement. Thanks a lot.

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“Demography is destiny”, said Augustus Comte, a French philosopher of the 19th century. Demography, to use a simple definition, means the religious, cultural, or any secular, composition of a nation’s population. As the French were the first to understand the ideas of nation-state and national interest that originated in the 18th and 19th centuries, they could realise the criticality of demography to a nation-state. …

First, some excerpts from a piece by Gerard Alexander on Why are liberals so condescending?
Every political community includes some members who insist that their side has all the answers and that their adversaries are idiots. But American liberals, to a degree far surpassing conservatives, appear committed to the proposition that their views are correct, self-evident, and based on fact and reason, while conservative positions are not just wrong but illegitimate, ideological and unworthy of serious consideration. Indeed, all the appeals to bipartisanship notwithstanding, President Obama and other leading liberal voices …

This is what I am reading this weekend.
How Bengal towns are becoming transit points for fake notes
West Bengal’s intelligence agencies have expressed concern that Pakistan-and Bangladesh-based racketeers are using the state’s Murshidabad and Malda districts as transit points to smuggle in fake notes to India.
Statistics reveal fake notes of nearly Rs 2.5 crore was seized from more than 300 people arrested over the past five years…
The arrested people revealed Murshidabad and Malda as transit points for the fake money racket.
…Chapai Nawabgunj is one of many centres in Bangladesh where …

Start your weekend with Sandhya Jain’s review of Prof BB Lal’s latest book which traces the continuity of Indian culture since the dawn of the Saraswati-Sindhu civilisation. Excerpts from Discovery of India by Sandhya Jain (emphasis mine):
Barely seven years after Prof BB Lal penned The Sarasvati Flows On: The Continuity of Indian Culture (2002), the defiantly-in-denial UPA has been forced to admit the existence of the Vedic Saraswati. In response to a parliamentary question, the Government revealed that a study by scientists of ISRO, Jodhpur, and the Rajasthan Government’s Ground …

This weekend, some thought-provoking readings on Indonesia with special reference to radical Islam and Indonesia’s Hindu & Buddhist past and traditions.
Why Indonesia? Because events that are unfolding in this country – home to the world’s largest population of Muslims – are likely to have serious and long-term implications for us in India. Read on to find out why.
First, excerpts from Indonesian lessons for secular India by Sadanand Dhume(emphasis added)
If you had to pick the place in the Muslim world least susceptible to any …

Start this weekend with the story of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh’s assasination in Dubai.
Next, pl dwell on some insightful observations by Prof. Dipankar Gupta on Young Parliamentarians.

Move on to some thought-provoking mantras from the Sama Veda…
then to a remarkable initiative on the environmental front by some traders in a small town in Madhya Pradesh.
Finally, read Coomi Kapoor on Congress’ double-speak.
Excerpts below, as always.
*** Excerpts from The spies strike again, this time in Dubai by Gordon Thomas ***
…(Mossad)’s ruthless assassinations were made famous by the film Munich, which detailed Mossad’s attacks …

On the occassion of Martyr’s Day
Please take a moment to remember the ones who did not come back
And have a look at this series on National Heroes
|| Jai Hind, Jai Bharat ||

Start this weekend with a story on Hyderabad’s links to Islamic terrorism
Next, read Sandhya Jain on the apparent unravelling of Jammu & Kashmir
Then read a retelling of the story of Shantanu by Jai Joshi
and finally, a personal request from Sanjeev Sabhlok, founder-member, Freedom Team of India.
Excerpts from all the articles below, as always.
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*** Excerpts from How Indian-born Islamic …

Start your weekend with this ruling by Judge William Young while sentencing Richard C. Reid, the “Shoe Bomber” (Thanks to Sh Krishen-ji for alerting me to this)…
Next read, They Killed My Lawyer – a horrifying story from Russia by William Browder
Move on to Aroon Raman’s sketch of Subramania Bharati…
and finally dwell on Tavleen Singh’s tutorial for Rahul baba.
Excerpts from all the four links below, as always.
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*** Excerpts from “Ruling by Judge William Young: Sentencing of Richard C. Reid” ***
…We are not afraid of you or your terrorist conspirators, Mr. Reid. …

Three brief excerpts for the weekend on why China is becoming a worry for the global economy and why those numbers are hard to believe…
First, an extract from China has now become the biggest risk to the world economy by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard:
…”The inherent problems of the international economic system have not been fully addressed,” said China’s president Hu Jintao. Indeed not. China is still exporting overcapacity to the rest of us on a grand scale, with deflationary consequences.
While some fret about liquidity-driven inflation, Justin Lin, World Bank chief economist, said …

Start this weekend with excerpts from Kashmir: Propagation of Islam and the Terror of the Sufis” by M A Khan (emphasis mine):
How did Islam come to Kashmir?
“It came through the peaceful missionary preaching of the Sufis,” comes the answer.
Sufis have been universally credited with the peaceful propagation of Islam around the world. An Islamic legend tells us that there was a king in Kashmir, at an unknown point in time, who had no religion. One day, he wished to adopt a religion. Both Muslims and Hindus came to convince him. …

‘New insights on the modular planning of the Taj Mahal‘ by Prof R Balasubramaniam – Exploring the link between Taj Mahal and Harappa [ pdf download ]
Is Islam the Problem? by Jonah Godlberg
K N Govindacharya on Akhand Bharat (in Hindi)
Climate change: the worst scientific scandal of our generation by Christopher Booker
The latest issue of Towards a Great India
Selected past weekend readings:
Recommended weekend reading
Weekend potpourri: Kashmir, BJP, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam

Start your weekend by reading  how online efforts triggered by the attack on Mumbai last year eventually died down…
Next, a fascinating article on how memories are distorted and invented
…then read Gurcharan Das’s good news about poverty.
and finally, excerpts from the sacred story of Kak Bhushundi.
Excerpts from all the links below, as always…

Start this weekend reading about “Maccha Yantra” – which might have been the precursor to the mariner’s compass of today…
Next, read former Governor of J&K, Jagmohan’s account of  his trek to Amarnath…
…and finally, ponder over Chandan Mitra’s provocative piece on the purpose of history
Excerpts from all the three articles below, as always.

Start this weekend with a light-hearted take on how to get rid of weekend blues, written by a good friend and an ex-colleague.
Next, read Rana Dasgupta’s brilliant take on “Delhi culture” (Hat Tip: Sanjay)
Move on to R Vaidyanathan – writing about the secular assault on the sacred in the context of Kanchi Shankaracharya’s arrest a few years ago..
And finally, read a fascinating study into why we tend to believe everything we read.
Excerpts from all the links below, as always.

Start the weekend with this fascinating piece on a flawed understanding of intelligence.
Move on to a persuasive piece by Swaminathan S Aiyar on why direct cash transfers may provide better relief  to the drought hit than NREGA.
Next, read Aseem Shukla on why Scotland’s myopic act of mercy in releasing Abdel Megrahi may cost the world dearly.
And finally, read RealityCheck on why  Below Poverty Level is not “Below Poverty Level”.
Enjoy the weekend. Stay Safe and Keep Healthty.
Excerpts from all the above articles below, as always.
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How the urban young are rediscovering Sanskrit:
…”Bhagini, shighram, shighram gachchami,” mutters someone, giving me a gentle nudge from behind. Translated, that means: move faster, sister. I’ve been told I’m slow before, but never in Sanskrit. The guy getting late for class, whose way I’m blocking, is tall, with an apologetic smile, a shaven head, a choti, and a forehead smeared with tilak. The rest of him is hip young Gen X Indian—cool T-shirt, stylish bracelet and frayed-edge jeans that end at his bare feet.
…There are others like him. Bangalore-based Sanskrit …

How to be on Time courtesy Guy Kawasaki
Secret files on Veer Savarkar and others kept in London
Transcript of the Dec 4 Discussion on Mumbai Attacks over at the CounterTerrorism Panel
Did Jesus really say to Love Your Enemies? courtesy Andrew Sullivan
The discussion on INS Arihant over at Bharat-Rakshak.com forums.
All the past weekend posts here.
Stay Healthy, Stay Safe. Enjoy the weekend.