The Indian Panorama

Month: May 2014

  • Rafael Nadal squeezes past Andy Murray in epic Rome quarterfinal

    Rafael Nadal squeezes past Andy Murray in epic Rome quarterfinal

    ROME (TIP): World number one Rafael Nadal dug deep to maintain his chances of defending his Rome Masters title after a gutsy come-from-behind 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Andy Murray in the quarterfinals on Friday. Murray had won only five of his last 18 matches against Nadal but held the bragging rights from their last two — a walkover win in the semis of the Miami Masters and victory in the final of the Tokyo Open in 2011, both hardcourt events.

    And despite doubts lingering over the Scot’s form following an absence from the tour due to back surgery at the start of the year, Murray produced a stunning performance at the Foro Italico to underline his form ahead of the French Open later this month. The Scot raced to a 6-1 win in the opening set, leaving clay-court king Nadal to tinker with tactics in the second set in a bid to pull level.

    In a much tighter third set, Nadal maintained his momentum by winning three breaks to two for Murray. The Spaniard broke in the first game, only for Murray to break back immediately in a second game which saw the Scot pull off a stunning pull-back shot which stunned Nadal and had the crowd in raptures. That gave Murray some momentum of his own and the British number one held serve to go 2-1 in front.

    Both players held serve in the next two games and with the score at 3-2 Murray raced to triple break point to break again and take a two-game lead after Nadal netted a return from a powerful serve. Sensing defeat, the Spaniard upped his game and broke back to level at 4-4. Both players held serve over the next two games, but Nadal made the difference when he raced to triple break point in the 11th game before breaking for a third time in the set for a 6-5 lead and then serving out for the win.

    Nadal will now meet Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the semis on Saturday, when number two seed Novak Djokovic faces Canada’s Milos Raonic. Djokovic ousted David Ferrer 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 while Raonic claimed his last-four spot with a commanding 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 quarterfinal win over Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. Italy’s number 10 seed Sara Errani, meanwhile, stunned China’s number two seed Li Na 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to make the semis for the second consecutive year.

    She is on course to become the first Italian woman since Raffaella Reggi 29 years ago to win the tournament and next meets Serbian sixth seed Jelena Jankovic after she accounted for Agnieszka Radwanska, the third seed from Poland, 6-4, 6-4. Errani and Jankovic were joined in the last four by Ana Ivanovic, although the Serbian 11th seed had to dig deep throughout a thrilling encounter with Carla Suarez Navarro before finally beating the Spaniard, seeded 13, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Ivanovic will next meet Serena Williams after she annihilated unseeded Chinese player Zhang Shuai 6-1, 6-3. Ivanovic knows she faces a tough task.

  • Desailly tips Argentina for World Cup, Belgium to surprise

    Desailly tips Argentina for World Cup, Belgium to surprise

    LONDON (TIP): Argentina are favourites to win the World Cup in Brazil, Belgium can reach the final and nobody expects much of England, according to former France international Marcel Desailly. The Ghana-born 1998 World Cup winner, who won the Champions League with Marseille and AC Milan, also predicted Ivory Coast could be the surprise team and Argentina’s Sergio Aguero the top scorer. Argentina have the talent to win even if Barcelona’s Lionel Messi does not play in every match, he told Laureus.com in an interview.

    “I am sure collectively Argentina will be able, with Messi at top or without Messi at his best, to win the World Cup,” said the Frenchman. “Honestly I see Argentina playing without Messi,” he continued. “Messi is not specially the key player of Argentina, you will see.” Desailly said champions Spain had the potential to defend the trophy, with fresh talent coming in to boost established players, but hosts Brazil could buckle under the burden of expectation.

    “The first game will be very important but I’m sure confusion will be in the team.” I’m sure it will be difficult for them to join altogether,” said the 45-year-old. “Brazil will face a lot of problems for this World Cup.” The former Chelsea centre back saw “no expectation” for 1966 winners England. “England do not have individual players who can make the difference,” he declared. “Obviously, people will talk about (Wayne) Rooney but in the previous World Cup he did not perform.

    “It will depend on the collective play of the team, good young players who fit in and the cleverness of your coaches,” Desailly added. “Otherwise, England will not go to the final stages. I think even Belgium have a better potential to go to the final stage than England, on their individual capacity.” France are managed by 1998 World Cup-winning captain Didier Deschamps and Desailly said individual talent was certainly there. “The only problem is collectively, France does not perform unless they are scared of getting eliminated,” said Desailly. “We are not expecting to win the World Cup. We are just there, hanging, hoping that game after game we can build up collective motivation.”

  • Errani beats Li Na to reach Rome semifinals

    Errani beats Li Na to reach Rome semifinals

    ROME (TIP): Sara Errani took advantage of a supportive crowd to beat second-seeded Li Na 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 Friday and reach the Italian Open semifinals for the second consecutive year. The 10th-seeded Errani is attempting to become the first Italian woman to win Rome since Raffaella Reggi took the title 29 years ago. Li was unusually inconsistent, committing 52 unforced errors to Errani’s 21.

    Errani celebrated by waving her arms to incite the crowd. Her semifinal opponent will be either 2007 and 2008 Rome champion Jelena Jankovic or third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska. In men’s play, eighth-seeded Milos Raonic held off Jeremy Chardy of France 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 and will next play either Novak Djokovic or David Ferrer. The Italian Open is the last key warmup before the French Open starts in nine days.

  • Pakistani cricketers fined for playing in US

    Pakistani cricketers fined for playing in US

    ISLAMABAD (TIP): The Pakistan Cricket Board fined five of its cricketers $5,000 each Friday for participating in an unauthorized Twenty20 tournament in the United States. The PCB said fast bowler Wahab Riaz, allrounder Abdul Razzaq, middle order batsman Fawad Alam and opening batsmen Nasir Jamshed and Shahzeb Hasan all were fined 500,000 rupees ($5,000) for competing in last month’s Friendship Cup T20 tournament in Houston.

    Riaz, Alam and Jamshed are part of Pakistan’s summer training camp in Lahore in which about 40 cricketers are being trained for the forthcoming season. Last month, the PCB formed a three-member committee to investigate players’ participation in the tournament. The committee comprised domestic cricket director Intikhab Alam, general manager of vigilance and security Azam Khan and international cricket manager Usman Wahla.

  • NARENDRA MODI IN DELHI, HOLDS ROAD SHOW

    NARENDRA MODI IN DELHI, HOLDS ROAD SHOW

    NEW DELHI (TIP): After the landslide victory in Lok Sabha polls, Narendra Modi arrived in the national capital on May 17 to a rousing welcome by thousands of enthusiastic BJP workers and supporters to whom he gave credit for the historic achievement.

    The Prime Minister-elect waved victory sign to the cheering crowds of supporters wearing saffron caps and showing BJP flags as he undertook a roadshow from Indira Gandhi International Airport to the party headquarters at Ashoka Road, a distance of about 16 kms. He was received at the airport by a number of senior BJP leaders, including party chief Rajnath Singh.

    Escorted by elite commandos, Modi was greeted by supporters at various places along the route from the airport to the party headquarters at Ashoka Road. BJP workers on motorcycles waving party flags were part of the roadshow. On reaching the BJP headquarters, he briefly addressed the supporters, saying he was thankful to them for rekindling “new hope” through their hard work. “As a person, Modi requests all of you, don’t give credit for this victory to Modi. It is a result of hard work of lakhs of workers.

    This victory belongs to those fourfive generations who have toiled hard since 1952,” he said. “The first right of credit for this victory goes to 125 crore Indians and second to those martyred since 1952. In the last 25 years, thousands of our workers were killed in states like Kerala and those who gave up their lives in Tamil Nadu,” Modi said.

  • MAYAWATI LOSES UP, BSP DRAWS ZERO IN LOK SABHA ELECTIONS

    MAYAWATI LOSES UP, BSP DRAWS ZERO IN LOK SABHA ELECTIONS

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Modi blitzkrieg May 16 destroyed the BSP, leaving Mayawati, who once harboured hopes of becoming India’s first Dalit prime minister, without a single Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh. In a verdict that sent the BSP in mourning, not one of its candidates could claim victory despite hectic campaigning by Mayawati and two of her trusted lieutenants: Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Satish Chandra Mishra.

    The Bahujan Samaj Party won 20 Lok Sabha seats in 2009. But Election Commission data showed that the BSP had finished second in 33 of the 80 constituencies in the sprawling state. Having lost the 2012 assembly polls to arch rival Samajwadi party, the BSP was widely expected to bounce back in the Lok Sabha battle, largely owing to strong anti-incumbency against the Akhilesh Yadav government.

    The results, party leaders admitted, were most unexpected. “This is a body blow to us. We need to sit and do a post-mortem,” a senior outgoing BSP MP who lost told IANS. But the writing was on the wall, and Mayawati had apparently read it in time. And the not-so-media savvy Mayawati addressed a flurry of pressers during the last 10 days of campaign, trying to make course corrections vis-a-vis the caste matrix and her captive Dalit vote bank.

    Aware that Dalits were being poached by BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Mayawati was jittery after the fourth phase when her feedback was that Dalits were flocking to Modi. Her second major constituency, Muslims, also failed to come to her rescue. The BSP fared badly in the 2012 assembly polls largely because Muslims deserted her.

    The same was repeated in the Lok Sabha ballot as many Muslim voters felt that the BSP could join hands with the BJP later. The BSP fielded 17 Dalit candidates, 15 Other Backward Class candidates, 19 Muslims, 21 Brahmins and eight Thakurs. But her rainbow coalition that clicked in the 2007 assembly election did not find enough takers this time. The BSP took a serious drubbing in western Uttar Pradesh and Poorvanchal belt which have been traditionally with the party.

  • Karunanidhi accepts defeat; congratulates Modi

    Karunanidhi accepts defeat; congratulates Modi

    CHENNAI (TIP): DMK leader M. Karunanidhi said he would accept the outcome of the Lok Sabha election as the verdict of the people. Accepting the total defeat of the DMK and its allies in Tamil Nadu he said he bowed to the people’s verdict. Karunanidhi said the DMK in the past had witnessed similar defeats and also had achieved great victories.

    “As our party founder Anna said while we will not lose heart by defeat we will not allow victory to go into our head. We will continue to work for the welfare of the people.” He congratulated the BJP on its major victory and Prime Minister in waiting Narendra Modi.

  • EMPHATIC WIN FOR AIADMK IN TN

    EMPHATIC WIN FOR AIADMK IN TN

    CHENNAI (TIP): Blazing a trail, the ruling AIADMK scored an emphatic victory in the Lok Sabha election in Tamil Nadu, winning 37 of the 39 seats on its own. The sterling performance has put the party, led by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, on course to becoming the third largest in the Lok Sabha. While the AIADMK’s handsome wins were spread across all regions in a predominantly five-cornered contest in the State, the major opposition party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its allies have drawn a blank.

    The resounding numbers showed that the ruling party did not suffer any anti-incumbency reverses, unlike the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance at the Centre. The DMK’s calculations to garner the votes of minorities and Dalits by roping in two Muslim outfits and the two main Dalit parties in the State to offset the breakup of the partnership with the Congress went awry. The votes polled by the Congress in this election were not adequate to make any difference even if it had been part of a DMK-led alliance.

    The only solace for the BJP was the victory of its State president, Pon. Radhakrishnan, in the Kanyakumari constituency in the south, where votes were polarised on religious lines. The BJP’s “lotus” symbol was in the race in nine constituencies, with three of its smaller allies also allotted the symbol.In north Tamil Nadu, the attempted mobilisation of the Vanniyars seems to have benefited only the former Union Minister and PMK candidate, Anbumani Ramadoss, who won from Dharmapuri.

    Further, neither the MDMK, headed by Vaiko, nor the DMDK could win a single seat despite the mega-alliance knitted by the BJP. Vaiko lost in Virudhunagar, while L.K. Sudhish, . Vijayakanth’s brother-in-law, came third in the Salem constituency. The AIADMK, despite its brilliant performance, is unlikely to play a crucial role as the BJP has won a majority on its own. In a statement here, Jayalalithaa said her appeal to the people of Tamil Nadu to strengthen her hands was not out of any selfish motives but to get justice for the people of the State. She termed her party’s massive victory “historic, and unparalleled.”

  • BJP SWEEPS ALL 7 SEATS IN DELHI

    BJP SWEEPS ALL 7 SEATS IN DELHI

    swept the parliamentary elections here with the party candidates registering victory with handsome margins in all the seven Lok Sabha seats on May 16. The last time the BJP won all the seven seats in Delhi was in 1999 when the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP came to power at the Centre.

    The electoral outcome also bucked predictions of almost all the exit polls that gave the Aam Aadmi Party two to three seats in Delhi. However, the Arvind Kejriwalled party gave the BJP a close fight with party candidates securing second position in all the seven constituencies even as the Congress was relegated to the third place. The Congress had won all the seven seats in 2009 general elections.

    However, four of the seven sitting Congress MPs including Union Minister Krishna Tirath, J.P. Agarwal, Ramesh Kumar and Mahabal Mishra lost their security deposit this time round. Other big Congress names who bit the dust included Union Minister Kapil Sibal, AICC general secretary Ajay Maken and the former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s son, Sandeep Dikshit

  • India votes for political stability, development and good governance

    India votes for political stability, development and good governance

    The days of political instability in India should be over, with the people of India clearly preferring the BJP to lead the country. India has chosen, after almost three decades, a government that can function without pulls and pressures, which in other words means, political blackmail, to which the nation has been a helpless witness during the last two decades.

    In a house of 543, where a party needed 272 to have a simple majority, BJP has got 282 seats, 10 more than required to form a government on its own. With its alliance partners in the NDA-Shiv Sena, TDP, SAD, LJP and others, it commands an imposing majority, with 336 seats. It could well lead to an Indian Renaissance. Indubitably, there has been a “tectonic shift in the Indian politics”.

    How one could, otherwise, explain the total decimation of the Congress and its allies in the UPA and the meteoric rise of the BJP. Indians have been waiting for the promised millennium but found, to their chagrin that it was an endless wait for Godot. Their patience was running out. Promises and pledges were made to be broken, not kept, seemed to be the belief of the ruling UPA.

    The result: 44 seats for the Congress Party and a total of 59 for the UPA. The impatience of the people with the government that was steeped in corruption led to protests against corruption and misgovernance. Indians cannot in their honesty deny that the movement against corruption and for a Lok Pal Bill launched by Anna Hazare dented the Congress image.

    Arvind Kejriwal, taking a more hostile opposition to the corruption in the UPA government, launched a frontal attack on the UPA government and the Congress leaders and exposed a number of corruption cases. These movements enjoyed people’s support. The image of the Congress party and its allies in the UPA got sullied, with people openly expressing their disapproval of the functioning of the government.

    Look at the Delhi assembly elections. The Congress party was nearly routed, with just 8 seats, after having ruled the state for 15 years, trailing behind BJP (32) and the fledgling AAP (28). Apart from the exposure of the Congress led UPA government corruption and misdeeds, what hurt it the most was its inability to control inflation. The common man suffered from ever increasing prices which made his life miserable.

    The regular backbreaking price rise of essential commodities made him think of a change. See how Delhites fell to the AAP promises of cheaper water and electricity supply and gave a few months old political party, the massive support to rule. It was another matter that AAP government could not last.

    Other factors that contributed to people’s disenchantment with the Congress party included growing unemployment, failure of law and order machinery to protect the honor of women, and the ruling party’s attitude of indifference towards people’s problems. People wanted a change. As when one medication does not work, one tries another hoping it will work; so, the people of India, oppressed by the ruling party’s indifference to their woes, decided to go in for a change.

    Their vote for the BJP is, in fact, a voteagainst nonperformanceand misperformance of the UPA government. BJP, today, is in a position to deliver. With its comfortable majority, it can shape its policies, without being pressurized, as in a coalition. Narendra Modi has been harping on development during election campaign which he so successfully led from the front. Mr. India would like to get a slice of it.

    If he does not, he knows what to do. History repeats itself. Not long ago, a Kejriwal in Delhi was a cynosure of the common man’s eye and a few months later, he was dumped because he could not deliver. It has happened with the Congress Party. It could as well happen with the BJP. Indians are looking for results from the BJP. They are not going to wait long. First of all, they would like the government to control the killing price rise. Next, they would like to see the law and order machinery protect their lives and property. They want a judicial system which does them justice.

    They would like to be rid of everyday harassment in government offices where everybody seems to be out to reach in to their pockets. They would like to be treated with respect due to a human being. For long, India has followed the colonial system in many ways.

    One, which is more disturbing and destabilizing, is the large presence of the privileged and the non-privileged sections of society. The feudal system which the laws ended a long time ago is still going strong. The mai baap, sarkar, huzoor, VIP culture is doing no good to the nation. And then, we do not want to give up status symbols. One fails to understand why a lawmaker or an official of the government requires security and a fleet of vehicles.

    Who pays for it? Why should the people of India pay for the idiotic notions of the privileged few? Modi’s charisma has worked with the people of India and we would hope it works with the governments of the world. The Modi government must ensure cordial relations with neighbors and friendly nations. In particular, relations with USA, China and Pakistan will need extra care and attention. Over the years, India has diligently built up certain alliances which will need to be strengthened.

    In international relations, change of government does not mean abrupt changes in alliances. It may be remembered that such alliances exist between nations, not between governments. Indians are glad to see a star politician in Modi. They would be happier to see a statesman in Modi. Only time will tell whether or not Modi can graduate from a politician in to a statesman. One hopes, BJP will live up to the expectations of people of India who have placed their trust in the party’s promise of giving good governance – “Sushashan”.

  • BJP crushes rivals in UP

    BJP crushes rivals in UP

    LUCKNOW (TIP): The manner in which the ruling Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress have been swept aside in Uttar Pradesh clearly indicates that the “BJP versus the rest” in the Lok Sabha polls has been a no-contest. SP chief Mulayam Singh and BSP president Mayawati campaigned vigorously for their parties, little knowing that the voters had other plans. But the BSP drew a blank.

    In 2009, the BSP won 20 seats with a 27.42 per cent vote share. It can be said that while Ms.Mayawati’s core Dalit support base has remained more or less intact, the Other Backward Classes, the Most Backward Classes and the Brahmins have deserted her. The SP, which won 23 seats in 2009 with a vote share of 23.26 per cent, has won only five seats in the State, all by members of Singh’s family in Azamgarh, Mainpuri, Kannauj, Budaun and Firozabad. The BJP appears to have gained from the switchover of the SP’s Yadav and OBC votes, while the fight between the ruling party and the BSP has proved disastrous for both.

    In a nutshell, the BJP, with a projected vote share of 42.3 per cent, has reaped the dividends of the consolidation of Hindu votes. The Muslim vote appears to have been divided between the SP, BSP and the Congress, with no benefit for any party. For the Congress, which won 21 seats in 2009 with a vote share of 18.25 per cent, it has been a great fall in 2014.

    While Congress president Sonia Gandhi has retained Rae Bareli by a margin of over 3.4 lakh votes, her son and Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi won Amethi by a reduced margin. For Yadav, the verdict in U.P. has turned out to be a huge disappointment. His Third Front chant has been rejected by the voters and now he is faced with the more challenging task of keeping his son Akhilesh Yadav’s government stable in Uttar Pradesh.

  • Dr. Manmohan Singh: the right man at the wrong time

    Dr. Manmohan Singh: the right man at the wrong time

    It was often said of AB Vajpayee that he was the right man in the wrong party. As he steps down after a mammoth 10 years in office, people might perhaps say that Manmohan Singh was the right man in the right party but at the wrong time.

    Many of his admirers have gone into overdrive to rattle off facts and figures of growth in the Manmohan era. And indeed, they were impressive in UPA 1. But politics is all about perception and this did not serve the PM well in his second stint in office. But that should not surprise us so much since he never was a professional politician. He was the quiet academic-minded economist thrust into a position where all aroundMachiavellian intrigues were being played out, most of all within his own party.

    That he had to co-exist with a powerful Congress president did not help burnish his image. Rather he was seen as the secondary partner in this relationship. And clearly, the liberal economist in him must have winced at the social sector decisions taken by Sonia Gandhi’s powerful National Advisory Council with no thought as to where the funds would come from.

    Yet, his assertion that history will be kinder to him than the media and his opponents rings true. Had it not been for him, India’s nuclear apartheid would still have continued and the government held hostage by an antediluvian Left. While his dream of peace with Pakistan did not materialize, he cannot be faulted for trying to remove this perennial thorn in India’s side.

    In a coalition era, his gentle inclusive personality saved the day on many occasions. But the party with its penchant to find scapegoats for its failings saw the perfect candidate in Mr. Singh. His fault was that he did not use his authority to stop such efforts and their architects in their tracks. Many wonder why he was not more combative. But, the Congress has never been a place where anyone takes on the high command and carries the day.

    Despite this,Mr. Singh did so in the case of the nuclear deal. His greatest drawback lay in the fact that he was no communicator. He was awkward in public, not an impressive speaker and tended to keep his thoughts to himself. In real life too, we understand, he is a man of few words. But to his credit, he did preside over the transition of India from being the poor man in Asia to an emerging economic power.

    Nothing can take that away from him. He may have had many failings as an administrator, but he made up for that with a rare civility and personal integrity. History certainly will be kinder to him than his own time has been.

  • STATES SWEPT CLEAN BY NARENDRA MODI

    STATES SWEPT CLEAN BY NARENDRA MODI

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The BJP has crossed the 272 mark in the Lok Sabha on its own. Its stupendous performance has been propelled by the clean sweep, or the near clean sweep, effected by it in a few states. But Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, states ruled by other parties, have also registered dramatic results.

    Gujarat
    The BJP, led from the front by its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, has won all 26 seats. It had 15 in 2009.

    Rajasthan
    The results in this state mark a continuation of the trend visible in the assembly polls held in December. The BJP is leading in all 25 seats – a dramatic reversal in its fortunes from 2009, when it could only win 4 seats.

    Jharkhand
    The BJP had walked away with 8 of the 14 seats in 2009. It has now won 12 of the 14 seats. Its impact will be felt in the assembly elections, due later this year. Chhattisgarh: In the assembly elections held late last year, the BJP could barely get a wafer thin majority. It has now won 10 of the 11 seats, the same as in 2009.

    Delhi
    The BJP had drawn a blank in 2009. It has won all seven seats. The outcome is certain to have a bearing in the assembly polls, likely to be held soon.

    Uttarakhand
    Another state where the BJP is witnessing a dramatic turnaround in its fortunes. It had failed to open its account in 2009. Here also all five seats have gone to the BJP.

    Goa
    The BJP won both the constituencies. It emerged victorious in one in 2009. Tamil Nadu: J Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK has swept a startling 37 of the 39 parliamentary constituencies. It had won only 9 seats five years ago.

    West Bengal
    Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress also swept 34 of the 42 seats. Her party had cornered 19 seats in 2009 in alliance with the Congress. The Trinamool Congress has now gone solo.

    (India Votes 2014: Personalities) Tripura: The only state where the Left Front has managed to retain its base. Thanks to chief minister Manik Sarkar’s popularity, the CPM has won both the seats.

    Madhya Pradesh
    BJP has won a high total of 27 seats of the total 29 from the state. It had won 16 seats five years ago.

    Jammu and Kashmir
    In 2009, the Congress had walked away with two seats, and its ally, National Conference, another three. The two parties are headed for a wash-out, with the BJP wresting three, and Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party the remaining three.

    Himachal Pradesh
    Another state where the BJP has made a clean sweep. It has won all four seats. It had cornered three five years ago.

    Uttar Pradesh
    No one would have imagined that the BJP would make a near clean sweep in this politically-crucial state. It has won 73 of the 80 seats out of which two have been won by Apna Dal, in its best-performance ever. In 1998, the party bagged 57 seats. But the tally included five from Uttarakhand, which was till then a part of Uttar Pradesh. In 2009, the BJP had secured 10 seats.

    Maharashtra
    The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, which also includes three smaller parties, has wrested 43 of the 48 seats, a leap of 24 over its 2009 tally.

  • From Rahul to Akhilesh, from Ajit Pawar to media: why Modi needs to thank them

    From Rahul to Akhilesh, from Ajit Pawar to media: why Modi needs to thank them

    By Rajdeep Sardesai

    Barring a miracle, at some stage on Friday, Narendra Modi will be poised to fulfill his long-cherished ambition of being the next prime minister. Yes, exit polls have a spotty record in the country, but unless we have all got it horribly wrong, there is no reason to believe that there isn’t a Modi ‘wave’ in large parts of the country, if not a tsunami.

    When Modi writes his blog and thanks the Indian voter, here are a few more thank you cards he should send out. On top of the list will be Rahul Gandhi. No individual can be held solely responsible for a party’s electoral defeat, but the fact is, Gandhi had his chance and fluffed it. His approach to the elections was collegiate: Almost as if he was participating in a student council election and not in a battle for the heart of India.

    The Congress campaign was listless and confused, perhaps because the general wasn’t in a position to set the agenda. The ‘face’ of a party needs to offer a big idea: Modi offered hope and aspiration, Gandhi stood for the status quo. His refusal to take an office of responsibility in the Manmohan Singh government or launch a sustained campaign on any specific issue was equally calamitous. The ‘divine right to rule’ principle no longer holds in Indian politics: Gandhi needed to prove himself by doing the real heavy lifting, not by midnight stays in a Dalit home or suddenly waking up to call his own government’s ordinance “nonsense”.

    By the time he eventually agreed to lead the ship in January this year, he had been pigeonholed as Rahul Baba, a dynast who couldn’t be taken seriously. The next thank you card must be sent to Manmohan Singh. We are in the age of communication and to have a prime minister who was in near permanent silent mode was a disaster. Frankly, he should have stepped down well before he finally announced his retirement this year.

    Maybe he should have asserted himself on day one of UPA 2 when he was forced to take back A Raja into his Cabinet. Even if he had stepped down in September last year when he was publicly humiliated by Gandhi on the ordinance on convicted MPs, he might have saved himself from an utter loss of face. As it is, a decent man will go down in the history books as little more than a political survivor.

    Maybe a thank you note also needs to go to 10 Janpath. Sonia Gandhi’s economic philosophy meant that UPA 2 ran a government on dole, not growth. However wellintentioned, the populist rhetoric created an unsustainable growth model, aggravated by a global economic crisis. No government can survive prolonged inflation and low growth: Jobs, not hand-outs, win you votes.

    The weaknesses of Singh and the Gandhis meant that Modi’s muchhyped “chappan kee chaati” (56-inch chest) actually appeared even broader than the reality. Leaders emerge in a context: A government in a state of drift and hobbled by corruption charges allowed the Gujarat chief minister to position himself as India’s Mr. Fix-it, someone whose despotic streak and questionable role in the 2002 riots could be forgiven in the overarching need for a ‘decisive’ leader. The next thank you card must go to Akhilesh Yadav. Uttar Pradesh was always going to be the Kurukshetra of Modi’s political ambitions.

    The BJP needed to win big in this state to achieve its ‘Mission 272+’. The party didn’t have the organizational muscle to achieve its aim. But Yadav’s dysfunctional government made it that much easier for Modi’s master strategist Amit Shah to get a foothold in UP. From its handling of the Muzaffarnagar riots to the return of goonda raj, anger against the Samajwadi Party government provided the perfect platform for Modi’s message of change. Modi may also wish to send a thank you card to Mani Shankar Aiyar.

    The backbencher Congress MP’s derisive chaiwallah remark was just the kind of opening the BJP’s mascot was looking for. It allowed Modi to rediscover his tea boy past, and contrast his social origins with the elitist moorings of the Congress. Chaiwallah versus shehzada in a merit-driven new India: Even Salim-Javed couldn’t have written a better story line. Other Congress leaders who chose to liken Modi to ‘bhasmasur’ and a ‘cockroach’ could also be thanked since the demonization allowed the BJP’s poster boy to cleverly position himself as a ‘victim’ and an antiestablishment ‘outsider’.

    A thank you card might also be sent to Ajit Pawar, the politician who has become the ‘face’ of an arrogant and insensitive Maharashtra government. When confronted with a drought in the state, if a senior leader chooses to ask people to urinate in the dams, then no amount of repentance will lead to public forgiveness. Along with UP, Maharashtra is the other big state turnaround for the BJP. A thank you card should also be sent to corporate India. Never before in the history of Indian elections, has so much big money been riding on the fortunes of one man.

    Team Modi ran a brilliant campaign, but it was driven by unlimited access to funds, changing the face of Indian elections, perhaps forever. The final thank you card should be sent to the media: Never before have the Indian media been so open about their role as a political cheerleader. Instead of a serious interrogation of the Gujarat model of development, a powerful section of the media allowed Modi to get away with a mix of genuine achievement, clever marketing and half-truths.

    When Modi, for example, almost claimed credit for Gujarat’s ‘White revolution’, the media even forgot to remind him of a certain Verghese ‘Amul’ Kurien. In the making of Brand Modi, the man from Vadnagar owes a huge debt to the media.

  • New government should strike balance between growth and inflation

    New government should strike balance between growth and inflation

    First the good news. India’s wholesale inflation rate has moderated, albeit marginally, to 5.20%, in April from 5.70% in the previous month, driven down by a sharp drop in vegetable prices.

    Now for the bad news – by all indications, the price situation could worsen, given a higher likelihood of deficient rains this summer. Global and domestic meteorological agencies have forecast a sharp increase in the likelihood of an El Nino weather pattern this year, which can shake up global weather and trigger a poor monsoon in India, potentially posing an immediate challenge for a new government set to take office in the next few days. El Nino – ‘little boy’ in Spanish – is a climate glitch marked by higher seasurface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific.

    Its effects can ripple globally, from storms in California to leaving Australia and India at greater risks of a drought. The retail inflation data, which was released on Monday, has already shown that food prices have begun to rise again.

    The retail inflation rate jumped to 8.6% in April from 8.3% in the previous month as the food inflation rate rose to 9.8%. While vegetable and fruit prices contributed 50% to the rise, non-food, non-fuel inflation, or what economists call core inflation, remained unchanged in April. For the incoming government, this isn’t quite a happy situation to be assuming office. Its immediate task would be to revive growth, which has slipped into sub-5% levels.

    This is the first time in a quarter of a century that India’s economy would grow at below 5% in two successive years. At the same time, however, it cannot drop guard on taming inflation. The Reserve Bank of India has firmly maintained its commitment to its priorities on price control, even though it may come at the cost of lower growth.

    Fiscal and macroeconomic managers will have their task cut out on balancing the growth-versus-inflation control objectives. Growth is critical to create additional jobs and raise people’s income levels; but persistent inflation can erode the gains from growth.

  • Ghulam Nabi Azad, Farooq bite the dust

    Ghulam Nabi Azad, Farooq bite the dust

    Omar takes blame
    Chief Minister and National Conference’s acting president Omar Abdullah owned responsibility for the coalition’s reverses. “I accept, unequivocally, the responsibility for this defeat. A lot of introspection & soul searching, personally & professionally, needed,” he said on Twitter. “Victory & defeat are part of any contest but if lessons aren’t learnt from defeat victory becomes an impossible task. I will learn from this.”

    SRINAGAR (TIP): In the most surprising electoral results for several decades in Jammu & Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference (NC) has been wiped out by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s People’s Democratic Party in the Lok Sabha. The PDP, which is strongly placed with control over 12 of the 16 Assembly segments in South Kashmir, bagged not only Anantnag but also both the remaining seats of Srinagar and Baramulla. The PDP also trounced the NC in the strongest of its bastions in Kangan, Charar-e- Sharif, Noorabad, Handwara, Kupwara and Sumbal.

    While the PDP established a lead in as many as 39 Assembly segments, the NC maintained the edge in just the five segments of Khanyar, Amirakadal, Habbakadal, Gurez and Uri. Independents Engineer Rashid and Salamuddin Bajad stood first in Langet and Handwara, respectively. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti defeated the NC’s incumbent Mehboob Beg in Anantnag with a margin of 44,735 votes. She polled 1,42,237 against Beg’s 97,502.

    Ms Mufti had won her first Lok Sabha election in the same constituency in 2004, but Beg was returned in 2009. In Srinagar, the PDP’s Tariq Hamid Karra defeated Union Minister and former Chief Minister and NC’s patriarch, Farooq Abdullah, with a margin of 42,280 votes. With this, NC has for the first time, lost its impregnable bastion in the Valley. Karra polled 1,57,923 votes and Dr. Abdullah 1,15,643. PDP’s Muzaffar Hussain Baig defeated Shariefuddin Shariq of the NC with a margin of 29,219 votes in Baramulla. Baig polled 1,75,277 against Mr. Shariq’s 1,46,058 votes.

    The separatist-turned-mainstream People’s Conference-sponsored Salam-uddin Bajad polled 71,154 votes while the independent MLA Engineer Rashid secured 22,090 votes. In Ladakh, the BJP’s Thustan Chhewang defeated independent candidate Ghulam Raza with a paltry margin of 36 votes. Chhewang got 31,111 and the Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust-sponsored Raza 31,075 votes.

    The BJP also won both seats in the Jammu province where its MLA Jugal Kishore polled a huge 6,19,995 votes, defeating the Congress’ Madan Lal Sharma with a margin of 2,56,950 votes in Jammu. In Udhampur, the BJP’s debutant Jitendra Singh defeated the Congress’s high-profile candidate and Union Cabinet Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad with a margin of 60,976 votes. While Dr. Singh polled 4,87,369 votes, Azad trailed with 4,26,393.

  • U.S. policy on India, and Modi, needs to change

    U.S. policy on India, and Modi, needs to change

    We are a Democracy and each one of us has the freedom to express our differences without fear, but yet we have to work together in nation building and the common good of every member of the society. Whatever is needed to be done should have been done at the ballot, the majority, indeed, the overwhelming majority has chosen to trust the words of Mr. Modi and together, we have to go forward. Justice should be the foundation of every society and no one should be above the law, and the law is clear: One is innocent until proven guilty.

    Mr. Modi in his interview with NDTV has challenged the civil society to hang him, if he is found guilty. Until he is found guilty, we need to value our systems. Justice is the only thing the society stands on. I have been critical of Mr. Modi from the very beginning and that has not changed, but I was never for the pound of flesh, instead I was for restoring the lives of those who lost their homes, livelihood and the loved ones, and to build a cohesive India where no Indian had to live in fear of the other.

    In each one of the pieces I have written, the theme was consistent; Justice and inclusion. I agree with Fareed Zakaria on many items he has listed, I do hope, President Obama puts his differences aside, and values the verdict of the people of India, it is not a simple majority, it is a huge majority. Let’s give Modi a chance and trust our democracy and support him in his plans – as he has articulated it in his interview time and again.

    Mike GhouseMike Ghouse : The author is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign policy.

  • Indu Jaiswal honored

    Indu Jaiswal honored

    NEW YORK (TIP): New York State honored Indu Jaiswal during women of distinction, honoring women in New York State Senate on May 13, 2014. New York State Senator Kemp Hanon nominated Indu for the award. The program was attended by more than 55 women from all over New York State.

  • Tried my best in serving the nation, PM Manmohan Singh says in his last address to nation

    Tried my best in serving the nation, PM Manmohan Singh says in his last address to nation

    NEW DELHI (TIP): In his last address to the natiobn, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on May 17 said,”My life and tenure is an open book.” Manmohan Singh, who spoke first in Hindi and later in English, said everyone should respect the judgment delivered by the people of the country in the just concluded general elections. “I have always tried to do my best in serving this great nation,” Manmohan Singh said. “In last 10 years, India saw many successes and achievements that we should be proud of,” he added.

    Full text of Manmohan Singh’s address to the nation

    My Fellow Citizens, I address you today for the last time as Prime Minister of India. Ten years ago, when I was entrusted with this responsibility, I entered upon it with diligence as my tool, truth as my beacon and a prayer that I might always do the right thing. Today, as I prepare to lay down office, I am aware that well before the final judgment that we all await from the Almighty, there is judgment in the court of public opinion that all elected officials and governments are required to submit themselves to. Fellow citizens, each one of us should respect the judgement that you have delivered.

    The just concluded elections have deepened the foundations of our democratic polity. As I have said on many occasions, my life and tenure in public office are an open book. I have always tried to do my best in serving this great nation of ours. In the last 10 years, we as a country have seen many successes and achievements that we should be proud of. Today, India is a far stronger country in every respect than it was a decade ago. I give credit for these successes to all of you. However, there is still vast latent development potential in our country and we must collectively work hard to realize it.

    As I leave office, my abiding memory will be the love and kindness that I have always received from you. I owe everything to this country, this great land of ours where I, an underprivileged child of Partition, was empowered enough to rise and occupy high office. It is both a debt that I will never be able to repay and a decoration that I will always wear with pride.

    Friends, I am confident about the future of India. I firmly believe that the emergence of India as a major powerhouse of the evolving global economy is an idea whose time has come. Blending tradition with modernity and unity with diversity, this nation of ours can show the way forward to the world. Serving this nation has been my privilege. There is nothing more that I could ask for. I wish the incoming government every success as it embarks on its task and pray for even greater successes for our nation. Thank you. Jai Hind.

  • ALLIES TO BE PART OF MODI GOVT, RAJNATH SAYS

    ALLIES TO BE PART OF MODI GOVT, RAJNATH SAYS

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The BJP will include all its pre-poll allies in the government though the party has numbers to form government on its own. Soon after it became clear that the BJP would cross the majority mark of 272 on its own, party chief Rajnath Singh said, “We thank our allies for their support. To run a government, you need a majority but to run a country, you need the support of everybody.

    We will accept support of all those who want to help us in running the country. All NDA allies who have fought the elections with us will have due representation (uchit bhagidari) in the government. On the formation of cabinet, he said, “Cabinet formation is the prerogative of the Prime Minister and we will discuss all these issues after we sit together.” A visibly elated Rajnath Singh gave wholesome credit to Narendra Modi for the party’s spectacular electoral performance and said the role of seniors including L K Advani would be decided collectively and with consensus. “I am happy and satisfied.

    It is people’s mandate for change and it is a mandate for Modi’s popularity… Time has come to re-write the Indian success story,” he said. “The role of senior leaders will be taken up after meeting of the central parliamentary board,” he said, answering a volley of questions on possible role for Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Sushma Swaraj in the new government. He went on to praise Advani, saying, “as far as Advaniji is concerned, he is not only our leader but we treat him as our guardian.

    The party was taken to the heights that it has reached today because of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Advani.” In an attempt to do away with controversies at a time of party leaders were keen to enjoy the big victory, Singh said, “The reports about differences over leadership are baseless. We are united under Modi’s leadership and a very happy party today.” When asked if May 16 mandate reflects an end of dynastic politics, Singh said, the party won the election on its agenda of good governance and development even though many parties tried to divert the attention of the people.

    “No one can win an election like this on negative issues and negative agenda. Our proven track record of good governance helped us get the mandate,” he said. “This is a mandate for change and it is a mandate for Modi. People from all segments have voted for BJP breaking barriers of caste, religion, creed and region. The BJP was considered an urban party but it has emerged as a party for people in slums, villages, poor and all sections of the society,” he said.

  • MAMATA MAGIC HOLDS SWAY IN BENGAL

    MAMATA MAGIC HOLDS SWAY IN BENGAL

    KOLKATA (TIP):West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress put up a spectacular show, sweeping the Lok Sabha polls in the state to emerge as the fourth-largest party in the new Lok Sabha, while the BJP signalled its rise as a force by eating into the vote share of the erstwhile rulers Left Front which was nearly wiped out. The Congress, however, put up a stubborn fight to largely hold on to its pockets of strength in the state.

    Of the state’s 42 seats, the Trinamool picked up 34, recording its best performance as it nearly doubled its 19 seat tally of 2009. However, five years back, the Trinamool had an alliance with the Congress, and this time it fought the polls alone. The Trinamool snatched 14 seats from the Left Front, and also unseated the only Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist (SUCI-C) MP.

    The Trinamool’s strength in the Lok Sabha would be after the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress and the AIADMK. The Congress won four seats, while the BJP and the Left front spearhead Communist Party of India-Marxist collected two each. In the previous Lok Sabha polls in 2009, the then Trinamool-Congress-SUCIC alliance had won 26 seats. The Congress got six seats, while the SUCI-C won in one constituency. The Left Front had got 15 seats, with the CPI-M securing nine and other partners – the Communist Party of India, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, and the Forward Bloc – the remaining.

    For the Left, the 2014 general elections witnessed its worst show in the state after Independence, and for the Left Front, the most pathetic performance since its formation in 1977. Not only did its vote share drop to 29.3 percent from 43.3 percent in 2009, but it even finished third in half a dozen seats. The BJP’s best performance in Bengal so far was in 1999, when it bagged two seats – but in alliance with the Trinamool.

    This time, BJP had fought on its own and recorded a higher voting percentage of over 17 percent, bettering the 12 percent vote share it obtained in 1991. Bollywood singer and BJP candidate Babul Supriyo came up with a surprise win in Asansol while his party colleague S.S. Ahluwalia humbled former Indian soccer captain Bhaichung Bhutia of Trinamool in Darjeeling. In a big surprise, BJP Kolkata South candidate Tathagata Roy got a lead in the Bhowanipore assembly segment, represented by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the assembly. The BJP finished second in both Kolkata North and Kolkata South.

  • US judge halts force-feeding of Guantanamo prisoner

    US judge halts force-feeding of Guantanamo prisoner

    WASHINGTON (TIP): A US federal judge on May 16 temporarily blocked the military from force-feeding a Syrian prisoner on hunger striker at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp. It was the first time a judge ordered a halt to force-feeding of a prisoner in Guantanamo, where last year during a hunger strike, as many as 46 of 166 inmates were force-fed at least some of their meals.

    Several sued. US District Court Judge Gladys Kessler ordered the US government to stop force-feeding Abu Wa’el Dhiab until a hearing on May 21. She also ordered the military to stop extracting him from his cell if he refuses to go to feedings. The judge said the government also must preserve all videotape evidence of forcible cell extractions and forcefeeding until the hearing next Wednesday. Human rights advocates and many doctors call force-feeding a violation of personal liberty and medical ethics.

    The procedure, designed to keep hunger strikers alive, involves feeding them liquid meals via tubes inserted into their noses and down into their stomachs. “While the department follows the law and only applies enteral feeding in order to preserve life, we will, of course, comply with the judge’s order here,” Defense Department spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Todd Breasseale said in reaction to the ruling.Last July, Kessler, based in Washington DC, denied Dhiab’s request to halt the force-feeding, saying she would be overstepping her authority if she issued an injunction and adding that only President Barack Obama had the power to intervene.

    But in February, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that Guantanamo prisoners have the right to sue over force-feeding and that judges have the authority to consider petitions challenging aspects of how the US military treats them. Dhiab’s attorney’s hailed the decision as a turning point. “This is a major crack in Guantanamo’s years-long effort to oppress prisoners and to exercise total control over information about the prison,” one of Dhiab’s attorneys, Cori Crider said. “I am glad Judge Kessler has taken this seriously, and we look forward to our full day in court to expose the appalling way Dhiab and others have been treated,” Crider added.

  • SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

    SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

    SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: Everything comes by His Command, and everything goes by His Command. If some fool believes that he does so himself, he is blind, and acts in blindness. O Nanak, one who becomes Gurmukh understands the Hukam of the Lord’s Command; the Lord grants His Grace. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: He alone is a Yogi, and he alone finds the Way, who as Gurmukh, has found the Naam. In the bodyvillage of that Yogi is everything; Yoga is not obtained by outward show and religious robes. O Nanak, such a Yogi is very rare; the Lord is revealed in the heart. || 2 || PAUREE: He Himself created the creatures, and He Himself supports them. He Himself is seen to be subtle, and He Himself is obvious. He Himself remains a solitary hermit, and He Himself has a huge family. Nanak begs for the gift of the dust of the feet of the Saints of the Lord. I cannot see any other Giver; You alone are the Giver, Lord. || 21 || 1 || SUDH || ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. TRUTH IS THE NAME.

    CREATIVE BEING PERSONIFIED. NO FEAR. NO HATRED. IMAGE OF THE UNDYING. BEYOND BIRTH. SELF-EXISTENT. BY GURU’S GRACE: RAAG WADAHANS, FIRST MEHL, FIRST HOUSE: To the addict, there is nothing like the drug; to the fish, there is nothing else like water. Those who are attuned to their Lord – everyone is pleasing to them. || 1 || I am a sacrifice, cut apart into pieces, a sacrifice to Your Name, O Lord and Master.

    || 1 || Pause || The Lord is the fruitful tree; His Name is ambrosial nectar. Those who drink it in are satisfied; I am a sacrifice to them. || 2 || You are not visible to me, although You dwell with everyone. How can the thirst of the thirsty be quenched, with that wall between me and the pond? || 3 || Nanak is Your merchant; You, O Lord and Master, are my capital. My mind is cleared of doubt, when I praise You in prayer.

    || 4 || 1 || WADAHANS, FIRST MEHL: The virtuous bride ravishes and enjoys her Husband Lord; why does the unworthy one cry out? If she were to become virtuous, then she too could enjoy her Husband Lord. || 1 || My Husband Lord is loving and playful; why should the soul-bride enjoy any other? || 1 || Pause || If the soul-bride does good deeds, and makes her mind the thread, she obtains the jewel, which cannot be purchased for any price, strung upon the thread of her consciousness.

    || 2 || I ask, but I do not follow the way shown to me; still, I claim to have reached my destination. I do not speak with You, O my Husband Lord; how then can I come to have a place in Your home? || 3 || O Nanak, without the One, there is no other at all. If the soulbride remains attached to You, then she shall enjoy her Husband Lord. || 4 || 2 || WADAHANS, FIRST MEHL, SECOND HOUSE: The peacocks are singing sweetly, O sister; the rainy season of Saawan has come.

    Your beauteous eyes are like a string of charms, fascinating and enticing the soul-bride. I would cut myself into pieces for the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan; I am a sacrifice to Your Name. I take pride in You; without You, what could I be proud of ? So smash your bracelets along with your bed, O soul-bride, and break your arms, along with the arms of your couch. In spite of all the decorations which you have made, O soul-bride, your Husband Lord is attuned to someone else. You don’t have the bracelets of gold, nor the good crystal jewelry; you have not dealt with the true jeweller. Those arms, which do not embrace the neck of the Husband Lord, burn in anguish.

    All my companions have gone to enjoy their Husband Lord; which door should I, the wretched one, go to? O friend, I am very well-behaved, but I am not pleasing to my Husband Lord at all. I have woven my hair into lovely braids, and saturated their partings with vermillion; but when I go before Him, I am not accepted, and I die, suffering in sorrow. I weep – the whole world weeps; even the birds of the forest weep with me. The only thing which does not weep is my body’s sense of separation, which has separated me from my Husband Lord.

    In a dream, He came, and went away again; I cried so many tears. I cannot come to You, O my Beloved, and I cannot send anyone to You. Come to me, O blessed sleep – perhaps I will see my Husband Lord again. One who brings me a message from my Lord and Master – says Nanak, what shall I give to Him? Cutting off my head, I give it to Him to sit upon; without my head, I shall still serve Him. Why haven’t I died? Why hasn’t my life just ended? My Husband Lord has become a stranger to me. || 1 || 3 || WADAHANS, THIRD MEHL, FIRST HOUSE: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: When the mind is filthy, everything is filthy; by washing the body, the mind is not cleansed. This world is deluded by doubt; hardly anyone understands this.

    || 1 || O my mind, chant the One Name. The True Guru has given me this treasure. || 1 || Pause || Even if one learns the Yogic postures of the Siddhas, and holds his sexual energy in check, still, the filth of the mind is not removed, and the filth of egotism is not eliminated. || 2 || This mind is not controlled by any other discipline, except the Sanctuary of the True Guru. Meeting the True Guru, one is transformed beyond description. || 3 || Prays Nanak, one who dies upon meeting the True Guru, shall be rejuvenated through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad. The filth of attachment and possessiveness shall depart, and the mind shall become pure.

    || 4 || 1 || WADAHANS, THIRD MEHL: By His Grace, one serves the True Guru; by His Grace, service is performed. By His grace, this mind comes under control; by His Grace, the mind becomes pure. || 1 || O my mind, think of the True One. Think of the One, and you shall find peace; you shall never suffer in sorrow again. || 1 || Pause || By His Grace, one dies while yet alive; by His Grace, the Word of the Shabad comes to dwell in the mind. By His Grace, one understands the Hukam of God’s Command; by His Command, one merges into Him. || 2 || That tongue, which does not savor the sublime essence of the Lord – may that tongue be burned off ! It remains attached to other pleasures, and through the love of duality, it suffers in pain.

    || 3 || The One Lord grants His Grace to all; He Himself makes distinctions. O Nanak, meeting the True Guru, the fruits are obtained, and one is blessed with the Glorious Greatness of the Naam. || 4 || 2 || WADAHANS, THIRD MEHL: Emotional attachment to Maya is darkness; without the Guru, there is no spiritual wisdom. Those who are attached to the Word of the Shabad understand; those in duality are ruined. || 1 || O my mind, under Guru’s Instruction, do good deeds. Dwell forever and ever upon the Lord God, and you shall find the gate of galvation. || 1 || Pause || He alone is the treasure of virtue; He Himself gives, and then one receives.Without the Name, all are separated from Him; through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, one meets Him.

    || 2 || Acting in selfishness and egotism they lose, and nothing comes into their hands. But meeting with the True Guru, they find Truth, and merge into the True Name. || 3 || Hope and desire abide in this body, but the Lord’s Light shines within as well. O Nanak, the self-willed manmukhs are in bondage, while the Gurmukhs are liberated. || 4 || 3 || WADAHANS, THIRD MEHL: The faces of the happy soul-brides are radiant forever; through the Guru, they are peacefully poised. They constantly enjoy their Husband Lord, eradicating self-conceit from within. || 1 || O my mind, meditate on the Name of the Lord, Har, Har.

    The True Guru has given me this understanding of the Lord. || 1 || Pause || The abandoned brides cry out in suffering; they do not attain the Mansion of the Lord’s Presence. In the love of duality, they look ugly; they suffer in pain as they go beyond. || 2 || The virtuous soul-bride constantly chants the Glorious Praises of the Lord; she enshrines the Naam, the Name of the Lord, within her heart. The unvirtuous woman suffers and cries out in pain. || 3 || The One Lord and Master is the Husband Lord of all; He cannot be described at all. O Nanak, He has separated some from Himself, while others are committed to His Name.

    || 4 || 4 || WADAHANS, THIRD MEHL: The Ambrosial Nectar of the Naam always seems sweet; through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, I come to taste it. Through the True Word of the Guru’s Bani, I am absorbed in peace and poise; the Dear Lord is enshrined in the mind. || 1 || The Lord, granting His Grace, has led me to meet the True Guru. Through the Perfect True Guru, I meditate on the Name of the Lord.

    || 1 || Pause || Through Brahma, the hymns of the Vedas were revealed, but the love of Maya spread. The wise one, Shiva, pervades his own home, but he is engrossed in dark passions and excessive egotism. || 2 || Vishnu is always busy reincarnating himself, but who will save the world? The Gurmukhs are imbued with spiritual wisdom in this age; they are rid of the darkness of emotional attachment.

    || 3 || Serving the True Guru, one is saved; the Gurmukh crosses over the world-ocean. The detached renunciates are attuned to the True Name; they attain the gate of salvation. || 4 || The True One is pervading everywhere, deep within; He cherishes all. O Nanak, except for the One, I do not know any other; He is the Merciful Master of all. || 5 || 5 || WADAHANS, THIRD MEHL: The Gurmukh practices true self-discipline, and attains the essence of wisdom. The Gurmukh focuses his meditation on the True One.

    || 1 || O my mind, become Gurmukh, and remember the Naam, the Name of the Lord. It shall stand by you forever, and go along with you. || Pause || The True One is the social status and the honor of the Gurmukh.Within the Gurmukh is God, his friend and helper. || 2 || He alone becomes Gurmukh, whom the Lord so blesses. He Himself blesses the Gurmukh with greatness. || 3 || The Gurmukh lives the True Word of the Shabad, and practices good deeds. The Gurmukh, O Nanak, emancipates his family and relations.

    || 4 || 6 || WADAHANS, THIRD MEHL: My tongue is intuitively attracted to the taste of the Lord. My mind is satisfied, meditating on the Name of the Lord. || 1 || Lasting peace is obtained, contemplating the True Word of the Shabad. I am forever a sacrifice to my True Guru. || 1 || Pause || My eyes are content, lovingly focused on the One Lord. My mind is content, having forsaken the love of duality.

    || 2 || The frame of my body is at peace, through the Shabad, and the Name of the Lord. The fragrance of the Naam permeates my heart. || 3 || O Nanak, one who has such great destiny written upon his forehead, through the Word of the Guru’s Bani, easily and intuitively becomes free of desire. || 4 || 7 || WADAHANS, THIRD MEHL: From the Perfect Guru, the Naam is obtained. Through the True Word of the Shabad, one merges in the True Lord.

  • In US, gay men clash over HIV prevention pill

    In US, gay men clash over HIV prevention pill

    WASHINGTON (TIP): A single daily pill may help prevent HIV. And in America, gay men who have lost countless loved ones to AIDS can’t stop fighting about it. Much of the debate has played out on the Internet and social media as tempers flare over promiscuity, erratic condom use and the potential to either eliminate or worsen the stubborn HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has killed 36 million people worldwide in the past three decades.

    The drug in question is Truvada, an oblong blue pill that combines two antiretroviral medications — tenofovir and emtricitabine. “In the medical community, this is more of a controversial, divisive issue than I ever thought it would be,” said Ray Martins, chief medical officer at the Whitman-Walker Clinic. Martins told AFP a month’s supply of pills costs between $1,200 and $2,000, which is usually covered by health insurance.

    Side effects are rare but can include nausea, bloating and diarrhea. Made by Gilead Sciences in California, Truvada was already available as a medication for HIV-positive patients when it was approved by US regulators in 2012 as a prevention strategy for people who are HIV-negative but engage in sex with HIV-positive partners, or who inject drugs.

    On Wednesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its first formal guidelines for doctors, urging them to recommend the prevention pill for patients at substantial risk of getting HIV. The daily pill should be used in conjunction with condoms as a way to cut back on new HIV infections, which have stayed steady at some 50,000 new annual cases in the United States in recent years, officials said.

    – ‘Truvada whores’ –

    is a position I fear the CDC will come to regret,” said Michael Weinstein, president of the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF). Weinstein predicted the guidelines “will likely have catastrophic consequences in the fight against AIDS in this country.”

    He has also described Truvada as a “party drug,” sparking a fresh wave of angst among supporters of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, whereby healthy people take antiretrovirals as a way to prevent HIV infection. AHF spokesman Ged Kenslea said Truvada is available in AHF’s pharmacies, and that the group does not oppose PrEP if a doctor and patient agree it could be useful in a given situation.

    “The government’s wholesale endorsement, we believe, is dangerous and will result in needless new infection,” Kenslea explained. Human nature, the inability to take pills daily even among the most responsible adults, and the rise in syphilis among gay men are all reasons cited for concern. The backlash against Truvada — the only pill presently approved for HIV prevention — has led some gay men to speak out in favor of it, even describing themselves online as “Truvada whores” in a tongue-in-cheek gesture.

    One of them is Bradley, 28, a San Francisco technology worker who tweets as @TruvadaWhore and asked that his last name not be published. “I am adamantly against slut shaming and policing of people’s consensual behavior,” he said in an interview. “PrEP may not work for or be accessible to everyone, but I want to celebrate its effectiveness and fight stigma.”

    – Science of ‘risk’ –

    Studies have shown that when taken regularly, Truvada is effective against HIV transmission by up to 92 percent, the CDC said. However, when patients failed to take it daily, its effectiveness dropped steeply. As to whether PrEP encourages riskier sex, Whitman- Walker clinical research director Richard Elion said studies on thousands of people have shown it does not. “The evidence is quite clear.

    There is no documentation of increased risk behavior,” he said.

  • Investigators look for arson in California wildfire outbreak

    Investigators look for arson in California wildfire outbreak

    SAN DIEGO: A 57-year-old man was charged with arson on May 16 in one of at least 10 wildfires that erupted in California this week, and investigators were working to determine whether other blazes in the unusually early and intense outbreak were ignited by something as ordinary as sparks from cars or something more sinister.

    State fire officials said the first blaze that erupted between Tuesday and Thursday was caused by a spark from malfunctioning construction equipment. But it could take months to get to the bottom of the most damaging fires. Alberto Serrato pleaded not guilty to arson in connection with one of the smaller fires — a 105-acre (42-hectare) fire in suburban Oceanside that started on Wednesday and is fully contained.

    Bail was set at $250,000. Tanya Sierra, a spokeswoman for the San Diego County district attorney’s office, said witnesses saw Serrato adding dead brush onto smoldering bushes, which flamed up. He has not been connected to any other fire, Sierra said. Oceanside police Lieutenant Sean Marshand said Serrato is believed to have added fuel to the fire but not to have started it.

    “Unfortunately we don’t have the guy that we really want,” he said. Serrato was booked into jail on Wednesday, according to the San Diego County sheriff’s department website, but his arrest wasn’t announced until Friday. Sierra didn’t know if he had an attorney. All together, the wildfires have raced through an estimated 20,000 acres (8,093.89 hectares) about 30 miles (48 kilometres) north of San Diego, causing more than $20 million in damage. One burned body was found in an encampment of homeless people.

    At least eight houses and an 18-unit condominium complex were destroyed, and tens of thousands of people were warned to leave their homes. Eight of the blazes popped up between late morning and sundown on Wednesday, raising suspicions that some had been set.

    The region has become a tinder box in recent days because of conditions not normally seen until late summer — extremely dry weather, 50 mph (80.46 kph) Santa Ana winds and temperatures in the 90s. On Friday, though, cooler weather aided the 2,600 firefighters, and thousands of people began returning home. In one of the hardest-hit cities, Carlsbad, investigators finished examining the burn site across the street from a park and focused on interviewing people who called a hotline that was set up to report any suspicious activity.

    “Do people have suspicions? Yes,” said police Captain Neil Gallucci, noting there has been no lightning that could explain the blazes. “But can we confirm them? The answer is no.” The list of possible causes is long and investigators will visit each burn site and go down a list, marking what they know and don’t know.