The Indian Panorama

Month: June 2014

  • Bharti Airtel slumps on Credit Suisse downgrade

    Bharti Airtel slumps on Credit Suisse downgrade

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Shares of Bharti Airtel slump 3.5% after Credit Suisse downgrades the stock to “underperform” from “neutral” and reduces the target price to Rs 265 from Rs 275, citing competition from rival Rel Jio’s, a unit of Reliance Industries.

    “Given its large spectrum holding and ongoing large-scale investments, we believe RJio’s network at launch can add significant capacity to the sector – 60-80% of Bharti’s current installed capacity,” Credit Suisse said in a report on Thursday. The stock has 32 “buys”, 9 “holds” and 2 “sell” ratings, Thomson Reuters data shows.

  • Exports hit six-month high, register two-digit growth

    Exports hit six-month high, register two-digit growth

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Led by smart performance of engineering goods, petroleum products and ready made garments, export growth hit a six-month high of 12.4 per cent in May. Exports rose to $28 billion during the month from $24.91 billion in May 2013. “The return to double-digit growth after several months is encouraging news, but we will watch the exports performance in the next month to see if this return to the trend is sustained, and there is, in fact, a revival of global demand,” Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher told reporters, releasing the trade data.

    Imports in May shrunk 11.4 per cent to $39.23 billion, narrowing the trade deficit by 42.01 per cent to $11.23 billion. Engineering goods exports grew 22.09 per cent to $6.1 billion. Petroleum products surged 28.7 per cent to $5.9 billion and readymade garments to $1.49 billion or nearly 25 per cent higher than in May, 2013. Drugs and pharma exports rose almost 10 per cent to $1.35 billion.

    The export performance of gems and jewellery, however, remained lacklustre owing to the Reserve Bank of India’s continuing import restrictions on gold for keeping under control the current account deficit (CAD) and its impact on the rupee-dollar exchange rate. Exports rose marginally by 1.36 per cent to $3.43 billion. Kher said gold import restrictions were starving gems and jewellery exporters of inputs and the RBI must review them now that CAD was no longer widening has in fact been narrowing.

  • INDIA LIKELY TO ACHIEVE 5.5% GROWTH RATE: WORLD BANK

    INDIA LIKELY TO ACHIEVE 5.5% GROWTH RATE: WORLD BANK

    NEW DELHI (TIP): With the new Indian government showing signs of economic reforms and brings in transparency in governance, the World Bank feels that the world’s third-largest economy could achieve a growth rate of 5.5 per cent this year as compared to 4.7 per cent last year. “I think there is, overall a sense that that recognition of the need for domestic solutions to policies is increasingly evident in India, as well,” World Bank economist Andrew Burns told reporters during a conference call on Tuesday.

    Burns said, “The situation in India has obviously gone through a difficult period for the last couple of years, with growth below 5 per cent after several years after it was eight per cent and even higher.” “Much of that has been a reflection of this process of being overheated and over-inflated, and a natural slowing of the economy. But there has also been a concern that the domestic reform process had lost momentum,” Mr. Burns said.

    “We saw early signs, I think, even before of the election, of a deblocking of some of these obstacles. We saw a number of investment projects that had been held back being given the go-ahead. And all of that is part and parcel of our forecast which, for India, is for growth to accelerate from 4.7 per cent last year to 5.5 per cent this year, 6.3 per cent next year, and 6.6 per cent in 2016,” Burns said.

  • NITIN GADKARI OPPOSES PLAN TO IMPOSE ANTI-DUMPING DUTY ON SOLAR GEAR

    NITIN GADKARI OPPOSES PLAN TO IMPOSE ANTI-DUMPING DUTY ON SOLAR GEAR

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Voices against the government plan to slap antidumping duty on solar panels are getting stronger with Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari asking his commerce counterpart to drop the proposal as it would ‘escalate’ the cost of solar power in the country. The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) had recommended slapping the restrictive duty on imported solar panels from the U.S., Malaysia, China and Chinese Taipei to protect domestic manufacturers.

    The recommendations came against the backdrop of the U.S. dragging India to the WTO with respect to domestic sourcing norms for the national solar mission. India is of the view that its solar mission — which aims to have 20,000 MW solar capacity by 2022 — is compliant with WTO rules. In a letter to Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Mr. Gadkari has asked her to scrap the proposal of imposition of anti-dumping duty imports on solar panels.

    “The duty if imposed, it would escalate the cost of solar power by about 100 per cent,” Gadkari’s letter said. He said indigenous manufacturers could be compensated with appropriate subsidy. “I have a firm view that the indigenous solar cell industry, which is in nascent state, needs protection and nurturing,” Gadkari added. Earlier in May, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) had opposed the recommendation to slap proposal, saying ‘it is not the right time’.

    “We are opposing it. From our side, we have said that it is not the right time…,” Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary at the MNRE had said. Meanwhile, Sumant Sinha, Chairman of the National Renewable Energy Committee of CII, said in Beijing: “The imposition of this ADD will very adversely impact the growth of the solar energy plans in India, particularly given the fact that these plans are at a nascent stage and require nurturing and encouragement.”

  • BRAZILIAN RIOT OF COLOURS

    BRAZILIAN RIOT OF COLOURS

    SAO PAULO (TIP): The 2014 Fifa World Cup got under way with a colourful opening ceremony before hosts Brazil kicked off against Croatia. A cast of 660 dancers paid tribute to the country’s nature, people and football with a show around a “living” ball on the Arena de Sao Paulo pitch. The final act saw a performance of official World Cup song “We Are One” by Jennifer Lopez and rapper Pitbull.

    Many fans took to the streets to sing and chant their support for Brazil as excitement built in the hours before the tournament began. Performers dressed as trees, flowers and various musical instruments all performed in three acts before the central ball opened to reveal singers Claudia Leitte, Jennifer Lopez and rapper Pitbull as they sang the official World Cup song as the finale.


    2

    The 65,000-seater Arena de Sao Paulo chanted the official anthem during the opening There were also demonstrations from those unhappy with the expense of hosting the tournament. Police in Sao Paulo had to use tear gas to break up one protest, which involved about 50 people, while striking airport workers in Rio de Janeiro blocked a road outside the airport, demanding a wage increase and a World Cup bonus.

    No host nation have ever lost their opening World Cup game, with the previous 20 producing 14 victories and six draws for the hosts. Hosts Brazil start as favourites, while holders Spain are aiming to win a fourth major tournament in a row after winning the European Championship two years ago.

  • Motor Vehicle Bill to be Upgraded to International Standards, Says Nitin Gadkari

    Motor Vehicle Bill to be Upgraded to International Standards, Says Nitin Gadkari

    New Delhi (TIP): Shaken by the untimely death of union rural development minister Gopinath Munde in a road accident on Tuesday, the Centre today said it will amend the Indian Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill to upgrade it to the level of international standards. “The old legislation is not acceptable to me. It has many clauses that are practically not possible. The draft bill will be ready within a month.

    We’ll then elicit views on its provisions,” union road transport, highways and shipping minister Nitin Gadkari told reporters. The new bill, according to Mr Gadkari, is likely to include measures such as the proposal to install CCTV cameras at all traffic signals, redesigning of heavy vehicles and a centralised data to check misuse of driving licences. “In a month’s time, we will re-draft the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill in sync with six advanced nations – USA, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Germany and the UK,” he said.

    The draft-Bill will be placed in a month’s time before the National Road Safety Council, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be invited. Views of various stakeholders will also be woven in. It will then be introduced in Parliament. The Union Minister cited statistics to suggest that the road safety track-record in the country was grim. “In 2012, there were 4.90 lakh accidents, which claimed the lives of 1.38 lakh people.

    The data was similar in 2013. There are various reasons behind accidents,” Mr Gadkari pointed out. “Black spots for accidents will be identified across the nation in coordination with state governments and other stakeholders,” Gadkari observed, adding, “People don’t respect law here. After the passage of the new law, advanced CCTV cameras would be installed at all traffic signals and anyone violating the law will be issued challan in the next 24-hours.”

    The existing Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, which had been introduced and passed in the Rajya Sabha in May 2012, proposes hefty penalty for traffic rule violations and drunken driving. Earlier in the day, the road transport minister had chaired a high-level meeting with the officials of his ministry, Delhi Police and other departments to dwell on improving road safety measures. Road safety experts though also say that mere plans won’t help make a difference unless citizens are actively involved in the process.

    When well-known comedian Jaspal Bhatti died in a road accident in Jalandhar, while he was on his way for a film promotion, doctors had said, had he strapped on his seat belt on the impact could have been much lesser. Two days after Union Minister Gopinath Munde’s fatal car accident it is hard not to feel a sense of deja vu as doctors, including Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, point out once again that a seat belt could have saved his life.

  • Churlish Not to Acknowledge Narendra Modi: Shashi Tharoor

    Churlish Not to Acknowledge Narendra Modi: Shashi Tharoor

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Congress MP and spokesman Shashi Tharoor says he should not be called a “Modi fan” after his recent praise for India’s new Prime Minister, but also that it would be churlish not to acknowledge the latter’s efforts to reach out to all.

    The former minister’s article in the Huffington Post, titled How Narendra Modi May Have Evolved into ‘Modi 2.0’ has made headlines. Though the Congress has distanced itself from Tharoor’s comments. In an interview to a TV channel Tharoor said, “We have been extremely concerned about what Mr Modi represents and his aspirations and ambitions on coming to Delhi.

    What has been a pleasant surprise for the likes of me is the way in which he has actually conducted himself and spoken after his election. From the moment of his victory, he has been amazingly gracious and accommodating particularly in the language he has said and the tone he has used, I think it would be churlish not to acknowledge for example when he says that he would be PM for everyone, including those who have not voted for him, that he would like to serve all Indians.” But the Congressman also added, “We will certainly robustly oppose him.

    The duty of an opposition seems to me to stand up for national interest, not to oppose for the sake of opposing everything the government says or does.” He pointed out that he has already voiced concern “about the tendency not of Modi but of some of his supporters to raise sensitive issues – Article 370, the illegal immigrants in Bangladesh, the Common Civil Code – issues that have been raised for reasons that we believe have to serve their sectarian interests and not the interests of India and we have flagged them and we will oppose them strongly.”

    When asked if his party was ok with high praise for the PM, Tharoor pointed out that he had not been fired yet and was still the spokesman, adding that his party understood what he was trying to say. But the Congress said the Mr Tharoor’s views are his personal views. “As a party, it is too early to comment on the functioning of the government,” the party’s Shobha Oza said.

    Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar slammed Mr Tharoor, calling him “immature.” Aiyar said he was deeply offended and disappointed by Tharoor’s praise for Modi. “Can’t believe an intelligent man like Shashi would say this,” he said.

  • Narendra Modi’s First Foreign Visit as PM to be Bhutan

    Narendra Modi’s First Foreign Visit as PM to be Bhutan

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to neighbouring Bhutan later this month in his first foreign visit after assuming power. PM Modi will be travelling to Bhutan and will hold talks on key bilateral and regional issues with the leadership of the Himalayan nation, top government sources said.

    The visit reflects the importance India attaches to its ties with Bhutan whose Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay was among the leaders from the neighbouring countries to attend PM Modi’s swearing-in on May 26. After the swearing-in, PM Modi had held a short duration bilateral meeting with the Bhutanese leader. The PM is also likely to travel to Brazil to participate in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in mid-July.

  • Modi coming buzz sends top babus on clean-up drive

    Modi coming buzz sends top babus on clean-up drive

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Central government offices across the capital were on high alert on June 5, with secretaries and other top officials scanning corridors and parking lots. The heightened activity was not part of a security drill but was triggered by an advisory suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may visit the offices to inspect hygiene and cleanliness. Suddenly, senior officers noticed that toilets were stinking, lights at receptions were on the blink, stretches around water coolers were dirty, paint had peeled off from several parts of the buildings and most corridors were stashed with waste paper and furniture, no longer in use.

    With the buzz “Modiji aane wale hain (Modi is about to come)” ringing loud and clear, the administration wing of several departments swung into action by 11am. Secretaries personally asked the cleaning staff to get rid of all unwanted stuff. After lunch, several secretaries in Krishi Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan and Transport Bhawan were out in the corridors, inspecting every corner that till a few hours ago had paan stains.

    Painters were hurriedly summoned to ensure that the patchwork did not show. Even tiles were replaced on war footing to ensure that a stubborn stain didn’t spoil the look of an otherwise white corridor. One of the secretaries asked his juniors to ensure that air-conditioners installed in all rooms were in working condition. Urban development secretary Sudhir Krishna reportedly had issued a circular on Wednesday, asking officials to ensure their rooms were decked up and office complexes well maintained.

    What triggered the sudden flurry of activity was Modi’s meeting with secretaries on Wednesday during which he instructed all department heads to pep up their workforce and ensure that the working environment was conducive for better delivery. In some ministries, secretaries issued circulars mentioning the priority areas and that rooms and corridors clean had to be kept clean.

    In the urban development ministry, for instance, officials have been instructed to take up representations of MPs on priority basis and also ensure that the parliamentary committees’ recommendations are complied with. Secretaries have also issued instructions to set up more IT-based public interface to resolve the problems of citizens expeditiously.

  • NO ROOM FOR LK ADVANI IN PARLIAMENT HOUSE

    NO ROOM FOR LK ADVANI IN PARLIAMENT HOUSE

    NEW DELHI (TIP): When former deputy prime minister LK Advani reached his office in Parliament during the lunch-break, he was confronted with a humiliating situation. The plaque with his name at the door of the room allotted to him in the 15th Lok Sabha – which said that he is acting chairman of the National Democratic Alliance or the NDA – had been removed.

    The 86-year-old leader was forced to sit in the BJP’s parliamentary party office during the recess, in a room earmarked for the party’s deputy leader. Gopinath Munde, who was killed in an accident on Tuesday, held the post of deputy leader in the previous Lok Sabha, while his counterpart in the Rajya Sabha was Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is now a Cabinet Minister in the Narendra Modi government.

    The room that Mr Advani sat in for the last five years is the NDA chairman’s room. Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who has been ill and out of politics for many years now, continues to remain NDA chairman. Mr Advani was designated acting chairman of the alliance in 2004, after the alliance conceded power to the UPA. Advani’s name-plate, said sources, was removed yesterday, a move which is being viewed as a sure-fire signal that he will no longer hold the post of acting chairman of the NDA.

    The BJP leader had to shift to the room earmarked for Mr Vajpayee in 2009 after his party elevated Sushma Swaraj to the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Advani had also held that post since 2004. Advani was the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate in 2009. Last year, when the party decided to project Narendra Modi for PM, Mr Advani had staged public sulks in protest.

    In March, he told his party colleagues that he wanted to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Bhopal, and not Gandhinagar, a seat held by him five times in the past. He feared that the BJP’s Gujarat unit would punish him for opposing Mr Modi’s elevation as the party’s prime ministerial face. He was eventually persuaded to contest from Gandhinagar. Advani won the seat by a whopping margin of 4.83 lakh votes.

    LOK SABHA SETS RECORD AS 510 MEMBERS TAKE OATH ON A SINGLE DAY

    This is the first time that so many members have taken oath on a single day.

    Attired in spotless white kurta-pyjama, the Prime Minister was the first to take oath amid thumping of desks. He took the oath in Hindi in the name of God and he was followed by BJP veteran LK Advani and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

    Then came the turn of panel of Chairmen- PA Sangma, BS Engti and Arjun Charan Sethi – senior members so that they could sit in the Speaker’s chair to conduct proceedings by turn to assist the Protem Speaker Kamal Nath. This was followed by oath-taking by the members of the council of ministers.

    The country’s unity in diversity was on full display as the House boasting of over 300 first timers, including Modi, saw a festive atmosphere. With many donning traditional dress and head gears, most members took oath in their mother tongue. Some ministers, including Sushma Swaraj, did it in Sanskrit.

    On June 4, the only member who had taken oath was Protem Speaker Kamal Nath before President Pranab Mukherjee in Rashtrapati Bhavan. With the results of Lok Sabha elections bringing in a new political era, it was a scene different from the one witnessed by the House in the last ten years.

    The BJP, which for the first time won a majority on its own with 282 members, occupied slightly more than half the House, accompanied by its allies which accounted for more than 50 members.

  • Citylights

    Citylights

    Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Patraleka, Manav Kaul
    Direction: Hansal Mehta
    Genre: Drama
    Duration: 2 hours 7 minutes

    Story: Impoverished Deepak takes his wife and child to Mumbai to survive – but is the family lost in big, bad city lights? REVIEW: So, Citylights is based on Sean Ellis’ acclaimed Metro Manila, but it also unlocks the doors to other movies in your mind.

    This is both a strength and drawback for this remarkable film. Deepak Singh (Rao) loses his village shop to debt and migrates to Mumbai with wife Rakhi (Patraleka) and child Mahi for a new start, ostensibly provided by friend Omkar. But reaching Mumbai, the family never finds Omkar. Instead, Deepak and Rakhi find tricksters, bar-girls, criminals, armoured guards – and a devious plot.

    Can this little family survive the big city? Citylights’ performances glow. Rao is actually breathtaking in the quietest way, playing a man so simple, you feel his innocence. Far from dramatic fireworks, there are little touches – Deepak’s nod when his daughter kisses him, an unsaid, adoring sigh – that cover this character with soulful sheen and maddening naivete.

    Patraleka’s Rakhi is an excellent counterbalance. There are scenes – sad, unspeaking eyes over a sequined saree – where Patraleka astonishes. Alongside, Deepak’s newfound mentor, ‘Vishnu sir’ (Kaul), supervisor at a security firm, crackles like a live-wire in a dark night, exuding city-slicker smarts, coiled tension and sudden warmth. Alongside, the cinematography is wonderful. Shots of the family sleeping against a rubbish pile, a ‘3BHK’ in a construction site, Deepak staring at an ocean of pure despair, a fallen cycle in a courtyard, stand out.

    The family’s migration stays with you as a vivid new experience – but its city sojourn occasionally reminds you of familiar moments. An interview scene recalls Satyajit Ray’s Pratidwandi while Citylights seems to acknowledge other masterful takes, from Dibakar Banerjee to Madhur Bhandarkar, on life in India’s toughest town.

    The second half thus gently meanders, shots becoming slightly repetitive and slow, making you agree when Vishnu tells Deepak in exasperated humour, “Aap itni dheemi gati ke film hain!” But the end gathers itself, providing a twist that both dazzles and covers darkness. Quite like city lights.

  • PRIYANKA CHOPRA LOSES SEVEN KILOS IN 20 DAYS

    PRIYANKA CHOPRA LOSES SEVEN KILOS IN 20 DAYS

    Priyanka Chopra’s move from a boxing ring in Mary Kom to a business suit in Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do was not an easy one. The actress had to lose some extra baggage on the way-seven kilos of muscle built while training to play the pugilist in the biopic. The actress had trained with boxer Jharna Sanghvi over the last year to get the brawny physique of the Olympic medal winner.

    But Zoya wanted Priyanka to look svelte for her turn as a suave businesswoman from a Punjabi family in her film, which is currently being shot aboard a cruise liner sailing through Europe. Priyanka had only 20 days to knock off the weight gained over the past year and worked with Jharna to achieve the goal.

    When contacted, Jharna says: “It’s usually not easy and advisable to cut down six-seven kilos in just 15-20 days. But boxers can lose that much in about 20 days with the right weight training and activities like skipping, running and a controlled their diet because they are trained for it. Priyanka did just that.” This was coupled by a strict diet to shed the kilos quickly.

    “Priyanka’s diet included a lot of carbohydrates then. So her weight shot up. And from the day she completed her shoot, I put her on a protein rich diet and eliminated carbohydrates. Regular exercises and run ning for at least 30 minutes helped too,” says Jharna. Priyanka is currently shooting for Dil Dhadakne Do with Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Anil Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar. The cast and crew departed for a twoand- ahalf-month schedule last month.

  • 12 injured in clashes inside Golden Temple complex

    12 injured in clashes inside Golden Temple complex

    AMRITSAR (TIP): At least 12 people were injured in a clash between task force volunteers of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and radical Sikh activists on June 6 on the 30th anniversary of the Army’s Operation Blue Star at the Golden Temple complex here. Swords and sticks were openly used as scores of men from both sides chased each other outside the Akal Takht building inside the complex, which is home to the holiest of Sikh shrines — ‘Harmandar Sahib’. Many people could be seen running for cover to save themselves.

    Eyewitnesses said the clash occurred when activists of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) were stopped by the SGPC task force volunteers from brandishing swords and other traditional weapons and raising pro-Khalistan slogans inside the complex. This led to a clash between both sides just after the religious ceremony to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Operation Blue Star had ended Friday morning. Tension continued to prevail inside the shrine complex. Even media personnel were manhandled during the incident.

    Senior police officials in plain clothes have been deployed in the complex. Top SGPC functionaries, including its president Avtar Singh Makkar, and Akal Takht Jathedar Gurbachan Singh were present inside the complex when the incident took place. Heavily armed terrorists, led by separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, were flushed out of the Golden Temple complex by the Indian Army in its Operation Blue Star in June 1984. The then prime minister Indira Gandhi had ordered the Army operation. Punjab had witnessed a bloody phase of terrorism between 1981 to 1992 as separatists demanded a Sikh homeland – Khalistan (Land of the pure). The terrorism phase left over 25,000 people dead, including hundreds of personnel of security forces

  • Shiv Sena warms up to BJP post-Munde

    Shiv Sena warms up to BJP post-Munde

    MUMBAI (TIP): The Shiv Sena may give up its recalcitrant stance vis-a-vis the state BJP, and work in cooperation with its poll ally to build a broad consensus within the six-party mahayuti, observers said on June 5 . Saamna, the Sena morninger, paid tributes to BJP leader Gopinath Munde, but said the party’s state unit will have to finalize his successor. “You can’t go looking for an heir. He has to emerge from the people.

    Munde’s heir too will come from a public crusade,” it said. A fresh round of popular struggle against the ruling Congress-NCP combine, it said, would help rejuvenate the mahayuti (saffron alliance) following Munde’s death. In an editorial, it described him as the state’s tallest leader and the Maharashtra BJP’s rallying point. Recalling Munde’s social engineering experiment, the newspaper pointed out that he guaranteed a splendid Lok Sabha tally for the mahayuti by sewing up a rainbow combination of castes and communities, including the Marathas, dhangars and other backward classes.

    “Maharashtra and the state BJP are in a state of shock because of Munde’s untimely and tragic death. A strong force which took on the ruling Congress-NCP combine has fallen. The combine could not topple him. Time pulled down the strong pillar. But, even those from the combine are mourning Munde’s death,” the Sena daily said.

  • KAREENA KAPOOR GETS SPOILT FOR CHOICE

    KAREENA KAPOOR GETS SPOILT FOR CHOICE

    Kareena Kapoor has been asked to play the female lead oposite Akshay Kumar in Prabhu Dheva’s next, Singh is Bling, being produced jointly by Ashwini Yardi and Akshay. A few weeks ago, she was offered Bejoy Nambiar’s next (untitled), produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar.

    More recently, Sujoy Ghosh flew down to Goa to ask her to play the protagonist in his next, Durga Rani, which was earlier offered to Vidya Balan and Kangana Ranaut. Now, Kareena is in a dilemma. A friend of Kareena told Mirror, “All the three films which have been offered to Kareena have a plum role for her but they will all kick off in the last quarter of this year. She will be able to accommodate only two of them.”

  • MANISH SISODIA ‘LETTER’ ACCUSES YOGENDRA YADAV OF GUNNING FOR KEJRIWAL

    MANISH SISODIA ‘LETTER’ ACCUSES YOGENDRA YADAV OF GUNNING FOR KEJRIWAL

    NEW DELHI: An ugly fight within the top leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party surfaced on June 5 with the emergence of a letter, purportedly from founder member Manish Sisodia, to senior leader Yogendra Yadav, accusing the latter of fomenting factional fights within the party and gunning for AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. When contacted, Yadav did not deny the existence of the letter. He merely said he would not comment on it.

    Sisodia could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. The letter seems to make plain the growing bad blood in the top AAP leadership. Sisodia has not only accused Yadav of fueling factionalism and targeting Kejriwal, he has charged him with misleading the leadership on AAP’s prospects in Haryana and goading it into a disastrous Lok Sabha contest. Sisodia refers to an ongoing spat between Yadav and Navin Jaihind, another senior party member who has been working with the former in Haryana, as the main reason for writing the letter.

    “You have made the fight public and because it is not being handled in the way you would like, you are trying to draw Kejriwal into it. In fact, you have accused Kejriwal of not listening to the parliamentary affairs committee and acting like a party supremo. Your issues with Jaihind need to be sorted out but instead, you have made this fight public and tried to draw Kejriwal into it,” he says. The letter also reveals that Yadav ignored majority opinion in the PAC and insisted on contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Gurgaon. Sisodia has also said Kejriwal was firmly against contesting from so many seats in the LS elections but went ahead on Yadav’s persuasion.


    25
    Yogendra Yadav

    “Kejriwal wanted to focus on Delhi politics for some years. However, you and some other members were in favour of contesting from across India. The result is in front of us,” says the letter. Sisodia has also challenged Yadav on his accusations against Kejriwal. “After our resignation from Delhi government, you got a survey carried out in Haryana in which AAP was getting 23% votes.

    But when under your leadership we managed to get only 3% votes a month and a half later, the party wants to know what happened. Instead of answering questions, you are trying to deflect attention to Kejriwal by accusing him of acting like a supremo,” Sisodia said. The letter ends with Sisodia accusing Yadav of not attending party meetings but sending emails instead. “What are you trying to achieve through these emails,” he has asked. “Are you trying to finish the party? Are you trying to win this fight against Jaihind or are you trying to finish Kejriwal?

  • ANGELINA MAY QUIT ACTING POST PLAYING ‘CLEOPATRA’

    ANGELINA MAY QUIT ACTING POST PLAYING ‘CLEOPATRA’

    Angelina Jolie admitted that though she was working on a Cleopatra biopic, the project may be her last venture as an actress. In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, the 38-year-old actress said that there were numerous ideas for the film and though it was complicated to get it right, they were getting close and the preparation would certainly be huge, Us Magazine reported.

    She added since the project was so big, she feels it to be one of those with which she can end her acting career it in a great way. Jolie had recently confessed to an American Newspaper as well, saying that acting was her mother’s choice for her, and she only realized in her mid-30’s that she wanted to focus on other things.

  • Vanessa Hudgens posts edgy rock selfie on Instagram

    Vanessa Hudgens posts edgy rock selfie on Instagram

    Vanessa Hudgens posted an edgy rock selfie with vampish dark lips and killer long nails on Instagram and urged her fans to “change the world.” The ‘High School Musical’ actress completed her rock chick look with heavy smoky eyes and dark top with chunky jewellery, the Mirror reported. The 25-year-old singer posted her selfie on her Instagram page with the Yoko Ono quote, “You change the world by being yourself”. In another photo, Hudgens looked like a mermaid with loose locks turned turquoise at the ends.

  • Maleficent

    Maleficent

    Cast: Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam
    Riley, Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, Kenneth
    Cranham
    Direction: Robert Stromberg
    Genre: Fantasy
    Duration: 1 hour 37 minutes

    STORY: The old fairy tale of an evil queen who puts a curse on a baby gets aslick, modern makeover with a decidedly darker edge. REVIEW: As a young girl living in her fairy land, Maleficent isn’t an evil person to begin with. In fact, according to the back-story, her life was full of fantasy and wonder in the moors and the forest that she lived in.

    But as time goes by, things change when King Henry (Cranham) decides to take over her beloved homeland. And that represents the clash between the two worlds – that of the humans and Maleficent’s kind. While she had befriended a boy called Stefan (played as a grown-up by Copley) when she was young, he later develops ambitions that would have far-reaching consequences in the story.

    And so, Stefan transforms from a friend into an enemy, a transformation that is most chillingly depicted in one scene. The shock and betrayal that Maleficent consequently feels is therefore somewhat justified and understandable. Her grudge against Stefan begins here and she takes revenge on him in the best way she knows.

    And as the fairytale goes, Stefan’s daughter Aurora, for no fault of hers, is cursed. But just when the story seems to take a predictable turn, we see an unexpected link begin to develop between Maleficent and the young Princess Aurora (Fanning) which is surprising as the two couldn’t be more different from each other – Maleficent is a brooding person whose confidant is a shape-shifting raven called Diaval (Riley), while Aurora is a charming and happy girl.

    Aurora has a goodness about her that possibly reminds Maleficient of how she once was. Maleficent is pretty much Angelina Jolie’s vehicle all the way, because looking at how she fits this role down to the letter, it’s hard to imagine anyone else inhabiting the character of a good person-turned-evil as well as she does in this film. Fanning imbues her character with a freshness that balances off nicely against Maleficient’s demeanour. All in all, an imaginative take on the old classic.

  • SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

    SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

    CONTD FROM Vol 8 ISSUE 21

    Like an elephant, You step with Your Feet so carefully; You are pleased with Yourself. She who is imbued with the Love of such a Great Lord, flows intoxicated, like the waters of the Ganges. Prays Nanak, I am Your slave, O Lord; Your walk is graceful, and Your speech is sweet.

    || 8 || 2 || WADAHANS, THIRD MEHL, CHHANT: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: Be imbued with the Love of your Husband Lord, O beautiful, perishable bride. Remain immersed in the True Word of the Shabad, O perishable bride; savor and enjoy the Love of your Beloved Husband.

    The Husband Lord embellishes His beloved bride with His True Love; she is in love with the Lord, Har, Har. Renouncing her selfishness, she attains her Husband Lord, and remains merged in the Word of the Guru’s Shabad. That soul-bride is adorned with the Shabad, who is attracted by His Love, and who treasures the Love of her Beloved deep within. O Nanak, the Husband Lord blends that soul bride with Himself; the True King embellishes her.

    || 1 || O worthless bride, see your Husband Lord ever-present. One who, as Gurmukh, enjoys her Husband Lord, O perishable bride, knows Him to be all-pervading everywhere. The Husband Lord is all-pervading everywhere; behold Him ever-present. Throughout the ages, know Him as the One.

    The young, innocent bride intuitively enjoys her Husband Lord; she meets the Architect of karma. One who tastes the sublime essence of the Lord, and chants the sublime Word of the Shabad, remains immersed in the Lord’s Sacred Pool. O Nanak, that soul-bride is pleasing to her Husband Lord, who, through the Shabad, remains in His Presence.

    || 2 || Go and ask the happy soul-brides, O perishable bride, who have eradicated selfconceit from within. Those who have not eradicated self-conceit, O perishable bride, do not realize the Hukam of their Husband Lord’s Command.

    Those who eradicate selfconceit obtain their Husband Lord and delight in His Love. Forever attuned to His Love, in perfect poise and grace, she repeats His Name night and day. Very fortunate is that bride who focuses her consciousness on Him; her Lord’s Love is so sweet to her. O Nanak, that soul-bride who is adorned with Truth is imbued with her Lord’s Love, in peace and poise.

    || 3 || Overcome your egotism, O perishable bride, and walk in the Guru’s Way. Thus you shall enjoy your Husband Lord forever, O perishable bride, and obtain an abode in the home of your own inner being. Obtaining an abode in the home of her inner being, she vibrates the Word of the Shabad, and is a happy soulbride forever.

    The Husband Lord is delightful and forever young; night and day, He embellishes His bride. Her Husband Lord activates the destiny written on her forehead, and she is adorned with the True Shabad. O Nanak, the soul-bride is imbued with the Love of the Lord, when she walks according to the Will of the True Guru.

    || 4 || 1 || WADAHANS, THIRD MEHL: All the dealings of the Gurmukhs are good, if they are accomplished with poise and grace. Night and day, they chant the Naam, and earn their profits, drinking in the subtle essence of the Lord. They earn the profit of the subtle essence of the Lord, dwelling on the Lord, and chanting the Naam, night and day. They gather in merits, and eliminate demerits, and become self-realized. Through the Guru’s Teachings, they are blessed with glorious greatness; they drink in the essence of the True Word of the Shabad. O Nanak, devotional worship of the Lord is a unique experience, but only a few Gurmukhs perform it.

    || 1 || As Gurmukh, plant the crop of the Lord deep within, and let it grow in your body-field. Within the home of your own being, enjoy the Lord’s subtle essence, and earn profits in the world beyond. This profit is earned in the world beyond by enshrining the Lord within the mind; blessed is this farming and trade.

    Meditating on the Lord’s Name, and enshrining Him within the mind, the Guru’s Teachings are understood. The selfwilled manmukhs have grown weary of this farming and trade; their hunger and thirst will not go away. O Nanak, plant the seed of the Name within the mind, and adorn yourself with the True Word of the Shabad.

    || 2 || Those humble beings engage in the Lord’s trade, who have the jewel of such preordained destiny upon their foreheads. Under Guru’s Instruction, the mind abides in the home of the self; through the True Word of the Shabad, she becomes unattached. By the destiny written upon their foreheads, they become truly unattached, and by reflective meditation, they are imbued with Truth.

    Without the Naam, the Name of the Lord, the whole world is insane; through the Shabad, the ego is conquered. Attached to the True Word of the Shabad, wisdom wells up. The Gurmukh obtains the Naam, the Name of the Husband Lord. O Nanak, through the Shabad, one meets the Lord, the Destroyer of fear; by the destiny written on her forehead, she ravishes and enjoys Him.

    || 3 || All farming and trading is by Hukam of His Command; surrendering to His Command, glorious greatness is obtained. Under Guru’s Instruction, one comes to understand His Command; by His Command, one is united in His Union. By His Command, one intuitively merges and blends with Him.

    The Word of the Guru’s Shabad is incomparable. Through the Guru, true greatness is obtained, and one is embellished with Truth. One finds the Destroyer of fear, and eradicates selfconceit; as Gurmukh, one is united in His Union. Says Nanak, the Name of the immaculate, inaccessible, unfathomable Commander is permeating and pervading everywhere.

    || 4 || 2 || WADAHANS, THIRD MEHL: O my mind, contemplate the True Lord forever. Dwell in peace in the home of your own being, and the Messenger of Death will not be able to touch you. The noose of the Messenger of Death will not be able to touch you, when you embrace love for the True Word of the Shabad.

    Forever imbued with the True Lord, the mind becomes immaculate, and its comings and goings are ended. The love of duality and doubt have ruined the selfwilled manmukh, who is lured away by the Messenger of Death. Says Nanak, listen, O my mind: contemplate the True Lord forever.

    || 1 || O my mind, the treasure is deep within you; do not search for it on the outside. Eat only that which is pleasing to the Lord; as Gurmukh, receive the blessing of His Glance of Grace. As Gurmukh, receive the blessing of His Glance of Grace, O my mind; the Name of the Lord, your help and support, is deep within you.

    The self-willed manmukhs are blind and devoid of wisdom; they are ruined by the love of duality.Without the Name, no one is emancipated. All are bound by the Messenger of Death. O Nanak, the treasure is deep within you; do not search for it on the outside.

    || 2 || O my mind, obtaining the blessing of this human birth, some are engaged in the trade of Truth. They serve their True Guru, and the Infinite Word of the Shabad resounds deep within. Deep within is the Infinite Shabad, and the Beloved Naam, the Name of the Lord; through the Naam, the nine treasures are obtained. The self-willed manmukhs are engrossed in emotional attachment to Maya; they suffer in pain, and through duality, they lose their honor.

    But those who conquer their ego, and merge in the True Shabad, are totally imbued with Truth. O Nanak, it is so difficult to obtain this human life; the True Guru imparts this understanding. || 3 || O my mind, those who serve their True Guru are the most fortunate beings. Those who conquer their minds are beings of renunciation and detachment.

    They are beings of renunciation and detachment – they are lovingly focused on the True One; they realize and understand themselves. Their intellect is steady, deep and profound; as Gurmukh, they naturally chant the Naam, the Name of the Lord. Some are lovers of beautiful young women; infatuation with Maya is very dear to them. The unfortunate self-willed manmukhs remain asleep. O Nanak, those who intuitively serve their Guru have perfect destiny.

    || 4 || 3 || WADAHANS, THIRD MEHL: Purchase the jewel, the priceless treasure; the True Guru has given this understanding. The profit of profits is devotional worship of the Lord; one’s virtues merge into the virtues of the Lord. One’s virtues merge into the virtues of the Lord as one comes to understand one’s own self, earning the profit of devotional worship in this world.Without devotion, there is no peace; through duality, one’s honor is lost, but under Guru’s Instruction, one is blessed with the Support of the Naam. The profit of the merchandise of the Naam is earned forever, by those whom the Lord employs in this trade. They purchase the jewel, the invaluable treasure, when the True Guru gives this understanding.

    || 1 || Emotional attachment to Maya is totally painful; this is a bad bargain. Speaking falsehood, one eats poison; evil is greatly increasing. Evil is greatly increasing in this world of skepticism; without the Name, one’s honor is lost. Reading and studying, the religious scholars argue and debate; but without understanding, there is no peace. Their comings and goings never end; emotional attachment to Maya is dear to them. Emotional attachment to Maya is totally painful; this is a bad bargain.

    || 2 || The counterfeit and the genuine are all appraised in the Court of the True Lord. The counterfeit are cast out of the Court, and they stand there, crying in misery. They stand there, crying in misery – the foolish, idiotic, self-willed manmukhs have wasted their lives. Maya is the poison which has deluded the world; it does not love the Naam, the Name of the Lord. The selfwilled manmukhs hate the Saints; they harvest only pain in this world. The counterfeit and the genuine are appraised in that True Court of the Lord.

    || 3 || He Himself acts; who else should I ask? No one else can do anything. As He pleases, He engages us; such is His glorious greatness. Such is His glorious greatness – He Himself causes all to act; no one is a warrior or a coward. The Life of the world, the Great Giver, the Architect of karma – He Himself grants forgiveness. By Guru’s Grace, selfconceit is eradicated, O Nanak, and through the Naam, honor is obtained. He Himself acts; who else should I ask? No one else can do anything.

    || 4 || 4 || WADAHANS, THIRD MEHL: The True merchandise is the Name of the Lord. This is the true trade. Under Guru’s Instruction, we trade in the Lord’s Name; its value is so very great. The value of this true trade is so very great; those who are engaged in the true trade are very fortunate. Inwardly and outwardly, they are imbued with devotion; they enshrine love for the True Name. Those who are blessed with the Lord’s Glance of Grace obtain Truth, and contemplate the Word of the Guru’s Shabad. O Nanak, those who are attuned to the Name find peace, dealing in Truth.

    || 1 || Egotistical involvement in Maya is filth; Maya is overflowing with filth. Under Guru’s Instruction, the mind is made pure, and the tongue drinks in the subtle essence of the Lord.

  • Israel, Denmark keen to partner in Ganga cleanup, water management

    Israel, Denmark keen to partner in Ganga cleanup, water management

    NEW DELHI (TIP): PM Narendra Modi’s pet Ganga cleanup programme and his mission for clean water has attracted interest from foreign nations. Israel and Denmark, global leaders in water technology and water management, say they can be part of this particular national mission. Israeli ambassador Alon Ushpiz said, “Think about the purification of the holy Ganges. I have a list of 200 Israeli companies that can do this.

    ” Already, a consortium of Danish water companies are operating in Gujarat, even conducting a pilot project for water management in Rajkot, Danish ambassador Freddy Svane said. “If you go from Gujarat down to Tamil Nadu and up to Hyderabad, you will come across more than two dozen Israeli desalination plants. Some huge, others not so big. There are places in some cities where you probably will drink water from Israeli desalination plants, joint projects with state governments. This is good water, very good water.

    The plants are exactly the same as on the shores of the Mediterranean,” Ushpiz said. Svane said Copenhagen harbour was a perfect case study of implementation of new technologies for water management. Danish companies can undertake impact studies, cleaning up of water and even provide enzymatic solutions to reduce waste water in quantity and quality. Ushpiz said, “Israel loses just about 8% of what we put in the pipes, the best figure in the world. Indian figures are higher. The beauty of water management is that you simply enlarge your water collection by saving water. I come from a society that has put water on a pedestal. It’s not only a commodity, it’s a cultural value.”

  • MEGHALAYA: MILITANTS WHO BRUTALLY KILLED WOMAN ESCAPE AFTER GUN BATTLE

    MEGHALAYA: MILITANTS WHO BRUTALLY KILLED WOMAN ESCAPE AFTER GUN BATTLE

    SOUTH GARO HILLS (TIP): The gun battle between Meghalaya police and the Garo National Liberation Army, a militant group that allegedly shot a woman through her head for resisting an attempt to molest her in a remote village of the state’s South Garo Hills district, ended on June 5.

    Security forces captured the main hideout of Sohan D Shira, the selfstyled commander of the GNLA, but the militants managed to escape under the cover of the thick forest and hilly terrain. Bullet-proof jackets and other incriminating material were recovered from the hideout. The operation took a long time because booby traps had been laid by the militants for the security forces on the approach route to the camp.

    The gun battle in Durama jungle had started at 7.30 am yesterday, informed GHP Raju, Inspector General of Operations, Meghalaya Police. The 35-year-old woman was shot six times through the head at point blank range with an automatic assault rifle outside her home, the police had said. They said the woman’s five children, locked up in the house along with their father by the assailants, first saw them assault their mother and then blow her head off.

    The FIR lodged in this case does not mention the alleged molestation. According to the police, the complaint was filed by the victim’s mother and they don’t want to pressurise the family, which is living under the threat of militancy, in any way. GNLA commander Shira has issued a statement to the press, saying action will be taken against the people who killed the woman, and added that such ‘crimes against women are not in the nature of the GNLA”.

    Earlier, the publicity secretary of the GNLA had said the woman was shot because she was a police informer. The police have denied the claim.The GNLA was declared a terror organisation by the Centre in January 2012. It is allegedly involved in several cases of murder, kidnapping and extortion in all three Garo Hills districts in Meghalaya. The union home ministry has sanctioned 10 additional companies of paramilitary forces for Meghalaya in the wake of the incident.

  • Centre May Rename POK as Pak-Occupied Jammu & Kashmir: Sources

    Centre May Rename POK as Pak-Occupied Jammu & Kashmir: Sources

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Narendra Modi government is reportedly weighing a proposal to re-name Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir or PoK as Pakistan-Occupied Jammu-Kashmir. That, if it happens, will signal a strategic shift in the Centre’s approach to Jammu and Kashmir, which also has high in priority, the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits. Sources said the new BJP-led government wants a “unified approach” on the state, that will amend what is seen as a “Kashmir centric approach.” The contention is that calling the region Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir neglects two big portions of the state – Ladakh and Jammu, which are larger both in terms of size and demography.

    The ruling National Conference has dismissed the plan as cosmetic. “It’s all cosmetic. How does it help? If you remember, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir was known as the Maharaja of Kashmir. How does it resolve the issues?” asked Tanvir Sadiq, Political Adviser of J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

    The Centre is also reportedly preparing a roadmap for the return of thousands of Kashmiri Pandits who fled the valley in the 1990s as militancy began. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, on Thursday extended his good wishes to the people of Jammu and Kashmir on the occasion of Khir Bhawani festival, saying the country was committed to “dignified” return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley.

  • India-Pakistan body releases list of Pak prisoners in Indian jails

    India-Pakistan body releases list of Pak prisoners in Indian jails

    AMRITSAR (TIP): Aaghaz-e-Dosti, a joint body comprising India-based Mission Bharatiyam and Pakistan-based The Catalyst, has released a list of Pakistani prisoners languishing in Indian jails on public domain. It will also release a list of Indian prisoners lodged in Pakistan jails within a month’s time. “Till date these lists were only available at government level and not on public domain,” Ravi Nitesh, founder of Mission Bharatiyam, said on Thursday. He added that in many cases relatives of prisoners didn’t even know about their whereabouts.

    “This is probably the first time that any such detailed list has been made public. We hope to facilitate transparency and sensitize people on both sides about each other’s pain and towards the larger goal of peace and humanity,” Nitesh said. According to the list that is updated till July 2013 and available on the organization’s website, there are 345 Pakistani prisoners, including 107 fishermen and 11 women, in Indian jails.

    While offences of five prisoners have not been registered, 48 have completed their jail sentence but were still behind bars. As many as 27 prisoners were awaiting nationality confirmation from the Pakistan high commission. While some had completed their sentence in 2007 and 2008, there are others who were awaiting NoC from respective Indian states as well as nationality confirmation from the Pakistan high commission, Nitesh added.

    Six persons were acquitted but were still languishing in jail as they were awaiting NoC and nationality confirmation. One Pakistani prisoner is facing death sentence, 139 were under trial and 79 are undergoing sentence. According to Nitesh of the 107 fishermen, no offence was registered against 46 of them till July 1, 2013.

  • EIGHT FORMS OF MARRIAGE

    EIGHT FORMS OF MARRIAGE

    The dharmasastras, including the Manusmrti, mention eight forms of marriage Brahmo-daivastathaivarsah prajapatya-statha ‘surah Gandharvo raksasascaiva Paisavastamah smrtah -Manusmrti, 3. 21 The eight types are: brahma, daiva, arsa, prajapatya, asura, gandharva, raksasa and paisaca.

    After the student bachelor has completed his gurukulavasa, his parents approach the parents of a girl belonging to a good family and ask them to give away their daughter in marriage to their son– to make a gift of their daughter (kanyadana) to him. A marriage arranged like this is brahma.

    In it this girl’s family does not give any dowry or jewellery to the boy’s family. There is no “commercial transaction” and the goal of a brahma marriage is the dharmic advancement of two families. Of the eight forms of marriage the dharmasastras regard this as the highest. Marrying a girl to a rtvik (priest) during a sacrifice is called “daiva”.

    The parents, in this type, after waiting in vain for a young man to turn up and ask for their daughter’s hand, go looking for a groom for her in a place where a sacrifice is being conducted. This type of marriage is considered inferior to brahma. In the sastras womanhood is elevated in that it is the groom’s family that has to seeking bride for their son.

    The third form, “arsa” suggests that it is concerned with the rsis, sages. It seems the marriage of Sukanya to Cyavana Maharsi was of this type. But from the dharmasastras we learn that in arsa the bride is given in exchange for two cows received from the groom. If the term is taken to mean “giving away a girl in marriage to a rsi”, we must take it that the girl is married off to an old sage because the parents could not celebrate her marriage according to the brahma rite at the right time.

    The fact that cows are taken in exchange for the bride shows that the groom does not possess any remarkable qualities. According to the sastras, in marriages of noble kind there is no place for money or anything smacking of a business transaction. In prajapatya there is no trading and kanyadana is a part of it as in the brahma ceremony.

    But from the name prajapatya it must be inferred that the bride’s menarche is imminent and that a child must be begotten soon after the marriage. For this reason the bride’s father goes in search of a groom, unlike in the brahma type. The brahma type is a better type of marriage than prajapatya since, in it, the groom’s people go seeking a bride who is to be the Grahalaksmi of their household. In the asura type the groom is in no way a match for the girl, but her father or her relatives receive a good deal of money from the man who forces them to marry her to him.

    In arsa in which cows are given in exchange for the bride there is no compulsion. Nor is the groom wealthy or powerful like his counterpart in the asura type. Many rich men must have taken a second wife according to the asura type of marriage. The next is gandharva. The very mention of it calls to mind Sakuntala and Dusyanta. The gandharva type is the “love marriage” that has such enthusiastic support these days.

    In the raksasa form the groom battles with the girl’s family, overcomes them and carries her away. It was in this manner that krsna Paramatman married Rukmini. The eighth and last is paisaca. In asura even though the girl’s willingness to marry the man is of no consequence, at least her people are given money. In raksasa, though violence is done to the girl’s family, the marriage itself is not against her wish.

    Rukmini loved Krsna, did she not? In paisaca the girl’s wish does not count, nor is any money or material given to her parents. She is seized against her wish and her family antagonised. We have the brahma type at one end and the paisaca at the other.

    There cannot be the same system or the same arrangement for everybody. Our sastras have taken into account the differences in temperament and attitude among various sections of people and it is in keeping with the same that they have assigned them different rites, vocations, etc. All our present trouble arises from the failure on the part of men, who advocate the same system for all, to recognise this fact.

    There are tribals living in the forests who look fierce and have a harsh way of life. But at heart they may be more cultured than townspeople, not to speak of the fact that they are useful to society in many ways. They have frequent family feuds. In consideration of this raksasa and paisava marriages may have to be permitted in their case. After the marriage, they are likely to forget their quarrels and live in peace with each other. Ksatriyas who are physically strong and are used to material pleasure are allowed the gandharva form of marriage and their girls have even the right to choose their husbands as in the svayamvara ceremony.

    It is for these reasons that the dharmasastras, which are based on the Vedas and which constitute Hindu law, permit eight forms of marriage. In all these eight, the bride and groom have the right to be united in wedlock with the chanting of mantras. But brahma is the highest of the eight forms. In it the bride must not have attained puberty.

    “Pradanam prak rtoh”: — this statement is in the dharmasastras themselves. A girl’s marriage, which has same significance for her that the upanayana has for a boy, must be performed when she is seven years old (or eight years from conception) Unfortunately, in the case of some girls, a groom does not turn up in time for a brahma marriage to be performed. Meanwhile, they grow old and their marriage is conducted in the arsa, daiva, or prajapatya way. Only these types are permitted for Brahmins. But for the rest other types are also allowed. They may marry a girl who has come of age either in the gandharva way or in a svayamvara.

    The marriage mantras are intended for all the eight forms. It means that they are employed even in the marriage rite of girls who have attained puberty. The two mantras quoted above are recited in all the eight types of marriage.

    They are addressed by the groom to the bride who comes to him after she has attained puberty and after she has been under the guardianship successively of Soma, gandharva and Agni. The mantras are chanted not only in brahma marriages but also in all other forms. The same are addressed by the groom to his child bride also. Though his marriage is being solemnised to the child bride now, he will start living with her only after she comes of age, after she becomes a young woman. He will bring her home to live with him only after she has come successively under Soma, gandharva and Agni.

    So he chants the mantras in advance. Nowadays we sometimes perform a number of samskaras together long after they are due according to the sastras. For example, we perform the jatakarma if a son as well as his namakarana and caula during his upanayana when he is 20 or 22 years old and not long before his marriage. Similarly, instead of such postponement of the rites, in the brahma marriage the mantras mentioned above are chanted in advance. I will give you an example in this context.

    When the brahmacarin performs the samidadhana he prays before Agni to grant him good children. How absurd would it be for our reformers to argue, on the basis of this prayer, that a young boy must have children when he is yet a celibate-student and that he may become a householder only later. The point to note is that the boy prays on advance for good children.

    The Vedic mantras cited by reformers must be seen in the same light. The mantras [quoted by reformers] are appropriate for the marriage of a girl who has come of age also. This is our reply to the school of opinion represented by the Rt Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri. If the mantras in question are chanted at the time of the marriage of girls who have come of age, it does not mean that all marriages are to be celebrated after the girls have attained puberty.

    to be continued