May 05, 2007

Like any predominantly agricultural economy, West Bengal (WB) too needs to go in for a strong drive for industrialisation. More so after its farm sector has made a reasonable progress as its average yield level is higher than the national average, the time is ripe for concerted moves to restore the prime position that WB had in industrial development not too long ago. Is this kind of an argument reminiscent of the lesson of history that successful agricultural revolution provides a solid (…)

Can the light be at last seen at the end of the tunnel in Kashmir? This question has now come up with the statement by the Union Home Minister that the time to resume the political process in Kashmir has arrived and with the report that Farooq Abdullah has been called by the government to return home from abroad and he has agreed to respond.
It was obvious when Jagmohan was summarily removed from the post of the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir that the government would now proceed along a (…)

Celebrations began among anti-reservationists with the SC putting a stay on the decision to reserve 27 per cent of seats for OBCs in educational institutions—such as central universities, IIMs, IITs, AIIMS—funded, managed or under the aegis of the Central Government, in the coming session. The jubilant protestors voiced different opinions regarding victory of merit, efficiency, equality etc. Students, communities and even masses seem to have divided into ‘us’ and ‘they’, pro- and anti- (…)

A unipolar world has not been and cannot be created, because the available military, political, financial, economic and other resources are not sufficient to build an empire in today’s conditions of globalisation. For some time, though, the myth of a unipolar world influenced the mentality and behaviour in quite a few countries, which believed the myth and invested political capital in it. But the practice of the past six years has demonstrated convincingly that attempts to disregard the (…)

Born during World War-I and entering active life, after my University education, during World War-II, no wonder I felt virtually scorched. I have, therefore, cherished peace all my life. At one time a peace-campaigner as an activist of the Afro-Asian Writers Association, serving on the Editorial Board of Lotus, its literary organ brought out in English, French and Arabic, I have a sheaf of writings on peace as theme including a great deal talked about in a collection of Short Stories (…)

The novel Tale of Two Cities of Charles Dickens begins with a piquant description of the contradictions of the times: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity;… we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…”
At the present, we can also say about the tale of two Indias: “We have the best of times; we have the worst of times. There is sparkling (…)

”And Men Have Lost Their Reason.” —’Julius Caesar’ (Act III)
Threat of Global Warming
According to a new study by scientists from the National Centre for Atmospheric Research, Texas Tech University (USA) and Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre (Australia), much of the earth will face an enhanced risk of heat waves, intense precipitation and other extremes in weather. The study appeared in the December 2006 issue of the Journal Climatic Change. The School of Oceanographic Studies of (…)

VOL XLV No 20 New Delhi May 5, 2007
Meeting the Challenge
– Editorial
Globalisation of Indian Economy : Globe for The Rich—Zero for The Poor
– Era Sezhiyan
Some Issues Concerning Industrialisation of West Bengal
– Kamal Nayan Kabra
Free Economy At Work
– Sukumar Pathak
Peace and Development
– K.S. Duggal
The Myth of Inefficiency
– Sheetal Sharma
Kashmir : Long Haul
– From N.C.’s Writings

========COMMUNICATION==========
This communication appeared in the Mainstream issue of May 6, 1967. In view of its abiding relevance it is being reproduced after exactly forty years. —Editor
History once again beckons the progressive Left forces to play their historic role in the destiny of our country. Many past opportunities have been thrown away but time and again the historical process has inevitably placed the progressive Left in a decisive position. This is true once more. (…)

When the Election Commission took the BJP to task for the communally charged content of its UP election propaganda CD, that party reacted immediately by disowning the CD. We see here a response which characterises the Sangh Parivar: an outright lie.
The BJP could not continue to hide behind that lie after the makers of the CD stated on record that they had been told what line was to be taken in it and that party high-ups, who were kept informed at every stage, had approved it when it was (…)