Obituary: Osama Bin Laden

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-10741005

Thorn in America's side Osama Bin Laden came to the world's attention on 11 September 2001, when the attacks on the United States left more than 3,000 people dead and hundreds more injured.

In a matter of three years, the Saudi-born dissident had emerged from obscurity to become one of the most hated and feared men in the world.

Osama Bin Laden was born in 1957, apparently the 17th of 52 children of Mohamed Bin Laden, a multimillionaire builder responsible for 80% of Saudi Arabia's roads.

His father's death in a helicopter crash in 1968 brought the young man a fortune running into many millions of dollars, though considerably less than the widely published estimate of $250m.

Mujahideen

While studying civil engineering at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Bin Laden came into contact with teachers and students of the more conservative brand of Islam.

Through theological debate and study, he came to embrace fundamentalist Islam as a bulwark against what he saw as the decadence of the West.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 changed Bin Laden's life forever. He took up the anti-communist cause with a will, moving to Afghanistan where, for a decade, he fought an ultimately victorious campaign with the mujahideen.

Intelligence experts believe that the US Central Intelligence Agency played an active role in arming and training the mujahideen, including Bin Laden. The end of the war saw a sea change in his views.

Lucrative investments

His hatred of Moscow shifted to Washington after 300,000 US troops, women among them, were based in Saudi Arabia, home of two of Islam's holiest places, during the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq. Bin Laden vowed to avenge what he saw as blasphemy.

 Bin Laden was the chief suspect behind the Nairobi embassy bomb Along with many of his mujahideen comrades, he brought his mix of fighting skills and Islamic zeal to many anti-US factions within the Middle East.

American pressure ended brief sojourns in Saudi Arabia - which removed his citizenship in 1994 - and then Sudan, and Bin Laden moved back to Afghanistan in January 1996.

The country, in a state of anarchy, was home to a diverse range of Islamic groups, including the fundamentalist Taleban militia, which captured the capital Kabul nine months later.

Though geographically limited, Bin Laden's wealth, increasing all the time through lucrative worldwide investments, enabled him to finance and control a continuously shifting series of transnational militant alliances through his al-Qaeda network.

Sometimes he worked as a broker, organising logistics and providing financial support. At other times, he would run his own violent campaigns.

In February 1998, he issued a fatwa - or religious edict - on behalf of the World Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders, stating that killing Americans and their allies was a Muslim duty.

'Most wanted'

Six months later, two bombs rocked the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Some 224 people died and nearly 5,000 were wounded. He was indicted as chief suspect, along with 16 of his colleagues.

 The 9/11 attacks targeted New York's financial district Almost overnight, Bin Laden became a major thorn in the side of America. A byword for fundamentalist Islamic resistance to Washington, he soon appeared on the FBI's "most wanted" list, with a reward of up to $25m on his head.

The US fired 75 sea-launched cruise missiles into six training camps in eastern Afghanistan in a failed attempt to kill him. They missed their target by just one hour.

As well as the African bombings, Bin Laden was implicated in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York, a 1995 car bomb in the Saudi capital Riyadh and a truck bomb in a Saudi barracks, which killed 19 US soldiers.

"I always kill Americans because they kill us," he said. "When we attack Americans, we don't harm other people."

In the case of the bombs in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, his words rang hollow. The vast majority of the dead and injured were African, not American.

The arrogance of wealth saw Bin Laden make the government of Kazakhstan a multi-million dollar offer to buy his own tactical nuclear weapon.

It comes as no surprise, then, that both the US and Israel are believed to have sent assassination squads after him.

Cult status

Then came the events of 11 September 2001. Two hijacked aircraft smashed into, and destroyed, the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York.

Bin Laden exhorted all Muslims to wage war against America Another aircraft ploughed into the Pentagon in Washington and a fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Altogether more than 3,000 people died in the attacks, which led to the US-led operation against the Taleban.

Allied forces moved into Afghanistan late in 2001. At the time, it was believed that Bin Laden might have been killed during the battle for the Tora Bora cave complex.

In reality, he had slipped across the border into Pakistan, a country in which he achieved the sort of cult status usually reserved for pop stars or film actors.

In February 2003, an audio tape, purporting to be of Bin Laden, was delivered to the al-Jazeera television company.

Of the impending US-led invasion of Iraq, the voice said: "This crusaders' war concerns, first and foremost, all Muslims, regardless of whether the Iraqi socialist party or Saddam remain in power.

"All Muslims, especially those in Iraq, should launch a holy war."

The US conceded that the voice was probably Bin Laden's.

Careful timing

The last known sighting of Bin Laden by anyone other than his very close entourage remains in late 2001 as he prepared to flee from his Tora Bora stronghold.

He was widely assumed to have travelled east, across into Pakistan to be given hospitality and shelter by certain local Pashtun tribesmen loyal to the Taleban and opposed to their own government led by President Pervez Musharraf.

 Bin Laden has carefully timed his media appearances The hunt for Bin Laden took a dramatic turn with the arrest in Pakistan, in 2003, of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

The head of al-Qaeda's operations and the suspected mastermind of the Twin Towers attack, it seemed as though the net had begun to close in on Bin Laden himself.

A major offensive to capture Bin Laden was launched by the Pakistani army along the Afghan border in May-July 2004.

But a year later, Mr Musharraf admitted the trail had gone cold.

Though al-Qaeda has been prolific in issuing audio messages, often on the internet and featuring the network's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, videos of Bin Laden himself have been rare.

His appearances have been carefully timed and aimed, analysts say, at influencing Western public opinion by driving a wedge between citizens and their leaders.

One such video was issued in 2004 - the same year as the Madrid bombings - and days before the US election.

A second surfaced as the sixth anniversary of the 11 September attacks approached, timed to quell rumours that he had been dead for some time.

To his supporters, Bin Laden was a fighter for freedom against the US and Israel, not, as he was to many in the West, a terrorist with the blood of thousands of people on his hands.

Obama killed Osama

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/05/2011522132275789.html

Osama bin Laden killed in Pakistan 

US president confirms al-Qaeda leader's death, saying he has been killed in firefight following US raid in Abbottabad.

Afghan officials confirm that al-Qadea leader Bin Laden has died.

US president Barack Obama said bin Laden, the most-wanted fugitive on the US list, has been killed on Sunday in a US operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, about 150km north of Islamabad.

"Tonight, I can report to the people of the United States and the world, the United States had carried an operation that has killed Osama Bin Laden, a terrorist responsible for killing thousands of innocent people," Obama said in a statement.

"Today, at my direction, the United States carried out that operation... they killed Osama Bin Laden and took custody of his body.

"The death of Bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date against Al Qaeda.

"We must also reaffirm that United states is not and will never be at war against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader, in fact, he slaughtered many Muslims," Obama said.

US celebrations

As the news of bin Laden's death spread, crowds gathered outside the White House in Washington to celebrate. 

Former US president George Bush called his death a "momentous achievement".

"The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done," Bush said in a statement.

According to Al Jazeeera's Rosalind Jordan in Washington, the operation had been in the making for the last 9 or 10 months.

"The fact that it happened inside Pakistan, there have been suggestions that Pakistani intelligence may have been protecting them," she said.

Reporting from Pakistan, Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder said the development had caught a lot of people by surprise.

"He was considered by many as a hero, but not to the extent that people would come out on the streets. The reaction so far not likely to be strong on the streets, perhaps a protest here or there by the religious parties,." he said.

'Symbolic victory'.

Qais Azimy, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Kabul, said Afghan officials described bin Laden's killing as a "symbolic victory", since he was no longer directly connected to the group's field operations.

It is, however, a major accomplishment for Obama and his national security team. Obama's predecessor, George Bush, had repeatedly vowed to bring to justice the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, but never did before leaving office in early 2009.

He had been the subject of a search since he eluded US soldiers and Afghan militia forces in a large-scale assault on the Tora Bora mountains in 2001. The trail quickly went cold after he disappeared and many intelligence officials believed he had been hiding in Pakistan.

While in hiding, bin Laden had taunted the West and advocated his views in videotapes spirited from his hideaway.

Besides September 11, Washington has also linked bin Laden to a string of attacks -- including the 1998 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the 2000 bombing of the warship USS Cole in Yemen.

Having the body may help convince any doubters that bin Laden is really dead.

May Day ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers%27_Day#India

http://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1894/02/may-day.htm

May Day:

International Workers' Day (also known as May Day) is a celebration of the international labour movement and left-wing movements. It commonly sees organized street demonstrations and marches by working people and their labour unions throughout most of the world. 

It is the commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket Massacre in Chicago, when, after an unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at police as they dispersed a public meeting, Chicago police fired on workers during a general strike for the eight hour workday, killing several demonstrators and resulting in the deaths of several police officers, largely from friendly fire. In 1889, the first congress of the Second International, meeting in Paris for the centennial of the French Revolution and the Exposition Universelle, following a proposal by Raymond Lavigne, called for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago protests. May Day was formally recognized as an annual event at the International's second congress in 1891.

Subsequently, the May Day Riots of 1894 occured. In 1904, the International Socialist Conference meeting in Amsterdam called on "all Social Democratic Party organizations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on May First for the legal establishment of the 8-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace." The congress made it "mandatory upon the proletarian organizations of all countries to stop work on May 1, wherever it is possible without injury to the workers."

May Day in India:

The first May Day celebration in India was organised in Madras by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan on May 1, 1923. This was also the first time the red flag was used in India. The party leader Singaravelu Chettiar made arrangements to celebrate May Day in two places in 1923. One meeting was held at the beach opposite to the Madras High Court; the other meeting was held at the Triplicane beach. The Hindu newspaper, published from Madras reported,

"The Labour Kisan party has introduced May Day celebrations in Chennai. Comrade Singaravelar presided over the meeting. A resolution was passed stating that the government should declare May Day as a holiday. The president of the party explained the non-violent principles of the party. There was a request for financial aid. It was emphasized that workers of the world must unite to achieve independence."

In Maharashtra and Gujarat, May Day is officially called Maharashtra Day and Gujarat Day respectively, since on this day in 1960 each attained statehood, after the old Bombay State became divided on linguistic lines.

Rosa Luxemburg on May Day:

The Idea of May Day on the March (1913)

Written: First published in Liepziger Volkszeitung, April 30, 1913.

In the middle of the wildest orgies of imperialism, the world holiday of the proletariat is repeating itself for the twenty-fourth time. What has taken place in the quarter of a century since the epoch-making decision to celebrate May Day is an immense part of the historical path. When the May demonstration made its debut, the vanguard of the International, the German working class, was breaking the chains of a shameful law of exception and setting out on the path of a free, legal development. The period of the long depression on the world market since the crash of the 1870s had been overcome, and the capitalist economy had just begun a phase of splendid growth which would last nearly a decade. At the same time, after twenty years of unbroken peace, the world breathed a sigh of relief, remembering the period of war in which the modern European state system had received its bloody baptism. The path seemed free for a peaceful cultural development; illusions, hopes of a reasonable, pacific discussion between labor and capital grew abundantly like green corn in the ranks of socialism. Propositions like “to hold out the open hand to the good will” marked the beginning of the 1890s; promises of an imperceptible “gradual move into socialism” marked its end. Crises, wars, and revolution were supposed to have been things of the past, the baby shoes of modern society; parliamentarism and unions, democracy in the state and democracy in the factory were supposed to open the doors of a new, better order.

The course of events has submitted all of these illusions to a fearful test. At the end of the 1890s, in place of the promised, smooth, social-reforming cultural development, began a period of the most violent and acute sharpening of the capitalistic contradictions – a storm and stress, a crashing and colliding, a wavering and quaking in the foundations of the society. In the following decade, the ten-year period of economic prosperity was paid for by two violent world crises. After two decades of world peace, in the last decade of the past century followed six bloody wars, and in the first decade of the new century four bloody revolutions. Instead of the social reforms – conspiracy laws, penal laws, and penal praxis; instead of industrial democracy – the powerful concentration of capital in cartels and business associations, and the international practice of gigantic lock-outs. And instead of the new growth of democracy in the state – a miserable breakdown of the last remnants of bourgeois liberalism and bourgeois democracy. Specifically in the case of Germany the fate of the bourgeois parties since the 1890s has brought: the rise and immediate, hopeless dissolution of the National Socialists; the split of the “radical” opposition and the reunification of its splinters in the morass of the reaction; and finally the transformation of the “center” from a radical peoples’ party to a conservative governmental party. The shifting in the development of the parties was similar in other capitalist countries. In general, the revolutionary working class sees itself today standing alone, opposed to a closed, hostile reaction of the ruling classes and their malicious tricks.

The sign under which this whole development, both economic and political, has been consummated, the formula back to which its results point, is imperialism. This is no new element, no unexpected turn in the general historical path of the capitalist society. Armaments and wars, international contradictions and colonial politics accompany the history of capitalism from its cradle. It is the most extreme intensification of these elements, a drawing together, a gigantic storming of these contradictions which has produced a new epoch in the course of modern society. In a dialectical interaction, both cause and effect of the immense accumulation of capital and the heightening and sharpening of the contradictions which go with it internally, between capital and labor; externally, between the capitalist states – imperialism has opened the final phase, the division of the world by the assault of capital. A chain of unending, exorbitant armaments on land and on sea in all capitalist countries because of rivalries; a chain of bloody wars which have spread from Africa to Europe and which at any moment could light the spark which would become a world fire; moreover, for years the uncheckable specter of inflation, of mass hunger in the whole capitalist world – all of these are the signs under which the world holiday of labor, after nearly a quarter of a century, approaches. And each of these signs is a flaming testimony of the living truth and the power of the idea of May Day.

The brilliant basic idea of May Day is the autonomous, immediate stepping forward of the proletarian masses, the political mass action of the millions of workers who otherwise are atomized by the barriers of the state in the day-to-day parliamentary affairs, who mostly can give expression to their own will only through the ballot, through the election of their representatives. The excellent proposal of the Frenchman Lavigne at the Paris Congress of the International added to this parliamentary, indirect manifestation of the will of the proletariat a direct, international mass manifestation: the strike as a demonstration and means of struggle for the eight-hour day, world peace, and socialism.

And in effect what an upswing this idea, this new form of struggle has taken on in the last decade! The mass strike has become an internationally recognized, indispensable weapon of the political struggle. As a demonstration, as a weapon in the struggle, it returns again in innumerable forms and gradations in all countries for nearly fifteen years. As a sign of the revolutionary reanimation of the proletariat in Russia, as a tenacious means of struggle in the hands of the Belgian proletariat, it has just now proved its living power. And the next, most burning question in Germany – the Prussian voting rights – obviously, because of its previous slipshod treatment, points to a rising mass action of the Prussian proletariat up to the mass strike as the only possible solution.

No wonder! The whole development, the whole tendency of imperialism in the last decade leads the international working class to see more clearly and more tangibly that only the personal stepping forward of the broadest masses, their personal political action, mass demonstrations, and mass strikes which must sooner or later open into a period of revolutionary struggles for the power in the state, can give the correct answer of the proletariat to the immense oppression of imperialistic policy. In this moment of armament lunacy and war orgies, only the resolute will to struggle of the working masses, their capacity and readiness for powerful mass actions, can maintain world peace and push away the menacing world conflagration. And the more the idea of May Day, the idea of resolute mass actions as a manifestation of international unity, and as a means of struggle for peace and for socialism, takes root in the strongest troops of the International, the German working class, the greater is our guarantee that out of the world war which, sooner or later, is unavoidable, will come forth a definite and victorious struggle between the world of labor and that of capital.

e-Governance

National e-Governance Plan

The National e-Governance Plan of Indian Government seeks to lay the foundation and provide the impetus for long-term growth of e-Governance within the country. The plan seeks to create the right governance and institutional mechanisms, set up the core infrastructure and policies and implement a number of Mission Mode Projects at the center, state and integrated service levels to create a citizen-centric and business-centric environment for governance.

Mission Mode Projects

NeGP comprises of 27 Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) encompassing 10 Central MMPs, 10 State MMPs and 7 Integrated MMPs spanning multiple Ministries/ Departments. "Mission Mode" implies that the objective and the scope of the project are clearly defined, that the project has measurable outcomes and service-levels, and the project has well-defined milestones and timelines for implementation.

MMPs are owned and spearheaded by various Line Ministries concerned for Central, State, and Integrated MMPs. The concerned Ministry/ Department is entirely responsible for all decisions related to their MMPs. However, decisions impacting NeGP as a whole are taken in consultation with DIT. Additionally, wherever required by the concerned Ministries/ Departments, DIT provides necessary support for project formulation and development.

Every State has the flexibility of identifying up to 5 additional State-specific MMPs (relevant for economic development within the State). In cases where Central Assistance is required, such inclusions are considered on the advice of the concerned Line Ministries/ Departments.

Central MMPs

Banking
Central Excise & Customs
Income Tax (IT)
Insurance
MCA21
National Citizen Database
Passport
Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration& Tracking
Pension
e-Office

State MMPs

Agriculture
Commercial Taxes
e−District
Employment Exchange
Land Records
Municipalities
Gram Panchayats
Police
Road Transport
Treasuries

Integrated MMPs

CSC
e-Biz
e-Courts
e-Procurement
EDI For eTrade
National e-governance Service Delivery Gateway
India Portal

For more details, refer to the link below...

http://mit.gov.in/content/mission-mode-projects

NTM and Anti-Dumping

Non Tariff Measures

Non Tariff Measures (NTMs) are all measures other than normal tariffs namely trade related procedures, regulations, standards, licensing systems and even trade defense measures such as anti-dumping duties etc which have the effect of restricting trade between nations. Some of these measures could be justified under the provisions or the exceptions provided under the various multilateral agreements governing international trade. On the other hand, certain non tariff measures which cannot be justified under any of these legal provisions are normally termed as non tariff barriers (NTBs).

With the lowering of tariffs across the globe, NTMs have come into prominence with Members using these measures to erect entry barriers for goods and services. It is therefore, not surprising that the developed countries with relatively lower tariffs are the more prolific users of NTMs / NTBs especially to keep out developing country exports.

The details of some of the major NTMs that are maintained against Indian exports are as under:

http://commerce.nic.in/trade/international_ntm.asp?id=4&trade=i

------------------------------------------------

Antidumping – Meaning And Concept

http://commerce.nic.in/traderemedies/ad_measures_3.asp

Q. 1. What is anti dumping? What is its purpose in International Trade?

Ans. Dumping is said to occur when the goods are exported by a country to another country at a price lower than its normal value. This is an unfair trade practice which can have a distortive effect on international trade. Anti dumping is a measure to rectify the situation arising out of the dumping of goods and its trade distortive effect. Thus, the purpose of anti dumping duty is to rectify the trade distortive effect of dumping and re-establish fair trade. The use of anti dumping measure as an instrument of fair competition is permitted by the WTO. In fact, anti dumping is an instrument for ensuring fair trade and is not a measure of protection per se for the domestic industry. It provides relief to the domestic industry against the injury caused by dumping.

Q.2. What is the difference between anti dumping duty and Normal Customs duty? Is the anti dumping duty over and above the Normal Customs duty chargeable on the import of an item?

Ans. Although anti dumping duty is levied and collected by the Customs Authorities, it is entirely different from the Customs duties not only in concept and substance, but also in purpose and operation. The following are the main differences between the two: -

Conceptually, anti dumping and the like measures in their essence are linked to the notion of fair trade. The object of these duties is to guard against the situation arising out of unfair trade practices while customs duties are there as a means of raising revenue and for overall development of the economy.

Customs duties fall in the realm of trade and fiscal policies of the Government while anti dumping and anti subsidy measures are there as trade remedial measures.

The object of anti dumping and allied duties is to offset the injurious effect of international price discrimination while customs duties have implications for the government revenue and for overall development of the economy.

Anti dumping duties are not necessarily in the nature of a tax measure inasmuch as the Authority is empowered to suspend these duties in case of an exporter offering a price undertaking. Thus such measures are not always in the form of duties/tax.

Anti dumping and anti subsidy duties are levied against exporter / country inasmuch as they are country specific and exporter specific as against the customs duties which are general and universally applicable to all imports irrespective of the country of origin and the exporter.

Thus, there are basic conceptual and operational differences between the customs duty and the anti dumping duty. The anti dumping duty is levied over and above the normal customs duty chargeable on the import of goods in question.

Q.3. What are the parameters used to assess dumping of goods from a country?

Ans. Dumping means export of goods by one country / territory to the market of another country / territory at a price lower than the normal value. If the export price is lower than the normal value, it constitutes dumping. Thus, there are two fundamental parameters used for determination of dumping, namely, the normal value and the export price. Both these elements have to be compared at the same level of trade, generally at ex-factory level, for assessment of dumping.

Q. 4. What are the parameters of injury to the domestic industry?

Ans. Broadly, injury may be analysed in terms of the volume effect and price effect of the dumped imports. The parameters by which injury to the domestic industry is to be assessed in the anti dumping proceedings are such economic indicators having a bearing upon the state of industry as the magnitude of dumping, and the decline in sales, selling price, profits, market share, production, utilisation of capacity etc.

Q.5 What is the legal framework for Anti Dumping, Anti Subsidy and safeguard measures?

Ans. Sections 9, 9 A, 9 B and 9 C of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 as amended in 1995 and the Customs Tariff (Identification, Assessment and Collection of Anti-dumping Duty on Dumped Articles and for Determination of Injury) Rules, 1995 and Customs Tariff (Identification, Assessment and Collection of Countervailing Duty on Subsidised Articles and for Determination of Injury) Rules, 1995 framed there under form the legal basis for anti-dumping and anti subsidy investigations and for the levy of anti-dumping and countervailing duties. These laws are in consonance with the WTO Agreements on Anti Dumping and Anti Subsidy countervailing measures.

18th April - this day that age...

The story of Modern India's awakening has always fascinated and inspired me - rise in nationwide political consciousness with Surrender not Banerjee's Indian Association to the "Do or Die" slogan of Quit India Movement, from the Regulating Act of 1773 to the Government of India Act 1935, from Raja Rammohan Roy's Sambad Kaumudi to Sachindranath Sanyal's Bandi Jeevan: all speak volumes of how India suffered but gradually broke the shackles of social, cultural, economic and political bondage, thus, relieving the "White men" of their "burden". Achieving the end was not easy - it came after 200 long years of economic deprivation, poverty, illiteracy, constitutional agitation and bloodshed.

There are certain episodes in these 200 years which I wish, I could be a part of. One of them is the Chittagong Armoury Raid which took place on the 18th of April, 1930 and the second is the Young Bengal Movement of 1830's, started by Henry Vivian Derozio, who co-incidentally was also born on 18th April, 1808. The following section is a small compilation of what these two events were about.

Chittagong Armoury Raid  à

This was a daring revolutionary endeavour led by Masterda Surya Sen. Aware of the limited equipment and other resources of the freedom fighters, he was convinced of the need for secret Guerrilla warfare against the colonial government. His plan was to capture Chittagong’s two main armouries and take down the communications and railway lines. The plan also included assassinating the members of the European Club – military and government officials who were responsible for siding with the British to maintain the Raj.

Masterda Surya Sen

All Six original leaders of the Chittagong Uprising - Surjya Sen, Nirmal Chandra Sen, Lokenath Bal, Ambika Chakrabarti, Ananta Singh and Ganesh Ghosh, were participants in the Congress-led Civil Disobedience movement launched in 1919.They were bitterly disappointed by Gandhi's decision to call off the movement in 1922 in the wake of the Chauri Chaura incident.

The raid would have given them sufficient arms, ammunitions and they thought that would be the prelude to a great uprising. They built up an 'army' amongst teenage recruits who were given physical training in physical training clubs and secret training in arms under cover.

At around 10 pm, around 100 young patriots clad in khaki, marched in military order in several groups in chorus. One of their batches raided the telephone exchanges and Telegraph offices and cut off all communications between Calcutta and Dacca. The second severed rail connections at Nangalkot and Dham, which caused derailment of good trains and blockading of all railway traffic. The third headed the club but failing to find any officials there, they joined the main group. At the same time, leaflets were distributed all over the town explaining the objective of the raid. These were signed by Surya Sen as the President of the "Indian Republican Army, Chittagong branch". The revolutionaries seized gigantic amount of arms and were able to throw back the Government forces.

After the British received reinforcements on the 20^th April and heavy casualties on both sides, the revolutionaries dispersed and continued the guerrilla fight from different locations. The raid shook the English pride of invincibility and in return, they undertook repressive measures and unleashed havoc on the natives. They booked a criminal case called the “Chittagong Armoury Raid Case” and launched a prosecution against 32 revolutionaries for “waging war against the King Emperor”. Some were sentenced and deported to Andaman’s, some were acquitted, few escaped and carried on their attacks.

Kalpana Datta

After 3 long years, Surya Sen was arrested in February 1933 and was hanged on January 12, 1934.

The Chittagong Armoury raid also saw the active participation of women like Kalpana Datta and Pritilata Waddedar. After her release in 1939, Kalpana graduated from Calcutta University in 1940 and became a part of the Communist Party of India. In 1946, she contested for the Bengal Legislative Assembly as a communist candidate from Chittagong but lost. Kalpana Datta died in Calcutta on February 8, 1995.

 

In 1943, Kalpana Datta married Purab Chand Joshi, and had two sons: Suraj and Chand. Chand Joshi was a famous journalist who worked for Hindustan Times. He wrote a book called Bhindranwale: Myth and Reality (1985).  Chand’s wife Manini (nee Chatterjee) wrote a book on the Chittagong Armory Raid: Do and Die, which is the base for Ashutosh Gowariker’s movie Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se.

Henry Vivian Derozio and Young Bengal à

To India, My Native Land:

My country in thy days of glory past

A beauteous halo circled round thy brow,

And worshipped as a deity thou wast –

Where is thy glory, where that reverence now?

The eagle pinion is chained down at last

And groveling in the lowly dust art thou,

Thy ministrel hath no wreath to wear for thee,

Save the sad story of thy misery

- Henry Vivian Derozio

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio

‘Rammohan Roy was the brightest star in the Indian sky during the first half of the 19^th century, but he was not a lone star. Another bright star in the intellectual movement of India was Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, an Anglo-Indian who was born on April 18, 1808. He had deep faith in the French Revolution and English radicalism to which one may add free thinking.

Appointed in 1826 as a teacher of English literature and History in Hindu College, Derozio attracted young students by his wide-ranging knowledge and liberal outlook. Students of Derozio began to question orthodox Hinduisim. In 1828 Derozio founded the Academic Association which organized debates on various topics. Attacking Hindu religion and society, the Young men of the Academy protested vehemently against orthodoxy. Hundreds of students withdrew from the Hindu College. Derozio was dismissed from service on April 25, 1831 on charges of propagating revolutionary ideas against Hinduism.

Dakshinaranjan Mukherjee was 

one of the leaders of the 

Young Bengal group 

He had donated land 

for the Bethune School 

and assisted David Hare 

in his social works

Derozio died in December 1831, but his spirit remained by inspire young generation. The students of Derozio collectively known as Young Bengal took keen interest in social reforms and educational activities. The Derozians advocated the emancipation of women in all its facets: the need for education, the evils of child-marriage and Kulin polygamy and the ban on widow-remariage. The Young Bengal founded a circulating library, a Society for the Acquisition of General Knowledge (1838) and a short-lived Mechanical Institute (1839).

Quite a few journals – Parthenon, Hesperus, Jnananveshan, Enquirer and the Bengal Spectator – were run by the Derozians between 1828 and 1843. The Derozians were connected with the efforts for the introduction of Western medical education in the country which ultimately led to the foundation of the Medical College in 1835. The Derozians were delighted when the Calcutta Public Library was founded. They continued the movement started by Rammohun for the freedom of the press. Rammohun did not live to see its success but the Derozians achieved a major triumph when Lord Metcalfe restored the freedom of the press in 1835.

With the passage of time the Young Bengal Movement underwent a process of transformation. The earlier phase of its aggressiveness was replaced by a more sober attitude. The Charter Act of 1833 opened new avenues of employment to Indians and many brilliant Derozians got appointment as Deputy Collectors and Munsiffs. But the real failure of the Derozians was that their ideas failed at pass beyond the pales of theory. Their outright condemnation of Hindu religion and society and their lack of understanding isolated them from the people in general.


References:


Modern India - by S.N Sen

http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1705/17050790.htm
http://www.indianetzone.com/31/chittagong_armoury_raid_case_indian_freedom_movement.htm


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Indira Mukherjee thought of writing this today morning after she realised that it is the 18th of April. This day is truly a very significant one - in fact, Dr. Albert Einstein also passed away on 18th April, 1955..

Hazaro Crusade Aisi......???

Editor’s Comments:

While chatting with Abhilash Mahapatra a couple of days back in gtalk, I came to know that he had visited Jantar Mantar (which could have been India’s Tahrir) and had a direct experience of the anti-corruption Crusade. I urged him to pen down his feelings which you will find below (albeit a bit edited).  You can argue with him if you feel that he has expressed himself in a cynical manner.

However, the point that Indian Policy finds noteworthy is:

Bhushan and sons can always be in the same committee. That’s not the issue since they have strong legal backgrounds. But arguing in the same trajectory, why not Kiran Bedi? She has loads of experience in governance, government and legal aspects. Moreover, she holds a doctoral degree in Law. Well, Hazare and Kejriwal have no legal backgrounds! 

Please enlighten us on this.

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Hazare’s Crusade: First hand Reflections from Jantar Mantar

Modern Democracy as the form of governance and government took birth with Abraham Lincoln and timely updated itself with French revolution and peoples’ revolution world over. The year 2011 has become a breakwater and has added a fresh perspective to democratic form of governance.

Inspired from the historical events, democracy has found new medium of people support like twitter, face book and other social networking sites to propagate its ideas. First it was Tunisia then Egypt, then Libya and recently India. Theoretically democratic governance has no definite boundaries or guidelines to act as restriction till the time peoples’ interests are given priority.

Difficulty arises while practically implementing the democratic setup to upkeep the larger interest of majority. The loopholes are drafted simultaneously while implementing democratic theories. The major outcome of the loopholes can be termed as Corruption. While it has many aspects to it but at the end it is a cancer which victimises the healthiest of democracies.

6th April 2011 was no ordinary evening in Indian democracy. The epicentre was at the historical monument of Jantar Mantar at Delhi and the shock waves reached the hearts of every Mobile subscriber and television viewer of India. After Loknayak JPs call in the mid-1970s, this was a major peaceful demonstration (or protest) against the government in post-independent India. In the lead was a gandhian, Mr Anna Hazare with enormous support from The Civil Society of India.

Essentially, the movement can be dated on 5th April 2011, with a Fast –unto death protest for participation of civil society in the drafting committee of Lokpal Bill. It coincided with Hindu festival of Navratra, when majority of believers keep fast till Navami. Well, it can be said; civil society planned the mass fasting on the smartest dates.

Lokpal bill, considered the most controversial bill for every ruling government party and a prospective issue for opposition since its inception in early 1970s.The scene at Jantar Mantar had its political, social, economic and satirical connotation. It was seen as –if you don’t support the protest then you are corrupt - so it became a necessity for all to support it. After all who wants to be tagged as corrupt; it is rather easy to blame the system and move on.

People of all age group: professionals, students, actors, activists, politician and page 3ites, every one turned out in numbers. Partying the last weekend with Cricket World cup win had not yet steamed out of the minds of people. The ground reality was majority of them discussed the world cup victory under the real demand of Lokpal bill. Tons of wax was melted in the name of protest which diminished the effect of Mar 26 “Earth hour”. I also encountered people who were tourists on Delhi darshan trip in the protest group. Shouting “HAAN” (YES) whenever it was announced – Do you want corruption free India?. This was termed the voice of democracy.

Both print media and television media had their camera angles pre-set and large convoy of media vans were aligned on the spot. Lakhs of stories were made in a day. As it happens most of them were unaware of the theme- The Lokpal bill- but street plays and speeches on corruption were at its best. People thronged to see the famous personalities while lakhs of pamphlets were distributed simultaneously to all passer-bys.

The success of the event was the amount of sensationalism and highlight given by media. Post-26/11 terror attack, this was the first time when every media channel made it a point to be give every detail of its occurrence.

Lokpal bill demands for a separate commission to look over government administrative dealings which wants to have eye over every person that forms the government. In all creating a supreme vigilance branch. The CVC, CAG, Judiciary, Ombudsman are some of the present check gates to look over governmental functioning. They are seen as corrupt and are bound by political will at the end. A new lokpal commission expects to be an authority over all.

My visit to the venue was an experience of vibrant democracy in action. The hope of corruption free India was visible in every soul including the stray dogs that were upset as their favourite hideout was invaded by democratic voices. I could imagine now what kind of support Gandhi had in his non-violent movements as the only visible proof was the photos of mass rallies which I had seen in my NCERT books.

An old man in white leading a huge rally of protesters. Similarly I imagined future text books would surely have a picture “an old man is lying on the bed and huge mass gathering around it all in the background of Jantar Mantar of Delhi. I would not shy to conclude that Jantar Mantar now could be better understood as JAN (People), TAR (Devoted) creating a MANTAR (Magic).

At the end, the old man’s demands were met by the government of the day. All now remains are a strong democratic will and awareness of new literate generation.

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Who had thought that the Jantar Mantar of Muhamammd Shah and Jai Singh II [ which recently made its entry in the UNESCO World heritage List ], would get associated with the crusade against corruption in 21st Century India. Abhilash Mohapatra uses his "mighty sword" to express the same...

Lokpal Bill

----------What is the Lokpal Bill ?----------

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/what-is-the-jan-lokpal-bill-why-its-important-96600

http://indiaagainstcorruption.org/

The Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen's ombudsman Bill) is a draft anti-corruption bill drawn up by prominent civil society activists seeking the appointment of a Jan Lokpal, an independent body  that would investigate corruption cases, complete the investigation within a year and envisages trial in the case getting over in the next one year.

Drafted by Justice Santosh Hegde (former Supreme Court Judge and present Lokayukta of Karnataka), Prashant Bhushan (Supreme Court Lawyer) and Arvind Kejriwal (RTI activist), the draft Bill envisages a system where a corrupt person found guilty would go to jail within two years of the complaint being made and his ill-gotten wealth being confiscated. It also seeks power to the Jan Lokpal to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats without government permission.

Retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi and other known people like Swami Agnivesh, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Anna Hazare and Mallika Sarabhai are also part of the movement, called India Against Corruption. Its website describes the movement as "an expression of collective anger of people of India against corruption. We have all come together to force/request/persuade/pressurize the Government to enact the Jan Lokpal Bill. We feel that if this Bill were enacted it would create an effective deterrence against corruption."

Anna Hazare, anti-corruption crusader, began a fast-unto-death today, demanding that this bill, drafted by the civil society, be adopted. The website of the India Against Corruption movement calls the Lokpal Bill of the government an "eyewash" and has on it a critique of that government Bill. It also lists the difference between the Bills drafted by the government and civil society.

A look at the salient features of Jan Lokpal Bill:

1. An institution called LOKPAL at the centre and LOKAYUKTA in each state will be set up.

2. Like Supreme Court and Election Commission, they will be completely independent of the governments. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations.

3. Cases against corrupt people will not linger on for years anymore: Investigations in any case will have to be completed in one year. Trial should be completed in next one year so that the corrupt politician, officer or judge is sent to jail within two years.

4. The loss that a corrupt person caused to the government will be recovered at the time of conviction.

5. How will it help a common citizen: If any work of any citizen is not done in prescribed time in any government office, Lokpal will impose financial penalty on guilty officers, which will be given as compensation to the complainant.

6. So, you could approach Lokpal if your ration card or passport or voter card is not being made or if police is not registering your case or any other work is not being done in prescribed time. Lokpal will have to get it done in a month's time. You could also report any case of corruption to Lokpal like ration being siphoned off, poor quality roads been constructed or panchayat funds being siphoned off. Lokpal will have to complete its investigations in a year, trial will be over in next one year and the guilty will go to jail within two years.

7. But won't the government appoint corrupt and weak people as Lokpal members? That won't be possible because its members will be selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and not by politicians, through a completely transparent and participatory process.

8. What if some officer in Lokpal becomes corrupt? The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent. Any complaint against any officer of Lokpal shall be investigated and the officer dismissed within two months.

9. What will happen to existing anti-corruption agencies? CVC, departmental vigilance and anti-corruption branch of CBI will be merged into Lokpal. Lokpal will have complete powers and machinery to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician.

10. It will be the duty of the Lokpal to provide protection to those who are being victimized for raising their voice against corruption.

----------History----------

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/What-is-Lokpal-Bill/articleshow/7879944.cms

For 42 years, governments have tried to put in place the law.

The bill was for the first time presented during the fourth Lok Sabha in 1968, and was passed there in 1969. However, the Lok Sabha was dissolved , resulting in the first death of the bill.

It was revived in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and 2008.

In September 2004, prime minister Manmohan Singh said the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government would lose no time in enacting the bill. But strong lobbies blocked it.

----------By Rajinder Sachar----------

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-01-07/news/29382630_1_lokpal-bill-chief-justice-or-judge-fight-corruption

THE WORLD TODAY: An Indian Perspective

The British Royal Air force must have added new statistics to the performance of their new Jets by the time the article is over. The American forces must be getting ready to use their latest war machinery in the new battle field. The Libyan territory or The” Gaddaffi  Zone”. This new war-zone formed as a consequence of NATO treaty. This action of allied forces of bombing Libya is the most condemnable action of the present decade. It overrides the now fake promises of better world by the Obama’s, Cameroons or Ban-Ki-moon.

It is rightly said that public memory is very short-term as hardly less than a decade has passed off the now termed disastrous action of US, the Afghan war or the Iraq war, which was discussed in every political, social, economical circle as a drain of public wealth in the name of security. That even put the American economy to undergo a cycle of economic recession in the long run. Nothing has been learned from the past as it seems America still follows its old rule of war as the best option of revival of economy since the 1928 recession. The WW-II, The Vietnamese action, The Afghan action, the gulf war, the WMD war and The Iraqi War and the latest Libyan war. It is to be observed none of the war has ever been fought in US territory .Every time a war has happened US has entered to the market of the region. The Libyan action just repeats the history. UK and France both have been waiting to revive their recession-hit economy. War seems a perfect bail out action. Quoting Gandhian philosophy ”War is a never ending process to reach peace”. The outcome would always be a large death toll.

Human lives are also lost in the natural disasters. Hardly a fortnight has passed when Japan bore the brunt of deadliest natural disaster of all time. The nature in its most damageable force turned the urban center of Japan to rubble. The disaster got magnified with major nuclear reactors getting damaged and radiations being discharged uncontrollably crossing dangerous levels. Such tsunami exposes the helplessness of human towards the action of nature. The unfriendly attitude of human to nature is returned back so fiercely by nature. This creates new debates like disaster preparedness, nuclear technology and its safety, economic reserves for funds, population safety, human settlements etc.  Japan with damages to its nuclear facility has unknowingly harmed its population and nature equally with dangerous levels of nuclear radiations.

The nuclear term reminds of the historical Indo-US nuclear treaty. The Indo-US nuclear deal has again come at the center stage of all debates, all thanks to Wiki leaks, a whistleblower activism organization which claims of authenticate cable and in-turn exposes leaks in the system. The issue might have turned political but has certainly exposed the nervousness of accepting technology as the solution to all, by India. The Indian attitude of claiming every invention of today, to Indians directly or indirectly, or otherwise regarding such invention not worthy of mention has been a run down on “INDIA” image. Such skeptical attitude has projected the Indo-US deal as India’s surrender to US.  The deal acts as only a facilitation treaty for technological exchange, than a binding treaty. Utilizing the facility is completely an Indian wish. If in future India develops an in-house technology to fulfill its growing energy demand then the deal would loose its relevance automatically.

The economic health of India has created new avenues, or else where is it seen worlds richest Gates and Buffet at the same time in the country. Philanthropical actions seems the first step of the US rich to gain Indian confidence. It certainly puts a question that such socially motivated action sees a splurge of foreign funds which is an add on over our budget so somewhere it might as well inflate our economy. With money coming from such non profit organization directly to the pockets of poorest would certainly lead them to spend more and hence inflating the economy. Coming to a conclusion so early would be wrong, best suitable would be to wait and watch or implement existing government programs.

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”—Author unknown

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The article above is an extremely realistic observation by Abhilash Mohapatra. No wonder "war is a never ending process to reach peace" and this fact will haunt us for centuries to come...