Pun Intended

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Naxal Narrative

People generally think that Naxalites as those who hate the country and fight against the government. Ever since their first uprising in Naxalbari, West Bengal in 1967, the Naxalites have set off a series of bloody rebellions. Initially, the Naxalites targeted rich landlords by gathering the support of poor peasants and exploited tribals, but now their demands are different.

The Naxals are associated with Maoist- Leninist ideology of the far left. The movement which originated in West Bengal is now spread over many areas across the country.

As of now there are approximately 220 districts in 20 states of India where Naxalites have a significant presence. Together they constitute a large area known as the Red Corridors, since all the Naxal attacks take place in these areas.

While most Naxal attacks in the recent years have take place in Lalgarh and Dantewada, the deaths caused by Naxalites in other areas cannot be ignored. The table below shows the frequency of Naxal attacks in India.

Date	Place	Attack	Killed
June 29, 2008	Orissa	Anti Naxal police officers killed on a boat	38 troops
July 16, 2008	Orissa	Landmine blast	21 policemen
April 13, 2009	Orissa	Bauxite Mine attack	10 paramilitary troops
April 22, 2009	Jharkhand	Train hijacked	300 people
May 22, 2009	Maharashtra	Jungle attack	16 policemen
June 10, 2009	Jharkhand	Firing	9 policemen
June 13, 2009	Bokaro	Two landmine and bomb attacks	10 policemen
June 16, 2009	Beherakhand	Landmine attack followed by armed assault	11 police officers
June 23, 2009	Ranchi.	Open fire on Lakhisarai district court premises in Bihar	Many injured
July 18, 2009	Chhattisgarh	Torch a vehicle	1 person
July 27, 2009	Chhattisgarh	Landmine blast	6 people
July 31, 2009	Bijapur	Firing	Special Forces Policeman
Sep 26, 2009	Chhattisgarh	Firing	BJP MP killed
Feb 15, 2010	West Bengal	Firing	24 personnel
April 4, 2010	Orrisa	landmine blast	11 policemen
May 8, 2010	Chhattisgarh	Vehicle Blast	Eight CRPF Jawans

Source: Outlook

Owing to the frequency of these attacks, the government had declared Maharashtra on high alert in May 2010. All precautionary measures had been taken to avoid any such attack. The paramilitary personnel deployed in these areas had been advised to strictly follow Standard Operating Procedure and not to move around in large groups and to avoid using civilian vehicles.

Even the intelligence had said that the Naxal attacks in Gadchiroli could be possible.

Unfortunately the attacks did not take place in that period. The Naxalites planned these attacks in October and as usual the Indian security forces were caught off guard. The landmine blasts in Perimili and the cross firing on the Maharashtra- Chhattisgarh border.

This has been a massive setback to the Maharashtra government’s anti- Naxal campaign. Some feel that the Naxalites are trying to surprise the Indian security forces with their random attacks but according to many the sudden uprisings in certain areas are only a mechanism to make their presence felt or a manifestation of their revival in that region.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Naxal Violence in Maharashtra

Two children have been the latest victims of the Naxal violence in Gadchiroli, near the Maharashtra – Chhattisgarh border. The Naxalite movement continues to persist in terms of geographical spread and intensity of violence. The Naxals have never feared security forces nor have they cowered under government pressure. They operate in the vacuum created by absence of administrative controls, espouse the local demands and brainwash the poor peasants joining the revolt so that their demands can be met.


Rescue operations for children injured by the Naxalites

Over the last year, Naxalites have been active in areas of Dantewada and Lalgarh but the recent attacks in Maharashtra have created great panic. The incident took place in the outskirts of the Savargaon village where two school children aged 10 and 11 were killed in crossfire during an encounter between the Naxalites and the security forces. The headmaster claimed that the children were victims of a grenade blast, which accidently landed in the classroom. Ten other students were also injured in this crossfire.

Reports say that the tussle between the Naxalites and the security forces began on the morning of October 8. Not only were the school children killed but a few security guards and villagers also fell victim to the violence.

Naxal violence in these areas was dormant for over a year until recently. The first instance of this violence was on October 5 when there was a Naxal landmine blast at Perimili, near the Maharashtra- Chhattisgarh border. This also resulted in the death and injury of security personnel.

Naxal attacks and police deaths have always captured media attention but nothing has ever been written about the number of Naxalites killed during such incidents. This one sided coverage stems largely from general perception of Naxalites as the opposition force. This may be true to some extent, but a lot of Naxalites are actually peasants and tribals fighting for their rights.

The Maoist ideology has made them stubborn and heartless. They seek to protect the ‘exploited’ classes through the barrel of a gun. Although there have been several strict measures taken against the Naxalites, no concrete solution has ever been arrived at. We can only wait and watch what the future holds for them. Will the Naxal violence be over or will the struggle continue forever?

Friday, October 15, 2010

Big Bucks to Big Universities

Indians are in a giving mood these days. They are happily donating huge sums of money to foreign universities as donations. Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and MD of Mahindra and Mahindra, was the recent add on to this list of ‘super generous’ Indians. News about Mahindra donating 10 million dollars to the Humanities stream at Harvard University has got many people talking.

Other Indian and American born Indian business tycoons who have shelled out such exorbitant amounts to higher education in the U.S. are many. The Murthys have donated $5.2 million to Harvard to establish the Murty Classical Library of India. The Nilekanis have donated $5 million to Yale University. Ratan Tata gave $50 million to Cornell. The Ambani brothers have donated to Stanford and Wharton, to name an auditorium after their father, Dhirubhai Ambani.

Anand Mahindra

Happy to help

Every time there is a donation, the amount has an extra zero added to it. It’s almost becoming like a rat race to become the highest donor to a foreign university. The foreign universities, on the other hand, love this kind of attention.

These universities see Indians as their potential “donation” market. They have their agendas lined out. They approach India not only to popularize their courses but also approach to companies/ individuals, in the bargain, to donate a particular sum of money that they require for a course. The Indians are only happy to help. A survey by Business Line reveals that Indians/ American Indians have pumped as much as $120 million into the foreign education system.

Preference for donating abroad

It would have been of little impact if, these donations were made to lesser known and financially unstable universities. But the fact is that the donations are being made to the already elite universities like Harvard and Yale. Most tycoons give money to the universities which they last attended. This may serve a dual purpose – first, to show a spirit of global philanthropy and secondly, to get the building named after their mother/father.

Many are questioning the motives behind donating such large amounts to foreign universities when the Indian Education system needs these funds. In their defence, the donors say that they trust their donations to be used more productively by foreign universities. In the Indian education system, money gets used by corrupt authorities for personal purposes. Also, universities abroad have more power in terms of decision making.

It cannot be denied that in the past the Tata’s have aided the Indian education system in a big way. Several higher education institutions were started with the help of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust that was established in 1932. Private and top-ranked Indian School of Business in southern India has also received generous contributions from Indians here and abroad.


Harvard University: Do you think it needs donations?

Increasing media attention

The media is giving these donations great importance. This is more than necessary as news like this is spread across the front page of newspapers. Business tycoons like this attention because it serves as great publicity. The growing number of Indians who are donating to universities they attended abroad could be a sign that maybe at one point of time we will have domestic philanthropy. Many academicians say that this will take a long time.