Archive For The “General” Category
New Delhi, Oct 23: Terror outfits including the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) and Al Qaeda have cashed in on the Covid 19 pandemic which led to increased dependence and use of online platforms since 2020 to spread radicalism and raise funds, the Paris based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has said.
Several non governmental organisations (NGOs) and micro, small and medium enterprises are also being used for generating revenues.
FATF recently said these terror outfits "continue to pose a serious threat to international stability, security and peace."
A senior official engaged with the crime department told India Narrative that Indian security authorities must take cognizance of the increased level of terror threats emanating from the shifting geopolitical dynamics in Afghanistan.
While Pakistan continues to be on FATF's grey list what is worrying is that Turkey has also joined the bandwagon.
"We must also understand that Pakistan continues to be on FATF grey list.
This must be taken as a serious warning.. there must have been enough reasons for FATF to conclude that Islamabad needs to continue remaining on the grey list," he said.
The official added that while Pakistan has been on FATF's grey list since June 2018, the contours are different today with the return on the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Another insider highlighted that the recent attacks on temples and Durga Puja sites in Bangladesh should serve as a wake up call for the entire South Asian region.
"Global security threats are high and such attacks could be on the rise and the challenge for security authorities is to ensure such instances do not occur..they are aimed at destabilizing regional economic, political and social framework," one of them added.
Meanwhile, FATF also said that since 2020, both ISIL and Al Qaeda have increasingly turned to new payment technologies to raise, move and deploy funds.
"As a result, the use of virtual assets by terrorists remains a risk. In addition, the risk emanating from expansion of affiliates of ISIL and Al Qaeda has been increasing over the past years," the terror financing watchdog said.
ISIL, for example, has about (Dollar) 25-50 million in reserves.
These funds help the group to sustain some activities and to seek a potential resurgence.
Also read: Africa could face a spate of terror attacks after Covid restrictions are removed: UN Security Council
The FATF earlier said that the pandemic has led to an increase in crimes, including fraud, cybercrime, misdirection or exploitation of government funds or international financial assistance, which is creating new sources of proceeds for illicit actors.
During the crisis, more than 60 million new accounts have been opened using digital onboarding, FATF Executive Secretary, David Lewis said earlier.
However, what is worrisome is that not every digital ID is reliable.
(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
--indianarrative.
Source: IANS
Several non governmental organisations (NGOs) and micro, small and medium enterprises are also being used for generating revenues.
FATF recently said these terror outfits "continue to pose a serious threat to international stability, security and peace."
A senior official engaged with the crime department told India Narrative that Indian security authorities must take cognizance of the increased level of terror threats emanating from the shifting geopolitical dynamics in Afghanistan.
While Pakistan continues to be on FATF's grey list what is worrying is that Turkey has also joined the bandwagon.
"We must also understand that Pakistan continues to be on FATF grey list.
This must be taken as a serious warning.. there must have been enough reasons for FATF to conclude that Islamabad needs to continue remaining on the grey list," he said.
The official added that while Pakistan has been on FATF's grey list since June 2018, the contours are different today with the return on the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Another insider highlighted that the recent attacks on temples and Durga Puja sites in Bangladesh should serve as a wake up call for the entire South Asian region.
"Global security threats are high and such attacks could be on the rise and the challenge for security authorities is to ensure such instances do not occur..they are aimed at destabilizing regional economic, political and social framework," one of them added.
Meanwhile, FATF also said that since 2020, both ISIL and Al Qaeda have increasingly turned to new payment technologies to raise, move and deploy funds.
"As a result, the use of virtual assets by terrorists remains a risk. In addition, the risk emanating from expansion of affiliates of ISIL and Al Qaeda has been increasing over the past years," the terror financing watchdog said.
ISIL, for example, has about (Dollar) 25-50 million in reserves.
These funds help the group to sustain some activities and to seek a potential resurgence.
Also read: Africa could face a spate of terror attacks after Covid restrictions are removed: UN Security Council
The FATF earlier said that the pandemic has led to an increase in crimes, including fraud, cybercrime, misdirection or exploitation of government funds or international financial assistance, which is creating new sources of proceeds for illicit actors.
During the crisis, more than 60 million new accounts have been opened using digital onboarding, FATF Executive Secretary, David Lewis said earlier.
However, what is worrisome is that not every digital ID is reliable.
(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
--indianarrative.
Source: IANS
New Delhi, Oct 22 : FAITH, the policy federation of all the national associations representing the complete tourism, travel and hospitality industry of India (ADTOI, ATOAI, FHRAI, HAI, IATO, ICPB, IHHA, ITTA, TAAI, TAFI), have jointly expressed their deep gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for leading a national effort of the Central and state governments, MPs and State Legislatures and most critically all vaccine warriors to achieve the 100 crore vaccination landmark.
This FAITH says, will be the most critical step for beginning the revival of the Indian Tourism, Travel and Hospitality sectors by restoring confidence both in travellers and tourism service providers.
All FAITH Associations constantly in one voice have been engaging with all stakeholders of the national (and) state governments, parliamentarians (and) institutions such as Parliamentary Committee, RBI, Niti Aayog and others over the past 18 months on extending support for survival and revival of the sectors.
Indian Tourism pre- pandemic had handled business of almost 11 million international inbound tourists, almost 17 million international visitors arrivals, almost (Dollar) 30 billion in forex, 2.3 billion and domestic tourism visits and almost 27 million outbound travellers.
All of this business was shut down since February end/March 2020 creating severe financial distress over the past 18 months for the complete Indian Tourism Value Chain of travel agents, hotels, tour operators, tourist transporters, restaurants and other tourism service providers.
FAITH Associations in March 2020 had estimated that this pandemic would have put at risk an estimated 5 crore jobs and almost Rs 15 lakh crore of economic impact both from a direct and indirect impact.
"Presidents and ECs of all FAITH member associations have been relentlessly jointly along with Min.
of Tourism in one voice, engaging with national (and) state Governments on support to tourism, travel (and) hospitality industry of India .We are thankful to the PM for leading an unprecedented joint national team effort in such trying times to reach the 100 crore vaccination which will be the inflection point for restart to a healthy Indian tourism, travel (and) hospitality industry and will provide it with its rightful socio-economic contribution in Indian economy and on the world stage," said Nakul Anand, Chairman FAITH on behalf of all board of directors of FAITH.
The issues which have been constantly highlighted together by all the FAITH Associations have covered fiscal (and) taxation support from the Central government, monetary support from the RBI, regulatory support from the State Government (and) policy support from Ministry of Tourism.
These have covered requests such as GST tax holiday, interest free/low interest loans with multi year moratorium for principle (and) interest, e-visa fee waiver, waiver of statutory liabilities such as provident fund, ESI and license fee, power (and) utility tariff, interstate tourist transportation taxes, underwriting of travel agent losses, abolition of TCS among other things.
--IANS
san/ksk/.
Source: IANS
This FAITH says, will be the most critical step for beginning the revival of the Indian Tourism, Travel and Hospitality sectors by restoring confidence both in travellers and tourism service providers.
All FAITH Associations constantly in one voice have been engaging with all stakeholders of the national (and) state governments, parliamentarians (and) institutions such as Parliamentary Committee, RBI, Niti Aayog and others over the past 18 months on extending support for survival and revival of the sectors.
Indian Tourism pre- pandemic had handled business of almost 11 million international inbound tourists, almost 17 million international visitors arrivals, almost (Dollar) 30 billion in forex, 2.3 billion and domestic tourism visits and almost 27 million outbound travellers.
All of this business was shut down since February end/March 2020 creating severe financial distress over the past 18 months for the complete Indian Tourism Value Chain of travel agents, hotels, tour operators, tourist transporters, restaurants and other tourism service providers.
FAITH Associations in March 2020 had estimated that this pandemic would have put at risk an estimated 5 crore jobs and almost Rs 15 lakh crore of economic impact both from a direct and indirect impact.
"Presidents and ECs of all FAITH member associations have been relentlessly jointly along with Min.
of Tourism in one voice, engaging with national (and) state Governments on support to tourism, travel (and) hospitality industry of India .We are thankful to the PM for leading an unprecedented joint national team effort in such trying times to reach the 100 crore vaccination which will be the inflection point for restart to a healthy Indian tourism, travel (and) hospitality industry and will provide it with its rightful socio-economic contribution in Indian economy and on the world stage," said Nakul Anand, Chairman FAITH on behalf of all board of directors of FAITH.
The issues which have been constantly highlighted together by all the FAITH Associations have covered fiscal (and) taxation support from the Central government, monetary support from the RBI, regulatory support from the State Government (and) policy support from Ministry of Tourism.
These have covered requests such as GST tax holiday, interest free/low interest loans with multi year moratorium for principle (and) interest, e-visa fee waiver, waiver of statutory liabilities such as provident fund, ESI and license fee, power (and) utility tariff, interstate tourist transportation taxes, underwriting of travel agent losses, abolition of TCS among other things.
--IANS
san/ksk/.
Source: IANS
Chennai, Oct 22 : Many wholesale shops in Tamil Nadu selling firecrackers have witnessed a slump in business and traders have attributed the reduced demand due to a shortage of funds in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the high rates of the products.
With under two weeks left for Diwali on November 4, wholesale and retail shops for firecrackers in the state are wearing a festive look but with brisk business.
Business is quite dull in the busy Parry's corner in Chennai which has a huge wholesale market for firecrackers.
Abdul Hameed, a wholesale firecracker shop owner at T-Nagar in Chennai, while speaking to IANS said: "Business is quite slow and we are not able to meet our daily expenses.
The main reason people cite for the shortage in business is lack of funds after the Covid-19 pandemic."
The shopkeepers unequivocally say that the rate of firecrackers has also increased manifold and this is again another reason for the poor sale.
Rajmohan Muruganatham, a wholesaler at Anderson street in Parry's, told IANS: "It seems to be a dull season and people have no money.
However, we are expecting the business to pick up at least in the last four to five days and Deepavali business sustains us.
It will be a dull year as far as business is concerned but I think we may do the bare minimum business to survive."
In several places across the state, retail shops are being set up in an effort to increase business.
The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) generally leases out nearly 3.25 lakh square feet of its space in Chennai to set up retail firecracker shops every year.
Sales at Island grounds where the TTDC land will be leased out for setting up retail firecracker outlets are expecting 1,000 visitors per shop each day till November 5.
The firecracker manufacturing industry in Sivakasi is however happy after Chief Minister, M.K.
Stalin wrote to his counterparts in north Indian states to lift the ban on sale and use of firecrackers.
Many states have lifted the ban and this has helped the Sivakasi manufacturing units to send their products.
Rajendra Raja, Vice-President, the Indian Fireworks Manufacturing Association, said they have already sent crackers to north Indian states, adding that most of the firecracker manufacturers are shifting to green firecrackers in the coming days to cope up with the environmental regulations.
--IANS
aal/khz/ksk/.
Source: IANS
With under two weeks left for Diwali on November 4, wholesale and retail shops for firecrackers in the state are wearing a festive look but with brisk business.
Business is quite dull in the busy Parry's corner in Chennai which has a huge wholesale market for firecrackers.
Abdul Hameed, a wholesale firecracker shop owner at T-Nagar in Chennai, while speaking to IANS said: "Business is quite slow and we are not able to meet our daily expenses.
The main reason people cite for the shortage in business is lack of funds after the Covid-19 pandemic."
The shopkeepers unequivocally say that the rate of firecrackers has also increased manifold and this is again another reason for the poor sale.
Rajmohan Muruganatham, a wholesaler at Anderson street in Parry's, told IANS: "It seems to be a dull season and people have no money.
However, we are expecting the business to pick up at least in the last four to five days and Deepavali business sustains us.
It will be a dull year as far as business is concerned but I think we may do the bare minimum business to survive."
In several places across the state, retail shops are being set up in an effort to increase business.
The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) generally leases out nearly 3.25 lakh square feet of its space in Chennai to set up retail firecracker shops every year.
Sales at Island grounds where the TTDC land will be leased out for setting up retail firecracker outlets are expecting 1,000 visitors per shop each day till November 5.
The firecracker manufacturing industry in Sivakasi is however happy after Chief Minister, M.K.
Stalin wrote to his counterparts in north Indian states to lift the ban on sale and use of firecrackers.
Many states have lifted the ban and this has helped the Sivakasi manufacturing units to send their products.
Rajendra Raja, Vice-President, the Indian Fireworks Manufacturing Association, said they have already sent crackers to north Indian states, adding that most of the firecracker manufacturers are shifting to green firecrackers in the coming days to cope up with the environmental regulations.
--IANS
aal/khz/ksk/.
Source: IANS
Japan, more than any other country, came forward to endorse and support in practical terms Subhas Bose's quest for India's freedom.
Between 1941 and 1943, Bose, previously twice elected President of the Indian National Congress, was in Berlin.
While there, and before he came to South-East Asia, he proposed a tripartite acceptance of Indian independence by the Axis powers, namely Germany, Japan and Italy.
The Japanese Prime Minister General Hideki Tojo had earlier committed to a policy of 'India for Indians'.
But the German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler rejected Japan's draft declaration supporting freedom for Indians.
Then at a meeting with the Italian Duce Benito Mussolini in Salzburg, Hitler prevailed on his Italian counterpart to do the same.
Mussolini, though, stirred by Bose's plea, changed his mind.
The Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano wrote in his diary: 'He (meaning Mussolini) has telegraphed the Germans, proposing -i contrary to the Salzburg decisions -i proceeding at once with the declaration.
I feel that Hitler will not agree to it very willingly.' He was right; the Fuehrer did shoot it down.
Bose's one and only meeting with Hitler took place in May 1942.
By this stage, Bose was quite disillusioned with Germany. He had already written to German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop asking for travel arrangements to Asia.
At the talks between Bose and Hitler, Bose repeated his request for a 'free India' declaration.
Hitler did not directly answer the question. He said: 'India is endlessly far from Germany.'
By May 1943, Bose was in Tokyo. He met the Chief of Army Staff General Hajime Sugiyama and Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu. Then on the June 12, 1943 he called on Prime Minister Tojo and made an immediate impact on him. Bose implored the Japanese leader to endorse Indian independence. Soon after, Tojo informed the Japanese parliament, the DIET: 'We firmly resolve that Japan will do everything possible to help Indian independence.'
With Japanese co-operation, Bose proclaimed in Singapore a Provisional Government of Free India on the October 21, 1943.
This government was recognised by Japan, Germany, Italy, Croatia, the Philippines, Thailand and Burma, among others.
The Irish President Eamon de Valera sent a message of congratulations to Bose.
Japan handed over partial control of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean, which were Indian territory and had been captured from the British in the Second World War.
In March 1944, Bose's Indian National Army or the INA alongside Japanese forces launched an offensive on the Indo-Burma border to enter the Manipur and Nagaland areas of North-Eastern India.
The INA raised the Indian flag at Moirang in Manipur and Kohima in Nagaland. A second campaign was waged in 1945.
The battles between on the one hand troops under British command and the United States Air Force and on the other the Japanese Army and the INA, are widely acknowledged as one of the bloodiest and fiercest in the Second World War.
It was a colossal sacrifice of lives by both sides, including by Japanese soldiers and Bose's INA.
Japan and the INA obviously lost.
But British military intelligence admitted: 'A measure of courage cannot be denied to the leaders of the INA front-line units in Burma in 1945 when they faced up to British equipment, tanks, guns and aircraft with rifles and bullock-carts and empty stomachs.'
On August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered in the Second World War.
Three days later, Bose was on his way to Tokyo when his plane crashed in Taipei and he tragically passed away in a Japanese military hospital a few hours later.
He was cremated in Taipei; and his mortal remains were thereafter taken to Tokyo.
Despite Japan's traumatic state in the immediate aftermath of the War, Japanese authorities maintained performing their duty towards Bose.
On August 30, 1945, 12 days after Bose's death, American General Douglas MacArthur asked the Government of Japan to look into the matter of Bose's reported passing.
Within 15 days, Japan produced an interim report which confirmed the tragedy.
In January 1956, at the Indian government's request, the Japanese government produced a final report on what happened to Bose, and handed this over to the Indian embassy in Tokyo.
In 1966, the mass circulated Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun embarked on a monumental project, entitled Emperor in The Showa Era, to preserve for generations to come a record of Japan's involvement in the Second World War.
One entire chapter in this volume was devoted to Bose, the Provisional Government of Free India and the INA.
All Japanese personnel connected with the air disaster were interviewed in-depth for their first-hand recollections.
They all confirmed Bose had perished as a result of the plane crash.
I went public with my findings on Bose's heroic but unfortunate end as far back as in 1995.
I visited Tokyo several times for this purpose, interviewing face-to-face, among others, Dr Taneyoshi Yoshimi at Miyazaki.
Dr Yoshimi was in-charge of the hospital where Bose was carried after the crash in a critical condition.
Dr Yoshimi personally participated in Bose's treatment.
Eventually I wrote a book Laid to Rest, highlighting 11 independent official and unofficial investigations into the issue; all of which reached the same conclusion.
That Bose died consequent to the air crash, was cremated at Taipei and his remains are those that are being safeguarded at Renkoji Temple.
I take this opportunity to thank the Japanese government for its kind assistance to me.
I am also indebted to Yukichi Arai, son of Captain Keikichi Arai, who survived the plane crash that eventually killed Bose.
I am very pleased that the Indian government at long last declassified all its files pertaining to Bose; and this as expected reconfirmed the truth.
Thereafter, under India's Right to Information Act, the Home Ministry of the Government of India ratified that Bose had indeed died as a result of the crash.
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1950s and Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao in the 1990s attempted to bring Bose's remains to India; but were thwarted in their endeavours.
Other Indian prime ministers appear to have perhaps not taken an initiative for fear of unrest within India.
In effect, even after 76 years, the remains continue to be kept at Tokyo's Renkoji Temple.
Genuine lovers of Bose have been and will remain grateful to Japan for its remarkable compassion and understanding.
It is perhaps a reflection of the unshakeable bond that was established between Japan and Bose.
Bose's daughter and only child Professor Anita Bose Pfaff fervently desires that her father's remains be sent to India for a final disposal.
She has reasoned that it was her father's ambition to see a free India. This ambition was clearly not fulfilled. Thus, she says, his remains should at least touch the soil of India to honour his dream.
She also points out her father was a Hindu; and that the final rites should take place in accordance with Hindu tradition.
This means in his case an immersion of his remains in the River Ganga.
Now that her mother Emilie Schenkl is no more, Professor Pfaff has complete legal and moral authority over her father's mortal remains.
Japan to the best of my knowledge has always been ready to transfer the remains to the Government of India, if New Delhi made such a request.
With respect, the remains do not belong to the Government of India.
The lawful and sentimental rights to the remains rest solely with Professor Anita Bose Pfaff. Therefore, as we commemorate the 78th anniversary of the proclamation of the Provisional Government of Free India, and approach Bose's 125th birth anniversary, I appeal to the Government of Japan to kindly consider handing over Netaji's mortal remains to his daughter Professor Pfaff.
(Ashis Ray is the author of 'Laid to Rest: The Controversy over Subhas Chandra Bose's Death' and a chronicler of Netaji.
This article is excerpted from his contribution to an event jointly organised by the Samurai Museum, Indo-Japan Samurai Center (both in Tokyo) and the Ministry of External Affairs.
October 21 was the 78th anniversary of the Azad Hind Government)
--IANS
ray/am.
Source: IANS
Between 1941 and 1943, Bose, previously twice elected President of the Indian National Congress, was in Berlin.
While there, and before he came to South-East Asia, he proposed a tripartite acceptance of Indian independence by the Axis powers, namely Germany, Japan and Italy.
The Japanese Prime Minister General Hideki Tojo had earlier committed to a policy of 'India for Indians'.
But the German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler rejected Japan's draft declaration supporting freedom for Indians.
Then at a meeting with the Italian Duce Benito Mussolini in Salzburg, Hitler prevailed on his Italian counterpart to do the same.
Mussolini, though, stirred by Bose's plea, changed his mind.
The Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano wrote in his diary: 'He (meaning Mussolini) has telegraphed the Germans, proposing -i contrary to the Salzburg decisions -i proceeding at once with the declaration.
I feel that Hitler will not agree to it very willingly.' He was right; the Fuehrer did shoot it down.
Bose's one and only meeting with Hitler took place in May 1942.
By this stage, Bose was quite disillusioned with Germany. He had already written to German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop asking for travel arrangements to Asia.
At the talks between Bose and Hitler, Bose repeated his request for a 'free India' declaration.
Hitler did not directly answer the question. He said: 'India is endlessly far from Germany.'
By May 1943, Bose was in Tokyo. He met the Chief of Army Staff General Hajime Sugiyama and Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu. Then on the June 12, 1943 he called on Prime Minister Tojo and made an immediate impact on him. Bose implored the Japanese leader to endorse Indian independence. Soon after, Tojo informed the Japanese parliament, the DIET: 'We firmly resolve that Japan will do everything possible to help Indian independence.'
With Japanese co-operation, Bose proclaimed in Singapore a Provisional Government of Free India on the October 21, 1943.
This government was recognised by Japan, Germany, Italy, Croatia, the Philippines, Thailand and Burma, among others.
The Irish President Eamon de Valera sent a message of congratulations to Bose.
Japan handed over partial control of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean, which were Indian territory and had been captured from the British in the Second World War.
In March 1944, Bose's Indian National Army or the INA alongside Japanese forces launched an offensive on the Indo-Burma border to enter the Manipur and Nagaland areas of North-Eastern India.
The INA raised the Indian flag at Moirang in Manipur and Kohima in Nagaland. A second campaign was waged in 1945.
The battles between on the one hand troops under British command and the United States Air Force and on the other the Japanese Army and the INA, are widely acknowledged as one of the bloodiest and fiercest in the Second World War.
It was a colossal sacrifice of lives by both sides, including by Japanese soldiers and Bose's INA.
Japan and the INA obviously lost.
But British military intelligence admitted: 'A measure of courage cannot be denied to the leaders of the INA front-line units in Burma in 1945 when they faced up to British equipment, tanks, guns and aircraft with rifles and bullock-carts and empty stomachs.'
On August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered in the Second World War.
Three days later, Bose was on his way to Tokyo when his plane crashed in Taipei and he tragically passed away in a Japanese military hospital a few hours later.
He was cremated in Taipei; and his mortal remains were thereafter taken to Tokyo.
Despite Japan's traumatic state in the immediate aftermath of the War, Japanese authorities maintained performing their duty towards Bose.
On August 30, 1945, 12 days after Bose's death, American General Douglas MacArthur asked the Government of Japan to look into the matter of Bose's reported passing.
Within 15 days, Japan produced an interim report which confirmed the tragedy.
In January 1956, at the Indian government's request, the Japanese government produced a final report on what happened to Bose, and handed this over to the Indian embassy in Tokyo.
In 1966, the mass circulated Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun embarked on a monumental project, entitled Emperor in The Showa Era, to preserve for generations to come a record of Japan's involvement in the Second World War.
One entire chapter in this volume was devoted to Bose, the Provisional Government of Free India and the INA.
All Japanese personnel connected with the air disaster were interviewed in-depth for their first-hand recollections.
They all confirmed Bose had perished as a result of the plane crash.
I went public with my findings on Bose's heroic but unfortunate end as far back as in 1995.
I visited Tokyo several times for this purpose, interviewing face-to-face, among others, Dr Taneyoshi Yoshimi at Miyazaki.
Dr Yoshimi was in-charge of the hospital where Bose was carried after the crash in a critical condition.
Dr Yoshimi personally participated in Bose's treatment.
Eventually I wrote a book Laid to Rest, highlighting 11 independent official and unofficial investigations into the issue; all of which reached the same conclusion.
That Bose died consequent to the air crash, was cremated at Taipei and his remains are those that are being safeguarded at Renkoji Temple.
I take this opportunity to thank the Japanese government for its kind assistance to me.
I am also indebted to Yukichi Arai, son of Captain Keikichi Arai, who survived the plane crash that eventually killed Bose.
I am very pleased that the Indian government at long last declassified all its files pertaining to Bose; and this as expected reconfirmed the truth.
Thereafter, under India's Right to Information Act, the Home Ministry of the Government of India ratified that Bose had indeed died as a result of the crash.
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1950s and Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao in the 1990s attempted to bring Bose's remains to India; but were thwarted in their endeavours.
Other Indian prime ministers appear to have perhaps not taken an initiative for fear of unrest within India.
In effect, even after 76 years, the remains continue to be kept at Tokyo's Renkoji Temple.
Genuine lovers of Bose have been and will remain grateful to Japan for its remarkable compassion and understanding.
It is perhaps a reflection of the unshakeable bond that was established between Japan and Bose.
Bose's daughter and only child Professor Anita Bose Pfaff fervently desires that her father's remains be sent to India for a final disposal.
She has reasoned that it was her father's ambition to see a free India. This ambition was clearly not fulfilled. Thus, she says, his remains should at least touch the soil of India to honour his dream.
She also points out her father was a Hindu; and that the final rites should take place in accordance with Hindu tradition.
This means in his case an immersion of his remains in the River Ganga.
Now that her mother Emilie Schenkl is no more, Professor Pfaff has complete legal and moral authority over her father's mortal remains.
Japan to the best of my knowledge has always been ready to transfer the remains to the Government of India, if New Delhi made such a request.
With respect, the remains do not belong to the Government of India.
The lawful and sentimental rights to the remains rest solely with Professor Anita Bose Pfaff. Therefore, as we commemorate the 78th anniversary of the proclamation of the Provisional Government of Free India, and approach Bose's 125th birth anniversary, I appeal to the Government of Japan to kindly consider handing over Netaji's mortal remains to his daughter Professor Pfaff.
(Ashis Ray is the author of 'Laid to Rest: The Controversy over Subhas Chandra Bose's Death' and a chronicler of Netaji.
This article is excerpted from his contribution to an event jointly organised by the Samurai Museum, Indo-Japan Samurai Center (both in Tokyo) and the Ministry of External Affairs.
October 21 was the 78th anniversary of the Azad Hind Government)
--IANS
ray/am.
Source: IANS
Japan, more than any other country, came forward to endorse and support in practical terms Subhas Bose's quest for India's freedom.
Between 1941 and 1943, Bose, previously twice elected President of the Indian National Congress, was in Berlin.
While there, and before he came to South-East Asia, he proposed a tripartite acceptance of Indian independence by the Axis powers, namely Germany, Japan and Italy.
The Japanese Prime Minister General Hideki Tojo had earlier committed to a policy of 'India for Indians'.
But the German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler rejected Japan's draft declaration supporting freedom for Indians.
Then at a meeting with the Italian Duce Benito Mussolini in Salzburg, Hitler prevailed on his Italian counterpart to do the same.
Mussolini, though, stirred by Bose's plea, changed his mind.
The Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano wrote in his diary: 'He (meaning Mussolini) has telegraphed the Germans, proposing -i contrary to the Salzburg decisions -i proceeding at once with the declaration.
I feel that Hitler will not agree to it very willingly.' He was right; the Fuehrer did shoot it down.
Bose's one and only meeting with Hitler took place in May 1942.
By this stage, Bose was quite disillusioned with Germany. He had already written to German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop asking for travel arrangements to Asia.
At the talks between Bose and Hitler, Bose repeated his request for a 'free India' declaration.
Hitler did not directly answer the question. He said: 'India is endlessly far from Germany.'
By May 1943, Bose was in Tokyo. He met the Chief of Army Staff General Hajime Sugiyama and Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu. Then on the June 12, 1943 he called on Prime Minister Tojo and made an immediate impact on him. Bose implored the Japanese leader to endorse Indian independence. Soon after, Tojo informed the Japanese parliament, the DIET: 'We firmly resolve that Japan will do everything possible to help Indian independence.'
With Japanese co-operation, Bose proclaimed in Singapore a Provisional Government of Free India on the October 21, 1943.
This government was recognised by Japan, Germany, Italy, Croatia, the Philippines, Thailand and Burma, among others.
The Irish President Eamon de Valera sent a message of congratulations to Bose.
Japan handed over partial control of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean, which were Indian territory and had been captured from the British in the Second World War.
In March 1944, Bose's Indian National Army or the INA alongside Japanese forces launched an offensive on the Indo-Burma border to enter the Manipur and Nagaland areas of North-Eastern India.
The INA raised the Indian flag at Moirang in Manipur and Kohima in Nagaland. A second campaign was waged in 1945.
The battles between on the one hand troops under British command and the United States Air Force and on the other the Japanese Army and the INA, are widely acknowledged as one of the bloodiest and fiercest in the Second World War.
It was a colossal sacrifice of lives by both sides, including by Japanese soldiers and Bose's INA.
Japan and the INA obviously lost.
But British military intelligence admitted: 'A measure of courage cannot be denied to the leaders of the INA front-line units in Burma in 1945 when they faced up to British equipment, tanks, guns and aircraft with rifles and bullock-carts and empty stomachs.'
On August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered in the Second World War.
Three days later, Bose was on his way to Tokyo when his plane crashed in Taipei and he tragically passed away in a Japanese military hospital a few hours later.
He was cremated in Taipei; and his mortal remains were thereafter taken to Tokyo.
Despite Japan's traumatic state in the immediate aftermath of the War, Japanese authorities maintained performing their duty towards Bose.
On August 30, 1945, 12 days after Bose's death, American General Douglas MacArthur asked the Government of Japan to look into the matter of Bose's reported passing.
Within 15 days, Japan produced an interim report which confirmed the tragedy.
In January 1956, at the Indian government's request, the Japanese government produced a final report on what happened to Bose, and handed this over to the Indian embassy in Tokyo.
In 1966, the mass circulated Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun embarked on a monumental project, entitled Emperor in The Showa Era, to preserve for generations to come a record of Japan's involvement in the Second World War.
One entire chapter in this volume was devoted to Bose, the Provisional Government of Free India and the INA.
All Japanese personnel connected with the air disaster were interviewed in-depth for their first-hand recollections.
They all confirmed Bose had perished as a result of the plane crash.
I went public with my findings on Bose's heroic but unfortunate end as far back as in 1995.
I visited Tokyo several times for this purpose, interviewing face-to-face, among others, Dr Taneyoshi Yoshimi at Miyazaki.
Dr Yoshimi was in-charge of the hospital where Bose was carried after the crash in a critical condition.
Dr Yoshimi personally participated in Bose's treatment.
Eventually I wrote a book Laid to Rest, highlighting 11 independent official and unofficial investigations into the issue; all of which reached the same conclusion.
That Bose died consequent to the air crash, was cremated at Taipei and his remains are those that are being safeguarded at Renkoji Temple.
I take this opportunity to thank the Japanese government for its kind assistance to me.
I am also indebted to Yukichi Arai, son of Captain Keikichi Arai, who survived the plane crash that eventually killed Bose.
I am very pleased that the Indian government at long last declassified all its files pertaining to Bose; and this as expected reconfirmed the truth.
Thereafter, under India's Right to Information Act, the Home Ministry of the Government of India ratified that Bose had indeed died as a result of the crash.
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1950s and Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao in the 1990s attempted to bring Bose's remains to India; but were thwarted in their endeavours.
Other Indian prime ministers appear to have perhaps not taken an initiative for fear of unrest within India.
In effect, even after 76 years, the remains continue to be kept at Tokyo's Renkoji Temple.
Genuine lovers of Bose have been and will remain grateful to Japan for its remarkable compassion and understanding.
It is perhaps a reflection of the unshakeable bond that was established between Japan and Bose.
Bose's daughter and only child Professor Anita Bose Pfaff fervently desires that her father's remains be sent to India for a final disposal.
She has reasoned that it was her father's ambition to see a free India. This ambition was clearly not fulfilled. Thus, she says, his remains should at least touch the soil of India to honour his dream.
She also points out her father was a Hindu; and that the final rites should take place in accordance with Hindu tradition.
This means in his case an immersion of his remains in the River Ganga.
Now that her mother Emilie Schenkl is no more, Professor Pfaff has complete legal and moral authority over her father's mortal remains.
Japan to the best of my knowledge has always been ready to transfer the remains to the Government of India, if New Delhi made such a request.
With respect, the remains do not belong to the Government of India.
The lawful and sentimental rights to the remains rest solely with Professor Anita Bose Pfaff. Therefore, as we commemorate the 78th anniversary of the proclamation of the Provisional Government of Free India, and approach Bose's 125th birth anniversary, I appeal to the Government of Japan to kindly consider handing over Netaji's mortal remains to his daughter Professor Pfaff.
(Ashis Ray is the author of 'Laid to Rest: The Controversy over Subhas Chandra Bose's Death' and a chronicler of Netaji.
This article is excerpted from his contribution to an event jointly organised by the Samurai Museum, Indo-Japan Samurai Center (both in Tokyo) and the Ministry of External Affairs.
October 21 was the 78th anniversary of the Azad Hind Government)
--IANS
ray/am.
Source: IANS
Between 1941 and 1943, Bose, previously twice elected President of the Indian National Congress, was in Berlin.
While there, and before he came to South-East Asia, he proposed a tripartite acceptance of Indian independence by the Axis powers, namely Germany, Japan and Italy.
The Japanese Prime Minister General Hideki Tojo had earlier committed to a policy of 'India for Indians'.
But the German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler rejected Japan's draft declaration supporting freedom for Indians.
Then at a meeting with the Italian Duce Benito Mussolini in Salzburg, Hitler prevailed on his Italian counterpart to do the same.
Mussolini, though, stirred by Bose's plea, changed his mind.
The Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano wrote in his diary: 'He (meaning Mussolini) has telegraphed the Germans, proposing -i contrary to the Salzburg decisions -i proceeding at once with the declaration.
I feel that Hitler will not agree to it very willingly.' He was right; the Fuehrer did shoot it down.
Bose's one and only meeting with Hitler took place in May 1942.
By this stage, Bose was quite disillusioned with Germany. He had already written to German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop asking for travel arrangements to Asia.
At the talks between Bose and Hitler, Bose repeated his request for a 'free India' declaration.
Hitler did not directly answer the question. He said: 'India is endlessly far from Germany.'
By May 1943, Bose was in Tokyo. He met the Chief of Army Staff General Hajime Sugiyama and Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu. Then on the June 12, 1943 he called on Prime Minister Tojo and made an immediate impact on him. Bose implored the Japanese leader to endorse Indian independence. Soon after, Tojo informed the Japanese parliament, the DIET: 'We firmly resolve that Japan will do everything possible to help Indian independence.'
With Japanese co-operation, Bose proclaimed in Singapore a Provisional Government of Free India on the October 21, 1943.
This government was recognised by Japan, Germany, Italy, Croatia, the Philippines, Thailand and Burma, among others.
The Irish President Eamon de Valera sent a message of congratulations to Bose.
Japan handed over partial control of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean, which were Indian territory and had been captured from the British in the Second World War.
In March 1944, Bose's Indian National Army or the INA alongside Japanese forces launched an offensive on the Indo-Burma border to enter the Manipur and Nagaland areas of North-Eastern India.
The INA raised the Indian flag at Moirang in Manipur and Kohima in Nagaland. A second campaign was waged in 1945.
The battles between on the one hand troops under British command and the United States Air Force and on the other the Japanese Army and the INA, are widely acknowledged as one of the bloodiest and fiercest in the Second World War.
It was a colossal sacrifice of lives by both sides, including by Japanese soldiers and Bose's INA.
Japan and the INA obviously lost.
But British military intelligence admitted: 'A measure of courage cannot be denied to the leaders of the INA front-line units in Burma in 1945 when they faced up to British equipment, tanks, guns and aircraft with rifles and bullock-carts and empty stomachs.'
On August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered in the Second World War.
Three days later, Bose was on his way to Tokyo when his plane crashed in Taipei and he tragically passed away in a Japanese military hospital a few hours later.
He was cremated in Taipei; and his mortal remains were thereafter taken to Tokyo.
Despite Japan's traumatic state in the immediate aftermath of the War, Japanese authorities maintained performing their duty towards Bose.
On August 30, 1945, 12 days after Bose's death, American General Douglas MacArthur asked the Government of Japan to look into the matter of Bose's reported passing.
Within 15 days, Japan produced an interim report which confirmed the tragedy.
In January 1956, at the Indian government's request, the Japanese government produced a final report on what happened to Bose, and handed this over to the Indian embassy in Tokyo.
In 1966, the mass circulated Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun embarked on a monumental project, entitled Emperor in The Showa Era, to preserve for generations to come a record of Japan's involvement in the Second World War.
One entire chapter in this volume was devoted to Bose, the Provisional Government of Free India and the INA.
All Japanese personnel connected with the air disaster were interviewed in-depth for their first-hand recollections.
They all confirmed Bose had perished as a result of the plane crash.
I went public with my findings on Bose's heroic but unfortunate end as far back as in 1995.
I visited Tokyo several times for this purpose, interviewing face-to-face, among others, Dr Taneyoshi Yoshimi at Miyazaki.
Dr Yoshimi was in-charge of the hospital where Bose was carried after the crash in a critical condition.
Dr Yoshimi personally participated in Bose's treatment.
Eventually I wrote a book Laid to Rest, highlighting 11 independent official and unofficial investigations into the issue; all of which reached the same conclusion.
That Bose died consequent to the air crash, was cremated at Taipei and his remains are those that are being safeguarded at Renkoji Temple.
I take this opportunity to thank the Japanese government for its kind assistance to me.
I am also indebted to Yukichi Arai, son of Captain Keikichi Arai, who survived the plane crash that eventually killed Bose.
I am very pleased that the Indian government at long last declassified all its files pertaining to Bose; and this as expected reconfirmed the truth.
Thereafter, under India's Right to Information Act, the Home Ministry of the Government of India ratified that Bose had indeed died as a result of the crash.
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1950s and Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao in the 1990s attempted to bring Bose's remains to India; but were thwarted in their endeavours.
Other Indian prime ministers appear to have perhaps not taken an initiative for fear of unrest within India.
In effect, even after 76 years, the remains continue to be kept at Tokyo's Renkoji Temple.
Genuine lovers of Bose have been and will remain grateful to Japan for its remarkable compassion and understanding.
It is perhaps a reflection of the unshakeable bond that was established between Japan and Bose.
Bose's daughter and only child Professor Anita Bose Pfaff fervently desires that her father's remains be sent to India for a final disposal.
She has reasoned that it was her father's ambition to see a free India. This ambition was clearly not fulfilled. Thus, she says, his remains should at least touch the soil of India to honour his dream.
She also points out her father was a Hindu; and that the final rites should take place in accordance with Hindu tradition.
This means in his case an immersion of his remains in the River Ganga.
Now that her mother Emilie Schenkl is no more, Professor Pfaff has complete legal and moral authority over her father's mortal remains.
Japan to the best of my knowledge has always been ready to transfer the remains to the Government of India, if New Delhi made such a request.
With respect, the remains do not belong to the Government of India.
The lawful and sentimental rights to the remains rest solely with Professor Anita Bose Pfaff. Therefore, as we commemorate the 78th anniversary of the proclamation of the Provisional Government of Free India, and approach Bose's 125th birth anniversary, I appeal to the Government of Japan to kindly consider handing over Netaji's mortal remains to his daughter Professor Pfaff.
(Ashis Ray is the author of 'Laid to Rest: The Controversy over Subhas Chandra Bose's Death' and a chronicler of Netaji.
This article is excerpted from his contribution to an event jointly organised by the Samurai Museum, Indo-Japan Samurai Center (both in Tokyo) and the Ministry of External Affairs.
October 21 was the 78th anniversary of the Azad Hind Government)
--IANS
ray/am.
Source: IANS
Firozabad/Etah (UP), Oct 22 : Tasks assigned to teachers on Valmiki Jayanti on October 20 in two Uttar Pradesh districts have led to widespread resentment.
Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA), Firozabad, Anjali Agarwal had asked block education officers (BEO) to ensure collection of plastic waste from primary schools under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Schools in each block of the district were asked to collect 100 kg plastic waste and deposit it at a designated panchayat bhawan.
On the same day, 15 primary school teachers in Kasganj district were deployed for reciting verses from the Valmiki Ramayan during a programme organised to mark Valmiki Jayanti at the Sankat Mochan Dham in Salai.
"The Valmiki Ramayan is in Sanskrit and I am a science teacher.
I tried to do my best to read Sanskrit, but it was too difficult for me. Only three of four people were present at the venue. I do not understand the aim of issuing such orders," said a teacher in Etah.
Various teachers' organisations have expressed their discontent over the issue and are taking to the social media to criticise officials who ordered teachers to perform the said tasks.
Dinesh Chandra Sharma, President of the Uttar Pradesh Teachers' Federation, said: "If a teacher is made responsible for collection of plastic waste and read scriptures at an event being organised at a religious place, when will he get time to do his duty of teaching students?"
Director general, school education, Anamika Singh said: "I have come to know about the orders issued regarding collection of plastic waste and have sought more information about the event."
Regarding the Ramayana issue, she said she would look into the matter.
Satish Dwivedi, the state's minister for basic education, said: "District authorities, including chief development officer issue these orders, which are implemented by the BSAs.
The district authorities must be asked why they issue such orders without specifying the departments for it."
--IANS
amita/ksk/.
Source: IANS
Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA), Firozabad, Anjali Agarwal had asked block education officers (BEO) to ensure collection of plastic waste from primary schools under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Schools in each block of the district were asked to collect 100 kg plastic waste and deposit it at a designated panchayat bhawan.
On the same day, 15 primary school teachers in Kasganj district were deployed for reciting verses from the Valmiki Ramayan during a programme organised to mark Valmiki Jayanti at the Sankat Mochan Dham in Salai.
"The Valmiki Ramayan is in Sanskrit and I am a science teacher.
I tried to do my best to read Sanskrit, but it was too difficult for me. Only three of four people were present at the venue. I do not understand the aim of issuing such orders," said a teacher in Etah.
Various teachers' organisations have expressed their discontent over the issue and are taking to the social media to criticise officials who ordered teachers to perform the said tasks.
Dinesh Chandra Sharma, President of the Uttar Pradesh Teachers' Federation, said: "If a teacher is made responsible for collection of plastic waste and read scriptures at an event being organised at a religious place, when will he get time to do his duty of teaching students?"
Director general, school education, Anamika Singh said: "I have come to know about the orders issued regarding collection of plastic waste and have sought more information about the event."
Regarding the Ramayana issue, she said she would look into the matter.
Satish Dwivedi, the state's minister for basic education, said: "District authorities, including chief development officer issue these orders, which are implemented by the BSAs.
The district authorities must be asked why they issue such orders without specifying the departments for it."
--IANS
amita/ksk/.
Source: IANS
Firozabad/Etah (UP), Oct 22 : Tasks assigned to teachers on Valmiki Jayanti on October 20 in two Uttar Pradesh districts have led to widespread resentment.
Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA), Firozabad, Anjali Agarwal had asked block education officers (BEO) to ensure collection of plastic waste from primary schools under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Schools in each block of the district were asked to collect 100 kg plastic waste and deposit it at a designated panchayat bhawan.
On the same day, 15 primary school teachers in Kasganj district were deployed for reciting verses from the Valmiki Ramayan during a programme organised to mark Valmiki Jayanti at the Sankat Mochan Dham in Salai.
"The Valmiki Ramayan is in Sanskrit and I am a science teacher.
I tried to do my best to read Sanskrit, but it was too difficult for me. Only three of four people were present at the venue. I do not understand the aim of issuing such orders," said a teacher in Etah.
Various teachers' organisations have expressed their discontent over the issue and are taking to the social media to criticise officials who ordered teachers to perform the said tasks.
Dinesh Chandra Sharma, President of the Uttar Pradesh Teachers' Federation, said: "If a teacher is made responsible for collection of plastic waste and read scriptures at an event being organised at a religious place, when will he get time to do his duty of teaching students?"
Director general, school education, Anamika Singh said: "I have come to know about the orders issued regarding collection of plastic waste and have sought more information about the event."
Regarding the Ramayana issue, she said she would look into the matter.
Satish Dwivedi, the state's minister for basic education, said: "District authorities, including chief development officer issue these orders, which are implemented by the BSAs.
The district authorities must be asked why they issue such orders without specifying the departments for it."
--IANS
amita/ksk/.
Source: IANS
Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA), Firozabad, Anjali Agarwal had asked block education officers (BEO) to ensure collection of plastic waste from primary schools under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Schools in each block of the district were asked to collect 100 kg plastic waste and deposit it at a designated panchayat bhawan.
On the same day, 15 primary school teachers in Kasganj district were deployed for reciting verses from the Valmiki Ramayan during a programme organised to mark Valmiki Jayanti at the Sankat Mochan Dham in Salai.
"The Valmiki Ramayan is in Sanskrit and I am a science teacher.
I tried to do my best to read Sanskrit, but it was too difficult for me. Only three of four people were present at the venue. I do not understand the aim of issuing such orders," said a teacher in Etah.
Various teachers' organisations have expressed their discontent over the issue and are taking to the social media to criticise officials who ordered teachers to perform the said tasks.
Dinesh Chandra Sharma, President of the Uttar Pradesh Teachers' Federation, said: "If a teacher is made responsible for collection of plastic waste and read scriptures at an event being organised at a religious place, when will he get time to do his duty of teaching students?"
Director general, school education, Anamika Singh said: "I have come to know about the orders issued regarding collection of plastic waste and have sought more information about the event."
Regarding the Ramayana issue, she said she would look into the matter.
Satish Dwivedi, the state's minister for basic education, said: "District authorities, including chief development officer issue these orders, which are implemented by the BSAs.
The district authorities must be asked why they issue such orders without specifying the departments for it."
--IANS
amita/ksk/.
Source: IANS
New Delhi, Oct 22 : This truly is the outcome of a lifetime of devotion to the work of Mirza Ghalib from the time Najeeb Jungs mother recited his poetry to him to the time his daughters helped him with the translation by finding the closest words to do justice to the original.
It's a journey that began when he was four years old but it was only in mid-2010 that the 70-year-old Jung, a former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and former Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, found the right "Ustad" to guide him through the translation process.
The outcome is "DEEWAAN-E-GHALIB ? Sariir-e-Khaama" (Rekhta Books), a rendering in English of 235 of Ghalib's poems along with the originals in the Roman script.
"In these disturbed times, Ghalib's open discourse, his compassion and understanding, and his plurality assume huge importance.
He demolishes routinely held views on man, and his relationship with God, or the existence of heaven or hell, or man's allurement for heaven and his fear of hell, sin and goodness.
For him truth was not the monopoly of any religion or dogma and the path to truth was open to all. To this end he is critical for our times," Jung told IANS in an interview.
"This is precisely why I have done this translation - a step to bring him closer to those who speak Urdu/Hindustani but their vocabulary is limited, or those who know English and wish to read and understand him.
The Roman script needs a bit of practice to familiarise and make reading easy, and the translation gives meaning to the words.
I have not provided a commentary to the translations because that would make the book too complex and more of a commentary," he added.
It's been quite an inspirational journey and bears telling in its totality.
"As I recall, I was around 4-years-old when my late mother (Ammi) made me learn Ghalib.
We also did a bit of Iqbal but Ghalib was her passion. So while my friends in class were reciting English nursery rhymes, I was spouting Ghalib - not that I understood the meanings!! I was a popular child in family gatherings for this.
In fact, my mother often told a story how Maulana Azad, who was a family friend and we often visited his home at Edward Road, now renamed the Maulana Azad Road, would insist on listening to Ghalib being recited by a 4/5 year-old child," Jung said.
As time went by and school (St Columba's) gained importance, Ghalib receded into the background "but Ammi and I continued reciting once in a while to each other.
I kept reading the Deewan (in the original) whenever I could, having acquired many editions and prints over time".
In early 2000, he was at Oxford as a Visiting Fellow and had access to some outstanding libraries.
"I thought I had read enough and should try my hand at translating the Master for English speaking people or those who understood Urdu but did not have an adequate vocabulary.
It did not take any time to realise I was not equipped for the task - neither was my vocabulary so good, nor did I fully comprehend the nuances and depth of his thought.
I needed to read much more, and research the various "sharas" (commentaries) by other well know thinkers and writers and therefore to find the right Ustad.
The big question was how to get THAT person," Jung explained.
As luck would have it, he came to the Jamia Millia Islamia in August 2009 and here began his search for the Ustad.
His secretary, Zafar Hashmi, introduced him to Prof Khalid Mahmood who, at that time, was the Head of the Urdu department.
"Something clicked" at their first interaction and Jung knew he had found his teacher.
"Khalid sahib is not just an extremely good human being, but a profound thinker.
He knew Ghalib, but above all, was happy to read and re-read Ghalib, and spend time with me. Let me add, this was a labour of love by him too - and all the hours and years we worked together, there was never any fee paid or even expected.
It was a sacred relationship between a master and pupil on a subject they loved and therefore enjoyed working on together," Jung said.
From mid-2010 to the end of 2016, every day they read Ghalib; re- read Ghalib, discussed the "ashaar" (nuances of the couplets), looked at commentaries and different interpretations, agreed and at times disagreed.
"By this time I felt ready to attempt a translation.
The big question before me whether I should translate the whole Deewan or pick out the popular ghazals, already well known through films and popular ghazals sung by the greats like (K.L.) Saigal, Begum Akhtar, Jagjit Singh etc.
and stick to translating them. I do not know why I decided to translate the entire Deewan.
"It has taken me four years to do this.
It has been a back-breaking labour of love, a dream I have lived with. Sometimes, a couplet would not be difficult but some would be back-breaking. For instance, I spent months agonising over the first couplet in the Deewan: 'Naqsh faryadi hai kiskii shokhi-e-tahreer ka/Kaaghazi hai pairahan har paikar-e-tasweer ka'," Jung elaborated.
He found it impossible to give true impression to this.
So he would wake up at night and think over it, think on it during long walks, during long flights - and never be satisfied.
What eventually emerged was: Against whose playful writings can an image petition/For made of paper is the attire of each image.
There were more like this and hours were spent looking for words that would convey the most appropriate meaning to what Ghalib meant.
"I would seek out my daughters, discuss the couplet and more often than not, they came up with the right expression.
It is difficult for a family to be with a husband or parent obsessed with a passion but play along with him with patience and fortitude.
In fact for the latter half of 2020, we were all together in New York with everyone contributing to complete the work.
I guess every one of us wished to complete this work as soon as possible. Ten years was enough," Jung said.
He also pointed out that Ghalib is multi-layered and that different meanings can be derived from the same couplet.
"Take the popular couplet: 'Aah ko chahiye ik umr asar hone tak/Kaun jiita hai teri zulf ke sar hone tak'.
The simplest interpretation is of a lover moaning how long it would take for his sighs to take effect and whether he would even live till the beloved was ready.
But could it not be a question to God that how long would a person wait for his prayer to be answered, whether he would not be dead till the prayer was answered?"
"Ghalib has a strange informal relationship with God.
He is a Muslim believing in Allah and his Prophet, but rejects dogma and ritualism and opens a world of modern thought and iconoclasm: 'Bandagi mein bhi vo aazada o khudbiin hain ke hum/Ulte phir aaye dar-e-Kaaba agar vaa na hua' (While being a believer, I am so independent and proud/ That I would turn back from the Kaaba were its door not open)
"Or even challenging established Islamic belief: 'Hum ko maloom hai jannat ki haqeeqat lekin/Dil ke khush rakhne ko Ghalib ye khayaal achha hai' (We know the reality of Paradise but/To keep the heart happy, Ghalib, this thought is good)," Jung said.
Has Ghalib received his due in India?
"Well, despite Urdu not being widely read in India, and most people having inadequate vocabularies, Ghalib's ghazals have been sung manifold by the best in India.
While it is near impossible to sing a ghazal in Qawali form, even that has happened. Masterpiece films have been made commencing from the 1940s when Saigal sahib played Ghalib, to Sohrab Modi's successful film in the early 1950s to the recent TV serial by Gulzar sahib - which will always remain a pure masterpiece bringing Ghalib into our homes," Jung said.
In 1969, the government celebrated Ghalib's death centenary with seminars, discussions and even a Mushiara at the Red Fort in Delhi.
In addition, the Rekhta Foundation has brought him to the public and vast numbers of non-Urdu speaking people attend these recitations, and talks on him each year.
"So while the poetry may not be understood with its subtleties and nuances, Ghalib is most certainly heard, and admired by millions in India - and with time, his popularity grows," Jung concluded.
(Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in)
--IANS
vm/ksk/.
Source: IANS
It's a journey that began when he was four years old but it was only in mid-2010 that the 70-year-old Jung, a former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and former Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, found the right "Ustad" to guide him through the translation process.
The outcome is "DEEWAAN-E-GHALIB ? Sariir-e-Khaama" (Rekhta Books), a rendering in English of 235 of Ghalib's poems along with the originals in the Roman script.
"In these disturbed times, Ghalib's open discourse, his compassion and understanding, and his plurality assume huge importance.
He demolishes routinely held views on man, and his relationship with God, or the existence of heaven or hell, or man's allurement for heaven and his fear of hell, sin and goodness.
For him truth was not the monopoly of any religion or dogma and the path to truth was open to all. To this end he is critical for our times," Jung told IANS in an interview.
"This is precisely why I have done this translation - a step to bring him closer to those who speak Urdu/Hindustani but their vocabulary is limited, or those who know English and wish to read and understand him.
The Roman script needs a bit of practice to familiarise and make reading easy, and the translation gives meaning to the words.
I have not provided a commentary to the translations because that would make the book too complex and more of a commentary," he added.
It's been quite an inspirational journey and bears telling in its totality.
"As I recall, I was around 4-years-old when my late mother (Ammi) made me learn Ghalib.
We also did a bit of Iqbal but Ghalib was her passion. So while my friends in class were reciting English nursery rhymes, I was spouting Ghalib - not that I understood the meanings!! I was a popular child in family gatherings for this.
In fact, my mother often told a story how Maulana Azad, who was a family friend and we often visited his home at Edward Road, now renamed the Maulana Azad Road, would insist on listening to Ghalib being recited by a 4/5 year-old child," Jung said.
As time went by and school (St Columba's) gained importance, Ghalib receded into the background "but Ammi and I continued reciting once in a while to each other.
I kept reading the Deewan (in the original) whenever I could, having acquired many editions and prints over time".
In early 2000, he was at Oxford as a Visiting Fellow and had access to some outstanding libraries.
"I thought I had read enough and should try my hand at translating the Master for English speaking people or those who understood Urdu but did not have an adequate vocabulary.
It did not take any time to realise I was not equipped for the task - neither was my vocabulary so good, nor did I fully comprehend the nuances and depth of his thought.
I needed to read much more, and research the various "sharas" (commentaries) by other well know thinkers and writers and therefore to find the right Ustad.
The big question was how to get THAT person," Jung explained.
As luck would have it, he came to the Jamia Millia Islamia in August 2009 and here began his search for the Ustad.
His secretary, Zafar Hashmi, introduced him to Prof Khalid Mahmood who, at that time, was the Head of the Urdu department.
"Something clicked" at their first interaction and Jung knew he had found his teacher.
"Khalid sahib is not just an extremely good human being, but a profound thinker.
He knew Ghalib, but above all, was happy to read and re-read Ghalib, and spend time with me. Let me add, this was a labour of love by him too - and all the hours and years we worked together, there was never any fee paid or even expected.
It was a sacred relationship between a master and pupil on a subject they loved and therefore enjoyed working on together," Jung said.
From mid-2010 to the end of 2016, every day they read Ghalib; re- read Ghalib, discussed the "ashaar" (nuances of the couplets), looked at commentaries and different interpretations, agreed and at times disagreed.
"By this time I felt ready to attempt a translation.
The big question before me whether I should translate the whole Deewan or pick out the popular ghazals, already well known through films and popular ghazals sung by the greats like (K.L.) Saigal, Begum Akhtar, Jagjit Singh etc.
and stick to translating them. I do not know why I decided to translate the entire Deewan.
"It has taken me four years to do this.
It has been a back-breaking labour of love, a dream I have lived with. Sometimes, a couplet would not be difficult but some would be back-breaking. For instance, I spent months agonising over the first couplet in the Deewan: 'Naqsh faryadi hai kiskii shokhi-e-tahreer ka/Kaaghazi hai pairahan har paikar-e-tasweer ka'," Jung elaborated.
He found it impossible to give true impression to this.
So he would wake up at night and think over it, think on it during long walks, during long flights - and never be satisfied.
What eventually emerged was: Against whose playful writings can an image petition/For made of paper is the attire of each image.
There were more like this and hours were spent looking for words that would convey the most appropriate meaning to what Ghalib meant.
"I would seek out my daughters, discuss the couplet and more often than not, they came up with the right expression.
It is difficult for a family to be with a husband or parent obsessed with a passion but play along with him with patience and fortitude.
In fact for the latter half of 2020, we were all together in New York with everyone contributing to complete the work.
I guess every one of us wished to complete this work as soon as possible. Ten years was enough," Jung said.
He also pointed out that Ghalib is multi-layered and that different meanings can be derived from the same couplet.
"Take the popular couplet: 'Aah ko chahiye ik umr asar hone tak/Kaun jiita hai teri zulf ke sar hone tak'.
The simplest interpretation is of a lover moaning how long it would take for his sighs to take effect and whether he would even live till the beloved was ready.
But could it not be a question to God that how long would a person wait for his prayer to be answered, whether he would not be dead till the prayer was answered?"
"Ghalib has a strange informal relationship with God.
He is a Muslim believing in Allah and his Prophet, but rejects dogma and ritualism and opens a world of modern thought and iconoclasm: 'Bandagi mein bhi vo aazada o khudbiin hain ke hum/Ulte phir aaye dar-e-Kaaba agar vaa na hua' (While being a believer, I am so independent and proud/ That I would turn back from the Kaaba were its door not open)
"Or even challenging established Islamic belief: 'Hum ko maloom hai jannat ki haqeeqat lekin/Dil ke khush rakhne ko Ghalib ye khayaal achha hai' (We know the reality of Paradise but/To keep the heart happy, Ghalib, this thought is good)," Jung said.
Has Ghalib received his due in India?
"Well, despite Urdu not being widely read in India, and most people having inadequate vocabularies, Ghalib's ghazals have been sung manifold by the best in India.
While it is near impossible to sing a ghazal in Qawali form, even that has happened. Masterpiece films have been made commencing from the 1940s when Saigal sahib played Ghalib, to Sohrab Modi's successful film in the early 1950s to the recent TV serial by Gulzar sahib - which will always remain a pure masterpiece bringing Ghalib into our homes," Jung said.
In 1969, the government celebrated Ghalib's death centenary with seminars, discussions and even a Mushiara at the Red Fort in Delhi.
In addition, the Rekhta Foundation has brought him to the public and vast numbers of non-Urdu speaking people attend these recitations, and talks on him each year.
"So while the poetry may not be understood with its subtleties and nuances, Ghalib is most certainly heard, and admired by millions in India - and with time, his popularity grows," Jung concluded.
(Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in)
--IANS
vm/ksk/.
Source: IANS
New Delhi, Oct 22 : This truly is the outcome of a lifetime of devotion to the work of Mirza Ghalib from the time Najeeb Jungs mother recited his poetry to him to the time his daughters helped him with the translation by finding the closest words to do justice to the original.
It's a journey that began when he was four years old but it was only in mid-2010 that the 70-year-old Jung, a former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and former Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, found the right "Ustad" to guide him through the translation process.
The outcome is "DEEWAAN-E-GHALIB ? Sariir-e-Khaama" (Rekhta Books), a rendering in English of 235 of Ghalib's poems along with the originals in the Roman script.
"In these disturbed times, Ghalib's open discourse, his compassion and understanding, and his plurality assume huge importance.
He demolishes routinely held views on man, and his relationship with God, or the existence of heaven or hell, or man's allurement for heaven and his fear of hell, sin and goodness.
For him truth was not the monopoly of any religion or dogma and the path to truth was open to all. To this end he is critical for our times," Jung told IANS in an interview.
"This is precisely why I have done this translation - a step to bring him closer to those who speak Urdu/Hindustani but their vocabulary is limited, or those who know English and wish to read and understand him.
The Roman script needs a bit of practice to familiarise and make reading easy, and the translation gives meaning to the words.
I have not provided a commentary to the translations because that would make the book too complex and more of a commentary," he added.
It's been quite an inspirational journey and bears telling in its totality.
"As I recall, I was around 4-years-old when my late mother (Ammi) made me learn Ghalib.
We also did a bit of Iqbal but Ghalib was her passion. So while my friends in class were reciting English nursery rhymes, I was spouting Ghalib - not that I understood the meanings!! I was a popular child in family gatherings for this.
In fact, my mother often told a story how Maulana Azad, who was a family friend and we often visited his home at Edward Road, now renamed the Maulana Azad Road, would insist on listening to Ghalib being recited by a 4/5 year-old child," Jung said.
As time went by and school (St Columba's) gained importance, Ghalib receded into the background "but Ammi and I continued reciting once in a while to each other.
I kept reading the Deewan (in the original) whenever I could, having acquired many editions and prints over time".
In early 2000, he was at Oxford as a Visiting Fellow and had access to some outstanding libraries.
"I thought I had read enough and should try my hand at translating the Master for English speaking people or those who understood Urdu but did not have an adequate vocabulary.
It did not take any time to realise I was not equipped for the task - neither was my vocabulary so good, nor did I fully comprehend the nuances and depth of his thought.
I needed to read much more, and research the various "sharas" (commentaries) by other well know thinkers and writers and therefore to find the right Ustad.
The big question was how to get THAT person," Jung explained.
As luck would have it, he came to the Jamia Millia Islamia in August 2009 and here began his search for the Ustad.
His secretary, Zafar Hashmi, introduced him to Prof Khalid Mahmood who, at that time, was the Head of the Urdu department.
"Something clicked" at their first interaction and Jung knew he had found his teacher.
"Khalid sahib is not just an extremely good human being, but a profound thinker.
He knew Ghalib, but above all, was happy to read and re-read Ghalib, and spend time with me. Let me add, this was a labour of love by him too - and all the hours and years we worked together, there was never any fee paid or even expected.
It was a sacred relationship between a master and pupil on a subject they loved and therefore enjoyed working on together," Jung said.
From mid-2010 to the end of 2016, every day they read Ghalib; re- read Ghalib, discussed the "ashaar" (nuances of the couplets), looked at commentaries and different interpretations, agreed and at times disagreed.
"By this time I felt ready to attempt a translation.
The big question before me whether I should translate the whole Deewan or pick out the popular ghazals, already well known through films and popular ghazals sung by the greats like (K.L.) Saigal, Begum Akhtar, Jagjit Singh etc.
and stick to translating them. I do not know why I decided to translate the entire Deewan.
"It has taken me four years to do this.
It has been a back-breaking labour of love, a dream I have lived with. Sometimes, a couplet would not be difficult but some would be back-breaking. For instance, I spent months agonising over the first couplet in the Deewan: 'Naqsh faryadi hai kiskii shokhi-e-tahreer ka/Kaaghazi hai pairahan har paikar-e-tasweer ka'," Jung elaborated.
He found it impossible to give true impression to this.
So he would wake up at night and think over it, think on it during long walks, during long flights - and never be satisfied.
What eventually emerged was: Against whose playful writings can an image petition/For made of paper is the attire of each image.
There were more like this and hours were spent looking for words that would convey the most appropriate meaning to what Ghalib meant.
"I would seek out my daughters, discuss the couplet and more often than not, they came up with the right expression.
It is difficult for a family to be with a husband or parent obsessed with a passion but play along with him with patience and fortitude.
In fact for the latter half of 2020, we were all together in New York with everyone contributing to complete the work.
I guess every one of us wished to complete this work as soon as possible. Ten years was enough," Jung said.
He also pointed out that Ghalib is multi-layered and that different meanings can be derived from the same couplet.
"Take the popular couplet: 'Aah ko chahiye ik umr asar hone tak/Kaun jiita hai teri zulf ke sar hone tak'.
The simplest interpretation is of a lover moaning how long it would take for his sighs to take effect and whether he would even live till the beloved was ready.
But could it not be a question to God that how long would a person wait for his prayer to be answered, whether he would not be dead till the prayer was answered?"
"Ghalib has a strange informal relationship with God.
He is a Muslim believing in Allah and his Prophet, but rejects dogma and ritualism and opens a world of modern thought and iconoclasm: 'Bandagi mein bhi vo aazada o khudbiin hain ke hum/Ulte phir aaye dar-e-Kaaba agar vaa na hua' (While being a believer, I am so independent and proud/ That I would turn back from the Kaaba were its door not open)
"Or even challenging established Islamic belief: 'Hum ko maloom hai jannat ki haqeeqat lekin/Dil ke khush rakhne ko Ghalib ye khayaal achha hai' (We know the reality of Paradise but/To keep the heart happy, Ghalib, this thought is good)," Jung said.
Has Ghalib received his due in India?
"Well, despite Urdu not being widely read in India, and most people having inadequate vocabularies, Ghalib's ghazals have been sung manifold by the best in India.
While it is near impossible to sing a ghazal in Qawali form, even that has happened. Masterpiece films have been made commencing from the 1940s when Saigal sahib played Ghalib, to Sohrab Modi's successful film in the early 1950s to the recent TV serial by Gulzar sahib - which will always remain a pure masterpiece bringing Ghalib into our homes," Jung said.
In 1969, the government celebrated Ghalib's death centenary with seminars, discussions and even a Mushiara at the Red Fort in Delhi.
In addition, the Rekhta Foundation has brought him to the public and vast numbers of non-Urdu speaking people attend these recitations, and talks on him each year.
"So while the poetry may not be understood with its subtleties and nuances, Ghalib is most certainly heard, and admired by millions in India - and with time, his popularity grows," Jung concluded.
(Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in)
--IANS
vm/ksk/.
Source: IANS
It's a journey that began when he was four years old but it was only in mid-2010 that the 70-year-old Jung, a former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and former Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, found the right "Ustad" to guide him through the translation process.
The outcome is "DEEWAAN-E-GHALIB ? Sariir-e-Khaama" (Rekhta Books), a rendering in English of 235 of Ghalib's poems along with the originals in the Roman script.
"In these disturbed times, Ghalib's open discourse, his compassion and understanding, and his plurality assume huge importance.
He demolishes routinely held views on man, and his relationship with God, or the existence of heaven or hell, or man's allurement for heaven and his fear of hell, sin and goodness.
For him truth was not the monopoly of any religion or dogma and the path to truth was open to all. To this end he is critical for our times," Jung told IANS in an interview.
"This is precisely why I have done this translation - a step to bring him closer to those who speak Urdu/Hindustani but their vocabulary is limited, or those who know English and wish to read and understand him.
The Roman script needs a bit of practice to familiarise and make reading easy, and the translation gives meaning to the words.
I have not provided a commentary to the translations because that would make the book too complex and more of a commentary," he added.
It's been quite an inspirational journey and bears telling in its totality.
"As I recall, I was around 4-years-old when my late mother (Ammi) made me learn Ghalib.
We also did a bit of Iqbal but Ghalib was her passion. So while my friends in class were reciting English nursery rhymes, I was spouting Ghalib - not that I understood the meanings!! I was a popular child in family gatherings for this.
In fact, my mother often told a story how Maulana Azad, who was a family friend and we often visited his home at Edward Road, now renamed the Maulana Azad Road, would insist on listening to Ghalib being recited by a 4/5 year-old child," Jung said.
As time went by and school (St Columba's) gained importance, Ghalib receded into the background "but Ammi and I continued reciting once in a while to each other.
I kept reading the Deewan (in the original) whenever I could, having acquired many editions and prints over time".
In early 2000, he was at Oxford as a Visiting Fellow and had access to some outstanding libraries.
"I thought I had read enough and should try my hand at translating the Master for English speaking people or those who understood Urdu but did not have an adequate vocabulary.
It did not take any time to realise I was not equipped for the task - neither was my vocabulary so good, nor did I fully comprehend the nuances and depth of his thought.
I needed to read much more, and research the various "sharas" (commentaries) by other well know thinkers and writers and therefore to find the right Ustad.
The big question was how to get THAT person," Jung explained.
As luck would have it, he came to the Jamia Millia Islamia in August 2009 and here began his search for the Ustad.
His secretary, Zafar Hashmi, introduced him to Prof Khalid Mahmood who, at that time, was the Head of the Urdu department.
"Something clicked" at their first interaction and Jung knew he had found his teacher.
"Khalid sahib is not just an extremely good human being, but a profound thinker.
He knew Ghalib, but above all, was happy to read and re-read Ghalib, and spend time with me. Let me add, this was a labour of love by him too - and all the hours and years we worked together, there was never any fee paid or even expected.
It was a sacred relationship between a master and pupil on a subject they loved and therefore enjoyed working on together," Jung said.
From mid-2010 to the end of 2016, every day they read Ghalib; re- read Ghalib, discussed the "ashaar" (nuances of the couplets), looked at commentaries and different interpretations, agreed and at times disagreed.
"By this time I felt ready to attempt a translation.
The big question before me whether I should translate the whole Deewan or pick out the popular ghazals, already well known through films and popular ghazals sung by the greats like (K.L.) Saigal, Begum Akhtar, Jagjit Singh etc.
and stick to translating them. I do not know why I decided to translate the entire Deewan.
"It has taken me four years to do this.
It has been a back-breaking labour of love, a dream I have lived with. Sometimes, a couplet would not be difficult but some would be back-breaking. For instance, I spent months agonising over the first couplet in the Deewan: 'Naqsh faryadi hai kiskii shokhi-e-tahreer ka/Kaaghazi hai pairahan har paikar-e-tasweer ka'," Jung elaborated.
He found it impossible to give true impression to this.
So he would wake up at night and think over it, think on it during long walks, during long flights - and never be satisfied.
What eventually emerged was: Against whose playful writings can an image petition/For made of paper is the attire of each image.
There were more like this and hours were spent looking for words that would convey the most appropriate meaning to what Ghalib meant.
"I would seek out my daughters, discuss the couplet and more often than not, they came up with the right expression.
It is difficult for a family to be with a husband or parent obsessed with a passion but play along with him with patience and fortitude.
In fact for the latter half of 2020, we were all together in New York with everyone contributing to complete the work.
I guess every one of us wished to complete this work as soon as possible. Ten years was enough," Jung said.
He also pointed out that Ghalib is multi-layered and that different meanings can be derived from the same couplet.
"Take the popular couplet: 'Aah ko chahiye ik umr asar hone tak/Kaun jiita hai teri zulf ke sar hone tak'.
The simplest interpretation is of a lover moaning how long it would take for his sighs to take effect and whether he would even live till the beloved was ready.
But could it not be a question to God that how long would a person wait for his prayer to be answered, whether he would not be dead till the prayer was answered?"
"Ghalib has a strange informal relationship with God.
He is a Muslim believing in Allah and his Prophet, but rejects dogma and ritualism and opens a world of modern thought and iconoclasm: 'Bandagi mein bhi vo aazada o khudbiin hain ke hum/Ulte phir aaye dar-e-Kaaba agar vaa na hua' (While being a believer, I am so independent and proud/ That I would turn back from the Kaaba were its door not open)
"Or even challenging established Islamic belief: 'Hum ko maloom hai jannat ki haqeeqat lekin/Dil ke khush rakhne ko Ghalib ye khayaal achha hai' (We know the reality of Paradise but/To keep the heart happy, Ghalib, this thought is good)," Jung said.
Has Ghalib received his due in India?
"Well, despite Urdu not being widely read in India, and most people having inadequate vocabularies, Ghalib's ghazals have been sung manifold by the best in India.
While it is near impossible to sing a ghazal in Qawali form, even that has happened. Masterpiece films have been made commencing from the 1940s when Saigal sahib played Ghalib, to Sohrab Modi's successful film in the early 1950s to the recent TV serial by Gulzar sahib - which will always remain a pure masterpiece bringing Ghalib into our homes," Jung said.
In 1969, the government celebrated Ghalib's death centenary with seminars, discussions and even a Mushiara at the Red Fort in Delhi.
In addition, the Rekhta Foundation has brought him to the public and vast numbers of non-Urdu speaking people attend these recitations, and talks on him each year.
"So while the poetry may not be understood with its subtleties and nuances, Ghalib is most certainly heard, and admired by millions in India - and with time, his popularity grows," Jung concluded.
(Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in)
--IANS
vm/ksk/.
Source: IANS
New Delhi, Oct 21 : China's energy crisis has created ripe conditions for the smuggling of coal from North Korea.
North Korean trading companies are defying international nuclear sanctions to sell coal to energy hungry China.
The coal is being smuggled small ships and offloaded at sea.
The immediate provocation for this smuggling arises from the electricity crisis in China which has forced factories to reduce operations, power consumption, and in some provinces led to outright blackouts.
The immediate cause is the shortage in coal that is a result of a reduction in coal imports and decreased domestic production, as China balances its growing energy demand with a desire to curb pollution and reduce carbon emissions.
China is still highly dependent on coal, which provides 70 per cent of the country's power generation.
However, China's energy crisis cannot be solved through the coal smuggling from North Korea, which is a microcosm of the larger malaise afflicting China's coal industry.
Incidents of coal smuggling from North Korea can be traced to 2019. In November 2020, International Maritime Organization data revealed that a spate of fatal maritime incidents involving North Korean vessels had occurred.
Analysis of this data showed that several of these ships that suffered accidents were engaged in coal smuggling.
The vessels' failure to use tracking systems, a standard safety procedure, was one of the main reasons for the accidents and highlighted the risk North Korea imposes on its fleet and those operating it in pursuit of illegal coal revenues.
Meanwhile, provincial governments in China have encouraged more coal imports from Russia, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan to resolve domestic market shortages.
Officials in Jilin, a province in north-east China, last month ordered more shipments from Russia, Indonesia, and Mongolia.
The sudden increase in imports in September was a sign that China was turning to overseas coal in a bid to lower domestic prices, which had reached Rmb 2,000 (US (Dollar) 310) a tonne.
High prices are one of the reasons for the power crisis, but imported coal is also not very cheap and is closer to Rmb 1,500 or Rmb 1,600.
This is one of the reasons why North Korean companies are smuggling coal to Beijing amidst the ongoing power crisis in China.
China coal futures traded on the Zhengzhou commodities exchange have also been surging and touched Rmb 1,640 per tonne on 13 October, a record high.
Flooding in Indonesia and the pandemic, led China to tighten border controls, disrupting imports. China had also placed an informal ban on Australian coal last year after Canberra called for an inquiry into the pandemic's origins.
A leading media outlet reported (October 15, 2021) that shortages of coal, high fuel prices and the post-pandemic demand boom had sparked huge power shortages.
Rationing has already been in put in place in at least 17 (see China Rationing map below) of China's more than 30 regions, since September 2021, forcing several factories to suspend production, disrupting supply chains.
With temperatures across China starting to dip, many provinces, including Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning, have started winter heating based on coal, to cope with the colder weather.
That is why September 2021 witnessed an increase in imports of coal and natural gas, as China had to deal with the energy crisis.
Estimates are that China imported 32.9m tonnes of coal, 76 per cent more than it did during the same month last year.
Imports of natural gas rose by 23 per cent to 10.6m tonnes compared to the previous year.
Factories and businesses have been forced to ration power use and some households have experienced electricity outages after a power crunch hit more than twenty Chinese provinces last month.
However, some analysts trace the crisis back to a string of policy mis-steps and poorly thought-out market interventions after the start of the pandemic.
Significantly, coal accounts for most Chinese energy consumption but curbs have been placed on how much producers could charge making it financially unviable for many electricity companies that operate coal-fired power plants.
It was only after the energy crunch that China allowed companies to charge more and urged domestic suppliers (responsible for 90 per cent of China's coal supplies) to increase production and reopen mines.
It is likely that coal exports will remain high from Indonesia for the rest of the year.
As of now China has not lifted the unofficial ban of Australian coal. They are also facing a difficulty in fulfilling the coal demand of their electricity sector as China's economic activities continue to grow.
Before the crisis, Chinese provinces had also been attempting to reduce power use.
Statistics in Table I below however, shows that globally Chinese demand for coal has been increasing and projected demand by 2023 will be around the same as the amount used in 2017.
China's plans to tackle the crisis by targeting the dual high sectors, essentially those whose energy consumption and carbon emissions are very high.
These sectors will not see any guard-rails on the prices they pay, consequently, all the cost of balancing utilities' books will fall on their shoulders.
This will reduce the demand pressure on the grid and encourage inefficient users to upgrade to add more value.
These new regulations have come into place under the revised rules issued by the National Development and Reform Commission of China.
However, under these rules residential and agricultural consumers will still buy power at fixed tariffs and smaller users will see electricity costs fluctuate within a band.
To tackle the crisis, Provinces have also been required to meet strict targets under China's "dual control" strategy, a policy intended to lower consumption and intensity of use.
The policy contributed to a year-on-year decline in imports of other commodities, including crude oil, iron ore and copper in September.
The impact of China's energy crisis domestically will be felt worldwide.
In recent times, the world has become hooked on cheap Chinese power for manufacturing a host of its goods.
About half of all metal is produced in China and nearly a fifth of all oil is refined there. Energy-hungry products from aluminium to solar panels to Bitcoin depend on the country's low industrial power tariffs to keep their own prices down.
With electricity costs for "dual-high" industries set to rise, we may not have seen the end of the inflationary pressures flowing through the global economy.
--IANS
pgh/.
Source: IANS
North Korean trading companies are defying international nuclear sanctions to sell coal to energy hungry China.
The coal is being smuggled small ships and offloaded at sea.
The immediate provocation for this smuggling arises from the electricity crisis in China which has forced factories to reduce operations, power consumption, and in some provinces led to outright blackouts.
The immediate cause is the shortage in coal that is a result of a reduction in coal imports and decreased domestic production, as China balances its growing energy demand with a desire to curb pollution and reduce carbon emissions.
China is still highly dependent on coal, which provides 70 per cent of the country's power generation.
However, China's energy crisis cannot be solved through the coal smuggling from North Korea, which is a microcosm of the larger malaise afflicting China's coal industry.
Incidents of coal smuggling from North Korea can be traced to 2019. In November 2020, International Maritime Organization data revealed that a spate of fatal maritime incidents involving North Korean vessels had occurred.
Analysis of this data showed that several of these ships that suffered accidents were engaged in coal smuggling.
The vessels' failure to use tracking systems, a standard safety procedure, was one of the main reasons for the accidents and highlighted the risk North Korea imposes on its fleet and those operating it in pursuit of illegal coal revenues.
Meanwhile, provincial governments in China have encouraged more coal imports from Russia, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan to resolve domestic market shortages.
Officials in Jilin, a province in north-east China, last month ordered more shipments from Russia, Indonesia, and Mongolia.
The sudden increase in imports in September was a sign that China was turning to overseas coal in a bid to lower domestic prices, which had reached Rmb 2,000 (US (Dollar) 310) a tonne.
High prices are one of the reasons for the power crisis, but imported coal is also not very cheap and is closer to Rmb 1,500 or Rmb 1,600.
This is one of the reasons why North Korean companies are smuggling coal to Beijing amidst the ongoing power crisis in China.
China coal futures traded on the Zhengzhou commodities exchange have also been surging and touched Rmb 1,640 per tonne on 13 October, a record high.
Flooding in Indonesia and the pandemic, led China to tighten border controls, disrupting imports. China had also placed an informal ban on Australian coal last year after Canberra called for an inquiry into the pandemic's origins.
A leading media outlet reported (October 15, 2021) that shortages of coal, high fuel prices and the post-pandemic demand boom had sparked huge power shortages.
Rationing has already been in put in place in at least 17 (see China Rationing map below) of China's more than 30 regions, since September 2021, forcing several factories to suspend production, disrupting supply chains.
With temperatures across China starting to dip, many provinces, including Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning, have started winter heating based on coal, to cope with the colder weather.
That is why September 2021 witnessed an increase in imports of coal and natural gas, as China had to deal with the energy crisis.
Estimates are that China imported 32.9m tonnes of coal, 76 per cent more than it did during the same month last year.
Imports of natural gas rose by 23 per cent to 10.6m tonnes compared to the previous year.
Factories and businesses have been forced to ration power use and some households have experienced electricity outages after a power crunch hit more than twenty Chinese provinces last month.
However, some analysts trace the crisis back to a string of policy mis-steps and poorly thought-out market interventions after the start of the pandemic.
Significantly, coal accounts for most Chinese energy consumption but curbs have been placed on how much producers could charge making it financially unviable for many electricity companies that operate coal-fired power plants.
It was only after the energy crunch that China allowed companies to charge more and urged domestic suppliers (responsible for 90 per cent of China's coal supplies) to increase production and reopen mines.
It is likely that coal exports will remain high from Indonesia for the rest of the year.
As of now China has not lifted the unofficial ban of Australian coal. They are also facing a difficulty in fulfilling the coal demand of their electricity sector as China's economic activities continue to grow.
Before the crisis, Chinese provinces had also been attempting to reduce power use.
Statistics in Table I below however, shows that globally Chinese demand for coal has been increasing and projected demand by 2023 will be around the same as the amount used in 2017.
China's plans to tackle the crisis by targeting the dual high sectors, essentially those whose energy consumption and carbon emissions are very high.
These sectors will not see any guard-rails on the prices they pay, consequently, all the cost of balancing utilities' books will fall on their shoulders.
This will reduce the demand pressure on the grid and encourage inefficient users to upgrade to add more value.
These new regulations have come into place under the revised rules issued by the National Development and Reform Commission of China.
However, under these rules residential and agricultural consumers will still buy power at fixed tariffs and smaller users will see electricity costs fluctuate within a band.
To tackle the crisis, Provinces have also been required to meet strict targets under China's "dual control" strategy, a policy intended to lower consumption and intensity of use.
The policy contributed to a year-on-year decline in imports of other commodities, including crude oil, iron ore and copper in September.
The impact of China's energy crisis domestically will be felt worldwide.
In recent times, the world has become hooked on cheap Chinese power for manufacturing a host of its goods.
About half of all metal is produced in China and nearly a fifth of all oil is refined there. Energy-hungry products from aluminium to solar panels to Bitcoin depend on the country's low industrial power tariffs to keep their own prices down.
With electricity costs for "dual-high" industries set to rise, we may not have seen the end of the inflationary pressures flowing through the global economy.
--IANS
pgh/.
Source: IANS