Why Gandhi Let Bhagat Singh Hang * 71

Gandhi and Bhagat Singh were two individula wih divergent political thought. Bhagat Singh believed in armed struggle to oust the British while Gandhi believd in Ahmisa and non voilence and thus was more accomodating to the british. Obviously a clash was expected and at that period and one fact as brought out is that Bhagat Singh was more popular than Gandhi, Gandhi was a whimsical and shrewd politician and he resolved that Bhagat Singh must be finished politically so that he remained the undisputed leader.

 Thus when the famous trial of Bhagat Singh commenced , Gandhi maintained a studious silence. Many requests were made to him about Bhat Singh, which he steadfastly ignored. When Bhagat Singh was awarded the death sentence , Gandhi was again requested to appeal to the Viceroy to commute the sentence of Bhagat Singh to life in jail. Gandhi again refused and one wonders how such a man can be called a 'Mahatma'. Gandhis's reason for refusing to intercede with the Viceroy or make any appeal was simple: he dreaded that an alive Bhagat Singh would be a threat to his authority and more important his philosophy.

History records that Bhagat Singh and his associates were hanged by the British at night against all canons of Jail law and the prison manual and Gandhi kept quiet. At that time Gandhi's popularity touched rock bottom and he was greeted with black flags when he visited Karachi and other places after the hanging.

The episode leaves a sour taste in the mouth and the fact is Bhagat Singh and his associates were hanged and Gandhi we can surmise heaved a sigh of relief. There are many facates of Gandh's life that need to be published and some more research done on them. The hanging of Bhagat Singh and his comrades is one of them and I am afraid it shows Gandhi in very poor light

Playing Golf at the US Club, Mumbai

The Raj is one period that is reviled by a lot of people, but there are many and they are growing in larger numbers who realize that the Raj ushered in a lot of good things as well. The British, who ruled India had a military presence in Bombay, felt the need for an officers club at Bombay. Thus in 1928 permissions were granted to set up this exclusive club for the officers of the British Indian Army and navy. The Golf Course The club is located in the military area and access to the club is a fairly tardy process what with the guard posts and check posts that are the hall mark of a military area. The club is now often called the United Services Club and is jointly managed by the 3 services. The club is located on defense land by the side of the sea at the southernmost tip of Bombay. The piece de resistance of the club is the Golf course which is unique in itself. The course is as per international standards and is a 18 hole course covering 6072 yards. It is a par-70 course. The course abuts the Arabian Sea and being close to the ocean needs adjustment of your game as the sea breeze and wind becomes an important factor.

At one edge of the course is a concrete wall with a paved path that is ideal for an evening walk as the sea breeze envelops the area. Playing the Game Playing golf at this club is an experience that cannot be duplicated anywhere else in India. The course has a lot of par 3 and 4 and a water hazard as well. It’s a great course and is open from first light to sun set, the year round. The greens are very well maintained and the holes are clearly marked. But while putting the ball you will have to make allowances for the wind that sometimes blows in with great force. Some of the holes are close to the sea and a long shot with the woods may well result in the ball sailing into the sea, aided by the wind. There is also a bar counter right in the center of the course and you can have a swig of beer and continue your game.

Foreigners are not allowed into the club or to play Golf. Membership is also restricted and generally only service officers are allowed to be members. But a civilian can play as a guest of a member. The club is a unique place and rivals some of the best courses abroad. It certainly remains a feather in the cap of Bombay and we can only say ‘thank you’ to the British who left behind such a wonderful course

Indians cannot win in Singles in Tennis

Tennis is a game that is fairly popular in India. Introduced by the English rulers the game has a fair following. Slightly elitist, the game is still played in almost all clubs and colleges. Despite the reasonable popularity of the game there is one jarring aspect that stands out. Though the Indians have produced a string of doubles champions, there is hardly a player of international stature in singles. Indians have won many double titles, but I can’t recollect an Indian winning a singles grand slam title like Wimbledon in the last 70 years. This is certainly food for thought and one wonders why this should be so. A look at the Indian greats of tennis shows that only one player Ramanath Krishnan made it twice to the semi-finals at Wimbledon. On both counts he lost to the man who went on to win the title. Krishnan was a man who perfected the ‘touch artist’ game, but I do not think he won any grand slam singles title.

We had some good players coming in. There were the Amriitraj brothers Vijay and Anand, the son of Ramanath Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan nd now we have Laender Paes and Mahesh and Bopanna. However a look at their careers shows that they are good doubles players but a singles title has eluded them. What could be the reason? In doubles and mixed doubles many of these players have won grand slam titles and even now Leander Paes is a finalist in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon.

The fact is that a singles game is very demanding and requires a great degree of fitness. This is where the Indian players chicken out. I can only say that lack of physical fitness in comparison to the greats of tennis like Rod laver, Rosewall, Connors, Agassi and others the Indians don’t stand anywhere. There were cases when Vijay Amritraj led in the singles in many a match against the greats of tennis only to lose in the end as he perhaps lacked stamina. Technique wise they may be good, but winning in singles is something that has eluded an Indian for too long. One wonders when it will change.

India and Slave Trade in Women

> Officially the slavetradeis banned in India for that matter all over the world. But the laws thatexiston paper are flouted as the guiding principle is poverty. As withall tradeacommoditysells when buyers areavailable. It is a classic case of need coupled withsupply and demand. Slave markets haven’t really gone away and they exist in varying degrees from Africa to Asia. In India there is a flourishing slave market for girls from Nepal and Bangladesh. Both these nations are impoverished and thus easy prey to this nefarious trade. As I have pointed out one of the commodities in great demand is young girls from Bangladesh and Nepal. Great poverty in these 2 nations has spawned atradein girls. Nepalese girls fetch a higher price as they are fair and considered better than Bangladesh girls, who are darkish. Given the fetish in the sub continent for fairness, it is obvious that Nepali girls fetch a higher price.

The price of a girl also depends on age and other factors. Virgins are the highest priced. What I write is a fact.The marketfor Nepal girls is at Siliguri in North Bengal. I was able to visit this bazaar where the girls aretraded. Men folk from Nepal actively sell the girls. A BEAUTIFUL Nepali virgin can fetch a very high price. It could touch 50 thousand rupees. Once a girl issold, the buyer can keep her as maid, bed mate, maid or anything. He can also sell her later. Many are forced into prostitution. Girls from Bangladesh are more in number and cheaper. Generally they are however considered more loyal. Small illegal bazaarsexistclose to Kolkata. Once girl is bought she is fed and clothed by the owner. I remember meeting a man at Kancharapara who was about 50 and had 3 Bangladesh girls working as maids and sleeping with him as well. He boasted all 3 were virgins. The man was a well heeled trader and I met him through a common friend. A question that must arise is as to what the police do? They try their best, but plenty of black sheep are there. The trade thus goes on merrily.

Desire, Love and marriage in Ancient India

One aspect that stands out is that men covet women. One can call it lust or give softer word like love, but at the end of the day it is physical desire that rules. This was the reason that the Mughul emperor Jahangir got one of the courtiers killed and married his wife who was later known as Noor Jahan. Women in history were not only to be wooed but won as a prize. Thus in Hindu custom the Swayamwara was introduced. It involved a massive ceremony where the suiters gathered to show case their prowess in arms and weaponry. The winner got the woman or princess as wife. Thus the god Rama won Sita in a swayamwara. I dont think love played a part in any swayamwara as the girl had perforce to select the man who had bested all other suiters. Thus a man who coveted a particular princess, could win her by his strength and skill though the princess may have loved another man.

In Hindu thought one other aspect of marriage accepted is marriage by abduction. This is not peculair to India, but in Europe also it was prevelant. Thus when Bishma appeared at the swayamwara of Ambika, spirited her and her sister from the palace by beating all the warriors present it was abduction. Raja Salya the man who loved Ambika was defeated and shamed by Bishma. Bishma had abducted the princesses for his brother and he himself did not want to marry, but that is another tale. Both forms of marriage were recognized in India till the 12 century. But they petered away with the advent of Muslim raj. Modern India does not recognize these forms of marriages, but we can read about them and savor that glorious age. The bottom line is that the driving force in both forms of marriage was the desire to covet and own the woman.

Power Failure: Military Repercussions and China

The recent power trip up which brought about the greatest power crises in the world that plunged 700 million people back to the dark ages is bad enough, but how many know the disastrous consequences of this.

The power failure that plunged the entire north and east India in darkness was an event that cannot be glossed over. All communication lines snapped, trains stopped in their tracks, metros stopped everywhere some in the deep tunnels, Miners were struck underground , Traffic lights failed and airports were plunged in darkness. The above is serious enough but I am told the power back ups at some of the forward air bases also failed and communication lines between the military headquarters and the forward formations were cut. In the forward areas there was total black out and the troops were waiting what to do next.

The radar stations also were below performance and the back up was not enough for prolonged usage and soon the screens blacked out. These points have not been examined or discussed and this aspect has been conveniently over looked. What if the Chinese had decided to strike India at this time? The chances are that with a break down in communication the Chinese would have had an easy run into India. This is not an alarmist scenario but a real possibility. Troops also could not have been moved in the absence of rail communication. Thus the Indian army would be battling with one arm tied behind its back.

The GOI and the Military HQs will have to think about a recurrence of this disaster. Next time it may be a different story

Hitler's Last Relic: The Olympic Torch * 65

Not many people know about the orgin of the Olympic torch from Greece to the Venue of the Olympics. Credit for this Olympic torch must go to Adolf Hitler who along with his propaganda Minister Dr. Goebbles concieved and executed the idea of the Olympic torch. It must be mentioned that before the 1936 Olympics there was no tradiation of a Olympic torch being carried from Greece to the venue of the Olympics. There was a flame in the 1932 and 28 Olympics but it was not carried from Greece.

In 1936 the Olympics were held in Berlin. Hitler wished to make this a memorable event for Germany and more so of the Nazi party. He and Dr Goebbles concieved the idea of a Olympic flame that would be lit in Greece and carried by relay runners through German dominated areas like Austria and Czheckoslovokia to Berlin. The idea was to create a favorable impression about Germany and distract the world from the anti- sementism and other negative policies of Hitler.

The runners were chosen with great care and special German race men with blonde and Aryan features were chosen to carry the Olympic torch. This was a revolutionary step and Hitler was able to rivet the attention of the world to this new innovation. Dr Goebbles was able to create a aura with the torch as an example of Nazi socialism.

This was the first occassion that a torch from Greece was taken by relay runners. Hitler recieved favorable comments for this act and his popularity all over the world went up. After the defeat of Germany this was one relic of Hitler that was not discarded. In the 1948 olympics at London the torch was duly lit at Greece and carried by runners to London. Hitler after all did leave something durable behind.