Why Not Sixth time..it is NOT TOO LATE

When somebody in India talk about the Norway the most important topic they talk about is the ‘Noble peace prize’- An Oscar for people who did great work to make sure peace is maintained in world we live. This world famous coveted award is given every year on 10-dec to the noble laureate(s) of the world to recognize their contribution to world peace and humanity.

Every citizen the world’s biggest democracy(along with other people of the world) believes and support that this great prize is not meaningful if it is not awarded to Mr. Mohandas karamchand Gandhi ( Mahatma Gandhi) – who not only practiced peace doctrine throughout his life to demonstrate its effectiveness at its best but also promote the different ways( like Satyagraha and Ahimsa) of achieving it and also established a foundation for others(like Martin Luther king jr. and Nelson Mandela) to follow it .

Being an Indian living is Oslo I am always fascinated by the ‘Noble peace prize’ and always have desire to see Gandhi getting this coveted prize(even posthumously) . Recently I heard Norwegian Nobel Committee chief Ole Danbolt Mjos stated "(Mahatma) Gandhi was short-listed for the Nobel Prize five times,". In 1948 Gandhi was nominated 5^th time by Nobel Prize Committee but it’s “unanimous” decision was abandoned(at the last moment) by the Gandhi's assassination in the same year.

He accepted "For the first four, majority opinion made sure he did not come by the prize. But then, at the end of 1947, the Committee finally reached a unanimous decision that, come 1948, the Indian nationalist leader would be the recipient of the prize,". But, Mjos said, as events were to turn out Gandhi was assassinated in January 1948 upsetting the Nobel Committee plan at the last moment.Nobody was conferred with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1948, the website of the Committee shows.

My question( and many other Indians as well) here is :

“Why Can’t Gandhi be deemed as qualified to be a Nobel laureate in the present world context”
His theories are omnipresent and effective in every world peace movement and actually more suitable in today’s world. The point here is that if noble committee can take a controversial decision of giving prize to former UN secretary general Dag Hammarskjoeld in 1961 then WHY CAN’T THEY TAKE SUCH DESCISION AGAIN for the person who is the biggest pioneer of word ‘PEACE’ in the 20^th centaury.

Why not ecological Milk ?

In my younger days I saw a movie where Keshto Mukherjee was comparing ‘drinking alcohol’ with ‘drinking milk’ (and he was really good as usual). Considering the importance of milk in our daily life I searched the net and found that there exists a(although there are many but I am considering Indian environment and cost factor) viable ‘ecological milk’ which can be used at par with cow’s milk.

Any Guess !!!!

Yes you got it ….It is ‘Soya milk’

What is Soya Milk ?

It is produced by soaking dry soybeans, and grinding them with water.

Comparison with Cows Milk !!!

• Buffalo milk and cow milk has different proportions
• Many websites differ on the % and actual numbers

see the image attached

Why do we use it !!!

• Milk for Poor : Soy milk is nutritionally close to cow's milk BUT IT IS 3 TO 6 TIMES CHEAPER THAN COWS MILK. Most of poor people in India are facing the problem of malnutrition and for such vulnerable population it is an efficient way to ensure daily adequate nutrition. In this manner, not only do people receive enough high quality protein for the development and maintenance of their health, but they also get the added disease prevention benefits of soybean phytochemicals. Studies says that soyamilk also help the people with bone problems ( like Asthama) which is very common in poor Indian population.
• Lectogen senstive population can use it as it does not have lectogen in it. People who are doing some dieting course are also using it for health purposes.
• Using soybeans to make milk instead of raising cows is said to have ecological advantages, as the amount of soy that could be grown using the same amount of land would feed more people than if used to raise cows. This is debated as grazing land for animals is very different from land used to farm, and requires fewer pesticides. However, cows require much more energy in order to produce milk, since the farmer must feed the animal, which consumes 40 kilos (90 pounds) of food and 90 to 180 liters (25 to 50 gallons) of water a day, while a soy bean needs merely water and land. Because the soybean plant is a legume, it also replenishes the nitrogen content of the soil in which it is grown.Soybeans can produce at least twice as much protein per acre than any other major vegetable or grain crop, 5 to 10 times more protein per acre than land set aside for grazing animals to make milk, and up to 15 times more protein per acre than land set aside for meat production.

Negative points about the soyamilk :

• in general soy milk is not suitable for babies or infants
• Some commercial companies used their own formula to create new type of soyamilk which may create some health issues

Nuclear Deal : Deal or No deal

Today I used some of my time to understand the uncontroversial Indian Nuclear deal which may topple down the well stable UPA government to.The determination of Manmohan Singh Government is very good and it should go ahead.This may result in left withdrawing the support and fall of UPA government. I am sure PM won’t budge this time and will go ahead with what is more important to nation (Growth) rather than what is more important to congress( Political Power).

To come to above conclusion I tried to weigh of pros and cons of this deal and India's stand to gain a lot from this nuclear deal and still maintain sovereignty.

National Issues to solve :

Growth constraint-1 : The power shortage and future demand for power is growing exponentially. Fuel prices are breaking the life of ordinary citizen. According to the latest Ministry of Commerce statistics, India’s oil imports for April-June were $14.83 billion, 4.21% higher than the figure for the corresponding period last year.Skyrocketing Fuel prices are adding quite a lot to towering 'Inflation'. Even the other Asian countries like Malaysia slashing the hefty fuel subsidy in the national interest to cope with it.

Growth constraint-2 : The India does not have enough natural resources and imports most of its oil from other countries.

Growth constraint-3 : Not enough Nuclear resources : One study says the US draws 21% of its electricity from this source, while it is 78% for France, 40% for Japan, 15% percent for South Korea and around 25% for Russia.Globally, 16% of energy requirements are met from nuclear power but in India it is 3%.

Political constraint-3 : Politically we need to strengthen ties with US to improve the diplomatic relationship with US. US wants to strengthen its base in South Asia by having strong relationship with India . The US is not so much comfortable with its old alley Pakistan because of it’s political turbulence and unofficial links to extremist terrorism. US also wants to limit the growth and influence of China in Asia by supporting the equally good economy of India.

If the deal is through then :

• India will have uninterrupted supply of Nuclear Fuel for its US-made nuclear reactors. India and the US agree to transfer nuclear material, non-nuclear material, equipment and components. US will support/help India in developing strategic reserves of nuclear fuel to guard against future disruption of nuclear supply using the its international ‘Big Brother’ role . In case of disruption, US and India will jointly convene a group of friendly supplier countries(NSG) to include nations like Russia, France and the UK to pursue such measures to restore fuel supply.
• India can make that decision to conduct test at any time. It's a sovereign state, it's very clear that India is free to do as it wishes with regard to future testing
• India can build many nuclear reactors for power generation but it has to Spend a huge amount to import nuclear fuel rods the cost of which is twice that of coal driven power, will eat a good portion of india's exchequer, besides another substantial portion will have to be kept aside for waste disposal which will tear the pockets while other developments like road building and eradication of diseases among the poor will standstill.and considering the nature of deal India will be buying the uranium from the US (which helps the US economy as well).
• India has prospects(although not easy) of getting a waiver from the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group(NSG).
• India will have better power infrastructure which will help the Indian business in general. Deal will give India access to US nuclear fuel and technology, is potentially worth billions of dollars to US and European nuclear technology companies and would give India more energy alternatives to drive a booming trillion-dollar economy. India will have access to U.S. nuclear technology without complying with the Non-Proliferation Treaty(NPT), which permits cooperation on nuclear energy only when countries pledge not to develop nuclear weapons.So The agreement not to hinder or interfere with India's nuclear pro gramme for military purposes.
• Deal will place 14 of India’s 22 nuclear facilities under international safeguards. It leaves 8 of India’s nuclear facilities without safeguards, including a fast breeder reactor program that produces plutonium that can be used by India to increase its production of nuclear weapons. The deal provides no cap on India’s production of more nuclear weapons-grade fissionable materials.
• The deal will allow India to harvest the plutonium and enriched uranium from its non-safeguarded nuclear facilities and use it for increasing the size of its nuclear arsenal.
• After the deal overall nuclear energy production is expected to reach 9% by 2016.(which is not much as compare to 3% now).
• Treaty has provision for one-year notice period before termination of the agreement.So we can say ‘NO’ later if harms our national interest. Agreement provides for consultations on the circumstances, including changed security environment, before termination of the nuclear cooperation. (Left-leaning parties say the wide-ranging termination clause in the act could be used to end the nuclear deal not only if India tests nuclear weapons but also for “not conforming to U.S. foreign policy,” in particular in cooperating on nonproliferation. But India’s External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee says the nation is not bound by the Hyde Act.)
• India can develop strategic reserve of nuclear fuel to guard against any disruption of supply over the lifetime of its reactors.

Manmohan singh's stand shows that after a life spent in pleasing political masters, first as a bureaucrat, then as a minister, he has finally come into his own. At least as of now he is the recognized head of government and that is an opportunity he knows he will not get again. He wants to go down in history as the man who did something big: converted India irreversibly into a strategic ally of the US and changed her course from non alignment to total and complete alignment with the one nation of his unipolar world.

BENCH MARK - FROM ‘PEON’ TO V-C

Growing up in the heart of a Wadala slum, eight-yearold Narendra Jadhav knew what he wanted to be when he grew up: a gangster.
Somewhere along the way he changed course and ended up as chief economist of the Reserve Bank of India and then vice-chancellor of Pune University, a chair he currently holds. This prestigious post has a special sweetness to it, for a hundred years ago, Jadhav’s Dalit ancestors were made to leave Pune city before dark and carry brooms to sweep away their own polluting shadow.
Jadhav’s unique success story has often been cited as a sterling example of how education can unchain and transform when seemingly nothing else can. The street and the slum taught the young boy to be resilient but it was the all-consuming emphasis placed on education by his semi-literate father, a Dalit worker with the Bombay Port Trust, that set him on the road to success. His brother excelled too, got into the IAS, and went on to become municipal commissioner in Mumbai.
Jadhav’s schooling was split between a municipal primary school and a private secondary school, both united in the poverty of the children who sat in the classrooms. His ambitions changed all the time. First he wanted to be a gangster, and then something far less glamorous, a peon. “I grew up at a time when life was uncertain. I wanted a steady job that nobody could take away from me. A peon’s job sounded ideal.’’ Later, he decided he wanted to be a teacher, but by 13, he told his horrified brother that he hoped to be a writer. “My brother threw a fit. He told me I’d starve.’’ But Jadhav’s father, who went on to painstakingly pen his own memoirs, overheard the conversation and jumped to his defence. “Don’t listen to what others tell you to become. They may tell you to become a doctor, barrister or engineer. But follow your inner voice and do what you want. I really don’t care what you choose for yourself, as long as you’re at the top, wherever you are. Don’t ever be mediocre. Even if you’re a thief, make sure you’re an internationally acclaimed one.’’
The boy took his father’s words very seriously. At the SSC exam, he topped in Sanskrit, a language he had defiantly chosen because generations of Dalits had been denied access to a tongue considered the preserve of the Brahmins. At Ruia College, Mumbai, he passed his BSc in Statistics and Economics with distinction. After completing the first year of his MA in Economics from Mumbai University, Jadhav got a job as a probationary officer with the State Bank of India. So, during his second year, he juggled his studies with a full-time job. “My brother thought this was a bad idea. He was convinced that my scores would dip and that I could not have my cake and eat it too,’’ said Jadhav. But he proved his brother wrong. He succeeded at his job and set a record by getting a first in Economics, something that no Dalit had done before.
After a three-year stint with the bank, during which he travelled extensively in Maharashtra, he joined the Reserve Bank of India. At 24, he was their youngest researcher. A few years into the job, he felt the need to study further. So, on a government of India scholarship, he headed for the University of Indiana, where he received a Ph.D in Public Finance. He was awarded the Best International Student and won the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Economic Theory.
His classmates at Indiana, where he headed the Indian Students Association, were shocked when he told them he wanted to return to India after his Ph.D. “At that time, no Indian who went abroad to study returned home. Most of them were from rich families who would settle abroad and then complain of how they were subjected to racism. And here was I, from a down-trodden family in India, turning my back on over a dozen job offers to return home instead.’’ Seven days after his got his PhD, Jadhav was back “because I believe there can be no substitute for your motherland. My commitment to my own people was so strong that I would not been happy anywhere else’’.
When Jadhav passed his SSC, he could barely speak in English, a language he has now consummately mastered. “Of course it was hard for me to switch from Marathi to English. But then, life is hard. You can’t use your background as an excuse for incompetence. And there’s no substitute for hard work. The fact that I lived in a slum and studied at a Marathi-medium school did not come in the way of my higher education abroad,’’ he says.
When Jadhav returned home, his mother found it hard to understand why her son was still working so hard after all these years of study. Surely a PhD meant he could now take it easy? That’s when Jadhav’s father stepped in once again with his earthy wisdom. He said a PhD was like a driving licence. You don’t stop driving once you get a licence. You start driving. “Here was one illiterate person explaining the value of PhD to another illiterate person. And he couldn’t have put it better,’’ says his son.
As a tribute to the man who, although himself uneducated, lived fearlessly and overcame caste and class barriers, Jadhav wrote ‘Amcha Baap ani Amhi,’ a book on his father’s life that has been translated into many languages. Once, while Jadhav was at Indiana, his father fell critically ill. He rushed back to see him, only to be reprimanded. “Don’t waste your time in the middle of your studies. Come back when you’ve finished your degree. I won’t die until then.’’
He kept his word. He died three years after his son returned to India as Dr Narendra Jadhav.