Vol. LXII, No. 22, New Delhi, December 05, 2010

NDA Sweeps Bihar Results to cast national impact. Sonia, Manmohan, Rahul bite the dust. Bihar rebuffs Congress arrogance. By Shyam Khosla THE landslide victory for the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar has national dimensions and may impact the political scenario in the country. It is a great morale booster for the alliance and has underlined the ground reality that NDA is the only credible alternative to the UPA. Enthused by the massive verdict delivered by the people of Bihar, belonging to all communities, NDA is already expecting more allies to drift towards it transforming it into a rainbow alliance.    more > Thinking Aloud Business models destroying political careers MAHARASHTRA has a new Chief Minister. One Chavan has been replaced by another and most people won’t even notice the changeover. And by the time they do notice it, as they are bound to one day, it will be too late, for the new Chavan will then be replaced by a Patil or a Pawar, or even another Chavan, and the show will go on.    more > Editorial Integrity! Ha, who needs it anyway, UPA seems to ask THE entire episode regarding the Chief Vigilance Commissioner, P J Thomas reeks of the Congress Party’s disparaging attitude towards integrity and indulgence for corruption at high places.    more > Haryana rings in first with mobile number portability www.yahooineditors.com IF you’re dissatisfied with poor service from your current telecom service provider, you don’t need to bear with it anymore. Just dump it and go for another one. And no, you won’t have to change your number every time you switch providers.    more > Yeddyurappa to continue as CM By R Guru Prasad, Bengaluru A week long speculations of replacing the Chief Minister of Karnataka over a land scam ended with a happy note. A positive political decision by BJP High Command allowing the CM BS Yeddyurappa to continue in the top post brought cheers among the people of Karnataka.    more > Sangh Samachar Strong Hindu society is the strength of India—Mohan Bhagwat - FOC ABVP to hold its national conference in Bengaluru from December 25 - FOC Birth anniversary of Birsa Munda celebrated in Jashpur Nagar - FOC Kalyan Ashram conducts Shishu Mela - By Basudeb Pal Bharat Vikas Parishad helps Leh flood victims - FOC Antar Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad to bring NRI students aware of Indian culture - FOC Usha Singhal is no more - FOC Tribute to Sudesh Malik - FOC Documents surface alleging land grab by Deve Gowda family www.yahooineditors.com HD Kumaraswamy, the JD(S) leader who has been exposing scandal after scandal involving chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, is now in the dock for helping his brother Balakrishne Gowda to grab prime land in Bengaluru.    more > Himachal Pradesh : Going green, growing green The state’s future is secure with eco-friendly initiatives By V Shanmuganathan THE Himachal Government has initiated strong measures to alleviate the poverty of the poorest. Health and education are two prime movers as long term strategy. On one hand it is fighting diseases and on the other it is popularising science and education.    more > What is the external image of India India in the eyes of the western greats By Amal Gupta IT all started a few months ago. Someone had posted on my Face Book wall a link of a page from a book titled What is India?. Salil Gewali is its compiler.    more > Indian connection of Da Vinci code By Prof G Siva Reddy DAN Brown in his novel, Da Vinci Code, described that the worship of Goddess by pagans was inherited by the early Christians, though Catholics of Vatican and Opus Dei tried their best to wipe out not only the concept but also the direct descendents of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene.    more > Trying to stop noise pollution IT is unbelievable but true. Probably in a lesson for other cities and states of country, the police and administration, for the first time in history of Varanasi, tried to enforce the Noise Pollution Rules and did all out efforts to stop people from bursting firecrackers after 10 pm.    more > Genesis of Article 370 and its after effects By PC Dogra, IPS (Retd) WHEN J&K State was attacked by the Pakistani regular forces and the tribals on October 26, 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh sought the help of India and signed an instrument of accession with India.    more > Remains of 1300 years old ancient temples found near Bhopal By Ram Chand Sahu SCIENTISTS of the Archaeological Department have found out the remains of 1300-year-old ancient temples at Ashapuri village near Bhopal.    more > Ministers’ assets soon on PMO website PTI NEW DELHI: In the midst of political heat over scams, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has decided to make public assets and liabilities of his ministerial colleagues.    more > What others say 4/234: Rahul gets his first reality check By D K Singh, Santosh Singh New Delhi, Patna THE Bihar mandate is the first decisive rebuttal of the Rahul factor that the Congress has pinned its revival hopes on when it comes to the Hindi heartland.    more > Media Watch ASEAN nations get little space in the Indian media A painful aspect of the Indian media is that it gives little attention to states immediately beyond West Bengal. Very little attention is given even to North East Indian states – the so-called Seven Sisters.    more >

Cover Page Focus Conspiracy against Indian languages English pushes Indian languages out of Civil Services tests By Brij Kishore Sharma THE Central Government has taken a decision to modify the papers for the Preliminary Examination for Civil Services of the Union. Till now the candidates had to answer two objective type question papers; one for General Knowledge and one pertaining to a subject of choice.    more > The Moving Finger Writes Dismantle Prasar Bharati By MV Kamath HASN’T the time come to take a good look at the functioning of Prasar Bharati and ask whether the time has not come to wind it up and let its component units like Akashvani and Doordarshan revert to their original home, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting?    more > Think It Over Paying for Western follies By MSN Menon FROM times we know, we have been paying for the follies of the West. Look at the record. The West put god outside man. The East put god within man. The god outside became a punishing god.    more > Insight The story of Mother India Courtesy: www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/nov/12/ancient-world-india/print MORE than four millennia have passed since the many artefacts of the ancient Indus civilisation were fashioned. Yet one tiny sculpture, made by an unknown artist, still seems strikingly relevant to us today.    more > Kids’ Org Sister Nivedita advocated aggressive Hindutva By VN Gopalakrishnan SISTER Nivedita opened a kindergarten school for Hindu girls in November 1989; joined plague relief works of the Ramakrishna Mission from March 1899; ...    more > A page from History General Baghel Singh He gave a crushing defeat to tottering Mughals Courtesy: www.voice of punjab.wordpress.com A very few Indians know about General Baghel Singh (1730-1802). He paid the Islamic fundamentalists in their own coins and made them construct Gurdwaras in Delhi in 1783. He paved the way for self assertion of Indians after the slavery of nine centuries under Islam.    more > Bookmark South Asia’s futile nuclear weaponisation By Manju Gupta India, Pakistan and the Bomb: Debating Nuclear Stability in South Asia, Sumit Ganguly and S Paul Kapur, Penguin/Viking, Pp 132 (HB), Rs 325.00 Performing artistes in search of an identity Engendering Performance: Indian Women Performers in Search of an Identity, Bishnupriya Dutt and Urmimala Sarkar Munsi, Sage Publications, Pp 305 (HB), Rs 995.00 A diplomat’s memoirs as a lively narrative By Jayant Patel Memoirs of an Indian Diplomat, BS Das, Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited, Pp 187 (HB), price not mentioned A book for nature and wildlife lovers By Manju Gupta Voices in the Wilderness: Contemporary Wildlife Writings, Prerna Singh Bindra (Ed.), Rupa & Co., Pp 237 (PB), Rs 395.00 Clapham Sect : Puritanism and proselytization By Dr R Balashankar The Clapham Sect Stephen Tomkins, Lion Hudson plc, Pp 272(PB), £10.99 A goat for gift and sofa for scandal By Dr Vaidehi Nathan The goat, the sofa and Mr. Swami, R Chandrasekar, Hachette India, Pp 296 (PB), Rs 250.00 Hype and facts about China By MV Kamath The Empire of Lies, The Truth About China in the Twenty-First Century, Guy Sorman, Encounter Books, New York, Pp 267, Rs. 450.00

Religion A Tribute to Pujya Swami Satchidanandaji A spiritual life like a Kalpataru By NK Ramachandran PUJYA Swami Satchidanandaji of Anandashram in Kanhangad, North Kerala, who attained Mahasamadhi on October 12, 2008, was a unique saint.    more >

Economy Watch G-20 unfair to developing countries By Dr Bharat Jhunjhunwala The stand-off between United States and China regarding undervaluation of the yuan can be understood by an example. The village landlord was buying milk from the milkman. Land reforms led to reduction of the landlord's income and it became difficult for him to pay for the purchase of milk.    more >

Readers’ Forum Corruption, development and inclusive growth: —PRANJIT AGARWALA, H/No-5, Kundil Path, Wireless, Rukmininagar, Dispur, Guwhati-781 006 The economic reforms initiated in 1991 has today made India the second fastest growing economy in the world after China. The Indian economy registered an impressive annual growth rate of 9 per cent or more for most of the global boom period up till 2007-2008.    more >

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