Enough was enough. Bullies invariably mistake patience for weakness. When innocent men, women and children are killed at random for no other reason than that they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Time and again Pakistan got away with nothing more than verbal admonitions. Indian appeals to third parties, notably the United States, to use their influence to rein in the violators, brought more verbal remonstrations.
At Uri the Pakistanis went a step too far. The accustomed routine of braggadocio, denial and threat followed the deaths of 18 Indian soldiers. Prime Minister Narendra prepared the ground for India’s eventual response with meticulous care. At the G20 Summit in China, he had spoken out boldly against the threat of State sponsored terrorism and its implications for global peace and stability. He kept on hammering this theme at the Laos ASEAN Summit and thereafter.
The Obama Administration issued a ritual condemnation of terrorism, without doing anything substantial on the ground. The US State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, brazenly explained that America’s relationship was no zero sum game, suggesting that India and Pakistan engage in talks, as if they hadn’t been doing so for seventy long years. (See Media Watch, p 12)
The time for talking and preaching had run aground. The time for action as a weapon of last resort had clearly arrived. The Prime Minister took counsel with his closest aides; he consulted the Army chief and provided him with his brief. In the early hours of September 29, Indian Special Forces under the cover of darkness slipped deep across the Line of Control in Kashmir and took out eight terrorist bases in a superbly conducted operation without the loss of a single Indian life. The intelligence details given them were clinical and precise. The effect was devastating, the message resoundingly clear
Islamabad and the Pakistani media were in a state of denial, arguing that it was a concocted Indian fable. But truth will out – eventually, when the body bags are delivered for brial. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif summoned 22 foreign envoys to tell them that this wall an Indian fairytale. The envoys will have had their own independent sources. More important, Mr Sharif and his ministers, in time, will have much explaining to do to their own people when the intoxication wears off and the inevitable hang-over sets in and the truth remorselessly unfolds. In 1965, Ayub Khan’s regime collapsed, as did Yahya Khan’s in December 1971, following misbegotten military adventures. What will the future hold for Nawaz Sharif? He was deposed after the Kargil fiasco in 1999 and was exiled to Saudi Arabia, having narrowly escaped the hangman’s noose? Time will tell.
Meanwhile, the SARRC Summit at Islamabad was aborted, with Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka joining India by refusing to attend.
At home, the Modi government called in Opposition parties to apprise them of the situation and ministers were given resounding support, which must have been music to their ears after days of spiteful bickering. In a national crisis India spoke with one voice.
Indian resolve and Indian power will have their own salutary effect on friends and foes alike. The image of a shambling giant unsure of itself, incessantly appealing to others for counsel will now be revised. India has served notice that there are limits to her forbearance. This includes the leaders of the separatist Kashmiri Hurriyat whose arrogance, hopefully for their sakes, will be tempered with a measure of realism and modesty. Those who value Indian friendship and have done so steadfastly in the past, will invest added value to the relationship. For the people of India, the lesson in resolute statecraft will have left an abiding impression. Prime Minister Modi, who took the final call deserves high praise for his courage and perspicacity; the Army and intelligence services are owed a deep debt of gratitude. Indian unity in diversity has passed a crucial test.
Rafale deal: What it means for the IAF
India and France after months of tortuous negotiations, finally signed the deal the Indian Air Force had been waiting for anxiously. Its current strength of 32 squadrons is short of the desired 43 needed to engage in a two-front war. The IAF had originally tendered for 127 fourth-generation medium-range multirole aircraft, and of those on offer their choice was the French Rafale. Due to cost escalation the ortiginally estimated 12 billion dollars climbed to over 20 billion. Talks had run into the sand, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande agreed to initiate fresh talks for the purchase of 36 Rafales from the manufacturer Dassault, the contract to be underwritten by the French government.
The new dimension to this deal has been the package of weapon systems that will come with the planes. These are among the most sophisticated, cutting-edge technologies in the world, and they could well be game-changers for India in any future conflict.
Rafale’s proven capabilities are as follows: It can simultaneously engage in air defence and ground attack missions in a combat range between 750-1,500kms; it can carry 9.3 tonne weapons, including nuclear weapons; it has air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles; India-specific tweaks were added to the final price for each plane at Rs1640 crore. The Rafale is a generation ahead of the US F-16, according to Dassault CEO Eric Trappler.
Defence Minister Parrikar was very upbeat about the IAF’s latest acquisition, while the French Minister Jean-Yves Le Drain said the aircraft would add substantially to Indian air power and strengthen the Indo-French strategic partnership. The first Rafale will be delivered in 2019 and the full complement by 2022.
Durga Puja and its eternal charm
Goddess Durga is Bengal’s favourite deity, incarnating as she does, the qualities of mercy, compassion and human fellowship. The festive season in Bengal is all pervasive, from towns and villages to the giant metropolis Kolkata. For five days, she comes home to be with her own, before the ritual immersion in the waters of the rivers which marks her return journey whence she came.
Durga Puja pandals are a riveting sight for locals and foreigners alike, who move from one to another to appreciate the exquisite craftsmanship of the idols. The new dimension to the celebrations this year was William Shakespeare’s 400 th death anniversary. The British Council in Kolkata partnered three well known pujas in Kolkata and presented video installation of his plays.
Streams of visitors were treated to scenes from Shakespeare’s plays on screens outside the pandals in three different localities. The Globe Theatre’s Complete Walk comprised 37 specially made 10 minute films from each of his plays were up for viewing.. Each film explores a theme in Shakespeare’s imagined setting of his work. Antony and Cleopatra was filmed against the background of the Egyptian pyramids, and The Merchant of Venice, with Shylock, on the site of the former Jewish ghetto in Venice.
The Complete Walk was first screened along the iconic 2-3 mile stretch between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge over the weekend of April 23-24, specially-made from each of the Bard’s 37 plays. The present setting was the banks of the Hooghly, where Shakespeare travelled across time and space. ‘It is up to us to make Shakespeare fit for our times. The video installation is an attempt to do so,’said Debanjan Chakrabarti, Director British Council East, India. Pandals in Kolkata’s varied locations tackled the challenging task of bringing Shakespeare to the city’s teeming crowds. It was done in the inclusive spirit of Durga Puja.
What is truly remarkable is that in a far corner of a foreign field Durga Puja was celebrated with amazing gusto. The place was Wales. The Welsh authorities made the festival a national event, with schools and educational institutions popularizing the Puja as a unique cultural event of multicultural significance. Bengali community leaders, mostly doctors and professionals, were enthused by the local response. They and their families had lived in Wales for decades and made it their home, hence Durga Puja there was also marked the homecoming of the Goddess.
A postscript to this is the report that Republican presidential contender Donald Trump will be addressing an Indian American conference to celebrate Hindu culture and its contribution to civilization and the global heritage. He will also laud the enrichment of American society by the Indian presence – a fitting tribute to Durga and all that has incarnated down the ages.
