enveloped in darkness

To begin with, Siddappa had to find a vantage point in his farm where the wind would blow completely unhindered. His farm is located at a low altitude. Therefore, finding a windy channel was difficult. But once he chose his spot, Siddappa got down to work in right earnest.

The roof of his cowshed yielded the two metal sheets that became the four wings of his windmill. Wood and metal clamps were acquired to craft the propeller for his wind power unit. He then connected the propeller to three small wheels through a belt made of the rubber tyre of a bicycle. The main wheel of the power unit came from the tyre disc of his bullock cart.

Siddappa uses this disc to step up the rotation of the wings per minute. The dynamo attached to the wheels generates the electricity, which is then stored in a battery. To utilise this power, Siddappa has connected an inverter to the battery. From here, AC power is converted into DC.

Today Siddappa’s house and that of his brother, Yallappa, can light six 60-volt bulbs round the clock. His family can also play a tape-recorder and a radio. And when the wind is strong enough, and the plant generates additional power, the television set, too, crackles to life.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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COMMISSIONS & OMISSIONS

Every time riots erupt governments set up commissions of inquiry, which often take years to submit their reports. But neither are they ever made public, nor are the culprits punished. Raju Kumar on the politics of setting up probe panels

The stock response of Indian governments to a riot or scam is to set up an inquiry commission, which dutifully submits its report – and the governments, equally dutifully, sit on them till the matter is all but forgotten. If these commissions help anyone, it is the retired judges who find employment. Also, mostly there is no time frame; and if there is it is ignored by commission heads who consider themselves at liberty to stretch the probe for as long as they need the job. Indeed an entire new establishment is created at the taxpayers’ expense. And the outcome, as all know, is generally zero. Under political and other pressures the probe panels’ recommendations are willfully pushed under the carpet, and the punishments doled out are obscenely disproportionate to the crimes committed.

The Liberhan Commission, set up on December 16, 1992 under the chairmanship of Justice MS Liberhan to probe the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, was told to submit its report within three months. But the duration was extended 48 times, and the report was finally presented only last month – after 17 years of investigation. The demolition of the Babri Mosque had provoked communal riots not only in India, but also Pakistan and Bangladesh, claiming hundreds of lives. But ruling governments suppressed the reports, saying these were of dubious value. In the case of the Liberhan Commission too, indications are that the government will take no action, even though the report contains the names of some prominent BJP leaders. There will also be no surprise if the report is not tabled in Parliament. Remember the Srikrishna Commission report? Or the one on the anti-Sikh riots of 1984? As for the victims, most know that the recommendations will not be implemented – the main reason why such probes evoke so little public interest.

The Congress condemned the report of the Justice GT Nanawati Commission set up by the Gujarat government to probe the 2002 pogrom. The UC Banerjee Commission constituted by Lalu Prasad Yadav was declared biased by the Bharatiya Janata Party. So just who is speaking the truth and who could be lying? According to the Nanawati Commission the fire that had broken out in the Sabarmati Express at Godhra station was pre-planned, while the Banerjee Commission described it as an accident.

Over 1,500 people were killed and 1,829 injured in the Mumbai riots of December 1992 and January 1993. Yet even though the Srikrishna Commission submitted its report in 1998 the victims are still to get justice. The Shiv Sena government first tried to shelve the report; then, playing the communal card, it proceeded to malign the upright judge.

In the Nellie massacre of Assam that took place in February 18, 1983 some 1,800 allegedly illegal migrant Muslims were killed. (Unofficial figures had put the toll at 3,300). The Tribhuvan Prasad Tiwari Commission that was set up a year later to probe the carnage put the death toll at 661, and said only 143 of them were eventually identified. The relief offered was a paltry Rs 5,000 per victim, Rs 5,000 each for reconstructing the destroyed houses and Rs 500 each for the families that lost their milch cattle. Yet while 688 cases were filed at the Jagiroad police station, all were finally dropped and no arrests were ever made. The specious argument offered was that this would raise tensions further.

On April 1, 1993 Bhatkal Taluk in the Uttara Kannada district had flared up following rumours that stones were hurled at the chariot procession during Ramnavami. Periodic riots continued over the next six months. The Justice Kedambady Jagannath Shetty Commission set up to probe the disturbances made 17 recommendations in 1997, and said Dawood Ibrahim had played a role in fomenting them. Yet what happened? The Justice Nanawati Commission that probed the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 was set up after the government found itself under pressure from civil society to nail the culprits. Constituted on May 8, 2000, and a successor of the Justice Rangnath Commission, it had come out with damaging revelations against Congress leaders like Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar. But the CBI gave clean chits to both just before the last parliamentary elections. Indeed, even the Congress thought nothing about giving tickets to them. It was only after the Sikh community protested that they were dumped. And of course none of the culprits has been penalised so far.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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East Pakistan and its majority population ignored

Similarly, when the parity formula was thrust upon former East Pakistan and its majority population ignored, not only was the foundation of Bangladesh laid, but resentment heightened manifold in smaller provinces such as Sindh, Balochistan and North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

“Liaquat's murder strengthened civil bureaucracy in a way that ultimately led to a military coup staged by Gen. Ayub Khan in October 1958,” says Tauseef Ahmed Khan, professor at Federal Urdu University, Karachi. “Again, it was a military dictator, Gen. Yahya Khan, who unleashed a genocide in former East Pakistan, culminating in the dismemberment of Pakistan in December 1971,” he adds. “When military dictator Gen. Zia-ul Haq sent Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the gallows on April 4, 1979, it constituted judicial murder, which eroded democratic ethos in Pakistan,” he says.

In the current scenario, the absence of Benazir Bhutto – she was assassinated in Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007 – hasn’t helped either. Had she been alive, Pakistan would probably have dealt successfully with the Taliban and curbed fundamentalism. These problems have now assumed monstrous proportions and threaten the very integrity of the fragile state. In the death of Benazir, Pakistan lost the civilian institution capable of confronting the army.

“Benazir had over the years cultivated a stature for herself in Pakistan and at the international level. Her sudden death plunged the PPP into severe leadership problems. Her tainted husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who got the reins by default, lacks the experience of Benazir, who commanded the loyalty of PPP leaders as well as ordinary workers. The PPP is far weaker today,” says Dr Hasan Askari-Rizvi.

Despite a massive military operation in South Waziristan in the aftermath of a successful operation in Swat, religious extremists continue to strike with impunity in every nook and corner of the country. They even have the gall to attack the well-protected General Headquarters in broad daylight. It is evident that the democratic PPP government lacks the strength to contain fundamentalism in the country.

Religious extremism has become so powerful that it now operates on a regional level and neighbouring countries such as India, Afghanistan and Iran are becoming its victim. On one hand, the civilian government finds it difficult to defend itself when non-state actors, in connivance with fundamentalist elements in the establishment, play havoc within and across the borders. On the other, rampant inflation is paving the way for discontent and anarchy. “Pakistan needed a strong and popular leader like Benazir for resolving India-Pakistan problems. The current leadership is too weak to take any bold step in its interaction with India. Their options have further been limited due to India's increased pressure on the terrorism issue,” says Dr Rizvi.

“Moreover, the PPP is facing a leadership crisis because Zardari has been systematically removing all Benazir aides from important party positions, causing much alienation in the party,” says Dr Rizvi. “The situation is bound to become worse as the government fails on all fronts.”

“Benazir’s killing undid the deal which was managed by the US between her and Gen. Musharraf,” says Dr Ahmed. “Her untimely death made Musharraf irrelevant. The new dispensation that emerged after the February 2008 elections is quite different in character from what it would have been had Benazir not been assassinated,” Dr Ahmed says.

With an uneasy relationship with India, Afghanistan and Iran and chaos at home, Pakistan seems to be heading towards the unknown.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Auto majors in INDIA May have cause for worry

The Gurgaon-Manesar belt, which apart from being the largest for automotives in the country producing two-thirds of vehicles manufactured in the country, is no stranger to labour unrest. Memories of the violence that eripted on July 25, 2005, resulting in over 150 people getting injured in a clash between the police and the agitating workers of HMSI, still haunt the belt that aspires to be a global auto hub in the long run. In fact, the relation of this auto belt with labour unrest goes beyond the year 2005, when even the market leader, Maruti Suzuki (then Maruti Udyog Ltd) wasn’t spared. Its workers went on an indefinite strike due to the claimed forged incentive scheme. But the trouble had been brewing since the year 2000, when around 150 employees were retrenched and 2,200 more were forced to opt for voluntary retirement. The focus, however, was quickly shifted when one of the workers was found dead under inexplicable circumstances near the company's premises and another died in a nearby hospital. The strike in the year 2005 dragged on for three months, severely impacting the automaker’s profitability.

However, even other auto companies have been facing labour issues in one manner or another for a long time now and experts believe the situation will not change going forward. Be it the recent strike at Hyundai’s Sriperumbudur facility or the intrigue at the Bajaj Auto’s Akurdi plant, labour unrest and automotive industry share a long history. “The recent Gurgaon incident was very sad and I hope nothing of this sort happens again. We are in the business of automotive where the workforce is very important and I believe everything can be sorted out by talking to each other,” explains V.C. Sehgal, Chairman, Samvardhana Motherson Group, which currently holds two plants in Gurgaon and has no further plans of taking the figure up in the short run. In fact, HMSI is still bullish on reaching the desired target of 12.5 lakh units, up from 10.7 lakh units last year achieving a 17% year on year growth. In fact, the company has recently started a new assembly line in the Manesar plant, which will initially produce around 300-400 units/day taking it up to 1000 units in the next few weeks. “We expect normalcy in our plant in the next few days and with the third assembly line already being operational, we believe that we will be able to meet the desired sales target,” avers Shinji Aoyama, CEO, HMSI.

In fact, an auto expert added on conditions of anonymity that “the recent incident at Rico and similar to what happened at HMSI and it will repeat in one or the other manner in the automotive industry. In fact, the industry will keep on facing labour issues as being a labour intensive industry, the auto majors will have to deal with this problem. But this doesn’t put a question mark on the growth of the automotive industry in India,” the expert added. However, things are getting better by the day as Rico has already agreed to recognise the employees union, fulfilling one of the long-standing demands of the workers.

Similarly, HMSI’s workers have already been given a hike. They will resume work in a few days from now. But labour problems like these will continue in times to come. While that might act as an impediment for the auto majors in the short-run, the long-term prospects of the sector, as the analyst has predicted, is still bright. The auto industry in India seems well poised to meet its desired targets.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Musician’s crusade for a cause

Yesudas forces state govt to provide cheap cancer drugs

Internationally-acclaimed singer Padmabhushan K. J. Yesudas has forced the Kerala government to provide life-saving drugs to cancer patients at cheaper rates.

Yesudas, almost 70 now, is well known for enthralling music lovers since 1961. But what is not known is his crusade to bring inexpensive drugs to cancer patients. The singer runs Janapaksham, a non-government organisation. And it’s through this outfit that he launched a social movement, pressuring the state government to hand over cheap medicines to cancer patients.

When the price of life-saving medicines hit the ceiling, Janapaksham submitted a memorandum to Kerala health minister Sreemathi. Janapaksham, his NGO, led several campaigns in support of subsidised medicines.

He roped in icons like Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer, film star Devan and social activist Benny John to promote his cause.

His efforts bore fruits after the health minister announced that the Kerala government would initially provide subsidised medicines to patients suffering from cancer through the Dhanwanthari Society, which falls under the Ernakulam General Hospital.

Later, the minister said the medicines would be routed through various Neethi Medical Stores, under the state co-operative department.

“A drug that costs Rs 2,500 in the open market is now available at Rs 450. We can not change the maximum retail price of drugs because it falls under the Union government’s purview.

However, we can source medicines at low prices and provide it through the government outlets,’’ said V. S. Achuthanandan, chief minister of Kerala and the grand old man of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Appreciating the chief ministers decision, Yesudas says: “Profit margins should be reasonable. It is sad that the country’s drug policy allows pharmaceutical companies to mint money at the cost of the poor.”

Apart from activism, Yesudas has been active at what he knows and does best - music. In January, 2009, the maestro took out a Sangeetha Yathra (musical Journey) with the slogan “Music for Peace”. Music director M. S. Vishwanathan, celebrated violinist L. Subramaniam, acclaimed Hindi playback singer Kavitha Krishnamurthy and Kavitha Karkare, wife of Mumbai’s 26/11 hero Hemanth Karkare, also took part in the programme.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Baloch Sunni insurgents

Sistan-Baluchistan has been the scene of recurrent fights between Guards and the ethnic Baloch Sunni insurgents. The attack took place a little before a reconciliation meeting between the Guards and tribal chiefs; part of an effort to promote Shia-Sunni bonhomie in the region.

Over a dozen odd tribal figures were also among those killed. “The Guards were trying to resolve problems between the local Shias and the Sunnis. Naturally, Jundallah did not like it,” adds Khani.

The attack was carried out by a man who allegedly camouflaged himself in tribal garb and set off an explosive belt at the meeting venue. The violence shows how deep is the threat to peace in this region bordering Iran and two of its volatile neighbours: Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In Kabul, the US occupation forces are battling a regrouped and resurgent Taliban, and in Pakistan, the army this weekend unleashed a key offensive against al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in South Waziristan.

Jundallah has its own agenda, but its links with radical groups in Pakistan has forced Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to urge the Zardari government to take action against the outlawed group.

Iranian officials believe that the attack was planned in certain restive areas of Pakistan. “The presence of terrorist elements in Pakistan is not justifiable and the government needs to arrest and punish the criminals as soon as possible,” Ahmadinejad told Zardari — a remark that was aired by the state TV.

However, Pakistan has washed its hands of the incident. Condemning the attack, Pak spokesman Abdul Basit said Islamabad had nothing to do with the outfit. It also dismissed Iranian officials’ allegation that Jundallah’s head was in Pakistan. But Iran has blamed US, British and Pakistani intelligence services of being behind the attack. The war of words continues.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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A NEW technology to delay ripening of bananas

India, where 20 per cent of the total fruit-growing area is used to produce table and vegetable variety banana, is unlikely to ever become a major banana exporter, given the domestic demand for it. But delayed ripening will benefit both producers and consumers. While the grower has the choice to harvest only 10-20 per cent of the production at one go, post-harvest losses can be minimised. The consumer gets a product with longer shelf life, without losing any of its defining characteristics of taste and smell.

A multi-gene family called Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) catalyses the oxidation of ACC to ethylene, a plant growth regulator that plays an important role in the fruit’s ripening. The transgenic variety of the fruit carries an anti-sense ACC oxidase gene which inhibits the production of ethylene. This can be done both on and off the vine; hence both the fruit on the plant and the one plucked show delayed ripening. The transgenic variety displays extended storage life and improved quality – hence the great potential for commercial development. The technology has been tested on tomatoes as well.

Dr S.S. Teaotia, former director of horticulture and fruit utilisation, Uttar Pradesh, however believes that Indian bananas have a long way to go before they can meet the high standards of the west. “The kind of bananas, spotted and small, with thin scarred peels that we produce in most of the country, is not acceptable in the western world," he says.

"The substance that plays the dominant role in giving bananas their quality and smell and helps in their ripening is potash. A proper balance of nitrogen, potash and potassium is essential to produce high quality bananas. But our growers continue to use high quantities of nitrogen and urea, in some cases even carbide, for early ripening of bananas. Cultivators also fail to put in the required amount of organic fertilisers, which should be administered as soon as the fruit is planted. A good crop, of which there can be just one harvest in a season, requires at least four doses of fertilisers and adequate water. So before we even start talking of export, what we need to do is to cultivate a better crop,” he added.

Teaotia blames this on the lack of coordination between research laboratories and the horticulture department, as also the tendency of scientific research to remain confined within laboratories instead of being put to practical use.

Many other roadblocks in the production of transgenic bananas can be expected, given the reception to BT Brinjal. While the technology for delayed ripening of tomatoes is not unique to India, the banana ripening one is exclusively Indian and can be considered for patenting.

If all goes well this technology could also be used for mangoes. India accounts for 65 per cent of the world’s total production and still accounts for only one-third of the world’s exports. So, for India’s fruit producers there could be sweet days ahead. Once the technology is on stream, cultivators could be in a position to compete globally. And for this they must thank the scientists who have been working overtime to deliver the banana bonanza.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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