Subbarao  and Bhaskar on Birds

Birds & Birdwatching in India by Gopinath Subbarao and M.K.Bhaskar; Published by the Authors ;Pages 114 ; Price Rs 1100/-

                               *************************

With more than 8700 living species, birds have colonised all parts of the world and are found in virtually all habitats: from the icy shores of Antartica to the hottest parts of the Tropics,and from mountains,deserts,plains and forests to open oceans and densely urbanised areas .

Birds range in size from the tiny bee Hummingbird of Cuba with an overall length including bill and tail of 6 cm(2.5 in) to the wandering Albatross with a wing span of 3.5 mt(11.5 ft),and the trumpeter Swan which may weigh upto 17 kg(38 lb).The flightless Ostrich,the largest of all living birds stands almost 2.4 mt(8 ft) high and weighs upto 160 kg( 350 lb).

Before we embark on a study of “Birds and Birdwatching” it is appropriate to recall the first sloka of Mahabharata----

नारायणं नमस्कृत्य नरं चैव नरोत्तमम् ।

देवीं सरस्वतीं व्यासं ततो जयमुदीरयेत् ।।

“Bowing to Lord Narayana, to the best among the men Arjuna, to Devi Saraswathi, and to Sage Vyasa must we pay our respectful and exalted Obeisance first, and then we must read Jayam-Mahabharata.”

Likewise before attempting a review of the latest book it would be in order to recall the glorious contribution of three “Bhishma Pitamahas of Birdwatching in India”. These are E.P.Gee, Salim Ali and M.Krishnan.

Gee was a non-official member of the Indian Board for Wildlife, the apex body that advises the Union Government on wildlife matters along with Salim Ali and M.Krishnan. Nehru wrote a splendid Foreword to Gee's book “The Wild Life of India”. In it Nehru said, “Life would become very dull and colourless if it did not have these magnificent animals and birds to look at and to play with.”

Gee took a passionate interest in the wildlife of India and its conservation and conducted several surveys on endangered species.

Sálim Ali referred to as the "Birdman of India" was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and wrote several books on birds that popularised ornithology.He created the Bharatpur bird sanctuary and prevented the destruction of what is now the Silent Valley National Park. Along with Sidney Ripley he wrote the landmark ten volume "Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan". Several species of birds, a couple of bird sanctuaries and institutions have been named after him.

Krishnan’s “ Of Birds and Bird song” is a masterpiece of great nature writing, natural history and wit at its best, by one of India's greatest naturalists ever. In this book, many of them are brought to vivid life by one of the country’s greatest naturalists and nature writers. M. Krishnan makes precise observations and original insights into over a hundred species of birds in a variety of habitats.

M. Krishnan wrote steadily and inspiringly for well over 35 years. A pioneer in the field of black & white photography, Krishnan's contribution to wildlife photography and writing on natural history in India has no parallel.

The authors of the book under review— Shri.Gopinath Subbarao and M.K.Bhaskar are technically qualified---one an Engineer and the other an Architect. They have dedicated their lives to Ornithology. Both are members of the Bombay Natural History Society. They have already written a book-- “Birds of India and basics of birdwatching”.

The book under review includes descriptions of 160 bird species---their natural history,essential data on flora and fauna,historical background,maps,weather conditions and a whole host of other valuable material.The authors have provided tips for budding birdwatchers.

The volume is an easy to comprehend guide to the art and science of birdwatching. It is neatly divided into four compact parts.

Part One furnishes the basics of birdwatching—the benefits one can derive from such an activity.It helps with material on when and where to watch—tips to identify favourite spots.Also provided are details of the type of equipment that is essential and helpful. step—by—step approach to achieve success in our efforts is provided lucidly.There is a valuable piece on the ethics of birdwatching.

The next part imparts vital details of the physical parts of a bird’s body. Attractively presented are beaks, legs & toes of birds and how they are put to use. A unique feature of birds—viz.,Feathers are explained very clearly with suitable diagrams and photographs.

The next part gives profiles of 160 birds.Each profile is accompanied by a lovely foto of the adult bird with both the common and scientific names.A very useful tip is that to enable the novice to mentally visualise the size of the bid—a dark silhouette of each bird is shown in relative size comparison to the shaded silhouettes of two birds all of us are familiar with—the crow and the sparrow.

The description of birds gives complete physical characteristics including the colour on different parts of the body,shape and colour of the beaks,the features of tail,crest,legs,etc. The distribution and habitat reveals the range and habitat where the birds are normally found. Some of the birds in the book are long distance migrants and the authors give data on their arduous journeys and how they reach India. 

The authors have provided tips for budding birdwatchers.The volume is an easy to comprehend guide to the art and science of birdwatching. 

Seventeen of the most popular national parks and sanctuaries are covered in considerable detail.Historic landmarks is a goldmine of info on the flora and fauna of the country.

Absolutely useful info is given of visiting hours of parks,latitude,longitude,altitude,etc.

The book is a cornucopia of invaluable information on birds and as pointed out in his “Foreword” by Shri.V.S Santhanam, Director of Bird Studies & Natural History,Rishi Valley, “ the book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on birds--- and will stimulate more people to take to outdoor pursuits and create more friends for birds in the country”

Tit Bits

Satyajit Ray and Salim Ali

In 1962,Satyajit Ray directed the film  “Kanchenjunga”. Based on his first original screenplay, it was his first film in colour. The film tells of an upper-class family spending an afternoon in Darjeeling, a picturesque hill town in West Bengal. They try to arrange the engagement of their youngest daughter to a highly paid engineer educated in London. Ray had first conceived shooting the film in a large mansion, but later decided to film it in the famous hill town. He used the many shades of light and mist to reflect the tension in the drama.

Several long walks and long conversations form the main body of the film .The hero –veteran Bengali actor Chhabi Biswas-- goes for frequent walks as is wont of those who visit Darjeeling. He was carrying a book in his hand. Even as Ray was shooting the film an old man sporting a beard jutted in and Ray had him removed by his assistants. But the man persisted and had to be shooed away twice or thrice by Subrata Mitra—the Cinematographer.

Ray decided to enquire himself and accosted that old man—“ Why are you butting in so many times—not allowing continuing my filming?”.

Innocently the old man said,” I am eager to know what that man is doing with that book in his hand?”.

Ray was angry—and asked him—“Why do you want to know? He may carry any book he likes”.

The old man replied-“ What is he doing with that particular book? He is carrying my book. I am Salim Ali”.

Ray was overjoyed. He shook hands with him— “ I know about you but I have not seen you. !.”

Salim Ali too had not seen Ray earlier.

The two became good friends later.

KPS Menon and Salim Ali

KPS Menon's wife Anujee has a pet theory that if a man is inordinately fond of any object he will begin to look like that object himself. This is certainly true of one of our friends, Salim Ali, the bird lover and the author of “The Book Of Indian Birds”. With him we used to roam about in that wonderful sanctuary for birds, the Ghana, in Bharatpur, and ring them; and some of the ringed birds were found as far away as Tashkent and Lake Baikal. Salim Ali is looking more and more like a bird; he makes sudden gestures and strange sounds while talking.”

P.P.Ramachandran.

8/12/2019.

SUBRAMANIAN     SWAMY

Reset by Subramanian Swamy ;Published by Rupa ; Pages 200 ; Price Rs.595/-

***********************************************************

Dr Subramanian Swamy is an economist with a PhD from Harvard University, who has published articles with Nobel Laureates Simon Kuznets and Paul A. Samuelson. He returned to India to be Professor of Economics at I IT, Delhi, but his scathing criticism of socialism and communism as being inapplicable in a democracy, invoked the ire of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and his professorship was terminated in 1973. However, a Delhi court held the termination as null and void in 1991, but he resigned after resuming his Chair for a day .

Dr Swamy has been elected six times to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, three times each
respectively.  As a Cabinet Minister twice in 1990–91 and 1994–96, he helped Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar and Narasimha Rao to launch economic reforms. He is well versed in law and has   many feathers in his cap.

Dr Swamy is a renowned scholar of the Chinese economy and is highly respected in China for his contribution in improving bilateral relations in the 1990s.

He is regarded as a maverick and a Scarlet Pimpernel of Indian politics. He has a finger in every political pie in India.

At the request of a few Jan Sangh leaders Swamy prepared and presented in 1970 in our Parliament a “Swadeshi Plan” which demanded that socialism be sacrificed for a competitive market economic system, to enable India to grow at 10 per cent per year, achieve self-reliance, full employment and produce nuclear weaponry. Indira Gandhi denounced this plan as dangerous.

Almost fifty years later, Swamy redefines his path-breaking ideas on India-specific economic development in his seminal work--- “Reset: Regaining India's Economic Legacy”. Swamy undertakes a nuanced analysis of the manner in which the highly prosperous Indian economy witnessed a long, accelerated decline due to persistent British imperialist aggression, and compares the distinctive manner in which Asian giants—India and China—suffered at the hands of imperialism. He critically analyses the the Nehruvian model of centralized economic planning borrowed from the Soviet Union, and the debilitating circumstances that impelled him, as Commerce Minister in Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar’s government, to draw up a blueprint for economic reforms .
Swamy has asserted that unless India targets 10 per cent growth rate, it will not be able to remove unemployment in the next 10 years. India can achieve the double digit growth as it has a high savings rate and a huge young population. For this the economy needs to be "Reset".

He faulted the BJP-led NDA government for its handling of macroeconomic issues .He is critical of the government's decision to merge banks and slash corporate tax rate.

According to Swamy this is the first time since liberalisation, India is witnessing a slowdown driven by a steep decline in private consumption.

The decline in gross domestic product (GDP) growth since 2015 has been largely driven by a fall in household savings that morph into investments through financial institutions.

The situation is further complicated by a collapse in the shadow banking sector and a widening spate of corporate bankruptcies.

The hard task of balancing what is socially just in the long term with what is economically necessary in the short term requires governance to blend the sanctity of righteousness with the pragmatism of the marketplace.

Swamy identifies the three components that must drive GDP growth in India as capital deployment, employment and technological improvements through innovation.

There are a few ideas briefly touched upon in the book. The abolition of personal income tax is one of them. It is the middle-income group and particularly the salaried class that gets disproportionately squeezed by personal income taxes.The elite find multiple loopholes to minimise it, the rich farmer does not even have to do that much. The intent of this proposal is to lift savings and enhance their flow into investment.

Swamy also proposes moving back to a fixed exchange rate of Rs 50 per dollar, abolishing participatory notes and printing rupee notes to fully finance basic infrastructure.

The comparisons with China are a recurring theme throughout the book, given the coincident advent of industrialisation in both countries and their similarity in scale, which define them as natural competitors in the global economy.

What this book provides is the context that has brought us to where we are, through the history of our economic evolution over the last 150 years. It talks of the key challenges that have remained unaddressed and provides a broad framework for corrective action.

The book is an accessible primer on some fundamental issues that influence the macroeconomic scene a provides a perspective on the historical exploitation, political gridlocks and ideological missteps that have restrained the Indian economy from reaching its full potential.

It places the challenges in a structural context that reveals the logic in how resolutions must be prioritised.

Economies are built by a collective culture that leverages strengths and mitigates weaknesses.

This is what consistently informs the broad vision and detailed proposals outlined in the book.

The author combines an understanding of the delicate equilibrium that influence macroeconomics and the limitations of human social behaviour.

The author makes plain that while Dr Manmohan Singh was an “accomplished economist, he remained a marginal figure”. Modi is “honest in money matters” and a “domineering figure who brooks no political competition”. But on complex issues concerning the macro-economy, its dynamics being very different from micro issues, Modi has to rely on political advisers and colleagues who know very little about the subject, according to Swamy.

Dr Swamy asserts that the “folly of demonetization and the inanity of the Goods and Services Tax (GST),” have accelerated the tailspin of the economy,” partly to what may be called lack of intellectual sophistication and no familiarity with mathematical economics in the present dispensation.

"Now is the time for a structural overhaul to purge the remnants of the command economy, and usher in an incentive-driven, innovation-structured and market-determined competitive economy.” India’s future rapid growth model needs to dovetail “our ancient values and heritage; thus, today’s India is an ancient nation in search of a renaissance.”

Swamy’s turnaround economic plan wants the government to focus on the twin engines of growth - consumption and investments. Both have slipped badly besides exports. Abolishing Income Tax is part of his reform.

The peak of Dr Swamy’s economic philosophy emerges in his re-visiting the implications of the famous economist Kenneth Arrow’s ‘General Impossibility Theorem’- on ‘aggregating’ individual preference functions into a social preference ordering by satisfying certain conditions like majority-decision rule
In his ‘Appendix’, Dr Swamy seeks to reconfigure Kenneth Arrow’s relevance on the basis of the ‘Hindu Way of life’, as articulated by RSS leaders

Critiquing both capitalism and communism, Dr Swamy implies the Hindu theory of ‘Purusharthas’ as having already anticipated Kenneth Arrow!

P.P.Ramachandran.

1/12/2019.

JAIMINI BHAGAWATI

The Promise of India: How Prime Ministers Nehru to Modi Shaped the Nation (1947-2019) by Jaimini Bhagwati ; Published by Penguin Viking ; Pages 385; Price Rs.799/-

                     **************************************

Jaimini Bhagwati was India’s High Commissioner to the UK and Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg. He has served in senior positions in the Government of India, including in foreign affairs, finance and atomic energy. In the World Bank, he was a specialist in international bond and derivatives markets; he was the RBI chair professor at ICRIER; and is a Board member of IDFC's holding company.

He has published several research papers .

Bhagwati analyses the key political, foreign policy and economic decisions of all the Prime Ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi, to comprehend the role of each one of them.

With his long experience , Bhagwati reveals fascinating behind-the-scenes events and offers fresh insights into each PM's governance. For instance how, Nehru, considered a 'socialist' by some, in fact acted according to the prevailing wisdom of highly regarded economists; why P.V. Narasimha Rao has not received adequate credit for heralding economic reforms; how Atal Bihari Vajpayee followed in the footsteps of Nehru and Rao; and how and why Modi focused on the delivery of basics to the poor.

Grand in sweep and thoroughly researched, this deeply engaging book sheds new light on independent India's history. It provides an incisive overview of India's political culture and what keeps its democracy ticking.

What distinguishes this book from other books is that Bhagwati was a former Indian Foreign Service officer and is also a trained economist. In the capacity of an IFS officer, Bhagwati did have a view from inside the government for the period in which he served it, and as an economist his mastery over detailing the economic transition and policies certainly has an edge over other such other books.

A balanced reader would find his account under various prime ministers neither gushing, hagiographic, or bitterly critical. The real test lies in dealing with Nehru and Modi. Most liberal writers overly gush about Nehru and are bitterly critical about Modi. He has assessed all PMs on three Cs – Character, Competence, and Charisma. For this book he has accepted limitations by invoking the principle of master historian E.H.Carr, that all writings about the past are impacted by the choices of what to include and what interpretation to give to the so-called recorded facts.

His assessment of Nehru is quite objective. Contrary to the belief that Nehru chose the wrong economic model for the country, Bhagwati shows through facts that the model of socialism or mixed economy was the dominant theme at that time, with the majority of economists of the time also endorsing it. Nehru’s choice of economic model was fine but needed to change with time, and this time was ripe during Shastri and Indira Gandhi’s reign. Unfortunately, Shastri died prematurely and Indira took a left turn to consolidate her political career.

On Nehru’s China policy, Bhagwati is rightly unforgiving. His overall assessment of Nehru’s legacy on 3 Cs is thus: He had character and charisma in abundance. It is in competence that he may be faulted in some measure on foreign policy and national security matters.

According to Bhagwati, India should have positioned itself as a nuclear weapon power in May 1974 itself, when former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi conducted India’s first nuclear test and earned sanctions from the US and other nations.

He agreed that it may not have been possible for Gandhi to take such a bold step at the time, given the US pressure and India’s own domestic challenges, but she could have done it when she came back to power in 1980.

"By 1983-84, if Indira Gandhi had done the second nuclear test, two things would have happened. We could have got economic sanctions but people would have reconciled with a country that was growing, that has a large consumer base and, secondly and most importantly, the door would have been shut very firmly on the face of Pakistan.”

The fact that the Vajpayee government could do it within two months of coming to power in 1998, proves that the “scientific community was ready and waiting for the political green signal”.

We have highly readable chapters on the contributions of all the 11 leaders who held the office of the Prime Minister of India,

The author agreed to rank the top five—but ranked only four, and did not find anyone worthy of the fifth slot.

In terms of impact and long-lasting value, none can match Jawaharlal Nehru. Till today, he overshadows every prime minister who has succeeded him. Perhaps, there would not have been a nation state called India today but for him at the start, immediately after the Independence.

 Narasimha Rao really deserves the second place—he has earned country's gratitude because we had several economic problems before his coming on the scene as Prime Minister. He was one of the longest serving politicians in terms of various positions he held—from CM of undivided Andhra Pradesh and cabinet minister with so many portfolios—Home, MEA, HRD....He served in a way that gave full expression to his ability to steer the country and the economy when it was in a major balance of payments crisis. And one could say that the same of reforms which he did – industrial licensing , EXIM rationalisation,etc. Import duties were reduced from that time onwards by every successive government. He rationalised exchange rates .

Narasimha Rao is high on Competence as he demonstrated through the balance of payment and economic crisis in 1991.He did not show enough courage of conviction to stop the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Rao was influenced by so-called god-men and that too was not a stirring example of Character. 

The next person is Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He displayed boldness in his decisions. While for the decision to go nuclear, one has to give credit to our nuclear scientists and engineers, Vajpayee. took a very bold decision here. A number of countries, including the USA, announced all kinds of sanctions, including economic. And he was also able to gradually normalise relations wit-h the  US.  Vajpayee is noted for his Character and Charisma--he was always amiable,good-natured and accommodating. 

About Lal Bahadur Shastri.the author has a high opinion.Pakistan had sophisticated weapons. Yet, Shastri was able to resist in Kashmir. He saw the situation was getting a little grim, and he remembered that Nehru had promised in Parliament that next time Pakistan attacks us, we would take the battle to them, and the battle would also be on Pakistani soil. That is exactly what Shastri, diminutive man in the sense he was short, did. He showed great strength of character when lot of people were wondering what we could or should do, and Pakistan leaders claimed one Pathan was equal to 20 Indian soldiers. He was able to push and almost reach Lahore. That was when the world community, including both the Soviet Union and the US, tried to pressurise them and us to stop fighting, and he agreed to ceasefire. With far inferior equipment, he was able to show the morale and leadership at the top that we can win.

The other area that he gave a fillip to was agriculture—the introduction of high yielding wheat, the beginning of the green revolution, and the slogan of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan. In Tashkent at the negotiating table, he lost a little bit of what he had won in the war –the Hajipir Pass—but the problem was that he was under tremendous pressure from the USSR.

Modi scored high levels on Competence and Charisma.It is too early to assess him.

It is impossible to disagree with the learned assessment of this book by Dr. Y.V.Reddy,ex-Governor of R B I.

"With his versatile background,Bhagwati provides a bridge between news headlines and the reality of behind-the-scenes public policy making under each of the Prime Ministers since Independence.This timely book is a fascinating insider's account of the interplay of politics,economics,diplomacy,administration and financial markets....The book is a must-read for leaders and laypersons, scholars and students of social sciences."

PPR

24/11/2019.

LALU   YADAV

Gopalganj to Raisina: My Political Journey by Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nalin Verma; Published by Rupa ; Pages 214; Price:Rs 500/-

      **************************************************************

In India the genre of political biographies has not acquired any importance. So one welcomes such books which throw light on the nooks and crannies of history. A minor attempt in this direction is the autobiography of Lalu Prasad Yadav. Originally in Hindi we have an English version.The book under review is an entertaining account of a politician among politicians.

Lalu’s memoir in English has been co-authored by Nalin Verma, veteran journalist and a writer of repute. Nothing is known about the date of birth of Lalu but this has not abated his effulgence and he continues to be a shining star—whether free or behind bars. Charisma is his passport and charm his visa !.

Lalu is a product of the JP revolution. The book recaptures the journey of India’s most colourful political leader, who turned out to be the dream boy of all cartoonists.

Lalu, has been an eloquent speaker who picked up enemies by the score and here he is open about revealing unknown or otherwise misunderstood episodes of his personal as well as political life. Each chapter brims with untold tales .

One example. Rabri Devi’s first pregnancy was advised to Lalu when he was a prisoner under MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) and his first baby was born on May 22, 1975. Since he was booked under MISA and was out on parole to attend to his wife and the newborn, his political idol and mentor Jayaprakash Narayan suggested that he name his daughter Misa. Thus, his firstborn was named Misa Bharati.

Reporters have often asked Lalu about his style of oratory that matches that of poorest of the poor in society and he has always told them that since he was brought up amidst them it comes naturally to him.

Lalu has important pronouncements about events such as Politics of Mandal, Mandir and Masjid.

It is accepted by one and all that Lalu has been the best Union Minister for Railways and his experiment with kulhars (clay cups) really caught the attention of several policy makers and commentators. One can understand the story behind a complete turnaround of Indian Railways from bankruptcy to billions in Lalu’s own written words .

After the Apex Court recently rejected his bail plea ahead of the crucial 2019 polls, Lalu who is convicted in fodder scam has been reading Mahabharata in an attempt to understand the life and teachings of Lord Krishna.

Lalu Prasad has the uncanny ability to recount highlights of his life —extremely detailed, earthy language and expression, and utterly ready to sharing information others would dread to confess, even to themselves.

Lalu recounts how he got then-BJP president L.K. Advani arrested in Samastipur during Advani's 1990 Rath Yatra account and this is a spine thriller. Lalu writes in detail about the fodder scam, the birth of his party—the Rashtriya Janata Dal—and the BJP's reaction to Sonia Gandhi becoming the President of the Congress.

Lalu projects himself as someone who is happy with what life has dealt him, and especially with the way his son Tejashwi is shaping up as a leader. Lalu’s commitment to secularism and democracy seems genuine.

Yadav begins his journey from the fields of Gopalganj, where he describes his struggles with poverty. He has chosen to use his native tongue in places in the book, which jump out at the reader.

Yadav is clearly admiring himself in the mirror of history— his ornate sense of humour, his pathologically over-the-top manner manage to create an image that is exceptional, even if highly flawed.

This memoir, offers glimpses of what Yadav can offer, but for the most part, this side of him remains elusive.There are of course interesting political revelations. There are other instances, for example where Yadav casts George Fernandes as the man who orchestrated most of his downfalls. Yadav may or may not be the many things he is accused of, but he is, as portions of this book suggest, eternally intriguing, perplexing and unmissable. Politics in this country is poorer without his enigmatic presence.

The former Bihar chief minister then goes on to add some ‘Laluisms’, “Powerful people and powerful classes always managed to divide society into ruling and the ruled classes. And whenever anyone from the lower hierarchy challenged this unjust order, they would be deliberately punished.”

Lalu adds, “The journey of my life has been similar to those of these great men, though I make no claim to be anywhere near their stature; it would be foolish of me to do so. Throughout my political life, I have relentlessly struggled and followed the path shown by these great leaders and unflinchingly fought against the oppression of Dalits and other backward classes, as well as for the rights of the minorities. I have adopted the call of non-violence given by Mahatma Gandhi to accomplish in Bihar what Mandela, King and Ambedkar did in their times. As expected, my path was strewn with thorns, and the journey has not been easy. But I have never flinched from walking down that road. I believe in the dictum: When the going gets tough, the tough get going,”

Talking about himself now, Lalu claims that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Sangh Parivar have been rattled by his methods of communicating with people — and the people’s unadulterated love for him. “They have been against me because I gave a voice and dignity to the struggling masses, who lived in bondage. The Sangh Parivar minions intensified their campaign against me, particularly, after I halted Lal Krishna Advani in the tracks of his destructive Rath Yatra and arrested him in 1990 in Bihar. They have relentlessly spread false propaganda against me and have tried to create a negative perception about me through various instruments they control or have influence over”.

A readable book—though not earth-shaking !

PPR

17/11/2019.