Outlook TruePDF 18 february 2019

SUBSCRIBER COPY NOT FOR RESALE MANIPUR LOCKING UP A JOURNALIST ? s b Jo February 18, 2019 Rs 60 www.outlookindia.com Mamata vs Centre Where are the R N I N O 4 / twitter.com/outlookindia facebook.com/outlookindia youtube.com/outlookmagazine digimag.outlookindia.com 904150 800010 06 www.outlookindia.com navigator Volume LIX, No EDITOR Ruben Banerjee MANAGING EDITOR Sunil Menon EXECUTIVE EDITOR Satish Padmanabhan CHIEF OF BUREAU Pranay Sharma POLITICAL EDITOR Bhavna Vij-Aurora BUSINESS EDITOR Arindam Mukherjee SENIOR EDITOR Giridhar Jha CHIEF ART DIRECTOR Deepak Sharma WRITERS Lola Nayar, Qaiser Mohammad Ali (Senior Associate Editors), G.C Shekhar (Associate Editor), Jeevan Prakash Sharma (Senior Assistant Editor), Prachi PinglayPlumber, Ushinor Majumdar, Ajay Sukumaran, Probir Pramanik (Assistant Editors), Naseer Ganai (Senior Special Correspondent), Preetha Nair, Neel Shah (Special Correspondents), Salik Ahmad, Siddhartha Mishra (Senior Correspondents), Arshia Dhar (Correspondent) COPY DESK Rituparna Kakoty (Senior Associate Editor), Anupam Bordoloi, Saikat Niyogi, Satyadeep (Associate Editors), Martand Badoni (Assistant Editor) PHOTOGRAPHERS S Rakshit (Chief Photo Coordinator), Jitender Gupta (Photo Editor), Tribhuvan Tiwari (Deputy Photo Editor), Sandipan Chatterjee, Apoorva Salkade (Sr Photographers), Suresh Kumar Pandey (Staff Photographer) J.S Adhikari (Sr Photo Researcher), U Suresh Kumar (Digital Library) DESIGN Saji C.S (Chief Designer), Ashish Rozario (Design-consultant), Leela (Senior Designer), Devi Prasad, Padam Gupta (Sr DTP Operators) DIGITAL Neha Mahajan (Assistant Editor), Soumitra Mishra (Digital Consultant), Jayanta Oinam (Special Correspondent), Lachmi Deb Roy, Ipsita Pati (Senior Correspondents), Satata Karmakar (Correspondent), Adil Rashid, Mahima Monga, Ritika Dubey (Trainee Journalists), Suraj Wadhwa (Chief Graphic Designer), Rupesh Malviya (Video Editor) EDITORIAL MANAGER & CHIEF LIBRARIAN Alka Gupta BUSINESS OFFICE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Indranil Roy PUBLISHER Sandip Kumar Ghosh SR VICE PRESIDENT Meenakshi Akash VICE PRESIDENTS Bindu Dhawan, Shrutika Dewan SR GENERAL MANAGER Kabir Khattar (Corp) GENERAL MANAGERS Debabani Tagore, Sasidharan Kollery, Shashank Dixit, Shailender Vohra ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER Diwan Singh Bisht CHIEF MANAGER Shekhar Kumar Pandey MANAGERS Shekhar Suvarana, Sudha Sharma CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTION Raj Kumar Mitra, Anindya Banerjee, G Ramesh (South), Vinod Kumar (North), Arun Kumar Jha (East) DIGITAL Amit Mishra HEAD OFFICE AB-10, S.J Enclave, New Delhi - 110 029 Tel: 011-33505500; Fax: 26191420 Customer care helpline: 011-33505533, 33505500 e-mail: outlook@outlookindia.com For editorial queries: edit@outlookindia.com For subscription helpline: yourhelpline@outlookindia.com HOPE TRICKLE Applicants at a job fair organised by an NGO in Mumbai 14 Vindictive Beyond Sense It was a mere Facebook post that has left a Manipur journalist languishing in jail for two months now What exactly irked the state government so grievously? 24 The Intelligence’s Rejects They would get a hero’s welcome in a typical film script, but a number of Indian spies, back from jail in Pakistan, find themselves abandoned by the State 36 In Out-of-Work Country The pulse of a nation is anxious as widespread unemployment makes it difficult for the youth to concieve of positive futures How did we get here and who’s responsible? 54 Expand the Class Some of the various challenges disabled children face in current education scenarios 58 The Curio First Cut We now know them as successful examples from their respective fields, but they started off in the most unusual of places A profile of their first jobs OTHER OFFICES MUMBAI Tel: 022-33545000; Fax: 33545100 CALCUTTA Tel: 033 46004506; Fax: 033 46004506 CHENNAI Tel: 42615224, 42615225; Fax: 42615095 BANGALORE Tel: 080-43715021 Printed and published by Indranil Roy on behalf of Outlook Publishing (India) Pvt Ltd Editor: Ruben Banerjee Printed at International Print-O-Pac Ltd, C 4-C 11, Phase-II, Noida and published from AB-10, S.J Enclave, New Delhi-110 029 LETTERS 12 DEEP THROAT 64 BOOKS 72 GLITTERATI 74 DIARY Cover Design: Ashish Rozario Published for the week of February 12-18, 2019 Released on February 09, 2019 Total no of pages 76, Including Covers Customer Care spend Insure Invest ATE ULTRoIM ad TRipS Kyrgyzstan LadaKh Punjab grand trunK road see page 42 R N I N O 4 / Brad Pitt n roger Federer n City SPaS n BhuBaneSwar Brad Pitt n roger Federer n City SPaS n BhuBaneSwar twitter.com/outlookindia facebook.com/outlookindia youtube.com/outlookmagazine digimag.outlookindia.com twitter.com/outlookindia facebook.com/outlookindia youtube.com/outlookmagazine digimag.outlookindia.com 904150 800010 32 904150 800010 32 R N I N O 4 / grand trunK road Punjab LadaKh Kyrgyzstan see page 42 We Covet Cruising Bikes The List itself by reinventing outrun competition continues to carmaker largest India’s | e va S India’s largest carmaker continues to outrun competition by reinventing itself The List Cruising Bikes We Covet earn 08 14 Outlook crunched data to find Kerala zooming past industrialised states, Orissa climbing out of poverty, while India’s heart remains sick nrae 08 904150 800027 904150 800041 | 904150 800027 08 see page 54 July 7, 2017 l 50 www.outlookbusiness.com | s av e You r E ssEnti a l P Ersona l F i nancE c om Pan ion 904150 800003 CAN MICROMAX MAKE A COMEBACK? August 7, 2017 Rs 60 Why Bihar and UP are still Bimar | Anniversary o u t lo o k m o ne y.c o m 19 eruSnI dnepS Issue õ ãÔổ õìỗỹè õìổổU ỗổãÔổ w} ƠằSè wđv|, ìờậỉ Traveller 25 www.outlooktraveller.com getaways Wellness www.outlookhindi.com HOLIDAYS IN INDIA heart remains sick poverty, while India’s Orissa climbing out of industrialised states, find Kerala zooming past Outlook crunched data to 904150 800003 08 th August 2017 • `100 are still and UP Bihar Why www.outlookindia.com 904150 800041 August 7, 2017 Rs 60 14 www.outlookbusiness.com July 7, 2017 l 50 New Delhi: 011-33505607, 33505533, 33505562 Fax: 011-33505542 MuMbai: 022-33545000; Fax: 022-33545100 baNgalore: 080-45236100; Fax: 080-45236105 ĩổèổ Ơổẻổỹòổẻ Ơổổốcổ Âẻố ĐUẩÔổ óUếốế .ƠổU ổUổỉổ ìờỗèỹ ỗẻĩố ỗõìốƠổ õÂốò èổổổ ếẽòổU Ơệỉ ìổỉỹ õố.õ òãÔUòU ýẻố ìủằố Ơệỉ ìổỉỹ õố.õ òãÔUòU ýẻố ìủằố ỗẻĩố ỗõìốƠổ õÂốò èổổổ ếẽòổU Ơổổốcổ Âẻố ĐUẩÔổ óUếốế .ƠổU ổUổỉổ ìờỗèỹ in Partnership with 904150 800034 18 904150 800034 18 in Partnership with ĩổèổ Ơổẻổỹòổẻ CheNNai: 044-42615224/25 KolKata: 033-46004506; Fax: 033-46004506 offiCe tiMiNgs ad TRipS ULTRoIM ATE E-mail: yourhelpline@outlookindia.com Bimar | c om Pan ion P Ersona l F i nancE You r E ssEnti a l tSevnI | POINT AND SHARE Now, open Outlook magazine on your smartphone instantly Point your phone’s scanner on the code and align it in the frame You will be guided instantly to our website, www.outlookindia.com This is useful to share our stories on social media or email them Issue August 2017 • `100 RNI NO DELHIN/2009/26981; Total pages:84; KA/BGGPO/2504/06-08; POSTAL REGD NO DL-SW-01/4148/17-19 ; POSTED AT NDPSO WPP NO U (SW)-34/2015-16 ; Released on August 14, 2017 IndIa’s best unIversItIes www.outlookindia.com th 7102 ,41 tsuguA no desaeleR ; 61-5102/43-)WS( U ON PPW OSPDN TA DETSOP ; 91-71/8414/10-WS-LD ON DGER LATSOP ;80-60/4052/OPGGB/AK ;48:segap latoT ;18962/9002/NIHLED ON INR NOBODY CARES FOR THOSE WHO CARE 19 Anniversary subscriber copy not for resale nurses www.outlooktraveller.com A u g u s t 7, ` o u t lo o k m o ne y.c o m Wellness Monday to Friday 10.00 AM to 6.00 PM Saturday 10.00 AM to 2.00 PM HOLIDAYS IN INDIA www.outlookhindi.com 18 February 2019 OUTLOOK letters A Republic’s Ideas DEHRADUN Rakesh Agrawal: I’m in agreement with the idea that the nation’s building blocks are truly its dance, music, art, fabrics, architecture, food and films (The Invention of India, Feb 4) But this plural, composite and all-accepting culture, the essence of India is threatened today, so is our Constitution as most of its institutions are under attack and this treatise of governance, amended 124 times so far, in its short existence of 69 years The very invention of India and the Republic of India are both being attacked today, and If not addressed immediately, it will be too late PUNE Anil S.: This refers to the arti- cle The Expired Lightness of Being It’s an eye opener how institutionalisation for the new republic changed intangible heritage forever for the citizens So, what we know of our dance forms and other arts has been carefully filtered and moderated to suit complexes of nationalists arising from Victorian morality! How different things would have been before these interventions, I wonder The article firmly illustrates how the sanitisation of India’s dance cultures had an impact on our essential way of thinking itself—a way that came out of generations of imbibed spontaneity It’s come to a point where we can never go back to that time And most of us know nothing of that time The writer has exposed a big sham for this reader Didi United NOIDA Bal Govind: This refers to Didi’s March to Dilli (Feb 4) What Mamata Banerjee has achieved in her show of strength in Kolkata by having as many as 20-odd opposition leaders on a single platform is to send a clearcut message that she could be the one unifying force against the BJP But the February 04, 2019 million-dollar question is whether just standing together on a podium and joining hands with each other will suffice Just by criticising Modi left, right and centre will not fetch opposition leaders desired results They need to come out with a clear alternate narrative and also declare a PM candidate for the public to be able to put in trust in them But Rahul and Sonia Gandhi were not present at the rally, which leaves questions about a united opposition alliance unanswered The next few months will tell what equations get formed but one thing is for sure— we are heading into very interesting and intensely fought elections Chandamama Eclipse DURGAPUR Babai Banerjee: This refers to Price Of The Moon in In & Around (Feb 4) I have read the English and Bengali editions of Chandamama regularly for ten years: from 1975 to 1986, my childhood and teens I followed the magazine in later years as well In 2008, I subscribed to Junior Chandamama (English) for my daughter But since the end of 2012, the delivery of the copies had been erratic Later, they’d send copies only after repeated requests from our side Finally, from mid-2013, we stopped getting the magazines altogether I sent many e-mails to their circulation/ subscription department and also sent many letters by post, but did not receive any reply While reading the magazines (which were actually meant for my daughter) during 2008-2012, I used to cherish the memories of my childhood Now, I wish to thank you for the update on this renowned publication house We are happy that its owners are now in jail because they took our money Poll Scheme Farm VARANASI Jaideep Mittra: This is with reference to Come All Who Tilled Land (Feb 4) Political parties are wooing distraught farmers through loan waiver schemes, which have proved a most viable political instrument But they have been subjected to severe criticism because of the adverse impact on the government exchequer Now, political parties are in fierce competition with each other to evolve inventive schemes The KALIA Yojna of the Odisha government is a scheme launched in this sequence, to checkmate the generalised loan waiver schemes already prevalent in several states New in concept and a lesser burden on the state treasury, the scheme is designed to be criticism-proof The existing loan waiver scheme incentivises the defaulters even if they are in a position to repay the loan, sending a wrong signal to borrowers in general Such trends have cumulatively resulted in a sharp increase in the volumes of NPAs for the one-liner ON E-MAIL Vijay Prakash Presently, our leaders are trying hard to carve a newer idea of India, one that’s intolerant OUTLOOK 18 February 2019 letters banks causing constant erosion in capital of base, requiring frequent recapitalisation of these banks There has been a constant decline in the image of PSBs for which all parties in or out of power are responsible The pertinent question is whether political parties are empowered to publicly announce & commit such concessions or reliefs for farmers which have direct bearing on depletion of capital of the banks Quitting Time CHENNAI Kangayam R Narasimhan: To be or not to be—that’s the question on the mind of the aging Rajnikanth (Rajni can, Rajni can’t, Deep Throat, January 28) The huge boxoffice success of his film Petta, instead of egging him on to politics, has pushed him deeper into filmdom But, for the first time, Rajni faces a tough challenge from another superstar, Ajith, whose film Viswasam has done equally well at the box-office I think Rajni must quit films now, at the height of his popularity, as cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid had done If Rajni bides his time until the assembly elections in STILL MASSIVE Rajinikant in Petta Tamil Nadu, his stock among voters and his fan clubs could go down It is unclear, however, whether Rajni is simply hoodwinking Tamils by promoting his films in the guise of entering politics On the flip side, Tamil movie-addicts could be getting more mature and may no longer be enamoured of celluloid heroes desperate to make it to Fort St George Remake the Cop GOA M.N Bhartiya: This refers to Prakash Singh’s column Still Loading… Police Reforms (January 21) The British founded India’s police system to keep a tight surveillance over the OUTLOOK 18 February 2019 INBOXED New G-Card FARIDABAD Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee: This refers to your story on the appointment of Priyanka Gandhi as general secretary in charge of the Congress campaign in eastern Uttar Pradesh (The Queen Gambit, February 4) Priyanka is not only charismatic, but also has a natural connect with ordinary people Her fluency in Hindi and the unmistakable resemblance with her illustrious grandmother Indira Gandhi would be her strengths in UP This is bound to enthuse Congress workers across the country and dampen the enthusiasm of BJP cadre JD(U) vice-president Prashant Kishor aptly described her appointment as “one of the most awaited entries in Indian politics” Perhaps, she could have made a difference in the 2017 UP elections if she had decided to take the plunge three years ago Her path won’t be smooth as she has been given charge of a region that has not been a Congress bastion of late, and she would have to take on the BJP’s star campaigner, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, on his home turf natives and nip in the bud any opposition to the Raj, and for enforcing the law and maintaining order by regulating the community to strengthen colonial rule The police continue to have the same attitude They continue to be loyal to the politicians in power, while doing little to earn people’s trust Many committees and commissions have been appointed in the past 70 years to study and make recommendations for police reforms, but their reports are always put in cold storage Their political bosses don’t want to make them a professional force by modernising their functioning and insulating them from extraneous influences The police are also understaffed, with service conditions not commensurate to the workload Everybody wants to misuse them to keep opponents subdued It’s also well-known that the police manipulate evidence, which brings disgrace upon the entire criminal justice system and makes a mockery of democracy and rule of law, putting the life, liberty and other human rights of citizens at risk No one except us, the people are responsible for such a pitiable condition of the largest democracy Don’t Overshoot It BANGALORE N Sridhar: This ref- ers to Shoot Madi (Jan 28) on shootouts in Bangalore The pictures shown in the magazine are only of smaller incidents which can happen in other cities of the world too Bangalore cops have made it a point not to injure criminals fatally Cops have only shot at the criminals’ legs You can’t even remotely compare this to the police encounters in UP, which is a chilling bloodbath I think you have made a mountain out of a molehill Same Old CHENNAI M.Y Shariff: This refers to Not a Place to Breathe (January 21), your story on the use of tear-gas in Kashmir Kashmir is witnessing the extremes of police atrocity, more ruthless than the British were with Indians during the Raj It goes without saying that Kashmir has been mishandled for quite a while now, devastating the lives of large numbers of Kashmiris Kashmiri people want to live in peace without having to face police atrocities and torture on a daily basis Every problem has a solution, but it cannot be known through the same method of thinking that caused the problem in the first place Trying to silencing protests by using tear-gas and other repressive methods cannot be part of the solution—we have seen enough of how this is only exacerbating the problem The imbroglio can be solved only through inclusive dialogue and debate, which must be done before more innocent Kashmiris fall prey to the government’s attempts to curb the protests THE FUTURE OF CITIES IS OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS There are moments in life we don’t want to miss That’s why Hitachi is co-creating solutions that help cities move towards what matters With longstanding expertise in both operational and information technologies, we’re making complex systems more responsive, intuitive and efficient, allowing people to travel smoothly through cities It’s one of the many ways we’re using our IoT platform to analyse data, predict what comes next and deliver Social Innovation for all social-innovation.hitachi IN & AROUND THE SUBCONTINENTAL MENU BOLLY HINDI OR puritans of Hindi, Bollywood has murdered the heartland’s tongue many times over in its potboilers Huh! When did pop weasels carry culture on their backs? What about those arthouse acts and was it not tinsel town that makes Hindi thrive in places where it is as good as Greek? So, can Bollywood teach Hindi to our lawmakers in Parliament whose native tongue does a reverse sweep when the language F MONEY-BACK VOTES FOREST FORENSICS C ASH-for-vote has its trickledown effect No matter how much we frown upon it, this is a copper-bottomed guarantee But then, what if the voters disrespect their share of the quid pro quo? Go get a refund Uppu Prabhakar, 55, husband of Hymavathi, did precisely that after he paid each voter—Rs 800, a bottle of alcohol and a plastic jug—in his village to vote his wife in the gram panchayat elections at Jajireddygudem village in Telangana’s Suryapet district this January Mrs got only 24 of the ward’s 269 votes A miffed Prabhakar made at least 110 voters swear by the holy mantra biyyam—a raw rice and turmeric mix—if they voted for his wife If not, he demanded his cash returned No folk will invoke the curse of the mantra biyyam Many paid back Our advice: vote wisely this Lok Sabha polls Illustrations by MANJUL; Text by ALKA GUPTA OUTLOOK 18 February 2019 confronts it? Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu thinks so He wants Hindi movies—starting with Mother India, the 1957 epic screened at the G.M.C Balayogi auditorium in Parliament—to promote the language among ‘non-Hindi speaking’ lawmakers and staff That reminds us of a line from the film: “Bina murga bane vidya nahi aati.” Ah, the dreaded corporal punishment murga of the schooldays—squat, loop arms behind knees, hold ears firmly! P OIROT and Holmes scanning a crime scene for fingerprints is so last century What we have today is DNA—the building blocks of organic matters that even the most elusive criminal is made of A strand of hair, a fragment of skin, or a tiny pinch of body fluid left behind is enough to trace it back to the person it belonged THE KITE RUN F OR all the kite-flying stories taking off from Pakistan, this one is straining to be airborne The Pakistan Muslim League government had banned kites from the skies on Basant Panchami, the day Pakistani minorities in the other Punjab, like the rest of northern India, mark the arrival of spring by flying the rhombus toy at a string’s end The alibi was that the pastime was causing deaths: careless kite-flyers falling off rooftops The country now has a new government with Imran Khan as its captain, and his administration is proving more sporting The prohibition is gone and people are encouraged to fill the skies again with colourful kites Why? Because the tourists love it; and mullahs don’t complain when moolah jingles in to No wonder, this piece of genetic forensics is what foresters of Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh are relying on to catch sandalwood and teak smugglers They call it ‘wood mapping’—gathering samples from trees smugglers bark up for the high-value skin and then matching them with the DNA of repeat offenders The technique, a first in India, is a baby step but a giant leap in forest conservation STAR-STUCK CABINET T HE stars are aligning to bring something special for you, more than a month after the chief priest of Yadadri temple certified an ‘auspicious’ day and you took oath as chief minister for a second term You will be able to accomplish pending tasks (such as expanding your cabinet) The next five days from February when ‘Magha masam’ begins will be favourable, the Telugu calendar says Also February 10, the day goddess Saraswati is worshipped February can be an option too since six is your lucky number Expect to get appreciated for your hard work UN-TIBETISING TIBET L ANGUAGE, they say, is the torso supporting conjoined twins Expression-Impression That explains why Chinese supremacists don’t want monasteries to teach Tibetan to young Tibetans during their school holidays They fear Tibetan monks can use the Tibetan language to ‘impress’ Tibetan young minds to ‘express’ their unfreedom The informal classes go against the pushy policy to sinicise the land and people Hence, these are banned in Nangchen; and monks caught imparting such education risk being blacklisted They could lose their identity as ‘religious professionals’ TURTLE UNTURNED D ARWIN discovered evolution studying turtles, among other species, in Galapagos And the last-known specimen, Lonesome George, is long dead Similar sad stories of extinction are rampant around the world but kindly intervention is holding out hope A case in point is the revered temple turtles of Assam—a black softshell, one of the rarest of the 28 species found in India Hunted for their meat, they are said to be extinct in the wild without the protection of the temple pond where they have been thriving for generations as Vishnu’s kurma avatar Their progeny will now populate the wetlands again; 35 hatchlings were recently released in Pobitora sanctuary Hercules, the Rapist Killer R EPORTS on rape and hapless victims are routine in newspapers around the world, but rarely does a serial killer of alleged rapists makes the headlines It has happened in Bangladesh Bodies of three young men were recently found in capital Dhaka and districts around it The men had handwritten notes around their necks in which they allegedly confessed to their crime Kind of reminds us of the popular 1970s Hollywood series Death Wish The elusive vigilante killer has now become a sensation in Bangladesh According to local media, the unidentified punisher—nicknamed Hercules—has been targeting and killing people suspected of committing rape Over the past two weeks, police have recovered three corpses with similar death notes from the Jhalakathi and Dhaka districts, the Daily Star reported Police are investigating the murders, but have remained clueless so far about Hercules—a lone wolf, or a group The killings are linked to rising After a spate cases of rape A madarsa student of rapes, an in Pirojpur district’s Bhandaria unidentified area reported that two men vigilante gang-raped her on January 14 assailant is on her way to her grandparents’ house The Daily Star said her shooting dead father registered a case on Janthe accused uary 17 against two suspects— and leaving a Rakib and Sajal warning note On January 24, the body of around their Sajal with bullet wounds was necks discovered in Kathalia sub-district of Jhalakathi Then on February 1, police recovered the body of Rakib, a 20-year-old law student, from the Rajapur sub-district of Jhalakathi He was shot in the head early in the morning, police said The body was sent for an autopsy A note in Bengali— undersigned Hercules—hanging around his neck read: “I am Rakib I am the rapist of a madarsa girl of Bhandaria This is the consequence of a rapist Be wary rapists.” A similar note was found on Sajal’s body too In another case on January 7, an 18-year-old garment factory worker was found dead in her home in Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka, hours after she had filed a rape complaint against a suspect named Ripon and three more men On January 17, Ripon’s body was found near Ashulia Opinion is divided over the street justice Human rights group Ain-o-Salish has raised concern and its executive director, Sheepa Hafiza, said such extra-judicial action is unacceptable Others view the vigilantism as the result of a “weak and apathetic judiciary” Hercules is riveting the Bangladeshis, whichever side of the ethical debate they may be on 18 February 2019 OUTLOOK EA R LY GIGS AMIT HARALKAR Amish Tripathi “W HEN I was young I had many passions I loved history I was the lead singer of my college band I was even a boxer in school and college! Were they serious career options, though? Nope Never Remember, this was the early 1990s; India’s economic liberalisation of 1991 was yet to bear fruit As was usual for a child born in the 1970s, I sacrificed passion for pragmatism, and I settled into a financial services job after doing an MBA from IIM­ Calcutta Over a fourteen­year corporate career, I worked in MNC/private sector companies in the fields of retail banking, mutual funds, private banking and life insur­ ance Obviously, it would be a flat out lie to say I was deeply passionate about financial ser­ vices But it was a career and it paid the bills A corporate career has its share of insecuri­ ties, though not as much as a creative career Salaries are higher today than they were for our parents’ generation, but so is the likelihood of losing your job At one point, I was without a job for some six months I had resigned from a company in a huff—because I was having huge fights with my boss—assuming I would get another job easily as I believed I had a strong CV That didn’t happen I did get offers, but they were lower­level positions that I refused I did odd jobs: consulting assignments for small organisations and restaurants (and I am no foodie!) Ultimately, a very senior exec­ utive, who had worked with me earlier, called 62 OUTLOOK 18 February 2019 me and offered a good role That taught me a few life lessons It was immature to resign in anger; sometimes, you must set your ego aside and soldier on, because you have responsibilities to your family I needn’t have suffered through an office atmosphere that was really weighing me down But there is a difference between ego and self­respect I should have searched calmly for another job and then resigned I also learned the importance of relation­ ships, of never burning any bridges I had a good relationship with that senior person, who saved my career by offering me a good job and not negotiating my salary down (which he could have, very easily, since I was desperate) We remain friends Most importantly, even difficult times can be managed if you don’t sink into a narrative of ‘why me’? Looking back, those small assignments in my lean period helped me grow in many ways.” O Writer First job: Banker Tissot T-Wave A RIPPLE OF ROMANCE C elebrate your love this Valentine’s Day with the gift of time The Tissot T-Wave is the perfect way to declare your affection, with its sensual fluidity and gently undulating silhouette making for an elegant love note Your beau will appreciate the careful, curved detailing on the case and lugs, while romantic features such as the refined hands which resemble skeletonised leaves and a mother-of-pearl teardrop index add an extra exciting frisson A beautiful piece of jewellery in its own right, the Tissot T-Wave will look just as good at a cosy cinema date as at a gourmet feast pour deux A plethorA of choice With many different versions available, there really is a model to suit everyone Fans of classic design will be drawn to the simplicity of a pure dial with a satin or aventurine effect, while those who favour tasteful embellishment will fall for the ribbon unravelling its iridescent and satin reflections on a mother-of-pearl face For an extra-special touch for an extra-special partner, the models glimmering with top wesselton diamonds will make for an unforgettable Valentine’s 18 February 2019 OutlOOk 63 books Dilip Sinha Legitimacy of power | Vij Books, India and ICWA | 332 pages | Rs 1,250 Inside-out The Council The evolution and present dilemmas around the UNSC make for this comprehensive account benefiting from a diplomat's experience by B.S Prakash M ENTION the word UN Secu­ rity Council (UNSC) and the thoughts of most Indians int­ erested in international aff­ airs turn to questions such as why India is not yet a perma­ nent member of the UNSC despite our decade­long efforts, whether and when that expansion is likely, and who is thwarting India’s aspiration But going behind and beyond these issues, we need a better understanding of the Sec­ urity Council itself, how it came to be constituted, its legitimacy, its record over seventy years, and its relevance or inconsequence in the world today Dilip Sinha’s book is an excellent read on these larger issues Sinha, who was our Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, examines the issues by taking into consideration three distinct strands in his analysis: the historical side, tracing the formation and the evolution of the UNSC since 1945; the legal aspects, esp­ ecially emphasising that the Council is not so much concerned with legality as with power; and the political dimension that has ultimately prevailed in the Council's functioning in following its mandate to uphold international peace and security He brings to the book his background as a diplomat and insight into how negotiations are conducted in the ‘real’ world by great powers At the same time, as a serious student of history, he is objective in describing how the concept of the use of force by States has been dealt with over time in thought and in practice The book emphasises that the UN Security Council was not and is not a legal construct, much less a moral idea It is best seen as a product of its time, i.e the end of World War II and the intentions of the victors Sinha quotes American scholar Ikenberry: “A victo­ rious state creates an order to serve its interests but likes to remain unbound 64 OUTLOOK 18 February 2019 years as in the case of Libya Conflicts where the UNSC was simply unable to act are as important or even more important as wars where it did play a role The book lists all of them: Vietnam, Afghanistan, Israel­Arab neighbours, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and others The reasons for such ‘inaction’ is obvious, the threat of veto, when the direct interests of a superpower are involved A major strength of the book is this imaginatively done collation Those who follow the current Indian perspective on the functioning of the Security Council know that while aspir­ ing for its permanent membership, India has criticised the lack of transparency and representativeness in the manner in which the body has functioned The case studies demonstrate that much of our critique is well founded The book briefly deals with the issue of possible approaches to UNSC reforms Some form of judicial review has been suggested by academicians to try to make its decisions less partisan or opaque If the veto cannot be abolished, can there The book emphasises that be a system of weighted veto or restraints by the big five in cases of humanitarian the UN Security Council tragedy, argue some In 2019, newer was not and is not a legal questions arise What will be the impact construct, much less a of someone like US President Donald Trump, who hasn’t shown much regard moral idea It is best seen for international law or institutions as a product of its time: and who may regard the UN itself as the end of World War II irrelevant? Depending upon the fate of Brexit, what credence can we give to a narrates (as distinct from moral, ideal, or once great power—the UK, continuing legal approaches), the work of the Council as a veto­wielding permanent member? so far has depended on the equations What will be the design of an ambitious among the Permanent Five (or the P­5, as and assertive China that may try to fash­ known in UN jargon), their core interests, ion international institutions to suit its especially if a conflict involves them The own vision and interests? How long can book has many case studies, of successes countries like Japan, India, and Germany, in the early years, the virtual standstill who are regarded as ‘poles’ in a multi­ because of disagreement between the US polar paradigm of the world order stay and Soviet Union through much of its his­ excluded from a seat at the high­table? tory from fifties to the nineties, the action These big questions without answers, at during the short period of détente after present, will persist Sinha’s book is a the break up of Soviet Union, and the useful read in confronting them O controversial decisions taken in recent (B.S Prakash is a former ambassador) itself, free of institutional constraints and obligations.” Thus, the UNSC is not a dispassionate body and certainly not akin to a judicial court It's a tool to manage conflicts, where it can, and also, to serve the interests of the most powerful, when they so intend But there is no escaping the fact that the Security Council has endured, though remaining inflexible Besides, in terms of international law as it stands, it is still the only international body empowered to authorise military action Seen through the prism of the ‘realpolitik’ that Sinha Dr Vinay Bajrangi Balance between daring and caution : I Dr Vinay Bajrangi f one thinks that everything is under control, then the instant second thought would be that s/he is not moving that fast In the madness of increasing the speed of the game few many things go out of control, which change the course of the life for the worse Many a times, it may not be greed or aim to expand phenomenal but effect of unmanageable Rahu which once activated; person is bound to fall in its trap There are examples when a politician out of immense greed and high headedness took the government machinery for a ride; the result was a backlash by own party, numerous allegations to fight in the court, loss of respect in the masses and the final result was not getting the party ticket for the next election Consider this, a businessman doing extremely nicely in his business expanding his wings just too wide by indulging in entirely new ventures with unknown partners, going for beyond capacity loans to eventually lose not only in the new quarters but also in the old parent business due to neglect and deceit Ponder over this, a dynamic young bureaucrat gets corrupt initially for a few quick bucks but with the passage of time works only for self-elevation, amasses huge wealth acquired through illegal means, open up multiple businesses even in the names of distant family members, finally succumb to the law and lose his job and all that what he had legally or illegally earned to the government or to the relatives who stopped responding after his fall Consider this also, that a small time even natured liaison agent working within his capacity making enough money for his family needs, rising to heights when came in the proximity of politicians His liaison capacity increased manifolds not realizing that with this he slowly turned himself into a trickster who now lied more often, started taking people for a ride and had eventually started duping people This superficial expansion rose with unprecedented speed and to an unimaginable height, but as the fate would have been, this fellow soon became an escapist defaulter who not even duped people but also did not spare the mighty politicians Resultantly now he is nowhere to be found and gone is even the easy life what he earlier had Can we see any pattern in the blind run for lust in the above examples? Probably one would say greed, but astrology has a definite name which is an unmanageable ‘Rahu’ of which I spoke about in the beginning This Rahu strikes only when one starts to well in his chosen field of profession Rahu initially makes the native immensely well but later injects His ‘mayavi’ or illusionary venom in the native so that he accelerates without the sense of brakes The ‘Vedic Vigyan’ to illuminate the future get deciphered through reading the horoscopes This is a potent tool through which all the pitfalls (its magnitude and timings) can be worked out that one can experience in a lifetime The beauty of the horoscope reading is in the abilities to understand all the ‘IFS’ and the resultant ‘THEN.’ Another unexplored beauty of the horoscope is the remedial part of astrology reinforced through karma correction The power of free-will that one has is so immense that it can overturn even the harshest of the situation the native is in Jambvanth helped Lord Hanuman to remember his ability to fly, and so could you need a bit of help Dr.Vinay Bajrangi is a Ph.D., Scholar in Vedic astrology, well versed with both the north and south Indian style of horoscope reading Many more such astrological insights are available on his blogs https://www.vinaybajrangi.com/blog/ Connect with him through his website www.vinaybajrangi.com or for any other queries contact at 9278665588 or 9278555588 18 February 2019 OutlOOk 65 books Rajat Chaudhuri The Butterfly Effect | Niyogi Books | 376 pages | Rs 495 Calcutta In Dark Sci This one propels the accumulated anxieties of a city into a shape­shifting future vortex by Anjana Basu tions become clearer and the story opens up layer by layer like a matry­ N a dark cityscape that could be oshka doll It feels like those Russian anywhere, Captain Old stumbles portmanteau novels that can cook a through the streets on his vin­ whole supper if burnt Truffaut’s tage scooter and is mugged But Fahrenheit 451 world too appears by he manages to recover in time to reference, cheek by jowl with a burnt meet the train and the person Wheeler railway platform book stall The Bengaliness is about decay at one from the Cleanlands he is to escort Rajat Chaudhuri, in the first pages, level: an old dying city that caused evokes 1984, the blood dripping innumerable arguments with its trains from Partition and the Clint Leftists roots that encompass prison Eastwoodesque arrival of a stranger camps and Pyongyang, not to mention with pale eyes Gradually, the place Russian dictatorship The different unravels It’s a futuristic Calcutta sections overlap and each adds to the with hints of familiarity Here, knowledge we have of the other chap­ everyone seems to be diseased—the ters—Henry David turns out to be a ancient ‘Supreme Guide’s’ system is music healer with a warning about kept running by melting yellow genetic modification That is the but­ memory pills and youngblood terfly effect, the smallest attempt to tubes—or bioengineered down to tinker with the world’s natural work­ the food To make the terminology ings can trigger a catastrophe—as an easier, Chaudhuri has supplied a evocation of the message are the genet­ ically modified butterflies that glow in glossary at the end of the book Henry David is the stranger from a the dark Climate change warnings and train He seems to know the secret of a antibiotic resistant viruses are the fac­ virus sweeping the continent, but he tors we have come to read about again has to be careful, there are eyes every­ and again and Chaudhury piles them where David evokes an Indian geneti­ on densely with ominous effect and, cist working in a small town in England perhaps, too much detail To those familiar with Blade Runner, who may know the answer Chaudhuri winds strands within this is known turf, quests and hunters, strands shifting on a cliffhanger to the secrets too dangerous to be revealed present day Detective Kar, the alter and a world filled with new technolo­ ego perhaps of Captain Old, muses gies that cannot, despite their desper­ somewhere in between The pace ate innovations, ward off the impending changes along the way too, the focus Apocalypse What matters, hungry shifted to Korea As the strands are people or the dangers of tampering interwoven, the characters’ motiva­ with genes and ending up with a cloned artificial world? The Butterfly Effect neatly dovetails into what one now calls cli­fi Or, climate change fiction, To those familiar with combined with thriller undercurrents Blade Runner, this is Still, Chaudhuri’s book is different known turf, quests and because of the way in which he has hunters, secrets too shaded Calcutta into his futuristic dangerous to be revealed world In the book, the capital of the Asian darklands, the second city of and a world filled with the British Empire, has come into its new technologies gloomy own O I 66 OUTLOOK 18 February 2019 ON THE RACKS Translated by Bibek Debroy The Bhagavata Purana | Penguin If we mix philosophy, theology, poetry, astrology, astronomy, metaphysics, applied sciences, meditation, yoga, and everything else from the branches of knowledge, in a blender, will a wormhole appear to teleport us into a time or place when/where we and the things around us, or known to us, were created? If that is too much of a task, we recommend reading the Puranas, Hinduism’s oldest religious text Not an easy task either The Puranas are 18 volumes with more than four lakh shlokas, and all in Sanskrit—the lan­ guage of our ancestors and the sages, which only a few can speak and read today and only a handful have the mastery to translate Bibek Debroy is one such master translator, who wears the twin title of economist and Sanskrit scholar, doing equal justice to both After translating the Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Harivamsha, and Valmiki Ramayana, he picked The Bhagavata Purana, the most popular and philosophical of the Puranas which deal with the exi­ stential question of creation that has befuddled humans since millennia The answer is in the text—hidden, waiting to be prized out of the layers of fables tethered to an engaging, interactive narrative Debroy simply translates verbatim, wisely sidestepping the mystifying nuances and interpretations that have been/ are subjects of unceasing debates; thus, leaving space for every reader to seek the truth in his own way So here is a Purana and its expressive shlokas in plain simple English, the language of our keyboards From the smallest anu to the infinite brahmanda, it gives a peek into our feats and follies through characters and stories: Prahlada’s devotion, Dhruva’s austerity, Daksha’s conceit, Narada’s persuasiveness, Vyas’s intellect and, in the true Vaishnava tradition, Vishnu the protector “Therefore, use your intelligence to distil out their gist (Chapter 1, The Bhagavata Purana).” O Admission Conclave “Study in Estonia” to be held at NIET on Feb 2019 Unparalleled advantages for the yoUth to stUdy in estonia eU’s hidden gem estonia is becoming a Building Skills & Delivering Beyond Expectations – Doon Businesss School, Dehradun Electronic City Centre new hot-spot for studies abroad estonia`s vibrant and affordable environment together with well-developed technology sector make estonia an attractive place to study and live With highquality higher education, internationally accepted degrees and various scholarships this is a safe target country for international degree stUdy • estonia a study destination which is beautiful, safe, technologically advanced and well regarded in the higher education sector • scholarships upto 100% for international students • Competitive fee structures compared to global universities robotics and Computer engineering Master’s degree is 4000 euros in tuition fees per year • over a 160 unique degree courses startup entrepreneurship, Cyber security engineering, e-governance technology are some examples • University of tartu features in the Qs World University rankings® 2016/17, and tallinn University of technology features in the Qs University rankings: eeCa 2016, a ranking of the leading universities in emerging europe and Central asia.- estonia home for skype – the skype software was developed by four estonian engineers skype has an office in tallinn, the capital of Estonia, and the company also provides scholarships for bright it students who have chosen to study in estonia Work • all non-eU students can also stay to estonia for additional months after their graduation (with the permission of the university) to look for a job in estonia • international students in estonia not need an additional working permit to work while studying full time and they are allowed to work on the condition that it does not interfere with their studies • average monthly salary in estonia: 1,146 gross per month for a full time job (approximately), Working hours for international students: not limited noida institUte of engineering & teChnology niet is one of the premier engineering and Management institutes of india’s national Capital region (nCr) it has been accredited by naaC with a grade, 3.23 Cgpa which is highest in entire U.p the institute is also accredited by nBa (Cse, eCe, Me and B.pharm for 2017-2020) and ranked 99th across india by national institutional ranking framework (nirf) - 2016, Mhrd, govt of india this has been achieved due to the sleepless efforts of the institute ranging from establishment of pyramid finishing school, 10+ industry tie-ups, 9+ innovation labs, technology Business incubator (approved by MsMe & startup india), etc niet has also been ranked 1st in engineering institutes in U.p by dataquest (overall & placements) in 2017, 7th across india in private engineering institutes by times engineering survey 2017, 43rd across india in private B-schools by times B-school survey 2017, to name a few For more information, please visit www.niet.co.in doon Business school, a management institution leading the charts in north india, is situated at the heart of dehradun’s industrial township the vision of the institute becomes evident from its location as students have easy access to the green units of lg, samsung, liberty, rasna and Marico to undertake live projects with prominent industrial houses Mr Mohit Aggarwal, students are at the centre of every Chairman DBS Group at operational process the entire Oxford University campus is managed by the students through various executive committees and clubs there are more than 20 active clubs including, the dance club, Bulls and Bears, techies club, photography, salsa club and some very happening ones including the Bird Watching and tours and travels Club the experience of raising resources, managing meetings, maintaining minutes registers, making proposals, etc grooms every student in the club for the Board room action that he will encounter later in corporate life life on campus is intensely vibrant with hope and opportunities students from 23 states and countries lend a multi cultural learning atmosphere making each one adaptive to any environment after passing out from dBs We are among the most gender diverse campuses in the country With more than 800 students staying in the on campus hostels, the campus is abuzz with a lot of sporting activities in the evening football is quite a rage in the campus and the dBs football team has been dominating the University football league in north india dBs has extensively integrated experiential learning into every part of the curriculum each student is mentored individually and his grooming is monitored closely, be it in academics, personality development or in terms of enhancing the employability quotient the adoption & integration of advanced learning pedagogies which make the students score high on the employability scorecard, has not only resulted in most of our students getting multiple job offers but has also remarkably improved the quality of jobs and salary package, with a high percentage of students being offered analyst, consulting and functional leadership positions and several international offers in $ packages alongside high packages from leading indian companies With a beautiful mix of a lovely location, good placements and modest fees, doon Business school has been the first choice of savvy students Presenting sponsor Associate sponsors Supported by 4b 4c 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 4a Presenting sponsor Associate sponsors Supported by glitterati A Decade, Already Anil Kapoor almost did the Ram Lakhan tapori jig when Slumdog Millionaire won the Oscars—but a lashing from dear wife the night before held back his legs What stopped him from doing one at the #SlumdogTenYears event, we don’t know Perhaps the sobering presence of Gulzar saab and Rahman Anyway, Jai Ho! PTI Grandest Slam Congrats to Rafael Nadal and Maria Perello for planning to tie the knot We can’t wait to see what the bride will wear, but for now, the bikini suits us/her fine We can hear the DJ too: Rafa Rafa dekho aankh meri ladi hai THIS TOO HAPPENED Patil One, Patil Two To play the Patil, cast a Patil Better get the son who has inherited the hero’s looks when he was a strapping all-rounder, swooning girls from Bombay to Bareilly Watch Chirag as father Sandeep in ’83 (when it opens) A series of erotic novels from the 18th century, titled the Merryland Books, will be able to a wider audience, courtesy the British Library which has digitised them Written by different authors under the pseudonym Robert Pheuquewell, the books were locked away for more than a century in a box 72 OUTLOOK 18 February 2019 Look And Like Kohli took the brunette (sob) and we found a blonde body-double Well? Okay, Julia Michaels shares Anushka bhabi’s looks but Ramu should hold his horses Psst, she is an American Grammy-nominated singer And we don’t mean she is single when we say she released her single, Anxiety Ramp Amp Purple lace-ups, calf straps, long pins, a little white dress— even Misfit Panda couldn’t make Sindhu unsexy when the badminton ace let her locks down Talking about tresses, Dangal girl Sanya’s curls are something Romeo would die to curl up with and feel proud Well, what we mean is who won’t appreciate a gym dress made of upcycled fabric from plastic bottles! Photographs: PTI “I went up and down areas with a cosh I did it for maybe a week, hoping some black bastard would come out of a pub and have a go at me So that I could…kill him.” —Actor L I A M N EESON in an inter view 18 February 2019 OUTLOOK 73 DAVOS diary Well-designed booths of “Invest India” Grips For the Polar Vortex and “Andhra Pradesh” attracted many Getting to Davos was straightforward I delegates Indian food being served at had to manage your own affairs only till the event was a great hit too And every the flight to Zurich Once at the arrival youngster, including those young at gate, the World Economic Forum (WEF) heart, turned up for Confederation of welcome booth took me under its comfort Indian Industry’s India dinner and the wing, ready with their coach connections to Bollywood party that followed As always, guide me towards a picturesque train ride Amitabh Kant (CEO, Niti Aayog) and up the Alps Once in Davos, getting about NIKHIL PRASAD Ramesh Abhishek (secretary, department is something else altogether—sidewalks OJHA of industrial policy and promotion) were slippery with ice, long security queues to (The author, a partner in Bain & passionate in their promotion of India get into crowded venues, -10⁰C evening Company, recently attended the opportunities and were unyieldingly temperatures, and all this while my mind WEF annual meeting in Davos) on-point Also, across many instances, the is dealing with a sensory overload of ideas erudition and confidence of Manpreet Badal (Punjab’s and experiences Most of the action is at the Congress finance minister) was a treat to watch Centre during the day, and at various venues spread across the promenade until late at night One has to walk it all, so Your Paradise Vs Mine footwear is a major consideration Then again, the thoughtThe whole town is in welcome and service mode: not just ful WEF welcome kit to the rescue It comes with snow the hotels and apartments where visitors are putting up, boots with anti–slip attachments All attendees to the WEF but all establishments and service providers—from superannual meet figure it out instantly—carry your dress shoes markets to traffic wardens, are happy to help and guide in rucksacks, quickly change at coat-check counters you around Unfailingly polite, very efficient, and what I thought was quite uncharacteristic of the Swiss—willing The Fearsome 4G to vary from the set way of doing things in order to serve It is in this alpine town that the stocktaking of the modern better This is an important week not just for the local age is taking place Globalisation, that sceptre of our economy but also local identity present condition twists and turns to announce another Early morning, while taking the train back to Zurich, phase: this will be globalisation 4.0 The first wave was though, a glimpse into deeper anxieties, even if as anomaly: from the 1800s to pre-World War I, the second one was as I was getting out of my car, a middle-aged man hurrying post-World War II up to the 1980s, and 3.0 has been from out of the station pauses to say, “Enough of this; go back to the 1980s until now Notice a gap? The first two phases your paradise; why you all come here” before running were sandwiched between wars Today, as legitimate away The poor young man who had driven me to the frustration among many over globalisation’s failure spills station was mortified, and apologised profusely for another over into populism and nationalism, fuelled by such factors man’s behaviour After a few minutes, though, he shook his as the immigrant crisis, we haven’t exactly been at safe head and said, “My god, all of this excellent week, and this distance from dangerous, armed chaos is what you will remember What a shame for us.” Globalisation as a theme first made an appearance at Davos in 1996 More than 20 years later, it is here again, The kids Are All Tight only, the clouds are darker Over 350 sessions across six For me, the highlight of the week was meeting the WEF critical dialogues attempted to study what the new phase Global Shapers Just two examples here Baillie Aaron holds: geopolitics in a multi-conceptual world, future of of Spark Inside is doing some great work in the economy, industry systems and technology bringing life-coaching to prison inmates in the policy, risk resilience to promote systems UK and US in order to reduce re-offence thinking, human capital and society, and rates Alongside expansion plans, she is global institutional reform trying to create a repeatable model so that others can also implement based The Sixth Dense on Spark’s learning Closer home, As a participant pointed out to me, it Sudarshan Mahajan of Tiny Monkey is only right to have so many—every Stage is creating open-mic platforms sixth person on this planet is Indian designed for kids to 14 to train Sizeable contingents from leading them in public speaking using peer corporates, in many cases with feedback, inputs from teachers, and the accompanying spouses, huddled confidence of having done it These were together between breaks from the heart-warming conversations They are event—in tribute to the Bollywood-Swiss the future, and may the tribe increase connection, a cinephile would say MANJUL 74 OUTLOOK 18 February 2019 ... twitter.com/outlookindia facebook.com/outlookindia youtube.com/outlookmagazine digimag.outlookindia.com twitter.com/outlookindia facebook.com/outlookindia youtube.com/outlookmagazine digimag.outlookindia.com... GLITTERATI 74 DIARY Cover Design: Ashish Rozario Published for the week of February 12 -18, 2019 Released on February 09, 2019 Total no of pages 76, Including Covers Customer Care spend Insure Invest... state­run boards and cor­ porations They know the government can be blackmailed easily 18 OUTLOOK 18 February 2019 A TIGHT BALANCE MP CM Kamal Nath Mr CM’s Pricey ‘Outsiders’ How six MLAs in the