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Articles

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India's Climate Change crusader: Mr. Jairam Ramesh: India is a fast developing nation but this development comes at a price, the environment. Our interview with him made us aware that Mr. Jairam Ramesh, the Union Minister of State for Environment and F......read more
He does not deserve the nobel: I have developed the art of using money in creative ways to a point where it has become scientific. The deeply unfortunate occupational hazard that accompanies this rather fulfilling pastime is that m......read more
US & Co: I have experienced three kinds of news. There is American news, which although accurate, skims past the destruction caused by their troops. There is PAkistani news, which tells us of their 'power' and......read more
Jaswant Singh on people, politics and partition: One of India's longest serving politicians, Jaswant Singh's controversial book on Jinnah and India's partition sparked both criticism and praise from people across India and Pakistan. His bold decisio......read more
Statue-tory warning: Your narcissism is injurious to national health: At a time when Maharashtra's notorious Vidarbha region witnesses one farmer suicide every 8 hours, when the entire state is frequented by power cuts as a result of the rains playing truant and the sta......read more
Try: I am 17 years old. I go to school. I come home. I eat, sleep, study.
I go out on the weekends, avoide my parents and am addicted to facebook.
By a broad standard, I am normal.
Can I c......read more
Theplas in Thailand & pickles in Paris: Say hello to the Indian tourist: The Indian tourist seems to have earned himself a global reputation. He may don many avatars, but the stereotype he has earned for himself remains like an unsightly splotch on Indians' reputation aboa......read more
Red tapism in India: "The Common Man walks into the Passport office for the fifth time in ten days. He is sick of standing in the heat. He is sweaty. He is tired of the never ending trips to try and procure his passport. ......read more
Naxalites - a burning problem: The Maoists-Naxalites have been in the news lately. These little understood, much maligned groups, with a common leftist ideology, have been the cause of long-standing violence, arson and disruption. ......read more
Unity in diversity?: With hundreds of different ethnicities, myriad religions, thousands of languages, and an infinite set of values, (some of which are diametrically opposite) India could easily be considered the most di......read more
Every One: India is a country that is progressing at an astoundingly rapid rate. It has proved itself to be a country to watch out for. Its economy is booming, and its people are continuing to prove their abilit......read more
The Indian Judiciary: Does the pillar of strength need to be strengthened?: Do judges in India need to be policed and to what extent? There has recently been focus on the Indian judiciary system. The question has arisen on whether Indian judges need to be policed. The Union C......read more
Defence, Development & the Indian Economy: India today occupies a unique position on the world stage. We are perhaps the only country trying to juggle a rapidly advancing economy, an extraordinary array of infrastructural develoments, an inher......read more
26/11: A year on, an overview of the city of Mumbai yields a result no different then what one would have expected. The city continues to be a bustling, shining beacon of India's ascent to global success, w......read more
Wake up and smell the carbon: Few years ago, there was only one problem the world had to deal with - the nuclear bomb. Today's youth are growing up in the shadows of three bombs any of which can go off any moment, leading to a rad......read more
Apocalypse - impossible? Think again!: 2050, India-a young boy stares at the barren landscape of his hometown, where rising tempartures and water scarcity have made living life a burden. The ganga river has dried up, the once snow capped p......read more
Congress ka 'raj' Thackeray: For anyone who doubts that politics is a dirty game, the recent Maharashtra State Assembly polls was an eye-opener. With cousins standing against each other in a family feud of epic proportions and th......read more
Change after 26/11: On 26^th November, 2008 a catastrophe stuck the city of Mumbai. While the elite class of South Mumbai was dining at 5 star hotels, The Taj Mahal Hotel and the Trident, and the commuters were......read more
The future of Mumbai: Milind Deora's victory for the second term in a row has silenced all his critics. In a candid discussion, Mr. Deora spoke to us about the Maharashtra elections, the MNS, chqanges since 26/11 and of hi......read more
VOTE INDIA: Over the last few weeks, the nation has been keenly observing the movements of a new found political scion, Varun Gandhi of the BJP. Gandhi's radical views, to say the least, have "shocked" some and "......read more
26/11: Are we so naive that we cannot see that some of the problems are from within our country? We don't see the greater good but act in our own selfish and devious ways......read more
Arun Jaitley-a candid discussion: An interview with the General Secretary of the Bhartiya Janta Party, Arun Jaitley gave us an insight into the mind of strategic planner and mast head of this election's opposition party. After years o......read more
The Criminalisation of Indian Politics: India boasts of being the largest democracy in the world; with an estimated 671 million eligible to vote for the 15th General elections to be held in April - May 2009. However, over the last 61 years ......read more
Democracy: As we are made to see it: What do you think about putting 1.147 billion puzzle pieces together? Indian democracy is just that. It is not as simple and sinless as a puzzle, but putting 1.147 billion thoughts together, fixing th......read more
Goolam Vahanvati - the youth's role in India's future: Mr. Goolam Vahanvati, one of the best lawyers in India, tells us we as the youth need to look beyond corruption, he tells us to a look at the larger picture. He says, "You must believe that this is a ......read more
Indian National Congress: The way forward?: We citizens of India are not in the mood to listen to comments like "Bade bade sheharo mein chotte chotte cheese hote rehte hain". The youth want to see some degree of accountability in the entire pol......read more
Jyotiraditya Scindia-India's tomorrow: We arrived at 27 Safdarjung Road, home to one of the most promising and visionary leaders in this country. Part of the Congress youth brigade Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia, having studied at Harvard and St......read more
Omar Abdullah - our hope for change: Mr. Omar Abdullah one of the few leaders in this country who commands respect and does not demand respect, speaks to us about his vision for India. He is one of the most protected men in India with si......read more
PAKISTAN: at the brink of destruction?: Two twins, India and Pakistan separated at birth due to numerous complications, travelled through a long journey since partition. This difficult path took off in August 1947, when, after having surviv......read more
Third Front - an illusion?: We the youth of India desire change and to some the Third front is the only option to provide this change, which makes the Third Front seem as a serious contender. On the other side of the spectrum mo......read more

Article of the month

Naxalites - a burning problem

The Maoists-Naxalites have been in the news lately. These little understood, much maligned groups, with a common leftist ideology, have been the cause of long-standing violence, arson and disruption. Since the late 1960s, this informal party of socialist-minded people has been fighting for its cause.

Text: Cyrus Chowksey

The first thing that comes to mind when one thinks 'Naxalite' or 'Maoist' is probably the image of an unruly man, standing, with a gun in his hand and wearing green fatigues, against a background of destruction and war. But what do they really fight for?

Are they really the terrorists we make them out to be? Or are they just a confused and misunderstood band of misguided villagers venting their feelings against the upper classes through random acts of violence? Their leaders believe in equality, believe that there should be no economic differences between man and man. They believe in communism and a classless society. They feel that being primarily capitalist in India is detrimental for the country�s poor village folk.

In the words of Ganesh Ueike, a secretary of the West Bastar Divisional Committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), Naxalites want to "liberate India from the clutches of feudalism and imperialism". He views himself as a liberator, a hero of sorts. The government views him as a terrorist, views Naxalism as the biggest threat we face today. One may wonder why the Naxals have not had peaceful negotiations with the Indian government. The truth is, they�ve probably tried and been shunned and ignored by the few who have bothered to hear what they had to say. Unfortunately, the powers that be in our country pay scant attention to the voice of the rural poor, to the voice of undeveloped India. So, the Maoists-Naxalites resort to the only way in which they can be assured of making an impact - insurgency.

India, being an agricultural nation, has many farmers from the rural areas, who are not opposed to the ideas of the Naxalites. The government creates several Special Economic Zones in these areas, often displacing these people and disrupting their livelihoods. This is one of the major issues the Maoists are up against. SEZs are meant for the development of the country, but how, they ask, can the country move forward with so many of its citizens being displaced from their lives and jobs?

It is not only the poor and desperate who are attracted to the Maoist ideology, even the rich and affluent upper crust of the cities have been attracted by the dream of a classless, united society. More recently, Kobad Ghandy, whose father was the chairman of a multinational company, was arrested on charges of being a Naxal leader. He joined the Naxal movement when it was fairly basic. Even in his youth, he was an exceedingly generous man and often 'gave away' valuable family heirlooms to the servants. As a Naxalite he was entrusted with the task of publicity, agitation and propaganda. After his arrest, his Maoist comrades are wreaking havoc in Jharkhand, demanding his release.

What emerges is that Naxalites do not have a strong central leader who can stand up and be the public face for the party. The Naxals are more fragmented and less united. This allows the government to let each state treat the problem as a local one, which is probably not the best way forward. The Naxalites may have lofty ideals and laudable motives founded on the sound platform of communism, but they must realise that insurgency and violence is not the way forward. If they truly believe in their goals, they must unite, gather the strength of numbers and create the necessary political pressure to be able to negotiate successfully at the Centre. Negotiation should be their tactic, not burning police stations and kidnapping factory managers. The Naxalites' current tactics only make them out to be insurgents and anti-government terrorists. Pitied by none and despised by all, they are misguided and lack any clear strategy. They make great local impact, but little national impact. The sooner they realise that determined united negotiation and a non-violent strategy are the only ways forward, the better it will be for Naxalites.

Communism as a concept may be accepted by some, but before bombing another mall, or setting fire to the next police station, every Naxalite should take a moment to remember the words of Abraham Lincoln, which are as relevant as ever in this economically stratified nation, "You cannot make the poor rich by making the rich poor."