publication 22

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1TCC DIGEST

From the

Presidents Desk

Raja Rajesvaram - Tanjore

CHOZHA NAACHIAR RAJASEKAR

President & Editor, TCC Digest

N - F

Feedback to [email protected]

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Our Union Budget is around the corner. The trade and industry expects more incentives, concessions and schemfor the development which will enhance the economic growth. Since this is the new government full time budgthere will be general expectation from the business community for the total reformation and restructuring ansimplification of tax procedure and administration.

The budget should give priority to infrastructure projects like roads, rail network, ports etc and agriculturaeducation and health sector.

The common man expects rising of Income Tax limits and reduction of Income tax rates. The implementation GST is a long time expected, we have to watch how the centre is going to implement by convincing all the Sta

governments which will be known during the budget.

The Railway budget on 26th February should have more concentration on dedicated freight corridors anutilization of railway land for the economic development and more facilities, safety and security for the passengeall round the country.

Public Private Partnership of railway projects is the expectation of trade for commercial improvement infrastructure.

The Delhi election result shows the democratic rights of the people to decide the government. The electgovernment should fulfill the expectation of the common and middle class people who voted for them.

Our Chamber in association with Sri Krishna Sweets organizing a series of programs since last year in the namFI Mwith an additional feature of P this year. First program this year was held recently on the theme H Q by Thiru Sugi Sivam and Kovai Sri SruthilayCultural Academy unique dance program on FJ by the students. The program is goito continue every month on different themes and requesting the members to participate in all the programs.

On March 3rd of this year, TCC Post Budget Analysis Meeting as usual and experts from the field of CustomCentral Excise, Trade & Industry, Tax experts are being invited to review on the Central budget. The chamb

expects the members to participate in large numbers to enrich the knowledge of the new budget.The Chamber Member delegates had visited Sri City SEZ located at Tada, A.P recently. This year more factovisits are planned and request the members to participate in the factory visit.


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From theSecretarys Desk

S.S.R. RajkumHonorary Secreta

In population, India is second largest in the world. With about 50% of the population underthe age of 25, about 10 million youngsters will be added each year in the next decade for

employments. In addition, a sizeable number of workers will be leaving agriculture. 5 Milliondid so between 2004 and 2012. Even after allowing 5 Million Senior Citizens to leave the workforce, the nation must create 10 million new jobs every year, with adequate raraavis for ownbusiness to futz around.

We have heard politicians making a liviathan cry that there is brain drain and that our studentsleave for US, UK, and Germany. When higher studies are denied domestically pummeled forcauses of caste, creed and sects, the bright ones are leaving to peek for studies andresplendent settlement. There is nothing wrong if talented young persons look for opportunities to show their mettin USA or elsewhere. They constitute not brain drain but brain bank, because nowadays, knowledge sharing throuI.T enabled services has become instantaneous and it is immaterial where one works. With a renege self - governmefor over 67 years has not fervid chances locally, at least the burden is reduced by bright students by additionalearning name for the country also.

But these days, owing to various factors, the number of job opportunities overseas is greatly reduced along with thos

retained. To cope up with Indian demand in future years, a different planning is required. Gone are the days whcompanies hired or promoted people based on educational qualifications, marks, percentages or grades. It is time discuss this belief, that, being qualified means "employable".

Qualification in the form of a degree/diploma was considered as an assurance or a single eligibility criteria baseon which a candidate was assessed and taken that he/she would have learnt and implement the same in thorganization as well. But due to globalization, times have changed with technological advancements, internationpractices and business dynamism. So the demand for additional skills from prospective employees too has changeThe gap between theory and practical knowledge has widened and students passing out from graduation and evepost graduation schools are still not near to real practical world in terms of technical or domain knowledge.

There is need to revamp the course structure or curriculum to suit the industry and the same needs to be consultation with the industry expects and also have flexibility to change with time.

Employability means the skills and educational qualifications which helps an individual to remain in demand, indust

relevant, capable, adaptable, flexible with the right behavioral, communication, interpersonal skills required ffacing the challenges of the real practical world.

Unfortunately, most of the under-graduate courses do not focus or take efforts in building these employability skilWhile post graduate institutes make efforts to some extent but not on a regular basis. It is important to choose career based on contacts.

For successful career, one must be emotionally connected to the field since the contribution of both the quotient individual's success, has a percentage. When more and more entwine young persons are available, the foreign countjobs for middle aged and eligible persons are shown the way-out due to their heavier salary pack. Many are returninto India after a short span, with all boos.

Which sectors will create jobs for all of them? Clearly the china case indicates that manufacturing is unlikely provide more than 2.5 million jobs per year even if India attracts the investment and export capacities on the scachina achieved. Hence it is construction and services that will have to provide around 8 million jobs a year. Job grow

on this scale can occur only on the back of steady economic growth of about 7.5 to 8% a year as shown in some yeaof the last decade in India and over the last 25 years in china. This calls for policy action on a wide range of issueand annually 10 million new jobs appears to be a daunting task given India's past track record.

However, it is not impossible and not a murk - given policy action and investment commitments. Only if astakeholders work together and bring about changes at the ground level, it will be possible to realize this goal anreap the full benefit of demographic dividend in India.

As you Sow, so you Reap.

YK E P G


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U.S. President Barack Obama ended a landmark day in India on Monday with a pledge of $4 billion investments and loans, seeking to release what he called the untapped potential of a business and strateg

partnership between the worlds largest democracies.

Earlier in the day, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Obama was the first U.S. President

attend Indias Annual Republic Day parade, a show of military might that has been associated with Cold W

anti-Americanism.

It rained as troops, tanks and cultural floats filed through the heart of New Delhi, but excitement neverthele

ran high over Obamas visit, which began on Sunday with a clutch of deals to unlock billions of dollars in nucle

trade and to deepen defense ties.

Both sides hope to build enough momentum to forge a relationship that will help balance Chinas rise b

catapulting democratic India into the league of major world powers.

The leaders talked on first name terms, recorded a radio program together and spent hours speaking

different events, but despite the bonhomie, Obama and Modi reminded business leaders, including the heaof PepsiCo, (PEP.N) that trade ties were still fragile.

India accounts for only 2 percent of U.S. imports and one percent of its exports, Obama said. While annu

bilateral trade had reached $100 billion, that is less than a fifth of U.S. trade with China.

We are moving in the right direction ... That said, we also know that the U.S.-India relationship is define

by so much untapped potential, Obama told the Indian and U.S. business leaders. Everyone here will agre

weve got to do better.

INTERNATIONAL VISITOFBARACKOBAMA

U.S PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA VISIT TO INDIA

F F K , P K .

(L-R) First lady Mrs.Michelle Obama, Mr.Pranab Mukherjee, President of India, Mr.Barack Obama, US President,

Mr.Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India wave during a reception at Rastrapati Bhawan, the President Palace, New Delhi.


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Modi said U.S. investment in India had doubled in the

past four months and vowed to do more to slash the

countrys notorious red tape and make it one of the

worlds easiest places for business.

Obama said that U.S. Export-Import Bank would finance$1 billion in exports of Made-in-America products. The

U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation will lend

$1 billion to small- and medium-sized enterprises in

rural areas of India.

Regarding renewable energy, a key focus for Modi, $2

billion will be committed by the U.S. Trade and

Development Agency for renewable energy, Obama said.

Most significant was an agreement on issues that,

despite a groundbreaking 2006 pact, had stopped U.S.

companies from setting up nuclear reactors in India andhad become one of the major irritants in bilateral

relations.

Mobama breaks N-deadlock, ran the front-page

headline of the Mail Today newspaper, which carried a

photograph of Modi and Obama hugging each other

warmly.

GLOBAL REACH

Obama and Modi sat behind a rain-spotted screen as the

parade unfolded along Rajpath, an elegant lawn-bordered boulevard dating from the British colonial era

that connects the presidential palace to India Gate.

Helicopters showered petals on the crowds, and then

tanks, missiles, stiffly saluting soldiers, brass bands and

dancers filed past the guests.

Obamas presence at the parade signals Modis

willingness to end Indias traditional reluctance to get

too close to any big power. Instead, he is seeking close

ties with them all, even as he pushes back against

China and take sides on other global issues.Modi has injected a new vitality into the economy and

foreign relations since his May elections.

Obamas second visit to India is the latest upturn in a

roller-coaster relationship with Washington that a year

ago was scarred by protectionism and a fiery diplomatic

spat.

Guard of Honour for President Barack Obama Led by

Wing Commander Pooja Thakur

O


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The leaders agreed to exchange information on individuals returning from these conflict zones and to continu

to cooperate in protecting and responding to the needs of civilians caught up in these conflicts, the two sid

said in a joint statement.

They also agreed to a 10-year framework for defense ties and struck deals on cooperation that included joi

production of drone aircraft and equipment for Lockheed Martin Corps (LMT.N) C-130 military transport plan

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F. - M

FORMER PRESIDENT OF TAMIL CHAMBER OF COMMERCETHIRU A.NAGAPPA CHETTIAR (CENTENARY YEAR 1915-2015)

King of Leather

Padma Shri A.Nagappa Chettiar who was hailed as the king of leather wasa pioneer who laid the foundations for the development of the leather

industry and enabled it to be one of the engines of Indias economic growth.

He was a rare visionary who foresaw the global economy fifty years ahead.

He took great steps to bring together a vibrant synergy between academics,

research and industry which has today yielded rich dividends. His role as a

business leader not only in the leather sector, but also in other areas of Indian

Industry and Trade was commendable. He was President of Tamil Chamber ofCommerce, SICCI and took an active role in the affairs of FICCI. He was

responsible for ending the routing of Indian leather exports through the

auction system in London, and resorted to direct marketing to customers the

world over. He was responsible for initiating the first Indian Leather Fair at

Chennai which is now an annual event. Above all he was a man of unassuming

humility. The book A.Nagappa

Chettiar Inspiring Legacy of His Success highlights the history of h

life and his valuable contributions which ultimately resulted in earni

more foreign exchange for India. He was rightly conferred the awa

of Padma Shri, by the Government of India in 1967. His devotion

business ethics and family life are other significant highlights. It hoped that his life history would inspire and ignite many you

managers and businessmen to excel for the highest.

Relations with Government

Mr.A.Nagappa Chettiar maintained cordial relations with both t

Governments of the Centre and the State. He had a useful meeti

with His Excellency, C.Rajagopalachari, the First Indian Govern

General of India. He was close to the Honble Chief Minister of Madra

Sri K.Kamaraj and the succeeding Honble Chief Ministers like S

M.Bakthavatsalam, and thereafter with Honble Thiru C.N.Annadur

Mr.R.Venkatraman who was Honble Minister of Industries Labour an

Co-operation, At the level of the Centre, he had meetings with th

President of India, The Honble Prime Minsiter of India Pand

Jawaharlal Nehru, Sri.R.K.Shanmugam Chettiar, Honble Union Minist

of Finance, and Honble Sri.T.T.Krishnamachari, who followed later as Union Finance Minister.

Likewise he also had excellent rapport with all Indian Ambassadors and High Commissioners of India and al

Ambassadors of various countries in India and their Consulates in Chennai.

TRIBUTE FORMERPRESIDENTOFTCC

Nagappa Chettiar family

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Awards

Padma Shri Awarded to Mr.A.Nagappa Chettiar 11th April 1967.

The Government of India taking into consideration the various

pioneering efforts of Mr.A.Nagappa Chettiar such as

Resorting to direct sales instead of going through auctions at UK

Effective international marketing and participation in

International Leather Fairs.

Significant role played by him in organizing the Indian Leather

Fairs at Chennai.

Being instrumental to promote the export of leather and leather

products.

His role in being the top most exporters of leather and leather

product s for many years.

Honoured him with the prestigious award of Padma Shri which wasconferred on him by His Excellency, President S.Radhakrishnan on

11thApril 1967. Considering the outstanding services of Padma Shri

A.Nagappa Chettiar to the leather industry this was indeed an

award which he richly deserved.

Award by the Government of Tamil Nadu for Expo

Promotion

Soon after Mr.A.Nagappa Chettiar had received t

meritorious award of Padma Shri in 1967, t

Government of Tamil Nadu also recognized the expo

effects of Mr.A.Nagappa Chettiar and his significa

contribution for the development of the leather sect

in Tamil Nadu. He was honoured by a special award f

outstanding export performance and received the sam

from the hands of Honble Thiru C.N.Annadurai, Chi

Minister, Government of Tamil Nadu at a function whi

was well attended by many dignitaries and t

industrialists of the State.

The Chrome Leather Company

Mr.A.Nagappa Chettiar took a bold decision to acqui

the prestigious Chrome Leather Company at Madras

Mr.A.Nagappa Chettiar was an imposing personality. He wa

tall, and being a true Gandhian he was clothed in spotles

white Khadi Jibba and dhothi, except when abroad when

formal suite was required. He patronized Khadhi and villag

industry and was a supporter of the rural and agricultura

sector.

A. Nagappa Chettiar receiving Padma Shri Award from

H.E Dr.S.Radhakrishnan, President of India

A.Nagappa Chettiar with C.Rajagopalachari

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1965 which was earlier started by the Europeans.The company possessed a large estate with many

sections from raw materials to finished leather,

and leather goods, footwear and other sections

relating to the industry. In later years, the

company had difficulties and to prevent the

situation from getting further into problems,

Mr.A.Nagappa Chettiar stepped in and took over

the company.

Mr.Nagappa Chettiar turned the fortunes of the

Chrome Leather Company into one of success.

However, his success was only short-lived. The

financial institution with which he was connected

had unfortunately curtailed the credit

requirements of the company due to the sudden

change in the monetary policy of credit squeeze in

1972 announced by the Reserve Bank of India at

that time.

International Leather Fair

Perhaps the most significant contribution of

Mr.Nagappa Chettiar was his vision to make Madras

as the centre for International Leather Fair. Whenhe first visited Semaine International Du Cuir at

Paris and other Trade Fairs in Europe, he dreamt

of organizing such a Fair at Madras. He discussed

his vision with Prof.Nayudamma, Director CLRI

who took initiative in organizing industry-institute

get-together and trade fair within the CLRI

campus itself.

Sri A.Nagappa Chettiar receiving State Award from Honble

Thiru. C.N. Anna Durai, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

With Honourable Sri R. Venkataraman at ILC Stall, Paris

Sri A.Nagappa Chettiar with H.E. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan,

President of India. Honble Prime Minister Smt. Indira

Gandhi at Padma Shri Award Function New Delhi, 1967.

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First International Leather Fair

With the CLRI at the helm of affairs, the first International

Leather Fair (ILF) was inaugurated on the 27thJanuary 1964 inside

the CLRI campus. It was visited by many dignitaries

Dr.A.L.Mudaliar, Vice Chancellor, University of Madras,

Sri.Manubhai Shah, Union Minister for Industry and Sri

R.Venkataraman, Minister for Industry, Government of Madras

were prominent visitors.

As the Chairman of the ILF, Mr.Nagappa Chettiar contributed

immensely for the shaping of the event. He was instrumental in

strengthening the linkage between

CLRI and the Leather industry.

His Last Years

Mr.A.Nagappa Chettiar lived a very

busy but useful life with manifold

activities. He was a great leader and

an outstanding industrialist, but also a

man of great humility. He lived a life

of simplicity, wore khadi and was a

vegetarian. In spite of all his active

and healthy habits, his health began to

fail. In the end of January 1982, in

spite of his poor health he attended

the leather week celebrations.

His great life had on 13thMarch 1982 come to a sad end. Thousands of people from all walks of life thronge

to pay their homage and last respects to a towering personality who helped to shape the leather industry f

a glorious future.

CSIR turns twenty five, Anna opens stores building at CLRI. Seated left

CM are Raja Sir Muthiah Chettiar, Sri A. Nagappa Chettiar and

Dr. Seetharamaiah

Sri A. Nagappa Chettiar with Honble Thiru

C.N. Anna Durai, CM of Tamil Nadu at the

57th AGM of the SICCI

Present President Mr.Chozha Naachiar Rajaseka

standing at Former TCC President

Mr.A.Nagappa Chettiar Statue at CLRIMr. Pra sad Davi d

Book Author

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Agreement on Trade FacilitationArticle 8: Border Agency Cooperation

Within country and with other countries cooperate and co-ordinate border

procedures on:

Alignment of working days and hours

Alignment of Procedures and formalities

Development and sharing of common facilities

Joint controls

Establishment of one stop border post control

Concept and origin of CBM

Border control authorities around the world all face the same dilemma increasing in resource

notwithstanding slowing trade flows brought about by the current global economic downturn. Traders a

travelers too have greater expectations for speedier processing and clearance times whilst governments an

society expect border authorities to rigorously apply the law in order to protect their interests, safequard t

health and safety of their citizens, and ensure national security. This means balancing trade facilitation on th

one hand with trade security on the other-allowing legitimate goods and travelers to pass through borde

CUSTOMS FM

INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMS DAY 2015 CHENNAI CUSTOMS ZONE

(L-R) Mr.S.Kannan, Commissioner of Customs (Appeal), Hon'ble Justice Mr.Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Chief Justice of Madras High

Court, Mr.S.Ramesh, Chief Commissioner of Customs, Chennai, Mr.Mayank Kumar, Commissioner of Customs, Exports, Chennai

at the International Customs Day function

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without unnecessary hindrances while protecting the international

trade supply chain from threats posed by organised crime,

smugglers, commercial fraudsters, terrorists, and even goods that

could endanger people.

Coordinated border management (CBM) is now recognized by theCustoms community as a potential solution for the challenges that

the 21st Century presents especially with respect to efficient and

effective border management. Its importance resulted in the

concept being included in the WCO Councils strategic policy on

Customs in the 21stCentury that was adopted in June 2008 where

it is listed as one of the 10 key building blocks for managing

borders in todays environment.

Coordinated Border Management (CBM)

The term Coordinated Border Management (CBM) refers to a

coordinated approach by border control agencies, both at the national andinternational level, in the context of seeking greater efficiencies over managing trade

and travel flows, while maintaining a balance with compliance requirements.

CBM can result in more effective service delivery, less duplication, cost-savings through

economies of scale, enhanced risk management with fewer but better targeted

interventions, cheaper transport costs, less waiting times, lower infrastructure

improvement costs, more wider sharing of information and intelligence, and

strengthened connections among all border stakeholders.

A coordinated approach

b y b o r d e r c o n t r o l

agencies lays at the heartof the CBM concept, in the context of seeki

greater efficiencies in managing trade and trav

inflows, while maintaining a balance with securi

requirements. The term gives prominence to t

general principle of coordination of policie

programmes and delivery among cross-bord

regulatory agencies rather than favouring a

single solution.

An essential part of CBM involves dialog

between Customs and other agencies at the bord

as well as between Customs and the busine

community; hence the World Custom

Organisations initiative in organizing its first Inte

Agency Forum on Coordinated Border Manageme

during July 2009. The Forum raised awarene

about the CBM concept and its benefits and was intended to encourage governments and individual bord

agencies to engage one another more actively to ensure better and smarter management of national border

Theme of the Year Coordinated Borde

Management An inclusive approach fo

connecting stakeholders

The World Customs Organisation (WCO) i

dedicating 2015 to promoting Coordinated Borde

Management (CBM) under the sloga

Coordinated Border Management An inclusiv

approach for connecting stakeholders.

WCO Members will have the opportunity t

promote the enhanced coordination to promot

the enhanced coordination practices an

mechanisms that they have implemented withi

their administrations and with other Custom

administrations and government agencies, as we

as with economic operators involved in cross

border trade. -Source WC

Hon'ble Mr.Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul interacting with Mr.Sanjay

Kumar Agarwal, Commissioner of Service Tax, Mr.Chozha Naachiar

Rajasekar, President, TCC, Mr.S.Ramesh, Chief Commissioner of

Customs, Chennai. at the Intl Customs Day function.

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Chennai Customs Jurisdiction

The jurisdiction of Chennai Customs Zone comprises Chennai Sea Port, Ennore Port, Kattupalli Por

Anna International airport and Air Cargo Complex, 31 Container Freight Stations (CFSs) and 2 Inlan

Container Depots (ICDs)

Geographical Area extends to the Areas of Chennai Corporation, parts of Thiruvallur & Kancheepura

Districts.

Customs Revenue Collection

The Net revenue (after deducting Drawback and Refund disbursed) realized over the last few years in Chenn

Customs Zone is shown below:

Chennai Customs Zones contribution is about 15% of the ALL INDIA Customs Revenue.

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HUMAN RESOURCES

Chennai Customs Zone has a total sanctioned strength of 3061 out of which there are 1243 officers and sta

working as on date. The vacancies are 1818 (59%)

SEIZURE OF GOLD

Seizures of gold at Chennai Customs Airport has steeply increased on account of extensive intelligence inpu

and vigil kept by the Air Intelligence Unit. The comparative details of gold seizures upto December are giv

below:

REVENUE FROM MAJOR COMMODITIES IN THE ZONE:

Revenue from top 13 commodities yielded about Rs.19519 crores (76%) of the total gross revenue for the ye

2014-15 (upto December 2014), as indicated below:

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Highlights of the present ICES Version 1.5 online Application

Aims to capture complete process of customs clearance of Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills

Total 123 Customs Locations connected on centralized ICES network which includes 25 Sea Ports, 18 Air Cargos,

76 ICDs and 4 LCSs

Daily processed documents (Bills of Entry 15000 (average) & Shipping Bills 20000 (average)

Daily e-Payment of 12000 or more challan & rest challan payments integrated through ICEGATE from Banks servers

Average EDI collection of Rs.600-900 crores daily

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FJ

CPI LEADER R.NALLAKANNU TURNS 90RRRRR.Nallakannu is an Indian politician and also Senior CommunistParty of India (CPI) leader. He was the former State Secretary of

the Communist Party of India of Tamil Nadu.

R.Nallakannu,was born in the temple town of Srivaikuntum, in

VO. Chidambaranar district. Born in an affluent family, he was

very patriotic from a young age and participated in the freedom

struggle.

Political Life

At the age of 15, Nallakannu joined in the communist movement,

mainly agitated by the atrocities committed to the downtrodden

people, of a particular community. A firebrand politician, he

belonged to the action force, and was handed over 14 years in

jail. Though he was released after 7 years as a pact was signed

by the communist leaders and then the chief minister of Tamil

Nadu. A very dedicated, and a most sincere politician, he has set

an example how a politician should live, with simplicity, and

dignity, and an effective role model, for all politicians to follow.

Highly respected even by the opponent parties, he uses most

cultured restraint even when he voices his concerns about unpleasant occurrences.

Respected as one of the last surviving leaders who founded communist movement in

India. Widely travelled, and his visits include, USSR, Germany, China and of late to

USA.

Even at the Age (September 26)of 89 plus he individually fought a court case in

Madurai, and won in High court ordering a ban on digging sands from the river

Thambaraparani of his native place. He has undergone many a hunger strikes some

lasting for more than 20 days and once the govt build a dam because of his

hungerstrike. He was honoured by the Vice President of the Peoples Republic of

China, during his visit to Beijing.

Nallakannu as a Writer

As a writer, Nallakannu wrote many books based on social problems, River interaction

possibilities in India, Agricultural reforms,and of course lot about communist based articles.He is also value

as a learned speaker, and a great social reformer,and all his life he fought for the equal opportunities for th

socially most suffered communities. He stayed with them,had food with them,taught them how to fight f

their own rights, from the upper classes and made considerable progress in lifting the living conditions of po

people in Nanguneri taluk and neighbouring villages,most of the period when he was spending his time

underground. A fearless fighter,he was,and he will do any sacrifice to uphold the principles of a casteless socit

A living example of what a leader should be, his role models were Lenin,che,and Ho-chi-min.

Patriotism, sacrifice and perseverance toward

nation-building process were the virtues o

Gandhian philosophy. Every citizen should realis

their importance. He appealed to the servic

organisations to emulate their example for th

overall socio-economic development of th

country.

Nallakannu In a forum

ROLEMODEL .

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On 1999, Nallakannu stands for Coimbatore constituency on Loksabha elections. Even though, he secured 43.2

percent of total votes, he was defeated by CP Radhakrishnan on 14 August 2007.

Accolades

Nallakannu receives Sahayogi Puraskaraward from Governor Surjit Singh Barnala of Tamil Nadu. On 200

The State Government of Tamil Nadu headed by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has chosen senior Communi

Party of India leader Nallakannu for the 2007 Ambedkar Award for his outstanding contribution to publ

life, especially to the poor and the downtrodden. On 3 October 2008, Nallakannu receives Gandhian award

for social service from All India Mahatma Gandhi Social Welfare Forum. Nallakannu was honored by Jeev

Award from District Writers Association on 21 January 2009 at Thiruchirapalli.

EXCERPTS OF HIS INTERVIEW

Q: You have par t ic ipat ed in t he f r eedom st ruggle and cont inued in act i ve pol i t ics since then. What is the di f ference

you have not i ced bet ween pre and post Independence pol i t ics?

Ans: During the freedom struggle, there was the sole agenda of achieving independence. After achieving independence and

subsequent reorganisation of states on a linguistic basis, many regional political parties emerged and people started fightingfor their states rights. This is one of the reasons for inter-state river water disputes including those of Cauvery andMullaiperiyar.

Q: From the posi t ion of t he main Opposi t ion par t y in t he st ate i n the 1950s, t he Communist par t ies are not even

able t o win a s ingle seat on i t s own. What are t he reasons for t he Communist par t ies waning suppor t base?

Ans: The Communist party and its members faced state repression. There are a few forces affected by our pro-peoplemovements that are conspiring to prevent the partys growth through various means. Left parties are facing a corporate

sponsored attack after they withdrew support for the Congress led UPA I government in 2008.

Q: In spi t e of var ious cor rupt ion charges faced by Drav id i an par t y leaders , people cont inue to vot e them t o back

t o power. Why are Lef t par t ies not able t o win people s suppor t?

Ans:Dravidian parties core ideology is good. It is based on Periyars anti Brahmanism, anti-caste and language policy. Butwhen they came to power, they made compromises. They use money and muscle power, indulge in caste politics and put

up wealthy candidates for the elections. To remove them from power, there is a need for a strong alternative front. Butthere are multiple forces working at the behest of Dravidian parties to prevent the formation of such an alternative front.There is a need to reform the electoral system and bring in proportional representation.

Q: What is the future of the Left in the state? What is your immediate agenda?

Ans: BJP and Hindutva forces are trying to gain a foothold in the state. Tamil Nadu has a long history of progressivemovements. Periyar created a strong base against communal forces. Left and democratic forces should come together to

prevent the BJP from destroying the traditional social fabric.- Courtesy : Deccan Chronicle

R.Nallakannu with N.Varadarajan, CPI(M) R.Nallakannu, C.Mahendran, T.Pandian

g M


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HUMORIST & CARTOONIST R.K.LAXMAN

RRRRR.K. Laxman was an Indian cartoonist,illustrator, and humorist. He is best known for hiscreation The Common Man and for his daily

cartoon strip, You Said It in The Times of India,

which started in 1951.

Child Hood & School Days

Laxman was the captain of his local Rough and

Tough and Jolly cricket team and his antics

inspired the stories Dodu the Money Maker and

The Regal Cricket Club written by his brother,

Narayan. Laxmans idyllic childhood was shaken

for a while when his father suffered a paralytic stroke and died

around a year later, but the elders at home bore most of the

increased responsibility, while Laxman continued with his

schooling.

After high school, Laxman applied to the J.J. School of Art,

Bombay hoping to concentrate on his lifelong interests of drawing

and painting, but the dean of the school wrote to him that his

drawings lacked the kind of talent to qualify for enrolment in our institution as a student, and refuse

admission. He finally graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mysore. In the meantime

continued his freelance artistic activities an

contributed cartoons to Swarajyaand an animated fibased on the mythological character Narada.

Early Life

R.K. Laxman was born in Mysore in 1921. His father w

a headmaster and Laxman was the youngest of six so

(he had a sister as well an older brother is the famo

novelist R.K. Narayan. Laxman was known as Pi

Piper of Delhi.

Laxman started his career as a part-time cartoonis

working mostly for local newspapers and magazine

While a college student, he illustrated his eld

brother R.K. Narayans stories in The Hindu. His first full-time job was as a political cartoonist for the T

Free Press Journal in Mumbai. Later, he joined The Times of India, and became famous for the Common M

Laxman was engrossed by the illustrations in magazines such as The Strand, Punch, Bystander, Wide Worldan

Tit-Bits, before he had even begun to read. Soon he was drawing on his own, on the floors, walls and doo

of his house and doodling caricatures of his teachers at school; praised by a teacher for his drawing of a peep

leaf, he began to think of himself as an artist in the making. Another early influence on Laxman was the wo

I drew objects that caught my eye outside the

window of my room the dry twigs, leaves and

lizard-like creatures crawling about, the servant

chopping firewood and, of course, and number

of crows in various postures on the rooftops of

the buildings opposite.

R.K. Laxman

TRIBUTE R.K.LAXMAN

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of the world-renowned British cartoonist, Sir David Low (whose signature he

misread as cow for a long time) that appeared now and then in The Hindu.

Laxman notes in his autobiography, The Tunnel of Time:

Career as Political Cartoonist

Laxmans earliest work was for newspapers and magazines including SwarajyaandBlitz. While still at the Maharaja College of Mysore, he began to illustrate his elder

brother R.K. Narayans stories in The Hindu, and he drew political cartoons for the

local newspapers and for the Swatantra. Laxman also drew cartoons for

the Kannada humour magazine, Koravanji (which was founded in 1942 by

Dr M. Shivaram who was an allopath and had a clinic in the Majestic area of

Bangalore. He started this monthly magazine, dedicating it to humorous and

satirical articles and cartoons. Shivaram himself was an eminent humourist in

Kannada. He encouraged Laxman.)

Laxman held a summer job at the Gemini Studios, Madras. His first full-time job

was as a political cartoonist for the The Free Press Journalin Mumbai, where Bal

Thackeray was his cartoonist colleague. Laxman later joined The Times of India,Bombay, beginning a career that spanned over fifty years. His Common Man

character, featured in his pocket cartoons, is portrayed as a witness to the making

of democracy. Anthropologist Ritu G. Khanduri notes, R.K. Laxman structures his cartoon-news through a pl

about corruption and a set of characters. This news is

visualized and circulates through the recurring figures of

the mantri (minister), the Common Man and the trope of

modernity symbolized by the airplane (2012: 304).

Other creations

Laxman also created a popular mascot for the Asian Paints

group called Gattu in 1954. He also wrote a few novels, thefirst one of which was titled The Hotel Riviera. His cartoons

have appeared in Hindi films such as Mr. & Mrs. 55 and a

Tamil film Kamaraj. His creations also include the sketches

drawn for the television adaptation of Malgudi Days which

was written by his elder brother R. K. Narayan and directed

by Shankar Nag. Laxman also drew caricatures of David Low,

T.S. Eliot, Bertrand Russell, J.B. Priestly and Graham

Greene.

Personal Life

Laxman was first married to Bharatanatyam dancer and filmactress Kumari Kamala Laxman, who began her film career

as a child actress named Baby Kamala, and graduated into

adult roles under the name Kumari Kamala (Miss

Kamala). They were divorced, and Laxman later married a

woman whose first name was again Kamala. This was the

authoress and childrens book writer Kamala Laxman. In a

cartoon series named The star I never met in film

Famous Character

The Common Man

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magazine Filmfare he painted a cartoon of Kamala

Laxman, with the title The star I only met! The

couple had no children and divided their time between

Mumbai and Pune.

Last DaysLaxman died at the age of 94 at in Pune on 26 January

2015. He was hospitalized on 23 January for urinary

tract infection and chest-related problems that

ultimately led to multi-organ failure. He was put on

life support after his condition worsened on 26 January

2015. He had reportedly suffered multiple strokes since 2010.

A cartoon that Laxman had made following the successful landing of Mangalyaan on Mars was posted by t

Indian Space Research Organisation on its Facebook and Twitter pages on 27 January. Maharashtra Chief Minist

Devendra Fadnavis announced that Laxman would be accorded a state funeral and a memorial would be bu

in his honour.

A F PPA F E .

JUDGEMENT C b

THE SENTENCE OF A WISE JUDGE

A farmer in ancient China had a neighbor who was a hunter, and who ownedferocious and poorly trained hunting dogs. They jumped the fence frequently and

chased the farmers lambs. The farmer asked his neighbor to keep his dogs in check,

but this fell on deaf ears.

One day the dogs again jumped the fence and attacked and severely injured several

of the lambs.

The farmer had had enough, and went to town to consult a judge who listened

carefully to the story and said: I could punish the hunter and instruct him to keep

his dogs chained or lock them up.

But you would lose a friend and gain an enemy. Which would you rather have, friend or foe for a neighbor?

The farmer replied that he preferred a friend!

Alright, I will offer you a solution that keeps your lambs safe, and which will keep your a neighbor a friend.

Having heard the judges solution, the farmer agreed.

Once at home, the farmer immediately put the judges suggestions to the test. He took three of his best lambs

and presented them to his neighbors three small sons, who were beside themselves with joy and began to play

with them.

To protect his sons newly acquired playthings, the hunter built a strong kennel for his dogs. Since then, the dogs

never again bothered the farmers lambs. Out of gratitude for the farmers generosity toward his sons, the hunter

often shared the game he had hunted with the farmer. The farmer reciprocated by sending the hunter lamb meat

and cheese he had made. Within a short time the neighbors became good friends.

A saying in old China went something like this, One can win over and influence people the best with gestures

of kindness and compassion. A similar American saying: One catches more flies with honey than with

vinegar.!!


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M.K.GANDHI BECOMES MAHATMA GANDHI

RETURN OF MAHATMA GANDHI ON JANUARY 1915 (100 YEARS COMPLETION)

Aheros welcome awaited Gandhi when he landedon January 9, 1915, at the Apollo Bunder in

Bombay. Three days later he was honored by the

people of Bombay at a magnificent reception in

the palatial house of a Bombay magnate Jehangir

Petit. The Government of India joined with the

people of India in showering honours on Gandhi.

He received a Kaiser-I-Hind gold medal in the

Kings birthday honours list of 1915. His association

with Gokhale was guarantee enough of his being a

safe politician. Of course, he had led an extra-constitutional movement in South Africa, defied

laws and filled gaols, but the cause for which he

had fought appeared as much humanitarian as

political, dear to all Indian as and all Englishmen

whose sense of humanity had not been blunted by

racial arrogance or political expediency.

Lord Hardinges open support of the Satyagraha movement had in any case

removed the stigma of rebellion from South Africas Indian movement.

Gandhi was in no hurry to plunge into politics. His political mentor on the

Indian scene was Gokhale. One of the first things Gokhale did was to

extract a promise from Gandhi that he would not express himself upon

public questions for a year, which was to be a year of probation. Gokhale

was very keen that Gandhi should join the Servants of India Society in

Poona. Gandhi was only too willing to fall in with the wishes of Gokhale,

but several members of the Society feared that there was too great a gap

between the ideals and methods of the Society and those of Gandhi. While

the question of his admission as a Servant of India was being debated,

Gandhi visited his home towns of Porbandar and Rajkot and went on to

Shantiniketan in West Bengal, the cosmopolitan University of the Poet

Rabindranath Tagore.

The trip to Shantiniketan ended abruptly with a telegram from Poona that

Gokhale was dead. Gandhi was stunned. He mourned Gokhale by going

barefoot for a year, and out of respect for the memory of his mentor, made

another effort to seek admission to the Servants of India Society. Finding

a sharp division of opinion in the Society on this point, he withdrew his

application for admission. During 1915the year of probationGandhi

eschewed politics severely. In his speeches and writings he confined himself

Mohandas Gandhi, centre, surrounded by workers in his law office

in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1902.

Retur n ing to India in 1915In 1915, Gandhi returned from Sout

Africa to live in India. He spoke at th

conventions of the Indian Nationa

Congress, but was primarily introduce

to Indian issues, politics and the India

people by Gopal Krishna Gokhale,

respected leader of the Congress Part

at the time.

F 1915-2015


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to the reform of the individual and the society and avoided the

issues which dominated Indian politics. His restraint was partly due

to self-imposed silence and partly to the fact that he was still

studying conditions in India and making up his mind.He returned (1915) to India with a stature equal to that of the

nationalist leaders Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Gandhi actively supported the British in World War I in the hope of

hastening Indias freedom, but he also led agrarian and labor reform

demonstrations that embarrassed the British. The Amritsar massacre

of 1919 stirred Indian nationalist consciousness, and Gandhi

organized several satyagraha campaigns. He discontinued them

when, against his wishes, violent disorder ensued.

His program rested on four tenets: a free, united India with Hindus

and Muslims allied; the acceptance of the doctrine of nonviolence;in Indias villages, the revival of cottage industries, especially of

spinning and the production of handwoven cloth (khaddar); and the

abolition of untouchability These ideas were widely and vigorously

espoused, although they also met considerable opposition from

some Indians. The title Mahatma [great soul] reflected personal

prestige so high that he could unify the diverse elements of the

organization of the nationalist movement, the Indian National

This is the first photograph of Mahatma Gandhi in Ahmedabad on February 1,1915,after his return from South Africa.

A turbaned Bapu is seated in the middle.

Gandhi and Kasturba on their return to India

January 1915

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Gandhi (centre) is pictured with other Indian resistance

leaders in South Africa

Congress, which he dominated from the early 1920s.

This is the first photograph of Mahatma Gandhi in

Ahmedabad on February 1,1915, after his return

from South Africa. A turbaned Bapu is seated in the

middle.

In 1930, in protest against the governments salt tax, he

led the famous 200-mi (320-km) march to extract salt

from the sea. For this he was imprisoned but was

released in 1931 to attend the London Round Table

Conference on India as the sole representative of the

Indian National Congress. When the Congress refused to

embrace his program in its entirety, Gandhi withdrew

(1934), but his influence was such that Jawaharlal

Nehru, his protg, was named leader of the

organization.

The Chamber congratulates Thiru Hari Shankar Brahmafor being appointed as 19th ChiefElection Commissioner.

A 1975 IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, Thiru Brahma hails from Assam was a Power

Secretary in the Centre before his induction into the Election Commission. He assumed

charge as one of the three Election Commissioners on August 25, 2010. After Mr.JM Lyndogh,

Mr.Brahma has become the second officer from the northeast to be appointed to this post.

The Chamber whole-heartedly congratulates Thiru A.S.Kiran Kumarfor being appointed asNew Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

He was the director of Satellite Application Centre and joined ISRO in 1975.He was also

behind the success of Indias Mars Orbiter Mission which entered the Martian orbit

on September 24. Mr.Kumar has contributed to the design and development of Electro-

Optical Imaging Sensors for Airborne, LEO and GEO platform based imaging sensors

starting from Bhaskara TV payload to the latest TMC adHySI payloads for Chandrayaan-1

missions.

The chamber whole-heartedly congratulates its prestigious member Mr.M.Rafeeque Ahmedfor being elected as Chairman of Council for Leather Exports, Chennai.

Mr.M.Rafeeque Ahmed is the Chairman of Farida Group, a manufacturer of leather goods and

a Chairman of Federation of Indian Export Organisation, Federation of Indian Chamber of

Commerce & Indsutry, TN State Council. He is also associated with many associations like

All India Skins & Hides Tanners & Merchants Association, Indian Institute of Leather products,

Apollo Hospitals, Ambur Trade Center.

TOPMOVES

PH P H


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The balance 95 per cent work for them directly or

indirectly.

Think about it how can you reach a destination that

you dont have?

Suppose you go to watch a football game where bothteams are enthusiastically charged up ready to play.

Suppose at this point the referee took the goal post

away, what is left of the game? Nothing!

They have no goal post, how do you keep the score?

Destination determines direction.

6. Choose your friends carefully

Sometimes you hear that the leader is good, but his

advisors are bad.

This statement is not true.

You will find that all over the world, by and large, leaders always choose their own advisors.

Remember we do not get advisors in life of the kind of people we want, we get the kind of people we are.

We dont get friends of the kind of people we want, we get the kind of people we are.

We get attracted to the kind of people who are similar to the kind of people we ourselves are.

Where you will be five years from now shall depend on two things: the books you read and the company you kee

Today where we are is also the result of the books we read and the company we kept in the last five years.

7. Build high self esteem

Self esteem is defined as the way we feel about ourselves.

You notice that one day we get up in the morning feeling good, the world looks nice, productivity goes urelationships are a lot better.

The reverse is just as true.

Self esteem is inversely related to egos.

There are two kinds of egos that are destructive.

The know it all: people with this kind of ego demonstrate arrogance.

They put down and look down upon others.

Think about it, why does a human being put down other human being?

It is sadistic but true, there are some people who feel good when the other person feels bad.

They feel superior when the other person feels inferior which means they dont want to lift themselves up, but the

want to pull others down.

The second kind of ego is called the fragile ego, they take anything you say personally and get hurt.

What do both these egos do to team work?

They just destroy it.

8. Build character

Character is something that a person would or would not do even if no one is watching.

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It is integrity and authenticity in its true form.

There is a big difference between reputation and character.

Reputation is what other people think about us whereas character is what we know who we are and they can be tw

totally different things.

Some people are honest because they dont want to get caught telling lies.

They are doing the right things for the wrong reasons.

They are only building a reputation.

Some people are honest because they believe its the right thing to do.

They are doing the right thing for the right reason. That is character.

9. Live purposefully

What is a purpose?

A lifetime goal is called a purpose.

How do you define your purpose?

Supposing you are aged 100 today and you were to look back at your life, what is it that you want to say, is yo

accomplishment?

That accomplishment is your purpose.

Have a lofty purpose in life.

Only a lofty purpose has the power to move the spirit.

Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you will become a part of the stars.

A great philosopher once said, I would rather fail in doing something great then succeed in doing nothing.

There is glory in such failure too.

10. Start your day on a positive note

Why should we start our day on a positive note every day?

It is because just as our bodies need food every day, our minds need positive thoughts every day.

Starting the day on a positive note sets the tone for the entire day.

Staying positive is like fire; unless we keep adding fuel, it dies out.

Similarly if we dont feed our minds with positive thoughts, everyday, positivity dies out.

Many times you hear that success is tough.

My answer is: Try failing and see if that is easy!

11. Make courtesy a way of life

A courteous person who is not very sharp will go much further in life than a sharp, discourteous person.Courtesy is made up of little sacrifices in life.

Every courtesy has a moral background.

When people practice courtesy as a strategy, they are crooked; they have ulterior motives.

For people with integrity, courtesy is a way of life.

- Courtesy : Shiv Khera is an author, business consultant and

much sought-after motivational speak

( P) P P M, ?


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O

Congratulations

CUSTOMS, CENTRAL EXCISE & DRI

The Tamil Chamber of Commerce whole-heartedly congratulates the following Customs and Central Exciseofficials from Chennai Zone for being conferred with

Presidential Awards for the year 2015 - Customs, Central Excise, DRI

1) Dr.Awdhesh Kumar Singh, Commissioner, Large Tax Payers Unit, Chennai.

2) Thiru Chalamalla Venkat Reddy, Additional Director of Systems, Directorate General of Systems, Chennai.

3) Thiru V.Nagendra Rao, Joint Commissioner, Commisionerate of Customs (Chennai-II), Chennai.

4) Thiru Leo John Ilango, Assistant Commissioner, Directorate General of Vigilance, SZU, Chennai.

5) Tmt.K.Savithri, Senior Private Secretary to Chief Commissioner of Central Excise, Chennai Zone.

WCO Certificate of Merit 2015

1) Thiru S.M.Mani, Joint Commissioner, Air Cargo Complex, Chennai.

2) Thiru T.Prabhakar, Assistant Director, Directorate General of Revenue Intelligence, Chennai Zone Unit.

The chamber congratulates Dr.Jayanth Murali, IPSfor being conferred with Presidents PoliceMedal for his Distinguished Service.

He is an IPS Officer of Tamil Nadu Cadre 1991 batch, is serving as Inspector General, CISF, South

Sector, Chennai. He is the Recipient of Presidents Police Medal for Meritorious Service (2008),

the officer held several key positions both in the State and Central Government services. He

is now supervising the security of several key installations like seaports, space installations,

defence establishments, note press, coal fields & mines, steel industries, power stations etc

situated in all the four Southern States as well as in other parts of the Country.

P

A. .

H , P a

G A, ...F .

,

c C .

MF ? H,

M HK HA.

c H F

M .

, H ..

FATHER & DAUGHTER - TRUST


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G H - G

THE DRAMATIC DECADE PRANAB MUKHERJEEEducation

In 1946, however, I was enrolled at the Kirnahar Shib Chandra High English Schoolin Class V. A well-known school in the area, it was about two-and-a-half kilometres

away from home, which meant travelling five kilometres every day on foot and

that too barefoot, as was commonplace in those days

In 1952, after the school final exam, I enrolled at Vidyasagar College in Suri and

stayed in the hostel all through my college years from 1952 to 1956. After

graduating from college in 1956, I went on to Calcutta and did my postgraduation

both in modern history and political science from the university. In 1960, after

I had got my first postgraduate degree, I enrolled in law college and, three years

later, obtained a law degree.

Lessons from Father

My father, Kamada Kinkar

Mukherjee, was a staunch

nationalist and a dedicated

Congress worker. After the

Lahore session in 1929,

when the Congress pledged

to observe 26 January as

Independence Day, we

would raise the Congress

flag at home every year on

this day.

Having joined the Congress in 1920, my father remained an active

member till 1966.

Rabindranath Tagore once jokingly remarked to my father that

he (Father) was compensating for the behaviour of our

forefathers who disdained the poor, calling them low caste and

keeping them at a distance. Father taught us the value of self-

respect, maintaining that it was enormously important. Manyyears later, in 1978, when the Congress split under Indira Gandhi,

he told me: I hope you will not do anything that will make me

ashamed of you. It is when you stand by a person in his or her

hour of crisis that you reveal your own humanity. Dont do

anything which will dishonour your forefathers memory. His

meaning was clear, and I didnt, then or later, waver from my

loyalty to Indira Gandhi.

BOOK EMERGENCY

President Pranab Mukherjee

who was minister in the Indir

years, reveals the man behin

the Emergency in his new

book, The Dramatic Decad

(Rupa Publications). And say

Indira Gandhi did noknow that there wer

Constitutional provisions t

impose internal emergency.

Uni t e and win

My active political career started in the mid-1960s

when I joined Ajoy Mukherjees Bangla Congress...

The Bangla Congress was formally launched o

1 May 1966. It was on 8 June 1966, when on a tou

of the state with Ajoy babu, that I first mooted

the idea of a United Front to him: Ajoy da, if wwant to defeat the Congress, we have to unite a

parties If we fight the elections on a commo

platform, we could defeat the Congress. Ajoy bab

then began efforts in that direction.

The first United Front government, led by Ajo

Mukherjee and Jyoti Basu, was formed in Wes

Bengal in 1967.

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The midnight drama: declaration of the Emergency

A few minutes before midnight on 25 June 1975, the

President of India, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, proclaimed a

State of Emergency under Article 352 of the

Constitution. I was in Calcutta for my Rajya Sabhaelection, scheduled for 26 June, and got to know of this

development on the morning of the 26th. Indira Gandhi

asked me to return to Delhi as soon as the election was

over and meet her at the earliest.

Siddhartha Shankar Ray

The Emergency had been declared according to the

provisions of the Constitution rather than in spite of it.

I argued that if the Constitution had indeed been

abrogated, why would the Rajya Sabha election take

place at all? The logic worked and people started to seereason. Around 11 a.m., Siddhartha Shankar Ray the then

Chief Minister of West Bengal returned to Calcutta from

Delhi and called me to his chamber. I met him there

along with D.P. Chattopadhyaya and a couple of state

ministers, one being Abdus Sattar, and discussed the

developing scenario. Siddhartha babu briefed us about

the happenings in Delhi the night before.

It is believed that Siddhartha Shankar Ray played an

important role in the decision to declare the Emergency:

it was his suggestion, and Indira Gandhi acted on it. In

fact, Indira Gandhi told me subsequently that she was

not even aware of the constitutional provisions allowing

for the declaration of a state of Emergency on grounds

of internal disturbance.

Indo-Pak Conflict in 1971

According to Siddhartha Shankar Rays deposition before

the Shah Commission (set up by the Janata government

to investigate the excessesof the Emergency), he was

summoned to Indira Gandhis residence on the morning

of 25 June 1975. He reached 1 Safdarjung Road and met

Indira Gandhi, who said that she had received a slew of

reports indicating that the country was heading into a

crisis. She told him that in view of the all-round

indiscipline and lawlessness, some strong corrective

measures needed to be taken. Siddhartha babu told the Shah Commission that Indira Gandhi had, on two

three previous occasions, told him that India needed some shock treatment and that some emergent pow

or drastic powerwas necessary. He had told her that they could take recourse to the laws already on t

Emergency was perhaps an avoi dabl e event

The Emergency was a crucial phase in our parliamentar

democracy. The declaration, its operation and, finally, it

withdrawal had a profound impact on Indias politica

structure as I have mentioned earlier. Those who had bee

sceptical of a parliamentary democracy succeeding in Indi

became gleeful at the thought that they had been prove

correct.

It will be sufficient to say here that many of us who wer

part of the Union Cabinet at that time (I was a junio

minister) did not then understand its deep and far-reachin

impact. While there is no doubt that it brought with it som

major positive changes discipline in public life, a growin

economy, controlled inflation, a reversed trade deficit fo

the first time, enhanced developmental expenditures and

crackdown on tax evasion and smuggling it was perhaps a

avoidable event. Suspension of fundamental rights an

political activity (including trade union activity), large-sca

arrests of political leaders and activists, press censorship

and extending the life of legislatures by not conductin

elections were some instances of the Emergency adversel

affecting the interests of the people. The Congress and Indir

Gandhi had to pay a heavy price for this misadventure.

Deposing before the Shah Commission, Siddhartha Shanka

Ray ran into Indira Gandhi in the Commission Hall and tosse

a sprightly remark: You look pretty today. Despite you

efforts, retorted a curt Indira.

F HJ


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statute books. Siddhartha babu then asked Indira Gandhi

for some time to consider the possible courses of action,

and returned later that evening, at about 5 p.m., to tell

her that she could consider, if she so desired, Article 352

of the Constitution for the purpose of imposing internal

emergency [whereupon] she asked Shri Ray to go along with

her to the President immediately She gave to the

President a summary of what she had told Shri Ray with

regard to the facts, that the President heard her for about

twenty minutes to half an hour and then asked Shri Ray as

to what were the exact words in the Constitution, that the

President then told the Prime Minister to make her

recommendation

At the AICC session at Delhi in August 1974, Siddhartha

babu told me of an imminent cabinet reshuffle, indicating

some of the potential changes. As my diary entry for theday reminds me, he revealed to me that I would get a

better portfolio/assignment. His information proved to be

correct, as was evident in the reshuffle of October 1974

(when I was made Minister of State for Finance).

And, again not surprisingly, these very people took a sharp

about-turn when the Shah Commission was set up to look

into the Emergency excesses. Not only did they disown

their involvement, they pinned all the blame on Indira

Gandhi, pleading their own innocence. Siddhartha babu was

no exception. Deposing before the Shah Commission, he ran

into Indira Gandhi draped in a crimson saree that day in the

Commission Hall and tossed a sprightly remark: You look

pretty today.

Despite your efforts, retorted a curt Indira Gandhi.

Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, the then Home Minister, told the

Shah Commission that he was summoned to the Prime

Ministers residence at about 10.30 p.m. and was told that

on account of the deteriorating law and order situation, it

was necessary to impose an internal Emergency

The proceedings of the Shah Commission were peculiar.Suffice it to say that it seemed that the Commission was

collecting materials and information only to substantiate a

pre-conceived conclusion.

JP failed to see through opportunism

JP [Jayaprakash Narayan] had contended that if a government was corrupt, people, through agitation, cou

demand its resignation. Which democracy in the world would permit a change of a popularly and freely electe

Man behind the mess: Indira Gandhi imposed Emergen

on the advice of Siddhartha Shankar Ray, the then We

Bengal Chief Minister

Kasu Brabmananda Reddy (centre), the Home Minister w

signed a letter seeking the Presidents assent for imposi

internal emergency with Maharastra Congress leaders 1977.

President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, who declared t

Emergency

M , KM; M P I ?


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government through means other than a popular election?

Can parties beaten at the hustings replace a popularly

elected government by sheer agitation? Was it not prudent

for those who were determined to change the government

to wait till the elections which were but round the corner?

Why did the opposition want Indira Gandhi to resign even

before the appeal was heard by the Supreme Court? Is it

not a fact that the Supreme Court permitted Indira Gandhi

to continue as Prime Minister against a conditional stay?

How could anybody replace her when the overwhelming

majority of Congress MPs with a two-thirds majority in the

Lok Sabha resolved that Indira Gandhi should continue as

the partys leader in Parliament and thereby as the Prime

Minister of India? How does the issue of morality at all arise

when allegations causing Indira Gandhi to lose the

Allahabad High Court election suit were of a technical

nature and no charges of moral turpitude could be

established against her?....

Without a doubt, JP was spearheading the strategy of the

opposition. With no one among them to measure up to

Indira Gandhis political charisma, they needed a moral

authority to provide them strength. And who better than JP

to do this at the time? Without JP, this movement would

not have been so powerful.

I did not know JP. I met him only once in 1974 at the

Gandhi Peace Foundation along with C.M. Stephen.

Krishna Kant had organized this meeting. I was impressed

by his personality and his genuine approach to this

emotional and sensitive issue. I found him to be far above

petty political games; he truly wanted to restore moral

values in Indian politics. He was a rare Indian politician

who didnt clamour for office or power in spite of having

it within his reach; he was a man who could have

succeeded Nehru as the second most popular man on the

Indian political stage

However, rationally speaking, I could not support the

movement. To me it appeared to be directionless. It wascontradictory in that it was a movement fighting against

corruption yet composed of people and parties whose

integrity was not above board.

De-Indiraization

Although Brahmananda Reddy was elected Congress President with her blessing and support. Even in speech

felicitating the newly elected Congress President, the venom against Indira Gandhi and her followers w

Mukherjee, then Minister of State for Finance, addressi

Income Tax Commissioners during the 'raid raj' in 1976

Mukherjee says many Congress leaders such as Y.B.Chanv

(in pic) had not dared to utter a word against Indira Gand

when when she was in power, and were the first to abu

here the moment she was out of office.

Sanjay Gandhi after his arrest at Tis Hazari Court in Ne

Delhi

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clearly, and ominously, evident. [Y.B.] Chavan observed, You

have won the election and we have won democracy.

Ray said that the new Congress President faced the onerous

task of taking firm action against those who had misled the

party and used party power to amass huge fortunes. Thenation will judge us by what we do and if we fail to project

a proper image before the people, we will not be forgiven

by posterity

Hearing such comments, one wonders what these paragons

of propriety were doing during the past few months. Chavan

was part of the Congress high command since the mid-1960s

and Ray stepped into Indira Gandhis charmed circle after

the split of 1969. We found our own answers: these big

leaders were little more than paper tigers. They had not

dared to utter a word against Indira Gandhi when she was in

power, and were the first to abuse her the moment she was

out of office

Battle lines drawn in the Congress

On 3 October 1977, the CBI arrested Indira Gandhi from her

residence at 12 Willingdon Crescent. I was at home when

I got the news from a United News of India correspondent

that Indira Gandhi, along with K.D. Malaviya, H.R. Gokhale,

P.C. Sethi and D.P. Chattopadhyaya, had been arrested. The

correspondent told me that I, too, was likely to be arrested.

I waited on the lawn with my pipe, tobacco, matchbox and

a small suitcase. I decided I would not apply for bail, and

prepared myself for an indefinite stay in jail.

A few minutes later, the judge, R. Dayal, delivered his

judgement and she was honourably acquitted....

A basket after a caning

Indira Gandhi headed into the 1980 elections strong and

confident as ever. Demonstrating that she clearly had her

finger on the pulse of the nation, she predicted a rousing

victory. This was evident in an interaction I had with her on

the choice of party candidates for election. While I was all

for choosing core and loyal Congressmen to contest, Indira

Gandhi advised me to choose people who could run the

governments confident was she of electoral success. And

her confidence was well-founded.

Sanjay Gandhi told me, It was already decided to include

you in the government with the cabinet rank as Commerce

Minister.....

President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee

taking oath of his office

The Cor nered cat by Shar ad Yada v

A few months before the Emergency was imposed oJune 25, 1975, the Jan Sangh invited Jayaprakas

Narayan to be their guest at a meeting. I opposed hi

decision to go. Two days later, when I was still sulking

JP took me out on a drive and started talking abou

Indira Gandhi. He had known Indira since the time sh

was a child, he told me, and added: Indu is stronge

than her father, Jawaharlal both at spiritual and

physical levels. Indira showed the tough side of he

character on the night the Emergency was declared

I was shocked and completely in the dark when the polic

came for me at my house in Jabalpur. JP alone coul

bring all the parties together to defeat Indira. She coulcreate conflicting opinions about her among people an

keep them guessing about here next move. JP mobilize

protests across northern, western and eastern India, bu

India responded like a cornered cat.

Many congress leaders slammed C.Subramaniam for taki

a Harsh stand against Indira Gandhi while deposing befo

the Shah Commission

P A ,(K ) A G .


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Only politicians should become president and vice president

I continued to be the leader of the House for a full term of five years till 31 December 1984, when I w

dropped from the government.

I am of the view that offices such as those of the President and Vice President should not be held by peop

other than politicians, and the role of presiding officers in legislative chambers has to be similarly viewed.

India, presiding officers are elected with the support of political parties and, as such, one cannot expect the

to be free of political inclination altogether. Though they must strive to remain neutral, their neutrality cann

be stretched to a ridiculous extent.

- Courtesy : The W

The St unning defeat and i t s af t ermat h

Dramatic as always in her decision making. Indira Gandhi announced elections on 18 January 1977, despite the fact that she

had the option under the Emergency, to defer them for another year. Many were convinced that her call for elections was due

to her confidence that she would return to power. This, her critics said, came from the fact that a significant number of

opposition leaders were in prison, trade union activity was practically non-existent, and there was hardly any open politicalactivity. However, Indira Gandhis decision was prompted by her concern that the continuance of the Emergency would harm

Indian democracy, a concern that was in turn prompted by disquieting reports of the misuse of power at various levels

I made up my mind to remain with Indira Gandhi, come what may. I knew that I had no skeletons in my closet and though mud

was slung at me by the media, the baseless allegations did not bother me too much.

Rajiv Gandhis reaction was sharp. He pointed out that the Janata Party government was unlikely to have anything against

Indira Gandhi, aside from some flimsy charges of illegal connivance to secure some jeeps for the party.

I asked the Shah Commission to give its ruling in writing so that in case it deemed it appropriate for me to give evidence

disregarding my oath as a minister, I could challenge it in the court of law. However, they refused..

It [Rajya Sabha] could not take advantage of the numerical position of a party to play an obstructionist role against the

wishes of the ruling party, which had come to power with the mandate of the people.

The Best Cosmetics in Life:

TRUTH - for lips,

SYMPATHY - for eyes,

PRAYER - for voice,

CHARITY - for hands,

SMILE - for face and

LOVE - for heart.

Use them well and make Life Beautiful!

E P


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PM C

INDIA-BASED NEUTRINO OBSERVATORY PROJECTExistence of Neutrino in the Universe

Remember Robert Langdonthe fictional Harvardprofessor created by Dan Brown and enacted on screen by

Tom Hanksin a race against time to save the Vatican

from being blown up with a small vial of antimatter?

Matter and antimatter have opposite electric charges and

will annihilate each other if they meet. In Browns novel

Angels and Demons, Langdon saves the Vatican, but real

life scientists are yet to figure out why matter and

antimatter have not yet destroyed each other. Accordingto the big bang theory, matter and antimatter formed in

equal amounts at the time of the origin of the universe.

So, they should have cancelled each other out. But, we are still here. So, where did antimatter go?

Scientists believe that it was some asymmetry in favour of matter that allowed it to survive and they ho

neutrinosthe second most abundant particles in the universe after photonsmay offer a clue to this puzzl

They postulate that in neutrinos, there is a difference in the behaviour of matter and antimatter, which cou

help explain the preponderance of matter in the universe.

Neutrinos were produced during the creation of the universe. The sun produces a trillion trillion trillio

neutrinos every second. Trillions of them pass through our bodies every day. Apart from stars like the sun, th

are produced by the collision of cosmic particles in the earths atmosphere and by nuclear reactors, too.

Prediction

Their existence was first predicted in 1930 by the maverick Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli, who bet a ca

of champagne that no one would ever detect the

because they interact so weakly with matter. Twenty-s

years later, two Americans, Frederick Reines and Clid

Cowan, experimentally proved their presence and se

Pauli a telegram. We are happy to inform you that w

have definitely detected neutrinos, wrote the duo. Pa

duly sent them a case of champagne.

In September 2011, the world stared in disbelief whenteam of scientists said they found neutrinos could trav

faster than light. Their experiment at the Grand Sas

National Laboratory in Italy was tracking neutrinos

quantify how often they changed types (flavour,

scientific terms: there are three types, known as electro

muon and tau neutrinos), by a process called oscillatio

The experiment observed that the neutrinos covered t

RESEARCH NEUTRINO

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730km between CERN, near Geneva, to the Grand Sasso lab, 60

billionth of a second quicker than light. The discovery would

have been a challenge to Einsteins theory of relativity and

centuries of conventional wisdom in physics. However, months

later, a series of repeat experiments confirmed Einstein to be

right and that a faulty mechanical connection was possibly

behind the unusual initial result. It cost two leading scientists

their jobs and made the scientific community all the more

sceptical about dealing with neutrinos.

What, however, makes the study of neutrinos interesting is that

they hate rules, or at least the rules of the standard model of

physics. The standard model, for instance, postulates that

neutrinos do not have mass. This means they travel at the

speed of light and are not subject to the flow of time. But

scientists have shown that neutrinos change flavours.

Oscillation is proof that they cannot travel at the speed of lightand, therefore, have mass.

Neutrino oscillations are the first known particle interactions

that point towards physics beyond the standard model.

Knowing more about them could revolutionise the way we study physics, says Naba Mondal, a professor at th

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, who leads a team of Indian scientists doing research

neutrinos. India has joined a select group of nations that study the various properties of neutrinos with th

India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO), a mega-science project under the 12th Five-Year Plan. The ma

component of the project is an underground detector lab, which is coming up at Pottipuram in Theni distri

of Tamil Nadu. The Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its formal approval for th

INO on December 24. The approval is expected to speed up the project and help it stick to its schedule

showing initial results by 2019.

Indian Scientists on Neutrino

Mondal says by setting up the INO, India is taking up its rightful position in neutrino research. Indian scientis

started experimental observation of neutrino interactions at the Kolar gold mines in Karnataka way back in th

1950s. The 2,700m-deep mine gave scientists an excellent opportunity to study neutrinos. The experimen

however, had to be shut down in 1992 after the gold reserves were exhausted. Watching the neutrinos was n

a sustainable enterprise back then.

Nearly two and a half decades later, the INO, with a proposed investment of Rs.1,500 crore, hopes to take o

from what was left behind at Kolar. Its initial focus will be on atmospheric neutrinos. The heart of the proje

is an underground laboratory with a large magnetised iron calorimeter (ICAL) detector. When completed, it w

be the worlds most massive magnetised detector with 50,000 tonnes of iron plates separated by resistive plachambers. The ICAL, which will detect the neutrinos, will be placed inside an underground cave, accessib

through a horizontal tunnel, which will be 1,900m long. The detector requires a rock cover of 1,000m or mo

in all directions since the atmospheric neutrinos are seen in the company of a huge flux of cosmic waves, an

the rock cover will help filter those cosmic waves out.

The INO scientific management board is headed by the director of TIFR, while the project management boa

is chaired by the director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. Sekhar Basu, director of BARC, says he expec

the INO to complement several other neutrino experiments going on in different countries. Not many detector

GHOST HUNT

Neutrinos are neutral subatomic particles belongin

to the lepton family, of which the electrons ar

the most famous. They pass through almost a

matter with which they interact rarely and feebl Studying neutrinos could help scientists zero in o

the correct theory beyond the standard model an

explain the matter-antimatter asymmetry in th

universe

The INO aims at setting up an undergroun

laboratory with a magnetised iron calorimete

(ICAL) detector to study the properties of naturall

produced neutrinos in the earths atmosphere

A mega-science project under the 12th Five-Yea

Plan, the project is jointly funded by th

department of atomic energy and the departmen

of science and technology The Union cabinet gave its final approval for th

project on December 24

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however, are studying atmospheric neutrinos at present. If we

succeed, we could lead other countries of the world, he says.

China, could, however, steal a march over India. It has started

work on a neutrino observatory in the Jiangmen province, with

goals similar to that of the INO. With the cabinet giving its

approval for the project, the INO should ensure that it does not

lose its first-mover advantage in studying atmospheric

neutrinos, says Jaiby Joseph, a nuclear physicist, who is part

of the INO team.

Such support from the government is crucial in exploring the

unlimited potential of neutrino research. Neutrinos may have a

role to play in oil and gas exploration as well as in detecting

nuclear reactions. Nuclear reactors produce neutrinos, which

cannot be hidden by any shield. A network of neutrino

detectors will be able to monitor all nuclear activity on earth, says Amol Dighe, an INO collaborator, wh

teaches theoretical physics at TIFR.In the communication sector, for instance, neutrinos offer countless possibilities. If we have to send a sign

to the other side of the earth today, it has to go around the earth (using satellites or ionosphere). But a sign

sent using neutrinos can go directly through the earth in a straight line and so it reaches faster. Although th

is speculative, neutrinos can improve the speed of communication, says Dighe. In 2012, a team of Americ

researchers at Fermilab in Chicago sent a message via neutrinos through 240 metres of hard rock. The messag

which simply read neutrino, was sent using a beam of neutrinos. This application could revolutionise the wa

we communicate with remote targets like submarines and even the functioning of stock markets. Forb

magazine, for instance, estimates that traders using neutrino-based communication will get a 44 millisecon

advantage for a London-Sydney transaction, which is a lot of time in high-velocity trading.

Other than the commercial and technological applications, the INO should be seen as an attempt to promo

the development of basic science in India, says Mustansir Barma, former director of TIFR. Vivek Datar, w

publication 22

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