Two thousand and seventeen-

What a year it has been.

Which has brought in life, the much wanted sheen!

From the power corridors of South Block,

To the multilateralist flock!

What a journey it has been!

Life goes on as it never ends,

With the twists and turns and the unnatural bends!

An asset to the nation as a diplomat becomes,

Her life unfolds into uncharted forums!

Far, very far from family and friends,

Into a majestic zone that has no ends!

Back to the childhood days of rushing to school,

With the only absence of mumma’s breakfast tools!

While sitting at the UN in front of your country’s name

Fills you with honour and fame;

But after being there, you realise,

How challenging it’s for diplomacy to materialise!

While in service equations change with designation,

But your faith in work is the only lasting relation!

New country, new language, New culture,

Amidst this newness, I thank all who have left their imprints on my life in 2017- What a year it has been!!

Happy new year :)

Book review - The incredible history of India's Geography

• ·         The SAN tribe of Kalahari, is probably the oldest surviving population of humans on earth. Genetic study of the members of this tribe reveals that it shows greatest genetic variation of any racial group.
• ·         The linguistic similarities between Indian and European languages can be explained by genetic similarities among them.  Strains of gene- RLAL, and specifically, a subgroup called- RLALA is found among East Europeans, Indians and some Iranians. These linkages are due to the sharing of a common ancestor.
• ·         CASTE SYSTEM – is not unique to India. Throughout history, it was present in different versions in Iran, Japan and classical Europe. Remarkable thing about Indian caste system is that it has survived over the years despite the changes in political conditions, technology and religion.
• ·         The Yezidis, who today live among the Kurds of northern Iraq, eastern Turkey and parts of Armenia, themselves believe that they migrated to middle east from India about 4000 years ago, the time when Harappan civilization disintegrated or perhaps when battle of ten kings took place.
• ·         Avestan people came to Iran from outside. They called themselves the Aryan people. Persian identity as “Aryans” was so strong that their country came to be known as Land of the Aryans or Iran. As recently as the late 20th century, the Shah of Iran used the title “Aryan-mehr” or the Jewel of the Aryans.
• ·         India is the only country in the world where lions and tigers coexist.
• ·         Singapore gets its name from the dual use of the word ‘Singha’-for both lions and tigers-in Rigveda.
• ·         Communities that are proud of their martial tradition – Sikhs and Rajputs – use Singh (lion) as their surname.
• ·         Sinhalese – lion people – are the descendents of Prince Vijaya, who was the son of a lion and a human princess.
• ·         Syrian Christian communities, for long, continued to use Syriac- a dialect of Aramaic language- the language that Jesus Christ used.
• ·         Sumatra – Island of Gold – also called ‘Suvarnadwipa’.
• ·         South Vietnam developed as the first Indianized kingdom in SE Asia.
• ·         Chinese texts tell us of Hindu kingdom of FUNAN, now Cambodia-that flourished in the Mekong delta in 2^nd century CE.
• ·         Funan’s influence evolved into great Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms of Angkor in Cambodia and Champa in Vietnam.
• ·         In  Sumatra and the Malay peninsula, the Srivijaya kingdom prospered on the trade between India and China.
• ·         A series of Hindu kingdoms in Java resulted into powerful Mahapit empire in 14^th & 15^th centuries.
• ·         The national languages of both Malaysia and Indonesia are called ‘BAHASA’, derived from the Sanskrit word ‘bhasha’.
• ·         Indian cultural influence extends all the way to Korea. According to Samguk Yusa, Princess Huh Hwang-ok of Ayodhya sailed to Korea to marry King Suro in 4^th century CE. Their sons founded Korea’s earliest dynasty.
• ·         The Javanese  perform the Ramayana in their style.
• ·         The festival of Kartik Purnima, continues to be celebrated on the day when sea merchants set sail for SE Asia.
• ·         In Cuttack, Bali yatra takes place, marking the departure of merchant fleet for the island of Bali.
• ·         Cholas established direct trade links with Chinese and exchanged trade delegations in early 11^th century. A large Indian merchant community had established itself in Guangzhou and there were even three Hindu temples functioning there.
• ·         Nalanda university received strong financial support from Srivijaya kings of Malaya peninsula.
• ·         Arabs spoke of Iraqi port of Basra as ‘belonging to al-Hind’ as Indian goods and merchants dominated this market. Steel sword was one of the important items of export.
• ·         Kerala, even today has a number of Arab settlers. Moplahs form a quarter of state’s population. Gujarat became home to Parsis.
• ·         Around late 7^th century, a group of people from Central India travelled West, across the Middle East, to Europe. Today, we know them as Gypsies or the Roma. Language, culture and now genetic studies have indicated strong links between the Roma and India.
• ·         In 1971, at the World Romani Conference, the Roma adopted a blue and green flag for their nomadic nation, with a wheel at the centre – the symbol of Chakravartin.
• ·         The shakti tradition associated with the worship of Goddess Durga has spread beyond India in South and SE Asia, including Jaffna in Sri Lanka, Prambanan temple complex in central java.
• ·         Around 17^th century, the caste system in India became more rigid, Sanskrit literature became possessed with ’purity’. There seems to have been a shift in India’s attitude towards risk-taking and innovation- closing of minds. Scientific progress came to a halt as people began focusing on learned knowledge rather than experimenting.
• ·         Hindu temples built by Chams are still scattered across Vietnam- with a few used by tiny Balamon Cham community that continues to practice Hinduism.
• ·         SE Asia was predominantly influenced by Hinduism, but it became steadily Islamized under the strategy of Chinese admiral Zheng He. Majahapit empire of Java was the most powerful Hindu empire. Zheng He developed a strategy to neutralize the Majahapit. The Chinese encouraged the Melakkans (new kingdom of Melakka formed by a Srivijaya king) to convert to Islam. Possibly, the Chinese wanted to reduce the risk of Indians once again influencing the region.

But the Chinese domination of seas, came to a sudden end. The mandarin officials decided that the voyages were too expensive and not worth it. Like India, China also closed its mind. Technological superiority could not save them from change in attitude.

•               The Marathas were the only Indians who had developed some map-making ability.
• ·         There was a sizeable population of lions in North India in early 1800s. William Frazer, a British Indian civil servant, is supposed to have shot eighty-four lions in 1820s and he took great pride in having been personally responsible for the extinction of species in Haryana.
• ·         There are remains of a large Indian trading post in faraway Azerbaijan. Built in 17^th and 18^th century, the Ateshgah of Baku includes the remains of a Hindu temple.
• ·         A place in Mauritius where half a million Indian workers landed, is called ‘AAPRAVASI GHAT’ or Immigration depot and is now a UNESCO world heritage site.
• ·         Tamil Chettiar community established a network in Burma, Malaya, Singapore and even French – controlled Vietnam.
• ·         Hong Kong, has a number of successful Sindhi business families.

Book review - death of a nation and future of Arab revolution

The death of the nation and the future of Arab Revolution

It is one of the best books detailing the root causes behind the conflict in Middle East.

In the first Chapter, author Vijay Prashad explains how during the times of Arab Spring, Saudi Arabia snuffed its disgruntled population with jail sentences to instill fear in them so that they never rise in protest against the kingdom. Saudi regime entered Bahrain to crush its Pearl Monument encampment. The biggest blow to Arab Nationalism came not directly from either the West or Saudi Arabia, but from the defeat of Arab armies in the 1967 “Battle of Destiny” against Israel. It was this defeat that broke the spirit of Arab possibilities.

 While the political Islam had a growth spurt in 1980s, but in Syria, it was severely repressed. An ill-fated attempt at political power, which was driven by gun, in the 1970s ended for the Syrian Brotherhood in the ash-heap of Hama. The Syrian Brotherhood was the only Muslim Brotherhood group of any capacity in West Asia. It was crushed by 1982 and never recovered after that.

The phenomenon of regime change is easier to give effect, but on the ground, implementation of this new regime is a complex process. The overthrow of autocratic Government occurs in a short term, the consolidation of new regime takes place in medium term, and then the economic and cultural changes required to setup a new dispensation take place in long term. The Arab Spring, was the first phase of short term. The region poised to enter the medium phase, with the fights to establish the new Governmental authority that would be loyal to the spirit of Arab Spring, took place. Now, the ledger is unbalanced. History oscillates between a return to the time before 2010 and to the edge of the next moment.

The author aptly asks, “if the old regimes seemed incapable of solving the problems of the present, what political forces today have answers to current challenges?”

Origin of Hezbollah:

Iraqi cleric Al-Sadr studied Marxism and Communism as did many others Islamist thinkers.  Al-Sadr’s movement drew from Bolshevism and Islamic socialism. Adoption of socialism’s idioms allowed this branch of political Islam neither reactionary nor lethargic. Out of these initiatives grew Hezbollah in Lebanon and Sadr movement in Iraq.

Arab Nationalism might have developed alliances with communism as both had taken antagonistic position against imperialism and colonialism. But this was not to be. The communists endangered the status quo as they rose in struggles against the tendency of Arab nationalists to favor domestic bourgeoisie over the peasants and workers.

Arab communists felt compelled to follow the Soviet Union’s recognition of Israel in 1948 cutting them off from the greater mood of anger at the Palestinian naqba. This association undermined the principled critique of Arab nationalism by the communists.

The combination of Arab Nationalism and communism threatened the sultans of Saudi Arabia and their US backers. In 1962, the Saudi regime created the World Muslim league as they felt that Islam formed a significant bulwark against communism.

Saudi intelligence and the military forces provoked uprisings in Oman and in Yemen to push petty claims of land, and get rid of communists in both these nations. OIC was created in 1969 to provide counterweight to NAM.

Birth of 9/11

Bin Laden formed al-Qaeda in 1989 and strengthened it over time. Worried that Saudi monarch would allow US troops to eject Saddam Hussein’s army, Bin Laden recommended that the al-Qaeda men do this task. On the refusal of Saudi king, Bin Laden set onto a course of permanent war against both the near army (Arab leaders) and the far enemy (US). Thus, 9/11 was born in that refusal.

First aerial bombardment in world history – in 1911, when Italians bombed Libya, a hundred years later, West retuned for a sequel in Libya.

Syrian war

The author quotes a senior Kurdish commander of YPG as saying that Turkey was to Syria, what Pakistan was to Afghanistan. Like Pakistan, Turkey allowed itself to become a base for foreign extremists eager to go across the border and destabilize it’s neighbor. Trucks with World Food Org. logos were seen to be carrying ISIS fighters into Syria. Even Qatari charities sent aid and assistance to ISIS controlled areas in Syria.

Yemen crisis

The conflict in Yemen-with no outcome in sight-will possibly draw ordinary Yemeni Sunnis to consider Al-Qaeda-in-Arabian-Peninsula a positive influence on the country. This is the danger of sectarian wars that have no endgame. They will not end with a utopian outcome. They can end only where life becomes evil. 

My stint at FSI

Coming through the mighty rivers gushing down the snow clad mountains,

All the way to the plains of Delhi;

We bid adieu to Mussoorie nights,

And embraced FSI Heights!

From sharing rooms devoid of space,

To 1BHK as if we moved into vastness of outer space,

Into the deep end of swimming pool,

Where every other person tried to be cool!

Domestic policy, foreign policy,

Hospitality module,finance module,

But the lasting influence would be of,

Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad's Gulf module!

Then came the high point of Bharat Darshan,

An immersion of joy, bonds and exploration;

Bharat- A mosaic of culture and tradition,

That we wish to promote with precision!

Lowest point was the tedious task of filling forms,

With the clearing of TA Bills blowing horns;

Wish I could have surpassed probation,

And happily escaped this situation!

From Myanmar to Srilanka,

Don't know whether it was promotion or demotion,

But the attachment was full of emotion!

From floating Parliament to the sight of majestic blue whales,

When it comes to DCM's dinner tales,

Indian mission in Srilanka hails!

With the aim of connecting my state with the outside world,

I landed in Haryana,where it unfurled,

That Chandigarh has a UNESCO world heritage site,

An instant connect I found, to my delight!

Then suddenly FSI turned into LBSNAA, into a mission mode,

A week full of reports, memos, thesis and their defence;

That foreign service had nothing to do with sports,

Sports meet busted all the myths of such sorts!

The final attachment provided an exposure to armed forces,

Without whose valour, India would have lost discourses;

From ambush laying to Bofors and INSAS shooting,

Army's warmth and hospitality deserves hooting!

After visiting Sukhois and submarines,

Our journey through glimpses of Bharat, halts to reconvene!

Stint at FSI that began as the biggest batch,

Comes to an end with the catch,

That the bonding will remain unmatched- FOREVER!!

SRI LANKA - A PARADISE

My visit to Sri Lanka as a part of Mission attachment of our IFS training left an indelible mark on my memory. 

We reached Colombo at around 7pm in the night. By that time it was already dark, so could not see much out from the window of the bus that took us from Colombo airport to our Hotel - Taj Samudra. The only observation made during the bus journey was that the roads were very smooth and well built!  On reaching the hotel, we had a quick dinner as I was to eager to go outside and explore the place. But the too humid weather as soon as I stepped out, dampened my spirits. Still, I walked on along the beachside, with my colleague. Saw exuberant variety of seafood, people in jubilant mood enjoying, eating.

We went further down the road and saw gigantic buildings, some under construction. Out of curiosity, for knowing about those which did not have any label or board, I went to ask the guards. There we saw the old Parliament of SL, which was now being used as Presidential Secretariat. Then we figured out huge building with the label of BoC, thinking what this could be, we joked what Bank Of China would do in SL! Then again, went straight to a local standing nearby asking about it - no prize for the guesses - BANK OF CEYLON it was!

SL has a profound banking sector. No other industry was so commonly visible- except the ports and the omnipresent banks. Even Sbi had it's presence in Colombo. Gems and jewellery industry, Tea, rubber, coconut are some other industries present. In terms of demographics, SL has a population comprising of about 70% Sinhalese , 20% Tamils and 10% Muslims.

Then few other friends joined over the walk, we sat near the beach for sometime and the day ended with Holi festival flavour of Delhi at IGI airport diminishing into Kerala like weather and scenary of Colombo.

COLORS OF HOLI AT IGI

(which we could not celebrate in SL as the HC was in Delhi)

Next we had a visit to SL ports authority and the Colombo port. Colombo port city project, financed and being built by China, was in its final stages. Then we had a call on Deputy Foreign Minister of SL. Had an interactive meeting with him.  The Minister said that SL is more an Indian Ocean country rather than South Asian country. He told about the popularity of Srilankan crab in Singapore and heavily priced Srilankan Tuna in Tokyo and how SL itself imported large amount of fish from Latin American country of Chile!

COLOMBO PORT

Then we visited the so called 'Floating Parliament' of SL. Surrounded by water from all the sides, this Japanese designed Parliament functions every month, with two weeks per month as the working duration. Beautiful architecture with many women working in Parliamentary secretariat.

Then we visited Indian Peace Keeping Force memorial in Colombo followed by Dinner at Deputy High Commissioner's residence. This first formal dinner gave the real feel of our service. It felt like an IFS FAMILY for the first time after selection into the service. It was such a warm and cordial environment where we interacted with the Mission officials over the dinner and got some detail into what SL is!

The hectic first official day ended and the next day, we visited Indian Chancery where we had a briefing from DHC about the nitty gritties of how the Commission works. This was followed by a cultural program by local Srilankan artists at India Cultural Centre in Colombo. 

SL has a rich culture, highly influenced by Indian culture. Modern art of SL bears the influence of Rabindranath Tagore. At the ICC, we were welcomed by the Srilankan ceremonial drum dance. We saw the videos of masked dances - Kandyan dance, Low country dance.

Then began the long and arduous journey from Colombo to Kandy. In Kandy, we visited Dalada Maligawa Buddhist temple where we all had to wear white clothes according to their customs. This was followed by call on the Governor of Central Province, who spoke only Sinhalese. She was busy in her Janta darshan that day. Yet she took out time for a brief interaction. Though we had to wait for a long duration to see her!

As per our itinerary, we had meeting with IOT leaders. The previous day, our entire group was thinking what this IOT is- with weird guesses like INTERNET OF THINGS ! Finally, got to know that it was Indian Origin Tamils. They acquainted us with the issues they were facing and the progress and contribution made by India for their well being.

Due to paucity of time, we missed our visit to world heritage site of Dambulla golden temple. Then we reached our hotel in Dambulla. So the plan for next day was to visit the Dambulla temple in addition to the pre-planned schedule for the day. So the day began at 5am with a visit to another World Heritage site of SIGIRIYA ROCK FORT. It was a splendid architecture, where we had to trek 1200 steps! But it was worth it!

Then we departed for Trincomalee, saw the SriLankan Naval base, visited Lanka IOC facility. Our hotel in Trincomalee was one of the best. The rooms were sea facing and the view when we got up the next morning - mesmerising! It was beach sunrise. The darkest hour of dawn is often the most beautiful; when the indigo world lies hushed and still, as you stir sleepily.

The high point of the tour was Blue whale sighting. The largest mammal, which I had only seen in discovery channel till now. It was larger than the size of our boat. When the boatman first saw the whale, I realized there was a mad rush, with a competition of sorts between the driver of the boat and the whale. All boats speedily drove in the direction of whale and some were lucky to witness it while for others, the whale was already underwater! We were lucky enough to have seen some 10-12 gigantic whales.

Then on our return to Colombo, we had a dinner hosted by Indian High Commissioner to SriLanka,who had justreturned from Delhi. It was indeed a memorable visit where I got the first dollars of my life but couldn't do any shopping due to want of time :(

On our way back to Colombo, we did visit the dambulla Golden temple that we had missed but again could not go inside, evergreen reason being TIME SHORTAGE!

Almost entire Srilanka used to close by the time we got free - by 6-6:30pm. But my perceptions about SL as a small and poor neighbour of India got shattered on witnessing the Euro styled high rises, marvellous roads, such cleanliness and civic sense, in which even South Indian cities would fall short. SL is truly a PARADISE:)