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- Rajiv Vijayakar
- Along with a legendary father in India’s first Grammy winner Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt and a prodigy-in-waiting son Satvik, Salil Bhatt too is a force to reckon with. Inventing the unique Satvik Veena is just one of his many achievements of this passionate musician
- What made you invent this unique Satvik Veena that looks like a blend of the guitar and the Veena?
As I told you, music needs to evolve. My father invented the Mohan Veena to correct certain shortfalls in the traditional instruments. There are 19 strings in Satvik Veena, which is named after my son, whose name incidentally refers to Lord Shiva. The instrument was created after a lot of trial-and-error to improve upon the staccato notes that most instruments give. (Strums some strings). See how the sound is very lingering, thus resembling human vocal cords. I had the instrument designed eight years ago and got it right only on the tenth piece!
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Thursday, November 19, 2009
Mark of distinction
Why is Narendra Modi afraid of leading the BJP? - MSN India
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- Sources close to him say that his refusal was because of three main reasons. Firstly, he wishes to be present in Gujarat for the 'Swarnim Gujarat' celebrations in May 2010. Secondly, he feels that the rift between the BJP's leadership is too large for him to mend and that it will be beyond his control if he takes over and it intensifies.
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Thirdly, and most decisively, are the restrictions such an appointment would make on his independence. Modi is famed for marching to his own beat, whether or not it is in tune with what the BJP wants. If elected, then his autonomy vanishes as he will need the consensus of all sections to operate efficiently, something that will be difficult, considering the notorious infighting prevalent throughout the BJP.
Instead, Modi believes that being Leader of the Opposition would be a better prospect for him as he would have greater freedom to operate, and that it would allow him to implement greater control over the party's direction.
- While Modi maybe biding his time, what is certain that factions of the BJP leadership is convinced that eventually he will be the public face of the BJP nationally and that he may even lead the nation as Prime Minister some day.
- Source: Gavin Davids, India Syndicate
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Collapse of the Greenback? Will the Dollar get an “Arab Oil Shock”?
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- F William Engdahl
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According to a leaked report from Arab Gulf oil producers, there have been a series of secret meetings in recent months between the major Arab oil producers, including Saudi Arabia, and reportedly also Russia, together with the leading oil consumer countries including two of the three largest oil import countries - China and Japan.
Their project is to quietly create the basis to end a 65-year long “iron rule” of selling oil only in US dollars. As I document in my book, Century of War, following the 400% oil price shock of 1973, which was deliberately blamed by US media on “greedy Arab Sheikhs,” the US Treasury made a secret trip to Riyadh to tell the Saudis in blunt terms that if they wanted US military defense against potential Israeli attack, that OPEC must privately agree never to sell oil in currencies other than the US dollar. That “petrodollar” system allowed the US to run staggering trade deficits and remain the world reserve currency, the heart of its ability to dominate and control world financial markets until the crisis of the sub-prime real estate securitization in August 2007.
- With that decline of the US dollar goes the lessening of the political power of the United States as sole economic and financial superpower. We face very turbulent waters ahead and gold not surprisingly is gaining in this uncertainty.
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Jammu & Kashmir: ‘Special Status’ must end
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- Hari Om
- The Prime Minister should stop thinking in terms of a “non-territorial solution” to the so-called Kashmir problem. This is not a solution to the Kashmir problem, which is patently sectarian in nature, character and implications. It is a formulation that has the potential to undo all that we hold dear. “Non-territorial solution” simply means an ideological compromise, a negation of what we call liberal values, democracy and all-inclusive ideology. Even a naïve would agree that the implementation of a “non-territorial solution” would simply help the religious bigots in Kashmir and their mentor Pakistan to achieve what they could not during all these 62 years of independence despite four full-fledged wars.
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MEA must tell the world that the only issue which still remains to be resolved between India and Pakistan is the political future of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Last, but not the least, it must not allow any Kashmiri separatist to visit any foreign country. This is all the more necessary because Kashmiri separatists visit foreign countries only to tarnish India’s image, paint the Indian nation black, and preach secessionism. Such a course has become even more imperative in view of the recent statement of All-Party Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq that he would apply for a new passport and write in the application form that “he is a State subject” and not an Indian national.
Similarly, the Union Home Ministry must stop toying with the idea of a “unique solution” to the so-called Kashmir problem. To be precise, it should stop talking in terms of “unique history” and “unique geography of Jammu & Kashmir” and “quiet talks” and “quiet diplomacy”.
- Thus, Jammu & Kashmir remained under President’s Rule for more than 6 years and 8 months! Did Parliament amend the Indian Constitution even once during this period as far as the State of Jammu & Kashmir was concerned? No. It did not amend the constitution even once because Article 356 (under which the Union Government has the power to dismiss any State Government and impose President’s rule on the ground of breakdown of the constitutional machinery) was (and is) not applicable to Jammu & Kashmir.
- The author is Chair Professor, Gulab Singh Chair, Jammu University, Jammu
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Passionate About India: OBAMA, LIKE HIS PREDECESSORS, HAS CLASSICALLY EXHIBITED DOUBLE STANDARDS FAVOURING CHINA!- Arindam Chaudhuri
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- Now the question that arises is why did Obama issue such artful statements? Why, all of a sudden, has China seemingly become so important that Obama has had to force a feel-good atmosphere by making such statements? There are two visible reasons that might have instigated Obama to issue such baseless statements. First, as I’ve written in one of my columns earlier, Obama’s popularity index is sliding down by the day. And amongst a host of other reasons – which includes health, employment and economic revival issues – one reason that has become a huge contention is American expenditure on Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Obama’s tilt towards China is nothing else but an effort towards laying down a red carpet to them to contribute towards stabilizing Afghanistan. Now, the second reason – US also knows that if there is one nation which has the might to contain North Korea and Iran (who are ravaging a nuclear campaign against US), it is none other than China!
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