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www.outlookindia.com June 15, 2020 Can India Become China 2.0? As Beijing faces a global backlash, India can emerge as the next factory to the world

RNI NO. 7044/1961 ‹ N a v i g a t o r ›

EDITOR-in-chief Ruben Banerjee managing EDITOR Sunil Menon Executive Editor Satish Padmanabhan Foreign Editor Pranay Sharma Political EDITOR Bhavna Vij-Aurora Senior editor Giridhar Jha (Mumbai) Chief art Director Deepak Sharma Writers Lola Nayar, Qaiser Mohammad Ali (Senior Associate Editors), G.C. Shekhar (Associate Editor), Jeevan Prakash Sharma (Senior Assistant Editor), Ajay Sukumaran, Puneet Nicholas Yadav, Jyotika Sood, Lachmi Deb Roy (Assistant Editors), Naseer Ganai (Senior Special Correspondent), Preetha Nair (Special Correspondent), Salik Ahmad (Senior Correspondent) copy Desk Rituparna Kakoty (Senior Associate Editor), Anupam Bordoloi, Saikat Niyogi, Satyadeep (Associate Editors), Syed Saad Ahmed (Assistant Editor) Photographers S. Rakshit (Chief Photo Coordinator), Jitender Gupta (Photo Editor), Tribhuvan Tiwari (Deputy Photo Editor), Sandipan Chatterjee, Apoorva Salkade (Sr Photographers), Suresh Kumar Pandey (Staff Photographer) J.S. Adhikari (Sr Photo Researcher), U. Suresh Kumar (Digital Library) design Saji C.S. (Chief Designer), Leela (Senior Designer), Devi Prasad, Padam Gupta (Sr DTP Operators) Digital Neha Mahajan (Associate Editor), Soumitra Mishra (Digital Consultant), Jayanta Oinam (Assistant Editor), Mirza Arif Beg (Special Correspondent), Neelav Chakravarti (Senior Correspondent), Charupadma Pati (Trainee Journalist), Suraj Wadhwa (Chief Graphic Designer), Editorial Manager & Chief Librarian Alka Gupta

BUSINESS OFFICE Chief Executive officer Indranil Roy Publisher Sandip Kumar Ghosh SR Vice president Meenakshi Akash Vice presidents Shrutika Dewan, Diwan Singh Bisht Sr General Managers Kabir Khattar (Corp), COVER STORY Debabani Tagore, Shailender Vohra 20 General ManagerS Sasidharan Kollery, Shashank Dixit The pandemic has made countries wary of relying Chief Manager Shekhar Kumar Pandey MANAGERS Shekhar Suvarana, Sudha Sharma solely on China, the ‘factory of the world’. As global CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTION Anindya Banerjee, Gagan Kohli, G. Ramesh (South), supply chains lie battered, can India be a viable Vinod Kumar (North), Arun Kumar Jha (East) Digital Amit Mishra manufacturing alternative? We explore India’s HEAD OFFICE AB-10, S.J. Enclave, New Delhi - 110 029 ‘atmanirbharta’ aspirations against the backdrop Tel: 011-71280400; Fax: 26191420 Customer care helpline: 011-71280433, of the standoff with China at the Ladakh border. 71280462, 71280307 e-mail: [email protected] For editorial queries: [email protected] For subscription helpline: [email protected]

other offices mumbai Tel: 022-50990990 16 | SIZE MATTERS 8 poliglot CALCUTTA Tel: 033 46004506; Fax: 033 46004506 What do micro, small, and medium CHENNAI Tel: 42615224, 42615225; Fax: 42615095 51 Books BANGALORE Tel: 080-43715021 enterprises need for a post-pandemic 54 Audi 5 Printed and published by Indranil Roy on behalf of Outlook Publishing (India) Pvt. Ltd. revival? 58 la dolce vita Editor: Ruben Banerjee. Printed at Kalajyothi Process Pvt. Ltd. Sy.No.185, Sai Pruthvi Enclave, 60 diary Kondapur – 500 084, R.R.Dist. Telangana and 46 | SHIFTING THE RATNA GOALPOST published from AB-10, S.J. Enclave, New Delhi-110 029 Why has India not given the recognition that hockey legends Dhyan Chand and Cover Design: Total no. of pages 60, Including Covers Balbir Singh deserve? Deepak Sharma

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striking photo-ops, but doesn’t have many takers. On the con- trary, it adds to the growing popularity of Modi as the over- all narrative still lies with him despite his apparent failures.

GURGAON Kamna Chhabra: The tragic tales of migrants returning home, with some not even making it, have been rightly juxtaposed with the abysmal failure of the state in owning up to its responsibility for to light, but also tracing them their safe passage. What takes in their native places to let the the cake is the complete readers know that their ordeal absence of foresight, botched is far from over. Despite negli- planning, thoughtless execu- gible livelihood avenues, most tion and lack of coordination migrants would rather eke out between the Centre and states a living in their hometowns while dealing with the exodus rather than a government of the labour force. Kudos to machinery that turned its back the Outlook team for not just on them during an extremely bringing their painful journeys difficult time.

Despair and Drudgery From the Daak Room

digimag.outlookindia.com KANNUR

Kanak R. Nambiar: This refers to your cover story What After Home? (June 8). The lockdown, like demonetisation, was necessary, but the implementation of both was ruthless and ill-conceived—there was no proper planning nor consultation with stakeholders. India is a diverse country in terms of cultures, incomes and population youtube.com/outlookmagazine density. Yet, policymakers failed to realise the enormity of resources needed to keep millions of poor people in lockdown for weeks. Shramik trains and chartered buses with proper social distancing norms from the first day of the lockdown could have eased the pain of millions of migrant work- ers. The implementation and effectiveness facebook.com/outlookindia of the lockdown can be endlessly debated, Current Affair This message in a bottle was consigned to the but the fact remains that it brought misery sea on Chinese Valentine’s Day, the seventh day of the seventh and suffering to poor people. lunar month, in 2012. A lady and her daughter found the bottle at Portobello Beach in Scotland. It is not known if the bottle ON E-MAIL was dropped in the sea near China, from where it would have to Vijai Pant: A pandemic is not the best time travel thousands of kilometres with oceanic currents to reach to engage in political brinkmanship, but the Scotland, or somewhere closer. Gandhi scions don’t think so. Their show of

twitter.com/outlookindia empathy for migrants may make for

00 outlook4| may outlook 4, 2020| june 15, 2020 | picture: getty images | NewsL / esluggg/subslug t t e r s feedback › [email protected]

LUCKNOW M.C. Joshi: This refers to the cover story The Gulf Boomerang (May 25). The reverse migration of Indians from Gulf is nowhere close to the mass reverse migration of daily bread earners from Indian cities to their native places. After the bitter experience, these migrants are unlikely to go back to their former workplaces. Governments would have to generate work for them where they are and industries will face a shortage of manpower. Will our governments be able to address this issue?

GOA M.N. Bhartiya: Indians have been toiling in the Gulf for decades, but all of a sud- Know Our Kids? (May 25). they like to call themselves NEW DELHI den, found themselves with- The BoisLockerRoom inci- even if they are senior Abhimanyu K.: This refers out salaries or social security dent affirms the disturbing citizens) cracking jokes to your cover story The Flu support to sustain them- truth that rape culture be- about women and bragging Shot. As the world watches selves. In these circum- gins early. Even though the about their real and COVID-19 cripple econo- stances, they were left with digital world has taken over imagined romantic liaisons, mies all over, India is more no alternative except to rush our lives, it may not be the peppered, of course, with than breathless. A deep slow- back at the earliest opportu- only reason for our children indecent fantasies and down is inevitable—this is nity. It has not happened in going awry. We need to anecdotes. A sense of enti- one crisis that just can’t be countries like Canada and understand that it is the tlement spurs them to talk shoved aside. The number of Australia, where Indians are ethos at home that has the irresponsibly. Such atti- deaths in India have been in more paying professions most abiding influence on tudes stem from deep patri- beguilingly low. There are and get social security and children. Boys from homes archy and colour our many hypotheses offered by dignity. Within India too, mi- with gender parity are less children’s minds. Coupled way of explanation, but mere grant labourers are rushing likely to be brutal to women with this are the pressures common sense is enough to back in hordes from vis-a-vis those where of modern life, which impact see that all is not well. To add Maharashtra, Punjab and misogyny is the norm. It is parent-child relationships. to our troubles, we know that other states. Such a reverse not uncommon to see a Dear fellow parents, it’s time it is not just the COVID-19 trend is not visible in states group of boys (that is what we led by example! outbreak that caught our like Kerala, Uttarakhand and economy by surprise. It was Himachal Pradesh. It is re- already gasping for breath, ported that the migrants in but with the pandemic, it is these states have been paid in the emergency room. their dues and not asked to Considering the magnitude go home. Their needs are of the mess we are in, we being taken care of during need to act urgently. The Rs the lockdown. Workers can- 20-lakh-crore package has a not be treated like cogs in a long-term horizon and is not machine for the benefit of likely to provide succour to their employers. the vulnerable who have lost their jobs and wages. This NEW DELHI period will go down in history Sangeeta Kampani: This for how monumentally we refers to Do We Really failed the underprivileged.

Outlookindia.com junemay 4, 15, 2020 2020 | o| utloutlookook 005 TheNews Dead Xihu’s The blown-out well at Baghjan in Assam’s Tears Tinsukia district A pregnant wild elephant in Kerala’s Partha Sarathi Das Silent Valley Forest died of human cru- Oil India’s gas well blowout continuous leakage of gas and oil. It elty after someone offered her a pine- in Assam puts people, wildlife, has already spread to the rice fields. Domestic animals have suffered too,” apple filled with powerful firecrackers. forests, waterbodies in danger It exploded in her mouth and her jaws says Nirantar Gohain, an eco-cam- broke. She was found standing in the paigner from the area. Abdul Gani in Guwahati The rain has triggered runoffs to the Velliyar river in Malappuram district on ponds and streams, and oil slicks are May 27 and died hours later. The culprit visible in several areas. “We have seen hasn’t been identified. he air has a sulfuric stench to it, a dead xihu (dolphin in Assamese) and smells like a stew of rotten eggs fishes. The loud hissing sound is scar- and petrol. The air is also thick ing off birds in the forests,” Gohain Twith choicest cuss words—an unapolo- says. He fears a larger environmental getic assault on Oil India Ltd for its disaster if the leaking well is not inability to plug a gas leak after a sealed. The state forest department blowout in a well on May 27 in eastern issued a notice to Oil India on May 29 Assam. The accident prompted over the dead fishes and dolphin, a pro- authorities to relocate close to 2,500 tected and endangered species. CM residents away from the site, huddle Sarbananda Sonowal has asked the Manu Sharma, who was serving a them into temporary shelters set up in pollution board chief for a report. schools. Many of them reported Oil India is aware of the conse- life term for shooting dead model laboured breathing and headache as the quences. It has contacted three foreign Jessica Lal in 1999, was released crude gas—shooting almost ten storeys oilfield firefighting firms—Boots and from Tihar Jail after Delhi Lt Governor up like a giant hissing geyser—blan- Coots, Alert, and Wild Well Control— Anil Baijal approved his premature keted the area. The families in those to repair the damage. A notice was release. He was convicted of killing shelters are worried about their homes, served to John Energy Pvt Ltd, the Jessica after she refused to serve livestock, and children amid a surge in company contracted to operate the him a drink at the Tamarind Court coronavirus cases in the state. The men well. Oil India warned of “action” restaurant in south Delhi. are finding refuge in expletives and card against its employees if human error is games when they are not foraging for detected. Spokesperson Tridiv Haz- pti firewood for the kitchen with a arika says the PSU will pay damages to herky-jerky rain beating on the tin roof. the people for any loss of livelihood The downpour couldn’t have come at and livestock. The blowout may raise a more opportune time for the techni- questions about Oil India’s plan to drill cians of Oil India working tirelessly to seven wells inside Dibru Saikhowa contain the damage and prevent the from about 1.5 km outside the park’s highly inflammatory gas from catching boundary. The company says it will use fire. A fire would be the last straw given advanced technology, but citizens The southwest monsoon, which the site’s location at Baghjan in Tin- aren’t convinced as the blowout rekin- brings India’s four-month-long rainy sukia district. It is barely 1.5 km from dled memories of past disasters. Spills season, hit the Kerala coast on June Dibru Saikhowa National Park—an from a pipeline burst—allegedly the ecological hotspot known for its birds handiwork of crude oil thieves—had 1, its normal onset date, triggering and feral horses (fine military steed sparked a fire on a rivulet of the Burhi heavy rain in several parts of the abandoned by the British during World Dihing river in Naharkatia this Febru- state. North India is likely to get “above War II)—and Maguri-Motapung Beel, a ary and it burned for almost a week. normal” rainfall, while central India and wetland on the fringes of this tree-hug- Before that, 45 days and the help of the southern peninsula will receive ging country, where pumpjacks and Americans were needed to fully con- “normal” rainfall. Eastern India is likely tropical rainforests fight for space. trol a well blowout in Dibrugarh to receive less rainfall. “Things don’t look good at all with the district in 2005. O

6 outlook | june 15, 2020 Planet #itstimefornature Outlook Lecture SerieS

ConneCting Food Waste With Biodiversity Loss

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In conversation with Ananda Banerjee, Editor, Special Projects, Outlook

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JOiN us ON @outlookindia @outlookmagazine Bhavneet Singh Aurora

Zeus came calling? Sort of. Lightning and thunderstorm Poliglot from a Gurgaon balcony, mixed shotS the resultant rain brings relief from the end-May heat.

Snapshot pti Jagan Jolt Number 65

M.S. Shanker in Hyderabad

ere’s an instant trivia from Andhra Pradesh. How many cases chief minister Y.S. Jaganmohan CM Yediyurappa h Reddy’s government lost in the high says COVID-19 is court? The answer is 65 so far—almost one his priority now every week in one year since he became CM in May 2019. That’s not trivial, actually. The legal setbacks have spurred his critics to demand his resignation, their Cold Coffee, Reheated attacks laced with accusations that he is “incompetent”. Take state BJP unit chief Ajay Sukumaran in Bangalore tion of a rebellious plot against the K.L. Narayana’s remarks: “Inexperience, CM. But he’s been pressing for a corruption, lack of understanding, After a COV- Rajya Sabha nomination for his adamant behaviour, Police Raj and reverse Karnataka ID-induced brother, Ramesh, a former Lok tendering. This is the one year rule of lull over the Sabha member who was overlooked Jagan. He is a failed CM.” Telugu Desam past two months, Karnataka’s for a ticket in the 2019 general elec- Party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, whom familiar political chorus was back, tions. Another voice that encour- Reddy succeeded as CM, called him the posing a stock question. Is dissi- aged speculation was Bijapur City modern-day Tuglaq. dence brewing in the ruling BJP? MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, a Reddy’s latest failure is his government’s Setting it off was a group of party maverick of sorts. attempt to get rid of state election com- legislators meeting for lunch at the “To show that they are assertive, missioner N. Ramesh Kumar house of fellow MLA Umesh Katti. they can at least make a sound,” rea- through an ordinance fol- Of course, there’s been little—by sons one party functionary. “But that lowing his refusal to way of any postprandial develop- doesn’t mean there’s any instability hold rural elections ment—to warrant concern. But, the nor that any one of them is planning amid the coronavirus event did fuel speculation. to disrupt the government,” deputy crisis. The CM For the record, that sort of specu- chief minister C.N. Ashwathnarayan wanted to go ahead lation isn’t new in Karnataka— has told reporters. The Yediyurappa despite the lockdown, back in February it was an government will complete its expecting a landslide anonymous letter railing against remaining three years, he asserted. victory that would have chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa The CM shrugged off questions given juice to his plan to that did the rounds briefly getting about the episode, saying COVID- shift the state capital from some media attention before fiz- 19 is his priority now. Amaravati to Visakhapatnam. zling out. Even BJP functionaries At the core of the problem, points The plan is currently mired in litigation. allow for a certain amount of rest- out political analyst A. Narayana, is The high court ordered reinstating Kumar lessness among some party leaders that the BJP in Karnataka isn’t a who, for his part, headed straight to his of- given the circumstances of how the coherent unit, but rather an amal- fice after the judgment while the YSRCP government was formed last gamation of many groups. That government ran to the Supreme Court. August with the help of those who inorganic growth—by bringing in At 47, Reddy is young by Indian political defected from rival parties—most individuals and splinter groups— standards. According to Nagesh Kumar, a of these newcomers won bypolls attracts its own set of problems, he former MLC, the CM has a dozen advisors, and got ministries, leaving the says. “Now that the Rajya Sabha and including friendly journalists hired at older members aggrieved. Legislative Council elections will be wages upwards of Rs 3 lakh a month. Katti, an eight-time MLA from due because of retirements, it “What is his battery of advisors doing?” he Belgaum who didn’t make it to the seems the immediate claim is for asks. Problem is, sources say, Reddy sel- cabinet, has dismissed any sugges- those positions,” the analyst says. O dom consults them. O

8 outlook | june 15, 2020 Poliglot

interview ‘Mask up, there’s no silver bullet yet’

India’s foremost cardiologist and chairman interest of your employees and above all it of super speciality hospital Medanta, is in the interest of the country because if Dr Naresh Trehan tells Satish panic spreads from workplaces, there will Padmanabhan the rules we must follow be a big problem. Don’t let economics be as the country prepares to slowly ease the the only factor, safety has to be a compan- lockdown in many parts. ion of economics. Short cuts at this stage can be very expensive. Now we will be entering a new phase when the lockdown is slowly lifted. What How can we build immunity? are the precautions to take at this stage? ➞ Muscles give you immunity. So, exercise, ➞ The cardinal rules are, no matter what whatever facility you have. If you don’t have you are going to do, no matter where you any facility, you can do yoga in one room. are going to be, your level conscious The suryanamaskar is the most fantastic awareness must become part of your life. thing, it exercises every muscle in your That means you are aware about the dis- body, including your intestines and liver. tance, you are aware about the mask, about You can gradually you wearing a mask and somebody else increase the number you wearing a mask, if somebody else is not ‘People got can do. There is also wearing a mask then stay away from them. taken in by huge stress in people due Do sanitisation. At home protect those to various reasons. The above 60 and below 10, be extra careful Trump...started best way to cope with it about them. Do not do unnecessary tasks is to do the pranayama till maybe another two or three months, taking hydroxy- exercises of yoga. till the rage is on and there is no treatment. chloroquine. I want to make one The silver bullet is still not here. more point. A lot of Don’t take it people got taken in by What about going to work, many offices Trump on this hydroxy- will open up now. yourself.’ chloroquine and started ➞ By all means, the able bodied must par- swallowing it. It has no ticipate in their full activity as we go for- role to play unless you are sick and the ward. It is up to the organisations to make doctor prescribes it. Please don’t take it sure minimum safety standards are max- yourself as many people have been hurt imised. Safety features for all employees by it due to some rhythm problem, some must be in place when they come back, it is ECG problem that can prove fatal. Do not in the interest of your business, it is in the use it as a prevention, it has no value. O brevis

Wajid Khan of Rajya Sabha MP Astrologer Bejan The first chief American guitarist music director duo Veerendra Daruwalla, minister of Chhattis- Bob Kulick, Sajid-Wajid, popular Kumar, who was popular for his garh, Ajit Jogi, known for perform- for Salman Khan managing director of newspaper/maga- has died of a cardiac ing with rock band films such as Malayalam daily zine columns and arrest following KISS, musician Lou Dabangg, has died of Mathrubhumi, has who also appeared prolonged illness. He Reed and singer COVID-19. He was 42. died at the age of 84 on TV, has died. He was 74. Meat Loaf, has died. in Kozhikode. was 90. He was 70.

june 15, 2020 | outlook 9 Poliglot MixedShots

Honest Like A Thief eel like the end of the world is imminent and scrounging for a ray of hope? Well, here’s a story to restore your faith in humanity. When Break The Nut Rut? V. Suresh Kumar’s motorcycle was stolen, little did he expect it t seems the pandemic is making Fwould turn up in the mail a few days later—sent by the very man who took people go nuts. And in some places, it. But that’s what happened. Prashanth, Icoconuts. Representatives of the who worked in a tea shop nearby, had Mannai Telugu Chettiar community taken the bike to return to his approached the Madras High Court to hometown Mannargudi, about 240 km stop the tradition of breaking coconuts away, with his wife and children. He on devotees’ heads during the Aadi took the dire step as he did not have festival at Mahalakshmi Amman temple any work during the lockdown. He in Karur. The court, however, refused to returned the bike later and Suresh interfere in religious customs and withdrew his police complaint. If only dismissed the plea. Looks like the the Italian classic Bicycle Thieves had age-old practice is safe for now. The skulls of the faithful? Not so much. O ended this way! O

Better Safe Than Unmagnified hen the coronavirus’ depredations go down in the annals of history, among its sartorial casualties will be a 167-year- old tradition—railways’ TTEs wearing smart coats and ties Wto check passengers’ tickets. Ticket inspectors now have to wear gloves, masks and protective gear on duty. Lest the pesky virus hitches onto a ticket that the TTE examines, the railways has instructed them to carry magnifying glasses to view them from a distance. So if you think you see Sherlock Holmes dressed as an alien on a train, resist the urge to say, “Elementary, my dear Watson!” And pray that the train does not lose its way on the tracks and land up in another state. O

full trot, Quarantino Dubai, do buy, do bye t must have been a pleasurable ride along mountains, t was the worst of just a man and his horse in a steady gallop. Until times, it was the COVID-19 played spoilsport. They were on their way to best of times—worst IRajouri district from Kashmir Valley when officials stopped Ifor the world and best for them and sent the man to quarantine. They were wondering an Indian businessman in the what to do with the horse until they came UAE. The 36-year-old is reported up with the perfect solution—why, to have swindled 50 people by send the horse to quarantine too! making bulk purchases of Officials of the animal husbandry goods worth $1.6 million department had to take the with post-dated cheques that eventually “extreme measures” as the man bounced. By then, however, he had escaped to Hydera- and his stead came from a red zone. bad on a repatriation flight. His grand loot? Face masks, Now that the J&K administration is hand sanitisers, gloves, rice, nuts, tuna, pistachios, turning luxury hotels around the Dal saffron, French fries, mozzarella cheese, frozen Indian Lake into paid quarantine facilities, beef and tahini. News of grand feasts is yet to trickle in, we wonder if the quarantined horse but perhaps he was just stocking up for the mandatory will have its day or neigh. O quarantine after arrival in India. O

10 outlook | june 15, 2020 Illustrations: saahil; Text by G.C. Shekhar, Naseer Ganai, Syed Saad Ahmed and Alka Gupta Masterspeak A Webinar Series-Episode 3

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Nisarga checks in— Bandstand in Bandra

Aadesh Choudhari Bend With The Wind The coronavirus runs wild, migrant crisis deepens, a cyclone blows in, BJP calls him a failure—Uddhav Thackeray rallies allies, steers shaky ship

Giridhar Jha Congress-Nationalist Congress Party humanitarian crisis triggered by the (NCP) government’s premature end. Its exodus of migrant workers; plugging downfall, naysayers believe, will come cracks within the coalition; handling hey say the tree breaks if it from the internal contradictions within Cyclone Nisarga. Not to speak of the doesn’t bend in a storm—or gets the coalition over the coronavirus crisis mob lynching of sadhus in Palghar and uprooted. An old cliché. Shiv and issues before the pandemic. the prolonged uncertainly over his TSena chief Uddhav Thackeray knows The Sena chief appears undeterred, election to the legislative council. when to bend and how much, yet stand despite facing daunting challenges to Nisarga blew over, but there’s one upright. He won’t be leading the Maha prove equal to both political and admin- cyclone he has to fight constantly. Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in istrative tasks. He completed six Former ally BJP has been breathing Maharashtra if he didn’t. It’s a coalition months of his tenure, though it was down his neck and accusing the Sena of of arch-rivals whose ideological anything but smooth for him. The CM— backstabbing its voters by forming the fountains spring from completely with no experience in governance, coalition with NCP and Congress. The different fonts of wisdom. Opposites never aspired to take over the reins of BJP and Sena contested last October’s attract but the chief minister’s prede- the MVA government in the first assembly election as pre-poll allies, but cessor, Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP, is place—could not have seen it coming fell out as both parties wanted the chief confident such friendships don’t last when he took oath on November 28 last minister’s post and negotiations for a long. “Aisi sarkaren kabhi paanch saal year. Since then, the 59-year-old lead- timeshare formula failed. BJP leaders chali hain? (Have such governments er’s political and administrative acu- called it a “great betrayal”, and would ever lasted five years?),” he said in a men has been tested on shifting anvils. lose no opportunity in pushing the Sena recent interview. His is not the solitary Arresting the exponential spike in chief to the corner. They have voice portending the Shiv Sena- COVID-19 cases; tackling the demanded President’s rule over

12 outlook | june 15, 2020 POLITICS/MAHARASHTRA

Thackeray’s “failure to contain the con- tagion”. Fadnavis even visited governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to express con- cerns over the state’s COVID-19 situa- tion. Though he declared that his party was not interested in bringing down the Sena-led government, he accused it of being indecisive. “Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is new and is scared of taking action and depends a lot on the bureaucracy,” he says. “There is no coordination in the state government.” It is, quite naturally, expected of the Opposition to keep reminding the gov- ernment about the state’s runaway rate of infections. The BJP is doing just that. But the narrative is getting infected. The BJP alleged that the Maharashtra Rising temperature—spike in COVID-19 cases is a bigger storm for Uddhav Thackeray government was indifferent to thou- sands of migrant workers seeking to Thackeray has managed to rally his senior Congress leader, Baldev Khosa, return home during the lockdown. allies by his side, despite intermittent says Thackeray is working hard and sin- Railway minister Piyush Goyal said the reports of differences within the alli- cerely. “There are no two opinions state has not furnished information ance. The BJP’s relentless attacks are about it. All the doctors, nurses and the about the number of passengers for the probably pushing the ruling allies to policemen have been doing a yeoman’s Shramik trains from Mumbai. Fadnavis stick together more closely. While NCP job these days.” According to the four- staged a ‘Maharashtra Bachao’ protest president Sharad Pawar has chosen to term legislator, “the government and on May 22 against the government’s describe Fadnavis as an “impatient the Brihanmumbai Municipal handling of the pandemic. “Most cases, man”, senior party leader Nawab Malik Corporation have done well to deal with most deaths. The healthcare system has avers that the BJP will not be able to the situation”, in spite of Mumbai’s completely collapsed. This is the abject destabilise the government. “Let the huge population of about 1.80 crore. failure of the government. We have BJP keep dreaming about the The coalition maybe united on an always cooperated with the state gov- Maharashtra government’s fall,” Malik, unknown, killer virus ravaging the ernment. But how much will the people a cabinet minister, says. “They have a world and the state. That wasn’t the have to tolerate?” he tweeted. The Sena right to dream but all the coalition par- case before the pandemic blew up. In leaders were quick with their response. ties in the government are together. February, the NCP-Congress and the “One political party state unit has set a Nobody can do anything.” Sena seemed to be on a collision new low and a new world record…the But the unity rhetoric follows Pawar’s course after the National Investigation only party in the world to indulge in recent meeting with the governor and Agency (NIA) took over the Elgar politics and in spreading fear, hate and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Parishad case. In August 2018, the division when the world has forgotten remarks that his party is not the key state police picked up five activists, all of it to help each other. The party has decision-maker in Maharashtra. including Varavara Rao, and accused forgotten the pandemic,” Aaditya Political observers called these devel- them of having funded the Elgar Thackeray, the CM’s son and Sena opments a conscious bid by both lead- Parishad meeting held in Pune district leader, tweeted his riposte. ers to insulate their parties from any on December 31, 2017, where inflam- The CM is learning from the book of negative fallout of the coronavirus cri- matory speeches were allegedly made. accumulating experience, though the sis. Thankfully for Uddhav, the allies Pawar criticised the CM for supporting pandemic is proving a tough chapter. have scotched such speculation. “There the transfer of the case to the NIA. Maharashtra has the nation’s highest is no difference of opinion among the Home minister Anil Deshmukh of the number of infections—70,013 as on allies,” says Malik. “Our government is NCP was quoted as saying that the CM June 2—and 2,362 deaths. The situation stable and there is no crisis.” The state’s overruled him. Earlier, on the CAA- has been particularly grim in Mumbai, NCR-NPR issue, the NCP and where all activities have remained sus- Congress differed sharply with the pended for more than two-and-a-half Sena, which had voted in favour of the months, dealing a crippling blow to “The chief minister citizenship (amendment) bill in the India’s financial capital. The govern- is new and scared Lok Sabha in December. The ship is ment has extended the lockdown till steady for now. Will the government June 30. Restrictions will be eased in of taking action,” complete its term? It depends on the three phases under its “Mission Begin says Devendra­ Sena’s post-pandemic equations with Again” programme, but there is no sign the allies, especially Pawar, who holds of any let-up in the pandemic’s run. Fadnavis of BJP. the key to its survival. O

Outlookindia.com june 15, 2020 | outlook 13 VIsHal KHurma CEO, WOxsEn UnivErsity

ou must have read about the Spanish Flu (1918), which had resulted in 50 million deaths across the globe. Then Y came Great Depression (1929), which resulted in Global GDP contraction of around 26%. IndIan And here we are staring at COVID-19 pandemic and global recession together which none of us thought we would confront in our lifetime. Within 6 months, the pandemic spread to every single country in the world with a 6-million positive cases. The pandemic situation has pushed us into the unchartered waters FMCG and we are passing through a phase of uncertainty and high risk. The entire country is in a state of lockdown from over 70 days. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the FMCG Sector is in turbulence across the world. In Indian context, FMCG sales which SeCtor was on a healthy double-digit growth has suddenly slipped to below 5% level within 2 months. During lockdown 1.0, there was a sudden increase in demand for essential products and commodities as people were stocking up for 2-3 months with an Which way will you assumption that these products might not be easily available during lockdown. But as government began easing of the tilt during COVID times? lockdown restrictions the panic buying tapered off. With an increased awareness of hand hygiene among the masses, the Hope or Fear! demand for hygiene products like handwashes, hand-sanitizers and other household cleaning products has grown exponentially. Key Macro factors impacting Demand disruptions in terms of sustenance and negative impact of cost The lockdown has brought many sectors to a complete halt, efficiency. Safety concerns, besides fear and panic, are foremost impact of it was suddenly evident on the cash-flow of many in the minds of migrant labourers right now and it will take businesses. Most factories are running at 30-40% capacity time for the situation to normalise before they return to resume leading to additional pressure on operational efficiency and work. Supply chain issues will also get resolved slowly as the spike in manufacturing cost. The availability of labour is Inter-state movement of heavy vehicles get allowed. another challenge since most have moved back to their hometowns. There is immense pressure on the supply chain, People & Resource Planning and it is expected to take minimum 2-3 months to ease out. Basis their cash flow availability, many organisations have Aside, with the surge in unemployment rate, the average wallet kickstarted projects to make their Organisational Structure size of the consumers has contracted and the same reflects in leaner and agile. The mandate is based on business continuity the GDP projections being pegged by various rating and principle and hence, every rupee counts. It is time to look at research agencies at about 1% for 2020-21. The impact of the each resource through the lens of productivity, value addition lockdown and pandemic-led recession is expected to play out and future growth. Most organisations are scrutinizing if their through the year. structure at middle and top management can be sharper and leaner. Product Categories Examples of progressive organisations showing their Here and now essential products and packaged food for human side are aplenty. Some have declared of no job cuts, snacking are doing relatively well as most family members and some with temporary salary cuts, furlough, leave without remained home. The sales of frozen food items for both veg pay, no bonus and increments etc. It is paramount for the and non-veg has been on upside as people crave for snacks organisations to understand that this would be the wrong time while staying at home. However, consumer spending on to lose your best resources particularly in the sales/commercial discretionary product categories will take a beating as they function since it will negatively impact your revenue recovery defer those spends for next 3-4 quarters. once the market rebounds. Post pandemic demand landscape is expected to change significantly as we see the consumer preference to shift in FMCG Outlook for Next 4-6 Quarters favour of hygiene products, healthy organic food items, As India gears up to Unlock, the first 3-4 quarters will be nutraceutical products etc. With sales plummeting for extremely tough as everyone will fight for their share of restaurants and QSRs, many families are experimenting with wallet. Cash flow impact will have much deeper bearing on “Ready to Cook” packaged products. manufacturing and supply chain even in the post lockdown situation. Channel Impact Covid-19 will further fuel the M&A activity within the FMCG During the lockdown period, FMCG sales fell across all channels space given that many organisations and start-ups will have with traditional trade and modern trade being the worst short term to long term liquidity requirements over the next impacted. The footfall across the large format stores will 2-4 quarters. To help build the economy and fight recession, continue to be subdued as consumers stay more comfortable Government has taken various measures and rolled out buying their grocery essentials from their neighbourhood stimulus packages of Rs 20 lakh crore to help create demand stores. With digital taking a precedence in the consumer mind, and support businesses across sectors. E-commerce as a channel is expected play big and get much FMCG sector is expected to remain more resilient and shall more traction over the next one year. recover much faster than other sectors. Rural demand will grow on the back of value packs and revenue management initiatives, Shift in Brand Loyalty which calls for some innovation in packaging and pricing. Lockdown-led supply niggles, particularly on grocery Time will tell how long this pandemic is going to last, but essentials, which gave way for the private labels to capture the one thing is sure that the FMCG sector will emerge strong given shelf space for many retailers. Concerns over supplies has led the foundation and consumption story of our country. So, you to some shift in the brand loyalty. will have to decide on which way would you like to tilt? Hope The consumers seem to have gladly transitioned to the or Fear! next best substitute available on the shelf and to an extent become brand agnostic. Only time is the true testament and will define whether this shift is permanent or temporary. VISHAL KHURMA is a Management Graduate from IIFT, New Delhi and currently associated as Chief Executive Officer Manufacturing & Supply Chain Disruptions Lockdown created panic among the migrant labourers. After with Ormeal Foods Pvt. Ltd. His experience of 20+ years straddles the lockdown was announced, the migrant labourers en masse across the Sales, Marketing and Business Strategy roles with began their journey back to their hometowns, which crippled companies like PepsiCo, Coca Cola & ICI Dulux Paints. many of the sectors, including the core sectors. E: [email protected] Manufacturing & Supply chain operations are facing huge economy/MICROSTEPS

more easily, he feels. “It is good that the government is moving to a globally acceptable MSME definition on the basis of turnover,” says Srivastava, pointing Small Scale, out that among the various criteria adopted by banks to provide working capital investment, turnover is seen as the most reliable. Traditionally, banks and other financial institutions do not Mega Mess put much faith in MSME data. According to a CII report, India has The government needs to take steps beyond the relief package around 63.4 million MSME units, which for the revival of the pandemic-battered MSME sector contribute around 6.11 per cent of the manufacturing GDP (that is, 33.4 per cent of India’s manufacturing) and Lola Nayar category to avail the benefits from the 24.63 per cent of the services GDP. policy measures over the past few What drives this key segment of the years instead of expanding. economy is the entrepreneurial spirit of he government’s top priority is Professor Vikas Srivastava of IIM those willing to take the risk and inno- to clean up the mess MSMEs Lucknow feels the government’s move vate to survive, says S. Sampathraman, (micro, small, and medium is in line with the current global norms. CMD, DPK Engineers, Bangalore, who, Tenterprises) are in due to the pandem- These steps should help this vital seg- at 77, has changed track to market his ic. All efforts are on to provide them ment of manufacturing and services products—power generation sets, pump credit guarantees and an edge where activities in the country avail bank credit sets and industrial equipment—under public sector purchases are concerned. his own brand, breaking a 15-year-old Redefinition of MSMEs on the basis of alliance with Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd. turnover, number of employees and According to a Ravi Sood, general secretary, Badli asset criteria are all good steps, CII report, India Industrial Estate Association, Delhi, though, in the case of medium-scale which has 400 MSME units, is also units, critics say the reforms are veiled has around ready to push ahead with a second protectionism. This is not without 63.4 million innovation-led enterprise in Okhla. He basis—hopefully, it will not tempt com- feels that while the earlier decision to panies to remain in the medium MSME units. redefine MSME was positive, “the

16 outlook | june 15, 2020 economy/MICROSTEPS

latest change in the definition seems to companies reach their breakeven late into sufficient credit to help them be aimed at big players who don’t want point only in the 11th month of a finan- ward off these tough times. to come out of the MSME comfort cial year. “The two-month closure of Sood, too, is unhappy that despite the zone as it gives them lot of freedom.” operations means we are already run- government promise of funding inno- The proprietor of a precision compo- ning in losses. So 2020-21 is a write-off vation under the Technology nents unit in Badli with a turnover of year for us. Same is the case for 90 per Acquisition and Development Fund Rs. 2.5 crore, Sood is happy with the 15 cent of MSMEs as large industries are scheme notified in 2017, he has yet to per cent equity support promise “as it their lifeline,” says Sampathraman. get the Rs 20-lakh grant approved by a will help small units get interest-free When big businesses grow, MSME’s panel of government-appointed investment from the government and can grow with them. But in many experts. “For more than one year, I help them revive growth without the cases, big industries are also responsi- have been waiting for reimburse- interest burden.” ble for squeezing the margins of small ments,” says Sood, who set up a new K.E. Raghunathan, former national and micro industries or forcing them automated water purification plant president of All India Manufacturers to undersell. As large industries inno- with funds borrowed in 2015. This in- Organisation (AIMO), points out that vate and expand operations to survive cluded Rs 40 lakh for innovation and under the earlier definition, 90 per cent in business, they move their business Rs 2 crore investment to set up the of around 6 crore MSMEs in the coun- away from their normal suppliers, manufacturing unit. try qualified as micro units. Now, with most of whom are unable to keep The entrepreneur has several other the redefinition of medium-scale units, strides with the changes and get wiped issues with government policies for around 50 lakh firms stand to benefit away due to unsold stocks. Most small not having waived off the fixed power under the relief packages. However, Raghunathan, who is also the MD of MSMEs are defined by Solkar Solar Industry, feels annual turnover, not the stimulus package for number of employees MSMEs is not adequate as or investment 37 per cent of units in the country are dying, accord- Micro is a unit with ing to a recent survey investment below conducted by AIMO. Rs 1 cr and turnover This fear is not un- under Rs 5 cr founded. For instance, Small units must have Sampathraman won’t be investment below Rs able to pay full wages to his 10 cr and turnover of 70 employees if he cannot up to Rs 50 cr get adequate credit to re- Medium units must vive his enterprise. From Rs have investment up to 209 crore in 2015-16, Rs cr and turnover Sampathraman’s compa- 50 ny’s turnover came down to below Rs 250 cr Rs. 97 crore in 2019-20 “due to various market condi- tions—demonetisation and reforms like industries are at a disadvantage as they charges despite the units not being RERA, IBC, Benami Act, GST etc. Some don’t have the intellectual property operational, something several state people called it sectoral recession, others rights for the products they produce governments including Karnataka, UP, called it a downward trend”. and are forced to work at just 2-5 per Haryana have done, but not Delhi. In a Sampathraman, however, admits that a cent margins. The changes after the letter to the government, he has also major factor in the drop in the compa- lockdown will further worsen their sought the Employee State Insurance ny’s turnover has been the delinking of condition. Commission corpus to be used to help “our alliance with Kirloskar”. He took As of now, the government relief compensate workers for loss of pay, as the decision because “the profit margins schemes depend on bank managers, this would help ease the fund pressure were being squeezed to such an extent who are in touch with MSMEs and will on enterprises to restart operations. that if we continued our alliance, we provide the lifeline of credit. Secondly, MSMEs are also seeking government would have had to wind up operations”. the industry has to be healthy for intervention to ensure the early But he is confident of bouncing back bankers to lend. Reports in the market release of payments from buyers as it within 2-3 years. To revive from the say that banks have been directed to will help them make payments to their lockdown, he says he needs extra fund- lend only to industries or businesses suppliers. There are many wheels to be ing or credit facility without any that are healthy and will be in a posi- oiled before the MSME sector can strings attached to recoup his losses. tion to repay the loan. Also, the new shrug off the current downtrend and This is important as 90 per cent of government initiatives may not trans- move forward again. O

Outlookindia.com june 15, 2020 | outlook 17 sans frontiers

world Tour

FOREIGN Hong Kong Seven former British HAND foreign secretaries have urged PM Boris Johnson to form a global alliance to respond to the China-Hong Kong crisis. A proposed Chinese security law for Hong Kong would make it a crime to undermine Beijing’s authority. But it could violate the agreement when The UK handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997. rotests over the death of 46-year-old African-American PGeorge Floyd—a white Minneapolis cop pinned down the handcuffed, grounded man with his knee on his neck for almost nine minutes—have engulfed over 40 cities. Curfews have been imposed as police clashed with protestors in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Police shot tear gas and pepper bullets as their vehicles were torched and shops looted. Amidst the chaos, thousands of peaceful protestors laid face down and chanted “I can’t breathe.” Those were the last words of Floyd, whose death was captured on video by bystanders who also repeatedly told the cop to get off the man. He refused to let go even when Floyd pleaded that he couldn’t Australia Letters written by the breathe. But tensions between Blacks and police did not start with Queen before dismissing Gough Whitlam’s this—they have been years in the making. Labour government in Australia in 1975— a Floyd died on May 25. Police officer Derek Chauvin has since been controversial political episode—can be sacked and charged with murder. The case has reignited US anger made public following a court ruling. Histo- over police killings of Black Americans. The outrage also reflects rians have wondered what frustration over socio-economic inequality and segregation. It Buckingham Palace knew for it to dismiss follows cases of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Eric Garner in New the Whitlam government that was seen York and others that drove the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. as a progressive one, even though its Such deaths are not new in Minneapolis. In 2016, Philando Castile reforms had divided Australia. was shot dead by a police officer in a neighbourhood just 15 minutes away from the current epicentre of protest. In 2017, a Minneapolis officer was charged with shooting to death Justine Damond after she called to report a sexual assault. In 2015, protests erupted over the shooting of Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old man who was being pursued by Minneapolis officers. Minneapolis—while a prosperous city that celebrates liberal policies—has struggled with socioeconomic inequality and segregation, a phenomenon dubbed the ‘Minnesota paradox’. The twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul are overwhelmingly White and its neighbourhoods are highly segregated. Most Blacks live on the cities’ north. They were shaped Belgium Prince Joachim, the by racist red-lining policies dating to the early 20th century when 28-year-old nephew of Belgium’s King Blacks were not allowed to buy homes in certain neighbourhoods. In Phillipe, apologised and said he “will the 1960s, the state built a major highway that cut through and accept the consequences” for attend- destroyed a thriving Black community known as Rondo in St Paul. A ing a party during Spain’s lockdown. 2018 study show Black homeownership in the twin cities is among He had travelled there for an internship the lowest in the US. In 2016, the average White household here in May and attended a party in the earned about $76,000 a year; a Black household earned $32,000. And southern Spanish city of Cordoba. An 32 per cent of Blacks live in poverty, while it’s only 6.5 for Whites. investigation by Spanish authorities These disparities persist in the way the community is policed. O on lockdown rules violation revealed Joachim contracted coronavirus.

18 outlook | june 15, 2020 T M Krishna Carnatic musician

On Music, Speaking Out, And Left Liberals

in conversation with

Join us on @outlookindia @outlookmagazine on June 7, Sunday, 11:00 a.m. Satish Padmanabhan Executive Editor, Outlook Cover Story CoverIndia/ cStoryhina

o Ni Hao (Say Namaste)

20 outlook | june 15, 2020 Cover Story India/china

Vox PoP by Saibal Dasgupta and Jyotika Sood

China-Plus-One. This is the new strategy being pursued by countries and companies, policy-makers and entrepre- neurs, to survive in the re-imagined, re-aligned post-COVID world. Nations India needs to upgrade. It went through near-death experiences as does not matter where we they were economically strangled by the clo- stand today in context of sure of China, the ‘Factory to the World’, and China. What matters is where we want to see our- global supplier of most goods. As govern- selves. We have to be ments struggled to catch their breaths, given competitive in manufac- the manufacturing churn and choked turing capabilities and throats, they witnessed the decimation of cost. India has respect their globalised production models. and global appeal to at- tract the investments. Luckily, the leadership is The destruction, not just of a well-oiled and seamless global supply chain, but also of a mindset, led to the concept of China-Plus-One. No one wants to building up a brand for put their eggs in a single manufacturing basket; no one wants to depend on a India. At this point if the single source for their needs. Hence, there is a mad scramble to spread out, to seek out alternate suppliers. China may yet remain the No. 1 or No. 2 vendor Industry does not grab for most nations, but it will not be the only one, not even a major one. This has and upgrade itself techni- presented an unprecedented opportunity to India. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi sensed that this could be the cally and in quality to moment of a lifetime, a time to catch the bull by its horns. He realised that if compete, we will lose this he played the cards right–and he had a couple of aces up his sleeves–India could emerge as the new global manufacturing hub, a preferred destination opportunity. India is flexi- for foreign investments over the next few years. He unleashed a slew of ble in terms of global rela- reforms, pushed states to enact controversial changes in laws, and re-wooed tionships. Quality is the foreign investors to ‘Make in India’ in a bid to ‘Re-Make India’. Modi hopes to garner a whopping Rs 2,500,000 crore ($330 billion) in the next few years. key to ensure FDI and His new magic mantra to achieve this target is ‘Buy Local, Be Global’. It Indian units must focus on marks a combination of Swadeshi and 21st century globalisation, a modern version of ‘self-reliance’, a phrase that he mentioned 17 times in his 33-minute it. We need improvement address to the nation on May 12. The initial aim is to cajole Indians to buy in infrastructure sector, Indian products that are made not just by Indians but also foreigners. The overriding desire is to build a foundation that can catapult Indian exports, and more freedom to states by enable India to become China 2.0, a global substitute for Chinese goods. the Centre, and quality Santosh Pai, honorary fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, dubs it as ‘Make in India 2.0’. He agrees that the trick is to make Indian firms competitive, and adherence. attract foreign capital for “true realisation of self-reliance”. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, the Centre’s think-tank, views this as the initiatives to im- Harjinder Kaur Talwar prove capabilities, scale up technologies, and diversify into new sunrise areas. FICCI FLO’s Past President

Outlookindia.com june 15, 2020 | outlook 21 Cover Story India/china

Indian jugaad: With its millions- strong young population, India has a demographic advantage over China

“India has the respect and global appeal to attract investment. Luckily, the leadership is also building up the brand for India,” feels Harjinder Kaur Talwar, past president, FICCI FLO, the women’s wing of the industry association. The FDI race is on In the past three decades, ever since India embarked on the reforms journey in 1991, it has tried to hop on to the speeding global manufacturing bus. It didn’t succeed. One of the reasons was the country’s federal governance No nation wants to structure, compared to China’s single-party political system that doesn’t depend on a single allow dissent. Hence, a foreign investor in a Chinese province or even a small city is treated like a royal guest. The red carpet is laid out, and the project is source. There is a on stream with minimal delays and no cost overruns. In contrast, thousands of Indian projects are either blocked or delayed by scramble for alternate bureaucratic booby-traps, environmental activism, media criticism, scandals, suppliers. With China’s and centre-state dissonances. To avoid some of these obstacles, the Modi regime has adopted a four-pronged plan this time. One, according to media pre-eminence as a ven- reports, the Centre contacted more than 1,000 MNCs, which have manufac- turing units in China, and wish to relocate them. The idea is to lure them with dor diminished, this is incentives, and convince them of India’s seriousness. an unprecedented At the same time, Modi asked the various chief ministers to prepare actiona- ble blueprints to attract foreigners, who seek new investment options. States opportunity for India. such as Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Rajasthan contacted key investors from countries such as Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and the US, either directly or through their ambassadors. According to media reports, Amarinder Singh, the Punjab chief minister, said that he would provide the best support, infra- structure, and facilities to prospective investors. FICCI FLO’s Talwar agrees that Centre has to give more freedom to the states. Both the Centre and states hope to expand the list of incentives, and opt for more reforms in a bid to charm the global billionaires. For example, NITI Aayog mooted a proposal to grant a four-year tax holiday to any investor, who wishes to bring in above $100 million. The period can be extended to 10 years

22 outlook | june 15, 2020 Cover Story India/china

Vox PoP

India has many appeals—it­ is one of the fastest-grow- ing economies, and pro- jected to maintain this position despite the unc­ ertainty caused by COVID- 19. It offers impressive june 15, 2020 growth opportunities, and larger investment ret­urns Chinese cover: A child with an oversized umbrella rides an ingenious bicycle sidecar in the long term. Initiatives for projects in labour-intensive sectors, reveal government sources. Apart like ‘Make in India’ and from the past hikes in FDI limits in select sectors, a single-window Centre- ‘Digital India’ are growth state clearance system may be introduced in the near future. Finally, bilateral ties will be leveraged to push investment inflows. Take the drivers. Localisation is a case of Japan, which announced a fund of $2.2 billion to help its firms to quit key to success. Investors China and relocate elsewhere. The idea is to diversify supply chain risk, and “re-shoring of strategically indispensable production”. Historically, India has have put in around Rs 300 had strong economic ties with Japan, and the ongoing ‘bullet train’ project is a billion in Tirupati’s elec- notable example. Thus, New Delhi hopes to convince Tokyo to use a part of the fund to enable Japanese firms to expand in India. tronics hardware sector. It The business tides are changing direction. In the past couple of weeks, there can become the silicon are reports that tech giant Apple may shift a fifth of its production capacity from China to India. CasaEverz, a German footwear company with 100 million corridor of India. India can global customers, plans to shift its entire production from China to Agra (Uttar become a global manufac- Pradesh). Lava, an Indian mobile handset maker, has indicated that it too will shift its operations. The Red Dragon is under fire. The elephant is on the run. turing hub if it goes with The race to grab billions of dollars of foreign money is on. the same pace and scale. The ‘ILL’ effects We sensed India’s poten- Pankaj M Munjal, CMD, Hero Cycles, says, “India is not a manufacturing tial a few years ago, and country. For it to become one requires a mindset change. Our policies have not encouraged manufacturing in a big way.” Adds Pronab Sen, programme set up a Rs 2,400 crore- director, IGC India Programme, “Companies don’t care about statements unit in Tirupati. It is our of intent as they want to see evidence on the ground.” The three huge and recurring bottlenecks are the ‘ILL’ factors—lack of Infrastructure, issues largest manufacturing in Land acquisition, and inflexible Labour laws. facility outside China. One of the planks of China’s economic success rests on its industrial clusters, special economic zones (SEZs), and the concept of one-town one-product. Mike Chen They allow the country to offer “integrated infrastructure” to companies, General Manager, TCL India which can source all their requirements—a long laundry list—from the same

Outlookindia.com june 15, 2020 | outlook 23 Cover Story India/china

Anil Bhardwaj Secretary General, FISME

Which Chinese imports are replacea- ble by Indian products? I think replacement or import substa- tion is possible with right policy and in- frastructure support in low tech, high volume engineering and electronic goods, and many consumer durables, from electric appliances, lightings, sockets, and LEDs to bathroom fittings and fancy household items. To imple- ment such a policy, each product cate- gory requires detailed cost analysis, identification of technological gaps, and assistance to build capacity (and its eco-system like auto parts suppliers). It’s easier said than done. A chairman reflects:—A Chinese girl looks on from behind the glass frontage of a shop Can higher duties on place. The SEZs include elaborate additional facilities such as centres of invention, incubation, testing, trade facilitation, foreign transactions, and Chinese goods help official approvals of standards and quality. India Inc? After past failures, India hopes to re-construct similar clusters and SEZs. “We can expect a change in the policy approach towards SEZs. The govern- You can’t create local pro- ment may develop one huge area as an industrial hub. This will attract com- duction just by enhancing panies trying to trans-locate from China, South Korea, and Japan,” feels the duties. It is an impor- Sachin Chaurvedi, director-general, Research and Information System for Developing Countries. A key theme of such industrial estates may be the tant instrument which can “plug-and-play” model to allow investors to “hit the ground running”. be effective, if used judi- To tackle delays in land acquisition, India has identified 461,589 hectares of land—almost double the size of the country of Luxembourg—to prepare ciously in sync with other a land pool bank. It includes new areas, and 1,15,131 hectares of existing interventions like access to industrial land in states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and technology, finance, estab- Andhra Pradesh, which are favoured by investors. Using technology, com- panies can pinpoint and select the land that fulfils their needs. This will lishment of supply chain, hasten project implementation in a big way. and incentives for people to Another way to avoid time and cost overruns is to hand over readymade projects on a platter to willing investors. To cite an example, the state- take risk. China used this owned BHEL has offered partnerships to foreign firms to use its idle and effectively. additional capacities at its 16 manufacturing units across the country. This implies that BHEL’s licences, operational factories, skilled workforce, and additional land is immediately available for expansion. Other PSUs, many Will there be slowdown in Chinese of which have spare capacities, may soon ink similar agreements. investments to India? For years, experts cited India’s strict labour laws, which tied the hands of I would rather let the hot air pass. the employers who were unable to hire-and-fire workers, as a major reason Nobody comes with six months or a for the apathy among MNCs to aggressively invest in India. Most Indian year horizon in mind. China can never regimes were scared of the political and electoral backlash if they tinkered ignore India for its growth, and India with them. In the post-COVID environment, several states have changed needs China for its industrial engine to labour laws. Some like Uttar Pradesh banned most of the acts related to boom. No single country, except India, workers. This, feels its chief minister Yogi Adityanath, will entice foreigners. can offer Chinese companies gigantic Despite such measures, transforming India into a global hub may prove to growth opportunities in Infrastructure, be a Herculean task. India’s past efforts to build SEZs were a mix of partial telecom and railways.

24 outlook | june 15, 2020 Cover Story

heavyweight External debt India: US$ 557.4 division We are the fifth billion (19.8% of GDP) largest economy in June 2019 Area in the world and China: US$ 1,998 India: million sq km 3.28 the fastest-growing. billion (14.4% of GDP) China: 9.59 million sq km China is the world’s in June 2019 Population second largest # India is more debt ridden India: 1.37 billion economy after China: 1.43 billion the US

Size of economy Education and health: 15.54 How much they spend India education 4.6% in 2019-20 3.16 India healthcare 3.5% in 2019-20 Total: 8.1% of GDP China education 3.49% in 2019 India China China healthcare 6.36% in 2019 Figures are US$ trillion. Total: 9.58% of GDP #Nominal GDP as per IMF data 2019

The workforce Unemployment 23% 49 Agriculture 33.6 (May 2020) 31 Services 36.1

6% (April 2020)

India 20 Industry 30.3 china Figures are % India China

India exports: organic chemicals, Bilateral Export to Import from ores, slag and ash, natural pearls, COVID-19 stimulus trade China China precious stones and metals, cotton, including yarns and woven India 2014 16.41 54.24 fabrics, fish and crustaceans, Rs 20.97 lakh crore 2015 13.39 58.26 molluscs etc (US$ 266 billion or 10% of GDP) India imports: Electric machinery, 2016 11.75 59.43 sound and television equipment/ China 2017 16.34 68.1 parts, nuclear reactors, boilers, 4 trillion yuan industrial machinery and (US$ 564 billion) 2018 18.83 76.87 mechanical appliances/parts; (Figures in $ bn) organic chemicals; plastics, iron and steel products etc

june 1, 2020 | outloowk 23 Outlookindia.com Graphics by saji c.s. Cover Story India/china

Mohammed Saqib Secretary General, India China Economic and Cultural Council

Can Indian industry replace Chinese imports? Certainly, Indian industry is capable of doing this, but not in all products. At least certain finished products of low technology can be quickly replaced—such as idols of gods, candles, toys, small household goods, etc. The annual value of these imports is $15-20 billion. Do you expect stiff duties to discourage Chinese imports? A blanket high tariff will not be good for India. We should categorise Chinese imports in three areas— low, middle, and high tech, and have a time horizon of three-ten years to achieve aatmanirbharta. In low tech, we can go for high duties immediately, but simultaneously opt for lower New India: Tall residential towers reflect on the chrome facade of a building tariff on machinery imports and financial incentives to produce them successes and failures. Six years ago, Gujarat asked a Chinese firm to build domestically. Similarly, we need a an industrial park. Although the firm acquired 200 acres, construction time horizon for each category. hasn’t started. Flexible labour laws that neglect workers’ conditions, fac- Mindless policy announcement tory environment, and safety may dissuade foreigners, who are bound by without in-depth study of our stricter codes of their respective countries and corporate headquarters. capabilities will harm the industry. Competition is intense Is it more advisable for India isn’t the only one trying to initiate a new love affair with MNCs. India to sign the Regional There are others—Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and, of course, China. Beijing is on the back foot because of the manner in which it han- Comprehensive Economic dled the COVID crisis initially, and the manufacturing mayhem due to the Partnership (RCEP)? closure of its factories. It has now gone on the offensive to prove its worth. We missed a great oppor­ The fact remains that no other nation has the manufacturing ecosystem that China has. “I don’t think there will be a major investment outgo from tunity (by not signing it). China,” says Mohammed Saqib, secretary-general, India China Economic I think we are too late and and Cultural Council. Vietnam, Korea, Thailand and Taiwan may be better placed to woo invest- unprepared for RCEP now. ments, if recent experiences are any indication. According to a study by Can India compete with Southeast Nomura, a Japanese financial group, 56 companies relocated their produc- Asian nations to attract FDI? tion bases from China during the height of its trade wars with the US in 2018- Firstly, I don’t think that there will be 19. Of these, 26 went to Vietnam, 11 to Taiwan, and eight to Thailand. Only major investment outgo from China. three came to India. Similarly, since June 2018, the US imports from Vietnam Secondly, as of today, we are not ready “soared by more than 50 per cent and those from Taiwan by 30 per cent”. to attract FDI, whether it is infra- One of the reasons is that these Asian nations have closer economic and structure, policies, or political will. cultural ties with China. Even if the foreign entities wish to move out of As of now, we are not in a position China, they want to remain closer to its borders. The reason, explained Parag to replace Vietnam as (FDI destina- Khanna, the author of The Future is Asian, in a recent interview is because of tion) or other such nations. COVID the new pressures due to “regional integration”, as opposed to globalisation. has spoiled it further.

26 outlook | june 15, 2020 Cover Story India/china

jumpcut/ Santosh Pai Ape Not, Learn From China

Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies

this is a call for ‘Make in India 2.0’. The recent announcements term planning, ruthless execution, and YES, reflect a more granular understanding of specific issues like transparent market mechanisms. land availability and flexibility of labour. However, availability India certainly has the potential to at- of skilled labour, efficient tax incentives and reliable electri­ tract more FDI. The need is to focus on city supply are few more issues that need to be addressed. keeping existing foreign investors satis- We need to understand what self-reliance means. Do we want Indian fied. This will encourage them to expand companies to make capital investments and start manufacturing activ- their investments, and more investors ity? Or do we want to attract foreign capital without protection for will follow suit. Government needs to dom­estic firms? The former requires far reaching reforms to incentivise operate like a business to attract FDI. domestic firms. The latter can be achieved There should be good marketing, sales with PMP-like programmes, but in the and consumer satisfaction. long term domestic industry may be dec- Today, there is a tragic shortage of imated. That will not be true realisation of China offers grievance redressal for foreign inves- self-reliance because every sector will be tors. After the initial announcements, dominated by foreign companies. an exceptional the government loses interest in ensur- Maybe a combination is the best com- ing that foreign companies are able promise where Indian companies can model to to make profits. This is not a sustainable gradually move up in the value chain, demonstrate approach. China offers an exceptional while foreign investors continue to bring model to demonstrate how FDI can be in capital and technology that is not capa- how FDI can be attracted and retained. We don’t have ble of being realised through domestic attracted and to ape the Chinese but extracting a sources. A robust programme to achieve few lessons from their experience can self-reliance will require rigorous long- retained. be valuable. O

Global trade today follows the dictum of “sell where you make”, and compa- nies hope to “near-source” their production; that is, remain closer to the con- sumption centres rather than “outsource” it to far-flung territories. Given this mindset, despite the ‘China distrust’, foreign MNCs may wish to relocate in the vicinity of China to take advantage of the booming Asian India hopes to demand and huge domestic consumption. The more than a dozen free trade agreements (FTAs) that China has signed with Asian nations help. These re-construct clusters FTAs ensure that the duties on exports from Vietnam, Taiwan, and Korea to and SEZs. For faster China are either zero or minimal. Hence, the trade routes remain open. India too has signed major FTAs with ASEAN, Korea, and Japan. land acquisition, However, these haven’t worked the way they should have. In the past dec- ade, the annual trade balances in the three cases were against India; that 461,589 hectares are is, India imported way more from them compared to its exports. For ex- identified. PSUs with ample, the annual trade deficit with ASEAN almost trebled to $22 billion in 2018-19. This needs to change if India has to establish itself as a global spare capacities may supplier of goods. Fortunately, there is good news. Compared to FDI competitors like hand over projects Vietnam at least, India is better placed. Although Vietnam is the largest to investors. gainer of FDI in recent times, this doesn’t give it a special edge over India. Vietnam attracted just over $38 billion foreign investment in 2019, which was lower than India’s $49 billion. Like China, India’s vast local market is an incentive for potential investors to pursue their local-regional-global strategies. Let’s not forget that India is the eighth most important FDI destination in the world.

Outlookindia.com june 15, 2020 | outloowk 27 Cover Story India/china

Research edge No country can become the vendor to the world unless its producers are backed by the government, it has quality infrastructure and its labour laws are flexible. What is crucial, and most people forget this, is a sturdy, innova- tive, and vibrant R&D setup. “China’s manufacturing strength in key supply chain items such as chipsets, sensors, and transponders does not rely on cheap labour, but instead on indigenous intelligent properties,” explains Dev Lewis, Yenching Scholar, Peking University. R&D is important Chinese universities played a pivotal role to not just invent new technolo- gies and engage in fresh discoveries, but also to incubate and launch start-ups for India to become an that possess new knowledge and processes. Coordinated research between innovator, not a mere academia and business ensures constant forays in garnering new patents and intellectual properties. Technology cannot be developed under a single shed; supplier. Technical it requires active collaboration between the various stakeholders. Sadly, India has failed on this front. Although it is a leader in secondary innovation leads to research—the ability to do reverse engineering in pharmaceuticals, for lower costs, skilled example—it has lagged in new inventions. A long-term vision is required. R&D has to emerge as an important plank for India to become an innova- employment, tor, rather than a mere supplier. More importantly, advancements in technology will lead to lower costs, higher skilled employment, and manufacture of enhancement in the manufacture of quality products. quality products. In the final analysis, India has made a good beginning in its attempt to wrest the manufacturing crown from China. But it is still an uphill task. India has the intent, talent, and capabilities. What it needs is a five-year comprehensive and detailed strategy blueprint, which is developed after a close study of the strengths and weaknesses of countries like China and Vietnam. In the past, Indian policy makers and businesses were either risk averse or saddled with doubts and lack of ambition. This time around, Modi hopes to bridge this mindset gap with the national call for self-reliance. Yet again, the global man- ufacturing bus has halted for India. It needs to jump on it sooner than later. We cannot afford to miss this journey. O —with inputs by Lola Nayar

28 outlook | june 15, 2020 Cover Story India/china

Swadeshi Swagger It’s an opportunity, yes, but keeping China out is also fraught with risk in the post-COVID era

Saibal Dasgupta and Jyotika Sood April, the government decided to vet FDI inflows from China. Investments in new projects, joint ventures and start-ups were denied the option to come through the au- M Narendra Modi’s clarion call for self-reliance and tomatic approval route. This implied they would be moni- his appeal to Indian consumers to buy local products tored to ascertain whether they constituted a strategic risk added punch to the prevailing anti-China sentiments to the country. As a follow-up measure, India may soon re- Pdue to Beijing’s role in allegedly ‘aiding’ the global spread of strict the flow of foreign portfolio investments from China COVID-19. Buttressed by transport minister Nitin Gadkari’s to buy Indian stocks and equities. blunt public criticism of China, the PM’s call added ammuni- Obviously, such moves come with their own set of risks. tion to the arsenal of the right-wing opposed to large-scale The curbs on Chinese imports may hike the prices of sev- imports of low-cost Chinese goods. Fresh policies and bold eral products, which are more expensive to make in India. reforms indicate India’s ambitious plan to replace Chinese Chinese investments, both direct and through the Indian goods with Indian ones. In 2019, India stock markets, can slow down, if not dry imported almost $75 billion worth of up. In the post-COVID scenario, when goods and services from China, ranging India wants to aggressively woo foreign from firecrackers and cheap idols of investments, this may send the wrong Hindu gods to hi-tech telecom equipment, signals to potential investors from besides the role of Chinese firms in the other countries. construction of mega infrastructure IEEMA’s Misra alleges that the de- projects. A case in point is electrical equip- pendence on Chinese imports is fraught ment used in the power sector. Govern- with security risks. “Supply of intelligent ment agencies, including state-owned electrical equipment from China is a na- power utilities, consume 95 per cent of the tional security risk for India as power is imported equipment. China accounts for a critical infrastructure,” he says. “There 30 per cent of the total imports can be problems related to malware and “China sells substandard and poor cyber attacks in such equipment. If quality products due to India’s out- India does not buy defence supplies dated public procurement system,” from China, then it should not buy claims Sunil Misra, director general, When India wants to power equipment from there either.” Indian Electrical and Electronics For years, similar dissent was voiced Manufacturers Association (IEEMA). woo foreign invest- against the use of Chinese telecom Experts contend that imports have ments, the anti-China equipment. Globally, there was talk rendered 40 per cent of the Indian ca- about how they enabled the Chinese pacity redundant. It was thus an op- pitch may send out to keep a tab on every phone and mo- portune time for the government to bile user. Now, these fears have ex- intervene, and for the PM to urge wrong signals. tended to the digital space, including people to buy local products. Many internet and social media. For exam- feel this is do-able in the current cir- ple, there remains the possibility of cumstances. “Import substitution is possible with the dissemination of subtle messaging and misinformation right policy and infrastructure support in the engineering through foreign-owned phone-based apps. and electronic segment, besides consumer durables,” says Indians, mostly children and youth, spent five billion Anil Bhardwaj, secretary general, Federation of Indian hours last year on Tik Tok, which is owned by Chinese giant, Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises. Mohammed ByteDance. The usage indicated a five-fold increase over the Saqib, secretary general, India-China Economic and previous year. In the recent past, three Chinese tech compa- Cultural Council, adds: “There are low-hanging fruits that nies have invested heavily in Indian start-ups—Alibaba Indian businesses can grab in the short term.” Saqib says Investments in 11 companies, including Big Basket, Zomato imports of idols of Hindu gods, candles, toys, small house- and Paytm Mall; Tencent Investments in 16, including hold goods etc—valued at $15-20 billion a year—can be Flipkart, Ola and Byju’s; and Shunwei Capital (an arm of easily replaced by local goods. mobile handset maker, Xiaomi) in seven, including Anti-China sentiments are not restricted to imports. In Sharechat, Oye!Rickshaw and Hungama Digital. O

Outlookindia.com june 15, 2020 | outlook 29 COVER STORY/interview

getty images

“Indian sectors must serve both domestic and global demand”

manufacturing firms. orms such as those in land Industries have shown and labour are going to pro­ imm­ense resilience, adapt­ vide a further impetus. Prime Minister Narendra ability and innovation dur­ Hence, we are looking at Modi’s call for self-reliance ing the COVID-19 crisis. rapid improvements to our along with Union minister Contrary to recent conjec­ industrial capabilities, scal­ Nitin Gadkari’s statement tures that Aatma Nirbhar ing up of existing technolo­ about taking advantage of Bharat implies protection­ gies and also diversifying to foreign investors leaving ism, it is actually about newer sunrise areas of China has triggered a discus- making India self-reliant. growth at the same time. sion about India emerging as This is not possible until These areas where we will a manufacturing superpower, and unless we usher in see greater industrial capa­ which can rival China even- global best practices, cut­ bilities evolving for the tually. In an exclusive inter- ting-edge technologies and manufacturing of mobiles, view to Saibal Dasgupta and embrace the improvement APIs (active pharmaceutical Jyotika Sood, NITIAayog brought about in our capa­ ingredients), medical dev­ CEO Amitabh Kant talks bilities through increased ices, batteries and electric about India’s preparedness, competition. This will hap­ two- and three-wheelers. ambition and capabilities. ‘Aatma Nirbhar pen not just with the open­ The Union cabinet has Edited excerpts: ing up of new sectors to FDI approved packages to boost Bharat isn’t and increasing the limits for production of APIs and What are your thoughts FDI, but also when we are medical dev­ices, and ano­ about India’s industrial protectionism, able to create a favourable ther package that ent­ails cap­ability in the context of but making India environment for global giving produ­ ction­ -linked China’s position? manufacturers to come and inc­entives in cellphone I think India already has a self-reliant. This is invest in the country. Make manufacturing. Further, the rapidly evolving industrial in India is already going on boosting of our industrial capability that will only not possible until and radical reforms have capabilities and the result­ imp­rove further as the nat­ we usher in global driven a sharp rise in India’s ant shift in manufacturing ion emerges as a top invest­ ranking in the ease of doing bases of companies to India ment destination for global best practices.’ business index. Other ref­ would not just cater to the

30 outlook | june 15, 2020 COVER STORY/interview

pulled out of the RCEP as in any manner. many of India’s concerns Is the government deter­ were not fully addressed. mined to replace Chinese strong domestic consumer which is purely export ori­ This was a decision guided by imports with Indian goods base, but also to the global ented. Lower corporate tax pragmatism rather than ide­ by encouraging industry? demand—thus triggering a rate and workforce of 500 alism. We wanted to safe­ How much of imports cycle of further improve­ million is a big plus com­ guard the interests of the can be replaced in three ments in industrial capabili­ pared to Vietnam whose millions of MSMEs and to five years? ties as this demand keeps workforce is one-tenth of farmers. And in the current As part of the Aatma on growing. India and has a higher tax global scenario, it is the Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, Do you think India can com­ rate. I am confident India is MSMEs that have borne the we want to make Indian pete with Vietnam and in a better position com­ brunt of the coronavirus- firms competitive so that other Southeast Asian coun­ pared to all other countries induced­ slowdown. We need they can compete locally as tries to attract a bigger to attract investments. to safeguard their interests well as globally. For this, we chunk of foreign invest­ Is it time to reassess our and raise their quality so they must create an enabling ments coming out of China decisions to stay out of the can compete in global mar­ env­ironment for them to or those that were earlier Regional Comprehensive kets. We can consider reas­ thrive. Focus on quality and destined for China? What Economic Partnership sessing our decision if India’s cost competitiveness is are your expectations from (RCEP) in view of the concerns are being met. needed. It is not about rep­ the industry in this context? post-pandemic situation? Do you think President lacing imports from China The key factors responsible India has trade agreements, Donald Trump’s move to per se, it is about making for driving investment into either bilateral or through pen­alise American compa­ our local companies and China included favourable ASEAN, with several mem­ nies investing abroad would products competitive government policies, tech­ bers of the RCEP. Our joining affect India’s FDI plans? enough so that they can nology innovations and acc­ the RCEP would have low­ India attracts foreign inv­ compete in the same mar­ ess to cheap and skilled estment from a range of kets as global products. labour. Economic nat­ions, not just the US. As However, at the same time, Intelligence Unit’s ‘It isn’t about per DIPP data, of the cumu­ we must recognise that Automation Readiness lative foreign direct invest­ India imports items that Index, which measures a rep­l­acing imports ment inflows from April can be produced at home. country’s preparedness for 2000 to December 2019, Take coal for example, we intelligent automation, from China per se, which stand at approxi­ imported nearly Rs 3 lakh ranks India ahead of it is about making mately $456 billion, six per crore worth of coal. Vietnam. With recent lab­ cent has come from the US. However, with the new our reforms launched by our companies Indo-US ties have a ren­ commercial mining policy, several state governments, ewed vigour under we can reasonably assume India’s capacity to attract and products President Trump and Prime that this import bill will be investments will only inc­ competitive for the Minister Modi. With closer lowered. Similarly, in def­ rease more favourably. strategic and business ties, ence, we were an import- Foreign investors are con­ global market.’ we may just see increased rel­iant nation. The decision strained by the availability investments from US-based to increase FDI limits in the of land while they already companies. Further, the defence sector will spur have easy access to techni­ ered barriers with just three- business environment we dom­estic production and cal expertise and financial four countries, including­ are creating will ensure that reduce our import bill as capital. The government is China. This could have led to India remains an attractive well. We must ensure that actively trying to create a surge in imports,­ which at avenue for foreign invest­ India’s sectors of strength huge land pools to attract this stage, is not in conso­ ments. And our perfor­ are adequately leveraged so companies seeking to shift nance with the idea of Aatma mance is evident when we that they can serve both from China. The enactment Nirbhar Bharat. It needs to look at our meteoric rise in dom­estic and global mar­ of the bankruptcy code puts be understood­ that when the the World Bank’s ease of kets. It will be difficult to India in a more favourable negotiations for the RCEP doing business rankings. put a number on how much position when compared to started in 2012, India was in a When combined with the India’s imports will dec­ Vietnam whose perfor­ different era of world trade. fact that we have a large rease. However, I can say mance in ease of doing busi­ We were moving from dom­estic market and a with confidence that ness is the weakest under bilateral to regional trade young workforce, inv­esting India’s share in global the resolving insolvency agreements. But as the neg­ in India makes good busi­ exports will increase in the par­ameter. India’s strong otiations continued for the ness sense. For this reason, coming years along with a domestic consumer base is next seven-eight years, the I do not believe India’s marked increase in our also strong a differentiator global trade landscape plans for attracting foreign technology capabilities compared to Vietnam, changed considerably. We investment will be hindered and competitiveness. O

Outlookindia.com june 15, 2020 | outlook 31 Professor, Indian Council for Opinion/ Research on International Arpita Mukherjee Economic Relations

Reforms, Not Rhetoric In a globalised world, India needs to rethink its trade policies and aggressively negotiate trade agreements

in India, launched in To become a global sourcing hub, a country needs to take some “big- make 2014, has not been able bang reforms”. This includes allowing FDI in sectors like retail and ensur- to attract much invest- ing WTO-smart subsidies/incentives. ASEAN countries and China signed ment in manufacturing. trade agreements with many countries in East Asia and key markets like Besides, India is far behind many the EU and USA. A company relocating out of China is likely to choose a ASEAN countries in attracting invest- country that its nation has a trade agreement with, that protects invest- ment in manufacturing. In May 2020, ments and has liberalised tariffs. when Modi announced a $265 billion With the Fourth Industrial Revolution, abundant labour is no longer an stimulus, the focus was to revive post- advantage for India. So, what does India offer? May be a large domestic mar- COVID-19 economic growth and aat- ket, which, however, is facing one of its worst slowdowns. Besides, there are manirbharta by reducing dependency on Chinese Board members and/or Chinese investments in companies that are imports and promoting local manufac- trying to relocate out of China. They will now have to look at other markets as turing, markets and supply chains. Given India recently restricted the inflow of Chinese investments. that India has been trying atmanirb- On October 31, 2019, the WTO declared harta since 2014, one has to understand that India’s subsidies under the Foreign why it has not been able to do so, why our Trade Policy and to SEZs are prohibited trade balance is so skewed in favour of subsidies under the WTO’s Agreement on China, what is the level of dependence Subsidies and Countervailing Measures. on China and how Aatmanirbhar Bharat Hence, exports can be countervailed in Abhiyan can succeed. destination markets. Yet, the department In 2018-19, India had a negative trade of commerce has extended all export pro- balance of $53.56 billion with China. A motion schemes (except Service Exports March 2020 UNCTAD study on the from India Scheme) until March 31, 2021. global effects of China’s slowdown and Thus, while companies may receive subsi- supply chain disruptions ranked India dies, they may not benefit from them. 15, with an estimated impact of about Since there is no discipline on subsidies in US$0.34billion. Vietnam was at six, with services in the WTO, most countries are an impact of $2.29billion. Other ASEAN now subsidising services used in manu- countries like Singapore, Malaysia and facturing. We are doing the opposite. Thailand were estimated to be affected After the change in policy following the more severely than India because our Walmart-Flipkart merger, the USA has global chain integration is limited. retaliated by withdrawing the generalised With the pandemic, the negative senti- system of preferences in 2019. This year, ments regarding China and the incen- Amazon received a lukewarm welcome tives provided by some countries like when it wanted to invest in India. Foreign investors may take note of these Japan to withdraw from China could be experiences before investing here. an opportunity for India. However, in It is time for India to change its approach to foreign investment and make April 2020, this hope somewhat crum- its subsidy regime WTO-compliant. It can provide subsidies to services like bled when member countries of the logistics, which can reduce the cost for manufacturers and exporters. Indian Regional Comprehensive Economic firms, especially small and medium enterprises, should get incentives to Partnership (RCEP) declared their adopt technology. Import duties on raw materials and intermediaries must intention to conclude the trade agree- be reduced. Given that e-commerce is treated as an essential service across ment this year, with or without India. the world today, India should allow foreign investment in the invento- This agreement will ease trade and ry-based model of e-commerce, subject to a minimum export obligation. This investment flows between the signing will increase sourcing from India. More liberal FDI rules in multi-brand countries. Willingness to conclude retail will also increase sourcing from India. RCEP came at a time when India wanted India needs to rethink its trade policies, support domestic industries to to attract FDI, but stopped FDI inflows grow and become competitive, and aggressively negotiate trade agreements. from China and neighbouring countries. In a globalised world, walking out of the RCEP is not aatmanirbharta—it Where did we go wrong? shows a lack of preparedness. O (Views expressed are personal)

32 outlook | june 15, 2020

COVER STORY DIPLOMACY/INDIA-CHINA

Treating A Tunnel Vision The China-India border standoff can indeed be resolved through diplomacy. But unless the LAC is clarified beyond dispute, it would remain hostage to competing perceptions and growing Chinese intransigence.

Pranay Sharma aired a few times recently. On May 29, aiming to resolve it through dialogue. he had expressed his desire to mediate But many are trying to divine the true between India and China on the rising import of the US President’s call, inas- telephone conversation tension at the LAC, claiming that he much as he is engaged in a tussle with between Donald Trump and had spoken to Modi about it. That offer China over global dominance. Narendra Modi, at a time when was politely turned down by New Meanwhile, Indian and Chinese IndianA and Chinese soldiers are locked Delhi; the claim that the two had defence officials and diplomats were in a boundary face-off in Ladakh and spoken quietly refuted. engaged in hectic parleys to bring the Sikkim for nearly a month, is bound to However, in their actual confab on current stand-off between their sol- spark off speculation in diplomatic and June 2, Modi expressed concern over diers at the un-demarcated frontier in political circles. Ostensibly, the US the civil unrest in the US; Trump also President wanted to invite the Indian wanted to know about the situation at Prime Minister for the forthcoming G7 the LAC. He was told it was under con- PM Modi has talked about clarifying the LAC Summit—a desire that Trump had trol and that India and China were several times with President Xi

PTI

34 OUTLOOK | JUNE 15, 2020 COVER STORY DIPLOMACY/INDIA-CHINA

Eastern Ladakh to an early end. On June 6, military officers at the Lt. General-level are scheduled to meet to find a solution to the crisis. There have been no fresh skirmishes in the area, even though soldiers of the two sides have consolidated and rein- forced their positions along important points in the LAC. With the leadership of both sides keen to resolve the issue, tension may finally be defused in the next few weeks. As long as the situa- tion does not escalate, both sides are willing to wait. Yet, the question re- mains on how temporary structures built in the points of contention by Chinese soldiers well into Indian terri- tory can be dismantled with tact and through amicable negotiations. There is a bigger, bothersome ques- tion as well—in the absence of a mutually agreed Line of Actual Control (LAC)—a firmly demarcated line behind which soldiers of the two sides are supposed to stand—there remains the possibility that the neigh- bours could be dealing with a similar military crisis in future. The India-China boundary runs over 3,448 km. The LAC is the line that divides areas supposedly under Indian and Chinese control since the 1962 war and is divided into three sectors—east- ern, middle and western. But the LAC was not mutually agreed, mainly because the war ended with a unilat- eral ceasefire by China, leaving parts of the LAC mired in competing percep- tions. Additionally, subsequent efforts by third parties to mediate had also of the line, he argues. ended in failure. According to military December 1988 PM Rajiv Gandhi and wife Defence minister Rajnath Singh said historian Srinath Raghavan, in the Sonia Gandhi at the Great Wall of China something similar in a recent TV inter- Ladakh sector these differences in per- view: “Since long, China has agreed to ception are compounded due to ano­ the Line of Actual Control at some ther reason. During the war of 1962, places, but at some other places they China occupied territory beyond the do not agree, and claim it is ahead. We line that it had been claiming in previous Initially, the two too, have similar assumptions at some negotiations over the boundary. The sides had agreed places. We patrol till the LAC, some- issue of where exactly Chinese forces times their troops come here after stood after the war remains contested. to clarifying the crossing the LAC.” He pointed out that Raghavan goes on to observe that LAC. But, after this process has been going on and “it areas where Chinese intrusions occur is not happening for the first time”. are claimed by both sides as lying on exchanging maps Over the past decade, there have been their side of the LAC. The Chinese are for the middle a number of stand-offs between Indian perfectly sincere when they claim armed personnel and members of the that their forces are operating on sector, the Chinese Chinese People’s Liberation Army their side of the LAC—just as the showed no (PLA) along the LAC. Indian diplomats Indians are when they claim that the attribute them to significant improve- Chinese have intruded into their side further interest. ment in infrastructure, communica-

OUTLOOKINDIA.COM JUNE 15, 2020 | OUTLOOK 35 COVER STORY DIPLOMACY/INDIA-CHINA

tion network and enhanced ponse from the Chinese side. transport that bring patrols of Raghavan provides the argu- the two arm­ies face-to-face more ment as to why Beijing has not frequently than in the past. warmed up to the idea. “The In the interview, Singh had Chinese have made it clear sev- said, “Nobody can deny the fact eral times that they are not that there has been differences interested in LAC clarification,” in perception about the India- he says. He feels the Chinese bel­ China border.” But he was quick ieve that a clarified LAC will eff­ to point out that “there is no ectively become the basis for the question, and nobody can ima­ boundary negotiations. In addi- gine” that (because of those dif- tion, Raghavan is of the view that fering perceptions) India can be an unclear LAC also works to arm-twisted, as was done in China’s advantage, enabling it to 1962. The defence minister pressure India from time to stressed that “India is also trying time—as they are doing now. that tensions should not rise in June 2003 PM A.B. Vajpayee meets Chinese President There is now a growing view any situation. If it needs to be Hu Jintao in Beijing; Jawaharlal Nehru and Zhou Enlai amongst foreign policy commen- discussed at the military level, signed the Panchsheel Treaty on April 29, 1954 tators that it was about time for then through talks at the military India to reset its China policy by level; if it requires to be disc­ making it more attuned to the ussed at the diplomatic level, changed ground reality. They then through talks at the diplo- feel that the area of cooperation matic level…the situation must between the two neighbours has be resolved,” he said. Singh also been shrinking fast and the pointed out that Beijing, too, power disparity is widening sig- wants the situation to be res­ nificantly in China’s favour. This, olved diplomatically. they point out, is the core issue But experts point out that some that makes China make all att­ areas like Daulat Beg Oldi, which empts to resist India’s current has been in focus in the recent infrastructure-building activities past, has been contentious even along the LAC. China already has before the 1962 war. “Such places a significant advantage in this are likely to remain contentious score with a network of roads until there is a boundary agree- connecting to its base camp for ment between India and China. Till in it. After Narendra Modi came to unhindered movement of troops and such an agreement is reached, both power in 2014, he too raised the issue their supply line. It doesn’t want India countries will continue to send troops with Chinese President Xi Jinping on to gain parity at its side of the border into disputed areas, if only to keep more than one occasion. with an equally efficient infrastruc- their formal territorial claims alive,” “A shadow of uncertainty always ture. Those who subscribe to this line says Raghavan. hangs over the sensitive areas of the of argument, therefore, feel that the How to ensure, then, that every border region. It is because neither side best option for India was to be part of summer the two sides do not face a knows where the Line of Actual Control an American alliance to counter and similar situation? “There are three is in these areas,” Modi had told Xi dur- contain China’s aggressive rise. possible ways: either negotiate a ing the Chinese premier’s visit to India India, thus, has to deal with an boundary line or clarify the LAC or in 2014. He repeated it during his own intractable problem—a boundary that agree to two separate lines, one which visit to Beijing. It found no positive res­ remains un-demarcated, undelineated Chinese troops will not cross and and disputed for over seven decades which Indian troops will not cross with a neighbour whose rise is mani- (neither LAC nor the boundary),” sug- fested by periodic flexing of muscle. gests Gautam Bambawale, India’s for- “The only solution is to settle the mer ambassador to China. boundary,” says Raghavan. But he is The Indian leadership has tried clarify- quick to point out, “Since that is ing the LAC as a possible way to stabilise unlikely, owing to political considera- its frontiers with China on a number of tions in India and China, this will con- occasions. Initially, the two sides had tinue. There is no way out.” Unless agreed to it, but after exchanging maps there is a comprehensive break- for the middle sector—the least conten- through, Indian and Chinese soldiers tious of the three sectors in the LAC— are destined, for now, to try to stare the Chinese showed no further interest each other out at the LAC. O

36 OUTLOOK | JUNE 15, 2020 #BollywoodTalkiesOutlook Bollywood TALKies with

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Actor nimrAt kAur On her experience of working in Homeland and Lunchbox and what lies ahead.

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Watch on June 5, 2020 (Friday), At 9 PM @outlookindia Mitrajit Bhattacharya Columnist & Author @outlookmagazine Cover Story The author is a member of the National Secu- Opinion/ Lt Gen Subrata Saha (Retd) rity Advisory Board and former Deputy Chief of Army Staff and Kashmir Corps Commander Stand To: A Principled Command

China’s aggression is born of insecurities about India’s foreign policy and its stand on issues of mutual interest. India must make no compromise in reverting to status quo positions at LAC.

the past few they have got into face-offs at varying points, between Finger 2 and 8, and through weeks, India’s over a period, the conduct has become more aggressive and, lately, violent. border with Galwan gains salience due to the vicinity of the 255 km road, running China, or the along the Shyok River valley, from Darbuk to the area of Daulat Beg Oldi. Line of Actual Control (LAC), has The road has existed for some years now. It is well inside Indian territory become a theatre of ‘actual’ excite- and provided depth by the mountains overlooking Galwan valley. Last year, ment. It must be clarified at the outset after much effort, India succeeded in building a crucial bridge on this road. that ‘LAC’ is a misnomer, because the This has possibly raised alarm bells in China. India’s ability to deploy in the line is neither delineated, nor demar- Daulat Beg Oldi area, using this road, is perceived as vulnerability by China cated, and therefore, it is more a line of to its Aksai Chin area and the highway linking Tibet to Xinjiang province. perception. Over the years, the situa- Xinjiang, incidentally, has been in the news for the last couple of years tion has been managed through a because of human rights violation and abuse by Chinese authorities against series of agreements, and confidence the majority Muslim population. China perceives a threat from Islamic building measures. The recent series fundamentalism in Xinjiang. of incidents are, however, calling to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh question the sustainability of these The follow-through recently mentioned that this time the arrangements. face-off is ‘different’. Ostensibly, the dif- First, let us briefly recount what has suggests advance ference is in the scale, level, simultane- happened. India and China have been Chinese prepara- ity, and preparation by China. The rapid locked in approximately a month-long follow through to the face-off is sugges- military ‘face-off’ at multiple places in tions. Action in tive of extensive advance preparations Eastern Ladakh, spread across the and build up. Simultaneous action in Galwan Valley and the Pangong Tso lake. Sikkim and Ladakh Sikkim and Ladakh, spread over the Around the same time, there was a face- indicate control frontage of two different Chinese mili- off at Naku La in Sikkim. tary regions, is an indication of coordi- ‘Galwan’ gets its name from Ghulam at the top level. nation and control at the highest level. Rasool Galwan from Ladakh, who had All these factors put together provide travelled to this area in 1899. Pangong certitude that this is not just an isolated or localised incident. (meaning ‘long, narrow, enchanted’) Several motives could be ascribed to China’s offensive conduct. Tso (lake) is at an altitude of approxi- Fundamental of course is to exert pressure on India, for multiple reasons. mately 4,350 metres above sea level. It Firstly, to coerce India to prevent cosying up to the US, as the impact of the is 134 km long and extends from India pageant of President Trump’s visit three months back is fresh. As many to the Tibetan Autonomous Region. analysts point out, a new cold war between the US and China has begun. Approximately 60 per cent of the Secondly, to check India from going against China on a range of issues, length of the lake lies within the which include a probe into China’s alleged role in the origin, handling, and Tibetan Autonomous Region. profiteering from COVID-19 and India’s firm stand on the South China Sea The face-off at Pangong Tso is on the with regard to freedom of navigation, overflight and unimpeded lawful lake’s northern bank, where spurs from commerce in the international waterways in accordance with international the mountains come down into the law. Thirdly, to prevent India from developing its border infrastructure lake. These spurs are identified as num- opposite China, particularly in areas where it perceives higher threat. The bered fingers, increasing from west to action against India is also in line with China’s general aggressiveness, visi- east. Let’s get a sense of the perceptual ble in South and East China Sea, in its coercion of Taiwan and repression in dispute here. According to India, the Hong Kong. Last but not the least, China wants to create a smokescreen to LAC runs north to south along Finger 8, divert attention from fast brewing domestic discontent. while according to China, the LAC runs On the economic front, China is dealing with several challenges, notably, through Finger 2. For years, both sides trade war with the US and decoupling from major economies such as Japan, have been patrolling up to their respec- which has allocated close to $2.2 billion to help companies take production tive perception of the LAC. Quite often, out of China. Xi Jinping acknowledged this in the Politburo Standing

38 outlook | june 15, 2020 Cover Story Opinion/ Subrata Saha

Umer Asif

Committee meeting in Beijing, stating India, on its part, has responded firmly to China’s aggression, while at the that, “as the pandemic continues its same time, trying to resolve the dispute amicably. This is in line with the global spread, the world economy faces a Indian government’s firm resolve on national security issues. mounting downside risk. Unstable and As a first step, we must be resolute and make no compromise to revert to uncertain factors are notably increas- the pre-face-off status quo. The road from Dorbuk to the Daulat Beg Oldi ing.” China’s real GDP growth is at risk of area is in the shadow of areas affected by the face-off. The Daulat Beg Oldi being flat or negative too. area is adjacent to the Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield of the world, The current situation favours India, where India is locked in another conflict with Pakistan since 1984. The as almost every other global power has two together have the potential to pose burning issues with China. In the US what is known as a ‘collusive threat’. Congress, a bill has been introduced to We should be Going forward, the boundary resolution nullify China’s control over Tibet and prepared for a must be expeditiously pursued; if left to recognise it as an independent coun- perceptions, these face-offs will continue, try. In the UK, a cross-party group of long, hard slog, adding to an unending and sapping politi- former cabinet ministers have written cal deadlock. to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to and up the ante in By violating territory and falsely assert- lead the international response against both the military ing claims, China has undermined the China’s “flagrant breach” of Sino- principles and agreements of conduct British agreements by imposing tough and economic along the LAC. In the accompanying national security laws on Hong Kong. domain. intense ‘information warfare’—or simply France has dismissed Chinese warn- ‘propaganda’—it is peddling half-truths ings on upgrading the Taiwan Navy’s and untruth. We should be prepared for a warship fleet, saying it was implement- long, hard slog, and up the ante in both the military and economic ing existing deals and that Beijing domain. There are multiple options, in time and space, to raise the costs should focus on battling the COVID-19 for China’s misadventure. And we are quite adept at succeeding in a pro- pandemic. The Russian media has also longed eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation scenario. highlighted the Chinese aggression God willing, this time around, Lata Mangeshkar Ji will sing this rousing against India. Notwithstanding the ode to the valour of the valiant Indian soldier: Aye mere watan ke logon, overall international mood, India’s tum garv se bhar lo chhati!/ Gatha in veer jawanon ki, ab kar lo muh immediate neighbourhood could need zabani!/ Desh ka hausla rakha buland, di jeet ki unhone garima,/ jaikar some deft handling. karein hum milkar, ab un veer senani ki! O (Views are personal.)

Outlookindia.com june 15, 2020 | outlook 39 Indo-China/J&K

A Pincer in the Making Tensions with China may complicate India’s efforts to integrate Kashmir, but it’s too early to predict the full picture.

Naseer Ganai and Bhavna Vij-Aurora by keeping the Line of Control (LoC) Hizbul Mujahideen operational com- simmering and cross-border militancy mander Riyaz Naikoo and prevention active. While reviewing the J&K of large-scale IED attacks, have n May 30, Lt General B.S. Raju, security situation earlier on May 9 in blunted such efforts, sources claim. the general officer command- New Delhi, National Security Advisor The security forces recently foiled a ing of 15 Corps, and Dilbag (NSA) Ajit Doval had warned the Pulwama-like attack when they recov- OSingh, director general of police, forces to be prepared for a “hot ered a car laden with 40-45 kg of Jammu and Kashmir, chaired a summer”. This was soon after the explosives. The forces also foiled an high-level meeting in which top CRPF lost six personnel in encounters infiltration attempt at Naushera along officials of the civil administration, in Handwara and Sopore. the LoC by killing three militants and intelligence agencies and security Infiltration goes up every year as the seizing a huge cache of arms. forces participated. Held at the 15 snow begins to melt in early April, but Apart from a rise in violations along Corps headquarters in Badami Bagh, army officials at the May 30 meeting the LoC, the army and other security Srinagar, the meeting had an urgent expressed concern that the Ladakh agencies are clear that they have to be agenda: to “review the security stand-off has enhanced the challenge. prepared for full-blown insurgency in situation and ensure readiness to meet “Intelligence inputs indicate that Paki- the Valley. But security experts tell anticipated security challenges”. The stan has intensified its efforts at Outlook that there is no need to panic. trigger was the tension along the Line increasing infiltration and ceasefire While the forces have to be prepared of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. violations across the LoC. There is also for the worst, the situation in J&K is Sharing intelligence inputs, officials an effort to calibrate an increase in not extraordinary and very much claimed the situation can lead to a rise militant actions in the hinterland,” under control, they say. Counter-ter- in insurgency in the Kashmir Valley, reveal army sources. However, recent rorism expert Ajai Sahni says the data with Pakistan trying to take advantage successes, including the killing of top does not suggest any increase in insur-

40 outlook | june 15, 2020 Indo-China/J&K

gency, ceasefire violations or fatalities plete, synergistic encirclement of but insists there is no need to fear that among security forces. According to India is not hard to see.” the troop deployment may spread thin him, the security forces have suffered However, experts and army officials because of the army’s expanding com- casualties in targeted operations initi- dismiss any suggestion of a coordi- mitment along the China border. ated by them and not by militants. nated attempt by China and Pakistan “From what I know, there is no “The security forces are working in a to foment trouble in J&K and Ladakh, change in deployment,” he says. well-coordinated manner with pin- but they do not rule out the high “There may have been some move- pointed intelligence-based operations, potential of both exploiting the situa- ment of reserve troops and personnel instead of the general cordon-and- tion and achieving a collaboration in of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police to 14 search operations previously under- the future. Lt General (retd) D.S. Corps (the army division that looks taken by them,” he says. Hooda, who oversaw the 2016 surgical after Ladakh), but definitely not from However, observers based in Kashmir strikes as the Northern Army Com- 15 Corps (division looking after Kash- see a link between what is happening mander, does not see “a big pincer mir). There is no major change on the along the LAC and the rising insur- move” by Pakistan and China as of other fronts. There is nothing new in gency in the Valley. They believe rising now, but does not rule out the possibil- firing along the LoC, and it has been tension with the Chinese army in ity that it “may well happen later”. He increasing regularly. The Ladakh Ladakh, Pakistan government’s consist- says Pakistan will definitely try to take standoff is a serious issue, but a stan- ent statements on Kashmir, and the advantage of the situation in Ladakh, dalone one as of now. There is nothing anger and disillusionment in the to link it with what is happening Valley have their roots in the in J&K, but this can change.” August 5, 2019, decision of revok- Mainstream Kashmiri politi- ing Article 370 of the Constitu- cians believe that abrogation of tion. They believe China has Article 370—cited as one of the become a third party to the biggest achievements of Naren- “Kashmir dispute” after the sta- dra Modi government 2.0 in its tus quo was broken in J&K. They first year—has thrown the Valley recall that soon after the revoca- into political uncertainty that tion of Article 370, the Chinese may engender militancy. The mission’s spokesperson at the fear of demographic change in United Nations had called it a J&K with the new domicile laws “unilateral action”, and said that has caused anger and disillu- “Kashmir is a dispute left from sionment among Kashmiris. history” whose resolution should Senior PDP leader Waheed be based on the UN Security Parra says the day the BJP Council resolutions. removed Articles 370 and 35A, it Later, in an extremely rare case, for China’s defence promised integration and develop- the first time since 1971, the Security ment. “August 5 has deleted 70 years of Council held “informal consultations” budget three times relationship of Kashmir’s political par- on Kashmir behind closed doors at the more than India’s ties with the Union of India,” he says. behest of China. Even though no “Such is the situation that politicians statements were issued at the end of China has hiked its defence have been kept in custody on the the meeting, China had made its budget from US$ 177.6 billion in 2019 charge that people voted for them. position clear. to US$ 179 billion in 2020, nearly I was detained on the charge that I “I think the government of India three times that of India. China has have the potential to get people to ignored China’s aggressive diplomatic the world’s largest military of two vote. Post-August 5, everything has position post-August 5,” says a senior million troops and the second- become securitised. There is continu- mainstream political leader based in largest military spender after the ous lockdown in the region. If Kashmir who doesn’t wish to be iden- everything in Kashmir is done through US. According to Stockholm tified. “No one denies there is an the barrel of gun, it means you haven’t understanding at the strategic level International Peace Research achieved anything.” between China and Pakistan, but it is Institute (SIPRI), China’s defence Another mainstream politician says more obvious now at the level of tacti- spending in 2019 amounted to US$ the situation may look normal as of cal operations. It seems Ladakh is now 232 billion. The US defence budget now because of the presence of secu- appropriated by China and Kashmir is was $732 billion. India’s budget for rity forces and the COVID-19 lock- left to Pakistan to handle. In a way, 2020 amounted to US$ 66.9 billion down, but anger is building up. “As China is now the third party to Kash- Kashmiris feel more enslaved, disem- (Rs 471,378 crore), an article by the mir issue. Besides, why is everyone not powered and assaulted by changing Indian Institute for Defence and considering the almost daily firing demographics, which is now actually along the LoC? If the two are seen Analysis (IDSA) says. a work in progress, it will make Paki- together, then the picture of a com- stan’s job easier,” he adds. O

Outlookindia.com june 15, 2020 | outlook 41 POLITICS/law

Birds Of Prey Keep Us Healthy Where Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta—he of the heated outburst against all critics of the government—is coming from

Puneet Nicholas Yadav reference on the problems faced by migrant workers. While the controversy stoked by Mehta’s comments was still raging, the SG landed in another storm after the Aam Aadmi Party-led veritable furore took hold of the national discourse Delhi government agreed to have him, and two other central last week as the country’s second highest law officer, law officers—Additional Solicitors-General Maninder Acharya Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, spewed a barrage and Aman Lekhi—as special public prosecutors representing ofA appellatives for journalists, civil rights activists, a section of Delhi Police in a case linked to the Northeast Delhi riots of the legal fraternity and anyone critical of the Union govern- February. The Delhi government’s acquiescence to the ment’s handling of the coronavirus-induced lockdown. He Centre’s choice of Mehta as counsel was singled out by chief insinuated a comparison between “vultures” and journalists minister Arvind Kejriwal’s critics, mainly the Congress, as reporting on the miseries of common Indian citizens—particu- evidence of the AAP being a “B Team of the BJP”. larly migrant workers and the poor. Rights activists, lawyers or It is rare for law officers to become newsmakers for any- political leaders concerned over the escalating humanitarian thing other than their courtroom adroitness. Though their crisis were, according to the outburst, “armchair intellectuals” appointments are made by the government of the day and and “prophets of doom who only spread are almost always credited to their proxim- negativity, negativity and negativity”. The ity to top leaders of the executive, law high courts, at least 19 of them, which have On March 31, Mehta officers seldom emerge as polarising fig- passed a slew of directives to state said “there is not a ures. Often, after demitting office, it is diffi- governments for redressing grievances of cult to even recall which party’s citizens, weren’t spared either. Those single migrant on government they served. Or, what their in- courts were “running like parallel the road”. Later, he dividual contribution was to the govern- governments”, Mehta said. ment’s legal battles. The success or defeat is The SG’s tirade came during a virtual objected to PILs attributed to the government, as are the hearing by the Supreme Court’s bench of demanding relief controversies that emerge during litiga- Justices Ashok Bhushan, S.K. Kaul and tion. A simple test would prove the point. M.R. Shah that had taken up a suo motu for the poor. Mehta is the 23rd

42 outlook | june 15, 2020 POLITICS/law solicitor-general but how many people would recall his Apeejay ensured predecessors and the governments they served? Indeed, even a prolonged vacancy is rarely quality online education noticed, as was evident when the post of SG remained vacant for a full year between Ranjit Kumar’s resignation for its students from day in October 2017 and Mehta’s appointment. If Mehta appears to be an exception to this rule, it isn’t one of lockdown purely because of his recent utterances. “Unlike most of his predecessors like Ranjit Kumar, the late Goolam Vahanvati, he COVID 19 pandemic Gopal Subramanian, Mohan Parasaran, Harish Salve, and the subsequent Rohinton Nariman or Soli Sorabjee, Mehta was never a big T lockdowns have been name in the legal fraternity and certainly not in Delhi. His unprecedented in modern predecessors, even less famous ones like Kirit Raval and history. Our greatest chal- T.R. Andhyarujina, could boast of an impressive list of cli- lenge from day one was to ents outside of their government practice, but for Mehta, provide our students with the only high-profile client affiliation is Amit Shah,” says a a safe and enriching virtual senior Supreme Court advocate, requesting anonymity. experience that matched or So, how did a lawyer in Gujarat rise in a decade to become exceeded classroom learning. the country’s second highest law officer? Mehta started his We were lucky that over legal practice in Ahmedabad in 1987. Yatin Oza, a senior Sushma Paul Berlia the years, we have been advocate in the Gujarat High Chairperson, Apeejay Education pioneers in using technology Society, Co-Founder & Chancellor, in education. In the 1990s, Court and former BJP MLA, Apeejay Stya University and President, we made computer has known Mehta for over Apeejay Stya & Svran Group programming a mandatory three decades. He tells subject as well as introduced computer-aided teaching Outlook, “Tushar used to and learning. We put a computer in every classroom in the work as a junior to K.G. early 2000s and moved to virtualisation and finally cloud Vakharia, a much respected computing by 2008. Our systems and most importantly, our senior advocate. Sometime stakeholders were prepared and trained for the extensive use in 1999, there was a major lit- of technology. igation between groups affili- Even then, it was a herculean effort which required a ated with Congress and BJP complete change of mindset and behaviour. Our technical to take control of the func- staff worked 24/7 without sleep, and our professors, teachers “Until the ADC tioning of Ahmedabad and parents while under lockdown themselves stepped up to District Cooperative Bank. the challenge. Bank case, Amit Shah was leading the In a few days, we had in some way or form resumed Tushar was BJP camp and wanted nearly the entire timetable across all our schools and higher Vakharia saheb as counsel. education institutions. Mistakes were made on the way, and seen in the Vakharia agreed to take the numerous times either the technology or the process failed. case after some persuasion, Our faculty had to learn and be trained on the fly to move Gujarat Bar as but told Tushar to appear for overnight to a hundred per cent new paradigm. a Congress it. This was the beginning of It is the testament to the grit of our stakeholders for managing a strong relationship to pull this off. The highlight was that in a few weeks or so, we supporter.” between Shah and Tushar.” were able to conduct most of our examinations online with Yatin Oza Shah went on to become the a high mark of 10,000+ students logging on simultaneously Gujarat HC advocate bank’s chairman. during a single session and being able to conduct even our and former BJP MLA Mehta was designated a activity classes such as dance, drama and PE. senior advocate at the Particularly for our at-risk students (e.g. EWS) we were Gujarat Bar in 2007. Soon able to reach out to them quickly and ensure they had the after, he was appointed additional advocate-general of technology capabilities to join our platforms as well. Gujarat. This was also the time that legal troubles for We see many silver linings and opportunities. The Shah, then home minister of Gujarat, had begun to mount experience has opened the minds of all our stakeholders, and with allegations over his involvement in the 2002 riots. A many curriculum features, for example, blended learning, former law officer of Gujarat says Mehta was among the flipped classrooms, simulation and game-based learning, all handful of lawyers who stood by Shah during those hard which we had experimented with now are getting mainstream times. In October 2010, the SC ordered Shah to leave recognition and respect. Gujarat in order to enable a fair trial in the cases against The lockdowns also enabled us to involve even more him (he was later cleared in all of them). “Shah moved to international speakers and faculty as the learning environment Delhi and Tushar followed…When the BJP came to power supported them, joining in and acting in a transformative at the Centre in 2014, Tushar was appointed additional manner. solicitor-general,” says Oza. Our next step is publishing a monograph which documents our journey and codifies our best practices and learnings so that not only we can create a foundation and build on it, but

june 15, 2020 | outlook 43 also help others on their transformative journey. POLITICS/law

Apoorva Salkade

A migrant worker’s family trudges in the darkness on the Mumbai-Nashik road. Tushar Mehta insinuated a comparison between ‘vultures’ and journalists covering the migrant crisis.

A senior Supreme Court advocate who was among the batch SG told a leading English daily that his statement before of ASGs appointed by the Modi government in 2014 says, the top court was “twisted out of context by some vested “The entire legal team of the government was handpicked by interests” (Mehta did not respond to calls and messages from the late Arun Jaitley because Modi and Shah were still new to Outlook for his comment for this story). But, this wasn’t Delhi…the only non-Jaitley man on the team was Mehta.” Mehta’s first rodeo. When the migrant crisis had just begun to The senior advocate recalls that “after Mukul Rohatgi escalate on March 31 and concerned citizens had sought resigned as attorney-general and the solicitor-general’s post judicial intervention to alleviate the problem, he had told the fell vacant following Kumar’s resignation, the government top court that “there is not a single migrant on the road”. A picked Mehta to appear in every important matter…cases few days later, Mehta urged the top court that “professional against P. Chidambaram, Rohingya deportation case and con- PIL shops must be locked down”. While frivolous PILs are stitutional matters”. Mehta’s big moment came in October indeed a menace, Mehta’s comments came at a time when the 2018, when he was elevated to SG. Soon after, a controversy apex court was hearing only matters listed as urgent and the erupted when Mehta put in a request with the PILs he objected to raised substantial Union law ministry to appear as counsel for demands for relief for the poor and Jay Shah (whose father is Union home minis- marginalised during the lockdown. ter Amit Shah) in a defamation suit he had Sections in the legal fraternity believe that filed againstThe Wire in a Gujarat court. Mehta’s vociferous defence of the Centre Sources say Jaitley, then finance minister, may be triggered by a larger goal. A former had wanted then ASG Maninder Singh to be law officer says the SG could be angling for appointed to the post of SG. The government another elevation as the post of attor- chose Mehta and Singh resigned. It is interest- ney-general is set to fall vacant on June 30 ing and surprising, says Oza, “because until the when the tenure of K.K. Venugopal ends. Of ADC Bank case, Tushar was always recognised course, if such an elevation were to come his by his contemporaries in the Gujarat Bar as a way it would not, in any way, break conven- staunch Congress supporter”. “If a law officer tion because several of Mehta’s predecessors Former Union minister and senior advocate have been elevated as AGs in the past. With Kapil Sibal sees striking similarities between uses that kind the lockdown now in the process of being the cognomens Mehta hurled at journalists, of language in unlocked, it is expected that hearing of activists and others critical of the government important constitution bench matters that and the acerbic attacks of right-wing forces court, it must be had been put on the backburner by the top and sympathisers on dissenters. “If a law seen as a court since March may resume in the com- officer stands in the court and uses the kind of ing months. These cases include challenges language that was used, it cannot be viewed as statement of the to the abrogation of Article 370 and the con- his individual opinion but must be seen as the troversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, statement of the government,” Sibal says. As government.” both politically sensitive matters. Would political commentators, academics and legal Kapil Sibal Mehta lead the government’s charge soon as experts criticised Mehta for his language, the former Union minister the country’s highest law officer? O

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Follow us oN: @outlookBusiness @outlookbusinessIndia HOCKEY/LEGENDS

Soumitra Bose

N March 2015, Balbir Singh Senior was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the IIndian hockey federation (Hockey India). Interestingly, the award was named after Dhyan Chand, a man with whom he shares the pedestal in debates on India’s greatest hockey player ever. Balbir Singh died on May 20 at the age of 96. While opinion remains divided about ‘the greatest’, Dhyan Chand and Balbir share a common story— that of being denied and ignored. While Sachin Tendulkar getting the Bharat Ratna in February 2014, within three months of retiring from Test cricket, gained ready acceptance, the govern- ment’s mulish overlooking of the two legends who, with three Olympic gold medals each spanned the glory years of the national sport, remains one of the greatest mysteries of Indian sport. “Maybe they did not have the right connections at the government level,” says 1975 World Cup- winning Indian hockey captain Ajit Pal Singh. Dhyan Chand won three (1928, 1932, 1936) successive Olympic gold medals before Independence and Balbir was part of another three straight gold-win- ning teams in the London (1948), Helsinki (1952) and Melbourne (1956) Olympic Games. Historian Ramachandra Guha explains the lack of peripheral vis­ ion of the men in charge of sports in India. “If we didn’t win the cricket World Cup in 1983, hockey would still have been our favourite sport. Dhyan Chand has not got his due bec­ ause he played hockey; Ramanathan Krishnan, who reached the Our Tarnished Wimbledon semis twice, didn’t get his due because he played tennis; world champion Wilson Jones didn’t get his due because he was in billiards and five-time world champion Touchstones The world of hockey worships Dhyan Chand and Balbir Singh as Gold again Balbir Singh leads the Indian team at the medal ceremony in the 1956 gods who lit up their fields of play. Why, then, did India not give Olympics in Melbourne them the one honour that does justice to their achievements?

46 outlook | june 15, 2020 HOCKEY/LEGENDS

Viswanathan Anand hasn’t got his due Prof Singh says Balbir, who saw because he play chess. All non- Dhyan Chand as his guru, never cricketing sporting greats don’t get yearned for anything. He would never their dues in India and Balbir was one express his frustration, but his family among them. We are obsessed with wanted him to get the Bharat Ratna. In cricket, we pamper them, give them too 2015, when Balbir was over 90, Swaran much value and forget other legends,” Singh published his biography Golden says Guha, adding that Anand deserved Goal. Balbir himself had earlier writ- the Bharat Ratna more than Tendulkar. ten two books—Golden Hat Trick Having grown up on stories of Balbir (1977), his autobiography, and Golden and his two inseparable partners in the Yardstick (2008), on coaching. “Over forward line—Udham Singh and the past two years, Balbir was in an out Raghubir Singh Bhola—Guha had a “Balbir was a great of hospital. He said he was living in chance meeting with Balbir Senior in scorer, but without extra time and the moment the golden Vancouver in 2005. “I was there for a goal would be scored, he would be gone talk on Gandhi and Balbir showed up. I Udham, Bhola or forever,” says Prof Singh. wanted to touch his feet; he stepped K.D. Singh Babu Balbir’s close associates always saw back and was happy to shake hands. him as a more deserving candidate than Sikhs believe in equality and that was alongside him, he Dhyan Chand to win India’s top civilian the measure of this man in his 80s,” would be nothing,” honour. “Dhyan Chand played at a time recalls Guha. “Balbir and Dhyan Chand when hockey was not even a competi- were easily as great as Kapil Dev and says Gurbux Singh. tive sport. He played for British India Tendulkar or Dhoni and Kohli, may be and the Union Jack would go up at greater. They should have got the medal ceremonies. There is no denying Bharat Ratna before Tendulkar.” Olympics. “He was among the 16 cho- Dhayan Chand’s calibre as a player but And though they live on in countless sen sportspersons to represent the his- Balbir’s goals came against teams that memories, lack of government recog- tory of the modern Games. Balbir is had quality players. Also, he played for nition has left both families bitter. the only Indian to be on such an elite independent India,” argues Prof Singh. Professor Swaran Singh, who wrote panel that had Jessie Owens, among Indeed, the debate about their Balbir’s biography in Punjabi, points others. Even Dhyan Chand was not out that the International Olympic there. The IOC made him an Olympic Association had acknowledged Balbir’s ‘ratna’, but it is unfortunate that the A masterful Dhyan Chand in action in the contribution during the 2012 London Indian government still hasn’t.” 1936 Berlin Olympics

Outlookindia.com june 15, 2020 | outlook 47 HOCKEY/LEGENDS

“It’s a pity that Dhyan Chand, Balbir Singh didn’t get what they deserved”

When Balbir Singh Senior > Both were pillars of Indian started only in the mid-’50s. a manager. Since he was an played his first Olympics in hockey and the best player Pakistan as an independent accomplished player, he was 1948 in London, Ajit Pal Singh of their times. If Dhyan Chand nation added a lot of compet- a shrewd reader of the game. was barely a year old. Twenty was the man before 1947, Bal- itive edge and there were the In 1975, we had lost a group years later when Ajit Pal, now bir was the hero for independ- Dutch. The 1952 Olympics saw match to Argentina 1-2. Our 73, was in his first camp for ent India. Their records were teams challenging each other morale was down but Balbir the 1968 Mexico Olympics, he more or less identical; both for the first time. Real com- gave us a pep talk. We beat met Dhyan Chand in Patia- were great goal-scorers. What petitive hockey started from West Germany 3-1 in the next la. When India won its lone they have achieved in terms 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. game to qualify for the semis. hockey World Cup in 1975 Malaysia was giving us a in Kuala Lumpur, Ajit Pal tough time in the semis. was captain and three- With seven minutes to go, time Olympic gold winner we were down 1-2. Balbir Balbir the manager. In the and coach Gurcharan Sin- first World Cup in 1971, the gh Bodhi decided to insert Ajit Pal-Balbir combination Aslam Sher Khan. It turned finished with the bronze out to be a masterstroke. medal. In this exclusive Aslam got the equaliser interview with Soumitra and Harcharan Singh got Bose, Ajit Pal Singh shares the last-gasp winner. We his memories of the two looked up to Balbir for legends—Dhyan Chand and inspiration; not once did he Balbir Singh Senior. disappoint us. There is a feeling Balbir What are your first mem- Singh didn’t get the acco- ories of Dhyan Chand and lades he deserved. Balbir Senior? > Why Balbir, even Dhyan > Both were extremely nice Chand did not get them. gentlemen. They were our Yes, we have a stadium idols. Dada Dhyan Chand named after Dhyan Chand met us in Patiala in 1968. I of goals scored is impossible Scorelines were thinner, as and the national sports day touched his feet. He seemed to replicate in modern times. teams learnt to defend well. is dedicated to him but is to be a straightforward, honest Given the sheer number of India beat United Germany 1-0 that enough for the genius he man. His two lines were a huge goals scored in the ’30s, in the semis and defeated was? Dhyan Chand at least dose of inspiration. Balbir was ’40s and ’50s, do you think Pakistan by 1-0 to win their got the Padma Bhushan, but my manager. Have fond memo- players like them had it all sixth straight Olympic gold. all that Balbir got was a Padma ries of him. too easy? Balbir was your manager Shri and a sports director’s How would you > Without taking away any in two World Cups—1971 post in the Punjab govern- compare Dhyan Chand credit from them, competitive and 1975. ment. Pity, the government and Balbir Singh? hockey at the Olympic level > He was very successful as didn’t recognise them well. O

competitive merit is an endless one. hockey field, was a great centre forward asked this. It seems I am complaining,” Dhyan Chand had mesmerising stick- (‘the greatest’, according to experts)­ says the maestro’s son Ashok Kumar, work—the one undisputed ‘wizard’ in and goal-scorer whose rapier passes who played in three World Cups and hockey history, one whose feats in the wreaked havoc amongst opposition def­ the Munich Olympics in 1972. To “dis- 1936 Berlin Olympics (India beat ences. Equally unparalleled was his pose of a three-time Olympic champion Germany 8-1 in the final) deflated the marshalling of the team on the field. like Balbir Singh with just a Padma Shri Nazi theory of ‘Aryan superiority’ as The issue of the Bharat Ratna has jus- is gross injustice,” he says, “when sport- much as did Jesse Owens’s dominance tifiably caused heartburn in Dhyan spersons get major awards by winning in athletics. Balbir, with miraculous, Chand’s family. “You will not under- an Asian-level medal or an Olympic unequalled situational awareness on a stand the pain it creates every time I am bronze. The qualifying standards have

48 outlook | june 15, 2020 HOCKEY/LEGENDS

gone down. Why deny Balbir Singh of at least a Padma Bhushan?” Top, Balbir after scoring in the 1948 London Dhyan Chand has the National Olympics; left, receiving the Dhyan Chand Stadium in Delhi named after him. The Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 national sports day is also dedicated to him, and a postage stamp was system” and given the status of a celeb- released in his honour. “From outside, rity, while Balbir was barely discussed. it looks all very good, but do people “To the hockey community, both Dhyan know that Dhyan Chand was fighting a Chand and Balbir are equally important. battle to keep his family alive? For 50 You can’t compare them.” years, he was away from his family, Part of the 1964 gold-winning Tokyo following ord­ers and playing hockey. Olympics team and captain of the 1968 But the returns were poor. He scolded Mexico squad, Gurbux Singh, now 84, us for playing hockey, saying the agrees with Pargat. As one who played game will never give us a future,” says against both Dhyan Chand and Balbir, Ashok Kumar. Gurbux says no player is complete Saying his ‘upright’ father was the without the support of his teammates. quintessential army man, Ashok Kumar “For us, not just Balbir, but K.D. Singh said Dhyan Chand would never ‘beg’ for Babu, Udham Singh, Keshav Datt and anything. In 1976-77, Ashok Kumar had Leslie Claudius were heroes. To say drafted an application for a gas agency During the 2012 someone is the greatest in a team sport but Dhyan Chand refused to sign, saying, is being foolish. Balbir was a great “I played whenever I was asked. Now it’s London Olympics, scorer for sure, but without Udham or the turn of the government to give me Balbir was one of Bhola or KD alongside him, he would shelter, food, water and electricity.” be nothing,” he explains. Dhyan Chand died in Jhansi in 1979. the 16 iconic Men like Dhyan Chand and Balbir To say that both Balbir and Dhyan Olympians Singh Senior—proud men who served Chand have felt ignored by the authori- their country’s banner with excellence, ties is probably an understatement. Two through history heedless of material gain—will continue former national captains, Gurbux Singh chosen as exem- to leave sports fans in awe of their and Pargat Singh, feel that to single out achievements. Discussing these two one player as the ‘greatest’ is plars of the “values hockey legends in the light of the Bharat always a fraught exercise. Pargat says of the Olympic Ratna can only be part of a movement to Dhyan Chand became famous and popu- restore Indian hockey to the apex of the lar because he was the “talk of the movement”. nation’s sporting consciousness. O

Outlookindia.com june 15, 2020 | outlook 49 OBITUARY / YOGESH (1943-2020) he sang the next solo number for the same duo, Yeh din kya aaye (Chhoti Si Baat, 1976) for free. Yogesh also wrote lyrics for S.D. Bur- man’s Mili (1975), which featured a bubbly Lata number, Maine kaha phoo- lon se, and two Kishore Kumar classics, Aaye tum yaad mujhe and Badi sooni sooni hai—the singer ranked the latter among his top ten favourite songs. Unf­ ortunately, S.D. Burman died soon after composing Mili’s music, while Salil Chowdhury retreated from Hindi cin- ema, thus bringing Yogesh’s collabora- tions with the duo to a premature end. In later years, he worked with com- posers such as R.D. Burman and deliv- ered great songs—Rimjhim gire saawan, a Kishore Kumar-Lata Man- geshkar tandem, in Manzil (1979), and Wahin chal mere dil by Suresh Wadkar LEXICAL VIRTUOSO in Shaukeen (1982). He also penned The lyricist had a flair for conveying sublime wonderful lyrics for Rajesh Roshan in films likePriyatama (1977) and Baton emotions in the simplest of words Baton Mein (1979), but gradually faded from the scene with the advent of Giridhar Jha Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye (by Westernised beats, especially disco Mukesh) made him stand out. numbers, which dominated Bolly- Kahan tak yeh man ko andhere chhalenge Yogesh had a penchant for writing wood’s music scene in the ’80s. Udasi bhare din kabhi to dhalenge sublime lyrics in the simplest of lan- In this era, most of the lyricists had to Kabhi sukh kabhi dukh, yehi zindagi hai guage, which never failed to tug at the adapt to the changing tastes of the audi- Yeh patjhad ka mausam, ghadi do ghadi hai heartstrings of music lovers. His title ence by churning out masala songs, Naye phool kal phir dagar mein khilenge song in Basu Chatterjee’s Rajnigandha often with double entendres, at the Udasi bhare din kahin to dhalenge (1974), sung by Lata Mangeshkar, and behest of filmmakers. While acclaimed Mukesh’s amazing Kai baar yun bhi lyricists such as Indeevar chose to swim dekha hai, which earned the singer a with the tide, delivering what the com- yricist Yogesh, the writer of National Award, still rank among the mercial market needed, a sensitive lyri- such lines for an unforgettable finest lyrics in the annals of Hindi film cist like Yogesh had to step into the Kishore Kumar number from music. In fact, so pleased was Mukesh background. Also, since most of the suc- LBaton Baton Mein (1979), passed away with this song (composed by Salil) that cessful composers of the era preferred on May 29 at the age of 77 after to work with their respective teams of spending years in near-oblivion in wordsmiths, Yogesh, who belonged to Mumbai. He penned some immortal no particular camp, was left with few songs for many a timeless classic in takers who could do justice to his talent. films by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Though he remained active off and on Basu Chatterjee. till Bewafa Sanam (1995), his best years Born in Lucknow in 1943, Yogesh came were certainly behind him. He briefly to Bombay in the early 1960s, hoping to returned from his self-imposed exile in try his luck in films with the help of his 2017 to write a couple of songs for an cousin, lyricist-writer Vrajendra Gaur. NFDC film,Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain, Left to fend for himself, but encouraged but these were lost in the cacophony of by fellow lyricists such as Gulshan digital-era music. Bawra, Yogesh began doing the rounds Yogesh was never prolific, but he did of music studios and landed his first not need a vast repertoire to prove his major assignment with composer Robin greatness. He found a permanent place Banerjee in Sakhi Robin (1962). But it in the rare tribe of lyricists with an was Anand (1971) that brought him fame. innate flair for conveying divine His soul-stirring lyrics set to the tunes of expressions in the simplest of words. Salil Chowdhury, such as Zindagi kaisi In his death, Hindi cinema has lost a hai paheli (sung by Manna Dey) and wordsmith extraordinaire. O

50 outlook | june 15, 2020 Book Review

wrote the alternative epic with Meghnad as hero, pulling no punches with the Ramayana’s more traditional heroes. Tales Told By The setting is Pathuriaghata, the author’s own neighbourhood, the happening part of the old city, now the itinerary of heritage walks, which has two Tagore palaces, grand buildings like the Gaslight Marble Palace of the Mullicks, the old China Town, the jatra centre of Calcutta, Nakhoda Mosque, old theatres and the many lanes and In the warren of streets of a quarter of old Calcutta, bylanes, some of which lead to the crematorium and the Hooghly. Famously hoary restaurants, like the iconic Royal India, abound a flaneur plunges through the night. It’s the 1920s, too. Even now, if one gets lost in the lanes, one hears a cosmopoli- and the sinful city seethes in dark luridness. tan babel of languages and dialects: Bengali, the Hindi of Marwaris or Biharis, Urdu, Hindusthani, Chinese. When people in the area want to communicate secrets they will speak in a language entirely Sajni Mukherji incomprehensible to the outsider. The sense of menace takes on a more sinister tone when Hemendra Kumar explores the area in the 1920s--with its drug eaders of a certain trade, the haunts and mansions of babus who visit brothels and the vintage, (most would be Hemendra abodes of baijis and nautch girls, as murder and mayhem place the above 80 now) awaited Kumar states explorer in situations from which he escapes with ingenuity and/ everyR new offering from that his or local help. As with the author of Hutom Pyanchar Naksha, the Hemendra Kumar Roy with Babu is his pet hate and object of ridicule, the ‘hathat (sudden) bated breath in their boyhood. objective is babu’, the nouveau riche one, particularly so. Jawker Dhan, or its sequel, the moral, that is, In the preface, Hemendra Kumar states his objective, which is adventures of Jayanta, Manik, not prurient. moral, that is, not prurient. He claims to address a target audi- the bumbling Bimal, held them ence of adult males to warn them of the snares of the night for in thrall. Exotic locales, boister- He claims to themselves and for the sons they allow to roam the streets. The ous boyish fun, raucous humour, address adult work is thus a strongly male one. scientific detail, detection were males to The night gives way to an even more menac- all grist for the mill of this prolific warn them of Hemendra ing dawn when the zamindar’s widow appears writer with an enviable sense of in a carriage with retinue in tow, prowling for pace. There was also a thrilling the snares of Kumar Roy youthful partners as she goes to take her bath sense of menace in an age before the night—for Calcutta in the sacred river. The Kalighat Temple itself they could be conjured on themselves Nights | is full of shady characters. celluloid by special effects. Translated by Rajat Chaudhuri’s translation is flawless. The Bollywood and Tollywood both and for the Rajat Chaudhuri retention of an occasional word in the original used him; his marvelous sense of sons they | Niyogi Book | Bangla helps to retain the racy flavour of the detail must have made it easy for let roam the 295 pages | prose. Pinaki De’s ‘patachitra’ type period illus- film adaptations. trations punctuate the narrative, adding period Many of Hemendra Kumar’s streets. Rs 140 heft as well as amusement. works are non-fictional adult Adventurer or moralist, voyeur or social writings. The highly appropriate reformer, Hemendra Kumar moves effortlessly cover design by Pinaki De sug- between roles, sometimes recalling the writings gests that Calcutta Nights is not of the 19th century Victorian Chartist G.W.M. kid-lit. Its Bengali predecessor is Reynolds, who never allowed a bourgeois sense the amazing Hutom Pyanchar of propriety to prevent him from presenting the Naksha (1861), the Sketches of unadorned truths of the urban landscape of sin. Hutom the Owl, itself a denizen of I understand his writings were very popular in the night, by Kaliprasanna Sinha. Hemendra Kumar’s time, in the original, in In the persona and using the translation and in adaptation. The wanderings nom de plume of Meghnad of Arthur Munby with his strange sexual prefer- Dutta, Hemendra Kumar tells ences also come to mind, as does the highly ori- you that things haven’t changed entalist Kipling’s sauntering through the much since then. contiguous area of Bowbazar in his City of The selection of that name Dreadful Night (1888). seems to be deliberate. The Despite some touches of misogyny, I thor- mythological Meghnad was the oughly enjoyed the perambulations of a night- loner, ready to take on the forces time flaneur in sin-filled 1920s Calcutta, during of darkness on his own, and a time when even venturing outside the house Dutta was the surname of during the day seems only just this side of the Michael Madhusudan, who frankly criminal. O

Outlookindia.com june 15, 2020 | outlook 51 MANIPAL ACADEMY: TORCH BEARER OF INDIAN EDUCATION SECTOR MAHE is well prepared to protect its student community with holistic preparedness. It has risen to the challenge of the pandemic dedicating one of its secondary care hospitals to a Covid Hospital.

t noon, on May 18, 2020, World Health together is to promote grassroot and couple of months to three-four months). Organisation (WHO), its first-ever community sports programmes that will Traditional higher education institutions A virtual World Health Assembly, “WHO: reach out to public in general and girls, have been hubs of robust activity, not just A global response to a global pandemic” was older people, and people with disability in with regards to academics, but of various aired in 6 languages. At the 73rd World Health particular, to help them keep active and clubs, societies, sporting events, symposiums Assembly, its first time ever to be held virtually, healthy. and last but not the least, meeting places for the delegates adopted a landmark resolution With august institutions like WHO, exchange of ideas. Students hang-out at to bring the world together to fight the learning and unlearning strategies to campuses and experience the joy of relating COVID-19 or the Coronavirus pandemic. In all, combat the epic pandemic of our times, we to other students, both native and 130 world countries adopted the resolution. cannot but help consider the humungous international. In short, the campuses are The Director-General of WHO, Dr Tedros impact COVID-19 has and is having on ‘mini worlds’ in themselves. Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in his closing various global industries and institutions and But now, all that is threatened, mired in remarks said that WHO was fighting the that includes the global education system. confusion as to how the future would evolve. pandemic with every tool at its disposal. With education becoming a ‘virtual’ Social distancing is the first rule to keep COV- At the same time, WHO signed an reality today, there is a question mark as to ID-19 at bay. But social interaction is the first agreement with the International Olympic how the world institutions would adapt and and foremost popular pre-requisite for any Committee (IOC) to work alongside to enhance the quality of education to scores student to choose a campus. The present promote health via sport and physical of students across the world in the coming scenario threatens this very fundamental activity. The idea came about as the days. Global education system has so far prerequisite. COVID-19 pandemic is primarily affecting survived by pro-actively indulging in Speaking of scenario, Dr James Riley is people with non-communicable diseases imparting online education to finish off the one author who as early as in 1990’s, wrote or NCDs. The idea of both bodies coming pending semesters (which is at the most a a paper titled Scenario Planning in Higher Education. Later, he followed it up with institute closer home that has prepped itself Manipal is currently in the process of another paper. To quote him, he says, to handle the pandemic head-on – Manipal putting together details of all the COVID “Both of these papers are listed on Academy of Higher Education. The efforts of measures initiated by the institution in the Research Gate. When I wrote these, I was the institute were ably supported by form of a manual that will soon be released. not referencing anything like the Kasturba Medical College and Hospital This will, in the long run, serve as a reference Coronavirus, but I was referencing the (KMCH, Manipal) along with Nursing and document for the future, where pandemics reality that Higher Educational institutions Allied Health Specialities MAHE to deal with may no longer be a one-off incident! rarely take the time to identify and develop the challenges thrown at them. Along with this, MAHE had also potential solutions to problems (from any Understanding the seriousness of the adopted some exemplary precautionary source) that may arise and impact them. It situation, precautionary measures with steps with respect of Health Sciences is sad that the reality of the Coronavirus instructions were drawn and explained in Hostels which housed the max bulk of might be the impetus to do Scenario minute detail by in-house health sector stranded students, both domestic as well Planning, but it would be even sadder if experts, including infectious disease as foreign. Proper briefing to the caretakers organisations (from all sectors, sizes and specialists, epidemiologists, microbiologists, and block supervisors on the mandatory geographies) do not come to the etc. This in turn, led to the students pitching precautions were given. Entry and exit to realisation that Scenario Planning is crucial in with creative and innovative ways in the the hostels, restricting movements in and for organisations that want to stay in form of cartoons, animations, and short around the hostel, social distancing in business and realise their potential.” videos for effective communication. dining halls, regular checks of hostel and This epidemic has created a situation Working closely with the district staff being provided with hand sanitizers none of us ever faced in our life before. The administration, MAHE dedicated one of its and masks were some praiseworthy steps government and education authorities are secondary care hospitals (TMA Pai Hospital, taken for the wellbeing of their students moving one step ahead to combat it. They Udupi) as COVID hospital for the district. and staffs which defines the seriousness of have issued special guidelines and have Every opportunity was explored to prevent the institution towards their curricular and advised all the institutions to plan their the spread of the infection across the district. people associated with them. academic activities keeping in view the A slew of relevant and lifesaving measures TAPMI, located in Manipal, Karnataka, safety and interest of all stakeholders, was put in place like round the clock has a campus spread across 44 acres of giving highest priority to the health of all screening and fever clinics, SOPs for referral, natural greenery and is nestled across concerned, while implementing and treatment and testing, quarantine measures three small valleys. COVID-19 has posed adopting the guidelines. It feels good that and contact tracing of the exposed. some major challenges for the TAPMI our Indian Education Society is preparing An additional hostel was converted to a community that includes students (both itself for such a paradigm shift paving ways dedicated quarantine facility both for local and international), faculty, staff and to newer horizons. students and staff of MAHE, either for housekeeping and gardening workers. Usually, it is a norm to look to institutes mandated quarantine or for those returning Hence, MAHE has come up with a manual abroad for best practices at such critical from a high-risk geographical region. MAHE of strict guidelines for everyone from times. But this time around, we have an claims to have adhered to all the students to housekeeping and gardening specifications and SOPs mandated by the workers. Social distancing, sanitizing, ministry of health and family welfare office. thermal scanners are a daily routine at all In addition, two other facilities have been set points in the campus, giving huge priority The DirecTor- aside for district machinery to accommodate to international standards towards General of Who, Dr people returning to the district. containing COVID-19. Special and The engineering school and the consistent measures are also being taken TeDros aDhanom innovation centre have been working closely to ensure the mental health of students Ghebreyesus, in his with the medical school and hospital (KMCH, and staff during the testing times. closinG remarks Manipal), exploring newer technological Henceforth, academic delivery will be saiD ThaT Who Was innovations to combat the COVID threat. flexible based on the directives of MHRD/ Testing times often bring out the best AICTE. The Institute has already ramped up fiGhTinG The in an individual or organisation. The end is CISCO WebEx facility for online learning. To panDemic WiTh a long way off, but the management at support students, TAPMI has initiated every Tool aT iTs MAHE are in command to ensure the specific Coursera courses for all students. Disposal. wellbeing of not just the University town, Taking their safety net further, all but the entire district of Udupi. KMCH, centralised air conditioning has been switched off till further notification from the health department. Also, MAHE is proud that their entire staff is comprehensively insured with the Kasturba Medical Hospital, Manipal. While transactions with the vendors are happening online, gardening, and other support staff have been allowed in, post lockdown 2. Wages are also being taken care of, of unwell staff. Covering all areas of its administration, apart from becoming a role model in the district of Udupi, Manipal Academy of High- er Education or MAHE in short is indeed an ideal example of scenario planning. Art and Culture

‘A mob destroyed my coffee shop and opened the door to a film’

Nasir is the story of a Muslim salesman trying to be shot there because the short story on which it negotiate his straitened circumstances as sectar- is based—A Clerk’s Story by Dilip Kumar—is also set ianism simmers in Coimbatore. It won the NETPAC there. Living there for almost three years helped me award (best Asian feature film) at International Film scout locations and get the right texture and flavour Festival Rotterdam 2020 and is streaming on the for the film. Besides, the people there were not We Are One film festival’s YouTube page. Its director quite accepting of cinema. So I mingled with them, Arun Karthick talks to Syed Saad Ahmed about the told them I was writing a story that I might turn into making of the movie and its unique stylistic devices. a film. Once they got to know me, it was easy to check out houses and shops where we could shoot. Your encounter with a violent mob planted the idea Considering that we were shooting the film in 20 for Nasir. Could you talk about what happened? days and the area is extremely crowded, we needed > In 2016, I opened a coffee shop in a market in to have a good understanding of the space. We did Coimbatore. A mob of 700-800 people went on a not have the bandwidth to block streets like regular rampage. They hurled stones at shops along a film shoots, so we had to be as 3-km stretch of the street and broke windows and invisible as possible. glass doors. My kiosk also happened to be on that In Nasir, you barely see road, I was right there. That’s when I realised the the fundamentalists, nature of a mob—it’s just people going berserk, but hear them every- nothing else matters at that moment. I had run the where. They are almost kiosk for 20 days before the violence happened. It like gods—omnipresent. was taking too much of my time. I did not enjoy it > That was the case and was wondering how to close it—that mob closed with the short story too. it for me and opened the door to a film. In everyday life, you Why did you stay in a Muslim locality in Coimbatore cannot point who is while making the film? an extremist; they > After the 2016 riots, when I decided to make this are everywhere. You film, I rented a place in the Muslim neighbourhood cannot single out even though I am from Coimbatore. Some years ago, someone unless they there had been bomb blasts on that street, which say or do something. affected Hindu-Muslim relations. I wanted the film to A mob gets formed in Arun Karthick

54 outlook | june 15, 2020 Art and Culture

an instant—like-minded people come unique. What was the reason behind these together, do whatever they want and disperse. creative choices? The friend I’m working with could be mobilised > The moment I began imagining the film, I by a mob on the spur of the moment. Singling could see it only in 4:3. Incidentally, when my out someone and creating antagonists out of cinematographer read the script, he also felt individuals would make for a different kind of the aspect ratio should be 4:3. Every film I make, film, a thriller perhaps. That would be totally I start by thinking: how do I see the film? I against the nature of the story and the truth wanted a ‘psychological’ sound design—not of the character. Each moment, Nasir doesn’t added sounds to evoke feelings, but using know what is going to happen next. We know the sounds within the frame to convey the the mob exists all around, but only when the character’s psychological reality. It was my protagonist encounters the mob, should the sound designer who suggested we use mono viewer see it too. because it minimises distractions in terms of You have worked with cinematographer spatial spread. Even though we only recorded Saumyananda Sahi and editor Arghya Basu the ambient sound, the audio was attuned more on your first film Sivapuranam as well. How to how the character perceives a sound rather was the experience of collaborating with than how it sounded in that space. them on Nasir? How did you cast for the film? > It was fascinating. We started talking about > For the kind of film Nasir is, we had to con- the film as soon as I started writing it. We “A mob gets stantly work on the acting on location, so rather did not want to make a hero out of Nasir, but formed in an than their acting abilities, I chose them on the at the same time, wanted to show some of instant...like- basis of whether they looked like the character his simple qualities that are not much talked I have in mind, their personality and behaviour. about, so we discussed how to construct his minded people Many of them had no idea about alternative ordinariness. A lot of interesting conversations come together, films, so I told them how we would work and ensued, especially about what freedom means. do whatever they that there could be days we would shoot just Sahi said freedom is choice and agency, while want and one scene. Most of them thought acting was Basu argued that freedom means choosing about expressing everything, going overboard your battles. Discussions like these helped us disperse. The with emotions. I told them not to extend them- choose the camera. We used a Digital Bolex, a friend I’m selves too much—they just had to understand limited-edition camera that has to be worked working with their role and be fresh enough to do it. a certain way. There are many difficulties in could be What was the most challenging aspect of shooting with it, but Sahi felt there must be making Nasir? some negotiation between the method and mobilised by > Creating the mise-en-scene we wanted in the tool. We had many conversations about the a mob on the spur crowded places. The police did not give us sound, the spaces we would portray and how of the moment.” permission to shoot in the locations we sought our protagonist would traverse the different since those streets are volatile, but we shot spaces. These discussions gave us insights there regardless. We put a lot of thought into into how we see the film and how we want the shots and mise-en-scene, but at the same others to see it. time, we had to be fast because we were ille- Mono sound, 4:3 aspect ratio and other such gally there. In any case, once people realise you technical aspects make Nasir stylistically are making a film, everything goes for a toss. O

Outlookindia.com june 15, 2020 | outlook 55 FIGHT AGAINST COVID 19

n AS Mittal Vice Chairman- Sonalika Group SONALIKA EXTENDS ITS TECHNOLOGY, Introduces Intelligent Ventilator System

“The project team worked closely with experienced anaesthesiologists to un- derstand the exact situation-action correlation and built in that intelligence into the system. Standard calibration tests have been done on artificial lungs and we have also performed accelerated durability tests for 1 million cycles non-stop. The entire project was driven by six sigma methodology ensuring highest quality & performance standards.

t a time when the world Movement, the country’s leading tractor& for manufacturing ventilators to support is suffering from a deadly agriculture implements manufacturer the patients affected from the global pandemic,India plans to Sonalika group has been diversified contagion Coronavirus. convert this crisis into an into healthcare sector. Amid outbreak The company has specially designed opportunityA and strengthen its fight by of Covid-19 company has extended these ventilators to meet variable mode becoming ‘Aatma Nirbhar’ Abhiyan or his R&D specialization in medical requirements of invasive ventilation self-reliant movement by Prime Minister equipments used in ICU. Sonalika has available on all advanced critical care Narender Modi. Following Modi introduces intelligent Ventilator Systems ventilators. This ventilator is designed with indigenously developed oil free air functioning of thermodynamics & fluid compressor which not only makes this mechanics . This is an advanced machine ventilator self-reliant for use outside an with built-in deep intelligence, operating ICU, at the same time it also acts as a under very tight tolerances of air pressure backup compressor in case of any failure and volume. Accuracy of the data and the of hospital infrastructure. speed of decision making by the machine Sharing about the technology marvel, on every breath defines its efficiency”. Mr.Amrit Sagar Mittal, Vice Chairman, Mr. Akshay Sangwan added, “The Sonalika Group and Vice Chairman project team worked closely with of Punjab Planning Board said, “The experienced anaesthesiologists to project was conceptualised by Mr.Sushant understand the exact situation-action Sagar Mittal director sonalika group and correlation and built in that intelligence executed by Mr.Akshay Sangwan director into the system. Standard calibration development. At Sonalika, being people- tests have been done on artificial lungs centric is part of our core value and we and we have also performed accelerated stand committed towards the well-being durability tests for 1 million cycles non- of communities. It feels immensely stop. The entire project was driven by satisfying to be able to contribute to the six sigma methodology ensuring highest nation’s call for ‘AATAM NIRBHAR quality & performance standards. BHARAT’(Self reliant India)Local to Mr.Sushant Mittal says, “We are targeting Global, at this hour of need. In response to manufacture 3000 ventilators per to our Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi’s month and will ramp up production call for Aatmanirbhar Bharat. based on requirement. We are obliged to Mittal says,‘our team has been able contribute to the well-being of our nation if main system is not available. All to make this Ventilator indigenously, and society, and hope the time to use this the controls are modular in design so which is ready to fight COVID19.’ never comes”. that in case of emergency any laptop ‘As Modi ji also defined five pillars can be connected with the system and of Aatmanirbhar Bharat – Economy, What unique in this Ventilator: make it fictional, thereby reducing the Infrastructure, System, Demography • This ventilator has been designed to downtime of the machine considerably. and Demand, it is time to become vocal meet variable mode requirements of • Used best in class – medical grade for our local products and make them invasive ventilation available on all sensors to ensure the accuracy of the global, as Sonalika already exporting advanced critical care ventilators. device. tractors worldwide to over 100 countries. • While designing the ventilator, it was • Valve technology is from reliable In order to prove the determination of a kept in mind that at most hospitals may Indian manufacturers with technical self-reliant India, Land, Labour, Liquidity fall short of external infrastructure to inputs from Sonalika R&D team. and Laws have all been emphasized in the operate a ventilator or the patient may • Certification process initiated through stimulus package. Under this campaign, be kept at home or in makeshift critical approved government agency like special economic package will benefit care units which will lack compressed ICMR. various segments including cottage air lines. An indigenously developed oil industry, Micro, Small and Medium free air compressor as bene integrated, Innovative Sonalika Group: Enterprises (MSMEs), labourers, middle that not only makes the ventilator Under the dynamic and innovative class,Industries and among others.’ self-reliant for use outside an ICU, at leadership of Mr. LD Mittal, Chairman, On this initiative, Mr. Raman Mittal, the same time it also acts as a backup Sonalika Group, India one of the top Executive Director, Sonalika Group, compressor in case of any failure of leading tractor brands and the No.1 said, “Amongst the host of initiatives hospital infrastructure. exporter from the country. It has extended to cope up with the pandemic, • Provisional patents have been applied the World’s no. 1 integrated tractor manufacturing these intelligent ventilators on some features which will added into manufacturing plant with Capacity of is testimony of our commitment to use the system at a later stage. 3 Lac Tractors per annum, with more technology customization. Development • A lot of safety features have been then one Million proud farmers across of this machine called for knowledge in incorporated into the machine to make 120 countries. The Sonalika Group in Embedded Coding, Monitoring Software, it fail safe. Onboard control is there to engaged extensively in CSR activities to Electronic control circuits, Mechanical take over the function of the machine support its values of Care for People and Planet. la dolce vita

Wave With Her First, the locale: the combination of a mutedly opulent retreat and a craggy backdrop reminds us of rocky California as perfected by Hollywood hedonists, but ersatz Indian versions are being put to good use, as this photo suggests. The subject is Alanna Panday (cousin of actress Ananya), and she parlays large, light eyes, perfectly-cared-for tresses, youthful sveltitude and a willingness to don handsome bikinis into Instagram celebrity. Almost appropriately, she has a good degree in fashion too. Just one question: is that hand raised in salutation or valediction? We’ll wait for you to beckon us, Alanna.

Speakout Glow His name doesn’t light a spark until you mention that Apurva Asrani (right) wrote the story (based on the trvails of AMU professor Ramchandra Siras, who was gay), screenplay and edited the award-winning Aligarh. But then, as he reveals now, real life had been closely shadowing his subject. Gay himself, Apurva had to take recourse to an old trick to allay suspicions of Mumbai’s notoriously prudish land- lords—lying that his partner Siddhant and him were cousins. Now that the couple has bought a home, the need for disclosure has been dispelled. “It’s time LGBTQ families are normalised,” tweeted Apurva. True that.

58 outlook | june 15, 2020 la dolce vita

Lulu Leads Arnie Can it be that the greatest action star of his generation, and later California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been watching the great French auteur Robert Bresson’s films during the lockdown? In particular, Au Hasard Balthazar, the cinematic apotheosis of a common don- key? Arnie’s workout sessions these days have Lulu, his pet donkey, looking on with infinite, appreciative patience. Or napping in the lawn— lovingly captioned by the Terminator himself. She’s definitely not a beast of burden, but a Democratic symbol in a Republican’s home. Bring up the elephant in the corner!

A Stork Pulls A Sixer When, as a spry 90-year-old, Hardik Pandya looks back on the several years ending circa 2022, he’ll see himself astride a learning curve so steep that he’d wonder he didn’t feel dizzier than he betrayed in his occasional missteps. He’s come into his own as a nippy pacer, a destructive lower middle-order batsman, picked up social niceties and the confidence to ace sound bytes, fallen in love, married and… been a dad. You heard that loud and clear—his wife, Serbian actress Natasa Stankovic, is now expecting, and humble, ecstatic Hardik dutifully asks our “blessings and wishes”. We offer it gleefully to a man who’s crammed in so much in so few years.

june 15, 2020 | outlook 59 Amphan

Mir is television anchor, comedian, singer and PTI radio jockey

uprooted. It will take at least 15-20 years to get that greenery back. Lessons must be learnt, lest nature unleashes its fury again. Roti, Kapda, Makaan…Internet During this time, we also discovered how much life has changed over the years. Our parents never saw the need for mobile phones and the internet. Today, it’s not only about roti, kapda and makaan, but about internet as well. It’s no more a luxury, but a must-have. Communication, especially social media, has become so much a part of our lives that a minute without the internet leaves us stifled. At a time when we were shut in our houses due to the lockdown, internet The Calm After The Storm services fell victim to Amphan. With phone lines falling silent and the My breakfast show on Radio Mirchi has internet being unstable, the lockdown became even more unbearable. I been back on air for over a week. It was off-air for a couple of days as the set-up from my home didn’t work. could not have been better-timed—as It was sheer torture to stay away from your normal duties. Calcutta and its suburbs, especially the two Parganas, North and South, limp Times They Are A-Changin’ back to normality, what better tonic No complaining though—it’s time to fight back. Radio has been the best than some happy songs from the nine- way to reach out to people. The power of this medium is just too over- ties for a melodious start to the day. whelming. We have used our programmes to spread awareness and the Music’s therapeutic value is immense dos and don’ts to stay safe from the virus. It has helped for sure. We are and if the lyrics match the mood and seeing a new Calcutta—masked, gloved and meticulously observing context, the impact is manifold. Kabir hygiene. This is going to be the new normal until we discover a vaccine. Sumon’s famous number Hal chherona We were initially raising money for migrants, but now we have included bondhu (Do not lose hope, friend) is the those suffering from Amphan as well. No aid is enough right now. template of our show. It is the appropri- We didn’t celebrate Eid this time. We offered namaz inside our house for ate number to lift the morale of Bengalis the first time. Eid means biryani and a lot of goodies to savour. But you need reeling under two deadly Cs—COVID- to be in the mood for food and despite my mother wanting to do her best, we 19 and cyclone. could only think about those without even a simple meal of rice and dal. Amphan caught Bengal by surprise. We Since we have to maintain social distancing, we are unable to hold did experience Aila in May 2009. I was anybody’s hand. It’s a strange situation to be in. A warm hug can make shooting in Rashbehari Avenue then such a huge difference. But alas! when the cyclone struck the city, but Amphan was far more debilitating. Such Bring It On devastation due to a storm happened I am worried about the thousands of street food vendors who were last in 1737. Bengal is used to storms this earning their livelihood by selling delicious snacks till the lockdown part of the year. The dark clouds, the packed them off. Calcutta’s street food, especially in office areas like strong breeze and the rain bring a cer- Dalhousie, Esplanade and Middleton Row, is among the best in the world. tain degree of joy. Nor’westers have an It is a massive and successful industry, largely because the average element of romanticism. Although we Bengali is a foodie and loves to eat out. were expecting Amphan, we reckoned it Our chicken chowmein, egg rolls and even the simple shingara (samosa) are would lose its intensity before striking famous. The number of likes my food show on YouTube got is a clear indica- Calcutta and neighbouring regions. We tion of this. The good news is that eateries are opening on June 9 and vendors were completely wrong. who have suffered for almost three months will be back and raring to go. As if the lockdown wasn’t enough, Winning back their loyal customers will be the biggest challenge. Vendors Amphan added to our miseries. Large must guarantee hygiene. It will be interesting to see their new strategy. parts of Calcutta went powerless—that Calcutta is definitely smiling and breathing again. June 5 is World meant no drinking water and rotting food Environment Day and Calcutta has so much to prove. No challenge is in refrigerators. It was heartbreaking to insurmountable and Calcutta seems to say: “Bring it on”. O see how thousands of trees were (As told to Soumitra Bose)

60 outlook | june 15, 2020