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The Baluchistan Conundrum by Tilak Devasher

Tilak Devasher the author; retired from the cabinet secretariat, Government of India, as Special Secretary in 2014. During his professional career with the cabinet secretariat, he specialized in security issues pertaining to India’s neighborhood. Post retirement, he has continued to take a keen interest in India’s neighborhood with special focus on Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. He has written articles for The Economic Times, The Indian Express and many others.

This is the third book By Tilak Devasher and is almost like a series but this can be read independently since the previous two books are not directly related to this one.

This is a non fiction analysis which can be seen as an extension of a news report! The review is thus a summary of the chief points in the book to get a gist of the whole book. No spoilers and no reveals since the references are open and freely available. Those who do not read the book will get the summary while those who do read the book will get a preview!

The author starts with the introduction and the the placement of Baluchistan like how it sits astride the straits of Hormuz, one of the choke points of Indian Ocean! and finally the the division of Baluchistan

He then explains the huge assets in Balochistan and its economic importance

He mentions about the levies and police which were A areas and B areas

Statistical analysis reveals that Balochistan is 44 percent of the landmass of Pakistan! but it has the population of only 3.5 percent!

The authors tells about the hunting of Houbara Bustard which is a rare bird and is close to extinction is slated to be a foreign policy!

“A Baloch may be born without socks on his feet but when he grows up every step he takes is on gold!” is a saying in Balochistan! Which is of course a reference to the extremely rich mineral deposits in and around Balochistan!

The disparity is obvious in this single line. “Balochistan produces 45 percent of Pakistan’s natural gas but consumes only 17 percent of it”

History and origin of Baloch itself is controversial and the author tries to give information on this with an open conclusion.

Tribal system and Sardari system has been described which makes for an interesting read.

The collective character of the Baloch is manifested in what is called, ‘Balochmayar or the Baloch code of Honour’; A Baloch would be willing to sacrifice all including his life to protect it. How this code of a Baloch chief saved Humayun and how if not for that, the whole history of Mughal India would have altered!

Baloch-Pashtun divide; it is believed that the word Pashtun or Pathan is derived from the sanskrit word ‘Prathisthan’ or people who are established and command respect in society!

He talks about the Zikr (remember in Arabic) sect and how they are different from the orthodox Muslims

Hazaras are Shia Muslims migrated from Afghanistan after being persecuted. A sad saying is that a Hazara is born in Afghanistan, grows up in Pakistan and buried in Iran.

They were amused that the author knew that uru meant village, arisi meant rice and tanni meant water even to me from distant southern India.? Interestingly, Eelam (which means’independence’ in Tamil) was the name of a Brahvi-Urdu weekly that started publication in 1960 and had exhorted the government to promote both Brahvi and Ba-lochi.

Baloch-Brahvi differences? both cite a book called Koord Gal Namik written by Akhund Saleh Mohammed where it asserts that Baloch are Kurds while Brahvis are one of the tribes of Kurds.

The earliest signs of Baloch consolidation is to the confederacy of forty four tribes under Mir Jalal Khan in the twelfth century who is regarded as the founding father of Baloch Nation. Mir Chakar Rind was another ‘Great Baloch’ describing his rule as the golden age of Baloch. Mir Ahmad Khan as the khan of Kalat for establishing the first Kalat confederacy.

Kalat state of Baluchistan counted as a Princely state but wanted to deal with the Bristish directly like Nepal. In fact as late as June 1947 Jinnah assured Kalat of the continuance and safeguard of its independent status.
Treaty or communique dated 11 august 1947 in fact states that the government of Pakistan recognizes Kalat as an independent sovereign state.
Mountbatten though did not sign the treaty which made a feel of the declaration inoperative since it does not signal the recognition of the British.

A big issue was the erroneous reporting in AIR about a comment by V P Menon while no such comment was made! The premier Khan of Kalat then being extremely upset at this dismissive manner of treatment started the negotiations with Pakistan! India was anyway busy with Kashmir and Hyderabad that they were unable to evaluate the strategic significance of a sovereign Baluchistan. A big opportunity lost!

In the brief time when Kalat was independent, they even had an embassy in Pakistan with their own flag! Then the Pakistan army conquered Kalat and the Khan was forced to sign the instrument of ascension.

The chief role of British government was in question; initially they wanted an independent Balochistan. Later, Pakistan’s position during the rise of Russia, became very important (just like how US supports Pakistan now). So they later started proceeding in such a way that Balochistan will become a part of Pakistan! A strategic move because of vested interest.

Pakistan had signed a Standstill Agreement with Kalat on 11 August 1947. It had signed a similar Standstill Agreement with the Maharaja of Kashmir in August
1947. Pakistan broke both these agreements. Its subsequent history would show similar disdain for international commitments.

Insurgencies and revolts galore in the history of Baloch. Promises made even on holy Koran were broken by the pakistan army with impunity and several such incidents are enumerated by the author.

After the creation of Bangladesh; every move by the Baloch leadership was seen with suspect so much so that all major posts and leaders were either banned or arrested and a massive anti insurgence program was instituted.
Till Gen Zia Ul Haq came and ended the military insurgency. He returned properties, terminated cases and stopped military action! The effect was two and a half decade of peace! Most leaders of the insurgency either went underground or emigrated to neighboring Afghanistan. Of course the peace was deceptive since though the insurgency was ended, the Baloch conflict remained. The four year old long insurgency had politicized populace, aroused nationalist feelings and more bitterness and above all instilled in Baloch feelings of unprecedented resentment and widespread hinger for a chance to vindicate their national honor. The claim for regional autonomy gave rise to the claim for independence.

In topic of Bureaucratic under representation it has been stated that of the 830 civil posts in Baluchistan itself in 1979 only 181 were locals and that too in the junior posts. On top of this under the Domicile quota there were many non Baloch who were occupying the post by using forged documents.

Under representation of Baloch in Pakistan army is an under statement! There are a few hundred in the whole Pakistan army! While the famous Baloch regiment has no Baloch in it!
Baloch has 750 of the 1100 km coastline but there is not a single seaman in the Navy belonging to Baloch!

Education; Tilak talks about high illiteracy and low education and he tells about low female education and Ghost schools! Apparently there are schools only on paper! 15000 teachers and 900 schools get funds and salaries every month but they do not exist!

Huge mismatch between Balochistan Potential and the policies that have been followed by the successive governments.
Main issue is the Natural Gas! Till 1955-69 the share of Balochistan in the production of natural gas in Pakistan was over 91 percent but the share of consumption is over 2 percent though now it is close to 7 percent but still woefully inadequate!

Rich in resources such as Coal and copper but underutilised. Fisheries also suffering.

The issue of water also comes up since Baluchistan supplies over 81 percent of apples produced in Pakistan but now it is on the brink of a water crisis.

low poverty and Human development index have been enumerated with data and census along with low socio economic development.

Electricity- Balochistan contributes to 2280 MW of electricity to the national grid! Ironically the province gets less than what one power plant at Uch in Balochistan generates! So despite generating so much of surplus, Balochistan would not get more than 650MW unless the transmission capacity in the province is enhanced.

Balochistan has the poorest social indicators in the country. Less educated and less urbanized. MMR is the highest in Pakistan and only around 43 percent are immunized against a national average of 78! IMR is also high which is 158 out of 1000 children; a figure even worse than the 126 in Republic of Congo!

The author has given an extensive comparison with Punjab under expected lines for everyone to see! The rates follow the same pattern like one example; The annual growth rate in Punjab is around 9.1 while in Balochistan it is -3! A result of these indices, the author concludes that the consequent feeling among the Baloch being second class citizens is thus quite natural.

Gwadar; a topic discussed in length by the author about a potential tourist destination and a reference point for what could be the future. It became a part of Pakistan in 1958 after 174 years of Omani rule. There was plans to develop it as an alternative to Karachi! Then he talks about US interest, Russian interest and finally Chinese! Water crisis is a big issue here also. So much so that an advisor asked, ‘How can you build a major port or a city when there is no water?’ Then fishing crisis! Trawlers paying bribes and depleting fish stocks! and not to be far behind Land scam! Land has been sieged by state agencies, coast guards, the navy, the paramilitaries and apparently every general has a plot in Gwadar! Then seismic concern of safety and finally whether its is military of commercial project?
Then there is Chabahar which provides India access to Afghanistan via Arabian Sea by passing Pakistan! Taking the dependence of Afghanistan on Pakistan! So if Chabhar is developed then this land and sea connection would completely by pass Pakistan and open a flood gate of trade routes between India and Afghanistan!

The China Pakistan economic corridor is a big issue starting from the route to the execution to the economic outcomes. The routes have becomes politically controversial and has no lack of consensus.
Though Former chief minister Sardar Akhtar concluded that the CPEC will turn out to be another East India Company and all will make Pakistan look not like a country but China Town! It also poses security concerns as there are over 30000 Chinese working in Pakistan! There have been several attacks on the Chinese and some successful. How many groups have targeted Chinese nationals is being described in detail which can be read by the interested reader. It was too much Gore for me to digest!

Relentless prosecution; even the security agencies including army involved in highly under reported human rights violation. Some indulging in kill and dump operations.

Voice of Baloch missing person or VBMP formed by Abdul Qadeer Reki is an important organization getting these issues to the front. Qadeer’s son was abducted and his body turned up two days later after which Qadeer formed this initiative. He is also in the ECL or exit control list which is a list of people not allowed to leave the country. Most harrowing of Human rights violations are the enforced disappearances which has been described by the author including several other Human rights violations.

It is interesting to note that only ethnic Baloch were being targeted in incidents of enforced disappearance and none of the disappeared was a ‘settler’.
Information about Sabeen Mehmud, a prominent Palistani women’s right activist who had to pay with her life.

Media; the chapter starts with this harsh reality which sets the tone for the whole chapter. Not being dead is a victory in today’s Balochistan if you are a journalist. Worse there is little or no hope of prosecuting the killers let alone sentencing them! Most deaths of journalists go unpunished as a norm. This is the price our media has to pay for keeping the torch alive…

Lack of good governance or even a proper government with local leaders with the influence of Punjab is highlighted in many places in detail.

The Baloch issue is even now handled militarily rather than politically. Three factors are important here; one is that the people of Balochistan have not accepted Pakistan whole heartedly, then the Bangladesh hangover and finally army’s refusal to recognize the ground reality. The author then describes army tactic in self explanatory headings like use of excessive force, kill and dump and enforced disappearances, Downplaying insurgency, Islamization, counter nationalist and the foreign hand. They even target families. Then the role of frontier corps and their multiple check points which are a big bone of contention and bitterness.

A conclusion of the whole situation also compares Balochistan with Bangladesh but points out that Bangladesh had a good Bengali identity and middle class support and most importantly a backing by India! While Balochistan does not have a foreign Backer.

Final conclusion is that the key factor for the future development of Pakistan would be just a solution for the Balochistan conundrum, a solution that puts the Balochistan in the centre rather than the resources of the province. Failure to do so will slowly but inexorably exacerbate the crisis in Balochisthan till it explodes with dire consequences for Pakistan.

A very interesting and detailed analysis in the recent times of the conundrum which is Balochistan!

Those who love current affairs will be pleased!

A brain’s tale by Bhanav N S

Non fiction reference book for all ages! Written by a thirteen year old kid!

Rating- 5/5! No surprises there!

No spoilers of course since there is no murder mystery to solve though if I had not told you that this has been written by a 13 year old kid, you would have never guessed it!

The novel starts with an amazing introduction and forward of a child prodigy!

A Brainiac like Bhanav can only be impressed by another amazing thing! Our brain!

The first chapter is a brief introduction on the anatomy and parts of the Brain! As a Medical student would do, Bhanav first writes about the structure of brain throwing in some stories and trivia about Broca and Broadmann!

Then he talks about physiology and two brains! Similar to Daniel Karniege’s theory of thinking fast and slow; he gives examples in similar lines.

He then writes about Cognitive ease and Biases and I am wondering how a thirteen year old kid knows such complex stuff! In spite of being a medical student and a doctor in Goverment College later on; I am sure all these were beyond my cognition when I was 13!

In a typical word of a Prodigy; he starts with a sentence like, “As fancy as this term sounds, cognitive ease is simple!”. Only for a brilliant kid like Bhanav that much I am sure!

He tells about Dunning Kruger effect which is Bhanav’s way of telling that little knowledge is a dangerous thing! This was part of his discussion of Bias! My opinion now that this is brilliant is absolutely Unbiased since it is the truth!

Another chapter discusses about faces and brain and even this is loaded with trivia and scientific facts and pictures! Fun to read and loads to learn!

Like any other normal kid who reads a lot; the constant Harry Potter references show that he is a Potter enthusiast! Before you think, “nice, another normal kid!”; remember that he also quotes lines from those novels verbatim!

One chapter he talks about Colours which was my favorite chapter since though black and white sketching is my passion, colours are the best!

In another chapter the normal Bhanav tells about Placebo effect while the brilliant one tells about Noecebo effect!

Another chapter he tells about fear, phobia and amygdala! Just like that!
Of course with frequent Harry Potter references and as an exception he tells about Anabelle and the shining! Scary stuff even for me but a walk in the park for Bhanav!

Another chapter informs us about conformity and Bandwagon effect and finally the By stander effect! very interesting and informative to say the least!

In the chapter about time, Bhanav discusses about how vacation goes so quickly and about chronoception! and finally oddball effect! You must read these to enjoy and learn and how!

Chapter 10 is about how we read which is an extension of chapter 2. How its better to read in lower cases. Simply brilliant in any case!

The next chapter is on pain and phantom limb and Mirror box therapy and what not! Then he mentions about tickling and literally tickles your brain with his amazing one!

The chapter on Numbers like every other chapter in this amazing book is very well researched and thought provoking and intellectually stimulating!

The chapter on Brain starts like every other chapter with a quote which is mostly intellectual though he adds a Harry Potter quote once in a while! This chapter tells about the types of brain making me at least happy that I have one! and sad that its just normal and not a splendid one like the one which Bhanav has! The apt conclusion by him is, ‘if our brain was so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn’t’!

His chapter on memories give you deep insight and really make you think and hopefully remember!

Finally his list of references would give you a small idea of how well read this thirteen year old child is!

All in all a brilliant work by a brilliant mind! A bright future awaits this young scientist and am sure even a Nobel Prize!

Grab it with both hand and gain some knowledge on the way!

My brain is already wiser after reading this!

Neeyat the movie! Please do not watch!

This is actually a social service blog saving from the torture that is watching a movie such as Neeyat!

There was a time when there used to be one movie which used to come once a week in the only channel available! We all used to gather around the TV whether in black and white or color and the only remote used to be the youngest or the fastest or the closest to the TV kid!

Movies used to be seen between advertisements and sometimes these used to be so long and so many that we could finish the food and some homework in between!

My mother would then rush to the kitchen to clean and finish her work! Then you would get a warning that the movie is about to begin! Sometimes a kind technician would have rewind the movie a bit since we would have forgotten where it had reached!

And now the less than a minute ad and the skid ad button is the only thing we search for! The amount of options which are there is simply too much!

I can assure you that no human in the world even now can ever watch all the movies in the OTT available right now even if he or she watches them back to back!
Previously we would have waited for a week for the next episode to come of a soap or even a detective series!

And now we patiently wait for the whole series to release so that we can binge watch the whole thing or season without any wait! And since you have paid for the OTT, you are not riddled with the ad!

So when we did not have choice, even that old movie with absolutely no bankable or recognizable actor was so interesting and we used to watch glued to the TV provided the signal is clear!

While now, when the you tube plays a video in Standard definition and not high definition we cannot bear to watch it!
Previously since there was no social media or internet, we would love a movie so much without realizing that it is a remake of another movie! And now even if there is a vague similarity we find it! Now whether we like it better or not after that is dependent on how good the original movie is!

So in this day and age if you are going to remake a movie, the least you could do is select a good movie in the first place! Knives out first part was a good movie but the second part was so full of plot holes and a big mess! A murder mystery is watched by people only for closure! If you do not get closure then there is no point. The only thing Neeyat gets right is the closure! It tries to copy Knives out 2 Glass Onion and fails so miserably!

Vidya Balan has never looked so confused so much so that she is doing a better job with her reels! A recreation of a person like Vijay Mallya is the central theme of the movie!

Then they take the whole team to Scotland in a castle! I would have watched Gumnam again which is in fact a better copy of Agatha Christie’s ‘and then there were none’. Of course when we watched Gumnam, we did not know this and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Of course a big role is the role of expectation! Since we do not have any expectation it was amazing!

Then there is the son of the rich guy who looks and acts so bad that in real life he would not even have got the role of the cleaner (cleaners of course are more smart!). The other actors look like they have come on a holiday and this whole movie was a game they played! Badly and unprepared!
Dead bodies fall like the gnat to the flame and even then it is not clear what the hell is happening!

I have to add about Rahul Bose! That amazing actor in JHANKAR BEATS is made to be a fool! Every time he comes in a scene you feel like pulling out your hair and using those hairs to cover your ears and eyes! By the time Shefali has come to the scene it is a lost cause!

Then you have so many twists that at once you can know the director is really twisted!
The final twist is in the end but by that time your mind is so twisted that you just want it to get over and move on! Directors and story tellers must realise that the average viewer is spoilt for choice! Has low attention span and does not take non sense like he or she used to!

Watch it at your own peril, I don’t think the NEEYAT of the director is good!

ASTROPHYSICS FOR POEOPLE IN A HURRY BY NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON
Astrophysics for people in a hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Audiobook

Running length around 3-4 hours

Narrated by the author whose bold baritone voice make you stand up and notice the strength much like his name sake!

Long post which is a summary to save you from reading this book if you are the one who saw Barbie instead of Oppenheimer! Also it’s a refresher if you do plan to watch Oppenheimer again or read this book in the future!

Neil deGrasse is to astrophysics as Yuval Noah Harari is to History! After his stint with the series Big Bang theory and and his very famous pod casts called the star talk; Neil is a super star and a rock start as far as astrophysics is concerned! A star who talks about stars!

Rating 4/5 for the introduction and it is just that! A summary of the wide and vast universe!
5/5 for the zeal and enthusiasm in his voice! He will literally box you away!

After a brief introduction where he talks about how wave and thermodynamics and how the earth is a just a ‘pale blue dot!’ (that’s of course an ode and indication to the seminal work by Carl Sagan!)
In fact an interesting trivia is that The audiobook by Carl Sagan called the Cosmos was narrated by Neil deGrasse!
Small world indeed and in the words of Neil, ‘small universe indeed!’

He talks about how in spite of two different stream of physics, the one equation which joins then is the Einstein’s! Remarkably this was the same dialogue from the series big bang where Sheldon tries to explain dark matter!

In the beginning he starts with the origin of universe. How the big bang occurs and how matter is formed. All in a time line sequence of events.

He talks about the creation of Hedron and then quarks and then the creation of protons.

CERN descriptions largest machine in the world is described and how it is used recreate a similar situation! It is rightly called the Hedron Collider!

He then talks about the wave theory and the structure of nucleus.

He tells us the characters of quarks and their ‘quirks!’

In one chapter he tells how until Einstein mentioned the rules of gravity, no one really thought that the rules which govern the earth are the same rules which govern the universe!

First we thought Earth is special, then realised that it is the sun which is the centre! Then again we thought sun is special only to realise it is just an average star! Then we thought our milky way is pretty amazing only to realise there are more bigger and vast galaxies! Then the final is how we thought our universe is pretty awesome and a big deal only to get to know about the latest theory of multiverse!

Although this would generally deflate the ego of anyone who realises this amazing fact that he or she is not even a dust in the vast universe! (One researcher also wanted to study the effect of such a show on confidence levels!). Neil though tells how humbling it is and makes us special!

He tells about how the waves are found and discovered and talks about infra red and ultraviolet radiation and how they opened up a box of information which our previous scopes did not see since they were concentrating on the visible spectrum!

He tells about only earth and moon and Sun are in perfect sync in that because of the distance of the sun and the size of the sun cancel each other out! Which is the only reason why a tiny but close moon can actually eclipse the huge but far away sun!

Neil mentions how the amount of radio waves emitted from Earth surface may be picked up by an alien system or maybe not! Or they may not think of us as ‘intelligent’ enough! It’s like, even human kid in the third grade is much intelligent than the brightest and most intelligent chimpanzee!
How like our kids learn the numbers in primary school, the alien kid may start with complex algebra! All Neil speculation of course! No need to hit the panic button yet!

He also gives a brief summary of the elements and molecules like how they are arranged in the periodic table. Like how both oxygen and hydrogen are volatile elements but when they combine to form water, it is a fairly laid down and harmless molecule!

In between he also mentions the relative emptiness of the space but still how earth actually pushes through lots of space debris during it’s revolution!

How in spite of huge mountains and structures, from the sky, earth is a flat round sphere!

How the mighty jupiter and it’s gravity saves the earth and other planets from invasion by the space objects!

He tells us about the many asteroids and other space bodies (one of them is named after Neil! Though he tells in al humility that it’s not a great deal!).

How we don’t have to go all the way to the moon to sample the rock and surface there since the meteors and the space dusts get us delivery!

How the light and information from stars are actually timeline of what’s happened or happening!

How mars could have actually developed life first! (He even almost mentions like Ellis Silver that we may not be even from Earth!)

He concludes how his stream Astronomy is the most sublime! The final chapter steps out of the boundary of physics and gets philosophical on how people are starving or believe is creators and fight for their belief!

Of course in the end he states the futility of it all! How the air you are breathing today may have been passed out from Napoleon or Beethoven! How there are bacteria in a small space more than the number of humans in the planet!

The best line is, ‘we do not simply live in this universe, the universe lives within us!’

Kitne Ghazi aaye Kitne Ghazi gaye; My life story by Lt Gen K J S ‘Tiny’ Dhillon (Retd)

 

E-book

 

Non fictional auto biography of a celebrated army Lt General who was in charge of the security and peace keeping force in Kashmir during the crucial time of the abrogation of article 370 and 35A.

 

My interest in this book started when I saw an interview of this braveheart in which he states how two times he had been told or falsely informed to be dead by the news desk and he was in fact alive! Both the times though his wife took over her role as the wife of an army officer and how!

 

I immediatly got the book and it was a page turner!

 

Rating-4/5 for the content 5/5 for the emotion!

 

The best thing about the book is how a normal person who is just average can one day become an army general and do feats of super human capability!

 

How a great tragedy of losing his mother (How she was killed is an amazing story of bravery and it is her blood which runs in his body for sure!); he still overcame that and the loss of another close to him to slowly take control of his life and how!

 

His journey to the NDA and the struggles faced as a cadet would bring every army personnel sweet nostalgic memories! The trials and training they undergo and also the sweet wait for the one day thay can roam around the city or the vacation is pure nostalgia of anyone who has lived in a hostel but it is of course more difficult in the NDA!

 

The discipline and the camaraderie is shown with so many examples that it is a veritable guidebook for the army cadet!

 

The book would also serve as an inspiration for the youngsters who are keen to join the defense and serve the nation. Every single aspect of defense life including from a junior cadet to one of the senior most officer has been described with lots of tales and stories and with the typical ‘Humour in Uniform’

One serious notes he talks about his sojourn in Kashmir which is close to his heart and it shows! He gives a vivid description on the culture and temples and cuisines of Kashmir.

He talks about Rajputhana Rifles which is one of the chief units which protects our country from many insurgents and terrorist attack.

With sorrow and shock he talks about the Phulwama attack which is padded by pride when he talks about the come back of CRPF in spite of the tragedy and how it is actually not an intelligence failure but an accident. He tells about how intelligence is an amalgamation of complex information and it has helped thwart so many attacks but those ‘saves’ cannot be made public due to security reasons! Its is like you do not remember the hundreds of goals saved but you jump on one goal which is missed!

He gives us detailed analysis of situation in Kashmir with special emphasis on burhan Wahni, Zakir Musa and many other terrorists.

Being a doctor, I felt pride when he spoke about those doctors and nursing staff of the 92 base hospital who are providing yeomen services in spite of the stress and danger to the injured. So much so that they have been given a slogan that if you reach the 92 base hospital, rest assured you will be saved!

The amazing surgical strikes which we did and the incident of Aravindam and his return; Chief of army staff General Bajwa legs were shaking news brings immense pride to the average Indian like me!

If you pick up a gun you are dead was the slogan for anyone who decides to fight against the Indian army and become a terrorist in the Kashmir area!

He tells us the aftermath of Section 370; august 5 2019 the GOI abrogated articles 370 and 35A; The national security advisor Mr Ajith Doval arrived in Srinagar and stayed with the forces for two weeks. The author states that it was one of the best decisions to be taken and it will lead to the development of Kashmir in the long run.

The hue and cry over the internet being stopped was to prevent any propaganda like spreading the video of somewhere and causing trouble. Very soon 2g was restored and normalcy attained as soon as possible. And this and many such measures which were taken to ensure peace during those trying times have been described in detail.

 

Kashmiri Pundit exodus and its affect; he talks in passing of one of the greatest tragedies of Kashmir. He also mentions how this exodus made the intellectual Pundits leave Kashmir creating a void which cannot be filled. He also states how academia and education suffered after the exodus and Kashmir has still not recovered from this massive loss.

 

How as home minister Amit Shah with a personal meeting with Dhillon was in absolute control and fully conversant with the meeting agenda. He had done extensive research and homework before organizing the meeting and also had his ear to the ground.

 

Finally he commented that, “Bees yuvraj bhi mil kar iss bande ka muqabla nahin kar sakte!” meaning even twenty crown princes would not be able to match up to this person!

He mentions about the visit by Territorial Lieutenant Colonel M S Dhoni! and how a civilian is consoled by Tiny! All at the same time!

 

 

Operation Ma deserves special mention and is reproduced here verbatim; ‘our analysis of the situation over the last one and a half years highlighted the short shelf life of a local terrorist 7 per cent of the local youngsters who picked up a weapon were getting killed in the first ten days of their joining the terrorists’ tanzeems, and 9 per cent inclusive of this 7 per cent were getting killed in the first thirty days, 17 per cent in the first three months, 36 per cent in the first six months, and about 64 per cent were getting killed in the first one year. This implied that if three boys had joined the terrorists’ organizations, two of them or two-thirds of them were likely to get eliminated in the first one year alone. Further, 83 per cent of the boys who had joined terrorists’ organizations had a history of having indulged in stone-pelting!’

Taking the above factor in mind they instituted the Operation Ma which was very successful!

In the end he gives special dedications to many stalwarts and he does that in between too. The best and most honest dedication was for General Rawat and it was from the heart! Another dedication was to Tulla of zojila OR Anayatullah a differently abled Bulldozer driver!

 

The novel is full of stories of army, of NDA, and of Kashmir! All supplemented with amazing photos as it happened! Including photos of Bullt! (Bullet!); a sardarji’s passion and love!

He tells about the great sacrifices of the army wives and mothers and how army is one big family and how they take care of one another.

For anyone who is Indian this is a reminder that no matter what we do for the defense folks, it is just not enough! The reason why we can safely sit in our homes and comment and talk or even criticize about them is because of the security given by them by their bravery and supreme sacrifice! It has to be the love of the country which can make a person give up his family and his life and not for any money or facility.

For defense personnel and families of defense people, this is a sweet journey of nostalgia!

Go for it!

 

Jai Hind…

Pakistan at the Helm by Tilak Devasher

Non fiction

Book review

Rating 5/5 for the research and analysis

Tilak Devasher the author; retired from the cabinet secretariat, Government of India, as Special Secretary in 2014. During his professional career with the cabinet secretariat, he specialized in security issues pertaining to India’s neighbourhood. Post retirement, he has continued to take a keen interest in India’s neighbourhood with special focus on Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. He has written articles for The Economic Times, The Indian Express and many others.
This is his second book on Pakistan and is an analysis worthy of your time!

The book continues where the previous book stopped. After explaining the situation and complexity of issues in Pakistan this book is a straightforward account and summary of the prime ministers and Presidents of Pakistan.

So to better understand the chronology, you may read the previous book before you start on this one though it does not make much difference! In fact you can read the previous book even after you read this one since they cover different aspects and issues.

One of the few times where a non fiction novel feels like fiction and a page turner!

The pace is like a soap opera and you are treated with choicest of juice and gossip and politics!

In an almost cat and mouse game of sorts you are shown how the civilian Prime Minister comes to power only to get dethroned by the army chief president! And the cycle repeats!

So while his previous book concentrated on Jinnah and Pakistan people, here he tells us about the leaders who came after.

After a short introduction about end of the British Rule and the rule of Jinnah he tells us about the subsequent leaders and successors.

Starting with Ayub Khan and his rise to fame till he is ousted by Yahya khan.

Then how Yahya khan becomes the leader followed by Z A Bhutto. The author tells a lot of stories about all of them but the best stories and trivia is about Z A Bhutto!
They are so interesting to read and an eye opener for Manu like me who knew nothing about the father of Benazir Bhutto!

Eventually how he is ousted by Zial-ul-Haq and tried by the court and hanged. It’s got everything to keep you on your toes!

Then the rise of Zial-ul-Haq and his sudden death in a plane crash! Pakistan lost so many senior officers and leaders in that plane crash that it was a major tragedy!

In between all this Benazir Bhutto continued the legacy of her father ( there also you have lots of soap!) and became the prime minister twice! And with an arrangement with Musharraf would have become the PM third time if not for her assassination. Her role in getting the Nuclear tech from North Korea and how she met her husband and his role and activities has been described elaborately!

Then you have Zial Haq’s favourite politician; Nawaz Sharif! How luck favoured him and how he by so many twists of fate became the PR man of a company then finance minister by luck and then chief minister of Punjab and finally Prime minister! It is a story which much be read and enjoyed! The author has aptly named him the comeback kid! This is one of the best sections of the book!

He talks about the Kargil war and the other two wars and the loss of East Pakistan and how these events came and progressed and the aftermath of these major events!

Finally he tell’s about Pervez Musharraf in a section titled shoot and scoot! His role in Kargil and his resurgence after the war and his presidency and his deals with Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto and even Imran Khan. The period until 2017 is covered in the book.

The author gives interesting details on the lesser known stuff about everyone and backs it up with extensive research and references!

The chronology is smooth and straightforward and the narration keeps you engaged! Specially since everyone is interested in what is happening with the neighbour!
There is a short summary in the end about the book and the author also about his previous book Courting the Abyss.

Grab it if you love non fiction; grab it even if you don’t!

The 48 laws of power by Robert Greene

 

Self help book genre

 

Audio Book produced by Audible

Long post alert; There are no spoilers since this is not a murder mystery! This is also a summary of the book in case you do not get any time to read or listen to the book! In case of plan in the future of reading this book then the review is like a refresher for you!

Listening time- more than 17 hours which can be reduced by increasing the speed to 1.2 without any loss of diction or meaning

 

Rating- as a self help book 4/5; as a book you read before going to war! 5/5

The author has imagined life as a war where people in spite of being in modern times are actually stuck in ancient times! He states that even though the kings and the dukes have changes, they have been replaced by bosses and other people in power! And since the position is similar, the rules may have different names but they remain more or less the same!

 

As you can very well guess, there are 48 rules! Just the listing of the rules will take couple of pages and most of the time the name itself is self explanatory.

In most cases, the author states the law and starts by giving examples. He narrates a story which you may or may not have heard. He enumerates different aspects of the law via these stories. He then goes on to narrate the reversal or exceptions to the law (if any) by giving examples as and when required.

He takes stories from ancient kingdoms including and not limited to chinese, japanese, french, english to name a few. He takes tales from Aesops fables, Panchatantra and Kautilya to name a few though there are many such tales told in accordance to the law discussed. Many times after elaborating the law in the context of ancient time, he proceeds to tell how the law is relevant or how you can make the law relevant to the present context!

We can take and elaborate on the laws as and when we encounter them but you can actually listen to the stories in context with the law so that you can get a feel of what the author is trying to convey.

 

The first law is one of the best ones! It talks about how even if you have talent, it is better to not make it obvious! He tells the story of how a courtier met the executioner’s noose simply because he threw a lavish party while on the other hand about Galileo who discovered the Moons of Jupiter and in an attempt of getting the royal grace named them after his king! The law is ‘Never outshine your master’.

 

The second law starts with a horrible story of a friend who in spite of repeated help and support finally turns against his own friend and benefactor! And then how the author states that an enemy is much more reliable since he has so much to prove while a friend can never be trusted! Here also the author gives so many examples from history to support this view. The law is called ‘Never put too much trust in friends, Learn How to use your enemies!’

 

The third law is about secret akin to how you must never praise the product before purchase! How you must not openly reveal what you want since then it will be difficult to get it or you would get more resistance to get it! The law is ‘Conceal your intentions’

 

An extension of the above law is how you must try to limit the information given by you! The more you give, the more people know you and your true intentions so as per the law ‘Always say less than necessary’ which is the fourth law!

One of the most important things or treasures which everyone must protect is his or her reputation! The next law states and describes on how you must take care of it! The law is, ‘Much depends on reputation-Guard it with your life’

A corollary of the above three laws may be this law which states how you must draw attention to yourself when it is important or necessary! As you read the laws you will realize that many laws contradict each other or sometimes are the bang opposites! Then you must understand that these laws depend on the circumstances! You cannot put salt everywhere! The law is called, ‘Court attention at all cost’

An extension of getting attention is the fact that you must take credit for good work whether it has been done by you or not! Sometimes you can make others do your work but make sure you get the credit  for it! This is of course how Managers and team leaders work anyway! The law is, ‘Get others to do the work for you but always get the credit!”

An indirect extension of the above law is to get people to come to you or work for you or make you his or her boss or friend! Even if you tempt them with offers or bait! This is the eight law!

Although speaking is important, the author has more than once pointed out that silence is really good especially when you are correct. It is better to maintain a silent dignity than shout or as the law states, ‘Win through your actions and never through argument’

With the above laws in place the authors tells you to stay away from those who are either unsuccessful or not very lucky! Their bad luck would befall you and you can kiss success goodbye! He brutally states how they are like infected people whom you should stay away from if you want to succeed in life! The law is thus literally titled, ‘Infection: Avoid the unhappy and unlucky’

 

After the first ten laws you would get to know the general feel of the direction in which the book takes you! The author always assumes that you are reading this book to be successful in one way or the other! Or that the whole life is like a constant war and a competition which you have to win no matter what!

With that premise in mind he talks about how you must have followers or employees who follow you. How you must just give them enough that they will stay with you or follow you but not too much that they leave! That’s the eleventh law!

 

When you come face to face with an enemy then once in a while you can actually be true or kind to them! It can be a tactic to bide time to become stronger or get a means to escape the current predicament. The law is, ‘Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim’. These acts such as a timely gift or the Trojan horse will bring the guard of your enemy down and then you can attack! Of course the Trojan Horse story is mentioned here! One of the best stories he tells was about how a trickster dupes a crime lord Al Capone! The best thief is the one who steals from a thief!

 

Now at many point in your life you may need to ask for help from someone. Here the author states that instead of asking for charity, try to point out how the help given to you may actually be beneficial to the helping party and this will make him or her help you earnestly! The law is to ask for help by appealing to their self interest and never for their mercy or pity!

The author does not believe in being a friend since at the end of the day it is every man or woman to himself or herself! So in like a corollary to the law of friends; he states how instead of being a friend you must actually be a spy! May not be digestible to many but then there are so many laws! You can pick and choose whichever laws you want to or not want to follow!

Another contradictory theme is how in some stories the author states that you can make your friend your enemy but in this law he states how if your enemy is stronger or may pose a threat in the future then you Must crush your enemy totally and there must be no half measure!

The narration in these situations starts by the title called Judgement which is followed by examples of Transgression of the law and finally if poignant, the author talks about the reversal or exceptions of the law! Some have all these while many have some! Meaning some laws are mere guidelines while some laws are more rigid with no exceptions!

The sixteenth law is similar to how the absence makes your heart go fonder! Here however he talks about how your absence makes you special and in many ways increases your respect and honor!

An extension of being secretive law is that you keep others in a suspended terror! By cultivating an air of unpredictability! Many kings and rulers are known to be unpredictable which makes them powerful and successful!

But the 18^th law tells the bang opposite in that, Do not build fortresses to protect yourself-Isolation is dangerous! He explains this by telling the story of a king who became so isolated because of fear that when he died, no one got to know about it and he died alone! In fact when you isolate yourself in a castle then everyone knows your weakness and your castle in fact becomes your prison!

The next two laws are the laws of information and dealing with people especially in trade. The 19^th law is that you must know whom you are dealing with in that you must get to know him or her so that you do not ignorantly offend the wrong person!

The next law states that even if you know what you want, it is better not to commit yourself to anyone or anything! It is always better to be neutral and depending on the opportunity which  presents and then you can choose the winning side!

Another interesting law is; ‘Play a sucker to catch a sucker- seem dumber than your mark’. Effectively similar to the law above where you do not seem powerful to your enemy and then make them underestimate you and fail!

When you are caught then you must surrender at first and bide for time and plan your next move. The law here is use the surrender tactic and transform your weakness into power!

The next three laws are basically what you do in defeat or when you are faced with challenges. You must first ‘Concentrate your forces’ then ‘Play the perfect courtier or team player or employee or follower!’ and finally ‘re create yourself!”.

Everyone makes mistakes but it is only the clever who can hide them properly! This is probably one of the best quotes of the book! In the 26^th law Robert talks about the need for a scapegoat and tells us the origin of the terminology too! You need someone to blame for your failures or a scapegoat so that you do not come as a weak person! The law is called ‘Keep your hands clean’

When you make a team you must keep yourself in a step above your followers! because people need someone to follow so the next law is ‘Play on people’s need to believe to create a cult like following’

Of course when you do act then once you decide to enter there must not be any doubt or confusion! The law is ‘Enter action with boldness’

Game of life is like chess, you need to plan multiple moves and you must act accordingly. The author says that ending is everything! Here he talks about El Dorado the kingdom of gold! The law was ‘Plan all the way to the end!’

People normally do not want to listen to your struggles or how hard you work! That shows that you are weak. Here the author talks about the Japanese tea ceremony and in fact he talks about the tea ceremony and the skills for the ceremony throughout the book in different places. The law here is ‘Make your accomplishments seem effortless’

The 31^st law is based on the premise that you are giving your opponents a choice! Or at least they feel they are getting a choice while in fact you have all controls! The law is ‘Control the options: get others to play with the cards you deal’

 

The truth is difficult to hear because its ugly and painful! People love romance and beauty even if it is a lie! People don’t want the truth but want to dream! So the best way or law is; ‘Play to people’s fantasies’

The best way to get control over others is to get to know or find out your opponents weakness which is like a screw which you can turn to your advantage! You can do this by observation and watching for gestures! Everyday conversations are a treasure of knowledge by appearing interested in other person’s life. Everyone tries to hide something so there is little to be learned in our conscious behavior! Instead look for the subconscious clues! The law is ‘discover each man’s thumbscrew”

Be royal in your own fashion: Act like a king to be treated like one! That’s the law and Robert talks about Louis Philip and how he was not from direct royalty and how he treated Businessmen as equal! The royal people never like him, the poor had disdain for him while the bankers had to respect for him!

Never seem to be in a hurry! Be slow and steady! Hurrying shows a lack of control and poor planning! The best way to move forward is the law; ‘Master the art of timing’. The life and times Joseph Fouche; the minister of France and his stories are told here on how his precise timing made him successful!

Acknowledgement of a petty problem is actually giving justice or validation of the problem! Hence the 36^th law is, ‘Disdain things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best revenge!’

Imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power which everyone responds to! You dazzle with appearance! He talks about the ‘moon doctor!’ How this particular ‘doctor’ cured people by exposing people to the moon light from one window of his house while his wife did the same to the ladies in the opposite window! No one bothered to ask how moonlight can fall on opposite sides of the house! The law was termed; ‘create compelling spectacles’

An extension of the above laws of being neutral or being secretive or not making your opinions known openly is the law of ‘Think as you like but behave like others’ In effect meaning that you gel with the crowd till the right moment.

Sometimes the only way to catch a fish in silent waters is by stirring up the water so that the fishes would swim to the surface! You must stay calm but you must incite anger and emotions (which are strategically counter productive) in your enemies! So that you can strike them when they are agitated and not in control!

One of the best laws which I personally believe and follow is the free lunch! Since what is offered for free is dangerous! It always comes with a price! If something is important then its worth paying for! I use the same principle even in buying app from the app store! The law is; ‘Despise the free lunch’

The 41^st law is mostly of the great son of a great father! If your father is great or famous or legendary then it is much better to do things differently than him. It is because of a simple rule! What happens first or is original is always better! If you have to accomplish the same thing then you have to work harder and achieve at least the double! The author states thus; ‘Avoid stepping into a great man’s shoes!’

 

‘Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter’ is a very astute law! You can always find one guy or the primary issue or the chief leader who make the problem or stir up anxiety! The author tells story about how in a village they would have a ballot to banish one person who irritates everyone the most! So if the votes are large that particular person is banished!

The 43^rd law is to ‘Work on the heart and minds of others’ play on the fears and emotions of the people! The tale is told about Marie Antoinette the wife of Louis the 16^th but how she falls from being the favorite and stopping to be with the general public! Of course it does not end well!

 A mirror reflects reality but it also shows the same reality to others! Gazing upon the mirror you generally see how you want to be seen by not noticing the blemishes at first! The narcissistic power of mirror is that you can neutralize (as medusa story) and do other things such as how in childhood we get irritated when someone tries to mirror or repeat what we say! So you can use the mirror effect to disarm and infuriate your enemy!

The 45^th law is an extension of being slow and steady and also an amalgamation of many of the previous laws. How you must preach the need for change but never reform too much at once! Any change must be gradual. Here the author also states how people are so set to routine that too much change would cause too much disturbance and imbalance.

A corollary of the law which is not to show your weakness is the law which states. ‘Never appear too perfect’. When this happens then people do not see the struggle and do not appreciate the effort you have taken. This also causes an increase in expectations which is a sure sign of downfall!

An often repeated law in different forms is the 47^th law which is to stop when you are at your peak. Retire at the summit or the finish line or as the law states; ‘Do not go past the mark you aimed for: In victory learn when to stop’

A final combination of many of the above law is the final law which is to avoid taking a form. It is always better to gel in any shape meaning that you must be flexible! The Law states; ‘Assume Formlessness’

The author states that these laws have to be used depending on the situations and you can select which law to use! Most stories are of ancient times and of civilizations which are old and long gone! But the author still feels that even though and kings and the queens are gone, their representatives are the same!!

Many stories told in the book are known and many stories are repeated! Some are so unbelievable like the con who tried to sell Eiffel tower! Some stories and characters are repeated in parts to fill a particular law or justify the same! Like the story of Houdini the magician! Or Napolean Bonarpate! Or Even Galileo and Michelangelo! The stories and their conclusions are the best part of the novel and really interesting!

This is of course a reference book and just like me you may remember parts of the book when it becomes prominent or comes into your mind!

An absolutely amazing book as far as I am concerned since it is direct, raw and to the point!

This is like the modern version of Art of War or the Arthashasthra by Kautilya both of which are quoted and referenced in the book in many places!

Remember, it is a war out there! Be prepared!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Swing by Isha Merchant

E book

Genre Fictional emotional story based on true events

Rating- 5/5 The first novel gets some liberal encouragement! Deservedly so!

A simple bed time story told by the much loved matriarch of the family turns into a page turner which starts simply enough but gets on to a serious theme soon!
Just like the song Sultans of Swing, the Swing though a part of the story comes only much later and then gets left behind only to form an integral part of the story by its absence!

The story is of a young girl in the pre independence era of half education and early marriage! The free spirited girl is whisked away from her house and married to another which she makes it her own and how!

The standard mother in law (in this case sister in law!) treatment and support from the guys of the household!

All this is happening when the country is undergoing the turmoil of partition and a new country is being formed. Luckily the author just scathes the surface of the partition horror which has been confessed by the her in the end.

Being on the other side of the country is not easy since the choice is literally between the devil and the deep sea!

The challenges faced by the young girl who later on becomes a young woman and finally the elderly respected lady of the house has been told with an emotional touch.

In simple language reminiscent of R K Narayan and with the added advantage of having heard the stories first hand, the author spins a tale of emotions! The pages move effortlessly without much complications or confusion. This is not a soap, just a straightforward retelling of stories heard by the author based on true events.

The best thing about the novel is its universal appeal that anyone of any age group can read and still relate to the events in the novel.

As she says in the end, Padma and her family was lucky.

For a first time author this is a great attempt and deserves a read. Go for it!

Super Mars by Ellis Silver

Book review

Science fiction with references! so the Genre is Fiction for some and non for some!

Rating- As a sequel it suffers from expectations! It is a good time pass though!

This book is a sequel to Humans are not from Earth which grabbed my interest with so many points to why we are not from earth! It was very interesting and how!

This book is an extension as to after proving how Humans are not from earth, the author seeks to find out which other planet can be the next home for humans! Mars and Venus are considered and also other bodies in the solar system!

He also gives us a summary of what we have to do for getting Mars ready for Human colonization! and how to travel and so many technical details!

Some important segments I have summarized in case you do not get to read the book. There are no spoilers and these points in fact capture the essence of the book. For those who are planning to read the book, it is a good start and those who may not read, it is a good summary!

Geneticists working on the Human Genome Project found 223 “orphan” genes (out of our surprisingly small total of around 20,000 genes) that they can’t explain. These genes aren’t found in any other species on Earth.
Some researchers believe the aliens may have spliced them into our genomes to help us survive on Earth after their early attempts to rehouse us here failed. Geneticists have also found scars in our genome where sections of DNA have been added or removed. They’ve also found numerous other anomalies. This provides us with clear evidence that our genome has been manipulated by external forces!

Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth (at least on land!) stands just 5.5 miles high! But the tallest known mountain in solar system according to the author Olympus Mons. It’s truly massive, standing 13.5 miles high!
Mars once had several active volcanoes, but they’re all extinct now. The crust and mantel have become too thick for molten rock to break through from the core. And this causes them to swell up and reach such heights!

Dr Ellis silver says, “Researchers have found a small group of cells in our brains that can detect magnetic fields, but we can’t access any of the data from them. The cells could be a left-over remnant or vestigial feature from when we evolved from an earlier species. But why would that species have been able to sense the magnetic field if they evolved on the same planet as us? We developed other ways of finding our way around, and our ability to sense magnetic fields was lost!”
Some researchers believe that one’s Mars magnetic field has been restored and the solar wind has been divided away from the planet atmosphere should begin to reinstate itself without any further intervention

Apparently, some well-known people like Elon musk have suggested that the best way to begin terraforming process would be to heat Mars up!
His idea is to detonate a continuous stream of low fallout nucleus bombs above the Mars north and South Pole effectively creating two artificial Suns!

A whole section of the book is devoted and how we can make the planet Mars hospitable place for the human beings to live!
So many different methods and so many technical things have been discussed, including how to increase oxygen level and how to reduce the carbon dioxide level. How to maintain temperatures whether to live in Dome and a lot of infrastructure requirements

With the use of some extrapolated data, the author has opined how we can travel to the moon in around three days while it will take us about 48 days to reach Mars !

The author also told how the Martians of people who live in Mars would be exposed to a very high amount of radiation and they may develop cancers and DNA ANOMALIES! They may then either go for a gene therapy to restore the DNA or some other futuristic technology!

The first thing the author wants to do is to find cure of cancers because they will be increased presence of ultraviolet and other radiation in Mars which will lead to lots of cancers! He also says that we would develop some adaptations to survive in Mars such as a darker skin a thicker skull or maybe even an extra set of DNA!

Another question with the author is the answer is how we will travel to another planet or another solar system so that we can survive the enlargement of the sun !
The artificial spacecrafts recreated took 40 years to go to the edge of the solar system! At that rate approximately to reach the edge of the solar system or to go to another solar system the alpha century it may take us about two lakh years!
Also, we need to build a spacecraft which is big enough to carry millions of people and also have gravity! Since the distance is so much we many things like wormholes! He also talks about the prison planet theory!

Just like his previous book he also presents timelines on the evolution of planet and Humans.

In between he talks about Hominins and how they might have raped the early humans who were dropped off by aliens, he talks about how a plant based diet is the best and how gravity is off the charts on earth while in Mars and other planets it may be ok.

The final line of the book before the list of references (which gives it a scientific flavor!) is reproduced verbatim since I like it very much!

Billions of years later, humans might evolve all over again.
If there are an infinite number of universes, the Earth will form again in at least one of them – and so will you and I.
So, I look forward to seeing you again in 10^10^10^56 + 13.8 billion years!!

The final line! Meaning reincarnation!

A very interesting book indeed!