What the nuclear deal means to India - Part Two

Hello people!!! This is my 2^nd part of the series-What the nuclear deal means to India. (Excuse me for the long break between the two articles. You won’t see them again.)

The background

The framework for this agreement was a Joint Statement by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.S. President George Bush, under which India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and place its civil facilities under IAEA safeguards and, in exchange, the United States agreed to work toward full civil nuclear cooperation with India.

The Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006, also known as the Hyde Act, is the law that modifies the requirements of Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act to permit nuclear cooperation with India. This enabled the U.S. to draft a 123 Agreement to operationalize what was agreed upon in the 2005 Joint Statement and permit nuclear cooperation with India.

The 123 agreement defines the terms and conditions for bilateral civilian nuclear cooperation, and requires separate approvals by the U.S. Congress and by Indian cabinet ministers. According to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, the agreement will help India meet its goal of adding 25,000 MW of nuclear power capacity through imports of nuclear reactors and fuel by 2020.

Now, signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) are granted access to civilian nuclear technology from each other as well as nuclear fuel via the Nuclear Suppliers Group in exchange for International Atomic Energy Agency-verified compliance of the NPT tenets. India, Israel, and Pakistan, however, have not signed the NPT, arguing that instead of addressing the central objective of universal and comprehensive non-proliferation, the treaty creates a club of "nuclear haves" and a larger group of "nuclear have-nots" by restricting the legal possession of nuclear weapons to those states that tested them before 1967, who alone are free to possess and multiply their nuclear stockpiles. India insists on a comprehensive action plan for a nuclear-free world within a specific time-frame and has also adopted a voluntary "no first use policy".

In response to a growing Chinese nuclear arsenal, India conducted a nuclear test in 1974 – credit to Mrs. Indira Gandhi and her team - called "peaceful nuclear explosion" or as a deterrent to potential threats. Led by the US, other nations set up an informal group, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), to control exports of nuclear materials, equipment and technology. As a result, India was relegated to a pariah status within the international nuclear order. India conducted 5 more nuclear tests in May, 1998 at Pokhran; credit to one of the most respected statesman in the world-Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee.

The politics and a lot of media spice!!!

As mentioned in the first part, the growing influence of India among the Asian countries as well her growing prowess in economic, diplomatic and military aspects made the US realise that India will be a potent and shrewd ally in taming the rising Chinese dragon. Hence they went all out to secure this deal and to hint, in a big way, that two can play in this game of power.

And in this way started perhaps the most amazing PR exercise one has been subjected to; besides the one that goes on during the US presidential elections. What started out as a simple report on some deal regarding nuclear power now snowballed into a full fledged media circus and a game of despicable politics and ego clashes between anyone and everyone you can think of – be it some dalit leader or a general secretary of some party following an outdated ideology, even the most insignificant numbnut in power got publicity. Everyone wanted to get a piece of the pie.

The media was portraying the deal in only the possible positive aspects. Never have I seen such biased analyses done by educated people before. Verdicts were being delivered on debates as if they were based on some oracle ; truth being all of it was a plot to convince or fool the Indian people in believing that this deal will be the best thing that ever happened to us Indians. The Indian media should have been convicted for felonious fraud for doing this to us but the pie was too tempting for them.

(Owing to offensive ideas and language, people below 18 please skip this paragraph…oh yeah I am pissed!!)

On one hand we had the left, the most unproductive, hypocritical and anti-development front our country has ever seen. Claiming to give outside support to the government, it opposed every possible reform the government put across. Anti-nationals and atheists from Kerala and West Bengal who were not even elected representatives were treating the government in the same way the American soldiers treated prisoners at Abu Gharib prison. And mind you in no way is the government going to escape from my criticism. Had real men been in power they would probably do to these senior citizens from the politburo what Shakti Kapoor was best at. In my opinion, Mr Cho Ramaswamy said this about Left that summarises what I think of them being in our country – IF THE LEFT HAS A FUTURE IN INDIA, THEN THERE’S NO FUTURE LEFT FOR INDIA.

Coming to the other buffoons, the BJP and the NDA were setting benchmarks in being pathetic opposition members and making self-contradictory statements. Although the groundwork for the deal was laid out by NDA, for the sake of political opposition they said whatever came to their minds. Without doubt it was unadulterated bull crap. Then we had the dalit b***h that wore pink, which started having dreams of becoming the prime minister of our country. And this was on the support of idiots and errand boys whose only agenda was to create their own state. The government went as low as renaming an airport to the name of father of one such rag picker. Independent MPs were getting royal treatment and the whole political system of our country made us feel as hopeless as a bastard would on Father’s day.

We got to see how elected representatives of our country could stoop to all time lows when it came to behaving on national television or respecting/disrespecting the powers given to them by The Constitution. MPs had price tags, loyalties started changing, England-bred morons became famous on youtube (and I am not talking about our prime minister).One could see that civilisation was coming close to failure.

Yes, at the end of the previous paragraph I have shown some hope because this deal will be of use to us. How useful it will be is for time and the administration to tell.

The Chinese angle

The Chinese perspective and position on this issue is of important for the following issues:

1. They are a very hungry and powerful nation who happens to be our neighbor.

2. India shares a relationship with the Chinese which can be ideally described as the one between married celebrities – not exactly long lasting and too small for two egos of their size.

3. USA and China don’t have anything positive on their resume except for trade relations. Each places themselves as an adversary and a competitor. This is perhaps the best opportunity India could ever get to become a superpower.

Surprisingly, the Chinese were not very upset with the deal taking place because they understood the growing energy needs of India and also the need to maintain good relations with the US. Also by maintaining dignified silence (or even approval at times) they contributed to the cause of nuclear non-proliferation. And here ends the good part. (The Chinese are not very nice when it comes to India.)

There are many outcomes to this deal that may alter the way things move. Firstly, the Chinese will now make a deal with Pakistan to make sure India and the US is at their best behaviour. China and Pakistan, in fact, made some high profile announcements in anticipation of the Indo-US nuclear deal. In July 2005, before Singh’s visit to the US, China and Pakistan had met to consult on matters relating to arms control, disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. Subsequently, on 14 July, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) announced plans for 13 new nuclear power plants in the next 25 years, for which the Pakistanis have admitted they were largely depending on China for assistance. Already, Chashma-2 has the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) providing most of the financial and technical support. Realising this, representatives from the US and India very well know that the balance in Asia can be maintained by mutual trust and support.

One more thing to be noted is the economic opportunity in India in the form of developing nuclear infrastructure has made some entities very excited in China as well. So we may be cautious when it comes to diplomatic ties with the Chinese but on other fronts, things seem to be much more secure.

In the next part, I would conclude this series with some facts that probably not many people know and what must be done to ensure a bright and safe future.

What the nuclear deal means to India-Part 1

Alright now! Your wait has ended and here comes my 2nd post. I was actually thinking as to what I should write on. The Indo-US nuclear deal was of great interest to me. I even did a lot of reading on it. But I realized I would have to write a lot and make sure I am positive when it comes to the fact of the matter. And there were actually lots of issues that had to be explained to realize what was actually going on. But what the heck...might as well slog it out. Here goes!!!

The background:

Post independence, India was finding it difficult to come to terms with the era of scientific revolution that it had to miss because of The British Raj. Yet she had the potential to bring herself up as a superpower, as envisioned by the great Dr. Homi Bhabha and a few of his contemporaries.
One of the most groundbreaking technologies that had entered the field of energy and defense was nuclear technology. As we all know, there was a lot of growth that had to be brought into our country post independence and we needed sufficient and cost-effective resources to establish ourselves as a stable economy. Under such circumstances, hardly anyone thought of investing in the future in terms of defense, space research and energy production. But Dr. Bhabha was a visionary and true to his nature, he insisted on such issues with much aggression and conviction and Pandit Nehru was wise enough to entrust this responsibility on this great man. And there began our true tryst with destiny!!!

And now we are discussing the nuclear deal, hyped by the politicians and media alike. The core issue here deals with energy production and use of nuclear technology for defense purposes. Hidden behind these issues is a great deal of geo-politics, historic events that shook the world and some contentious aspects of the deal from the Indian scientist’s point of view.



The politics:

Post World War-II, the world got separated into two factions: Communist, which included USSR (now Russia), China, Cuba, Vietnam and a few nations in the South American continent. And there was the Capitalist faction that included USA, the whole of present European Union (EU) and Japan. A good number of nations that had gained independence from imperialist countries like England and France were in a dilemma as to which faction should they stick to. Obviously some of them were also of the opinion that a neutral front must be formed. This gave birth to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). NAM included India, Israel and a host of other nations from the African Union.

This was a very politically correct move from India’s point of view as she knew she could seek preferences and support from both the superpowers – USA and USSR. Yet she was under diplomatic pressure to prove loyalty to one of the superpowers. India however developed close military ties with Russia.
In 1962, China infiltrated into Indian Territory which led to straining of ties with The PRC (People’s Republic of China) despite the signing of the significant Panchasheel agreement. To exert more pressure on India, China strengthened ties with arch-rival Pakistan. After the Indo-Pak war of ‘65 and Indo-Sino war of ’62, considerable changes were made to India’s foreign policy. Surprisingly substantial support was received from USSR in terms of arms, finance and technology. Obviously this led to a major setback in Indo-US ties which was further aggravated by the US supporting Pakistan and India openly supporting Russia’s Afghan invasion.

Significantly, Pakistan has consistently behaved and been projected as India’s arch-rival for quite sometime. As a result, any effort in establishing peace between these two nations may lead to diplomatic ironies. I believe the only solution to the existing problem would be the birth of India as a superpower. After this, the scenario may find a lot of familiarities in the present tussle of US and Cuba.

After the fall of USSR, the Cold War was drawing to an end with the communist faction losing the pillar of support in the form of USSR and the ideology’s failure in providing stability to the communist nations. As expected, support from Russia reduced greatly and India now saw USA (NATO in general) as its major ally in her own development. Although the formation of Bangladesh was an all-time low in Indo-US relations, with India delivering the final verdict and making Pakistan like a rascal in the world’s eyes, US saw simple logic in recognizing India as a potential ally and a growing influence in Asia.


With the liberalization of the economy in 1991, trade proved to be a catalyst in the improving ties with the US. And it is at this time, that terrorism came to be recognized as a major issue with the exposure of Taliban’s atrocities in Afghanistan, the bombing of the US embassy in Kenya and India’s efforts gaining success in pointing out to the fact that Pakistan was housing terror outfits. India’s victory in the Kargil war saw a major victory on the diplomatic front too with the US and the EU taking notice of Pakistan’s outright involvement in terror activities and anti-Indian outfits in Pakistan being labeled terrorist organizations.


Things have taken a turn for better now. Although terrorism is the menace that everyone is dealing with and we have a nation like Pakistan as our neighbor, we have been recognized as a strong force in the war against terrorism. Accordingly we can bully our way to getting certain things done from smaller and less powerful nations.

This was the first part in a series of posts which exclusively dealt with the political aspect of the deal. This will be followed by the technicalities of the deal and later its implications on our country’s resources and our foreign relations with the rest of the world.

Its all about Karma

Hey guys!! Was wondering what to write for my first post on my blog.I realised that it was all about my thoughts and how i felt about some issues. What I would be more interested in though, would be transforming all of this thought and words into some action...Karma, to be precise. Certainly easier said than done, but i know it will happen. Being a practical person, I rather not use the phrase "fool's paradise" in any sense.

Coming to the point, off late a lot of my observations have made me think that it is what people think that they are judged upon. I guess I need not cite any examples if we think about it in the right frame but...

For example, take your boss at work. The character of "The Boss" for me has become an epitome of animosity, hatred, ignorance and Redefined stupidity. Why???

Consider that colleague or friend of yours who let you down sometimes when you thought he or she would be there for you. Felt ill-at-ease for quite some time after some incident of that sort? Did a lot of thinking as to why it happened? Then comes the most common form of convincing oneself that it was a part of life by saying "I should not have expected anything" or making yourself party to those entities out there who felt equally fucked up and start believing that it hurts real bad when you expect something.

I guess it’s pointless to point out any more examples if you still don't get the point. What has been depicted above is the result of one not doing his/her karma. These are just a few examples of what makes the things or people what they are.

Let me tell you that it is not at all wrong to expect. Unless its unreasonable (yeah, everything has a cliché).It is that person who you thought would be there who failed to do his/her karma. It is your boss who sat on a decision for you don't know how long that complicated things for you. It is the government which has failed to help those innocent millions .All this happened not because what you wanted could not happen. It was not wanted to happen. I don't know for what reason but let's face it. It’s still related to what was the karma of the entity in the hot seat...the government, your boss, your colleagues, your friends, your parents (yeah you got that right!!). Anyone for that matter.


Mind you this is not some cynical opinion from some seriously upset person. Right now, I am a very satisfied and happy person. I love the life that i am living. Yet this article comes amidst all this graceful existence for only one reason: My karma. I did the right thing by saying no to commitment (for the time being),to drugs, to a lot of things that don't even matter to me (maybe even you) because of what I think .And to those who think I am avoiding owning up to my failures and just want to blame someone or something for my karma, I can't help it if you think its wrong to expect or your boss is an asshole but you have to live with it.


Remember it’s not wrong to question one's actions. Just make sure you do your karma. It’s your
license to moral authtority.So go ahead and do the right thing:kick that bully from school right in the balls, slap that person who keeps spitting in front of you, try getting your work done without paying a bribe, stop doing things that don't mean anything to you, stop doing things just to look cool.Whatever it may be, just do the right thing. But remember that your karma will also have its own effects, not only on you but others around you.So think on your own before doing anything.This is the sole reason people like Gandhi and Nathuram Ghodse co-existed:they were sent to do their karma.And they did it,each one being right in their own way.They did commit mistakes,serious ones.But this is what separates mortals from the immortals.And although they died,it is their actions that continue to inspire and make us realise that its all about Karma!