"Power to ati jati rahati hain, lekin logonke dil me jagah banana, unke liye kam karna sabse badi bat hain !" --- Nitish Kumar

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 “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed,

And everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity."

--- From ‘The Second Coming’ by W.B. Yeats

Above lines have haunting relevance for contemporary international geopolitical upheaval. After witnessing two world wars, the urge of mankind was to avoid another catastrophe. After going through blood shedding pages of history, it reaffirms centuries old adage ‘The only lesson we learn from history that we don`t learn from history.’ The journey of mankind after two devastating world wars is so tragic that total number of civilians killed in civil war and conflicts thereafter outweigh the deaths and causalities in both the world wars. Then world has never stopped watching the cycles of violence repeating again and again due to mistakes and deliberate interventions of superpowers complemented due to failure of international community and institutions like United Nations to enforce peace and prevent conflicts. 

What is the notion of power, or for better reference to the current debate and dust of applause about emerging or emerged India, what does it really mean by 'superpower'? Is it mere array of strategic/geopolitical strengths and assets or is it ability to survive the challenges domestically about education, health, food security, cutting edge science and technology research, resilience in the crisis, value system of the societies we are living in and principles of the societies still who are emerging in the form of our young  minds and younger aspirations and youngest skilled/unskilled human resource in the coming world. Institute of Defense Studies and Analysis recently organized Inaugural Former Defense Minister Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Lecture. Dr Sunil Khilnani, the author of 'Idea of India', is Starr Foundation Professor, Director of the South Asia Studies Program at the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University and was speaking on this occasion on "The Great Power Game : India in the New World".  Another fascinating scholarly analysis by Prof. Wang Hui of Chinese Language and Literature at Tsinghua University, Beijing dealt with "How to Interpret China". Prof. Hui is the author of the masterwork "The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought," and most recently "The End of the Revolution".

            The concept of superpower is increasingly questionable. The rising challenges in 'Post American World' in the context of realization that 'The World is Flat', are compelling the warmongers from the hyper-power, allies of cold war era, defenders of free trade, critics of liberal media in communist societies and anti-obscurantists in developing societies the concept of superpower more and more vulnerable to the paradox of process of level playing field and increasing disparities in the globalized world. 

India`s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, according to Prof. Khilnani, "After independence in 1947, - through the pursuit of what he termed ‘intelligent self-interest’ - managed to transform this almost ludicrously optimistic ambition into a relatively effective policy of state: in the polarized and unpropitious circumstances of the Cold War, he established an international voice for his country, based not on ‘hard’ power but rather on a dextrous combination of moral legitimacy and realpolitik." From giving birth to Non-alignment ideology towards the constant need of multipolar world in the context of current financial crisis and weakened United Nations, India has witnessed helpless journey Indian Foreign Policy through the horrific channels of history where humanitarian-non humanitarian intervention in the other countries has been the order of superpowers of the day.

            Somehow Indian scholars, diplomats and leaders failed to capitalise on this idea of non-alignment. Its name might have been irrelevant but the idea enshrined in those words is still contemporary. Prof. Khilnani captures this irony in very subtle words like: "If India is to maximize its international position, it should begin to
operate with a more nuanced conception of power. If one limits the understanding of power merely to a narrow realist dimension, then it is hard to see how India can rival the prowess of the world’s great states in the foreseeable future. It will remain in a middle group, well behind the first rank of present great powers, if one measures power purely in economic or military terms. However, ‘world power’ today is a complicated, continuous strategic project, not a once and for all acquisition. Some of its aspects are tangible enough; but others, no less important, emphatically are not." 

 Khilnani further maintains: "As a matter of policy, India has long staked its international power heavily on multilateral institutions - variously, the Commonwealth, the Non-Aligned Movement, the UN and, in some respects, the WTO. It has often worked these effectively; but given the reality that in many matters of vital concern to India it will be US attitudes that determine the scope and efficacy of multilateral institutions, India will need to explore other avenues and methods to push its interests. Historically, India has tended to position itself somewhere between the powerful and the powerless, the rich and the poor - and between contending ideological groups. Its primary mode of exercising autonomy in the international domain has been negative: refusing to participate in alignments, treaties and markets which it viewed as skewed in favour of the more powerful. This was perhaps an extension of the Gandhian strategy of boycotts and fasts; as Nehru put it in the mid-1950s: ‘Asian strength exists in the negative sense of resisting’."

A recent IDSA Paper maintains that: "Nehru’s aim in advocating the principles of internationalism was to realize the creation of the ideal of One World centred on the United Nations which represented the world community. Keeping this in mind, he crafted independent India’s foreign policy composed of five elements: opposition to colonialism, imperialism and racialism; concept of non-alignment vis-à-vis the two Cold War blocs to preserve Asia in particular as an ‘area of peace’; prevent internationalization of conflict; disarmament; and peaceful co-existence as embodied in the Panchsheel agreement for the evolution of a peaceful and co-operative international order, thus paving the way for realizing the ideal of One World. These elements became the framework through which the foreign policy of India was conducted, mostly connected and identified with ‘non-alignment’. The author clearly expresses that all these elements including non-alignment were designed for the realization of the ideal of One World.” (Source: The Indian Advocacy of Internationalism in the Nehru Years by S. Kalyanaraman on November 19, 2010 as Fellows' Seminar at IDSA, New Delhi )

 Wang Hui’s monographs include, in Chinese, From An Asian Perspective: The Narrations of Chinese History  2010); The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought (four volumes), (2004–2009); and Rekindling Frozen Fire: The Paradox of ModernityThe Rise of Modern Chinese Thought The End of Revolution: China and the Limits of Modernity (Verso, 2010); China’s New Order: Society, Politics, and Economy in Transition, translated by Ted Huters and Rebecca Karl (Harvard University Press, 2003) etc. (2000). His books translated into English include the forthcoming (four volumes), which is expected to be finished by 2010.

            Prof. Hui asserted that Confuscious thought has influenced the Chinese intellectual tradition since centuries. Confucianism represents the collected teachings of the Chinese sage Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BCE. His philosophy concerns the fields of ethics and politics, emphasizing personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, traditionalism, and sincerity. In Confucianism, human beings are teachable, improvable and perfectible through personal and communal endeavour especially including self-cultivation and self-creation. A main idea of Confucianism is the cultivation of virtue and the development of moral perfection. 

Confucianism holds that one should give up one's life, if necessary, either passively or actively, for the sake of upholding the cardinal moral values. Humanity is core in Confucianism. A simple way to appreciate Confucian thought is to consider it as being based on varying levels of honesty, and a simple way to understand Confucian thought is to examine the world by using the logic of humanity. So, according to Prof. Hui, different dynasties in Chinese tradition and history not only adopted different philosophies from time to time moreover weaved in the Confuscious tradition, they also sought 'Legitimacy' from outer world for the survival of their dynasty.

 Self defence has always remained controversial due to its ramifications on aspects of sovereignty and legality. Self-defence is always provided as a justification for unjustified intervention in another state`s territory. Though for use of self defence, premise is established in a manner that it is temporary departure from strict legal norms for fortifying bedrock of rule of law. But history has witnessed everlasting peace cannot be established through the gun barrels. Self-defence also touches many sensitive issues under international humanitarian law, gross violations of human rights, atrocities committed by aggressors, non state actors to highjack conscious of general public either to support or rebel against pre-emptive or preventive use of force as the case may be. 

 The very foundation of United Nations was to prevent future generations from scourge of war which is also enshrined in its charter. This charter prohibits use of force by its members as a basic principle. The only justification which is available for use of such of force in absence of such authorization by UN is self defense. But powerful nations have sidelined this basic principle under the garb of self-defense. Such kind of unilateral invasion has instigated unending cycle of violence. In the era of technological advancements, invention of nuclear and weapons of mass destruction, it will be very heavy price for achieving Millennium Development Goals. Voice of major reformists in working style of Security Council should accelerate the process of actual changes. Keeping in the view long-lasting unfulfilled goal of enduring peace and sustainable development, one should remember that the issue of self defense should not only be viewed from the prism of ‘legality’ but also from the perspective of ‘legitimacy.’

India`s new role of Bridging the have`s and have`s not world depends on how Indian foreign policy establishment understands following situation. It may be economic/financial packages of the Chinese in Africa, Latin America or whether it is military intervention of USA in Asia and Europe, India has to assert its role in the world irrespective of the position in the Security Council. Ultimately amidst the twister of the geopolitical discourse, we have to remember the warning of legendary doyen of strategic thinking in India K. Subrahmanyam: “The meaning of Superpower means only and only to ensure ‘Right to Education and Right to Food’ along with the investments in science and technology for betterment of the humankind.”

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Information Driven Innovation Economy !!!

This week everyone in the capital and country to some extent was immersed in the Obamania. Every media person, strategic analyst was guessing what Obama will speak in Parliament or whether he will mince any words on core issues to the Indian concerns. On the sidelines of an historic occasion marking the bilateral relations, speech in Parliament was indispensable to any other speeches he made. But more than that if we consider the substance of his visit-- driving more jobs to home and sustain business in troubled trauma of financial crisis, the speech he gave at Chicago American Library Association Conference in 2005 holds more relevance than his at the Indian Parliament on 8th November 2010.

 At Chicago, in 2005 he said:
“Only a few generations ago it was possible to enter into the workforce with a positive attitude, a strong back, willing to work, and it didn’t matter if you were a high school dropout, you could go in to that factory or work on a farm and still hope to find a job that would allow you to pay the bills and raise a family. That economy is long gone. And it’s not coming back. As revolutions in technology and communications began breaking down barriers between countries and connecting people all over the world, new jobs and industries that require more skill and knowledge have come to dominate the economy. Whether it’s software design or computer engineering or financial analysis, corporations can locate these jobs anywhere in the world, anywhere that there’s an internet connection. As countries like China and India continue to modernize their economies and educate their children longer and better, the competition American workers face will grow more intense, the necessary skills more demanding. These new jobs are not simply about working hard, they’re about what you know and how fast you can learn what you don’t know. They require innovative thinking, detailed comprehension, and superior communication.


But before our children can even walk into an interview for one of these jobs, before they can even fill out an application or earn the required college degree, they have to be able to pick up a book and read it and understand it. Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible, from complex word problems and the meaning of our history to scientific discovery and technological proficiency. And by the way, it’s what’s required to make us true citizens. It’s not enough just to recognize the words on the page anymore. The kind of literacy necessary for the 21st century requires detailed understanding and complex comprehension. And, yet, every year we pass more children through schools or watch as more drop out. These are kids who will pore through the help-wanted section and cross off job after job that requires skills they don’t have. Others will have to take that help wanted section over to somebody sitting next to them and find the courage to ask, “Will you read this for me?”


Three events this week emphasized this whole perspective about crucial aspect of reading, its place in knowledge economy of radical-frugal innovations and its larger significance for our societies which are urgently seeking the attention of the best brains of the world who are busy solving the problems of the rich who do not have any problems actually.

Within hours of Obama leaving New Delhi, the next day it was a corporate world which jumped to catch the baton for further cooperation between India and USA. The meeting was titled ‘US-India Conclave: Partnership for Innovation -- Imperative for Growth & Employment in both Economies’. The need to forge better partnerships was inspired from belief in the urgent need to address many challenges. As Indian government`s National Innovation Council understands: "The needs of the new knowledge economy in the 21st century demand new thinking, new responses and new mindsets. The challenges of our times in health, agriculture, education, environment, energy and governance demand more efficient and sustainable solutions which meet the needs of our people. Innovations are the key to unleashing this mindset change because they have the potential to re-define and re-shape everything – from products and services, to governance, organisations, processes, people, economy, institutions, business and technology. Innovation fulfils needs which cannot be met by conventional products, processes and institutional forms and can have a significant impact in terms of social and economic value. Innovation is all about change and related opportunities to improve access, affordability, sustainability, efficiency, productivity and competitiveness.”


On 11th November this week, National Youth Readership Survey 2009 sponsored by National Book Trust, India and conducted by National Council of Applied Economic Research with collaboration of ‘Nelson Research’ was released. In the era of fast changing world, youth as human capital has the ability to modify itself and other inputs. In 2020, an average Indian is expected to be only 29 years old, as against 37 years in China and the US, 45 years in West Europe and 48 years in Japan. While developed world is observing the higher rate of ageing, India will have 47 Million more people in the working age group population by 2020. In order to reap the benefits of this "demographic dividend" it is necessary that the knowledge and skill levels of our young population need to be at international standard. Objectives of the Study:

• To prepare a detailed demographic profile of Indian youth according to sex, age, level of education, occupation and other socio-economic characteristics;
•  To study the usage pattern of various information sources both print and electronic media in terms of accessibility, frequency, time spent, place of exposure, etc;
•  To comprehend/assess the readership status, reading habits and preferences, with particular reference to voluntary leisure reading among the youth;
•  To identify and assess the role of motivational factors that influence reading habits and preferences;
•  To understand the purpose behind and attitude towards reading among the youth and know how the two attributes shape their aspirations, perceptions and attainments; To ascertain the extent of awareness, interest and informedness among the youth about the various youth developmental programs; and to understand youth perception on important social and developmental issues;
•  To study the aspirations and perceptions of the youth, their role in nation-building activities and their satisfaction levels and the challenges ahead;
•  To assess the level of awareness about NBT initiatives towards creating a strong culture of reading and motivating the youth to become enthusiastic readers and also to know the youth perception in this endeavour.

Research Questions were:

• How often, how much and what Youth read?
•  What are the types of reading materials used?
•  What are their reading preferences and interests with regard to the reading subject matter? 
•  What are their purposes and motivations for reading?
•  Do they read to acquire new skill and knowledge or to improve their present ones?
•  What are their opinions and attitudes towards reading as a pastime activity?
•  Does other sources of information (TV, Computer) affects reading habits? Reading and Reading Habits

Reading is the art of interpreting printed and written words. Reading is one of the most effective means of systematic development of language and the personality. Reading habits of youth have been a matter of much interesting educator, parents, publishers, librarians and other stakeholders. Reading interests and reading habits is a life-long process which begins in the home, improves systematically in the school and is carried on in later life depending on individual’s social role and positioning. What is Readership Research? Readership research is a scientific process in which readers’ perceptions, attitudes, satisfaction, and expectations about a publication are quantitatively collected and analyzed for better decision making and offering of the publication. Strong culture of reading and motivation is certainly equip youth to develop and maximize their potential to the fullest since reading is the one of most effective means of systematic development of the personality. In this context, National Book Trust (NBT), on its Golden Jubilee celebrations conducted a “National Action Plan for the Readership Development among the Youth (NAPRDY).

The 21st century is truly the era of the “learning society.- continuous learning is necessary if economic development is to be ensured. Progress in science and technology is happening at such a pace that conventional or class room education is no longer sufficient. The young people today need to read more than their forbears to fulfil their obligation as responsible citizens as well as to meet their personal and social objectives. The country can compete with the developed countries only if creates a strong culture of reading among its youth. Without a regular reading habit, advantages accruing from literacy or what is learnt in school may be quickly frittered away. Therefore it is high time that our educators think in terms of imparting what is known as “life-long education or life-long self education”. Globally reading is on decline, leading to widespread erosion of comprehension skills even in developed countries. There is an urgent need to reduce the missing link between literacy and library. It is possible by providing books to the people rather than waiting for the people to come to the books, providing books to people which are easy enough for people to enjoy and the continuously investing in the ongoing programes like Right to Education.

On 12th November this week, Thomson Reuters Innovation Awards for India were given by National Innovation Council Chairman Dr. Sam Pitroda. The winners from were Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL), Ranbaxy Laboratories, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the National Institute of Immunology (NII). Speaking at this occasion Dr. Pitroda urged to think towards new vistas of questioning the traditional mindset. He narrated different initiatives taken by National Innovation Council (NIC) to identify the drivers of the innovation. This work which will be based on the previous 300 recommendations of National Knowledge Commission will strive to make India, not only a Innovation Driven Business hub, economy but also Governance, Education System, Agriculture, Health Research and to a larger extent nature of society. Dr. Pitroda emphasised on changing our whole mindset as a nation. He said, “We’re living in the 21st-century knowledge economy; but our schools, our homes, and our culture are still based around 20th-century and in some cases 19th-century expectations. We have 19th century mindset, 20th century processes and 21st century problems.”


NIC will provide a broader PLATFORM for Innovations everywhere to include: Products, Services, Organisations & Institutions, Processes, Research and Development, Science & Technology, Governance, Social and Cultural, Mindset and National/ State/ Sectoral Councils. NIC will focus on KEY DRIVERS: Multidisciplinary, Collaborative, Transformative, Generational Change vs. Incremental Change, Durable vs. Disposable, Need vs. Demand, Nature as Nurture Locally Relevant, Globally Connected & Competitive and Focus at the Edge. NIC will expand Space for Discourse on Innovation in the country by: Discussions, Debates Seminars, Conferences, Best Practices, Alternative Dialogue, Re-thinking, New Ideas Media and Innovation Portal. NIC will facilitate the creation of necessary ECO-SYSTEMS through: Incentives & Awards, Innovation clusters at universities, Innovative business clusters, Innovation in MSMEs, Organisational Autonomy & Flexibility, Policies & Programmes, New Institutions & Infrastructure, Risk/ Venture Capital, Intellectual Property/ Patents and Web & ICT as tools. NIC will encourage Innovations for INCLUSION aimed at the Bottom of the Pyramid through: Awareness, Access, Affordability, Availability, Scalability, Sustainability, Quality, Pervasive Growth, and Innovations for/ by the people, Innovations for the Bottom of the Pyramid.

The NIC aims to re-define innovations to go beyond formal R&D parameters; facilitate innovative solutions that lead to inclusive growth for the people and by the people; foster an innovation eco-system across domains and sectors to strengthen entrepreneurship; focus on key drivers to ensure sustainability, durability and quality and expand the space for dialogue and discourse on innovation. NIC will also be involved in facilitating State level and sectoral innovations. This will create an eco-system to boost innovation performance in the country. Creating a framework for evolving an Indian model of innovation, with focus on inclusive growth, to delineate policy initiatives within the Government, required to spur innovation, to develop and champion innovation attitudes and approaches, to create appropriate eco-systems and environment to foster inclusive innovation, to explore new strategies and alternatives for innovations and collaborations, to identify ways and means to scale and sustain innovations, to encourage Central and State Governments to innovate, to encourage universities and R&D institutions to innovate, to facilitate innovations by SMEs, to encourage all important sectors of the economy to innovate, to encourage innovation in public service delivery and to encourage multi-disciplinary and globally competitive approaches for innovations.


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A Beautiful Mind

            

Henry David Thoreau said, “Money is not required to buy necessity of soul.” Yes, it is true. Even though I am successful in not having any money to realize the essence of above thought, not a single day passes without my grave disappointment due to the failure of the self in knowing the depth of the mind. Is mind a caricature of human imagination or it is extension of human brain and body connection. Does mind exists beyond brain and body? Is there any place for the concepts like soul, spirit and likewise when we describe the mind? Why I am continuously being driven by the vices and virtues of the ordinary life? Why I am immortal by my grief and mortal by my pleasure? Sometimes I find mind to be very subtle, even hard to catch in the wavelengths of electron microscope and suddenly when I write a poem, it transforms itself in the sky wearing the dress of rainbow. 

What if I could not discover the micro layers of the brain full of billions of neurons, cells which continue to die and born for the destruction and creation of memory, the biochemical reactions and somatic developments going on the tiny brain ? What if I do not know parallel world of consciousness and unconsciousness which simultaneously determines the fate of our actions; many times we do not know the reasons behind those actions. And if we are not aware what we do not know, then it does not matter whether we are acquiring some knowledge out of our perception, observation, continuous thinking, introspection, synthesis of arguments and convergence of theoretical hypothesis and practical verification. So we should ask our mind, what we know and what we do not know. 

We have always loved our mind. We always say, “Follow the mind (heart), not the brain.” If that is so, what is dramatic difference between the brain and the mind? Can it be demonstrated? If we think rationally, mind is a subset of bigger organ of human brain. Or can we say that mind is metaphoric architecture of the aesthetic and subjective frame of reference situated in our brain. Every language has its own grammar. Our mind has also some kind of grammar. This is codified in the way of habits, standards of behavior, degrees of intuition, benchmarks of perception, scopes of worldview, depths of customs, ranges of traditions and vastness of experiences. Have you noticed, we always say, “Mind your language?” Child learns language by its own, being in the realm of the environment. We need not teach it the rules of the grammar. How then that it is possible? Same goes with the mind. As language does the tasks of ‘description’ and ‘explanation’, mind also does the work of ‘expression’ and ‘amplification’ of the senses of the brain.

            
 If the mind is not something having metaphysical existence, then it should be purely of biological, psychological existence. We always do some voluntary actions, many times we are bound by certain rules and numerous times we are compelled to follow actions due to threat and extreme emergency conditions. How our mind reacts in these situations? Does it have separate expression of desire or is it bound by previously and simultaneously happening dynamic events? Does mind have “Free Will”? If it is having a independent free will, then how it is possible that the world in which we live being so much deterministic and interdependent, allows that mind to be having a free will so as to try to fulfill own wishes? Have you not heard the famous ‘White Light’ poem? “Lady called bright-white started her journey tomorrow and reached her destination yesterday.” So, relative and subjective position and momentum of the observer clearly decides and defines the nature of language of description, explanation and further expression and amplification of mental sensory reaction towards that event.

There is not fix and defined way to understand mind. Study about mind teaches us to be tolerant and to respect the diversity of various natural, human and technical disciplines. It is a mammoth task to understand the gravity of mind as we have to dwell with the religion, philosophy, metaphysics, logic, anthropology and linguistics on one hand and cognitive science, neurology, biology, evolution, computational sciences, artificial sciences on the other hand. It is possible that many people are exploring and speculating about the different types of possibilities about the functioning of the mind and the brain. If someone has already excelled and proved his/her credibility in area of research and understanding, then it is justified to have a learned, systematic and mature guess at the things we know less. This gives great opportunities for convergence of different disciplines, culture of thoughts and re conciliatory perspectives; leading towards multidisciplinary and trans-disciplinary inquiry.

Following are the philosophical problems to which ongoing developments in cognitive science are highly relevant.

ü  Innateness: To what extent is knowledge innate or acquired by experience? Is human behavior shaped primarily by nature or nurture?

ü   Language of thought: Does the human brain operate with a language-like code or with more general connectionist architecture? What is the relation between   symbolic cognitive models using rules and concepts and sub-symbolic models using neural networks?

ü  Mental imagery: Do human minds think with visual and other kinds of

imagery, or only with language-like representations?

ü  Folk psychology: Does a person's everyday understanding of other people consist of having a theory of mind, or of merely being able to simulate them?

ü  Meaning: How do mental representations acquire meaning or mental content? What is the relationship between representation to the world, and a community of thinkers?

ü  Mind-brain identity: Are mental states brain states? What is the relation between psychology and neuroscience? Is materialism true?

ü  Free will: Is human action free or merely caused by brain events?

ü  Moral psychology: How do minds/brains make ethical judgments?

ü  The meaning of life: How can minds construed naturalistically as brains find

value and meaning?

ü  Emotions: What are emotions, and what role do they play in thinking?

ü  Mental illness: What are mental illnesses, and how are psychological and neural processes relevant to their explanation and treatment?

ü  Appearance and reality: How do minds/brains form and evaluate representations of the external world?

ü  Social science: How do explanations of the operations of minds interact with explanations of the operations of groups and societies? [1]

The self is indeed something that arises from brain activity of a certain kind and in certain brain areas, and that this activity is also closely tied to functions related to “qualia”. In contrast to the idea that qualia are private, subjective, and unsharable properties belonging exclusively to a private self Qualia are the ‘raw feels’ of conscious experience: the painfulness of pain, the redness of red. Beliefs are also associated with ‘partial qualia’ and conscious awareness, once they are made explicit in ‘working memory’. The distinction between qualia associated with percepts and those associated with explicit (or occurrent) beliefs may be quantitative rather than qualitative. Tacit beliefs, on the other hand, are completely qualia-free. [2]

V.S. Ramchandran further elaborates about eight distinctive characteristics due to which a special type of qualia is able to generate the mind of artist, novelist, poet, painter or anyone who is distinct.  Example: A piece of modern contemporary art, a painting!

a)      One, the peak shift principle; not only along the form dimension, but also along more abstract dimensions, such as feminine/masculine posture, color (e.g. skin tones) etc. There may be classes of stimuli that optimally excite neurons that encode form primitives in the brain, even though it may not be immediately obvious to us what these primitives are.

b)      Two, isolating a single cue helps the organism allocate attention to the output of a single module thereby allowing it to more effectively ‘enjoy’ the peak shift along the dimensions represented in that module.

c)      Three, perceptual grouping to delineate figure and ground may be enjoyable in its own right, since it allows the organism to discover objects in noisy environments. Principles such as figure–ground delineation, closure and grouping by similarity may lead to a direct aesthetic response because the modules may send their output to the limbic system even before the relevant objects has been completely identified.

d)     Four, just as grouping or binding is directly reinforcing (even before the complete object is recognized), the extraction of contrast is also reinforcing, since regions of contrast are usually information-rich regions that deserve allocation of attention. Camouflage, in nature, relies partly on this principle.

e)      Five, perceptual ‘problem solving’ is also reinforcing. Hence a puzzle picture (or one in which meaning is implied rather than explicit) may paradoxically be more alluring than one in which the message is obvious. There appears to be an element of ‘peekaboo’ in some types of art — thereby ensuring that the visual system ‘struggles’ for a solution and does not give up too easily. For the same reason, a model whose hips and breasts are about to be revealed is more provocative than one who is completely naked.

f)       Six, an abhorrence of unique vantage points.

g)      Seven, perhaps most enigmatic is the use of visual ‘puns’ or metaphors in art. Such visual metaphors are probably effective because discovering hidden similarities between superficially dissimilar entities is an essential part of all visual pattern recognition and it would thus make sense that each time such a link is made, a signal is sent to the limbic system.

h)      Eight, symmetry — whose relevance to detecting prey, predator or healthy mates is obvious. (Indeed, evolutionary biologists have recently argued that detecting violations of symmetry may help animals detect unhealthy animals that have parasites. [3]

Neurons

So, eventually I am scripting a semi colon in long quest of the Mind by highlighting the ‘processes’ of the qualia. This poem is written (23^rd April 2010) well before I saw today “Agony and Ecstasy” a biographical film on Michael Angelo. In many scenes, when Angelo is painting day and night the ceilings of Sistine Chapel, Pope asks him when his work of painting will end. To that, Angelo replies, “When I am finished, your holiness.” In this spirit, please take a glance at following.

Craziest Moment

Imagine, I discovered unique element

Or invented novel chemical;

What makes me crazy is process and

Not the end which ends my craziness!

Imagine, I loved someone

Or someone loved me;

What makes me crazy is process and

Not the end which ends my craziness!

Imagine, I am writing a fiction,

Or I am reading a beautiful face;

What makes me crazy is process and

Not the end which ends my craziness!

Imagine, I am starved to death

Or I am recalled even after last breath;

What makes me crazy is process and

Not the end which ends my craziness!

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[1] Thagard, Paul, "Cognitive Science", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2010 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2010/entries/cognitive-science/>.

[2] V. S. Ramachandran and William Hirstein, Three Laws of Qualia What Neurology Tells Us about the Biological Functions of Consciousness, Qualia and the Self, Journal of Consciousness Studies, 4, No. 5-6, 1997, pp. 429–58

[3]  V.S. Ramchandran, BBC Reith Lecture Series 2003

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Intelligence and Dissent : Made for Each Other !!!

What is the difference between honeybee and worst architect? The difference is honeybee works intuitively while the architect envisages a plan first in mind and then it is transferred to the paper and further to the worksite. Likewise our mind where the conflict of ideas takes place going beyond the necessary consensus is necessary for learning new knowledge bypassing dogmatic prejudices. The playground of mind is truly the citadel of creative and confident scholar. It is rare experience that the ideological assertiveness and commitment towards science behind academic position can coexist together. Prof. Utsa and Prof. Prabhat have given that rare experience to Indian scholarly community and largely to Indian society.

The intellectual rigor and argumentative character of a person helps to theorize particular developing problem or situation and thus emerges great mind which comments, discusses and guides a particular discourse for construction of great scholarship, institutions and movements in their lifetime. This is the unique achievement and gift of both of them to the social sciences in India. This is particularly significant when both of them are just stepping down from the formal chair of Professorship after 40 years of mentoring to the generations of students of economics in JNU.

Two such striving forces behind such great, monumental passion of “Living Commitment” completed their formal engagements in the Jawaharlal Nehru University. Truly “Made For Each Other”, Prof. Utsa and Prabhat Patnaik were epitomizing force behind agrarian and anti-imperialist issues in post-modern India, though there are lot of issues about modernity yet to be addressed in a serious way.

The galaxy of Professors, friends and students were assembled at Godavari Dhaba in JNU to celebrate the ethos represented by an energetic and synergetic couple of extraordinary commitment towards the issues of common man, the love for them which is impossible to flow without the essential warmth of a good human nature they possess. All of the senior Professors and students lauded, appreciated, revered, praised, laid tribute, and saluted the astounding degree of achievements these two Professors have accomplished in their life. With both returning from Oxford and Cambridge in 1973 in the heyday of the founding times of JNU, they remained the torchbearers of academic dissent and symbol of intellectual integrity beyond the issues of Economics to cut across the social, international and political developments in last quarter of century.

Prabhat and Utsa shaped many generations of legendary Economists, many of them are still serving JNU, in many policy making and in policy shaping institutions across the world and off course the people forming intelligentsia in political and social organizations who are greatly influenced by thinking of Prabhat and Utsa in realizing the massive disparity between “Shining and Suffering India”. To witness the formal transition phase called ‘retirement’ of these renowned public intellectuals was a definitive moment to reflect towards the fact that how a person singlehandedly with his/her deep confidence about their knowledge can fight carrying a sense of great optimism and uncompromising attitude against the ignorant yet powerful brains in the policy and political domain.

Three hour long ceremony was dominated by round of unending applauses, mention of various anecdotes and instances enticing waterfall of laughter and expression of location of the time-scapes in the memory when both helped, supported and inspired student community in JNU and at large. This ceremony was in a way, was a testimony for a greater introspective process towards the challenge emerged in the recent times in the form of increasing intolerant attitude towards the independent character of the minds, scholarship and institutions who are trained, groomed and cultivated in a culture which learns, masters and innovates an art to question.

In one paper Utsa says: “The correct theorizing of the questions of food security and poverty has become particularly important at the present time, which is one of rapid changes in the economic environment in which small producers including farmers and workers are living.” (Theorizing Poverty and Food Security in the Era of Economic Reforms, En publication: Globalization and the Washington Consensus: its influence on democracy and development in the south. Gladys Lechini (editor). Buenos Aires : CLACSO, 2008)  Exactly on the same lines, today Prof. Utsa appealed to the students to learn the “Language of the Discourse.” She insisted upon the need to engage our minds to argue and fight about how the issues are framed, defined and debated. So, that context of ‘a rigorous engagement in rational arguments’ is of paramount importance. She linked this ‘power of discourse to influence definition of issues’ to the larger question of higher education and quality of research in India with the reference to the upcoming initiative of Govt. of India to establish world class universities in India with the help of foreign institutions, universities claiming world class status and excellence in their achievements.

Prabhat, one of the DOYENs of critic of neoliberal economic policies world over; in his small speech praised the ability of the vibrant student community to inform, educate and guide the momentum in the scholarly interaction, particular movement and issues of institutional development. Eventually he appealed to the students to maintain that character of intellectual rigor, independence and hard work to arrive at the competence of the person who can really steer the wheel of the movements necessary to raise many new emerging questions which need to be studied and debated; in the Dhabas of JNU and in the core domain of our democracy i.e. politics and policy making. 

 The dignitaries who extensively shared their experiences, memories about PRABHAT and UTSA were SITARAM YECHURY, PROF G K CHADDHA, Former VC JNU, PROF. JAYATI GHOSH (CESP), PROF. C.P. CHANDRASHEKHAR (CESP), PROF. ZOYA HASAN (CPS), PROF ANURADHA CHENOY (SIS), PROF ANWAR PASHA (SL), PROF. S S JODHKA(SSS), PROF. KAMAL MITRA CHENOY(SIS) and others. 

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‘Towards a history of India's international relations: Notes from the field’ ...

 

What were the reasons due to which Nehru decided to call ceasefire in J&K and take the question of it to the United Nations, what were the reasons behind Nehru`s decision not to sign an boundary settlement agreement in 1954, what were the reasons behind formulation of USA`s response to the Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbour in 1941, what were the reasons behind every strategic-military decision taken subsequently during every historic moment which decided the course of larger flow of developments to take shape? What tools does an historian have to unpack those events? Records are one of the most trusted ones. Personal memories are also very strong instruments to analyse these events so as to arrive at the causations of those events. I can finger to one such very interesting column being written in The Indian Express since many months by senior journalist Inder Malhotra, column name being The Rear Angle.

History is all about right and left. If you do not take positions you are bound to ruin your argument. Telling a story in a narrative way is most profound form of rudimentary style History uses when it discusses events, although there may be many debates about what an historical event accounts for. And also as Bertand Russel says, “Most plausible argument about historical event can be most easily refutable.”So, it is all about how we perceive it.

International relations is all about documenting the patterns of changes happening around us deducing those to least possible models, frameworks and perspectives compared to detailed, voluminous and in depth referencing in the History. Social sciences are not that efficient to analyze, explain and communicate the "Change" in terms of what international relations expert might want to see in geopolitical perspectives. But history gives a certain framework of historical materialism and Marxist approach to do that, a distinct privilege amongst the social sciences. 

 As Armitage puts in one of the papers “The Fifty Years` Rift: Intellectual History and International Relations in Modern Intellectual History  (Vol.1, Issue 1, 2004 pp. 97–109):

“For much of the past half-century, history and International Relations have been two fields divided by a common language. As diplomatic history—in the strict sense of history written from diplomatic archives—gradually moved from the centre to the margins of historical concerns, so International Relations became both more theoretical (in its elaboration of ideal-typical models of state behaviour) and more positivistic (in its ambition to stand alongside the other social sciences). The methods and aspirations of the two disciplines grew ever further apart, with seemingly more damaging results for International Relations than for history. International Relations scholars remained consumers of history even when they did not follow contemporary trends in historiography. However, the number of historians who engaged with International Relations became vanishingly small."

Largely history of the nineteenth century was moreover history of international politics. Colonialism, imperialism, world wars, industrial revolution, trade tensions, military modernisation and many other events to flag. So, where does the history of international relations starts, what significance it has in our contemporary polity and what public role thus the international relations scholar has when it comes to arguing the diverse facets of the historicity of the politico military alliance in every part of the last two centuries.

Dr Srinath Raghavan who is faculty member in Defence Studies Department, King’s College London and Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research, was in JNU today to discuss all these issues in detail. He was visualising the different possibilities through which one can start writing about history of international relations in India; in the terms of purely military aspects. According to him, history of international relations was largely written in the framework of social and economic terms. Economic aspects dominated due to implications of the industrial revolution and that of the great depression. Social analysis dominated because if you are not working on any subaltern aspects of history you are not considered as a serious historian. So, largely this neglected part of political history of international relations has to be focussed in the studies in case of India and subcontinent.

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