Jan., 2014 - Interesting Articles & Links

Nayak-2: Kejriwal Spoof with Alok Nath -- http://ibnlive.in.com/news/aib-recreates-nayak-with-arvind-kejriwal-and-alok-nath/448308-79.html

Using RNAi for pest control - Pollack, NYT - http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/28/business/energy-environment/genetic-weapon-against-insects-raises-hope-and-fear-in-farming.html?_r=0

Dhonti, Praveen (2014): THE ROAD TO GURGAON -- http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reportage/road-gurgaon?page=0,1

In pictures - Kejriwal doing things -- http://www.theunrealtimes.com/2014/01/23/in-pictures-arvind-kejriwal-doing-things/

A conference call in real life -- http://www.tastefullyoffensive.com/2014/01/a-conference-call-in-real-life.html

Derrick Coleman’s amazing letter to a hearing impaired girl -- http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/derrick-coleman-writes-amazing-letter-hearing-impaired-girl-who-liked-his-ad-155144

The Illustrated Guide to a PhD -- http://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-illustrated-guide-to-a-phd-2012-3

Indian Memory Project - http://www.indianmemoryproject.com/

Fibonacci in Apple logo -- http://corealiscreative.tumblr.com/post/7897162852/apple-logo-rob-janoff-i-hadnt-realized

A Violinist in the Metro -- http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/music/a/violinist_metro.htm

- Joshua Bell’s experiment, 2007

-  "If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?"

Battle for severe institutional changes...has begun -- http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/changing-the-rules-of-the-game/article5602599.ece

Broken Bodies, Suffering Spirits - US Civil War -- http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/21/science/broken-bodies-suffering-spirits-at-the-mutter-museum.html?rref=science&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Science&pgtype=article&_r=0

Mysteries of the X-chromosome - http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/21/science/seeing-x-chromosomes-in-a-new-light.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0

Singapore letter -- http://blankanvas.bypatlaw.com/lead-story/dear-singapore/2012/12/16/

Hiroo Onnoa - obituary - http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/world/asia/hiroo-onoda-imperial-japanese-army-officer-dies-at-91.html

Tharoor on Khobragade Incident -- http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/shashi-tharoor-says-that-us-authorities--arrest-in-december-of-india-s-deputy-consul-general-in-new-york-has-profoundly-damaged-bilateral-relations

- To most Indians, common discourtesy cannot be repackaged as moral virtue.

Tushar Shah says river-linking in India is no longer a viable option -- http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/too-grand-to-work/

Japan’s mediocre rice -- http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/10/business/international/japanese-begin-to-question-rices-sacred-place.html?_r=0

Demand-driven Research in India -- http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/editorial/demanddriven-research/article5554382.ece

Trade Deficit? Dont worry! -- http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131224190934-38251380-don-t-worry-about-the-trade-deficit-it-s-meaningless?trk=object-title (LinkedIn)

Japanese ghosts & spirits -- http://io9.com/14-terrifying-japanese-monsters-myths-and-spirits-1498740680

Hiding eyesores at home -- http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/genius-ways-to-hide-the-eyesores-in-your-home

Tokyo - 50 Reasons - http://www.timeout.jp/mag/50reasons/

http://www.businessinsider.com/8-things-the-worlds-most-successful-people-all-have-in-common-2013-12?IR=T#!

Project Syndicate - articles of 2013

- http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-moral-shortcomings-of-conspicuous-consumption-by-peter-singer

Kobragade -- http://www.the-american-interest.com/blog/2013/12/31/solving-the-simmering-india-us-diplomat-disagreement/

Mody, Ashoka and Michael Walton (2014) -- LETS NOT WAIT FOR A SAVIOR -- http://www.indianexpress.com/news/let-s-not-wait-for-a-saviour/1214363/0

Hausmann, Ricardo (2013) -- The Specialization Myth -- http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/ricardo-hausmann-warns-that-advising-cities--states--and-countries-to-focus-on-their-economies--comparative-advantage-is-both-wrong-and-dangerous

Gandhi, Divya (2014): A CeNSE of THINGS TO COME -- http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/a-cense-of-things-to-come/article5526494.ece

- Nano devices to cut the costs of medical diagnostics

Indian Science & Tech: The Price of Red Tape

India-born scientist, Prof. AJ Paulraj has won this years' prestigious Marconi Award. Multiple-Input and Multiple Output (MIMO) wireless technology pioneered by Paulraj now enables us to use high-speed internet connections through WiFi and 4G.

While going through the award citation and the press coverage that followed, what struck me was that unlike most NRI's scientists, Prof. Paul was originally with the Indian Navy. Its the navy that sent him for higher studies to IIT-Delhi, and then on to a PhD at Stanford.

Again, unlike most NRI's, he returned to India to found three major labs -- CAIR (Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics), CDAC (Center for Development of Advanced Computing) and CRL (Central Research Labs of Bharat Electronics).

And then something happened that drove Prof. Paul out of India. According to a Times of India article:

"...by 1991, according to the now familiar narrative, bureaucratic battles began to take their toll, and with the consent of the Indian Navy, he returned to the US and Stanford University. ''His departure for Stanford University was a major loss for our country and the circumstances that led to his move may explain why we have so few Nobel Laureates from India,'' Admiral Tahiliani said."

What happened?? What is the "familiar narrative"? Where were the bureaucratic battles waged?

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LINKS & REFERENCES

* Marconi Society - announcement - http://www.marconisociety.org/press/2014paulrajannouncement.html

* Chidanand Rajghatta (ToI, 23Jan14): NRI Scientist AJ Paulraj wins Tech 'Nobel' - http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2014-01-23/us-canada-news/46513090_1_indian-navy-mimo-iit-delhi

* Introduction to MIMO technology - http://www.ieee.li/pdf/viewgraphs/wireless_mimo.pdf

* Thomas Kailath - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kailath

India & Japan: Looking into Hazy Skies

Tomorrow, for the first time, a Japanese premier would be the chief guest at India's Republic Day parade.

Behind all the symbolism is the bland fact that both sides are living in hope. India hopes that Japan would find some spine and emerge from the shadows of being a US client-state, and Japan hopes that Indians will stop jabbering about "civilizational linkages" and get real about building linkages in trade, commerce and defense.

In today's Indian Express, PD Samanta has come up with some interesting examples. First, the much touted long-term 2012 agreement to supply 4000 tonnes of rare-earths per year to supply rare earths to Japan seems to have fizzled out.  Thanks to a temporary dip in international prices, Japanese firms are trying to drive a hard bargain on long term contracts, and this has turned off DAE.

US1a (pic from MOD, Japan site)

The second  is Japan's offer to sell US2 amphibious aircraft to India. A Joint Working Group is "exploring modalities for the cooperation". In other words this is still in the realm of academic debates, and with the latest crop of corruption scandals in defense purchases, we can rest assured that it will be years before the bureaucrats on both sides decide on anything.

Tomorrow morning, while Mr. Abe peers through a smoggy morning at Russian, US and French-made military aircraft flying across the skies, he might be wondering if Japan too can get a slice of the market. Or maybe he will continue giving us lectures on nuclear abstinence and business etiquette until the next elections.

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LINKS & REFERENCES

PD Samanta (Indian Express, 25Jan14)-- ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/arrested-development/

US2 - STOL Aircraft - http://www.shinmaywa.co.jp/english/news/pdf/09-02-19.pdf
- http://www.shinmaywa.co.jp/english/products/us2_capability.html

JWG for US2(ET, May'13) -- http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-05-29/news/39602101_1_india-and-japan-japanese-counterpart-shinzo-abe-aircraft

http://thediplomat.com/2013/10/the-benefits-for-india-of-a-us-2-deal-with-japan/

Battle of Clones

Yesterday, Biocon India launched a 'new', cheaper breast cancer drug called CANMab

In India, breast cancer is the second-most common form of cancer after cervical cancer with 150,000 patients being diagnosed every year. The new drug, CANMAb, is priced about 25% lower than Roche's Herceptin.

For all practical purposes, this seems to be a copycat drug. Like Heceptin, CANMAb too disrupts HER2 protein production and is being marketed as a 'Biosimilar' to a monoclonal antibody called Transtuzumab.

So what does this mean in plain English?

An antibody is a "Y" shaped protein used by our body to identify and kill intruders like bacteria and viruses. Like matching pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, a part of the Y-shaped protein identifies and 'locks' on to a unique part of a foreign target (called antigen). An intruder thus marked can then be destroyed by the immune system. Monoclonal antibodies are produced by identical immune cells and are exact replica's (clones) of the parent cell.

Biosimilars are substances derived from a living organism by techniques that use recombinant-DNA or controlled gene expression methods.

So Biocon India has essentially found a better, commercially more competitive method of producing monoclonal antibodies (MAb's), to take bite of the Swiss MNCs lobal market share ($6.4b globally and $21m in India), for an existing anti-cancer drug.

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LINKS & REFERENCES

Heceptin from Roche - http://www.herceptin.com/

Biocon Press Release - http://www.biocon.com/docs/PR_Biocon_CANMAb_18Jan2014.pdf?subLink=news&Fileid=467

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibodies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoclonal_antibodies

Blind Spots and Khobragade

Thanks to a lady named Sangeeta Richard, its a lot easier now to drive around in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Gone are the ugly concrete barricades painted in blue-red. Private security guards have been hemmed in; an encroached avenue has been restored to the public.

USA needs to be thanked for reminding us that we too have rule books. And for telling us on our face that they care two hoots for India's laws and regulations.

One thing that amazes me about this controversy is  the blind-spots that figure in arguments put forth by those who stand on both side of the divide. In almost each and every article I have read in the Western press, there is no mention of the fact that the maid's family was sneaked out India by the US embassy officials, two days before the 'arrest' and cavity searches (for what? unpaid dollars??). Not one mentions the fact that the employer-maid dispute was already sub judice in an Indian court.

On the other hand, in India, most of our commentators seem to be closed to the possibility of the maid having a genuine grievance with her employer. To them, she is just another opportunist fishing for a US green-card. And lets not even start on Preet Bharara, that despicable quisling desi trying to lick up to the goras.

If Devyani Khobragade falsified her documents, there is no doubt that she should be punished for it. What rankles Indians is the fact the the US State Department was sneaky about the whole thing. Instead of keeping their counterparts in the loop and easing her out of US, steps were taken to deliberately embarrass India.

As Mukul Keshavan pointed out, it is silly of US to talk of law enforcement and justice after the Raymond Davis episode. Ultimately, everything seems to come down to the motto,  ‘Don’t do as I do, do as I say’. Preach from a high horse when an application form is fudged, but when it comes to murder, damn the laws and regulations of other countries!

The Khobragade episode has served as an enema for all those who had rosy notions about India's diplomatic services and India-US relationship. Now that all the crap is out of the way, we can get down to real business in the true Spirit of Reciprocity.

You respect my laws, and I'll respect yours.

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LINKS

Kishore Mahbubani, Indian Express, 13Jan14 -- http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/two-shades-of-immunity

Shashank Joshi, The Interpreter, 13Jan14 - http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/india-demands-ouster-of-us-diplomat-allegedly-involved-in-nanny-pay-dispute/2014/01/10/2652c510-79fd-11e3-a647-a19deaf575b3_story.html

Ellen Barry, NYT, 10Jan14 -- http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/01/11/world/asia/indian-diplomat-flies-home-after-indictment-in-us.html

Mukul Kesavan, The Telegraph, 9Jan14 -- http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140109/jsp/opinion/story_17765020.jsp#.UtLKzfQW39U

Sandeep Roy, FirstPost -- http://www.firstpost.com/world/devyani-khobragade-row-why-the-us-emperor-has-no-clothes-1331155.html

Life in Privelege - http://contrarianworld.blogspot.in/2013/12/devyani-khobragade-life-in-privilege.html

Entreprenur's 'Letter to an Indian nanny in New York' http://www.indianexpress.com/news/letter-to-an-indian-nanny-in-new-york/1210913/0?SocialMedia

Former diplomat Prabhu Dayal's oped http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2528046/Fear-loathing-New-York-Former-diplomat-Prabhu-Dayal-reveals-Indian-envoys-US-fall-victim-maids-pursuing-American-dreams.html

Dec., 2013: Interesting Articles & Links

2013 Roundup -- http://caravanmagazine.in/perspectives/p-pappu

28  Indian Dishes -- http://www.storypick.com/28-must-dishes-28-indian-states/

Jagganathan on Khobragade-- http://www.firstpost.com/world/devyani-khobragade-row-time-we-returned-the-insult-to-us-liberally-1293367.html

- The case doc in US - http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/December13/KhobragadeArrestPR/Khobragade,%20Devyani%20Complaint.pdf

Car battery drains -- http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/repair/how-to-stop-car-battery-drains

Because who is perfect? -- http://www.realfarmacy.com/because-who-is-perfect/#ZxiOqkWVO20omudg.01

Brazil and Terminator See Technology - http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/dec/12/brazil-gm-terminator-seed-technology-farmers

Cancer patients - Carefree just for a second - http://www.utrend.tv/v/one-second/

Singapore riots - racist analysis - http://therealsingapore.com/content/stop-humanizing-banglas-indian-fts

Nobel Prizes - gender, region-wise -- http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2013/12/daily-chart-10

* Close shaves -- http://vitaminl.tv/video/1517

* Pink tutu - http://www.buzzfeed.com/maycie/this-guy-travelled-the-country-in-a-pink-tutu-just-to-make-h

* Vitamines -- http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/science/vitamins-old-old-edge.html

* Ukranian gymnasts -- http://www.utrend.tv/v/amazing-girls/

* Kejriwal -- http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reportage/insurgent

* Mandela speech -- http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/ideas/anonymous/mandela-0

* What to consider before a DNA test -- http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323308504579087103446161772

* A graphic designers resume -- http://rleonardi.com/interactive-resume/

* A century of dog-breeding -- http://sploid.gizmodo.com/how-a-century-of-dog-breeding-ruined-these-beautiful-an-1477122149

* Adhaar now 5 of 15 Pecabytes -- http://techcrunch.com/2013/12/06/inside-indias-aadhar-the-worlds-biggest-biometrics-database/

- http://www.moneylife.in/article/aadhaar-private-ownership-of-uid-data--part-i/32430.html

- now 5 of 15 petabytes (10^15bytes)! -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petabyte

* Advt - Put racism in the right place -- http://www.dnaindia.com/videos/1931595

* Metals in your smartphones have no substitutes - http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/metals-in-your-smartphone-have-no-substitutes/article5433612.ece

- original article - http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1312752110

* Nano Park in Karnataka gets Rs.100 Cr GoI funds - http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=79109&sid=1

- diagnostic sensors and lab-on-a-chip which may soon become an important part to improve global health

- Graphene holds much promise for the future and the world’s first FM radio transmitters made from it was announced by Columbia University just last week.

- state government called on scientists to come up with tangible nanotechnology-based solutions for food security, energy security, water purification, medicine and healthcare vis-à-vis waste management

Photography - girlfriend leading - http://petapixel.com/2013/03/01/photographer-captures-girlfriend-leading-him-around-the-world/

Nagarajan, Rema (2013): http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/80-of-medicines-not-covered-by-price-control-order/articleshow/26678324.cms

- government merely lifted the entire National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) 2011, comprising 348 medicines, and placed it under price control

- The combinations not covered under NLEM account for Rs 31,866 crore or almost 45% of the total pharma market of Rs 71,246 crore in 2012

- S Srinivasan of LOCOST, a company producing drugs for use by NGOs to treat the poor

- An independent evaluation of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy, by the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID)

* Malaria Vaccine from Oxford - boosting CD8-T cells

- Nature Communications paper - http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2013/131128/ncomms3836/full/ncomms3836.html

- BS (2Dec) - http://www.business-standard.com/article/international/new-promising-malaria-vaccine-developed-113120100136_1.html

- Okairos - T-cell based vaccine company

- Genetic vaccines using modified Adenovirus vectors - http://www.okairos.com/files/file/Okairos%20Fact%20Sheet_%20Sept%20'2011(1).pdf

* Dinosaur DNA -- http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21590874-how-remnants-dinosaur-tissue-have-survived-millions-years-life?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/pe/lifeintheoldfossilyet

- "...nothing organic could possibily survive for 68 million years"

- highly reactive ions known as free radicals, which are produced by iron as it is released from the haemoglobin, interact with the organic tissue causing abnormal chemical bonds to form. These bonds effectively tie proteins in knots at the molecular level, much as the preservative formaldehyde does.

- DNA is thought to have a half-life of 521 years

- Can iron-preserved proteins retain DNA structure? ... the team used an iron-removal compound known as pyridoxal isonicotinic hydrazide to delicately pull iron away from the dinosaur tissues without damaging them. They then added four different stains that react only with either DNA itself, or with proteins closely associated with it in organisms other than microbes. Remarkably, in all cases, these specific stains lit up inside the ancient cells in the tissue samples.

For Argument's Sake

A drunken Indian got run over by a bus. His friends vented their anger on public property, by overturning a few vehicles, torching some police cars and running amok until they got bored and exhausted.

This would have been a fairly commonplace sequence of events in most cities. Singapore was not meant to be one of them. Following the ethnic riots of the 1960s, the city-state under Lee Kuan Yew had enforced a series of measures to ensure small sparks did not lead to major conflagrations.

Unfortunately this is exactly what happened last week. Temporary migrant workers of Indian origin let loose their anger and frustration on public property. The police was at first taken aback but finally when the dust settled, 30 workers were booked, many were imprisoned or deported. While all this was going on, it was interesting to see what was happening on the sidelines.

One particular 'average singaporean' went overboard with his allegations about Indians in general, and in reply, this is what one Mogan Das had to say -

useful article.i was looking for a piece of writing for my students that will demonstrate fallacies in argument.you seem to have covered nearly all - ad hominem, burden of proof, reductive fallacy, argument from false authority,use of cliches, confusing correlation and causation, appeal to coincidence, false cause amongst many many other fallacies...in such a short article furthermore.i don't know where you were educated but it certainly paid off. i didn't know that people like you actually existed. people posting comments here may call you a degenerate and a dehumanized piece of asswipe, rightly so if i may add, but i still need to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this 'excellent' piece of analysis that will entertain my students for years to come.

Humor and sarcasm aside, I was not able to differentiate some fallacies in argument. Here is a refresher recap:

* Ad hominem - Attack on the character of a person rather than his arguments
* Burden of proof - Also known "appeal to ignorance" this fallacy places the burden of proof on the wrong side

For a full list of fallacies, please check the Nizkor Project link.


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LINKS

http://therealsingapore.com/content/stop-humanizing-banglas-indian-fts

Logical fallacies - https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/03/

The Nizkor Project - https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/03/

Biotech Meets Nanotech

In India, Nano is the name adopted for a little car which was meant to be the most affordable car in the world.

On the other side of the globe, in USA, a scientist-entrepreneur of Indian origin is ready with something on a completely different scale. Dr. Anita Goel of Nanobiosym, has created a portable device called Gene-RADAR which, for the first time, can detect deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in less than an hour, using just a drop of saliva or blood.

Incredible as this may sound, it is one of the many strides that being made with 'devices' that are no bigger than some molecules. In this case, Gene-RADAR uses nano-machines to detect specific DNA and RNA bio-markers in real time.

What are these nano-machines? A nano refers to a billionth measure (1/10^9). So a nanometer is a meter divided by 1000,000,000. It is a scale on which you can describe the size of molecules, parts of a living cell and the wavelength of visible light-spectrum.

Such devices are beginning to be used to detect the presence of viruses. As of now, the most accurate form of HIV viral load testing is  based on polymerase chain reaction technology,  a technique which amplifies a few copies of a piece of DNA to generate thousands or millions of a particular sequence for testing. In the U.S., the test costs about $200, and takes at least two weeks to get results, since the equipment used is large and not found in most hospitals.

At AIIMS in India, the premier, government-subsidized tertiary hospital in New Delhi, the same test costs about Rs.6000 (~ USD 100). Even then, it is way beyond the reach of regular patients.The is some hope that Nanobiosym's innovations will help bring down the cost of these tests.

Dr. Goel is  a pioneer in the emerging field of nanobiophysics, a new science at the convergence of physics, nanotechnology, and biomedicine. Her company aims to drastically cut the time and cost involved in diagnosing diseases, especially in parts of the world where it is difficult to install cumbersome lab equipment. Gene-RADARs are going to be field-tested in Rwanda next year, and possibly in India, later.

Under the current set of laws and regulations covering clinical trials, it is difficult to test the technology in India. It would be interesting to see how the device fares in Rwanda.

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REFERENCES & LINKS

* What to consider before a DNA test -- http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323308504579087103446161772

* Beikimpis, Victoria (2013) - Heal Thyself - http://mag.newsweek.com/2013/12/06/heal-thyself.html

* http://www.nanobiosym.com/our-team.html
- science & tech in society forum - http://www.stsforum.org/

* 23andMe - http://www.newsweek.com/fda-doesnt-want-you-unzip-your-genes-207358
- 23andMe - DIY genetic screening device - uses just a saliva swab
- Promised “health reports on 254 disease and conditions,” “carrier status,” “health risks” and “drug response” as a “first step in prevention…"

* http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/26/warning-letter-to-23andme-could-be-a-landmark-case-for-health-care/
- The FDA recently clamped down on a mobile medical app called uChek, pointing out that the company’s marketing was misleading.
-  Navigenics (a 23andMe rival that was acquired by Life Technologies for an unspecified sum)

* http://venturebeat.com/2012/08/13/using-a-few-drops-of-saliva-23andme-creates-a-song-out-of-your-dna/

* http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-25/a-portable-hiv-test-that-provides-results-in-minutes
- Gene-Radar uses nano-machines to detect specific DNA and RNA bio-markers in real time
- other lab-on-a-chip project - Theranos, for example, recently made its instant diagnosis technology available in some Walgreens (WAG) stores

* http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/bioflash/2013/12/still-in-stealth-nanobiosym-sheds.html

* http://mag.newsweek.com/2013/10/18/cervical-cancer.html

Squirrels on a Chinar Tree

At an IGNCA exhibition of Mughal miniature paintings this was one of my favorites. 

Painted about 500 years ago by an artist named Abu'l Hassan and titled "Squirrels on a Plane Tree", it shows a hunter attempting to climb up a lovely, lone Chinar, sending a dozen furry tails scampering into the autumn foliage.

One question remained though - are the squirrels in the upper Himalaya's different from the common striped ones you see on the plains? 

The squirrels in this painting certainly look a lot more like the ones in the Ushiku Daibutsu zoo in Japan, than any types I've seen in India so far..

Japan's Not-so-Royal Expectations

The Emperor & Empress of Japan are now on a visit to India after 53 years. Highlighting the significance of this visit, Sanjaya Baru, in his article, "Love from Tokyo" (IE, 21 Nov., 2013), describes how a seemingly Indian-looking sculpture behind a Tokyo hotel reminded him of the ‘firm foundations of an ancient civilizational link’ between the two countries.

Even a cursory look at the recorded history of the two countries will tell you that if at all there is a civilizational link' between India and Japan, it runs through China. The iconography that so impressed Baru does indeed come in many forms, and they all have Chinese names. The six-handed figure may have been that of "Kannon", the Goddess of Mercy. At the ancient shrines in Kyoto there are also numerous icons of "Binzuru", better known as the Buddhist monk, Pindola Bharadwaja.

Tenuous historical connections aside, as we prepare to welcome the royal couple it would be useful to remind urselves that Japan's monarchy, has only been a front for alternate power centers in Japan for nearly a thousand years. Ever since the military generals - the Shoguns - usurped political power after the Warring States Periods (Sengoku Jidai), the monarchs have mostly been playing a symbolic role scripted outside their palaces.

Symbols are of course powerful instruments in nation-building.

Japan's monarchy, as it exists today, is a carefully constructed artifact of the Meiji Restoration period (1868-1912). It was in this remarkable phase of Japan's history that reformers emerging from the Samurai elite displaced the Shogun and notionally restored power to the monarchy.

Behind the scenes, a band of young, bold reformers - most of them freshly minted from foreign universities - rammed through tough reforms that made Japan what it is today. Almost overnight, they abolished Samurai class titles and distinctions; imposed free, compulsory education and established an effective national healthcare system.

The reformers also decided to replace Buddhism, which had turned 'decadent, meek and submissive', with a state-sponsored version of Shintoism, headed by the monarch himself. Thus an emperor, who could go shopping in Tokyo without being recognized by the public, was re-launched by the Meiji nationalists to play the role of a 'Living God' and foisted as the 'Symbol of Japan'.

The strategy was a runaway success. A deeply feudal, agrarian society transformed itself within just a few decades into a modern industrial powerhouse, and a shining example to the rest of the under-developed world.

It is an enduring Asian tragedy that Japan's emergence as a westernized, industrial state also turned it into yet another, relentless, exploitative colonial power. As Imperial Japan marched from one conquest to another; starting with Manchuria, Taiwan and Korea, to almost the whole of East Asia, it left in its wake, a legacy that rankles even today: Unit 731, Nanjing, Comfort Women, and a string of disputed islands.

The Japan that re-emerged from the war, and American occupation, was a very different country. Article 9 of its Constitution “renounced war forever”. Under Prime Minister Yoshida’s doctrine, it outsourced national defense to USA, and diverted all its resources towards building a strong export-oriented economy.

In many ways, the post-war economic boom also turned it into a timid, insular society which, like a rich moneylender imagines that throwing money around can solve the problems of the world. Today it is a country where the old outnumber the young, and its university graduates increasingly prefer to stay at home, in cities, rather than venture into the outside world. Japan’s lifeline of export-oriented industries is steadily losing out to other Asian economies - especially South Korea, Taiwan and China.

And yet, as we have seen in the aftermath of the 2011 'Triple Disaster', few people in the world have the disciple, stoicism and pragmatism to bounce-back, and to thrive against all odds.

In this context, as the Japan reaches out to strengthen its linkages with India, let us let us clearly recognize our own perceived weaknesses. First of all, we talk too much. The O-shaberi Indo-jin (glib-talking Indian) is a title we could do without. We prefer to indulge in sentimental tosh instead of acting on practical decisions. We tend to sacrifice long-term relationships for short-term gains.

The Japanese need a stable, predictable destination to park their investments. They need a steady source for rare earths, iron ore and other raw materials. They need greater access to our markets and human resources. Instead of swiftly bridging these demand-supply gaps, we flip-flop over many things such as the dedicated freight corridor project. After years of negotiations our finance ministry now reported to be having 'second thoughts' about accepting a US$ 4.5 billion loan for the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project.

All said and done, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are being sent here on a business trip, let us not bore them with fairy tales about civilizational linkages. It is pragmatism that brings the Japanese to India. Lets us not disappoint them with our version of business-as-usual.

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LINKS

* Chellany, Brahma -- http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/brahma-chellaney-analyzes-the-geopolitical-significance-of-the-japanese-emperor-s-upcoming-trip-to-india

* http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/japan-emperor-wife-to-visit-india-from-nov-30/article5375576.ece
- In the financial year 2011-12, India-Japan bilateral trade reached USD 18.43 billion.
- 2012 marked the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Japan

* Dikshit, Sandeep (10Jul13) - http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/japanese-emperor-empress-to-visit-india/article4898930.ece

* http://thediplomat.com/2013/11/india-to-host-japanese-emperor/

* http://www.independent.ie/world-news/letter-to-emperor-sparks-japan-row-29734991.html
- MP - Taro Yamamoto - letter to HH