Sound of Bansuri

In cultures across the world, it is that one piece of reed that causes man’s innermost realm to transcend the mundane and that is the Indian flute called Bansuri. Since time immemorial, bansuri has possessed, deep within it’s  ethereal sound, that elixir which clams the distraught and heals wounds.

The bansuri through its myriad forms inspired and captivated the hearts of yogis, poets and seers for centuries. The Indian flute holds a unique place among musical instruments. Not only it is the oldest among instruments, but is also found in cultures all over the world. 

Indian flutes were discovered in Arizona in 1931 that dates as far as back as 620 AD. The legend has it that a man saw a tree limb on the ground that has been split in two. Each end was hollowed by a wood pecker who then pecked several holes in one half of the limb, when he took to the medicine man, he suggested the man brave out the two pieces together and the bansuri was born.  

The bansuri was developed into a classical musical instrument by legendary flutist Pannalal Ghosh. He transformed the folk instrument  with 32 inches long with seven holed flute and introduced it to the world.  

That it is the only instrument connected to God can be gauged that pictures of Lord Krishna is usually depicted as a cowherd serenading swooning milkmaid with his flute. 

From 32 inch seven holed flute to world’s smallest 6 inch flute, the bansuri has come a long way. And the credit for transforming the Indian classical instrument goes to Rohit Anand, the master craftsman who made the world’s smallest flute that can play up to two octaves and is only six inches long called Anand Vansh.  Rohit’s painstaking efforts found him a place in Limca book of records for the year 2000.

A professional music therapist based in Delhi, Rohit’s has crafted Indian flutes for a number of flutists and upcoming students of the art. Rohit’s love for flute drew him away from the world of telecommunication engineering to master the instrument but also research on its various qualities and technical aspects. 

Studying music under the guru-shishya tradition of Malhar Senia Gharana, Rohit learnt the nuances of Hindustani classical music under the tutelage of maestros like Pandit Ravi Shankar, late Sharan Rani Backliwal and ustad Aashish Khan.He has to his credit several concerts in India and abroad. 

As you walk through the bylanes of Vinobha Puri in South Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar, the melodious strains of bansuri rend the air from the house of Rohi who gives lessons to several students to master the instrument, But what does it take to ready such a reed? 

 ” Though not as strenuous as making a Pakhawaj or a tabla, flute-making requires precision, a fine sense of pitch and refined understanding of aesthetics, not forgetting a steady hand,’ says Rohit, ‘ I get bamboos from Assam and to craft a bansuri will take several months,’ he says, 

 Fitting the cork of suitable thickness is very important, Rohit says. Rohit provides bansuris of any pitch and scale from A natural bass to E sharp.Made with lots of care, these instruments are appreciated by many flutists across the country. 

A flute maker requires excellent hearing skills, besides musical knowledge for perfect tuning. The bamboo is chosen both for quality and beauty and requires adequate seasoning, says Rohit. Patience and commitment is what is needed to master this instrument, Rohit sums up.

NEW DELHI: With senior Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu winning the Vice Presidential poll with a record margin, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is at the pinnacle of its political journey. 

For the first time since independence, the BJP now has all the three posts in its kitty. After having its own majority in 2014 polls which saw Narendra Modi being sworn in as the Prime Minister, three years later the BJP has freshly minted President Ramnath Kovind, newly elected Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu — all three hailing from humble origins and RSS-BJP background. 

Starting his career in rough and tumble of student politics of Andhra Pradesh, Venkaiah Naidu gradually climbed the ladder in the party — becoming a legislator, party leader in Andhra Pradesh, general secretary, spokesperson, and rising to become the party president as well. He was in his fourth term as Rajya Sabha member when Modi-Amit Shah combine decided to nominate him as the NDA’s Vice Presidential candidate last month. Mr. Naidu had been Rural Affairs Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and was heading Urban Affairs, Information and Broadcasting Ministry in the Modi government. 

Affable, witty, easy going and known for his acronyms and one-liners, Mr. Naidu once commented on the high command culture in the Congress, saying it would become a “low command and then no command.” His well wishers, admirers and friends cut across all part affiliations and that is the reason behind him bagging a record 516 votes of MPs of both the Houses. His united opposition rival Gopal Krishna Gandhi got 244 votes out of 771 total votes that were cast. 

Mr. Naidu will take oath as the country’s 15th Vice President on August 11 as the tenure of incumbent M. Hamid Ansari who was in his second term ends on August 10. As Rajya Sabha Chairman, Mr. Naidu would need all his skills and persuasive powers to run the House of Elders smoothly. Interestingly, the BJP has also become the single largest party in the Rajya Sabha with 58 members and the Congress lagging behind with 57. The BJP already has a brute majority in the Lok Sabha, first party to have such good numbers in the past 30 years. 

Anger brewing against Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in the JD (U) ranks. Party’s state leaders want a national convention to discuss Nitish Kumar taking unilateral decisions.

There is discernible anger among various sections of the JD (U) against chief minister Nitish Kumar for unilaterally ditching the “mahagatbandhan” and deciding on a ‘ghar wapsi’ to the BJP.  This is particularly so with no less than a dozen presidents of various state units of the JD (U) in the country asking party founder Sharad Yadav to convene a national convention for discussing how Nitish Kumar could have just upped and snapped ties with the ‘mahagatbandhan’. 

Sharad Yadav has been marginalised by Nitish Kumar several years ago and has remained aloof and kept his counsel to himself. He was unhappy that the chief minister decided to abandon the ‘mahagatbandhan’ observing the decision to join hands with the saffron brigade once again as both”unfortunate and unpleasant”. 

Sharad Yadav has decided to tour the battle ground state of Bihar from tomorrow(Sunday, August 05) to hear first hand the views of party leaders before addressing a rally in the national capital on August 17. Leaders from like minded parties including the constituents of the ‘mahagatbandhan’ like the Congress and the RJD as well the Left parties, SP and the BSP will participate in the meeting. 

The anti-Nitish faction in the JD (U) is keen to play its part in seeing the back of the Bihar chief minister. It is increasingly being felt that if Nitish Kumar did not want to continue with the RJD, he could have called for a snap poll in the state. 

Even though Nitish Kumar had distanced himself from the ‘mahagatbandhan’ citing allegations of corruption by the deputy CM Tejaswi Prasad yadav, an election watchdog in Bihar claimed that 76 per cent of the ministers in the current ministry face criminal 

charges. 

At his first press conference after regaining regaining the chief ministership after a gap barely 24 hours, Nitish Kumar said he firmly believes there is no one who can challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2019 general elections. He insists the opposition has no ideas and is only reactive. In the circumstances he has to set aside his ambition of making a bid for the Prime Minister’s office though he has often claimed he is not in the race for that post. 

What cannot be lost sight of is that the JD (U) has negligible presence outside Bihar. In the assembly elections in 2015, the saffron brigade lost to the ‘mahagatbandhan’ formed by the Congress, RJD and the JD (U). 

The question is can the remaining 17-party opposition pose a challenge to Modi whose popularity rating is much higher than any other leader in the political firmament with less than two years remaining for the next general elections. 

There is no doubt that Modi has his eyes set on a second successive term as the Head of Government especially when the people have kept the Congress in the saddle at the Centre for nearly six decades. 

The BJP is talking in terms of crossing the 300 mark on its own in the Lok Sabha in the 2019 general elections. It won a majority of 282 seats for the first time in the House of the People in the last general elections in 2014 and along with its allies in the NDA crossed the rubicon of 300 finishing with a tally of 340 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. 

The BJP-led NDA which is handicapped being in a minority in the Rajya Sabha will swell its numbers with nine JD (U) members in the House of Elders having a strength of 245. Securing a simple majority in the Upper House continues to elude the ruling dispensation at the Centre. 

The Congress is in a such a bind that it seems to have reached the end of the road. Heir apparent Rahul Gandhi’s leadership leaves much to be desired. The opposition needs to gear up its loins, throw up youthful and energetic leaders exuding confidence in catching the imagination of the people. 

There is no doubt Modi is enjoying an extended honeymoon as the Prime Minister. What is worse farmers have been left high and dry. Caught in the vicious cycle of droughts and floods for the last three years, they are facing immense hardship coupled with unscrupulous money lenders pushing them to the edge of committing suicide for the third consecutive year.  

The focus on the farmers remains paramount and cannot be ignored. They are up in arms in several states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Every politician wants to taste power. This is because of the traditional source of power — the Congress — being in doldrums and BJP being the only alternative in the circumstances. 

What is a matter of concern is that the ruling party and its leaders are seeking to build a new Hindu India of their dreams. After the fifth of August, the BJP will create history by holding the three senior most positions in the country — the President, Vice-President and the Prime Minister — to frame and influence policy. 

( T R Ramachandran is senior journalist and commentator. The views are personal.)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said “Samvad” or “Dialogue” is the only way to cut through deep rooted religious stereotypes and prejudices that divide communities across the world and sow seeds of conflict between nations and societies. 

In a video message to the second edition of Samvad — Global Initiative on Conflict Avoidance and Environment Consciousness,  being  organised in Yangon this week-end, Mr. Modi  said that societies across the world are facing several questions today, such as:  How to avoid conflict?  How to address a global challenge like climate change?  How to live in peace and harmony and secure our lives? 

He said that it is only natural that the search for answers be led by the humanity’s longest traditions of thought, rooted in various religions, civilizations, and multiple streams of spirituality. 

The Prime Minister said that he is a “product of the ancient Indian tradition that firmly believes in dialogue on difficult issues.” He said that the ancient Indian concept of “Tarka Shastra” is founded on dialogue and debate as the model for exchange of views and avoidance of conflict. 

Giving illustrations from Indian mythology such as Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Lord Buddha and Bhakta Prahlada, the Prime Minister said that the purpose of each of their actions was to uphold Dharma, which has sustained Indians from ancient to modern times. 

The Prime Minister said that if man does not nurture nature, then nature reacts in the form of climate change. Environmental laws and regulations, Dialogue while essential in any modern society, afford only an inferior protection to nature, he added, calling for “harmonious environmental consciousness.” 

“As the inter-connected and inter-dependent world of 21st century battles a number of global challenges, from terrorism to climate change, I am confident that the solutions will be found through Asia’s oldest traditions of dialogue and debate,” the Prime Minister said.

Microgravity conditions experienced by astronauts in space induce stress and strain around human cells. Cancer cells have also been known to die under microgravity. Scientists are exploring if this knowledge can be used to develop novel ways to find new drugs.

A group of Indian scientists has figured out the mechanism of cancer cells dying under microgravity, and believe that this can be used to find new drugs in future. 

The research group at Indian Institute of Technology Madras subjected cultured colorectal cancer cell lines to microgravity and observed that they die within 48 hours. Cancer cells died due to apoptosis, which is death induced by cancer cells themselves in response to stress. For simulating microgravity conditions, an equipment called Rotational Cell Culture System-High Aspect Ratio Vessel was used.

“Cancer cells initiate their own death, it is also called programmed cell death. They did so by increasing the levels of two proteins called PTEN and FOXO3 and reducing the levels of another protein, Akt, when they experienced microgravity,” researchers said.

When brought back to normal gravity conditions, they stopped dying and started proliferating again which is their ‘normal’ state, Professor Rama Shanker Verma, who led the study, told India Science Wire. However, the time taken for cancer cells to start proliferating again was longer-  nearly three weeks as opposed to less than a week when they do not experience any microgravity, added Raj Pranap Arun, a member of the research team which published its findings in journal Scientific Reports. 

“We can exploit the properties of cancer cells under microgravity to find potential drug targets”, believes Professor Verma. The team is now extending the work to cancer stem cells that are responsible in cases of relapse. 

Seyed Ehtesham Hasnain, professor at Jamia Hamdard Institute of Molecular Medicine, New Delhi, who is not connected to the study, commented that “it is a long way to find a new drug against cancer. But this study has taken an interesting route to address a fundamental problem and may help identify novel drug targets to intervene against cancer.”

The research team also included Divya Sivanesan and Prasanna Vidyasekar from IIT Madras and National University of Singapore. (India Science Wire) 

An Indian expert on infectious diseases has strongly contested an article in the English medical journal, BMJ claiming that patients could stop taking antibiotic when they feel better saying “there was no evidence that the infections will be cured and will not relapse if antibiotic are stopped when patient feels better’’ approach.

In a letter to the BMJ, Dr Abdul Ghafur, an authority on antibiotic resistance, who is also a consultant, Infectious Diseases at Apollo Cancer Hospital in Chennai, has said it was so unfortunate but not all all unexpected that journalists from around the world, in a short span of one week since the publication of the article, had written highly misleading articles conveying the dangerous idea that patients can stop their antibiotics when they feel better.  

“We need research to prove safety of `stop antibiotics when you feel better’ approach. Until researchers produce good quality evidence for all common types of infections, in various groups of patients, ranging from small children to elderly and immune-compromised, patients must follow the course as advised,’’ Dr Ghafur said.

While agreeing with the authors that the conventional argument of “completing the course of antibiotic’’ to prevent development of antibiotic resistance is not based on scientific evidence, Dr Ghafur said there was no disagreement among experts that, as far as antibiotic resistance potential is concerned, a shorter course is safer than a longer one. 

“There is more and more evidence in the recent literature for shorter course of antibiotics for many infections and expert guidelines are already recommending shorter courses wherever and whenever published good quality evidences for shorter courses are available,’’ the letter said.

Accusing the BMJ article of presenting this already well known truth as an out of the box revolutionary idea, the letter said that the “controversial’’ articles create widespread discussion on important issues. “Unfortunately this article has probably done more harm than good to the field of antibiotic stewardship. This article is based on concrete facts, but written in a highly misleading way and interpreted by media and the public in a dangerously erroneous style,’’ Dr Ghafur said.

The BMJ article, authored by Martin Llewelyn and colleagues, has said “with little evidence that failing to complete a prescribed antibiotic course contributes to antibiotic resistance, it’s time for policy makers, educators, and doctors to drop this message.’’

 Antibiotics are vital to modern medicine and antibiotic resistance is a global, urgent threat to human health. The relation between antibiotic exposure and antibiotic resistance is unambiguous both at the population level and in individual patients. Reducing unnecessary antibiotic use is therefore essential to mitigate antibiotic resistance, the article says. 

“Avoiding overuse requires healthcare professionals and the public to be well informed about antibiotic treatment, as set out in the first objective of the World Health Organization Global Action Plan. Public communication about antibiotics often emphasises that patients who fail to complete prescribed antibiotic courses put themselves and others at risk of antibiotic resistance,’’ the article says.

For example, in materials supporting Antibiotic Awareness Week 2016 WHO advised patients to “always complete the full prescription, even if you feel better, because stopping treatment early promotes the growth of drug-resistant bacteria.” 

However, the idea that stopping antibiotic treatment early encourages antibiotic resistance is not supported by evidence, while taking antibiotics for longer than necessary increases the risk of resistance. Without explicitly contradicting previous advice, current public information materials from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Public Health England have replaced “complete the course” with messages advocating taking antibiotics “exactly as prescribed,’’ the article said.

New Delhi : India today took a major step to help the strategic and other sectors in the country to be independent of the US- based GPS system by ensuring that Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s recently set up indigenous regional navigation positioning system named as Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) was based on the Indian clock system instead of that of US. 

ISRO signed an agreement with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)’s  New Delhi-based National Physical Laboratory (NPL) under which it will receive globally certified high precision time measurements from the Laboratory on a regular basis. 

NPL, which maintains the time standards for the country, gets its clocks certified by the France-based International Bureau of Weights and Measures, which is the global agency that maintains UTC, the global standards time. The time measurement provided by NPL would be the same as that provided by US Naval Observatory on whose basis GPS function. 

Speaking to journalists after the MOU was signed, ISRO and NPL scientists said that though there will be no difference at all between the time measurements provided by NPL and GPS, the move to NPL timing would be highly advantageous as it would mean India will not be any more depended on GPS. 

During the Gulf War, GPS signals were barred from some part of the Gulf region resulting in difficulties for the affected countries. The move to NPL would avoid such exigencies, they noted. 

High precision time measurements are becoming increasingly important for different sectors of the economy. The smart grids for electricity distributions, for instance, need precise time synchronisation. The same applies to high speed communication such as voice over internet protocol, calling and video conferencing and for all types of financial transaction, stock handling, digital archiving, time-stamping and international trade. 

The MOU was signed in the presence of Union Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, and Minister of State in charge of Departments of Space and Atomic Energy, Jitendra Singh. (India Science Wire) 

New Delhi- The Bullion Federation organised a global convention to promote the concept of decrypting gold; mining to retailing. After a month of Goods and Services Tax roll out, the summit focused upon the ethical mining and production of the bullion industry around the world. The event addressed the issue of conflict mining which involves exploitation of children in this business across the globe. More than 100 international dignitaries attended the convention.

The chief guest of the convention Minister of State Finance Santosh Gangwar spoke about the GST benefits in the gold and silver industry. He said, “the country is now economically liberated which is going to boost the moral of businessmen in the country. GST will bring transparency in the bullion industry.”

Tyler Gillard from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) spoke thoroughly about the threat of illegal mining. OECD works diligently to eradicate the curse of unethical mining. The organisation has issued guidance and framework to most of the member countries educating them about responsible trade in the field of production and supply chain. Its objective is to provide practical guidelines to ensure responsible operations and source of supply chain.

Rahul Gupta, Chairman, PP Jewellers and Diamond Pvt Ltd emphasised the child labour exploitation in the mining. Being an ardent believer of OECD guidelines, Mr. Gupta spoke about the use of mercury in the extraction of gold. He appealed to the various trade associations and businessmen to work responsibly to remove such social threat for the mankind. “Today illegal mining is being practised around the world and OECD is fighting against it. Traders are using the disturbed zone to promote the conflict mining and earn benefits out endangering the lives of many.They sell and purchase arms using the money and promote terrorism in the soil,” he added.

The Bullion Federation came into being to further the cause of trade and its members. It vows to take along the members in its journey of creating better environment for the trade and commits to stand in their hour of need. It is formed to create an ecosystem that will collaborate actively with the various government agencies, to maintain stable policy regime and transparency in the trade.

CEO of Bombay Stock Exchange Mr. Ashish Chuahan reiterated the importance of GST in the trade. He emphasised the role of BSE in the global bullion trade. Speaking about the ‘Spot Exchange’ he introduced the concept of uniform platform to sell gold or silver at spot rates. Spot rates will be decided by the regulatory body Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The automation of the gold trade is also going to hit the Indian gold industry very soon. 

The convention was attended by Ram Shankar Katherine, Chairman, NCSC, Mr. Manoj Dwivedi, ,Joint Secretary Commerce Ministry, Mr. Manoj Kaushik, IPS- Additional Director FIU INDIA, Mr. Surendra Mehta, Secretary IBJA, Mr. Ashish Chauhan, CEO, BSE, Mr. Monish Bhalla, GST Consultant and other dignitaries. The convention later discussed the impact of GST across the value chain and introducing Block Chain technology to Indian gold supply chain.

In the death of Dr Pushpa Mittra Bhargava, India has lost one of the most vocal advocates of scientific temper and rationality in India. Bhargava, widely considered as father of modern biology in India, stood for ethical values in science. He was an institution builder who also played a pivotal role in policy making in science and technology in the past four decades.

Bhargava was an unconventional scientist. He believed in doing and promoting world class biology and biotechnology research in India, yet he opposed the way biotechnology was used to further commercial interests. He was deeply involved in founding the Department of BioTechnology (DBT), yet he openly criticised when the very institution faltered in implementation of biotechnology regulation. Bhargava stood on the side of victims of Bhopal gas tragedy when the mainstream scientific establishment was shying away from studying long-term health impacts of the toxic gas. 

As a scientist and a thinker, Bhargava was always ready to provide his services to the government but he quickly retracted when things did not go his way. He never chose of compromise with his values, irrespective of the government in power. He crossed swords with the Janata government in 1977 over unceremonious dismantling of the “Method of Science” exhibition which he had conceived and developed. He quit as Vice-chairman of the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) following difference of opinion, during the UPA regime and returned his Padma award during the NDA period. In the Rajiv Gandhi period, he was a member of the scientific advisory committee to the Prime Minister.

Bhargava believed in promoting excellence in scientific research. He could persuade the government to hive off his research unit at the Regional Research Laboratory (now known as the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology) as a separate research institute. That’s how the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) was born as a constituent lab of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He wanted this lab to be developed as a centre for excellence in life sciences. In private conversations, he mentioned that labs focused on specific areas of research should be developed under leadership of individual scientists, modelled on the lines of Max Plank Institutes in Germany.

The CCMB campus in Hyderabad was built under his personal supervision and bears the stamp of his personality. He regretted that he could not opt for a modern architecture and had to settle for a CPWD design, but he improvised a lot within that framework. For instance, he requisitioned none other than M F Husain to do a mural for CCMB. It was also the first lab in India to have an ‘artist-in-residence’ – famous painter A Suryaprakash. Painting exhibitions were held regularly in CCMB in the 1980s. The only parallel would be the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), whose founder Homi Jehangir Bhabha was an art connoisseur and an accomplished painter himself.

The kind of detailing that went into building CCMB was remarkable. Not only did the lab provide all necessary amenities for scientists to do research such modern animal lab and continuous water supply, but also an enviable workplace in general. Canteen, open areas, lawns, guest house and reception – everything was designed and planned aesthetically. Bhargava, along with his wife Manorama, personally selected drapes and curtains used in the guesthouse. The cloth was specially weaved in handloom centres like Pochampally. Every room had different décor. 

“These rooms are fit for kings and queens to stay,” Bharagava had told this writer then about the international guesthouse at CCMB. 

When Department of Atomic Energy established a lab for preparation of p32- labelled nucleotide molecules at CCMB, Bhargava gave it a creative name – Jonaki (Bengali word for firefly).

Over the years, CCMB not only gave birth to other research institutes such as the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), but also spurred development of Hyderabad as a biotechnology cluster. Several scientists from CCMB became entrepreneurs setting up biotech, healthcare and bioinformatics ventures. 

Bhargava did not choose to retire into a cocoon after his long stint with CSIR. He remained active till the end, engaging in a range of activities with causes close to his heart. For instance, Medically Aware and Responsible Citizens of Hyderabad (MARCH) headed by him exposed malpractices in health care industry. He was also chairman of the Sambhavana Trust which runs a public clinic for victims of gas tragedy in Bhopal. (India Science Wire)

J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti cautions about any dilution of Article 35A of the Constitution. Agenda of PDP-BJP government pledges talks with separatists but there has been no progress so far. 

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has touched a raw nerve of her coalition partner, the BJP, by reviving her rhetoric of having assembly sittings in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). Taking up the cause for conciliation, she suggested free flow of students and professionals from the other Kashmir or POK. 

Mehbooba was speaking on the occasion of the 18th foundation day of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) in Srinagar last Saturday. She took strong exception to the National Investigative Agency’s suggestion of putting an end to cross LOC trade aimed at stopping terror funding while emphasising such restrictions are not considered for Wagah. 

She was vehemently against any such curbs as trade connected the two parts of a state divided between India and Pakistan. She warned that nobody will carry the national Tricolour in Kashmir if its special status was tampered with. 

It was her late father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who tried doing the unthinkable –“bringing the North Pole and South Pole” together as he himself described it despite stout opposition to this in the PDP. 

Undeterred by the misgivings of such a move in his own party, the Mufti believed this was the only viable option for him otherwise the sensitive border state would be starved of direly needed financial resources. Also, he could not have overlooked the glaring aspect that if the PDP triumphed in the Valley during the assembly elections, the BJP had virtually swept the Jammu region. 

Impartial observers believe Mehbooba’s message to her party workers is intended to uplift their spirits after being at the receiving end of street violence since it began last year. It has been invariably found that Kashmiris harden their approach towards the Centre whenever confronted by an internal crisis. It may be recalled former J&K chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah had recently linked the state’s special status to its accession to the country. 

Inevitably, the Mehbooba’s speech raised the temperature of the leaders of the saffron brigade, who felt it was a veiled attack against the RSS. Union minister Jitendra Singh was quick in terming Mehbooba’s remarks against the national flag as “shocking and ridiculous”. He affirmed that the “Tricolour is sacrosanct for us” and “it flies high in J&K as much as it does in any other part of the country”. 

BJP leaders in J&K who have been lying low for some time affirmed their demand for abrogating Article 35A and Article 370 according special status to J&K. Inexplicably, regional politics in the state has invariably tilted towards conciliation with Pakistan. 

Therefore, it is believed the time has come to adopt a pragmatic and realistic approach. Mehbooba demanded opening of old routes rather than new ones along with having banking facilities and full body scanners for the trucks to be sure of what is coming into this country and going out. 

Impartial observers believe BJP leaders in J&K misinterpreted Mehbooba’s reference to Article 35A of the Constitution pertained to the fallout from any dilution of the provision which did not alter the only Muslim majority state’s demographic composition. Article 35A defines J&K’s permanent residents and their special rights and privileges. 

She said the matter was before the Supreme Court and believed if Article 35A was tinkered with then there might be nobody in the Valley carrying the national flag. She took exception to demands for scrapping Article 35A while insisting that talks with all the stakeholders in the state has to be within the framework of the Constitution. 

Therefore, Mehbooba’s poser assumes importance with regard to how much of Kashmir can be accommodated on the basis on which India is founded. At the same time she was in favour of resuming the political initiative within the rules of engagement as enshrined in the Constitution. 

The PDP believes it is being increasingly pushed to a corner by the BJP with the arrest of separatists and others in money laundering cases. The agenda of the PDP-BJP alliance pledges talks with the separatists for resolving the Kashmir dispute but there has not been any progress on that so far.