NEW DELHI : The government has included Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) in the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) to protect children against severe forms of pneumococcal diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis. With this inclusion, children will be protected against 12 vaccine preventable diseases.

The launch was done by the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, J.P. Nadda at a function in Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.  Pneumococcal disease is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths in children under five years of age globally and in India. India accounts for nearly 20% of global pneumonia deaths in this age group. In 2010, pneumococcal pneumonia accounted for approximately 16% of all severe pneumonia cases and 30% of pneumonia related deaths in children under- five years of age in India. Introducing PCV, therefore, will substantially reduce disease burden in the country.
Terming this as an historic moment and an exemplary step in India’s immunization programme, Mr Nadda said the government was committed to reducing morbidity and mortality in children. Strengthening routine immunization is an essential investment in India’s children and will ensure a healthy future of the country, he noted. 
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine is being rolled out to approximately 21 lakh children in Himachal Pradesh and parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the first phase. This will be followed by introduction in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan next year, and eventually be expanded to the country in a phased manner.Mr Nadda said that under Mission Indradhanush, so far, more than 2.6 crore beneficiaries have been immunized so far. From 1% annual increase in coverage of full immunization, Mission Indradhanush has resulted in a 6.7 % annual expansion in the immunization cover.   
The Health Minister further said that all these vaccines were available in the private sector for many years, not only in India but also across the world. “While these vaccines in the private sector were accessible to only those who could afford them, by making them available under the UIP, the government is ensuring equitable access to those who need them the most, the underprivileged and underserved,” Mr Nadda added.Pneumonia kills more children under-five years of age in India than any other infectious disease. The pentavalent vaccine which was scaled up in all states under the UIP by 2015 protects against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) pneumonia. Now, the introduction of PCV in the UIP will reduce child deaths from pneumococcal pneumonia. It will also reduce the number of children being hospitalized for pneumonia, and therefore reduce the economic burden on the families and the health cost burden on the country. 
The Health Minister informed that the ICT-based Patient Satisfaction System (PSS) “Mera Aspataal / My Hospital” for implementation in public and empanelled private hospitals, is envisaged to empower the patient by seeking his / her views on quality of experience in a public health care facility.

He further said that the Free Drugs Services Initiative, universal screening for non-communicable diseases for all people above 19 years to be rolled out shortly in select 100 districts in the first phase, the Free Diagnostics Services Initiative, the District Hospital Strengthening support, roll out of comprehensive primary health care, and Quality Assurance Programme – all represent initiatives intended to reduce fragmentation of care, improve quality of care and reduce out of pocket expenses. 

NEW DELHI : India on Saturday ruled out participation in China’s mega One Belt One Road summit in Beijing, citing its objections to the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, that passes through Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

In a statement, a day ahead of the launch of the two-day summit in Beijing, India said that “Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative, ‘One Belt, One Road’ which was later renamed as ‘Belt and Road Initiative’. We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side.

“Regarding the so-called ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’, which is being projected as the flagship project of the BRI/OBOR, the international community is well aware of Ind’a’s position. No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Barely a year ago Emmanuel Macron was nowhere near being the President of France. That the pollsters finally proved right is reassuring as it has proved to be a victory for centrism and European integration. This ensured the resounding defeat of the far right nationalist Marie Le Pen who had threatened to pull out of the European Union.

The French have underlined they are not in favour of stereotype attitudes of leaders and chose to improvise and experiment. The Dutch should be given the credit for showing the way in March this year when they sent anti-Islam and anti-EU candidate Geert Wilders packing with only 13.5 per cent of the votes. 

And now Macron has shown that the extreme right’s victory march can be halted decisively. At the same time a far right candidate in France has polled more than 30 per cent of the votes. This a worrisome factor. 

There is no doubt Macron will still have to consolidate his party’s position in next month’s parliamentary elections for being able to govern with authority and assurance. 

His facile win has also smashed the dominance of France’s mainstream parties and come as a relief to European allies who feared another populist upheaval following Britain’s vote to quit the EU and Donald Trump’s election as President. 

The French youth have displayed their out of the box thinking and willingness to experiment. At 39 years old, Macron is the youngest President of France and is holding elected office for the first time. A former investment banker he has shown his willingness to transcend his country’s sharp left-right divisions. 

What is surprising is that despite the poor opinion of Le Pen’s National Front because of its anti-immigrant policies, it broke the barrier of securing 30 per cent of the votes. 

Macron’s first task would be to bridge the sharp divisions in the country along ideological lines. His political movement is barely a year old and starting from scratch. That might be an advantage as well as disadvantage. He will need to some juggling in fulfilling his pledge of overhauling and renewing French political life by having experienced political personalities from the left, right and centre. 

It is widely believed that Macron’s will has saved France from itself. Having a European Union was a bold experiment. The pulling out of the EU is both costly and disruptive. At the same time the Eurozone will have to start moving towards greater monetary and fiscal union or it will have to be disbanded. 

Macron’s plans include a Eurozone budget and Parliament. His political strategy along with his message of stability, pro-Europeanism and technocratic governance attracted a wide range of voters.

He mobilised outgoing President Francois Holland’s former electoral base. He benefitted from the massive vote transfers from the left, moderate left and right wing voters. 

At a time when there is a leadership crisis in the democratic world with exclusive ideologies rebounding themselves as patriotic and populist, France can provide a counter narrative and leadership to a world in dire need of it. 

Becoming President of France amounts to winning the battle, the war lies ahead. It is not clear how many seats his political startup En Marche! might get in next month’s Parliamentary elections traditionally dominated by mainstream Left and Right parties. 

Macron faces huge challenges ahead particularly how successfully he runs the economy, brings about reconciliation among opposite viewpoints along with tackling the menace of terrorism. It is apparent the new President needs to act bodily and decisively for ringing in changes. 

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

MUMBAI : Celebrated Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan, a Hepatitis B conqueror, was on Friday appointed the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for the Hepatitis awareness programme in southeast Asia region. He says nobody should suffer from the disease.

 The veteran actor has been brought on board to boost awareness and intensify action to arrest the Hepatitis epidemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced in a statement.  “I am absolutely committed to the cause of Hepatitis. As a person living with Hepatitis-B, I know the pain and sufferings that Hepatitis causes. No one should ever suffer from viral Hepatitis,” Amitabh said.  In his capacity, the actor will lend his voice and support to public awareness programmes that aim to scale up preventive measures and advocate for early diagnosis and treatment of viral Hepatitis to reduce the disease burden.    Announcing his association with WHO, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director for WHO southeast Asia, said: “This association is expected to help strengthen WHO’s efforts in reducing the high numbers of premature deaths and illnesses from viral Hepatitis which is not only causing hardships to individuals and families, but also impacting health and development across the region.”  In a video message, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said: “Mr Bachchan’s voice is one that is listened to by people across the country, regardless of cultural, social or economic background and can make real change possible. We have witnessed this in polio eradication.”  Amitabh had earlier served as Unicef Goodwill Ambassador for the polio eradication campaign in India, and has been supporting and promoting various health and related issues in the country such as childhood immunisation programme, anti-tuberculosis campaign and ‘Clean India’ initiative.

NEW YORK : Contrary to a long-held misconception, the human sense of smell is not inferior but may be just as good as that of mammals like dogs and rodents — some of the best sniffers in the animal kingdom, say researchers.

The human sense of smell was thought to be inferior because of the size of the olfactory bulb — nerve tissue which sends signals to other areas of a very powerful human brain to help identify scents.

However, the study published in the journal Science, showed that the human olfactory bulb is quite large and similar in the number of neurons to other mammals.

“For so long people failed to stop and question this claim… The fact is the sense of smell is just as good in humans as in other mammals, like rodents and dogs,” said John McGann, associate professor at Rutgers University-New Brunswick in the US.

The idea that humans do not have the same sense of smell abilities as animals flourished over the years based on some genetic studies which discovered that rats and mice have genes for about 1,000 different kinds of receptors that are activated by odours, compared to humans, who only have about 400.

But the study showed that humans can discriminate maybe one trillion different odours which is far more than the claim by “folk wisdom and poorly sourced introductory psychology textbooks”, that insist humans could only detect about 10,000 different odours.

“We can detect and discriminate an extraordinary range of odours; we are more sensitive than rodents and dogs for some odours; we are capable of tracking odour trails; and our behavioural and affective states are influenced by our sense of smell,” McGann added

Film: “Meri Pyaari Bindu”

Director: Akshay Roy

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Parineeti Chopra, Aparajita Adhya and Abish Mathew

“Meri Pyaari Bindu” from the Yash Raj Films (YRF) stable is a sincere yet frothy tale, designed from a pulp novel. And like any other pulp fiction, this film is a light-hearted fluff, racy and engaging.

Designed as a catharsis, it is the tale of a successful pulp writer Abhimanyu Roy aka Bubla, who has compiled novellas like “Chudail Ki Choli”, “Dracula’s Lover” and “Das Cabin”, among many more.

On the insistence of his publisher, Abhimanyu is forced to write a romance, which he does begin but is stuck between his real life heartache and imagination. He finds it difficult to chronicle his thoughts about this “unpredictable, impatient, imperfect, crazy, restless and larger than life, live-wire girl” called Bindu, who was once his neighbour and who over a period of time crept into his life and soul.

So, when Abhi returns home and stumbles upon an old audio cassette with their favourite playlist, it sends Abhi down memory lane and his novel unravels speedily juxtaposing his past and present.

With a good dosage of old Hindi film songs and titbits as transitions, metaphors and analogies, the treatment of the chaotically jumbled script along with the screenplay, is astutely handled. The plot moves at a frenzied pace regaling the ecstasy and agony of Abhimanyu and Bindu.

While the plot is well-charted, it is the conflict and the resolution that disappoint. It lacks substance in terms of oomph and other exploiting factors that make for engrossing viewing. The non-linear narrative style, at times, creates confusion with the timelines.

The dialogues too are worth a mention and are delivered with gusto.

Ayushmann Khurana, with an intellectual demeanour, plays the flurried pulp writer Abhimanyu Roy with panache. With natural ease, he internalises his character and communicates his affection through his intense gaze. He is sincere and endearing in his portrayal and it shows.

On the other hand, Parineeti Chopra essays Bindu with dexterity yet she seems superficial and shallow, especially in the restaurant scene when she tells Abhimanyu about her boyfriend, Mathew. Her portrayal of the character lacks depth.

The rest of the supporting cast is natural and have their moments of on-screen glory. Especially noteworthy is the character who plays Abhimanyu’s mother.

Technically, the film is well-mounted. The camera movements are fluid and the flow of the visuals seem uninterrupted with the skilful and smooth editing. The songs naturally integrate into the narrative.

Overall, while the film is interestingly told and is engaging, the last scene, though it talks about a happy ending, unsettles the purist.

(With Inputs from IANS)

COLOMBO : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that Buddhism’s message of peace is the answer to the growing phenomenon of terrorism across the world.
  “The biggest challenge to sustainable world peace today may not be necessarily from conflict between the nation states,” Modi said in his address here as the chief guest at the UN-recognised 14th International Vesak Day meant to mark the birth, enlightenment and passing away of Lord Buddha.   “It is from the mindsets, thought streams, entities and instruments rooted in the idea of hate and violence,” he said.   The theme of this year’s International Vesak Day, being hosted by Sri Lanka for the first time, is Buddhist teachings for social justice and sustainable world peace.  The Indian Prime Minister said that the menace of terrorism in the region “is a concrete manifestation of this destructive emotion”.   “Sadly, these ideologies of hate and their proponents in our region are not open to dialogue and hence only open to causing death and destruction,” he said.   “I firmly believe that Buddhism’s message of peace is the answer to growing arc of violence all over the world.”  Modi hoped for not just a negative notion of peace defined by the absence of conflict, “but a positive peace where we all work to promote dialogue, harmony and justice, based on compassion and wisdom”.   Stating that the friendship between India and Sri Lanka was etched in time by Lord Buddha, he said that “Buddhism imparts an ever present radiance to our relationship”.   “As close neighbours, our relationship spreads across many layers. It draws its strength as much through our interconnected values of Buddhism as it does from the limitless possibilities of our shared future.”   The Indian Prime Minister also announced a new direct flight between Colombo and Varanasi, the place of Lord Buddha’s first sermon.  “This will ease travel to the land of Buddha for my brothers and sisters from Sri Lanka, and help you directly visit Sravasti, Kusinagar, Sankasa, Kaushambi and Sarnath,” he said.   “My Tamil brothers and sisters will also be able to visit Varanasi, the land of Kashi Viswanath.”  Stating that India was committed to the economic prosperity of Sri Lanka, Modi said: “We will continue to invest in driving positive change and economic growth to deepen our development cooperation.”   He also called for free flow of trade, investments, technology, and ideas between India and Sri Lanka for mutual benefit.   “India’s rapid growth can bring dividends for the entire region, especially in Sri Lanka. In infrastructure and connectivity, transport and energy, we are poised to scale up our cooperation,” Modi stated.   “Our development partnership stretches across nearly every sector of human activity such as agriculture, education, health, resettlement, transport, power, culture, water, shelter, sports, and human resources.”  He also mentioned that India’s development cooperation with Sri Lanka amounted to $2.6 billion.   “Its only aim is to support Sri Lanka in realising a peaceful, prosperous and secure future for its people,” Modi said. “Because, the economic and social wellbeing of the people of Sri Lanka is linked with that of 1.25 billion Indians.”   Modi arrived in Colombo on Thursday on a two-day visit at the invitation of Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena.  This is his second visit to the Indian Ocean island nation as Prime Minister after his visit in March 2015.

NEW DELHI: All future polls to Parliament and State Assemblies will have EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), the Chief Election Commissioner Dr, Nasim Zaidi said on Friday. 

He said that VVPATs slips of a percentage of EVMs, to be determined by the ECI, will be counted. The CEC was speaking at a  day-long meeting of national and state political parties, convened by the EC, mainly to discuss the issue of EVMs and VVPATs. Seven national and 35 State political parties attended Friday’s  meeting.

To counter allegations of EVM tampering and manipulation in the recently concluded polls to state assemblies, the CEC announced that a challenge was on the cards. He said that an opportunity would be on offer to political parties to demonstrate that EVMs used in the recent polls were tampered or that EVMs can be tampered even under the laid down technical and administrative safeguards. 

The CEC said that Commission is open to hear suggestions on how to further improve integrity and credibility of EVMs.

Stressing that EC had “no favourites’’,  Dr. Zaidi said: “You should be convinced that the Election Commission has no favourites…we maintain equidistance from all parties and groups. It is our constitutional and moral duty to stand dead centre of the circle drawn around us by 56 political parties [seven national and 49 State recognised parties].

All issues related to the  EVMs and VVPATs  were discussed and the parties were assured of the credibility of the machines by demonstrating the step by step procedure about how the EVM’s were foolproof. The secure design features of the machines were explained in detail to the parties.

Dr. Zaidi said that to make the election process more transparent, the Commission has made proposal for electoral reforms on misuse of money power and bribery during elections. The Commission has also made proposal for amendments in the Income Tax Act and in the Representation of People’s Act, 1951, for enhancing transparency in the funding of political parties.

The EC highlighted the wide range of technical, administrative protocol and procedural safeguards that fortify the EVMs and VVPATs against any sort of manipulation or tampering.

Several parties, including the AAP, the BSP and the Congress had blamed ”tampered machines” for the BJP’s victory in the recently held  Assembly polls. Akali leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that EVMs were tamper-proof and that of the 37 cases filed so far, 30 have been decided in favour of machines. The Akalis have gracefully accepted the electoral defeat in Punjab, but the AAP has not, he added.

AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, who had held a  ”demonstration” in the Delhi Assembly on the so-called hacking of the EVM, said the Commission had backed out from organising a ”hackathon”.

SRINAGAR : The picture of a schoolgirl holding a basketball under her arm while kicking a vehicle of the security forces has become iconic because it sets the narrative for the ongoing students unrest in Kashmir.

It all started on April 15 when security forces entered the degree college in Pulwama town and roughed up students inside the campus.

Ever since the separatist violence started in the state in the early 1990s, the walls between institutions and the security forces have crumbled. Raids to trace out militants have been carried out a number of times in educational institutions during the last 27 years.

What actually acted as a catalyst for the present unrest were the pictures of the students being beaten up inside the college on April 15. These pictures went viral on social media sites, triggering a spiral of unrest ever since.

Supporters of the students’ unrest maintain that these pictures were posted by the security forces to avenge the manhandling of some troopers by the youth in central Badgam district on April 9 during Parliamentary by-polls in the Srinagar-Badgam constituency.

“If it becomes an eye-for-an-eye situation between the security forces and the youth, then all of us would be shortly blind,” said a student who obviously did not want to be named.

The state government has shifted senior district police officers from Pulwama for mishandling the April 15 situation.

Education Minister Altaf Bukhari has advised students to attend classes and focus on their careers.

“All the grievances of the students will be addressed. They are within their rights to stage peaceful protests within the educational institutions, but they should not hit the roads.

“Once the students hit the roads, blocking traffic and hurling stones, it becomes a law and order problem where the security forces have to intervene,” the minister told the media here.

He has also started a series of meetings with heads of educational institutions to reclaim the sanctity of these institutions in the Valley.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has expressed confidence that the situation will soon return to normal.

“We have seen worse days in the past. Things will return to normal soon. I request the media, especially the electronic TV channels, not to project the local youth in a bad light.

“Every Kashmiri youth is not a stone pelter,” she said on April 8 on the day the civil secretariat began functioning in Srinagar after its six-month-long sojourn in winter capital Jammu.

The Valley’s police chief, Inspector General of Police S.J.M. Gilani, told a media conference that “outside elements” had been responsible for fomenting trouble in the educational institutions.

He also said there was evidence that money had been used to start trouble in a local college and school in north Kashmir’s Handwara town last week.

While asserting that the students’ unrest was being properly handled, the top police officer said 95 youths had joined militant ranks since last year and a total of 200 militants were at present active in the Valley.

Given the magnitude of the students’ protests during the ongoing unrest, there is little doubt that the police and the paramilitary forces are handling the situation with utmost restraint.

Stone-hurling recently brought down a boundary wall of a college in Srinagar: to use the bricks for pelting at traffic and the security forces.

On Maulana Azad Road, Residency Road and city centre Lal Chowk, clashes between students and security forces continued for over five hours.

While five police officers were injured, only two protesting students sustained minor injuries.

Similarly, during the protests in Handwara town, the security forces were seen exercising maximum restraint while handling protests by boys and girls of local educational institutions.

There has hardly been a day since April 15 when protests have not been staged by students in one or the other part of the Valley.

Schools and colleges at some places were temporarily shut and then re-opened so that the academic activities of the students did not suffer.

The separatists, while condemning the security forces for fighting the students unrest, have not, fortunately, issued statements to add fuel to the fire.

Politics holding the future of students hostage is a misfortune, but students hitting the streets to hurl stones instead of attending classes is a catastrophe everybody must help Kashmir to come out of.

The BJP’s strategy in approaching an election is indeed different and carefully calibrated which has paid it rich dividends. A case in point is the crucial assembly elections held recently in Uttar Pradesh. The Lotus party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular along with his confidant and party president Amit Shah sent the opposition packing not knowing what hit them. 

With the runaway victory in UP, PM Modi appears all set to wrap up a win for the BJP nominee contesting the highest constitutional office of President after the incumbent and 13th Head of State Pranab Mukherjee completes his term on July 25.  

The surprise this time around with several names doing the rounds could well be that of 52-year-old tribal woman from backward region of Odisha Droupadi Murmu, who is the Governor of Jharkhand at present. 

This is also to rub home a point that despite being in power for more than six decades, the Congress has done precious little for the teeming oppressed and depressed classes who have been just left to their fate. The saffron brigade believes that the Congress has, however, not been found wanting in according the necessary lip service.

This forms part of Modi’s efforts to dislodge the Congress as the messiah of the poor. With a clean image as a politician, it is believed the best thing that could have happened to Ms.Murmu was to elevate her to a gubernatorial assignment. 

This could shake up and send shock waves in the political firmament. Such a choice will make people sit up and take note. There is also no doubt that it is bound to be supported by the Tribal MPs in Parliament and the legislatures irrespective of their party affiliations leaving the opposition clueless and leaden footed. 

It may be recalled that the BJP’s gambit of concentrating on the non-Dalit backward classes in the just concluded assembly elections in UP ensured a huge dividend to the BJP far beyond its own expectations. They crossed the 315 mark in the 403-member Vidhan Sabha. 

Even as efforts are underway to forge a United Front, the Congress and other non-BJP parties have approached former Governor, administrator and diplomat Gopalkrishna Gandhi to be the joint opposition candidate for the office of President. He made it clear the conversations have been of a very preliminary nature. 

The non-BJP opposition is facing the usual hiccups in getting its act together. Congress president Sonia Gandhi has taken the lead contacting various leaders including RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav of the SP. 

However, in Lucknow Mulayam Singh Yadav’s younger brother Shivpal Yadav caught everyone by surprise announcing  plans of splitting the SP by floating another outfit. Of course ‘Nejtaji’ as his elder brother Mulayam Singh Yadav is popularly known is to be installed its chief. On his part Netaji claimed he had not been consulted or informed of such a move. He is more keen to see his son and former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav step down as the SP chief.

Amid calls for Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s “ghar vapsi” to the BJP, NC’s Omar Abdullah and former J&K chief minister met Sonia Gandhi last week and discussed the proposed UF.  

TMC supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is keen to be part of the UF complaining nobody had approached her so far. Sonia Gandhi is expected be meet Ms Banerjee early next week as well as BSP’s Mayawati soon. Odisha’s ruling BJD, the Telengana Rashtra Samiti and some others are also being consulted. 

Lalu is staring at problems with the Supreme Court ordering him to face trial in all the four fodder scam cases which can cast its shadow in knitting the UF. Such Fronts have been mooted in the past but has hardly been successful with Bihar being the lone exception. 

This is a huge wake up call for the leaders of the proposed UF whose performance in the assembly elections over the last two-and-a-half years since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in May 2014 has been dismal barring the AAP’s mind boggling win in Delhi and the saffron brigade falling by the wayside in Bihar, thanks to the “mahagatbandhan” in 2015. 

Leaders have welcomed Sonia Gandhi’s return to active politics after having taken a back seat for some time. Interestingly, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury has already clarified that the Left’s antipathy towards Trinamul Congress would not be a hurdle in the quest for a larger unity. 

Akhilesh Yadav has also made it clear that the SP has no objection to rival BSP’s inclusion in the front. The aim is to create a national alternative to the BJP in the run up to the next general elections barely two years away in 2019.

At the same time the body language of these leaders is the least convincing in the prevailing circumstances of a Modi phenomenon. 

The BJP led NDA is short of a majority in the electoral college for electing the President. They will require the backing of some regional parties like the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu for an assured win in the electoral college. 

Mr. Mukherjee has been described as a “copy book” President who has remained steadfast in preserving and protecting the Constitution. 

The country’s first President Rajendra Prasad is the only person who has served two terms in Rashtrapati Bhawan. The previous NDA government headed by BJP stalwart Atal Behari Vajpayee did spring a surprise when it zeroed in on missile man A P J Abdul Kalam for the office of President.

In today’s polarised society with extreme positions acquiring prominence and politics mirroring the same, the new President has to play the role of the next conscience keeper. With growing incidents of intolerance from different parts of the country, the new Head of State will have to prove the government’s commitment to pluralism, inclusiveness and independence of institutions.  

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