45th International Film Festival of India 2014

The 45^th International Film Festival of India is organized by the IFFI Secretariat under the aegis of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, Directorate of Film Festivals in collaboration with the Government of Goa and the Indian Film Industry. The festival brings cinema from around the world to the country and presents a boutique of contemporary and classic cinema from India to the world, through a variety of film screening programmes, academic sessions and cultural exchange programmes. It is based on the concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the whole world is one family). The festival will feature the best of world cinema touching upon nuances of emerging trends in the world of cinema.  This cultural exchange of sensibilities and perspectives, take Indian cinematic sensibilities across the continents. IFFI 2014 would provide opportunities to showcase the variety of the festival in its various formats to facilitate international co-operation in the film sector. China would be the focus country for the festival and the first meeting of the “Indo-China Joint Working Group” would be held on the sidelines of the festival. This partnership provided a platform for opening new avenues for film makers from both the countries by sharing best practices and technologies. Shri Amitabh Bachchan would be the Chief Guest at the opening ceremony of IFFI scheduled to be held on 20th November 2014.  Shri Rajnikant, popular Tamil actor would be bestowed with Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year and Chinese Film maker Wong KarWai would receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.

HIGHLIGHTS
            IFFI 2014 would screen 179 films from 75 countries across different categories which include World Cinema (61 films), Master-strokes (11 films), Festival Kaleidoscope (20 films), Soul of Asia (7 films), Documentaries (6 films), Animated Films (6 films). Besides, Indian Panorama section would include 41 Feature and Non-Feature Films. North-East being the focus region of the festival, IFFI 2014 would be showcasing 7 films from North Eastern part of India. Regional cinema would also be an integral part of the festival. Retrospective sections on Gulzar and JahnuBaruah, Special Homage films on Richard Attenborough, Robin Williams, ZohraSehgal, Suchitra Sen, and special tribute to Farooq Sheikh would be other attractions of this year’s film festival. A special section of films that focus on dance, personality based retrospectives, and Master classes, workshops would also form a part of IFFI 2014. 

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

            The first edition of IFFI was organized by the Films Division, Government of India, with the patronage of the first Prime Minister of India was held in Mumbai from 24 January to 1 February 1952. The Festival was subsequently taken to Madras, Delhi and Calcutta. In all it had about 40 features and 100 short films. In Delhi, the IFFI was inaugurated by former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 21 February 1952. Since its beginnings in 1952 the IFFI has been the biggest event of its type in India. Subsequent IFFI’s were held in New Delhi. From the 3rd edition in January 1965, IFFI’s became competitive. In 1975 the Filmotsav was introduced and was later merged in IFFI’s. In 2004 the IFFI was moved to Goa. Since then the IFFI has been an annual event and competitive nature. Goa is permanent venue for IFFI.

The IFFI aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of the film art; contributing to the understanding and appreciation of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos; and promoting friendship and cooperation among people of the world. The IFFI’s founding principles centre on discovery, promotion and support of filmmaking of all genres – thus bringing together the diversity of the forms, aesthetics and contents. The Festival is an assembly of people and nations where the world’s greatest film artistes hold hands with emerging talents on an equal footing. It is also a forum for film professionals to communicate face to face with film lovers around the world. IFFI aims to nurture, encourage and inspire Indian cinema and introduce it to the world outside as well as the many audiences that coexist in this vast and diverse country. With rapid technology changes, the importance of this festival will only grow as it will bring viewers and filmmakers together and expose them to emerging technologies and the challenges of the emerging new and social media. New interactions are envisaged; new strategies would be formulated so that with each edition of the IFFI, the viewing experience is enhanced, enlarged and enriched.

DIRECTORATE OF FILM FESTIVALS 

Directorate of Film Festivals organizes the Film Festivals at home and abroad. The Directorate of Film Festivals was set up under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in 1973 with the prime objective of promoting good cinema. This is undertaken by organizing a range of activities under many broad categories. The main categories are The International Film Festival of India, The National Film awards and the Dada Saheb Phalke Awards, Cultural exchange programmes and organizing screening of Indian films through the missions abroad, the selection of Indian panorama, participation in international film festivals abroad, special film expositions on behalf of Government of India and print collection and documentations. These activities provide a unique platform for exchange of ideas, culture and experiences between India and other world nations in field of cinema.

THE CENTRAL BOARD OF FILM CERTIFICATION (CBFC)   

 The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), set up under the Cinematographer Act, 1952, certifies films for public exhibitions in India. It consists of a Chairperson and twenty- five other non-official members. The board has its headquarters at Mumbai and nine regional offices. The regional offices are assisted in examination of films by advisory panels consisting of persons from different walks of life.

THE FILMS DIVISION 

The Films Division was constituted in January 1948 by rechristening the erstwhile Information Films of India and the Indian News Parade set up in 1943, primarily for war coverage. The Cinematography Act of 1918 was Indianised in 1952 which made the screening of documentary films compulsory through out the country. Since 1949, Films Division has been releasing a documentary or news-based or an animation films every single Friday for the theatres spread across the country, in 15 national languages.  The aim and objective of the Film Shows focuses on national perspectives (to provide largest publicity platforms to the Plans, Policies, Programmes and Projects of the Government envisaged for the development of the masses), to educate and motivate people in the implementation of national programmes and to project the image of the land and the heritage of the country to Indian and foreign audiences. These film shows are one of the essentials of Films Division. The Film Division of India is undertaking the Digitization and Web Casting of films. Over a period of 60 years, Films Division has became a treasure trove of national history with a collection of more than 8100 films including archival footage, News Reel, New Magazine Documentary, Animation and Short films. Since the filmic materials are fragile and ephemeral, they start decomposing if not stored under ideal condition. Thus, a plan scheme called “Web casting and Digitization of Films Division Films” was envisaged for protection and storation of filmic materials. Films are kept in duly digitalized formats through Telecine Machine after which they will be stored on High Definition Tapes on DG Beta, which are latest technique in the world. Thereafter, Films Division has classified three broad groups, viz. Most precious and precious films are being transferred on High Definition tapes and normal films are being transferred on DG Beta. After Telecine transfer and restoration, films are being authored in DVDs/VCDs for regular use.

THE NATIONAL FILM ARCHIVES OF INDIA            

 The National Film Archives of India in Pune is a rich repository of Indian films. The importance of preserving cinema as an art and historical document has been recognized all over the world. The task of preserving cinema in all its varied expressions and forms is best entrusted to the national organization having adequate resources, a permanent set-up and the confidence of film industry. The National Film Archives of India was established as an independent media unit under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in February 1964. The aim of National Film Archive of India is to trace, acquire and preserve the heritage of national cinema for posterity and to build up a representative collection of World Cinema. The major functions of this organization are to classify and document data related to film, undertake and encourage research on cinema, their publication and distribution. It also acts as a centre for dissemination of film culture in the country and to ensure the cultural presence of Indian Cinema abroad.

THE NATIONAL FILM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LIMITED (NFDC)

The National Films Development Corporation Limited (NFDC), incorporated in 1975, (100 per cent owned by GOI body) was formed by the Government of India with the primary objective of planning and promoting an organized, efficient and integrated development of Indian Film Industry. In recognition of the need for a body that could facilitate the growth of Indian film industry, the Government of India merged the Film Finance Corporation (FFC) and Indian Picture Export Corporation (IMPEC) into NFDC. The NFDC has so far funded and produced over 200 films. These films, in various Indian languages, have been widely acclaimed and have won many national and international awards. 

OPENING AND CLOSING FILMS

Chinese film actress, Zhang Ziyi, Swedish film maker, Jan Troell, and Poland film maker, Krzysztof Zanussi would be the Guests of Honour. The President directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Iran) will be the opening film and The Grandmaster by Wong KarWai (China) would be the closing film of the festival. 

CENTENARY OF INDIAN CINEMA    

            In the centenary of Indian Cinema a special Website was launched on 13.7.2012 with the intention to invite the articles from general public. In order to commemorate, the Indian Cinema Centenary, the first Centenary film festival at state capitals was held with the Government of Puducherry from 24-26 August 2012. In order to commemorate the Centenary of Indian Cinema, NFAI released a DVD of three Indian silent films on 31.8.2012 with specially composed music of the two surviving reels of “Raja Harishchandra” (1913), DG Phalke’s master piece “Kaliya Mardan” (1919) and an excellent comedy film “Jamai Babu” (1931) by Kaliapada Das which is the only Bengali silent film available.

            The Film Institute of India was set up by the Government of India in 1960 under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Following the addition of Television wing in 1974. The Institute was redesigned as Film and Television Institute of India. The Institute became a Society in October 1974 under the Registration of Societies Act 1860. The Society consists of eminent personalities connected with Film, Television, Communication, Culture, Alumni of Institute and Ex-Officio Government members. The Institute is Government by Governing Council, headed by a Chairman. The Film wing and the TV Wing and offers courses in both Film and Television. The three-year Diploma Courses lead to a Post Graduate Diploma in Film Direction, cinematography, Audiography and Film Editing. The Institute also offers a two-year Post Graduate Diploma Course in Acting. Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SFRTI), Kolkata was established by the Government of India as an autonomous educational institute under the administrative control of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and was registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act 1961. Located at Kolkata and named after legendary film maestro Satyajit Ray, SFRTI is the second national level film training institute. The institute offers three-year post-graduate diploma courses in Direction and Screenplay Writing, Cinematography, Editing and Audiography.

Turning Swachh Bharat Mission into a Mass Movement

   Over 2.5 billion people mostly in rural areas across the world  do not have proper sanitation facilities  and  over one billion people defecate in the open due to lack of proper toilet facilities. The situation is no better in our country where more than half of the population defecates in the open.

            It is well known that countries where open defecation is most widely practiced are the same countries with the highest numbers of under-five child deaths, high levels of under-nutrition and poverty, and large wealth disparities.

            Realising  that the large scale population  was  exposed to  various kinds of diseases  due to lack of sanitation facilities  the government of India  has advancing the  earlier target of making India free from open defecation by 2022 to 2019 by launching a massive Swachh Bharat Mission. 2019 coincides with the 150^th Jayanti Birth Anniversary year of Mahatama Gandhi who considered sanitation more important than even Independence.

            An Action plan  has been drawn  up to make India Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2019, to keep  villages clean through  construction of individual, cluster & community toilets and through solid and liquid waste management  with active participation of village Gram Panchayats (GPs).  It also aims at enabling water tap make connection to households on demand by 2019.

 The Action plan is centered around the major issues:

1.         Strengthening delivery mechanism by creating necessary infrastructure and 

2.         Launching a massive awareness programme involving all stake holders to make the Swachh Bharat Mission into a mass movement.

NATIONAL REACHOUT CAMPAIGN

            What is really of prime importance is changing the mindset of the people who are habituated to defecate in the open, even those who have toilets. To bring in behavioral change is the biggest challenge before the government. A National Reachout Campaign has been unleashed towards this end.

The measures include:

            A continuous door to door contact with every rural household in the country on the lines of the Pulse Polio campaign so that the people can be made aware of the importance of using a toilet and the consequences of not doing so.

            Launching of a National and State Level Media campaign making use of audio visual, mobile telephony and local outreach programmes to communicate the message.

            Involvement of Social, Local, Sports or Movie Icons in Sanitation messaging. Already cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and many movie stars have joined the campaign.

            Community Mobilization is an important step to turn the campaign into a mass movement. It is not just the involvement of ASHA workers, Self Help Groups and other NGOS which is already being done but also using School children as a medium to influence families.

            Involving school children as messengers of Change on ‘WASH’ – Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and including inputs in the school curriculum till Class X. Holding of rallies, walk/run for sanitation, seminars, painting competitions & other activities in Schools to disseminate the sanitation message are being organized in a big way – facebook page of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ and facebook page of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation provide a glimpse of all these activities.

            Getting Doctors, teachers, local political and religious leaders involved in the Sanitation Communication, is also part of this Mission approach.

            In fact, it involves using every tool available to spread the message of sanitation including using fitting  vehicles with publicity material on sanitation and drinking water supply; showing short films on Sanitation as well as best practices.

            The vehicles like trucks could also carry models of twin pit latrines; rural sanitary pans with p-traps and models for water supply schemes.

            Wall Paintings, shows during weekly haats/ market/ school/ chaupals through Self Help Groups (SHGs). Also making use of the popular Folk Media like puppet shows, nukkad nataks to create awareness.

            Involvement of  various organizations in the  mass communication plan  like the UNICEF, WSP, WATERAID, WHO, ADB, Rotary India, Sulabh and the vast network of  non-governmental  workers as well as corporate sectors. The assistance of some of these institutions has successfully been utilized in the Pulse polio campaign.

            Anther important step proposed in the action plan is setting up of at least one Model Community Sanitary Complex (CSC) to begin with, in each of the 6000 Blocks in the country as an IEC tool.

 STRENGTHENING DELIVERY MECHANISM

            While the  mass media  can create awareness and bring changes  in attitude, what is significant is the creation of   necessary  infra structure  for construction of  toilets  in the villages  and laying of pipe lines for supply of water  in a time bound manner , this involves the provision of  material and  adequate  funding .

            The Action plan proposes the use of Revolving Funds in construction linked-instalments to provide advance to poor households who cannot afford initial construction cost or to Gram Panchayats in construction linked instalments to be finally recouped against incentives released on completion of the toilets.

            Increased Finance Commission transfers for this purpose may be considered to ensure maintenance of School, Anganwadis and Community Sanitation Complexes, which is very poor due to paucity of O&M funds.

Linkage of funds released to GPs under all programmes, could be linked with coverage and usage of toilets in the GP, to use it as a leverage to ensure Swachh Bharat by 2019.

 Steps proposed for supply of material for construction include:

1.                           Ensuring availability of sanitary hardware suitable for rural areas in adequate quantity and in reasonable prices. Availability of Deeper angle rural pans with water seal p-traps which consume lesser water shall be ensured.

2.                           Creation of Rural Sanitary Marts/ Production Centres in every Block in the country.

3.                           Completing the supply of material like cement, pan, bricks etc through provision of exchangeable coupons, with labour contribution by beneficiaries.

4.                           Training of Masons in the construction of sanitary toilets across the country to be taken up in a focused manner. For this leading NGOs could be roped in sanitation, ITIs/ Polytechnics who could create an Army of trained Masons specializing in sanitation construction.

5.                           Involvement of Corporate sector to assist in covering the GPs in their Catchment areas for sanitation especially Community Sanitary Complexes, either directly or through CSR funding. The corporate may also look after O&M for a couple of years.

6.                           To ensure the interest of the District, Sub-district and Block Level Government officers beginning from District Magistrates in sanitation, the achievements of their areas under sanitation may be included in their APRs (Annual Performance Reports).

           

It was in 2013 that the UN officially recognized November 19 as World Toilet Day to make sanitation for all, a global development priority to promote public awareness of the need for adequate toilets in order to improve health of people and save lives. Describing the practice of open-air defecation as “extremely harmful” to public health, the UN says that the lives of more than 200,000 children could be saved with the provision of proper toilets facilities. 

            The 2014 campaign of World Toilet Day is centered around the theme of “Dignity and Equality” because women and girls bear the greatest burden of lack of toilet access throughout all life stages; Lack of toilets in schools leads to increase in dropout rates amongst girls and open defecation by girls exposes them to sexual harassment, assault and violence.

            So in order to save millions of lives, to provide dignity girls & to women the need is to ensure   that men and women have equal right over sanitation and water facilities.

            A momentum in the Swatchh Bharat Mission has already been created across the country, the need is to sustain it, ensure that the campaign becomes a movement of the masses, translated into action and a Swatchh Bharat becomes a reality by 2019 as a tribute the Father of the Nation Mahatama Gandhi. 

Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture on “Jawaharlal Nehru and the Making of Modern India” By The President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee

I am honoured to deliver the 46^thJawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture being organized on the occasion of the 125^th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru. I am grateful to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson and the Trustees of the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund for this invitation.

It is not easy to do justice to Jawaharlal Nehru's remarkable life as well as his contribution to the making of a modern India in a short lecture. I shall however strive today to briefly cover some of his views, his actions and the legacy he left behind.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In May of this year, India saw a peaceful transfer of power from one political formation to another for the eighth time since 1952. On September 24, 2014, the Mars Mission launched by the Indian Space Research Organization entered the orbit of the red planet. In 2008, India and United States concluded a Civil Nuclear Agreement which recognized India as a State with advanced nuclear technologies and brought India into the international nuclear mainstream.

What I have cited above are three important but different moments in India’s recent history. But, a common thread which runs through them and what they dramatically illustrate is how Nehru’s legacy is not just intact, but continues to lead modern day India to new heights of achievement.

Nehru’s services to India are immeasurable. He was one of the greatest figures of our times. Nehru had a clear vision of what modern India should look like and he set out to realize his dreams by establishing strong pillars which would support the young nation. If India is a vibrant democracy today, it is because of the foundations laid by Nehru. If India has become the third largest economy in the world in terms of Purchasing Power Parity, it is because of the multi-purpose projects, the public sector undertakings and institutions of higher learning established by Nehru as well as the systematic planning process initiated by him. If India is today counted amongst the technologically advanced nations of the world, it is because of Nehru’s promotion of scientific temper and the chain of scientific research laboratories that he built across the country.

It is Nehru who brought us from a backward and dependent economy to the emerging power we are today. It is he who has equipped Indians with the confidence and ability to ensure that our country obtains its rightful and honoured place amongst the leading nations of the world.

Nehru and the Freedom Movement

Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Jawaharlal Nehru’s contribution to the freedom movement was unique.

The end of the First World War saw the unravelling of major empires ruled by the Kaiser, the Caliph and the Tsar. In India, 1917 saw the Home Rule Movement commence under the leadership of Dr. Annie Besant. Jawaharlal Nehru, still in his twenties, began his political career as one of the Joint Secretaries of the Home Rule League in Uttar Pradesh with his father Motilal Nehru as President. Jawaharlal Nehru then plunged into the Non-Cooperation movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi and went to jail in December, 1921.

Thereafter, Nehru continued to be in the front ranks of the freedom movement. He became the Congress President at the age of 40 in the Lahore Congress of 1929. The transfer of baton from the father, Motilal Nehru who presided over the Congress Session at Calcutta in 1928 was not just symbolic. It truly meant a transfer of leadership of the Congress to the younger generation. The Lahore Congress declared "Purna Swaraj” as its goal and authorised the launch of the Civil Disobedience Movement. Nehru then went on to become President of the Congress in the Lucknow Session of 1936, Faizpur Session in 1937 and many more times.

Long before freedom from foreign rule became a reality, Jawaharlal Nehru as President of the Indian National Congress declared in 1936 that India’s ultimate objective was the establishment of "a democratic state,” "full democracy” and a "new social and economic order”[1]. Nehru also popularized the demand for a Constituent Assembly to draft India’s Constitution and made it a central issue in the 1937 provincial elections.

Nehru logged a total of 3262 days in jail during the freedom struggle with 1040 days during the 1942 Quit India Movement as the longest spell. It is during this period that Nehru penned the 1200 page manuscript ofThe Discovery of India while under arrest in Ahmednagar Fort. It was written in flowing hand using rationed war time paper with no cut, blemish or correction. Nehru was prodigiously productive in terms of writing and thinking during his different periods in jail. As is well known, Glimpses of World Historywas written by him in 1934, based on 196 letters written to his young daughter, Indira from various prisons. He covered in these letters the entire history of humankind from 6000 B.C. to the time of writing these letters using only his personal notes and without any reference books.

Nehru’s intense passion for India’s freedom can be seen from his words of April 1942, "We want much”, "Our appetite for freedom is insatiable. We are hungry for it, and our throats are parched with thirst.”[2]

Nehru and Parliamentary Democracy

The establishment of full Parliamentary Democracy in India was a momentous step in the history of de- colonization. Nehru played a central role in shaping the process by which limited representative government given by the British in progressive doses was transformed into vibrant and powerful institutions that suited the genius of the Indian people. Democracy, for Nehru, meant a responsible and responsive political system governing through consultation and discussion. There was in him what his biographer S. Gopal calls:

"a granite core of intellectual and moral commitment to democratic values”[3].

Moving the ‘Objectives’ Resolution in the Constituent Assembly, Nehru observed "Whatever system of Government we may establish here must fit in with the temper of our people and be acceptable to them”[4].

Nehru established healthy practices and precedents as Leader of the House in the Provisional Parliament of 1950 and in the First, Second, and Third Lok Sabhas from 1952 to 1964. He treated Parliament with great respect and sat patiently through long and often tedious debates as an example to his colleagues and young parliamentarians. He spoke frequently in Parliament, and used it as a forum to disseminate his views to the public. Letters from Members of Parliament were invariably replied to personally and promptly. Nehru laid down conventions of lasting value by upholding the Speaker’s position in the House.

Nehru promoted frank discussions on subjects of importance in the Houses of Parliament and did not appreciate the use of public interest as a reason to deny information. Nehru was aware that the lack of an established Opposition meant significant weakness in the system. He said:

"I do not want India to be a country in which millions of people say "yes” to one man, I want a strong opposition.”[5]

Most of the time of Parliament Sessions during the first to the third Lok Sabhas were devoted to discussing legislation, budget, Plan and matters related to money and finance. The volume of financial transactions in those days was very meagre. In fact, Jawaharlal Nehru once jokingly commented that the budget of the Government of India is less than the budget of the New York Municipal Corporation. But, this did not prevent Members of Parliament from having full debate on various financial issues, especially the Five Year Plans.

Nehru frequently met Opposition leaders to exchange ideas on crucial issues and asked his Ministers to welcome probing questions and debates. Even though, there was no formal opposition party, Nehru gave highest respect to Opposition leaders like Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Shri Hiren Mukherjee, Shri H.V. Kamath, Shri A.K. Gopalan and Shri Ashok Mehta, all of whom were members of the first Lok Sabha. Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was elected to the second Lok Sabha and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia who became member of the third Lok Sabha also received special attention from Nehru.

Nehru took keen interest in the Question Hour and was almost always present during the Hour. Nehru was attentive to the need to preserve and protect the rights and privileges of members. He was also particular that the dignity and prestige of the House should be maintained at all times.

Nehru had tremendous faith in the capacity of poor, unlettered people to understand issues and exercise reasoned choices. He did not use the excuse of the partition of the country and the consequent communal violence or influx of refugees to postpone elections. On the contrary, he was impatient to go to the people and unhappy that elections could not be held earlier. In the campaign for the first General Elections of 1951-52, Nehru personally travelled some 25,000 miles and addressed around 35 million people or a tenth of India’s then population. He educated the people about the value of adult suffrage and their duty to discharge their right to vote with responsibility.

Nehru and Secularism

Nehru was secular to the core. When the French writer André Malraux asked Nehru late in life what had been his most difficult task, he replied, "creating a just state by just means, I think....” And, after a brief pause: "Perhaps creating a secular state in a religious country, especially when its religion is not founded on an inspired book.”[6]

It was because of Nehru’s consistent efforts that India established itself as a secular state with equal rights for all regardless of their religious affiliation.

Nehru and Empowerment of Women

Nehru was keen that women play their part as equal citizens in the nation. Unlike in the West, women in India got the right to vote at the same time as men, a goal spelt out by the Congress as early as 1928. He said in a speech at Kalyani in 1954 that:

"Women of India must play an adequate role in the building of the country. Without them the country cannot make rapid progress. The state of progress of the country can be known by the condition of its women because they are the makers of the people of the country”[7].

Nehru and Foreign Policy

The aftermath of World War II saw the globe split between two rival power blocs of East and West. For India, more so for Nehru, who as Prime Minister, held the portfolio of foreign affairs for seventeen long years, staying out of military blocs and alliances was essential to maintaining freedom of action for the nascent Indian state. Nehru refused to accept assistance under the Marshall Plan so as not to compromise India’s independence in foreign policy matters.

Nehru’s policy of non-alignment did not mean equidistance or isolationism. It meant independence of judgment and action. It was not a passive but a pro-active and dynamic policy in which India was strongly committed to the goals of the United Nations and would do its best for peace in the world. Nehru did not wish to involve India in the conflict which the great powers were waging or become a camp follower of any group.

As early as in 1946, India moved a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly condemning racial discrimination in South Africa. India sent troops for peace keeping to the Gaza strip and Congo. India was a tireless campaigner against nuclear weapons and testing in the oceans and the atmosphere. It played an important role in the conclusion of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963. Today, when the Cold War has passed into history books, it should be kept in mind that Nehru’s foreign policy was rooted in the sound, consistent principle of "India first”.

Nehru and the building of India’s economy

India emerged from colonial rule a mostly agrarian country. Agriculture had been virtually stagnant for half a century and the average rate of economic growth was less than one percent. Against this dismal backdrop, the first fifteen years saw an estimated GDP growth at 4% and nearly 2 percent per capita (as opposed to 0.1 percent in the years 1900-47). This was a historic turning point and India was on par with the best performing economies of its time, ahead of China, UK, Japan[8].

Congress President Subash Chandra Bose in 1938 set up a National Planning Committee with Jawaharlal Nehru as its Chairman. Jawaharlal Nehru included in it not just politicians but scientists, economists, businessmen and industrialists.Planning was seen by Nehru as a vast national endeavour and not just the task of the Planning Commission.The well known economist P.C. Mahalanobis described the Nehruvian approach to planning as the Middle Way or the Middle Path. The Mixed Economy and Welfare State emerged thereafter as important concepts. The setting up of the Planning Commission, the emergence of the public sector, of land reforms, of regulations on industrial monopoly, of state trading were all the result of Nehru’s multifaceted initiatives. Nehru also devised the institution of the National Development Council (NDC) to secure national and inter-regional consensus on development programmes. The NDC has been described as an example of federalism in action.

Nehru oriented the country to the socialist path by including the Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constitution. It was at the historic Avadi Session of the Indian National Congress in 1955, that the Congress gave itself, formally, the creed of a socialistic pattern of society. The Session coincided with the launch of the Second Five Year Plan. From then onwards, vigorous utilization of resources, rapid industrialization and achieving equitable distribution became the nation’s priorities.

Nehru has been criticised in later years for having accorded primacy to the Government in economic matters. These policies must be however seen in the context of Nehru’s times. Capital formation in a society, exploited for 190 years was a huge task which could not be left to the private sector alone. Planning helped allocate scarce resources in accordance with national priorities. The relative merit of a regulated economy was widely accepted those days.

Nehru’s efforts did not throttle private initiative. The private sector continued to play an important role, especially in agriculture and small and medium industries. In fact, during the early days of independence, even the private sector supported the idea of a key role for government in creating economic growth. Moreover, many private sector companies received strong support from public sector financial institutions, enabling them turn into domestic giants in their respective fields.

Nehru’s speech at the inauguration of the Bhakra Nangal Dam still remains in memory as one of his finest ever.

"For me, the temples, the gurudwaras, the churches, the mosques of today are these places where human beings labour for the benefit of other human beings, of humanity as a whole. They are the temples of today. I feel more, if I may use the word, religious-minded when I see these great works than when I see any temple or any place of pure worship. These are the places of worship because here we worship something; we build up Indians; we build up the millions of India and so this is a sacred task”[9].

Investment in steel and fertilisers, hydro-electric dams and aluminium smelters had an all round effect on the economy. Growth rates in agriculture during 1950-65 averaged 2.6 percent, higher than in the entire first half of the 20^thcentury in India.

S. Gopal has summarised Nehru’s achievements as follows: "He consolidated a nation, trained it for democracy, constructed a model for economic development and set the country on the path to growth[10].”

Nehru and Science

Nehru believed that caste prejudices, religious bigotry, social inequalities etc. could be eliminated only by developing a scientific spirit in our social relations and mental habits. Along with scientific achievement, the development of a scientific frame of mind and a scientific habit of thinking was equally important. Science was not only a search for truth, but also meant for the betterment of man.

A Science Policy was adopted by the Government and scientific laboratories set up across the country. Indian Institutes of Technology were established to nurture manpower in engineering. Frontier disciplines such as space and atomic energy came under the personal supervision of the Prime Minster.

Conclusion

Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today we tend to take for granted the success of our Parliamentary Democracy. It must be however kept in mind that in many newly independent nations, first generation nationalist leaders concentrated all power in their own hands and were succeeded by military rulers. It was Jawaharlal Nehru and other founding fathers who ensured that on gaining independence, power was transferred to the people of India through adoption of the Constitution and regular free and fair elections.

At the time of independence, it was widely believed that India would soon lapse into authoritarianism and the democratic experiment will collapse. India consolidated itself in the difficult formative years of its nation-building because of the strong and stable system of parliamentary democracy established by Nehru.

The challenge that India faced and the importance of her success has been well described by former Prime Minister of Britain, Sir Anthony Eden:

"Of all the experiments in government, which have been attempted since the beginning of time, I believe that the Indian venture into parliamentary government is the most exciting. A vast sub-continent is attempting to apply to its tens and thousands of millions a system of free democracy. It is a brave thing to try to do so. The Indian venture is not a pale imitation of our practice at home, but a magnified and multiplied reproduction on a scale we have never dreamt of. If it succeeds, its influence on Asia is incalculable for good. Whatever the outcome, we must honour those who attempt it.”[11]

Nehru when once asked what his legacy to India would be, replied: "Hopefully, it is four hundred million people capable of governing themselves”[12].

In the words of S Gopal,

"Achieved against daunting odds, democracy in India - Adult suffrage, a sovereign Parliament, a free press, an independent judiciary - is Nehru’s most lasting monument.”[13]

Jawaharlal Nehru’s life and vision, his struggles and his achievements were no less than epic. But it is his deep democratic spirit and practice of a politics vested in the sovereignty of the people that is his most precious legacy to us. The manner in which 66.4% of our 834 million strong electorate exercised their vote in the recent elections to the 16^th Lok Sabha is the best validation of Nehru’s efforts in the above regard.

Democracy has struck deep roots in India and survived against enormous odds thanks to Nehru’s stewardship of the nation in its early years.Every one of our institutions from the independent judiciary and free press to the legislatures and the Election Commission bear the hallmark of Nehru.

Looking ahead, we must renew afresh the imperative of protecting and strengthening our democratic institutions and practices. Imperfect they may be, but they represent the best way forward for our nation as we forge ahead into the 21^stcentury.

Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I conclude this memorial lecture saluting and paying my humble respects to Jawahar, the Jewel of India. India is what it is today because of Nehru, his vision and his lifetime of dedication to the nation. Let us celebrate his legacy and draw inspiration from his life to take our nation towards greater and greater glory.

Thank you,

Jai Hind.

Counting caste in the census

The Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) launched in 2011 to enumerate castes along with socio-economic data, is progressing, and is likely to be completed soon.

A stand-alone caste headcount may not normally be desirable in a country grappling with the adverse consequences of social hierarchy and caste-based divisions. However, in conjunction with socio-economic data, a caste census may yield quantifiable data that could be used to evaluate measures such as caste-based reservation in employment and education. In that sense, a caste-wise enumeration of the population, both in the urban and rural areas, may be useful in guiding policy. A recent decision by the Supreme Court setting aside a direction from the Madras High Court to the authorities to hold a caste-wise census, caused disquiet in States like Tamil Nadu, where the demand for a caste census has been strong. The verdict was seen by some as judicial invalidation of the idea of a caste census. However, the court verdict was limited to the question whether the High Court was right in encroaching upon the policy domain of the executive. Secondly, the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) launched in 2011 to enumerate castes along with socio-economic data, is progressing, and is likely to be completed soon. The court had only held that it was a policy matter in the realm of the executive. It may be recalled that the court had in the past wanted to know the basis on which reservation was fixed, as there is no precise data on the extent of backwardness of any given caste. With some States exceeding the 50 per cent limit on total reservation fixed by the Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney case, the continuance of higher levels of caste-based reservation may depend on the socio-economic data.

However, it is not clear why the Union government, or the office of the Census Commissioner that had appealed against the High Court direction to hold a caste census, did not apprise the Supreme Court of the fact that SECC 2011 is in progress. The government’s argument was limited to the point that any direction on the manner in which the census is undertaken will be tantamount to interference in policy matters. Perhaps, the government had gone on appeal only on the principle that the decennial census should remain in its present form and that the socio-economic caste survey was just a one-off exercise. It is not yet clear how the government proposes to use the caste data collected by it. The outcome of SECC 2011 may well be used to identify beneficiaries under various welfare schemes, including those earmarked for availing facilities under food security schemes. It will be quite a daunting task to match the socio-economic characteristics of a particular community with its numerical strength. In whatever manner the details may be put to use, India must continue to balance social justice with the long-term objective of creating a caste-free society.

Flash memory breaches nanoscales

In what is considered a breakthrough in computing hardware, a team of scientists from Glasgow has proposed a way to harvest molecules and construct nano-sized non-volatile (permanent) storage devices, also known as flash memory devices. In a letter published in Naturetoday (November 20), Christoph Busche of WestCHEM School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, and 12 others have written about their efforts to engineer molecular flash memory using nanoscale polyoxometalate clusters instead of the conventional metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) devices.

The challenge

It is a great challenge to reduce the size of conventional MOS flash memories to sizes below ten nanometres. This poses a problem when one tries to build small flash memory devices. Hence other options have been pursued for quite some time, including those using proteins and other molecules. However, using these molecular memories involved integrating them with the MOS technologies, which was proving to be difficult and several candidates had been tried and found wanting in this attempt. The Glasgow group, headed by Leroy Cronin, has found a suitable candidate in the polyxometalate molecules.

When such a molecule is doped with the selenium derivative [(Se(IV)O)] a new type of oxidisation state (5+) is observed for the selenium. This new oxidation state can be observed at the device level, and this can be used as a memory.

Device simulation

The authors demonstrate this using a device simulation. Their work suggests a route to building molecular flash memory devices.

Flash memory is in everyday usage now. It is used in digital cameras, USBs and various other places. Unlike a computer’s RAM, which is volatile — meaning that the memory stored in it will dissipate once power supply is broken — a flash memory can retain what is written on it even when power supply is discontinued. For that reason it is called a non-volatile memory. So long, flash memories have been constituted using MOS technologies. This paper now suggests a new way of going beyond its nanoscale limitations.

Two new subatomic particles discovered

The particles were predicted to exist by the quark model but had never been seen before. A related particle was found by the CMS experiment at CERN in 2012.

Two new subatomic particles that could widen our understanding of the universe have been discovered, scientists at CERN announced on Wednesday.

The collaboration for the LHCb experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider discovered the two new particles belonging to the baryon family.

A baryon is a composite subatomic particle made up of three quarks.

The particles were predicted to exist by the quark model but had never been seen before. A related particle was found by the CMS experiment at CERN in 2012.

Like the well-known protons that the LHC accelerates, the new particles are baryons made from three quarks bound together by the strong force.

The types of quarks are different, though: the new particles both contain one beauty (b), one strange (s), and one down (d) quark, CERN said in a statement.

Thanks to the heavyweight b quarks, they are more than six times as massive as the proton. But the particles are more than just the sum of their parts: their mass also depends on how they are configured.

“Nature was kind and gave us two particles for the price of one,” said Matthew Charles of the CNRS’s LPNHE laboratory at Paris VI University.

As well as the masses of these particles, the research team studied their relative production rates, their widths — a measure of how unstable they are — and other details of their decays.

The results match up with predictions based on the theory of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), researchers said.

QCD is part of the Standard Model of particle physics, the theory that describes the fundamental particles of matter, how they interact and the forces between them.