Disgruntled Perspectives on Yoga Day

The celebration of International Yoga Day 192 countries on June 21^st to invoke the power of Yoga is a remarkable achievement for a 1.25 billion strong nation. It is a moment of intense pride and honour for the country. India the seat of one of the oldest civilisations can now proclaim its rich heritage and revel in high spirits for generously conferring the knowledge of Yoga to the World.  But instead of revelling in the new glory and pride unsolicited disgruntlements, disingenuous statements and cacophonous rancour from various corners has taken sheen off the Yoga Day celebrations.

While critics attributed the increasing spate of disingenuous statements to the vast diversity the very essence of yoga of exuding positive spirit is lost in these dissatisfactory rumblings. The zeal of the Yoga Day was dampened by the disenchantment of various political parties who lashed out ruling party for usurping the old Indian heritage for self-promotion and propaganda. In the meanwhile, intelligentsia in reputed Universities intensified signature campaign against the government for failing to invest in the preventive and curative health care. This event has provided platform for orthodox religious leaders who profess that yoga is privately practised by every Hindu and it is solely linked to Hinduism. The inimical statements of scholars and religious leaders clearly extenuate the impassioned achievements of patriotic saints like Swami Vivekananda, Paramahamsa Yogananda  and others who carried the knowledge of yoga and pranayama to western countries extolling the inclusiveness of Indian tradition and heritage. Unfortunately the nation instead of rejoicing the fete of International Yoga Day, aimed at fostering harmony and annihilating tensions is prying hard to extricate fissures of disharmony.

The declaration of June 21^st as the International Yoga Day by the UN in a short notice is unprecedented. Modi in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly on Sept 27^th 2014 spoke about Yoga and its significance in this war-torn world. The proposal which was soon followed by the Indian Ambassador at UN yielded significant results with as many as 176 nations obliging to be co-sponsors. The resolution received highest ever approval in a body containing 193 countries. This international event has been instrumental in projecting India as an upcoming soft power in the global platform. Invariably this astounding achievement augmented India’s soft power diplomacy.

 It is weird that India bequeathed with the knowledge of more than 5000 year old tradition instead of taking pride is squabbling over the claims for restoring new identification to it on global platform. Controversial statements pertaining to yoga on the very occasion of international celebrations gravely reflect the cynicism of the political leaderships. It clearly sends message that anything intrinsic to India must be viewed with suspicion and not worth footing it on global arena.

While there is no dearth of Western celebrities promoting Yoga Indian apprehensions are contemptible. In the US Yoga is $ 87 billion business proposition. Interestingly the fledging forms of yoga like the Hot Yoga which are becoming increasingly popular in the US are not incongruent with the Indian yoga. Now is high time for India to promote its heritage and lay claims on the knowledge which has offered succour to millions who practise religiously. In this context it is important to elaborate that the newly evolved forms of exercises under the banner of yoga in the US and Europe are grudgingly different from the traditional yoga. The emphasis on regulated breathing which forms the basic backbone of Yoga is ostensibly missing in some of the Western forms.

India as a flag bearer of the traditional knowledge should establish centres of excellence in yoga and establish standard yoga practices. Trained yoga practitioners can then perpetuate the correct practices. While there is no dearth of doctrines and people who question the necessity of yoga for people who thrive on bread labour but as proportion of people engaging in futile rat race has been on rise the need for yoga and its stress-relieving effects are more relevant than ever. Yoga enunciated by our ancient sages and yogis is a practice that aims at bringing about integration between body and soul. This process of transformation and liberation of human kind and an insight into the inner self can relieve a person of the stress. Yoga can offer relief to people encumbered by stress and depression.

In the modern day context Swami Vivekananda once said that: “We claim that concentrating powers of mind is the only way to knowledge. In external science the concentration of mind is- putting on something external; and in internal science, it is- drawing towards one’s self. We call this concentration of mind yoga. Yogis claim that by concentration of mind every truth in the Universe becomes evident to mind, both external and internal truth”. Concentrating powers of mind or meditation is inextricably linked to Yoga. Needless to say, imminent gains made by individuals through yoga would bring about a propitious change in the society. India is the treasure trove of ancient knowledge and it is high time that its leaders appreciate the potential of the invaluable gains of yoga and refrain from petty squabbling. 

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Superannuated US Foreign Policy

A Declining Super Power

The US began to assume greater role in the polity of countries after its triumphant stride in the World War II and hence forth began to lay larger claims. Till the implosion of the erstwhile Soviet Union it was largely a bipolar World. By and large throughout the nemesis of the Cold war the US has tried to plug-in the expansionist overtures of the Soviet Union. Since the collapse of USSR, for decades many American strategists began envisioning that the World has sole superpower. Subsequently the US presidents started reinforcing the same doctrine which was directly reflected in their foreign policies and intended to maintain that status quo for times to come. Accordingly, aggressive plans were strategized to prevent the re-emergence of a nation or a territory that can pose threat on the order posed by the former Soviet Union. Grounded deeply in the Pax Americana President George H W Bush and his son exultantly promised to extend and spread the current realm of peace across nations for more years. To prevail on the philosophy of extending peace, Bush junior intervened in the Middle East regional conflagration by invading Iraq. In a bid to perpetuate the US supremacy and over powered by an interventionist attitude President Bush has ignited the carnage which is engulfing the peace and tranquillity of the entire region.

In reality the World is no longer Unipolar as the US wants it. Muscle flexing by various nations has become order of the day. Russia has now slowly recovered and putting every nerve at work to counter western insinuations. It strong posturing and resurgence is testified by its annexation of Crimea and in arming the rebellion in Ukraine. China’s relentless land reclamation and eventual proclamation of islands in the South China Sea, Iran’s growing strength and authority in Iraq, Saudi Arabia’s refusal to endorse the US brokered nuclear deal with Iran. All these emerging power centres together defy the near invincibility capitulated by the US. Sadly the authorities in Washington are taking recluse in the decade old fiat of the planet’s hyper power; a status more aggrandized that Super power.

More than a decade long armed engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan exhausted the military and depleted the US treasury. Now the regional powers like China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and Russia are trying to challenge the supremacy of the US through better reorganisation of resources and military capabilities. President Obama cognizant of ground realities and setbacks no longer willed to retreat from the envisioned role of the sole super power of the world. In spite of the backlashes suffered in Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and South China Sea the US hankered to prevail. The Republicans still begrudgingly believe in the indispensability of the US in the strife struck nations. Because of the irreconcilable approach towards global supremacy, the US has largely mired itself in a conundrum. With limited resources at its disposal the US without a long term strategy and concrete plan is rushing its capabilities to regions where crises are unfolding. In this vain attempt to reach out to regions in trouble it failed to finish its tasks to completion. This phenomenon has been highly characteristic of President Obama.

In a hurry to evacuate its troops from Iraq and Afghanistan in 2011, the US helped China to advance its own strategic interests. Consequently to counter the influence of China, it has turned its interests towards Asia under the Pivot to Asia policy. Thus it shifted its focus to Asia-Pacific region. Unfortunately as the World now silently mourns and dreads the meteoric rise of the Islamic State, the infamous role of the US can’t be undermined. President Bush by invading Iraq and President Obama for not fighting them hard enough are culpable. Of course the inept leadership in Iraq that largely favoured Shia’s at behest of Sunni’s led to the gradual escalation of the rebellion that seized control of the four northern cities of Iraq. By 2014, the US military analysts are shunted back to Iraq once again to strategise air strikes against ISIS. In this eternal ordeal of juggling commitments towards different regions to assert its supremacy, the US foreign policy has become less coherent, more nebulous, open-ended and lost its focus. As a result the mighty US failed to counter the insidious attacks of Houthi rebels in Yemen, Putin in Ukraine, Bashar al-Assad in Syria and militias in Libya.

It is high time that Washington accepts the fact that World is facing multiple threats and that the US is not indispensible anymore. Majority of Americans refuse to buy this fact. Several old generation politicians believe that to restore the credibility of US, it must become more aggressive and become the strongest military power of the world. Certainly in the run for the Presidential elections of 2016, foreign policy is going to be high on the agenda with prospective leaders pitching in for increased military strength, tough stance against Moscow and Beijing and stronger military presence in the Middle East. Subsequently, the interventionist approach of the US will continue to dominate the foreign policy. Surely this is going to be disastrous as unlike the situation two decades back when the US alone dominated the world, there are multiple power houses now. China, Russia and Iran have now emerged as strong nations asserting their regional hegemonies. While singularly these countries may not be equal to the US but greater muscle flexing by the US can lead to a calamity or humiliation.

Under these circumstances, it will be prudent for the US to make a realistic assessment and accept that it is a declining superpower and must learn to cohabit with coteries of major power in the World. The US must manage its differences with China, Russia and Iran without igniting regional strife’s and brewing up more disasters. Of late strategic analysts began postulating that US should start conceding the fact that it can no longer sustain the status of superpower and start investing more in building reliable alliances. While it may be a difficult proposition for the American psyche to accept the new reality living in the denial mode might push America towards uncertain military engagements and condescension.

Recently Ian Bremmer, foreign affairs columnist in his book SuperPower suggested three distinctly different interesting US foreign policy approaches. “The Indispensible America approach believes that no other nation can provide the leadership that the world needs other than the US, Money Ball America relies that America can’t do everything but it should defend its economic and political interests where they are most threatened and the third one is Independent America wherein the US must get rid of the international burdens and focus on building the country from within. As America is gearing up the election season, Bremmer cautioned the citizens of US to carefully analyze and evaluate the promises of various leaders to assess the financial burden which is hardly talked about. When a survey was carried out to select the choices, it was found that oldies still backed the indispensible America approach while the younger generation preferred an independent approach. Now it is for the new leadership to make apt choices and set ahead on the path of hard priorities. For the world in the next 25 years is going to extremely volatile.

 

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Sri Kurmanadha Temple- Srikurmam

The ancient temple of Sri Kurmanadha with its highly glorified past and peerless history in the North Coastal District of Srikakulam is immensely popular among the Vaishnavaites of Andhra Pradesh and the neighbouring state of Odisha. Situated just 3 km away from Bay of Bengal in a remote village is visited by thousands of devotees for its illustrious past. The temple is dedicated to Sri Kurmanadha, the second dasa avatara or Kurma avatar (tortoise) of Lord Vishnu. The temple looked after by the Simhachalam devasthanam has several unique distinctions. The moolasthanam (central piece) is considered to be saligrama and referred to as Sri Kurmam by the puranas. The idol is a natural image not sculptured and is of size of large tortoise. The head of the deity is in the form of Kurma (tortoise) and is represented by Vishnu Namam and the tail is represented by Saligrama gifted by Sri AdiShankaracharya. There is a shrine of Yogananda Narasimha Deva in front of the temple.

Sri Kurmam temple as per scriptures is encircled by panchalinga kshetras (five Shiva Temples) and Ashta (8) Tirthas spread over 20 miles circumference. The temple is located in a triangular area between rivers Nagavali, Vamsadhara and Bay of Bengal and regarded as Kali yuga’s Vaikuntam. It is said that Balaraama on his south Indian pilgrimage to this temple ordained that Sri Kurmam be the only Kurma Kshetra in this world with no replicas be built for Kurmanadha anywhere. He dug the earth and subsequently the river Nagavali originated and flows in its Western periphery while Vamsadhara flows in its Northern periphery.

The five Shiva temples in its periphery are Sri Uma Rudra Koteswara temple in Srikakulam, Shiva temple in Kalingapatnam, one each in Singapuram and Ippili villages and the last one is located adjacent to the SriKurmanadha main temple. The ashta tirthas are- Narada Tirtham, Sudha kundham, Chakra Tirtham, Madhava Tirtham, Kautilya Tirtham, Vakra Tirtham, Narasimha tirtham and Mahodadhi.

Mythological Connect

According to puranas the temple existed few million years ago and the outer structures are constructed many a time after dilapidation and the present structure is 700 years old. The references to the temple are available in Kurma, Vishnu, Padma and Brahmanda puranas. As per scriptures Kurmaa avatar is considered as the second incarnation of the famous Dasha Avataaras of Lord Shri Maha Vishnu. The 8^th Skanda of Bhagavatam refers to the classical legend of the Ksheera Sagara Madhanam where Lord Vishnu reincarnated himself into kurmam to aid the Devatas and Rakshasas during the cosmic churning of the Ocean of milk to obtain nectar.

Another legend says that during Kruta Yuga a pious king Sweta Maharaja observed fierce penance for many years. To fulfil the wish of the King, Lord Vishnu manifested (Swayambhu) in this place in Kurma avatar. Later Lord Brahma overlooked the celestial rituals and consecrated the shrine with Gopala yantra.

According to the inscriptions on the temple dated back to 1281 the sacred place of Kurmakshetra was re-established by Sri Ramanujacharya under the influence of Jagannatha Deva at Jagannatha Puri, Odisha. Later the temple came under the influence of King of Vijayanagara. The diety was worshipped by the Vaishnavas of Madhvacharya sampradaya. Oriya inscriptions written by Sri Narahari Teertha a discipline of Sri Madhavacharya who later became king of Kalinga was thought to have reconstructed the temple in Orissan style.

A popular legend about the second dhwajasthambha (flagpost) prominently believes that Sri Ramanujacharya prayed for Lord Vishnu at this temple in 11^th century. The Deity facing East till then turned towards west to bless the Acharya. Henceforth a second dhwajasthambha was installed as the diety was facing west since then.

Unique Features of the Temple

-          Unlike in many other temples the deity is facing west direction and hence the temple has two Dhwajasthambas (flag posts) in east and west directions. As a rare feature, devotees are permitted to enter the Garbha gruha (sanctum sanctorum) to have closer darshan of the Lord.

-           It is one of the few temples where Abhisekham is performed on daily basis like the Shiva Temples.

-          The place is referred to as Moksha Sthanam where last rites are performed for the deceased in the Swetha Pushkarini present front of the temple. The lake created by Sudarshana Chakram. It is believed that Sri Mahaa Lakshmi the consort of Lord Vishnu emanated from this lake and is adored under the name Sri Kurma Naayaki in varada Mudra posture seated on Garuda Vaahana.

-          The lake is believed to have cosmic cleansing powers. So when people drop the asthikas (ashes) they will eventually metamorphose into Salagramaas (Divine stones).

-          Even mother Ganga is believed to take bath in this lake on Maagha Sudha Chaviti to cleanse her off the sins left by the devotees.

-          The Prasadam of the Lord is said to possess mystic powers. After taking the prasadam the celestial dancer Tilottama became devotional and renounced material things, King Subhaanga won war, devotee Vasu Deva got cured of leprosy.

-          The temple was visited by many great kings and Saints including Lava, Kusha, Balaraama, Sage Durvasa, Adi Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Chaitanya Prabhu.

-          Sri Kurmanadha bestows peace and bliss and is said to relieve Saturn (Sani doshas).

-           It is the second temple in town with Durga Mata in Vaishno Devi form, the other one being the Vaishno Devi Mandir in Jammu and Kashmir.

-          The temple is renowned for it rich architectural beauty. The intricate carvings of Lord Vishnu and other deities vouch for mastery of the skilled artisans.

-          Stone sculptures of the temple peak resonates the Gandharva Shilpa Kala style.

-          The marvellous sculptures on the Eastern and Southern entrances adorned with 108 pillars where each pillar has a distinctly different carvings on it. Some of the pillars are seen hanging from the roof without any support from bottom.

-          The stones on the floor of the pradakshina mandapam (circumambulatory passage) are believed to infuse magnetic energy into devotees through as they walk along this stretch.

-          The ancient sculptures are painted in vegetable colours and resemble those in Ajantha- Ellora Caves.

-          A KASI DWARAM or an underground tunnel to Varanasi is present in the North eastern corner of the pradakshina mandapa speaks of the ancient engineering skills. This tunnel is now closed as wild animals and snakes are entering the temple.

Like many temples in South India, to protect the temple from the onslaught of foreign invasion in 14^th century locals applied limestone mix on the entire temple complex to camouflage it as a hillock. The solidified limestone peels are being removed even now and some are still visible on temple walls till date.

Important festivals celebrated in the temple are dolotsavam (phaluguna pournami or Holi), Kalyanotsavam (Vaishaka Sudha Ekadasi), one day annual Janmadinam-Jayanthi (Jyesta Bahula Dwadasi and Mukkoti Ekadasi.

Another important attraction within the temple premises is the tortoise park.

Activities of the temple

Abhisekham performed upon paying Rs 100 nominal price on behalf of devotees.

Akhanda Deeparadhana for Rs 51 for one day or Rs 1116 for one day in year permanently

Nitya Bhoghum for the Lord for Rs 300 for one day or Rs 3116 for one day in year permanently

Kalyanam for Rs 516 for one day or Rs 5116 for one day in year permanently

Other Attractions

Arasavilli Sun Temple

Sri Mukha Lingam Shiva Temple

Sri Venkateswara Temple-Narayana Tirumala

Kalingapatnam Beach

Accomodation

Andhra Pradesh Tourism and Development Corporation (APTDC) offers comfortable accommodation in its Haritha Resorts at Visakhapatnam. Else suitable accommodations can be availed at Srikakulam or at the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam Guest house in Srikurmam.

Tour Details

APTDC organises Non-AC coach one day tours that covers Arasavalli Sun Temple, SriKurmam, Buddhist Monastery, Kalingapatnam Beach and Srimukhalingam from Visakhapatnam.

Departure- 6:30 am Arrival- 8pm

Fare: Adult- Rs 800 and Child: Rs 640 (Fare includes Breakfast, Lunch, Tea/Snacks).

How to reach

 The temple is located on the NH5 from Chennai to Kolkata.

By Road: 12 km from Srikakulam

110km from Visakhapatnam

-        Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) operates buses from Srikakulam to the temple every 10 minutes and nonstop buses from Visakhapatnam to Srikakulam buses run every 15 min.

By Rail:  Nearest Station is Srikakulam Road which is 12 km from the temple

By Air: It is 115 km from Visakhapatnam airport.

 

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Oppressive Azerbaijan hosts First European Games

The two week long sporting fest of European countries for the very first time is scheduled to begin today the capital city of Azerbaijan, Baku. The frenzied action packed European Games will witness the participation of 6000 athletes from over 50 European countries competing in 20 sports events. The event owned, organised and regulated by the European Olympic Committee is going to be held every four years. European games received thumbs up when 84% of the countries voted in favour of these games at the general assembly of the European Olympic Committee in December 2012 at Rome. Azerbaijan is all set to host the biggest international sports event besides the scheduled European Grand Prix in 2016 and four matches in 2020 European Football Championship. In a move to bolster its image in the global world the Caucasian country was intent on holding the Games. Government strongly believes sports have the biggest potential to put the country on the global platform. Azerbaijan made phenomenal development strides in the span of twenty four years of its independence and could successfully bid for the international event.

Azerbaijan, a secular, Muslim country was part of the mighty Soviet Union and proclaimed independence in October 1991 before the dissolution of USSR. After independence it slowly tried to integrate into European and Euro-Atlantic structure and developed active relations with EU and is in the process of obtaining membership. Critics believe that Azerbaijan which was part of the Soviet Union has been bestowed with the honour of conducting the games for dangling towards the west. Baku, the capital is a mix of historical architectural remnants and the modern constructions gleaming under the shine of the fantastic stadia. The games have come under heavy criticism from the human rights activists since the semi-authoritarian (dictatorial) government is trying to cover up the severe clamp down on freedom of speech and political opposition under the facade of extravagant sports infrastructure. In a run towards the games, many critics, human right activists and journalists were prosecuted and jailed on unfounded charges. Now journalists from major media agencies are denied entry into the country in contrary to the spirit of the sport. Beneath the glitz and glamour of the sports is the stark reality of vicious crackdown of freedom of expression. Heart rendering tales of the plight of the journalists who questioned the dictatorship of the government were silenced by the government officials.

Unfortunately modern sporting events besides providing an opportunity for countries to make an impact on the world map have become synonyms to Vanity fairs. Ostentatious display of opulence etched with extremely grandeur opening and closing ceremonies has become common place with governments splurging billions of dollars for the international events. Be it Beijing Olympics or Sochi Winter Games or the 2014 Brazil FIFA Cup humongous amounts of public money are splurged on decking up or modernising the sports facilities. Sports in modern era are largely believed to act as incentive and catalyst sparking new change by changing the perception about the country.

But the human right activists and journalists in Azerbaijan are largely worried about existence of severe oppression in the country. International community seems to be unaware of widespread violation of human rights in the country categorised by the absence of free and fair elections, rampant corruption, no freedom of press and partly controlled internet access. They demand systemic change in the institutions of civil society. Human right activists allege that Europe is ready to absolve Azerbaijan of all oppressive practices in return for the extravagant sporting event paid by it.

While a section believes games are the way to fast-track infrastructure investment vast majority wants the oil money to be invested for future generations instead of frittering away in construction of flame towers for games. According to a modest estimate the cost of developing the infrastructure is $ 10 billion and with all this frenetic building activity the competitions are going to be suboptimal as junior athletes are expected to feature in this edition of games.  In spite of the tough opposition from within the country the government is hell bent on building swanky stadiums. Like the Gulf countries Azerbaijan believes that investing in sports will help in enhancing political, economic and diplomatic good will among the galaxy of nations and pave way for a future beyond oil and gas. While there is a jarring disparity between the gleaming new constructions and the ram shackled suburbs, the feel good rhetoric surrounding the games is expected to make up for the severe criticism on its human rights record.

Countries are now increasing using sports to burnish their image and as an instrument of soft power. Sports espouse the values of peace and freedom of the nation and bestowing the honour of conducting the games in land swamped by cries of oppression is little too indignant. Uncomfortably a new era of sports diplomacy has already begun and in spite protests undeterred authorities are going ahead with their scheme of activities. The upcoming sport events in Qatar, Russia and Almaty symbolise the proliferation of this new trend.

 

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The Impeccable- Operation Hot Pursuit

Incontestably the #56inchchest rocked and displayed its true enormity. The iron wills and steel nerves have sent strong message across, to our hawkish neighbouring nations that India is all set to shed its soft state status to demolish terror threats. The revengeful surgical strikes carried by Indian Army in response to planned militant attacks on 6 dogra regiment soldiers has earned them a new admiration for their resoluteness. In less than 100 hours of martyring of Indian soldiers in Manipur, Indian Army swung into action and pounced on the secret hidings of the militants seated in the thick forests of Myanmar borders.

While this may not be first operation of its kind but the alacrity, determination and public announcement of the daring operation made India proud. Indeed this could be the best ever homage paid to the lives of the 30 armed personnel who sacrificed their lives. The unprecedented and extremely bold step which resulted in the annihilation of the two rebel camps is highly lauded. Indian side hasn’t suffered any casualty but 100 insurgent militants were killed in a coordinated strikes carried out by Indian Army and Air Force armed with Russian built Mi-35 attack helicopters.  The slain militants belonged to the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, Khaplang NSCN (K) and Kangalei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) outfits. Army has carried out a similar operation across the Nagaland border killing 15 militants. These kinds of aggressive attacks would in fact embolden and enrich the spirits of Indian Army protecting our borders to put their best foot forward. The Army General reinforced that Indian Army is strong and was elated by the bold decision taken by the strong leader at the helm of affairs.

Meanwhile government has announced its pre-emptive stand in hunting down the terror threats. The doctrine of pre-emption is followed by the US whereby the country disregards the constraints of the national borders to crush the terror outfits. During this daring operation elite commandos crawled several hundred meters into the thick forests to bust the militant camps. In lieu of the imminent threat, Army religiously following the credible intelligence reports and carried out twin attacks in quick retaliation. The Special Forces (para 21) carried out operations at Tuensang in Nagaland and Ukhrul in Manipur along the Indo-Burma border. Government’s Zero-tolerance stand on terror threat is visible even in the disproportionate response to the provocations witnessed along the western border by the Indian soldiers. The Army top brass opined that the kind of response and the timing of retaliatory strike reflect the determination of the country to deter the attacks of enemies. The last joint Indo-Burmese joint military attack was in 1995 in which around 200 militants were blocked from reaching the arms consignment in Manipur.

In fact no other country in the World has suffered so much humiliation across international border like India. The operation hot pursuit is a befitting reply to the countries which are hitching plans to arm and patronise insurgency in our country. Quite characteristic of a soft state, till now India never embarked on the path of offensive combat and was complacent in submitting series of dossiers and pleas. In spite of the most dastardly attack of 26/11 India held on to its nerves and shied away from bringing down Pakistan to its heels. Overpowered Pakistan still continues to brazenly attack India and even the perpetrators of the brutal attack in Mumbai continue to roam around freely. The brilliantly executed operation hot pursuit will be a slap on the face of covert operations of PLA which has arranged for the meeting of the insurgent groups of the North East few months back. The insurgents though not known for their ideological commitment are believed to be lured by treasures. The PLA officials following the surgical strike quickly retorted to an Indian newspaper saying that it is impossible for Chinese to abet the Indian rebels more so after Modi’s recent visit to Beijing. The Chinese foreign ministry refused to comment. Indian officials mean while claim that government has recorded phone call conversation between a PLA official and NSCN-K leader. Now the rattled Pakistan officials have warned India of adventurism once again exposing its despicable pathological hatred.

The operation Hot Pursuit- not only reinvigorated the Indian soldiers whose potential in warfare has been proven but also demonstrated that lack of strong political will to crush the insurgent groups led to their proliferation. Towards this end India can make greater gains in future by strategically cooperating with Myanmar and Bangladesh in checking the movement of the insurgents across the porous borders. Beyond any iota of doubt hot pursuit endorses the fact that Modi is determined to obliterate the terror camps. 

 

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Indo-Bangladesh: Heralding A New Beginning

For long India’s preoccupation and desperation to mend fences with Pakistan and China had been pivotal part of its foreign policy strategy. Consequently its engagement with its immediate neighbours began to suffer. The incisive leadership of Modi was very quick to realise the follies of the inept leadership of the predecessors. To break the logjam and the entrenched feeling of mere geographic entities among its neighbours Prime Minister Modi reversed the long standing stance of BJP towards Land Boundary Agreement (LBA). Following the unanimous approval of LBA in the parliament Modi made rapid strides towards Dhaka. With the mercurial Mamatha Banerjee on board Modi played it safe and got her support to cement relations with Bangladesh. Largely hailed as a historic visit by the Bangladesh Media, Modi successfully heralded the Indo-Bangladesh relationship.

The peaceful exchange of enclaves by both the countries, referred to as “fall of Berlin wall”, send out message of strong political consensus, mutual trust and faith to the World. Further the pledge of Zero-tolerance towards terrorism by the leaders of both nations augured the bonhomie. But the euphoria surrounding the visit of Modi was partially dampened with no discussions on Teesta waters. By extending strategic cooperation in areas spanning from space technology, nuclear cooperation, bilateral trade, regional transit and energy cooperation Modi largely made up for the disappointment. In his two days visit 22 agreements were signed to link both economies and to seal an irreversible bonding with the neighbour.

LBA

The memorable visit had a flying start following the exchange of instruments of ratification of the 1974 Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rehman agreement. This mutual and harmonious resolution of fifth longest border of the World is a message to Pakistan (which attributes the dispute to the incomplete work of the partition) and China (refuses to accept the Mac Mohan Line) which has border disputes with India. In a significant move to reduce the existing trade deficit, Bangladesh decided to set up a special economic zone in their country for Indian investments.

Credit Line

As a part of neighbourhood first policy, Modi extended a $2 billion soft loan to Bangladesh towards various development projects like public transport, rail, ICT (Information and Communication Technology), education and health. This is expected to create around 50,000 jobs in India giving a great boost to ‘Make in India’ drive. India never extended such huge amount of credit line to any other country barring Afghanistan who received $2 billion from India towards reconstruction works. Modi till now has extended $6 billion credit line under Look East Policy to Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Connectivity

In a bid to improve connectivity a pact was signed to allow India cargo ships to use Bangladesh’s Mongla and Chittagong ports. This will greatly reduce the time of transit from 7-10 days to 2 days as ships can now ferry cargo directly from Bangladesh ports instead of routing it via Singapore. Allowing the use of ports by India vessels has huge strategic implication. Chittagong port was specially developed by China as it was part of its string of pearls. Earlier Khaleda Zia had strong reservation for granting access to Bangladesh ports to India on the pretext that it would infringe the sovereignty of Bangladesh. Signing of the Coastal Shipping Agreement, the renewal of Trade Agreement and the Protocol on Inland Transit and Trade and maritime cooperation in Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean marked a beginning of new era of trust. The bus services Dhaka- Shillong- Guwahati and Kolkata- Dhaka- Agartala were flagged off. (Reminding Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Dosti bus service from Delhi to Lahore). By reaching agreements on connectivity by road, rail, sea, river, transmission lines, petroleum pipelines and digital links access of the North Eastern states to the main land will be enhanced. Subsequently if the fruits of development start percolating into these states militancy in these regions can take back seat. Soon both nations are going to be part of the larger Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) that allows motar vehicle transit between four nations. India will be setting up consulates at Sylhet and Khulna in Bangladesh and Guwahati will have a new Bangladesh consulate.

Energy Cooperation

As a part of Energy cooperation, India has agreed to increase power export from the current 500 MW to 1000 MW. A pact was signed for construction of a diesel pipeline between West Bengal and Bangladesh. Reliance Power signed a deal with the Bangladesh Power Development Board to produce 3000MW of electricity at a cost of $3 billion. Adani Power Limited will set up two coal run plants with a total capacity of 1600 MW costing around $1.5 billion.

Security Cooperation

India and Bangladesh signed a slew of pacts to strengthen security cooperation. These include pacts on combating human trafficking, smuggling and circulation of fake currency notes. Bangladesh has been a major transit point for the smuggling of fake currency. Both leaders have expressed their firm commitment and unparalleled resolve to tackle extremism and terrorism. Sheikh Hasina in 2009 displayed extraordinary leadership by handing over four militants wanted by India seeking refuge in their territory. Last year West Bengal busted a gang plotting against the Hasina government.

Modi ended his two day visit to Bangladesh on a high note by winning the hearts of Bangladeshis. Addressing a crowd of intellectuals, academicians, politicians and students at the Bangabhandhu International Conference Centre at Dhaka University, Modi in his path breaking speech convinced the audience to dispel their pathological anti-Indian stance. Modi with his master oratory and eloquence mesmerised the audience and stated that Bangladesh is not only a neighbour to India but a partner in India’s development journey. While taking a dig at Pakistan for incessantly intruding the borders and creating nuisance he warned about the inimical effects of extremism. He also cautioned against the foreboding threat of terrorism which has no religion or region but is hell bent on obliterating the human race. While contesting the prevailing expansionism mode of some nations, he warned that in modern times no nation can exist all by itself and mutual cooperation is way to development. He lauded the prowess of Bangladeshi cricketers who emerged as aspiring challengers in recent years and congratulated them for the women’s empowerment and educating girl child. Extolling the need for India gaining permanent membership in the UN Security Council he narrated the sacrifices made by Indian Armed forces all over the World right from World War I. With reference to India’s relentless pursuit to foster friendship and peace he maintained that 90,000 prisoners of war were in captivity in India during the Bangladesh Liberation war. But India never wavered from its commitment and released all of them. His eloquent speech peppered with humour, anecdotes, poetry, charm and thoughts made way for India’s exalted position on inclusiveness on foreign soil.

Modi offered prayers at 12^th century Dhakeshwari National temple and Ramakrishna Math during the visit. He also received the prestigious liberation war honour conferred to Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his active role in Bangladeshi liberation movement and for consolidation of friendship with India. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee extended her stay for a day upon Prime Minister’s request to attend the state banquet hosted by her in honour of Modi. During his trip Modi essentially won the trust of the eastern neighbour by rekindling new faith in the relationship. Now it is time for deliverance.

 

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Ahobilam Nava Narasimha Swamy Temple

Lapped in the lushgreen Nallamalla hills of Kurnool district and located at an altitude of 3000ft the temple of Nava Narasimha Swamy rightly satisfies the satiety of nature lovers and ardent devotees as well.

It is the place where Lord Vishnu reincarnated in Narasimha Avatar (Human with lion head) to save Prahalada by killing his father Hiranyakasipu. Goddess Mahalakshmi incarnated as Senju Lakshmi among the Senju tribals of the hills and married the Lord. The deity is referred to as Nava Narasimha as God is worshipped in 9 different forms in separate temples located in 8Km periphery.

-          While some temples can be easily accessed others are in thick forests and can be reached by trekking with the help of local tourist guides.

-          The temples are built by Vijayanagara Kings around 16^th century while inscriptions of 8^th century indicating the involvement of Chalukyas are also found.  

-          At the foot hills is the temple of Prahalada Varada Vardhan which houses the Utsava vigrahas of all the nine temples. The sacred ranges of Nallamalla hills are believed to be personified Adisesha whose head is Tirumala middle portion Ahobilam and tail portion is Srisailam.

Sri Ahobilam Mutt is one the foremost Sri Vaishnava religious institutions in India. The utsava moorthy of the Malola Narasimha Swamy one the nine shrines in Ahobilam is the presiding deity of Sri Ahobilam Mutt.

Mythological Connect

Puranas indicate that Devas saw the manifestation of Lord Vishnu as half-lion and half-man and shouted as Ahobala (great strength) as well as Ahobila (a huge cave where the current sanctum is present). It is the place where Lord Vishnu appeared from the Stone pillar or Ugra stambha to slay Hiranyakasipu and hence this place is called Ahobilam.

Another sthala purana says that Garuda performed intense penance to have vision of Lord Vishnu in the Narasimha avata. Thereafter Lord Narasimha took nine different forms in the hills.

Remnants and relics of the palace of Hiranyakasipu are found in this location. The pillar from which Lord arose is marked by its base stone and can be accessed after a vertical climb of the hill. It is believed that the hill has split into two under the impact of the shattering of the pillar from which Lord arose. The idol in the lower Ahobilam is said to be installed by Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala before his wedding.

Another popular legend about Chenchu Lakshmi says that devas worried about the fierce form (ugra roopa) of Lord after slaying of the demon urged Goddess to pacify him. She subsequently took the form of a tribal girl, Chenchu Lakshmi. On seeing her Lord asked her to marry him. After conducting several tests to Lord, she agreed to marry Lord.

Temple Premises

The whole complex of temples is divided into Lower (diguva) Ahobilam and Upper (eguva) Ahobilam. The lower Ahobilam has a single shrine of Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy connected by road. The Sthalapurana of Ahobilam gives an account of the nine shrines of the Lord

1. Bhargava Narasimha Swamy: situated 2 km from lower Ahobilam near the sacred pond of Akshaya tirtham where Bhargava Rama performed penance. Worshipping God after a dip in the lake is said to bestow blessings.
2. Yogananda Narasimha Swamy: the place is ideal for meditation and Prahlada is believed to have obtained prosperity after meditating upon Lord at this place.
3. Chatravatha Narasimha Swamy: Astrological planet Ketu is said to have worshipped Lord and said to have gained all comforts. Students willing to study arts seek blessings from this Lord.
4. Ahobila Narasimha Swamy: is the earliest of all temples located in the upper Ahobilam and 8km from lower Ahobilam. The idol depicts the fierce aspect (Ugra Narasimha) of the Lord is the presiding deity of the place and considered as Swayambhu (self-manifest).
5. Krodakara (Varaha) Narasimha Swamy: Just one kilometre away from the main temple of Ahobila Narasimha Swamy. The statue is inside a small rock cut formation facing perennial stream of water.  
6. Karanja Narasimha Swamy: The idol of the deity here wields a bow and is installed under the Karanja tree. As per a legend, Lord Hanuman meditated here and when Lord Narasimha appeared, he refused to recognise his God in any other form other than Rama. As per his wish the Lord then appeared with Rama’s weapon, bow and arrow.  
7. Malola Narasimha Swamy: It is 2km from main temple on Upper Ahobilam and the Lord manifests himself in a soumya (graceful) form with his consort Lakshmi. Malola means beloved to Lakshmi, the utsavamoorthy appeared in the dreams of first Jeeyar of Ahobila Matt, Srimath Advan Satakopa Jeeyar.
8. Jwala Narasimha Swamy: This temple is toughest to reach of all the Narasimha temples. A small red water pond named “ Raktha Gunda Theertam” can be seen on the way to temple the place where Lord Narasimha washed his hands after slaying Hiranyakasipu.
9. Paavana Narasimha Swamy: This is most peaceful of all Nava Narasimha Swamy deities and referred to as Kshetra Ratna (jewel among kshetras) or Pamuleti Narasimha Swamy. It is believed that Lord liberates devotees of all sins of past life and present life.

-          Legends say that Navagrahas attained power after worshipping all the deities of Lord Narasimha and people suffering from malefic effects of any planet get some reprieve by worshipping the Lord.

-          Besides these shrines other two important places to visit are the Ugra stambham-  a hill cleft from which Lord is believed to have emerged and Prahlada Mettu- a small shrine located situated in a cave between the Ugra stambham and Upper Ahobilam.

-          The temple of Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy in the lower Ahobilam clearly reflects the architectural style of the Vijayanagara kings with a Mukha mandapam used as Kalyana Mandapam of Narasimha Swamy, Rangamandapam with numerous intricately carved sculptures and the sanctum sanctorum housing the idols of Prahlada Varada, Pavana Narasimha and processional idol of ten-handed Jwala Narasimha with Sreedevi and Bhoodevi on either side. There are small shrines of Lakshmi, Andal and Azhwars.

-          Another significant construction within the temple premises is Jayastambham erected to commemorate the victory of SriKrishnadevaraya. Temple inscriptions suggest that Kakatiya Kings too immensely contributed towards the maintenance and construction of these temples.

-          The temple at the Upper Ahobilam also called Ahobileshwar is 8 km from Lower Ahobilam. The shrine is located on a steep hill and the motorable road ends at a narrow passage near Bhavanasiri River after travelling for 5km from Lower Ahobilam.

-          The temple can be reached by trekking upon the hill or by well laid out steps for 2 km. The Lord here appears fierce or Ugra called the Ahobilam Narasimha is a Swayambhu. The streams of Bhavanasiri flow close to the temple and merges with river Krishna. The gopuram of the temple is adorned with beautiful sculptures.

Major festivals celebrated in the temple include the Brahmotsavas (ceremonies performed by the Lord Brahma) in the Phalguna month, Gramotsavas (village ceremonies) celebrated every month on the day of Swati Nakshatra, the birth star of the Lord where Thirumanjan Seva (service) is performed with 108 kalashas.

Accomodation

Abhohilam Mutt maintains a Malola Guest House where accommodation can be availed. Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) Haritha Hotel at Ahobilam has air-conditioned and standard rooms with good dining facilities for the tourists visiting the temple.

Package Tours of APTDC

APTDC operates Chennai- Srisailam tour every day that covers Mahanandi, Srisailam and Ahobilam. Departure: 10 pm (Friday) and Arrival: 5 am (Monday).

Fare: Adult-Rs 2500, Child-Rs 2000. Fare includes accommodation, ropeway and boating.

How to reach

By Road: The nearest temple to Ahobilam is Allagadda 26 km away.

65 km from Nandyal

110 km from Cuddapah

120 km from Kurnool

By Rail: Ahobilam is inaccessible by rail. Nearest railway stations are Nandyal (on Bangalore-Visakhapatnam route) and Cuddapah (on Mumbai-Chennai route)

By Air: Nearest Airport is Bengaluru airport 175 km away.

 

 

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Building Bridges with Dhaka

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two day visit scheduled for June 6^th to Bangladesh will be an affirmative move to make better forays towards fostering Indo-Bangladesh bilateral relationships. The tour made a propitious beginning with mercurial Mamatha Benarjee, who refused to be on board during Man Mohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in 2011 has consented to be part of Modi’s entourage. With the West Bengal Chief Minister who earlier scuttled the conclusion of Teesta Water agreement accompanying Modi, the visit might turn into a land mark moment. Modi is travelling to Dhaka with the historical Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) that fully delineates India-Bangladesh boundary and whose ratification was pending since 1974. Meanwhile with Indo-Pakistan relations in a state of frozen turbulence Modi’s trip to Dhaka is going to be major game-changer as leaders of both countries are inclined to strengthen bilateral ties. Modi’s outreach programme till now has been a mix of hard power (promoting India’s strategic and economic interests) and Soft power (cultural ties and people to people contacts). The forthcoming visit to Bangladesh will become significant as Modi might exercise copious amounts of both these powers.

Teesta Waters

Besides the LBA, International tribunal with regard to the India-Bangladesh Sea boundary agreement ruled in favour of Bangladesh wherein it is the major beneficiary. India without any protest accepted the decision. Thus India displayed its commitment in resolving boundary and territorial issues. Other crucial issues on cards between the countries is the river water management especially Teesta and Mahananda waters. About 54 rivers flow from India to Bangladesh and proper management of these river waters can eventually lead to flood management. Indeed both nations have dubious distinction of being affected by floods every year. A joint river commission for water management was set in 1972 but due to the tensions between both the nations dispute over sharing of Teesta waters remained unresolved. Till date a comprehensive river pact has been signed by India and Bangladesh in the 1996 bilateral treaty wherein a 30-year water sharing agreement was established for River Ganges. While all the necessary groundwork was readied during visit of Man Mohan Singh in 2011 for the conclusion of Teesta waters, Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee refused to approve the treaty for the fear of losing huge volumes of water to lower riparian. Teesta River has its origins in the Teesta Glacier in Sikkim and flows through northern part of west Bengal before and enters Bangladesh. It irrigates about 45km stretch of lands before merging into Brahmaputra River. By ratifying the LBA, Modi already scored Brownie points and if he succeeds in Teesta water issue too Modi will sweep Bangladesh off its feet. Equitable distribution of Teesta waters have been an emotive issue.

Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA)

In a major move government is determined to enhance sub-regional cooperation with its eastern and north eastern neighbours of the SAARC region in spite of Pakistan’s intransigence. To boost up the sub-regional connectivity Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal on the BBIN platform are trying to pull off a major project to improve road connectivity between these nations. The deal is going to be signed on June 15^th. The new platform gained momentum after Pakistan torpedoed all previous attempts by these nations to have a SAARC Motor Vehicles Pact and SAARC Railway Agreement during the Kathmandu session of the SAARC summit. This move would not only have a huge impact on the connectivity and transit in this region but also persuade elite nations not to play a Pakistan or China card against India. Sealing the Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) will help Bangladesh to emerge as South Asia’s gateway to the South East Asia as vehicles from all four countries will be able to freely move across different territories. As a part of Look East Policy, India can rope in Myanmar and Vietnam into this sub-regional cooperation.

India too can greatly benefit from such a project as access to the North East States would be improved. As one newspaper aptly mentioned that while the distance between Agartala and Kolkata is 1650 km, it would be only 350km via Bangladesh. Thus this would greatly rejuvenate the economy of the North East as goods can be transported to Chittagong port in Bangladesh from there it can be transited to several parts of India or South East Asia. Till mid-1960’s India and Bangladesh were connected through robust network of roads and rail. But after Indo-Pak war of 1965 all the routes were snapped. Modi during his visit is expected to make an announcement of 2 billion USD as a soft loan to Bangladesh for building infrastructure like roads, ports and power projects. This is in addition to the 1 billion USD already extended to Bangladesh. This sub-regional infrastructure development would not only promote trade and commerce but strengthen people to people interactions and tourism as well. While this in no way can be compared to the ambitious Silk Road Economic Belt unleashed by China, this can definitely lay a strong foundation for fostering friendly ties with immediate neighbours.

Tetulia Corridor

In a significant move India is contemplating on opening the Tetulia Corridor and in widening of Chicken Neck Corridor. Tetulia Corridor is a strip of 6 km land that will connect Chopra and Mayanaguri on India side through Bangladesh. This can shorten the distance for North Eastern States bound traffic by 84 km. While India has already allotted Tinbigha Corridor to Dhaka for Bangladesh to Bangladesh connect Tetulia Corridor has to get approval of Bangladesh. Similarly Chicken Neck or Siliguri Corridor a 40 km wide region in India located in West Bengal connects India to its North Eastern States. While Nepal and Bangladesh lie on either of corridor, Bhutan is towards its North. Since it abounds three countries, it is highly sensitive region. This strip is heavily patrolled by Assam Rifles, Border Security Force and the Indian Army. In 2002, BBIN countries studied the proposal of making this region Free Trade Zone enabling all four countries to connect with each other without any restrictions.

Military Diplomacy

Another area of focus should be military diplomacy wherein both nations can engage in joint counter-terrorism, anti-piracy tasks, and search & rescue missions. As a part of this initiative, Cabinet ahead of Modi’s visit has approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both countries on prevention of human trafficking especially of women, children: their rescue, rehabilitation, repatriation and reintegration of the victims. India should pitch in to help Bangladesh in modernizing its military hardware and communication. Any delay in extending help or stuttering can turn it towards China which is more than willing. Similarly another area of concern for both countries is impending threat of terrorism. Although there is great cooperation between both the nations regarding this issue, foot prints of ISIS are discovered in both nations had to be clamped down with iron hand. Interestingly both Modi and Sheikh Hasina are good leaders and in spite of internal challenges they triumphantly curtailed terrorist activities in their territories. But slowly Bangladesh seems to veering towards Islamists. The recent insensitive killings of secular bloggers hold a testimony to the same. If the leadership fails to crack a whip on this growing extremism it might soon snow-ball into terrorism.

In the recent past China has built close ties with Bangladesh as a part of its South Asian diplomacy and this has been a major issue of concern for India. According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) nearly 82% of Bangladesh arms purchase is from China. China is extending all possible assistance and support in building ports for Bangladesh and twice last year it docked its submarine in Chittagong port. Indian military analysts opine that China in order to have its sway over the Indian Ocean Region needs an ideal place in Bay of Bengal to dock its warships and submarines. No other country can be more suited than Bangladesh. For India besides acting as a bulwark against terrorism Bangladesh is a strategically important partner. Modi cognizant of the nefarious influence of the South East Asian Giant is using all powers at his disposal to cement relations with Bangladesh to erode the influence of China.

 

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