The latest episodeof alleged corrup-tion in a deal topurchase Italianhelicopters for theIAF’s VIP Squad-ron constitutes

yet another blow to India’s natio-nal security. The most detrimen-tal consequence of the ongoingprobe into wrongdoing – the CBIhas registered a case yesterday –is the harm that it will cause to themorale, cohesion and self-esteemof the armed forces.

No matter what the final out-come of enquiries by the investi-gating agencies – and past prece-dent shows that they rarely cometo any definitive conclusion – seri-ous damage has already beendone to this esteemed institution.

However, a deeper malaise andfar more toxic threat to nationalsecurity, of which this incident isyet one more symptom, is India’sabject dependence on foreignsources for military hardware. Itis no secret that the Indian armedforces are equipped, overwhelm-ingly, with platforms and systemsacquired from Russia, Israel, theUK, France, Italy and the US,amongst others. Even when weclaim that a tank, ship, submarineor aircraft is ‘indigenously built’,the fact that seldom emerges isthat 70%-80% of the electronics,weaponry and other vital systemsthat go into it are imported.

India’s past experience hasclearly demonstrated the multi-ple penalties that we pay for thisexternal dependence. The Comp-troller and Auditor General, in his annual report to Parliament,

So deep-rooted is this convic-tion amongst foreign companiesthat no amount of fiddling withdefence procurement proceduresor insistence on ‘Integrity Pacts’will deter them from offeringbribes as insurance that their dealis not scuttled – either by some influence-peddler in Delhi’s back-alleys or by a frustrated rival.

According to one viewpoint,parties across the political spec-trum see the arms import busi-ness as a veritable golden goosefor election funding, and are obviously loath to kill it by en-couraging the indigenous armsindustry. Since alleged scamscome in handy to settle politicalscores, we have witnessed, sincethe 1980s, every single major de-fence contract getting embroiledin allegations of corruption andkickbacks. Consequently India’sdefence modernisation has cometo a grinding halt at a time whenChina’s defence budget has hit anew high and AfPak poses adeadly potential menace.

In this grave scenario, India’sdecision-makers and politicianscan take two major initiativeswhich will help salve wounded na-tional pride and serve the cause ofnational security. One is to launcha 25-year public-private ‘nationalmission’ to attain self-sufficiencyin arms; if we start today, we maywean ourselves off foreign de-pendence by 2038. The other is toget all political parties to sign anIntegrity Pact in which they will,in the national interest, under-take to treat defence purchases as sacrosanct and seek electionfunding from other sources.

The writer is former chief of theIndian Navy.

because it harms our security far more than the impugned firm.The army’s artillery wing has notreceived a new gun for 30 yearsbecause the MoD has blacklistedevery reputed gun manufactureron the basis of allegations. By dis-arming ourselves in this manner,we are thoughtlessly fulfilling thefondest dreams of our adversaries.

It is time for Indians to ask whyevery foreign arms manufacturerfeels compelled to offer bribesin India even when marketing a product which could win thecompetition purely on its superiorqualities or price. The answer isdevastatingly simple: becausethey are convinced, and knowfrom past precedent, that no armsdeal ever goes through in India –regardless of the product’s merit– without kickbacks being paid.The only service that the so-calledmiddlemen provide is to advisetheir principals whom to bribehow much.

have hoodwinked the nation withspurious claims of ‘technologytransfer’ and ‘indigenisation’.

It is deeply disturbing to notethat no one in India’s national security establishment, compris-ing the political leadership, scien-tists and bureaucrats, has seen fit to demand accountability forthis gaping void in national capa-bility. Worse still, no roadmap hasbeen drawn up for attaining self-sufficiency in weapon systems.India’s massive arms importsconstitute a double jeopardy forthe nation. Not only do they constitute a serious security com-promise, they also extract a heavymoral price as corruption scan-dals erupt with regularity, smear-ing the country’s good name anderoding its self-respect.

Banning or ‘blacklisting’ ofarms companies alleged to be in-volved in malpractices may appearto be a dramatic antidote. But in reality, it is counterproductive

regularly highlights the propor-tion of our imported tanks, artil-lery, submarines, fighters and radars that are out of action, thusdegrading the combat-readinessof our forces.

There does not seem to be anyappreciation of the stark fact thatevery piece of hardware that theIndian armed forces acquire fromabroad places them at the mercyof the seller nation for 30-40 years thereafter. The noncha-lance with which we continue toimport huge quantities of armsnot only undermines our securitybut renders all talk of ‘strategicautonomy’ meaningless.

India is fortunate to have avast defence technology and in-

dustrial base (DTIB) which wouldbe the envy of developed nations.This base comprises thousands oftalented scientists working in anetwork of sophisticated DRDOlaboratories backed by the ad-vanced production facilities of theordinance factories and defencepublic sector units (DPSUs).

And yet, India’s DTIB has ren-dered our armed forces hollow byfailing to deliver, for six decades,capabilities they direly need. Awilling and capable private sectorhas been kept out of defence production while the DPSUs

India’s Achilles HeelDependence on foreign suppliers for military hardware is harming national security

Arun Prakash

Rough skies ahead if we don’t change course

Every piece ofhardware that the

Indian armed forcesacquire from abroadplaces them at the mercyof the seller nation for30-40 years thereafter

� �

The terror attack on a CRPF camp in Srinagar on Wednesday – the firstsuch in three years – the fracas in the Jammu & Kashmir assembly aday earlier and the wave of mass protests and strikes engineered by

separatist outfits since Afzal Guru’s hanging all taken together shouldleave no one in doubt about the volatile situation in the Valley. The terror attack brings into sharp focus the debate on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Across the political spectrum in the Valley, there is ademand to scrap it. The NC-led government, oddly enough, wants to replaceit with an Act that empowers the state police with draconian powers. Its adversaries, predictably, have cried foul.

After the terror attack, advocates of the retention of the AFSPA are likely to gain the upper hand. In the process, the trust deficit between theCentre and the Valley can only heighten. To make matters worse, the two

leading parties in the state – the NationalConference and the People’s Democratic Party – are engaged in a no-holds-barredgame of one-upmanship to ensure that theyaren’t outflanked by the separatists.

So determined are they to establish theircredentials as the true guardians of Kashmiri‘sentiments’ that, in a game of competitivepopulism that’s in utter violation of theirconstitutional obligations, they have not hesitated to deploy anti-India rhetoric topress for the return of Afzal Guru’s mortal remains to his family. This much should beobvious from the way they used the words

‘shaheed’ and ‘sahib’ as the prefix and suffix to Afzal Guru’s name.The Congress, an alliance partner of the NC, objected, quite pertinently,

to this language. So did the BJP and the Panthers Party. This is likely to further strain relations between the partners, even to breaking point. Thefracas also underlines the extent to which sentiment in the Valley is at odds with that of Jammu and Ladakh. The Centre along with all parties in the state need to swiftly address the genuine concerns, interests and aspirations of people of all communities in all the regions of J&K. Otherwiseviolence and anarchy that had once engulfed the state – aided and abetted byelements across the border – threaten to make a comeback.

Terror Is BackViolence threatens to engulf J&K again unless allstakeholders counter separatist designs in unison

The invitation drops out of the blue, which in present-dayterms is nothing more poetic than your mailbox. As part of itscentennial celebrations, the Columbia Journalism Schoolasks if i would join them at a ‘Showcase Weekend’. Of course iwould; it’s the media Gangotri.

As it turns out, i get twice-blessed. While we do spend timein the dauntingly hands-on TV, radio and, yes, algorithm classes,

the main venue is the World Room in the Pulitzer Hall. This is where the jurydeliberates to pick the winners of what is arguably the Oscar of Americanjournalism – and literature, drama, music and photography. It outranks everyother achievement, past or future, of its recipient. His or her obituary will always begin with ‘XYZ, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 19xx, was...’. Blame iton Coca-colonialism, but the world swathes it in the same aura – and awe.

And arriving here quietly to tell us about it is the striking Sig Gissler, the present administrator of the awards and updater of Seymour Topping’s seminal work on them and their legendary founder. Joseph Pulitzer, whofought corruption as unflinchingly as he did his competitors, also endowedthis first university-level course for journalism.

Gissler tells us of how “Fedex trucks circled the building for days bringingin mountains of scrapbooks containing the entries. Since 2011, all the submis-sions and judging are online, and this room looks like a language lab with theheadphones, laptops, etc. Then, i have the rare honour of sprinkling the fairydust on the winners.”

At this ‘Showcase Weekend’, we scarily hear only of ‘digital journalists’never ‘print’ ones, but it was only in 1999 thatonline presentations were permitted to supple-ment exhibits in the Public Service category –which carries the iconic gold medal and no

cash award; it is actually silver with gold plating, and is presented only to amedia organisation, never to an individual. Online content in all categorieswasn’t eligible till 2006; and exclusively online media couldn’t apply till 2009.

The snow swirls and settles on the skeletal branches of the trees outside thelarge windows. But that’s not why i feel a shiver in this austerely formidableroom. You can almost sense the presence of the totemic Joseph Pulitzer, son ofa wealthy Hungarian Jewish grain merchant and a German mother, who ranaway at 17, and became a bounty recruit for the US Union Army, worked as a muleteer, baggage handler and waiter in St Louis while teaching himself English and the law at the Mercantile Library.

There, in one of history’s quirky moments, he astutely critiqued a move by a chess player who turned out to be editor of a leading German daily. He wasoffered a job, and four years later he became its publisher. Via a series ofshrewd business deals, in 1878, he emerged as the owner of the St Louis Post-Dispatch, and then of the New York World. ‘Joey the Jew’ from the St Louismean streets had come a long way; in the phrase of old despatch journalism,there was ‘MTF’ – more to follow.

The stained glass ‘Window of the World’ from his old newspaper buildingdominates our meeting room. Pulitzer commissioned it when France’s gift of the Statue of Liberty was finally installed. Its pedestal could be completedonly because of his high-octane crusade which in five months raised the needed balance of $1,00,000 from 1,20,000 men, women and children.

We’re told another story. Annoyed by the mess people made of his surname, he’d point to his doorknob and tell the offender, “Pull it, Sir – that’sthe way it’s pronounced.” Well, anyone with the push to have won his prizewouldn’t need much pull to open any door.

* * *Alec Smart said: “Ram Singh, Don’t Rest in Peace.”

bachi.karkaria@timesgroup.comhttp://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/erratica

‘Pull-it-sir’

Bachi Karkaria

The day i came that close to the Pulitzer prize

The Greeks gave us many myths, andwrapped many life-lessons in the sto-ries. As a schoolgirl, an illustration in

my Big Book Of Greek Myths showed a man ona bed, screaming as his arms and legs werepainfully stretched.

This, i learnt, was the work of Procrustes, ablacksmith-turned-bandit. I also learnt thatwe could frequently meet up with him duringthose times in our lives of wanting to be accepted, having the right friends, being ap-proved of, getting into the right college or club.

In ancient Greece, if you wanted to be noticed or famous or influential, yougot on the road towards Athens,where all the important action tookplace. On the way, you were sure to encounter Procrustes. At his inn, heoffered hospitality to tired travellers,inviting them in for a good night’srest in his special iron bed, describ-ing this wonder as having the uniqueproperty that its length exactlymatched whoever lay down upon it.

What Procrustes obviouslydidn’t mention was exactly how this was so! Assoon as the guest lay down, Procrustes went towork; if you were too tall for the iron frame,whatever part of you did not fit, he just hackedit off; too short, and you got yanked and pulledand stretched to fit the bed.

As a bare-bones definition, the term ‘Pro-crustean bed’ has come to mean ‘an arbitrarystandard to which exact conformity is forced’.

It begins when we reveal qualities in child-hood that may not be what people around admire or even accept. Gently or brutally, intime these are ‘hacked off ’. On the other hand,when people who are important to us supportthings they find acceptable or pleasing, we‘stretch’ those qualities; at best feeling motiva-

ted, but too often feeling intensely pressured todevelop or highlight them – things like pleasingothers, being obedient, being helpful, neverlosing our tempers; even things like beinggood-looking, or excelling at studies or sports.

Nothing wrong with these; but when wefeel that we don’t measure up to the desiredstandards of pleasantness, obedience, helpful-ness, even-temperedness, or excellence; oroverlook the fact that to be all of these all thetime is near impossible – we can become verystressed and disturbed. Add to this the stressof covering up mistakes, hiding the ‘less desirable’ in us, even perhaps feeling forced todeny or hide family background or history –

all this simply to fit in or be accepted.The Road-to-Athens story, and its

tempting but tragic invitation, is playedout over and over again in our lives. Often others – parents, teachers, societyitself – stand in for Procrustes; but

equally, we take on his role towardsourselves. And sadly, too often we canact as Procrustes towards others.

As we grow in awareness we canslowly begin to recover ourselves.Our healing journey can start with

asking ourselves: What was considered ‘ac-ceptable’ to your family? Were there thingsabout you that had them say “We don’t think/behave this way…?” What were your early definitions of ‘success’? What did you forceyourself to become so that your friends orcolleagues would not exclude you? What wasacceptable to your partner or in-laws? Whatdid you have to cut off, deny, or pretend to be?

Once the details are openly faced, it be-comes easier – though not completely easy – toreclaim those parts that we know will help uslive fuller lives. And we can then say as we passProcrustes on the road again, “Thanks, but nothanks.” Follow Marguerite Theophil on ourwebsite, www.speakingtree.in

Looking At The Long And Short Of ItMarguerite Theophil

THE

� SPEAKING �TREE

Industrial production rose 2.4% in January, marking a welcome break after two months of contraction. But to say this means green shoots in theeconomy may be a stretch. Capital goods output declined for the third suc-

cessive month, a telltale sign of weak investment appetite. Cheer dissipatesfurther on viewing mining’s poor show. Bad news has hit from elsewhere too:if car sales plunged in February, food prices pushed up retail inflation.

PMEAC chairman C Rangarajan sees a stagflationary trend in India’shigh inflation and slowing growth. The government must do more than solicit rate cuts from RBI. Easing monetary policy alone can’t remedy thedamage years of stalled reforms have done. Our economy’s structural wartsare now so glaring, big-bang reforms are needed to revive the investment cli-mate. We must move fast to streamline clearance-related regulations, pushtransparency in resource allocation as well as create reliable tax regimesand common markets to ease business transaction costs. Nor can we cling tooutdated land acquisition and labour norms if industry’s to expand rapidly.

Moreover, with FDI dipping, we can no longer count on our image as ahigh-returns destination for stable capital inflows. It’s said that increase orremoval of FDI limits is being considered in sectors where such caps arepegged below 100%. That’s the kind of big-ticket signal overseas investorswant. Let’s however keep in mind that half-baked reform, as we’ve seen,doesn’t work. For instance, the multi-brand retail FDI policy hasn’t excitedforeign retailers courtesy stringent entry-level caveats. Finally, let’saccelerate disinvestment and open up coddled, scam-ridden sectors likecoal to show we’re serious about fighting slowdown. Few will believe in oureconomy’s high growth potential unless we act like we do.

Green Shoots?IIP improves, but big-ticket reforms needed to improve investment climate sustainably

Don’t find fault, find a remedy.

HENRY FORD

THE TIMES OF INDIA, NEW DELHITHURSDAY, MARCH 14, 201322 THE TIMES OF IDEAS

A T H O U G H T F O R T O D A Y

This is with reference to the editorial ‘A SoftState’ (March 13). The unfortunate decisionof the Italian government not to send the twoItalian marines, accused of killing Indian fishermen, to India is a serious breach oftrust. With this entirely unwarranted action,Italy has damaged its reputation as a respon-sible state, which respects the sovereigntyand independence of other nations. The lackof seriousness with which our governmentpursued this case gave the Italian govern-ment an opportunity to renege on its prom-ise. It’s now time for the Indian government to act tough and ensure the return of Italianmarines to stand trial here at the earliest.

M Jeyaram, TAMIL NADU

Unwarranted Modi bashingThis is with reference to the Second Opinion‘Modi Express’ (March 13) by Jug Suraiya.The media is playing up the Narendra Modivs Rahul Gandhi debate, creating a lot ofhype around the subject. Having said that,and while both these leaders have theirflaws, if we compare the two Modi is wayahead of Rahul. The Gujarat chief ministermight have created a gulf between rich andpoor in his state, but he undoubtedly has anexcellent governance record which would be more than handy for him if he gets thecoveted seat. The Wharton issue was blownout of proportion. There was no need to be so touchy about such a trivial matter. Butwhile Modi might appear to be a dictatorfrom the outside, he keeps things simple and quickly resolves issues. Why is he thenbeing subjected to so much of criticism? Modi deserves a chance provided he keepsthe NDA intact.

Bal Govind, NOIDA

Act tough on Italian marines

S N A P J U D G M E N T

The Australian cricket team man-agement’s suspension of four play-ers – vice-captain Shane Watson,

James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson andUsman Khwaja – has evoked disbelief andsniggers both within Australia and in thelarger cricketing world. There is goodcause for such reactions. The official reason given for the suspension is that the disgraced four failed to turn in a writ-ten exercise, a self-review of sorts demanded by coach Mickey Arthur,along with a few other conductbreaches. That athletes representing thecountry should be tossed out of the teamfor infractions like these is excessive andhurtful to team interests.

This should not be the way of dealingwith conduct breaches classified as “mi-nor”. As any successful man manager willtell you, when you are handling a team ofelites in a highly competitive, demandingenvironment, a one-size-fits-all approachis unlikely to work. Flexibility is called for.Some players may indeed respond to strictrules and regulations; others will not. Thecoach’s job is to find out what works best

for each player. Prowesson the field should countfor more than prowess at off-field exercises. ButArthur is a man who, inhis own words, consid-ers “back-chat or givingattitude” among players’problems.

We need only look at

the Indian team’s contrasting experienceswith John Wright and Gary Kirsten – bothwise enough to understand that rigid disci-pline wasn’t the best way to get the most outof the team – and Greg Chappell. And as former Australian greats have pointed out,they managed to perform well without thisfetishisation of discipline. What matters ishow well players perform on the field. Sus-pending players for poor performance isone thing. But by suspending its best bowlerand two players who haven’t even had achance to play yet, the Australian teammanagement may have shot their bolt.

Four Australian players suspended from Test team for conduct breaches

Elite athletes, not test-takers

Australia’s toughdecision to dropfour players

just four monthsahead of the next Ashes series, thoughcontroversial, couldeventually be the rightthing for the team. Thebitter outrage over the

action is misplaced in light of the Austra-lian captain Michael Clarke’s publicstatement that not making the presenta-tion was not a one-off breach of the team code of conduct. For instance, thecricketers in question have been guiltyof regularly violating basic disciplinarynorms, which has led to what’s now beingdescribed as a ‘cultural breakdown inAustralian cricket’. Here’s a list of someof the offences: showing up late for meet-ings and training, missing importantmedical and physiotherapy appoint-ments. These are far from frivolous

grounds for taking action. The captainand the coach Mickey Arthur have already given a great deal of latitude tothe young and inexperienced team.

Clarke’s disciplinary measure, infact, seems all too reasonable. After all,no individual is bigger than the team andits collective welfare. The critics are unhappy with the captain for treating the cricketers like erring schoolboys and

severely pulling them upfor not finishing home-work. But then, why did

the quartet behave like rash and flightyadolescents? They should have behavedlike responsible adults and made the presentations within the mandated dead-line. It’s plain bad attitude.

Cricket demands a certain measureof discipline for those who play thegame to shine on the field. Irresponsible behaviour, slackening of guard, badattitude – are all behavioural problemsthat can hurt the team’s performance.Neither the coach nor the captain can afford to shrug off the problem as incon-sequential.

Tough action will help the team

C O U N T E R V I E WMeghna Roy

� �T I M E S V I E W� �

Attractiveness and magnetism of your per-sonality is the result ofyour inner radiance.

Yajur Veda�

Beauty is not bad by itself,but having forgotten myinner beauty, mistaking

the physical beauty for myreal Self, is not the truth…

Many mirrors will beavailable everywhere, to

reveal the scars on theface, but who will unveilthe scars on the spirit?

Chitrabhanu�

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light

in the heart.Kahlil Gibran

�

Believe yourself, valueyour inner beauty and be

open to opportunities.Chelsea Cooley

�

The quality of beautylies on how the beholder

values an object.Toba Beta

Radiant Beauty

� �E D I T P A G E

M A I L B O X

We want your views and comments. Please write to us atspeakoutedit@timesgroup.com

� �S A C R E D

S P A C E

The EU has banned thesale of cosmetics deve-

loped through animal test-ing. With the Bureau ofIndian Standards and theCentral Drugs StandardControl Organisation al-ready at work on the matter,India should do the same. It’s unconscionable that rab-bits, guinea pigs, mice andother animals have nail pol-ish and toilet bowl cleanerdumped into their throats oreyes and abraded onto theirskin to just prettify our lives.

Beauty Shouldn’t Hurt

Whether or not we put aring on it if we like it,

as Beyoncé peppily advisesus, we are handing over thekey to our innermost selvesalongside our likes. Re-searchers have been able touse Facebook ‘likes’ to accu-rately infer everything fromusers’ race and IQ to politi-cal views and penchant for substance use! If youwanted to hide your singlestatus, you should have‘liked’ scrapbooking insteadof Maria Sharapova.

As You Like It

The bad news first: on average, couples lie to

each other three times aweek. Now for the goodnews: the liars are usuallyjust trying to keep their relationships on an evenkeel. Researchers call thisdeceptive affection andthey don’t mean to be in-sulting. If love makes theworld go around, lies makethe love last longer. Don’tlike his/her haircut? Give ita thumbs-up anyway. Kissrather than criticise.

True Lies

E R R A T I C A