For the Fallen

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
- Laurence Binyon

Great things are afoot. Peace may soon be coming to a valley that has been referred to as heaven on earth and nuclear flashpoint at different times by very different people. Whether or not the current relative calm will turn into lasting peace is anybody's guess, but I can't help but think about all the Kashmiri militants/freedom fighters (depending upon which side of the line of control you are on) who died in this conflict. More so because I do not see anything being achieved in return for their lives.

While it is true that "Azad Kashmir" or "Pakistan occupied Kashmir" fares no better than the Indian Kashmir, I wonder what exactly has changed since the insurgency began in the 1980s. From what I can see, not much. This is what has me worried about the current peace initiative. If nothing has changed, then where did all the passion which led a peace-loving people to pick up guns go? My guess is, that like the rest of India, they're just watching and waiting to see what the governments of both Pakistan and India will do next. If the results are not in line with the expectations of the majority of Kashmiris, it could fan a fire so intense that all of India's military might may not be enough to put it out.

To some of you, these views may sound highly anti-Indian. But take this fact into consideration, the Chinese consider Tibet as much a part of China as Indians do Kashmir. Would you be surprised if they might look upon India as India looks upon Pakistan? I am not passing judgement over the Tibetan government in exile, but just trying to illustrate how national fervor can cloud the judgements of even the best of us. Saying that Kashmir was handed over to us by its ruler is no excuse, because it is a well known fact that certain people in the Tibetan government also co-operated with the Chinese when they came calling.

When the Sin Fein (the Irish Republican Army's political face) negotiated the laying down of arms by the IRA, it was done in lieu of the promise of significant autonomy for the Irish people to rule themselves, and also led to better relations with the Republic of Ireland. My firm belief is that unless we can hand the people of Kashmir (on both sides of the Line of Control) the same sort of autonomy to govern themselves, we will not see an end to this conflict. The price of blood after all, is not cheap. The souls of all the Kashmiris who died in this long and hard-fought conflict demand no less.

Part of the problem on both sides of course are the armed forces. Although it is logical to conclude that any right thinking people would prefer living in a stable, secular democracy rather than a dictatorship, every day life in Kashmir has come to resemble a Nazi police state where the armed forces are frequently above the law. The end result of this is that Indian Kashmiris enjoy none of the democratic freedoms the rest of us take for granted. What's more, our suspicion of them is fast turning the valley into a gigantic Muslim ghetto. The first step has to come from the rest of the country, and our leaders need to go out and build consensus on that. What is more, we need to take Pakistan down the same road with us. Fate has handed us a chance, it would serve us well not to squander it.

If Pakistan and India do manage to come to a long standing agreement, there is always the problem of Pakistan holding up its part of the bargain. But this wouldn't be the first time that an agreement signed under a military government would be made to stand the test to time. Fortunately, the record of such agreements is quite good. Spain made many agreements under the rule of General Franco which still stand today. As long as the agreement is equitable and fair to all parties, there is no logical reason why any government, autocratic or otherwise would abandon it. A case in point is the water sharing agreement between India and Pakistan that has survived the brunt of three wars. The people of both countries know that they need this to move on, all that is lacking is the political will to take a few bold steps.

Sixty million Frenchmen can't be wrong

I usually don't post book reviews on my blog, and I don't know whether this time is just a one off, but Sixty million Frenchmen can't be wrong is the kind of book most of us are not likely to actively seek or even encounter in most bookstores. It is, however, a book that deserves to be read. I came across this book almost by chance in a Canary Wharf bookstore while waiting for some friends. The fact that my friends did not turn up at all meant that I had read through quite a bit of the book before I finally decided to buy it and head home.

The blurb goes something like this: "They work 35 hour weeks and take seven weeks of paid vacation every year, and yet they have one of the largest, most productive economies in the world. They smoke, drink, and eat the most fat in the world, yet they live longer and have fewer heart problems than most of the world." The contrast instantly struck me. More so because the French have almost everything that we in the developing world so desire, and yet they don't work half as long as we do in a week. Of course, they're also pretty laid back with respect to the Americans, British, and other English-speaking societies and it is from their perspective that this book is written(The authors are French Canadians).

Another thing I noticed while reading the book was the number of parallels that I could draw between French and Indian culture as I read the book. I'm pretty sure that the authors never investigated the parallels between the Indians and the French, but if they did, they'd realise that as alien as they might be to each other, the Indians and French are very close in their attitude towards the State and each other. Like the French, Indians expect their State/Government to do a lot for them in their lives. This is highly unlike the Americans or the British, who are more comfortable taking the reins into their own hands. Also, the French have a close bond to their land despite living in a highly developed and industrial society. The reason that the French system works so much better than the Indian state is the sheer difference in the numbers the Indian state must support. The French government also seems to have a highly developed sense of social responsibility (what the authors refer to as Interet General, or general interest).

The book also does a good job at explaining a lot of the idiosyncracies (or rather the things we think of as idiosyncracies) of the French and the French societal structure. For instance, it explains why French politicians seem to get away even after outrageous claims are proven against them. Or why it is that most foreigners tend to get the raw end of the deal when they approach sales clerks or government service counters in French cities.

The book is divided into three parts: Spirit, Structure, and Change in that order. Each of these parts is full of insights into the French mindset, their system, and what shaped them. My personal favorite would have to be the Spirit section if only so for the large number of anecdotes and events the authors quote in their bid to prove their point. That brings me to another great thing about this book. Unlike most other books about the French in English, this one is definitely well-researched. The authors do not chose to live their time in France in some quiet country house. They live in a working class Paris neighbourhood and make it a point to interact with the people around them to understand them better. Although the book isn't too objective, it does not pass any judgements on French society, which is a sad mistake most American authors make when approaching France/French as a subject. In other words, the authors do not set out to prove any stereotypes. If anything, they debunk some popular myths about the French along the way.

For those of you who are the least bit anthropologically inclined, or ever intend to visit France, this book is a must have. In fact, the cover of the edition I bought went so far as to quote a reviewer saying that the book is worth handing out at the Charles de Gaulle airport. I wholly agree with that view. We frequently tend to treat the French as just another western society. This book explains why we are so very, very wrong in doing that. The French are as different from the Britons or the Americans as chalk is from cheese. The book is also available through firstandsecond.com in India.

Unfortunately, I managed to leave my copy behind when I left for India. I was about 50 pages away from finishing the book. I'll get it back the next time I go, but meanwhile, if somebody buys a copy, do lend it to me.