Debate - Shahrukh Khan's Detention in US - So Whats The Big Deal?

By the time you read this, I am sure you already know that Shahrukh Khan, India's superstar and iconic actor, was detained at the Liberty International Airport of Newark in the USA. The star was in the US for being part of a function celebrating India's 63rd Independence Day.

As billions of fans and supporters of SRK all over the world are condemning this event, I too, join all of them in doing so, but only partly. There is no doubt that there wasn't a need for the US officials to do a secondary check, and detain him for 2 hours of questioning, after the primary check was done to know the identity of a person of South Asian origin, more so of Muslims.

After 9/11, US has made their homeland security top priority, and have full reasons to do so. If SRK was stopped during the primary check which is done for every foreigner entering US, it is totally justified. As I said before, it is the secondary check, which was totally uncalled for. Having said so, the US and any other country for that matter, has full right to check and do preliminary screening of every foreigner entering into their territory. Security can't and should not be compromised in any way, whatsoever. Therefore, I am totally against the people who say that just because he was SRK, he should have not been stopped at all.

For the Americans, he is just another visitor to their country, just as Anjelina Jolie might be for the comman man in India. Though, with the pathetic state of security and without the real will to improve that, Anjeline Jolie surely, would have been given a go ahead without any checking in India, because she is Anjelina, and because she is American. And if the US is checking each passengers like it has been doing, we surely know why there has not been any terrorist attack in the US after 9/11. Atleast they take their job seriously, without any compromise on the life of Americans. A lesson surely, which India should learn from.

Now coming to the main issues, because of which I am writing this.

• Media Reaction to SRK Detention
• Government Reaction to SRK Detention; and
• SRK Detention Episode Vs. Dr. Abdul Kalam Frisking Episode

The Media Reaction to SRK Detention - On a day when India is celebrating its 63rd Independence Day (15th August 2009), the Indian media, rather than giving the due importance to Dr. Manmohan Singh's speech, and other news related to Independence Day, showed the SRK Detention episode all day long. Is SRK more important than our Independence Day? Is he more important than our PM? He surely is a powerful and one of the most important personalities in India at present, but not more than our PM or the Independence Day Celebrations. Atleast the news of him being questioned at a US airport for he being a Muslim, surely is not something as important as our Independence Day.

My blood boiled when I swithced on the television sets in the morning to hear what our PM had to say on the eve of our 63rd Independence Day, but the only thing which was shown was the SRK episode, with 'BREAKING NEWS' all over, and unwanted repetition of the same thing again and again by all the news channels.

It was not just the TV news channels, but also the print media (online version), which gave more importance and undue coverage to the SRK detention episode. Have a look at the screen shot which I have attached to this post of the Times Of India website, which has SRK all over, and a small link towards the end, about what our PM had to say regarding the Kashmir issue in his ID speech. Nonsensical coverage for a no-issue.

A major reason of why a large number of our educated 'unaware' youth in India would know the name of SRK's wife but not the name of our President, is thanks to our so-called empowered media, and the way they define & portray importance. And then, the same media say the young generation of India is least interested in the way the country is governed. All this for the sake of TRP's.

The Government's Reaction to SRK Detention - This amazes me the most!!!..more than the way the media reacted.

Within an hour of the SRK detention episode started on the news channels, we had the government and its officials already taking some actions, and making their voices heard. It started from the external affairs ministry putting a case for SRK to the US regarding the detention. Good they did that. Now read this.. Information & Broadcasting Minister, AMBIKA SONI, taking full advantage of the Media which is under her ministry to make a statement as rogue and as shitty like this.....

"I am of the opinion that the way we are frisked, for example I too was frisked, we should also do the same to them".

First of all, she should get her facts correct. In the US, all politicians except for the President, Ex-Presidents & members of the cabinet principals in the US government are not exempt from a security check. Even their ex-vice presidents are checked and screened at their own airports. Point in case, as even the Times of India reports,

"Former vice-president Al Gore has experienced more than once. In one recent incident, an airline employee who helped Gore circumvent security screening at the Nashville airport was pulled up and the former Veep was brought back to go through security, which he did willingly and without making a fuss"

Someone should tell her, that no one is stopping India from checking & screening ex-presidents or ex-vice presidents from the US when they are travelling here. It is only India, who just does not do that. And how could India do such a thing, when there are self-centric and egoistic shameful politicians like AMBIKA SONI in the cabinet saying ' the way we are frisked, for example even I was, we should also do the same'. If you read between the lines and analyse her statement a bit, you would know her statement is not in support of SRK, but is made only to up her own ego & importance. Using SRK's episode was just the medium to come out with her own example.

Finally, the most important bit.

SRK Detention Episode Vs. Dr. Abdul Kalam Frisking Episode - Yes, the media did come out strongly against the frisking of our much loved ex-president Dr. Abdul Kalam which was done by Continental Airlines at our own New Delhi International Airport. And Thank God they did that!

But, what did our governement do then ? - They just ordered a 'probe' into it, that too after 2 months of the unfortunate episode taking place, even though our airport officials knew about it much before it came into public eye. Ordering just a probe into the frisking of your own former president, who under protocol is exempted from any checking at any Indian Airport, and taking up a strong case for SRK to the US government. Is it not totally insane? You take up a case for a filmstar for his questionning at a foreign airport with that country's government, but you only order a probe and give statements such as 'we will ask the concerned people to apologize' for a person who was the SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE INDIAN ARMED FORCES when in position, is simply unapologetic, and a serious and stupid mistake by the Indian government. Only shows disrespect for the most loved and most important president of India.

Continental Airlines apologized but also justified what they did by saying it was 'normal security procedure, and that the airline has no special rule for VIP's or VVIP's". So they mean, that they have no respect for the law of the land as well? Atleast, by their statement that is what we can conclude. Therefore, in such a case, the license to operate in and from India for Continental Airlines should be cancelled without much discussion. But the government did nothing. (Dr. Kalam, was made to remove his shoes, and went through a full body check!!)

I wonder, what would have the Americans did, or the Russians, or the Chinese would have done, if such special treatment was given to their own ex-presidents in their own country by a foreign airline.

I end this with a lot of anger and emotions hurt, and a lot of sadness in the way, our country is governed & ruled. In hope for enlightenment of minds. Inshaalah.

As always,comments welcome.

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Sidharth Mehta

Dubai, UAE

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Key Tags: Shahrukh Khan, SRK, Shahrukh Khan Detained, Dr. Abdul Kalam Frisking, Shahrukh Khan SRK Detention USA, Times of India, Media Reaction to SRK detention episode,Government Reaction to SRK Detention, Sidharth Mehta

India's Independence Day - Where The Mind Is Without Fear

Where The Mind is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow

domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the

dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought

and action--

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

-- Rabindranath Tagore

Movie Review - KAMINEY

Movie: KAMINEY (Hindi, 2009)

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Amole Gupte, Chandan Roy Sanyal

Rating: * * * * (Ekdum Jhakhaas !)

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'Aaja Aaja Dil Nichode, Raat Ki Matki Tode, Koi Good Luck Nikale, Aaj Ghulak Toh Fode'

The good luck has arrived for Shahid, Priyanka, Amole, Vishal, and the entire team of Kaminey. The ghulak has been broken as well, and it will shower hell lot of money for the producers of Kaminey, which is UTV.

By far, the most intelligent commercial movie made in the Indian Film Industry since a long long time, Kaminey keeps you on the edge right from the word go, and in the end, you wish the 'Dhan Te Nan' journey could keep going on...

It is a movie for the intelligent viewer, where there are parts left for you as a puzzle to solve. Puzzles which eventually get solved as the story moves on, but the impact on your mind is the most when you decipher it at the correct moment.

The story about twin brothers, Charlie & Guddu, who have a love-hate relationship, and their 24 hour journey involving love, goons, drugs, dreams & 'dhan te nan', has all the thrills, action, comedy & drama to make you fall in love with the movie & its characters.

Each and every aspect of the movie is perfect, from its story to screenplay, from sound to visuals, from direction to the action, never while watching the movie would you feel, if anything anywhere was not well done. The dialogues, the cinematography, the acting, the direction couldn't have been better.

For Shahid, this movie could very well be what DDLJ was for SRK. The gamechanger in the career of an artist, where he moves from the tag of just being an actor to the tag of being a superstar. Truly, very well deserved for Shahid, who plays both the roles of Charlie & Guddu, par excellence. Watch out for him in the new anthem of the film industry under the red disco lights. You crave to be in his shoes...

Priyanka does prove that she is not just eye-tonic, but an actress with loads of talent, bursting out loud on the screen, leaving no scope for you to not notice her. She is marvellous in the character of Sweety, as the happy go lucky marathi woman.

Amole Gupte (also the script writer of Taare Zameen Par), debuts with a bang in the role of Bhope - the maharashtrian politician. He is funny, yet serious in his role, and does full justice to the character.

All the other actors, most of them unknown new faces, have done a brilliant job, with each of them having a great sceen presence.

Last but not the least, Vishal Bhardwaj, the karta dharta of the movie, proves he is the best director in the Hindi Film Industry. No Doubt.

Enjoy the kaminapan!

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Sidharth Mehta

Dubai, UAE

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For all those wondering, how come I have written the review before the movie has been even released, well there are few advantages to stay in Dubai, and the biggest of those is that Hindi movies release here a day before it does in India!

Do post in your comments about the movie after watching it!

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Key Tags: Kaminey, Kaminey Movie Review, Kaminey in Dubai, Kaminey UAE, Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Amole Gupte, Vishal Bhardwaj, Charlie & Guddu, Sweety, Tashi, Bhope, Sidharth Mehta

Article: Encircle the Tiger

To begin with - The title of this post is a spin-off from the article of Joshua Meah - 'Encircle the Dragon', which by chance was also my last blog post.

Interestingly, the last few days, I have seen a flood of articles on the internet regarding India - China relations, few of them being insanely funny yet scary, where the authors have taken few assumptions to make us beleive that China shall sooner than later attack India. Today, one more such article, originally written in Chinese, and translated into English by a lot of bloggers online in the last few days, finally found space on The Times of India (online version atleast).

Without commenting much on the assumptions of these various authors and their terrifying conclusions in the articles, I would rather throw some light on a harsh realitywhich is also depicted and exploited well by the author who belongs to our northern neighbor. A lot of people have already discussed this reality at various forums, shall continue to do so, and while I finish writing my post, few others might have done already on the same topic as well.

Now, to put things in perspective, I would divide this post into two idea's:

• The Idea of India ; and
• The Idea of being Indian

The Idea of India - As the Preamble to the Constitution of India states that India is a 'Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic' governed by the principles of 'Justice, Liberty, Equality & Fraternity', truly the country was born with the correct idea's and principles needed for growth, freedom & prosperity. While there is no confusion regarding the idea of India to us & to the entire world, but many of us Indians have a deep subliminal confusion when it comes to the Idea of being Indian.

The Idea of being Indian - If you understood the idea of India well, describing & defining the principles and idea's by which an Indian is governed should not be a tough call. Atleast would not be a tough call literally. But alas, we need to be practical here. The moment you get practical and come closer to reality, you would know the principles which we Indians in general follow our nowhere close to 'Justice,Liberty,Equality & Fraternity'.

Right from the super rich & politicians to the beggar on the street & the non empowered comman man of India, all of us some way or the other, end up always defining ourselves as either Punjabi's, Marwari's, Gujarati's, Marathi's, etc or to the even worse definition according to the caste system. According to me, all of us are equally responsible for this as much as our system of reservations etc, is in creating this drift between all.

The system, which might have been useful in the 1940's & 1950's to empower the socially backward classes does not necessarily mean shall be useful in today's scenario. The education level, health level, awareness level, everything has gone up, and by still continuing this reservation system, we our only splitting ourselves.

Individually as well, rather than consolidating our Indian identity, we choose to be known more as a Hindu/Muslim/Christian... or a Punjabi/Bengali/Marwari/Tamil... and so on....

Before you start scratching your head thinking the relevance of what I have written above with India-China relations, let me now tell you what the Chinese have been talking about. It is exactly this weakness of our's which is now being exploited by China, where strategic experts are writing articles to urge the Chinese Government & its friendly countries like Pakistan, to attack India and split it into various parts, where the Bengali's shall live separate than the Punjabi's and the Tamil's shall stay separate than the Keralite's, etc.... It might sound funny and unimportant to few, but this is exactly the biggest weakness of our nation. I think, it is not at all difficult, with the Chinese & Pakistani's supporting various separatist groups all over India & poisoning the very idea of India.

Sadly, our Indianness & our identity as Indians only shows up when we our abroad or while playing cricket. Most of the times, we fall prey to the dirty politics and the so called rituals of our past, and forget the principles of equality & fraternity.

Before anything else, it is time to encircle ourselves in the idea of being truly Indian.

Comments Welcome.

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Sidharth Mehta

Dubai, UAE

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Key Tags: Sidharth Mehta, Encircle The Tiger, The Idea of India, Being Indian, Identity of India, India China Relations, Indo Sino Relations, China attacks India, India Hits Back on China, Articles on India & China Relationship, India China Nuclear Nations, Cheap Chinese Products & Strategies, India China War, War Strategies

Top Article: Encircle The Dragon

For all lovers of Strategic Warfare, Military Intellingence & International Affairs.

One of the best articles which I have read in the recent times about the strategies and focus of military mights of the world in creating a balance of power in South Asia, mainly to encircle the dragon. The author gives great insights into the permutations and combinations which the US is trying to have with Asian powers like - India & Japan, and how very shrewedly using Pakistan against China - Pakistan's only best friend.

The author is Joshua Meah, who is with the Centre for International Relations, Observer Research Foundation.

Sidharth Mehta

Dubai, UAE

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US engagement in South Asia since 9/11 is often understood through US security interests: defeating al-Qaeda, eliminating support for Islamic militancy in Pakistan and securing Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. But 9/11 was in 2001, almost eight years ago, and US security interests have changed drastically. The Iraq war cost the US upwards of $3 trillion in blood and treasure and enhanced Washington's perceived adversary Iran as the regional power. The financial crisis crippled the 'Washington consensus' endorsement for democracy and free markets while sending the US into a recession and assaulting the dollar's status as the global reserve currency.

The victor of US strategic failures is China, the 1.3 billion-strong nation with a near 40 per cent savings rate, $2 trillion in currency reserves, an unimpeded model of government-led development and a history of visible non-intervention in the internal affairs of nations that is welcomed by repressive, resource-rich regimes in Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Central Asia and elsewhere.

At the dawn of the 'Asian century', the surge in US military activity in Afghanistan and the forthcoming $15 billion aid package to Pakistan may be an attempt to checkmate China as much as an effort to meet post-9/11 security objectives. By attaining military superiority in Central, South and East Asia, and ostensibly buying out Islamabad, the US would control China's most critical regional ally and energy-resource transport lanes and could potentially open China up to a bolstered secessionist movement in its Islamic and massive Xinjiang province.

With little in common culturally, Pakistan and China share an inimical view of India, Islamabad's eternal obsession and sole threat to Beijing's influence in South Asia. This is at the heart of their alliance. Pakistan's proximity to the Strait of Hormuz in Iran, through which 20 per cent of the world's oil passes, and ability to control radical Islamism make an alliance for China ideal as it seeks to secure energy resources and silence the Islamic Uighur outcry for secession in Xinjiang. To Pakistan, China means access to perhaps the world's foremost economic power with growing diplomatic strength in the UN Security Council and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Nuclear deals, joint military exercises and a free trade agreement signed in 2006 support the valued relationship.

Yet, with 98,000 troops split between South Korea and Afghanistan and joint US-India-Japanese naval operations being taken up, US military influence in China's immediate territory may offset China's aggressive military posturing along Arunachal Pradesh and decrease the value of Beijing's security blanket to Islamabad. Also, with Pakistani army activity, President Asif Ali Zardari's views and poll data on civilian opinion coinciding with US national security objectives, the US's $15 billion aid package to Pakistan may signal a rapprochement between Islamabad and Washington. As Beijing's influence on Islamabad dissipates, so may the ISI's watchful eye on Pakistani-based factions of China's Uighur secessionist movement, which is increasing in international profile with the violent Chinese crackdown on peaceful protests and each innocent Uighur released publicly from Guantanamo Bay.

US emphasis on the growth of Pakistan's civilian institutions threatens to wrestle away the military's control of relations with India, creating potential for healthier economic and political relations between the two countries and freeing up India's attention and resources to balance against Chinese regional influence. In the very long term, a prosperous Pakistan would reaffirm the Washington consensus that democracy and free markets are the way of the wealthy world, even in Islamic countries, placing pressure on the Chinese Communist Party to democratise.

In full congruence with the Af-Pak strategy, Barack Obama is attempting strategic rapprochement with Iran, the consequence of which would leave three of the most important energy powers (Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq) mostly within the US's purview and secure the US's closest allies in Asia (India and Japan) unfettered access to energy resources. The thawing of the Washington-Moscow relationship through a tentative agreement to reduce the size of nuclear arsenals and the actual consideration that Russia might join NATO only add to China's concerns about the threat of American-led encirclement.

Of course, the above may fail to actualise. US operations in Afghanistan could fail as have all previous efforts to control the Afghan people. Pakistan may continue a policy of selective counter-insurgency, leaving some groups affiliated to al-Qaeda and Kashmiri militancy untouched while focusing on those threatening the army's control of Pakistan, the result of which would be a net zero gain in positive Pakistani-Indian relations or US security. Given China's unique support for the Ayatollah's regime in Iran during the recent elections, Obama's hope for a special relationship with Iran may have already eluded him. The Russia 'reset' may be implausible as US missile defence policy in Poland remains a thorn in US-Russia relations. Nonetheless, these potential tactical failures do not deny an incredibly important strategic advance: through Af-Pak, the first checkmate of the Asian dragon has been attempted by the US.

The author is Joshua Meah, who is with the Centre for International Relations, Observer Research Foundation.

Recipe for Disaster: India's Suicidal Diplomacy

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind"

- Mahatma Gandhi

Lately, the Indian Goverment has gone blind when it comes to diplomacy towards Pakistan, but without an eye for the eye!

In the aftermath of the Mumbai Attacks, somewhere around mid- december 2008, when the Indian Armed Forces were on red alert, waiting for the political orders of a go ahead for pre-emptive strikes at different locations within Pakistan, one thought that this time atleast the usually sleeping elephant would awake and take some hard revenge. This revenge would not have been just for the victims of the Mumbai attacks, but for every Indian, who felt helpless and shelterless in their own house all those 3 dreadful days and many more before that. The mood was worse than 'enough is enough!'.

Fast forward 8 months, and still we have the culprit not been punished yet in our own country forget about the masterminds across the border. Things look just as pathetically bad as they were before, with no steps taken at all by Pakistan to bring the terrorists to justice and worse enough, India simply not doing anything to punish the terrorists. Rather, India has gone shamefully ahead in starting diplomatic talks with Pakistan, a day after the master mind of the Mumbai Attacks, Hafiz Saeed, is released by the Pakistani Authorities with much fan fare, and the usual reason being given as lack of evidence.

The much respected Dr. Manmohan Singh, PM of India, went ahead and made statements along with his Pakistani counterpart, such as "Dialogue is the only way forward and that Action on terrorism should not be linked to the dialogue process. Dr. Singh also stated that India was ready to discuss all outstanding issues with Pakistan." The reason for changing the decision of not having dialogue with Pakistan which was made post Mumbai in a span of just 8 months even when no steps had been taken by Pakistan to nail down the culprits comes as a surprise to many.

If analysed further, you would know the reason for this change in decision abruptly, comes from the behind the closed door pressure being put by the US on India. Everything between the political leadership of both countries just looks fine since the recent visit of the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton to India, concluded. Even worse for India, was the signing of the joint statement in Egypt between the two Prime Ministers, which was very aptly named by the opposition as the "Sharm of Sharm-El -Sheikh". The Indian Authorities had recently also upgraded Pakistan by calling them a victim of terrorism just as India, though after the 'Sharm of Sharm-El-Sheikh' India has blindly downgraded themselves to Pakistan's level by allowing them to call India, sponsors of terrorism.

Analysing a little more and you would realise all the pressure generated by the Government just after the Mumbai Attacks was more so because the elections were around the corner, while now, the government when in power with almost a majority, has fallen to all the pressure of the US, and seem to have no zeal or the will to get Pakistan nail the terrorists.

The greatest return gift which could have been given by Pakistan to India after the recent joint statement, well, it has been the release of the main accused, the mastermind of Mumbai - Hafiz Saeed by the authorities in Pakistan due to lack of evidence. Nothing less than a slap on the face of the Indian government & its diplomacy.

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Sidharth Mehta

Dubai, UAE

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Key Tags: Sidharth Mehta, India Diplomacy, India Pakistan Relations, India Pakistan War, Mumbai Attacks Aftermath, India's Suicidal Diplomacy, Foreign Affairs India Pakistan,Nuclear Weapons India, Nuclear Power Pakistan, Political Crap, Sharm El Sheikh, Pakistan Terrorism, Disaster Sharm El Sheikh, Disaster Diplomacy India,

Hafiz Saeed

TATA NANO - TOUGH ENOUGH !

The world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano, has proved itself to be as innovative as its makers intended it to be. One more milestone in the Nano's brief but eventful journey so far has confirmed that this no frills, small car paradigm-shifter is not just the cleanest automobile in the country from a tail-pipe emissions perspective but it has also been proven that low cost doesn't come at the cost of in-built safety.

Proof of this came in the course of a crash test conducted, not at the firm's renowned Engineering Research Centre (ERC) in Pune (which has the country's first and probably the best crash test facility), but the crash certification facilities at the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) in the UK. Tata Motors in the course of its extensive development programme in India had already subjected the Nano's structure to both computer analysis and crash simulations along with actual crash testing of various prototypes before signing off the car for final production. The Nano already confirms to Indian crash worthiness regulations having been subjected to the 48km/h full frontal impact test, the static door crush test and also the roof crush test.

The test at the MIRA was done to validate Tata Motors' efforts to be in line with current European legislation what with the firm's avowed intent to market the Nano Europa on the continent within the next two to three years. The crash test results for the Nano proved that it has met the current European 56km/h full frontal and side-impact crash tests including an offset-collision test, norms which would also be applicable in India by 2012. What is impressive nonetheless is that the basis of the structure being safe and sound has been validated in an emphatic manner and as we have come to understand most of the additional modifications done to the BIW (body-in-white) for this test would also manifest themselves on the production Nanos rolling out both from Pantnagar now and shortly from Sanand.

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As taken from:

ZigWheels.com

Video Courtesy:

YouTube

Analysis: Myanmar's Nuclear Games - Impact on India

In what could be devastating for the entire south asian region, sources from secret intelligence services have stated that Myanmar (Burma) is close to testing a nuclear bomb in the next few years with the help of North Korea.

Analysis of how this impacts India:

India, which shares its border in the north east with Myanmar, just cant afford this to happen, as if it does happen, India would be surrounded by 3 Nuclear powered states, China in the north, Pakistan in the west, and Myanmar to the east.

To add more, India has always had turbulent relationships with Myanmar since the slaughter of democracy in Myanmar by the 'military junta' which came in power 1962. India has also provided great support and succour to the pro-democratic activists in Myanmar, including to the noble prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under military arrest in Myanmar now. All this has only made the military rulers of Myanmar vary of India.

And the worst is, China, Pakistan & Myanmar have been close allies, especially China & Myanmar, which share not only cultural relations, but also robust trade and defense relations. After most of the western nations banned sales of arms to Myanmar in late 1980's, China strategically grew its influence in the country increasing the threat to India and the entire south east asian region. India, though could not afford to spoil its relations any further with Myanmar, as it had the risk of increasing insurgency from Myanmar to the already volatile North Eastern states and also to curb the drug trafficking in that area. In the recent past though, India has gone against its ethos and supported the military government by supplying high tech helicopters and support for naval and airforce upgradation. But still, relations of India & Myanmar are not on a strong foot holding as they are between China & Myanmar.

Finally, to add some more fuel to fire, reports have been saying that two Pakistani scientists, from the AQ Khan stable, had been dispatched to Myanmar where they had settled down, to help Myanmar's nuclear project. China and Pakistan being the closest of friends, surely have kept no reason left for India to stand up and take notice of Myanmar's dangerous games.

No wonder, India was in such hurry to have a nuclear triad capability. For all those wondering what a Nuclear Triad means, let me quote wikipedia for a simple understanding.

" A nuclear triad refers to a nuclear arsenal which consists of three components. The purpose of having a trifurcated nuclear capability is to significantly reduce the possibility that an enemy could destroy all of a country's nuclear forces in a first strike attack; this, in turn, ensures a credible threat of a second strike, and thus increases a nation's nuclear deterrence. "

To put it in a much simpler way, a country having the capability to strike nuclear bombs from land, air, and water, hence creating the triad.

After the recent launch of the top secret nuclear powered submarine by India, it has come closer to the Nuclear Triad capability, which is only with the USA & Russia at present. After the induction of this submarine in the Navy, India would be amongst the TOP 3 most powerful nations of the world nuclear capability & deterrence wise. The exact or approximate number of nuclear bombs in India's arsenal has been a mystery and a well kept secret.

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Sidharth Mehta

Dubai, UAE