The best way to know the self is feeling oneself at the moments of reckoning. The feeling of being alone, just with your senses, may lead you to think more consciously. More and more of such moments may sensitize ‘you towards you’, towards others. We become regular with introspection and retrospection. We get ‘the’ gradual connect to the higher self we may name Spirituality or God or just a Humane Conscious. We tend to get a rhythm again in life. We need to learn the art of being lonely in crowd while being part of the crowd. A multitude of loneliness in mosaic of relations! One needs to feel it severally, with conscience, before making it a way of life. One needs to live several such lonely moments. One needs to live severallyalone.

Sunday, 28 September 2014

XI JINPING'S INDIA VISIT & CHUMAR STANDOFF: THANKFULLY, THE INDUCED BONHOMIE WORKED

India China bonhomie was in the air. It was in full throttle when the Chinese President was here earlier this month. And had a natural downslide after the visit. Even during the visit, yet another standoff on yet another Chinese incursion in Ladakh in Jammu & Kashmir, was in full swing.

So, if the Indian hospitality in making the Chinese President Xi Jinping feel at home will be remembered, it will also be remembered for the cultural elements that enveloped the bilateral tension under the wrap of  a makeshift bonhomie.

So, if it was 10%, the wrap of the cultural bonhomie made it 50%. The personal touch of Narendra Modi and the Gujarat element took it to 75% (Xi landed in Gujarat to begin his India visit). And the rest was done by the media, making it complete, taking it to the absolute figure of 100%, so much so that long discussions were held out on the possible (say proposed) $100 Billion Chinese investment in India.

No one can say from where this $100 Billion investment figure cropped up which was nowhere near to the actual $30 Billion that Chinese President agreed on while leaving the country.

The two Asian nations and neighbours fought a war in 1962 and there have been very little in the name of diplomatic ties and high-level bilateral efforts. The general perception about political and public sentiments has been of hostility, bilaterally. India has had an all-weather ally in Japan, China’s historical adversary. And China has done all to prop Pakistan against India, India's backstabbing neighbour.


But times are changing and economic compulsions are rewriting the global equations. And economic compulsions forced the two most populous nations, and thus the larger markets, to looks for options to explore the avenues of enhanced economic cooperation. A strong trade tie between the two nations has the potential to rewrite the world economic order and can offer a great leverage in bringing their populations to the level of a dignified quality of life.

Though China is much ahead, both India and China have been growing strongly and at higher pace than the world average. The markets in the both the nations need investors and buyers now and two big and mature markets sharing a long territorial border can throw a wonderful opportunity.

The border that has been the main bone of contention between the two nations inciting a war and numerous incidents of incursions and standoffs.

And one of such prolonged standoffs was in full flow while the Chinese President was on state visit to India from September 17-19.

But, thankfully, the induced bonhomie worked, at least during the visit, and the incident didn't mar the prospects of the visit. Even MoUs for $30 Billion are practically a good deal to talk about given the patchy history between the two nations.

It will take much more than a bilateral Summit talk to bring India and China on cordial terms, and much is needed to be done. The ice will break slowly because the temperature has been frigid for decades.

For the moment, the border standoff in Ladakh, at Chumar, has been resolved and the troops will be withdrawn completely by September 30.

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com