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Prosecute all who plotted false case against ISRO Scientist Nambi Narayanan

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Editorial by Vivek Sinha In this era of mediocrity, excellence and passion are rare to find. If it does exist in an individual then s/he must be handled with care. Unfortunately, this was not the case with Nambi Narayanan, the former ISRO scientist. Narayanan was at the peak of his career during nineties, when he was maliciously implicated in a false espionage case, tortured in custody and his reputation ruined by planting fabricated stories of his sexual escapades with foreign women. Narayanan’s only fault was that he was passionate about his research at ISRO and was striving to make India a super power in Space Science.  It’s not the fabricated false allegations against Narayanan that is surprising, what’s surprising is that it took twenty four years for him to get a clean chit from India’s Supreme Court. It is common knowledge that all those who are working on vital areas such as space sciences will be on the radar of foreign spy networks and could be targeted to derail India’s rese
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I was brutally tortured in custody: ISRO Scientist Nambi Narayanan

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In a free wheeling chat with Vivek Sinha , ISRO Scientist Nambi Narayanan explains how his false implication had adversely affected India’s space research Q: After 24 years, your name has finally been cleared by the Supreme Court of all espionage charges. Who do you think was the real culprit in this entire saga?  Ans: I wouldn’t say there is one culprit, rather there are many people in the story. According to me it is a fabricated case and the Supreme Court also says it is a malicious prosecution. And as you know from the very beginning Kerala police were investigating this and then the Intelligence Bureau (IB) also investigated. So, you can say it is the IB that is responsible, the Kerala Police is responsible, the government is responsible… I wouldn’t say it is one person who was responsible, it is a group of people who were responsible.  Q: Why were you targeted… was this some kind of an international conspiracy to derail India’s cryogenic programme?  Ans: Well, there is nothing on
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Scourge of Wahhabism is still present today: Govindacharya

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Vivek Sinha Sangh stalwart KN Govindacharya is upset at RSS Chief saying that Guruji's thoughts in “Bunch of Thoughts” are not eternal RSS Chiefs are recognised as original thinkers whose words, speeches and writings form the basis of Sangh’s functioning and of its over 36 affiliate organisations, which includes its political arm Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).  On 19th September, Dr Mohan Bhagwat, the current RSS Chief, explained to an eager audience at New Delhi’s imposing Vigyan Bhavan that Sangh no longer follows each and every word written in Golwalkar’s famous book “Bunch of Thoughts”. Bhagwat was responding to a question of whether RSS still considers Muslims in a negative light as portrayed in the “Bunch of Thoughts”. “….when we speak of “Bunch of Thoughts”, when we discuss anything, we do it with reference to the circumstance and context. It does not remain eternal,” Dr Bhagwat explained. Golwalkar, lovingly referred by Sangh swayamsevaks as Guru ji was the second RSS Chief
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RSS walks on a tight rope

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Vivek Sinha RSS is still unable to set the discourse in India. In order to change this ecosystem, Sangh Chief Dr Mohan Bhagwat reached out to intellectuals in a mega-conclave. He ended up disowning portions of Golwalkar’s book “Bunch of Thoughts”. Other Sangh stalwarts are not happy. In this era of information overload it’s the perception that matters. People, organisations, leaders and communities have to manage and fight out this perception battle. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)--- world’s largest voluntary organisation, that boasts of millions of Swayamsevaks (voluntary workers), has been at the receiving end of this perception management, thanks to concerted efforts by the cabal of Communist-Congress nexus. Ever since its inception in 1925, RSS remained too involved in the grass roots work and committed to its famed “man making” of Indian citizens, which in effect means character building and instilling patriotic fervour about India. Perception management became a casualty i
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Educated illiterates create wrong perceptions: Subhash Ghai

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In an informal chat with  Vivek Sinha,  the showman of Hindi film industry Subhash Ghai comes down heavily on dubious opinion makers of India  Q: You have been a voracious reader as a child. Stories and story books have had a deep impact on your personality. But, nowadays not many children and youth like to read books/novels. They prefer to spend their time on social media and gadgets. What impact will this technological invasion have on our lives and is there a need to curb this tech blitz? Ans: Social media and the internet have proven to be a big blessing for the children belonging to the 21st century by providing them with a wide range of information and a source of knowledge. The new generation wants the logic behind science and truth behind mythology and rituals. They question and eventually refuse to accept crippled traditions and cultural values embedded in them by their parents and grand parents. This, however, results in a new way of thinking. The danger here is that they wou
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Atal ji never behaved as boss: Sudheendra Kulkarni

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Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister of India but power sat very very lightly on his shoulders, Sudheendra Kulkarni tells Vivek Sinha . Kulkarni had been very closely associated with Vajpayee Q: Mr Sudheendra Kulkarni, thank you for agreeing to talk to Power Corridor. You had been very closely associated with Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Please share with us some of the anecdotes of Atal ji while he was the Prime Minister of India.  Ans:  I had the honour of working closely with Shraddheya Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji in the PMO for all the six years that he was the Prime Minister of India (1998-2004). They were, and they will always remain, the best period of my life.There are too many vivid and rich memories of my association with him. Selecting some is very difficult. The common impression from all these memories is that Atalji was rarely perturbed, howsoever grave the situation might have been. Looking at calm and composed nature in those situations was like looking at a vast lake
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‘Mukhauta controversy has also stuck with Atal ji. This is unfortunate’

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KN Govindacharya in a candid chat with Vivek Sinha explains the sequence of events about the wrong translation of “face” to “mukhauta” led to the word thrust upon him Q: You’ve been very closely associated with Atal ji. Please share with us some anecdotes, some of your personal experiences of working with him, how was he as a person, as a politician, and as the Prime Minister? Ans: He was socially and personally a very sensitive person. His commitment to nation was far more intense than his commitment to the party or to self. He never thought that power is be-all and end-all, this was not his premise. He would avoid power at all costs. I’m very well reminded of one incident in 1984, when  Shreemati  Indira Gandhi was killed by her body guards and there was a huge commotion, unrest in the society. They wanted to vent their anger against the Sikh community. It was 1 st  November and there was this taxi stand in front of Atal  ji’s  house at 6 Raisina Road, nearby was the Youth Congress
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