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Dear Member, dear Reader
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Comrades in arms
Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kabul, London, Madrid are the new battlefields against obscurantism where both Europeans and Indians shed the same tears of blood. Mindless terrorism hit India early August with the same savagery and cowardice as European capitals were hit a few years ago.
Ypres, Neuve - Chapelle, Givenchy, Setubert, El Alamein, Monte Cassino, Normandy: We cannot but recall those bloody battlefields where Indian soldiers came to the rescue of Europe and bravely fought in her ranks for her freedom. It was nothing but natural that India gained its own freedom from Europe in the process.
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Michel Sabatier
Secretary-General |
Both continents retrieved their independence at the same time and both went on experimenting with a bold new vision of political unity on a continental scale never tried before to prevent war and occupation from recurring ever. After more than half a century, one may say that both experiments have been successful in bringing peace, democratic freedom and economic development to its peoples, albeit in different ways: through the market in Europe, through political unification at the stroke of midnight in India.
Bad days seem to have come back again for both Indians and Europeans. Who cannot sense that we share again a common fate to defend our hard-earned freedom against its resenters? Is it not the turn of Europeans to show their utmost solidarity in return to Indian sacrifices in the first and second World wars?
The fact that the International Atomic Energy recently vetted the deal brokered by the USA for India to join the community of nuclear energy producers without having to sign the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty as a prerequisite is a clear pointer of our age - old solidarity showing up again and of western acceptance of India as a mature and responsible World Power.
Europeans seem to have remembered the lessons of the 20th century. They also ought to remember that in its five thousand years of history, we are yet to identify a case of India showing imperialistic tendencies and using war as a means to gain influence or ground.
Trade and spirituality have been throughout the ages the only known Indian weapons for bloodless conquests of mind space and market shares. Who cannot sense that this age of benevolent and bountiful India is coming back again for the good of Europe and the World?
Let the happy trend not be disturbed by violent envious people. It calls for Indians and Europeans to lead this battle again together against economic deprivation and for democratic freedom to try and quell the source of mindless and revengeful resentment that has taken innocent lives at home: With trade in goods and ideas being our only weapons, let us be comrades in arms again!
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Yours sincerely,
Michel Sabatier
Secretary-General
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Vantage Point |
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India and China are aggressively seeking to acquire energy assets around the world to meet their growing energy needs to feed a rapidly expanding economy.
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Politics and Economy |
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The Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s victory in a trust vote in Parliament by a surprisingly large margin despite the withdrawal of support by the Left Parties.
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Policy & Regulations |
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The Department of Telecommunications has announced the guidelines for the auction of allotment of spectrum for 3G and for broadband wireless spectrum.
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Kite Monitor |
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A round up of recent key developments in the knowledge, investment, tourism and urban development areas.
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Article Alert |
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Memberspeak |
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On a soggy monsoon afternoon last week, I found myself in the company of not just one but two finance ministers, P.Chidambaram and Jaswant Singh, at the launch of a book by the admirable Swaminathan Aiyar.
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What's New |
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A French publishing house Les Editions du Pacifique is keen to publish a French translation of the "Encyclopedia of the Indian diaspora". It is looking for support. If interested, click here for more details.
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