Indian states debt to GDP

State Rank	2009-10	2010-11(RE)	2011-12(BE)
1. West Bengal	44	42	39.9
2. Uttar Pradesh	39.8	38.1	37.6
3. Punjab	34.7	33.4	33.4
4. Rajasthan	35.9	32.6	32.1
5. Madhya Pradesh	31.3	30.8	31.1
6. Jharkand	28	27.3	30.9
7. Kerala	32.8	31.1	30.4
8. Bihar	34	30.2	28.9
9. Goa	32.6	30.2	28
10. Gujarat	28.8	26.9	26
11. Andhra Pradesh	26	24	25.6
12. Orissa	28.2	25.9	24.9
13. Karnataka	24.5	22.6	22.4
14. Tamil Nadu	21.5	20.8	21.6
15. Maharashtra	22.6	21.9	21
16. Haryana	19.5	18.9	19
17. Chattisgarh	14.8	13.2	15

A hidden Jewel in Rajesthan - the Oasis of Keetchen

Phalodi, the Oasis town in Thar

Ninad D Sheth

Phalodi isn't quite on the map. At the edge of the Thar Desert this oasis town is a wonder that's worth a visit.
It has in its havelis some of the best Rajasthan architecture, in its 8th century temples some of the oldest places of worship to survive the Islamic conquest of India, in its vegetarian food a tour de force of culinary excellence.

And since we are in Rajasthan there are plenty of legends as well.
The town, 160 km from Jaisalmer is on the long-standing Arab - Marwar -Sindh trading route.
In the olden times, before the Karachi port opened an alternative quicker route, for over 400 years this was a busy trading outpost. Here tax and trade created wealth that fuelled the Marwari community's fortunes and supplied monies to the house of Jodhpur.
Phalodi is a place of money and mystery. It was here that a massive sand storm is said to have buried the treasures of Humayun who was fleeing from Sher Shah Suri.
Even now coins turn up in the sand stretches near the town that bear the mark of the early Mughal period.
We have taken the long road from Delhi a good ten hour drive. A night halt at the government guest house in Bikaner is important.
The night halt makes the trip less of a rush. The guest house is truly basic - but this being Rajasthan the service is top drawer and the rest - after a 7 hour drive - refreshing.
Reaching Phalodi we choose a remarkable place to stay. A heveli built in 1750 called Lal Niwas. As the name suggests this is in  red sandstone and  that has been painstakingly restored.
The artifacts on the wall, old chandeliers the odd weapon and lather opium boxes all take you well back in time. '
But what is truly extraordinary about the place is that the other half of the haveli is left undecorated with bat droppings, cobwebs and the like. So in one surreal step you go into medieval Rajasthan - an experience which lends a true perspective.

We prepare to tuck in a right royal seven course feast that includes the traditional dal bati choorma and katdhi.

Day two is about getting up fresh and early and a 4X4 ride into the Rajasthan desert. A half hour later we are at the oasis of Khichan. The oasis - like the rest of the topography is a shallow pane with sand dunes of modest height surrounding it.
At first you do not see the birds - only hear them busily feeding. You walk over the curved dune and suddenly over the sand duned horizon rise an estimated 3000 demoiselle cranes. It is a heart stopping sight.
These migratory birds from Europe and Russia are one of the smallest of the crane family.

The birds, with black legs and bills of yellow, green and pink have feathery gray areas on their head that ranges from the crown to the nape. A white kajal-like line from the corner of the eye extends to the back of the head.
This is the magic of the desert - a flock of more then three thousand birds flying in unison is awesome. You forget the long hours that took you to get there.
The next one hour is spend in the company of Japanese and French birdwatchers gazing at the graceful birds they soar over the desert horizon. You reflect that Indian tourists have yet to develop bird watching sensitivities.
We come back strangely overwhelmed at this experience of seeing so much birdlife in so desolate a place.
Though there's much more to do even in that tiny town -- as varied as a great Jain temple and an intriguing antique shop -- Phalodi is the place if bird watching is on your mind and Rajasthan is in your heart.

Obama Big in Japan

Obama in Tokyo Walking the Pivot talk

Ninad D Sheth

The US President, Barrack Obama starts his Asia tour with a visit to Japan, its most important partner in Asia.

This is a visit of great consequence visit.

President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dined at the famed Sukiyabashi Jir restaurant, renowned as the shrine of sushi. The menu s  equally delicate some of it raw.

The main course the US security guarantee to Japan, the second is the Goliath trade agreement, the trans - pacific partnership.

There is great nervousness in Tokyo on American commitment to Japan’s security. Japan needs reassurance.

The visit comes in the wake of Japan’s simmering and dangerous dispute over the islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. While largely uninhabited they are claimed by both countries.

China has been unusually aggressive in its diplomatic posture and maritime activity concerning these islands. It has based its diplomacy on the assumption that America may not have the stomach for a fight so far away from home.

China is in for a very rude surprise.

Obama’s  interview to Japan’s largest newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, Indicates that the American president is serious about the assurance. This  is evident in the language he used in describing The Senkaku islands as being administered by Japan and in opposing  any unilateral attempts to undermine Japan’s administration of these islands.

Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan Mutual Security treaty calls for the US to come to Japan’s aid in the event of war. It is a treaty that has held the peace in Asia for 60 odd years. It is also an alliance which has been influential in Japan not opting for nuclear weapons. Significantly, just before the trip Japan agreed to return 300kg of plutonium enough to make fifty atomic bombs and well within the Japanese technical capability to do so.

Clearly the ball is in play. China has been told in very specific terms that the security stakes have suddenly gone up.  If the United states walks the talk it can call China’s bluff. China has few ral options. For all the talk of asymmetric warfare, and a new aircraft carrier, the plain fact is that in

the Japanese littoral, China is at a significant military disadvantage. Let alone the US seventh fleet, even the Japanese navy is a very powerful force. It will only get more fire power and with the expected introduction of new aegis class ships during the Obama visit.

What is more complicating for China is that Obama is walking the pivot talk.  The US seventh fleet is set to base two more theater missile defense system destroyers in Japan.  Suddenly China has a string of pearls around it much like it fancies garlanding India with. From a US marines base in Perth to robust naval engagement with Singapore and Japan added to a new thrust in Taiwan the military massage to China is simple and clear.

This trip by the US President is to match American economic resurgence with its foreign policy promise. I expect the outlines of the trans – pacific partnership to be announced during this visit.  

The new aggressive American stance is on the back of two imperative economic factors. According to the council on foreign relations, a noted US think tank, the housing recovery in price terms is only five percent lower than when the recovery began in late 2009. Similarly, capacity in manufacturing, mining, and electric and gas utilities is up 2 percent from 2008 and gaining momentum. In the energy sector the US is will likely overtake Saudi Arabia and Russia as the world’s top oil producer. Although the cost of producing that oil is far more per barrel then in say Saudi Arabia. Most important of all US is tightening its belt and printing a lot of money without leading to statistically significant increase in inflation and yet propelling growth. When you factor in the final push up that the U.S. government’s deficit will likely fall to $492 billion this year, it is one big economic miracle.

Obama canceled his Japan trip twice. This time he speaks from a position of strength.  This is a trip - if not to contain China surely to caution it. One banks on the famous Chinese pragmatism.

life's lessons from Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh Bachchan

In popular Indian culture, there are only two heroes: Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar. Their appeal goes beyond borders; they are, in fact, India’s best soft power ambassadors. They also have a surprisingly lot in common.

Both are unconventional. In sports, height is an advantage, but Tendulkar is not tall; in  Hindi movies, being lanky was not accepted, yet Bachchan made it big. Both men are intense, almost possessed, as if they know nothing but that deep-driven desire. Years after they were well past the ‘legend’ status, both could be seen on the sets or at the nets, up early practising their respective arts. For them, every day is a new start to play, and to act.

Focus is the other thing. Both epitomise the Mahabharat hero Arjun. In their skills, they are twins. For that one eye is cross-haired on the inverted fishbowl. Perfection, nothing less, will do.

In Bachchan, you see it in his delivery that lends a certain seamlessness between the script, the act and onto even the man himself. In Tendulkar, you witness this in his classic strokes — be it the punch off the back foot or just a leave outside the offstump, telling the bowler he is wasting his time.

Some of the things that they do quite obviously are gifts given by god. But to make use of those gifts is a hard grind. You can be this real talent but perfection is a lonely pursuit. It needs you to draw deep.  You have to go above and beyond whatever gifts you may have been given. This is impossibly difficult. It’s yogic. There is a reason why we have so many good actors and cricketers and so few — so very few —great ones. 

That reason is sweat — and sweat is what you do not see.

Upbringing, what we conventionally call ‘values’, also matters. Both Bachchan and Tendulkar had academics as parents. You will be surprised by how much this counts. When one’s parents are in the thinking business, one is ‘secure’ in a way that is difficult to explain. It allows you to to imagine that you too can think big — and if it does not happen, you have the choice of doing other things. Campus life offers a sheltered, almost cocooned, existence. It lets you believe that dreams can be fitfully dreamt and things impossible pursued with your skills.

Also, both have had — in fact, Bachchan continues to have — a long inning. That takes persistence. One cannot let go off the hunger to do more, to do better. The passion can all wane and become a routine; one may forget that this is all they wanted to do in their  lives. A deadly lull has finished many a career. Yet, for both Bachchan and Tendulkar, it is a debut shot every time.

It is almost certain that in the two personalities we have the last pair that straddles three generations in terms of popular culture. The formats are changing in cricket, specialisation is in, and it will cut careers. In films, technology is bringing about dramatic change. So, in that sense, both these people are precious to a legion of people.

The health and physical aspect is also imperative. At the top, fitness becomes an issue even for super heroes.  Bachchan has had his share of bad health — his life once famously hung in the balance. An accident during the shoot of Coolie, left him clinically dead for two minutes.

As for Tendulkar, he hardly has a body part that has not been hurt during his marathon innings. He has endured pain in the back and the ankle, a tennis elbow which required him to go under the knife, and later, a bad shoulder. There was also a broken knee, a groin injury and innumerable instances of pulled hamstrings. Almost anything that can be hurt has been hurt. Yet, both have displayed an iron will and ensured that the show was on, regardless of everything.

Another striking similarity between the two legends is that both are apolitical. It is true that Bachchan did enter the political arena, but he withdrew as soon as he got hot under the collar. Both men have also shied away from taking a stand on controversial issues. They believe that they are not here to change the world.

This is sad, especially for the country. It reflects on our our democracy and its limitations. It also leaves the public discourse empty and robs it of its vibrancy. Neither men will throw away that hard-won award for a cause. It’s just not them — it’s not us either.

Both superstars have handled their fame with dignity and a grace that is uncommon. Both are constantly in the public eye. Normal life, as we know it, is not an option for them. You cannot suddenly go for a dinner or walk in the rain — there will be fans swarming. Still, both have done an excellent job of being in the lime-light.

As Tendulkar’s innings come to an end and Bachchan enjoys the last phase of his career, let us be happy that, like our grandparents, we too will have the opportunity to tell tales about Big B and Jersey#10 to our grandchildren. These are tales to hang on to in this ephemeral world.