Articles by Nireekshak

A Developing Situation Romesh Thapar PARLIAMENT will soon be in session again

In Mourning Nireekshak IT is quite unusual for Indian newspapers to use black borders, as a sign of mourning, while announcing the death of a foreign statesman or while commenting on his death. Not even ail eminent Indians have been accorded that courtesy by the Press. When Ra- jendra Prasad died, for example, not every newspaper had enclosed the report in black borders and, if I remember right, Zakir Husain's death had not yielded many black-bordered editorials. The only foreigner who had been given this honour in recent times was probably President Kennedy of the United States whose photograph was published within black borders by some newspapers, following his assassination.

Purses and Proprieties Nireekshak THE monsoon session of Parliament was, according to most of the special correspondents in the capital, drawing to a very tame end when, quite suddenly, Government decided to introduce the Constitution Amendment Bill to abolish the purses and privileges of princes. And did the tail have a sting? It was not only the princes who were stung; some editorial writers and editors too found their blood pressure unaccountably rising, By and large the Press took the decision to introduce the Bill calmly enough

Sermon Time Nireekshak ANNIVERSARY sermons are an inescapable feature of Indian life, The Press usually combines its own sermons on such occasions with other trivia in the form of special supplements, fat or thin depending on the volume of advertising, which together produce a sense, if not of either heat or light, at least of sheer weight. It must be conceded, though, that supplements have their uses: revenue for newspapers and raddi-value for readers. Independence Day has, again this year, produced its crop of sermons and supplements. There seems to be an unwritten convention also in existence which says that, while supplements issued on 'national' days like Independence Day and Republic Day should deal with 'serious' topics ("Unemployment Enemy No 1", Hindustan Standard; "Human Values Must Have Priority over Economics in Planning", Deccan Herald), only 'light' fare

August 22, 1970 expressed his firm and solid belief in full-fledged democracy to which he felt Panchayat Democracy was no alternative. But the present split in the Congress must cause him worry. So far the financing of the democratic movement was looked after by Suharna Shumsher. Now, after the split, the Koirala group has to find other sources. It is with this objective in view it is rumoured in the Nepalese capital, that Koirala has planned his European trip. Besides addressing young European socialists at a meeting organised by the Socialist International in London, B P Koirala is expected to explore possibilities of collecting funds and other help for launching a struggle in his country from well- wishers of Nepal Koirala's opponents even suggest that if he gets the response he wants he may even try to form a Nepali Congress government-in-exile. But that may be to go too far. With the democrats at home divided, Koirala is far less able than Sihanouk in Cambodia.