King Gyanendra in India

Published : Jul 06, 2002 00:00 IST

THE visit of Nepal's King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev to India in the last week of June was the first official trip made outside the kingdom by the monarch after ascending the throne last year. The week-long visit came at a time when Nepal's military is battling with Maoist insurgents for control of the rural areas. It began with a two-day stop in New Delhi, where the King had wide-ranging talks with Indian leaders. The King also visited Bangalore, Kolkata and Guwahati, mainly to participate in religious rituals.

In New Delhi, the focus of the King's talks with Indian leaders was on the Maoist insurgency. He outlined his vision for the future of the kingdom and the ways in which Kathmandu planned to tackle the guerillas. The Maoist uprising and related events have plunged Nepal into political and economic turmoil and cast a shadow on the future of democracy in the country. The stated aim of the Maoists is to abolish the monarchy. On the other hand, influential personalities and some small political groupings that have close links with the Palace demand that full powers be restored to the monarchy and that the Army be given a free hand in dealing with the Maoist revolt.

King Gyanendra said in New Delhi that his government had embarked on a campaign to win all the people over to its side. He pointed out that the Maoist insurgency had started in the most impoverished part of the kingdom and that unless the people of the region were won over, it would be difficult for the government to subdue the rebels. The insurgency has already claimed more than 4,700 lives.

King Gyanendra also indicated that he wanted to strengthen further Nepal's ties with India. He said that there "was need to take Indo-Nepalese relationship to a new level and to break free of the mindset that may have coloured it in the past".

The Indian government, on its part, has offered materiel as well as moral support to the campaign against the insurgents. External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh told the monarch that India was willing to offer military equipment and share intelligence to help Kathmandu defeat the insurgency. India is no longer averse to other countries providing military aid to Nepal or to international attention being focussed on the internal problems of the kingdom. This is a marked departure from its earlier positions.

Washington has already stepped in with military aid and the Bush administration is equating Nepal's fight against the Maoist rebels with its own fight against international terrorism. India is said to have already supplied the Nepalese military with a wide array of weaponry, including trucks and mine-resistant vehicles. During the King's visit, both sides also discussed ways and means to stop the infiltration of Maoists across the Indo-Nepal border.

John Cherian

INDIA-BORN British industrialist Lord Swraj Paul was awarded a honorary degree by the Moscow State University of Management (MSUM) on June 22. The university honoured him in appreciation of his "outstanding contribution in the field of international education". A month earlier, on May 19, he was honoured with a doctorate by the University of Hartford, one of the leading academic institutions in the United States. The doctorate was in recognition of his "success in business and commerce, leadership in international education and understanding, and commitment to promote multi-culturalism."

Born in Jalandhar in 1931, Swraj Paul had his higher education in the U.S. He returned to India with a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1952 to join the Apeejay Surrendra group, a diversified industrial company founded by his father in Jalandhar. Swraj Paul who went to Britain in 1966 for his daughter Ambika's treatment, did not return to India when she died there in 1968. He acquired a small natural gas unit with borrowed money and made great strides, with remarkable entrepreneurial acumen. The three decades since then saw him evolve into a steel magnate and one of the most successful industrialists in Britain. His Caparo group comprising a number of small- and medium-sized companies is today Britain's largest family-owned business; it employs over 4,000 people in four countries.

A prominent member of the Labour Party, Swraj Paul was raised to the peerage as Baron Paul of Marylebone in the city of Westminster in 1996. He serves on several select committees of the House of Lords. Swraj Paul received the Corporate Leadership Award from MIT in 1987 and has to his credit more than 10 honorary doctorates from universities across the globe. In India, Swraj Paul, who was perceived as being close to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1983.

Education is one of the areas where Lord Paul has been showing keen interest. He is the Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton and the Chairman of the College of Senior Fellows of the Thames Valley University. In these roles he has made a significant contribution in educating the youth about the spirit of globalisation, drawing on the rich cultural heritage and values of world civilisation. The MSUM is one of the universities with which Wolverhampton University has close educational tie-ups. In his perception "education and life-long learning" are the main drivers of opportunities thrown up by globalisation. Receiving the MSUM's honorary degree, Lord Paul said globalisation of education was the key to "breaking old barriers, connecting people and building new lasting ties."

Speaking to Frontline on globalisation and India's position in a globalised world (Frontline, February 2, 2001), Lord Paul observed: "There is a lot of talk of investment in industries and infrastructure. But I think it is crucial to invest for the people, that would enhance their lives."

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