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The Impact of the Panama Papers in India

Posted on by Penguin India

The Panama Papers leak, which involved the leak of more than 11.5 million financial and legal records of ‘global’ law firm Mossack Fonseca based in Panama City, exposed corruption and tax evasion by politicians, celebrities and the elite who had stashed away wealth in secretive tax havens.

The leak not only shook the world but also made a case for a more equal society in an age of a widening rich–poor divide. The response from readers of the case and the government to the expose was overwhelming, and the agencies swung into action immediately.

Read on to know more about the untold India story of the trailblazing investigation.

The mother of all collaborations

The Panama Papers investigation was code-named ‘Project Prometheus’ after the character from Greek mythology who stole fire from the gods and gave it to human beings. Perhaps it was named so with the expectation that a huge fire would be kindled.

Prometheus would be the largest-ever leak in journalism history with 2.6 terabytes of data; the dump came from an anonymous source to reporters of Süddeutsche Zeitung, the secondlargest German daily; the leaked data was from a Panamanian law firm named Mossack Fonseca; there were many heads of state and corporate leaders in the leaked data that spanned four decades and was ‘live’ till early 2015.

 

Following the leads to discoveries and dead ends

Even as Ritu, Jay and Vaidy began digging into the India files, what actually helped them navigate the intriguing world of offshore business was access to the millions of files that were not necessarily related to India. Reading the internal mails revealed the level of compliance, rather the lack of it, observed by giant incorporators like Mossack Fonseca, the veils of secrecy they built and their eagerness to find a way out to cater to every demand put forth by a client, all for a fee.

Having accessed the leaked data, the three reporters had embarked on the search in the spirit of ‘feeling lucky’ and entered, wishfully, names from a list of public figures in business and politics. To their surprise, some of these searches immediately returned positive. Soon enough, though, dawned the first of many sobering realizations. It turned out that most of these hits were inconsequential.

Quite early in the deep dive, the reporters realized that the ICIJ’s secure servers were struggling to cope with the traffic generated by hundreds of diligent reporters logging in from all corners of the world. While the consortium had invested a lot of resources, the global collaboration was the first of its kind and in no way could one have anticipated the load till it became apparent.

To physically verify hundreds of addresses, the three reporters needed to utilize the reach of the formidable state network of the Indian Express. They broke down the address list state-wise. Typically, the client concentration was high in and around the metros and state capitals. Both Mumbai and Delhi checklists, for example, had over sixty addresses each. But there was enough fieldwork also to be done in the hinterland. Unfortunately, many addresses with only a name against a village or a PO (post office) returned nothing. Not surprisingly, most Indian villages have multiple individuals who respond to the same name, and it was impossible to pin down a client in the absence of additional details such as father’s name and so on.

 

The aftermath of the leak

The flutter was also evident among celebrity company owners who had figured in the list of 500-odd Indians named and also therefore in the India coverage. There were those who immediately wanted to wash their hands of the Mossack firms, others who rejigged their holdings and, surprisingly, even company owners who dug in their heels and increased their holdings despite their confidential offshore secrets having been outed.

The only persons to deny outright evidence of their offshore involvement found in the Panama Papers documents were Amitabh Bachchan and his daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai. While Rai’s media adviser tried to dismiss Ritu’s request for comments, Bachchan did not even bother to respond to repeated queries.

One measure of the impact of the Panama Papers was the excitement the investigation generated in the conference and seminar circuit. The ICIJ staffers as well as project members became sought-after speakers at events hosted across the world and this was true for the Indian team too. The model of collaborative journalism exhibited by the Panama Papers team and what the story meant for the future of journalism sans borders was the favourite topic of plenary sessions at several journalism talk shops.

The promptness with which the Indian government reacted resulted in the country joining others in formulating a global taxation response to the Panama Papers. It was a good signal and statement of intent that on 13 April—just a week after the exposé—when tax administrators from around thirty countries held a brainstorming meeting in Paris on the impact of the Panama Papers, a director-level officer from India’s CBDT was in attendance.

 

A month after the Panama Papers hit the stands and sent the global who’s who scrambling for cover, John Doe, the unnamed source of the leak, sent a stirring note to Süddeutsche Zeitung, the German newspaper. The short essay underlined why it is, now, time for real action and how that starts with asking questions.

Read The Panama Papers to know more about the untold Indian side of the story!

5 Interesting Facts About Explorers, Spies & Maps from the Nineteenth-Century

Posted on by Penguin India

The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India was founded in the 18th century with the aim of creating a detailed map of the country. Under George Everest’s leadership, the Survey mapped the Great Arc, which was then lauded as ‘one of the greatest works in the whole history of science,’ though it cost more in monetary terms and human lives than many contemporary Indian wars.

Much of the work of the Survey was undertaken by explorers and native Indians known as Pundits, who were trained to spy out and map Central Asia and Tibet. They did this at great personal risk and with meagre resources, while traveling entirely on foot. Mapping the Great Game tells the story of these extraordinary pioneers-their exploits, their adventurous spirit and their tenacity in the face of great adversity

Read on to discover some interesting facts from the book:

 

Fact 1: A territory could only be acquired and governed when it was known

‘Maps would transform newly won territories- and finally the whole continent- from the unknown to the known. It was essential for British rule to acquire this knowledge for both military and administrative purposes, including the all- important task of collecting revenue.’ 

Fact 2: Afghanistan was the Door into India

‘From the time of Alexander, the Great, Afghanistan has been a staging post for invaders into India, crossing the Hindu Kush and swooping on to the hot plains of the Punjab. These mountains pose a formidable barrier. One interpretation of its name is ”Hindu killer”, as explained by the famous fourteenth- century Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta, who wrote: ”Many of the slaves brought to us from India perish while crossing the high passes on account of the severe cold and great quantities of snow.” ‘ 

Fact 3: William Lambton and George Everest were the first and foremost cartographers that made mapping of India their life’s work

‘At the turn of the nineteenth century, an unusual proposal was put forward to the British authorities in India…The proposal set out to measure the shape of the earth, while intricately mapping India- a scientific project on a scale not previously attempted anywhere on the planet. The idea’s originator was William Lambton, and the venture he began would be completed one day by his successor George Everest.’ 

Fact 4: Under William Lambton’s leadership, the Great Trigonometrical Survey (GTS) had surveyed an area extending 165,000 square miles, his efforts formed the bedrock of the Survey of India

‘Author Showell Styles has pointed out how there was an element of ”greatness” about [William] Lambton, reflected by how others referred to the things he worked on: the Great Theodolite, the Great Arc and the Great Trigonometrical Survey. Yet today his name is largely forgotten, both in Britain and India. his efforts and accomplishments, though, which formed the bedrock of the GTS, live on through the work of the Survey of India. For many years, his name even appeared on its logo, and a commemorative bust sits today on St Thomas Mount, Chennai, looking out from where he launched his grand project. 

Fact 5: George Everest-a cantankerous old sahib-ensured that the Great Trigonometrical Survey (GTS) was as accurate as possible

‘With him [George Everest] at its helm, the GTS had surveyed 57,000 square miles of territory, at a final cost of nearly 90,000 pounds. Although this area was only a third of the total achieved under [William] Lambton’s stewardship, Everest’s survey is considered unsurpassed because of its superior quality. For example, to ensure the highest levels of accuracy, Everest made his triangles as symmetrical as possible. he achieved this by instituting a strict rule that internal angles be kept between 30 and 90 degrees, and preferably closer to 60 degrees. Furthermore, as much as Everest appreciated the size of Lambton’s large triangles, as a general rule, again in pursuit of accuracy, he favoured limiting each side to between 20 and 30 miles, even though this restriction would slow down the rate of advance of his survey.’

 

To know more about this thrilling story of espionage and cartography, grab your copy Mapping The Great Game today!

 

Meet Homi- 7 Unique Characteristics of Sangeeta Bandhopadhyay’s Heroine

Posted on by Penguin India

Homi is a modern young woman who has her days split between a passionate marriage and a high-octane television studio job. Life, for her, goes on as usual until one day she is approached by a yogi on the street. This mysterious figure, visible only to her, begins to follow her everywhere and Homi finds him both frightening and inexplicably arousing.

In the book The Yogini, Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay tells the story of Homi as she embarks on a journey with this mysterious figure stalking her constantly.

Read to know more about the protagonist of this book: She is intelligent and interesting to talk to

“Can you tell me the difference between literature and news?” the CEO of the media company had asked

Homi when interviewing her three years ago.

“If news is the rain, literature is the water that gathers underground,” she’d replied. “The rainwater falls on the earth and seeps slowly through each of the layers underground before eventually becoming pure. News is what happened a moment ago – it has to pass through layers of time before it can become literature. When time and philosophy are added to news, what you get is literature.”

Housework is not her cup of tea

Homi and Lalit didn’t go shopping regularly. And when they did, they ended up with precisely what they didn’t need. Instead of detergent, Homi bought gardening tools. Or other things she liked: clothes, perfume, jewellery. Every time Lalit bought mushrooms, they had to be thrown away, because no one had remembered to cook them.

She likes her own company

Homi had no real friends of her own. She was on good terms with everyone, but couldn’t progress beyond a certain level of intimacy. She knew that people became demanding when friendship turned into a relationship, and she didn’t care for commitments. But then how did she manage her job? She did manage it, and she could, by projecting an image of herself as a creative type, so that no one interfered with her work.

 She doesn’t let anyone sway her

”As I said, the influence that most people exert is missing from your life, madam. You consider no one close or distant, good or evil. You love no one, but nor do you respect or hate them. You simply don’t acknowledge the existence of others. You are the only person in your world.” (page 76)

 She is followed by a hermit, visible only to her

Again, she retreated as he approached her, holding out a hand with tongs in it. A hermit’s usual paraphernalia. It was obvious no one else could see him, since it was impossible for such a frightening man to advance towards a lone woman, especially at this hour of the night, without anyone intervening.

The hermit is a manifestation of her fate

”You don’t recognise me, Empress,” he said after a brief silence. ”I am your fate,” he continued – and disappeared at once.

Is he my fate? Homi asked herself. Suddenly she wanted to vomit. Her body felt violated, desiring numbness, as though it had assumed all this time that she could never have been subject to fate. Never, it was impossible! 

 

To find out how Homi’s battle with the yogi plays out, grab your copy of The Yogini today

A Narrative of Three Nations- An Excerpt from ‘1971’

Posted on by Penguin India

The year 1971 is etched into the minds of the billions that call the subcontinent their home. Post partition, the third Indo-Pak war cleaved through the land to make way for another nation to come into its own. For East Pakistani’s, it was a battle that led to liberation and the birth of Bangladesh. For Pakistan, it was the dismemberment that left behind a sense of loss. For India, 1971 was the war that established it as a nation of humanitarian sensibility and military power.

But what does 1971 mean for the victims and survivors of the war?

Anam Zakaria writes, ‘The war is not just a historical event or a story of gallantry or loss, the war is personal and intimate, the trauma as haunting even forty-eight years later.’   Turning the spotlight away from the state orchestrated narratives of victory and defeat, In 1971: A People’s History from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, Zakaria draws attention to the festering wounds that victims of the bloodbath bear even today, giving those tormented by terrible memories of heartrending violence a space to voice their experiences.

Read on for a glimpse-

 

Three men, an officer and two sepoys barged in from the back door, pushing our maid to the side, demanding: “Professor Sahib kahan hai? (Where is the professor)?” When my mother asked why, the officer said, “Unko le jayega (We have come to take him).” My mother asked, “Kahan le jayega (Where will you take him?).” He repeated, “Bus le jayega (We will take him).”’

It was the night of 25 March, when Meghna, then only fifteen years old, had been woken up by her father, a provost at Jagannath Hall, a non-Muslim residence hall at Dhaka University. It was the night Operation Searchlight was launched, the Pakistan Army’s action to crush the secessionist movement in East Pakistan. Dhaka University, whose students were actively engaged in the resistance movement against Pakistan, would be one of the primary targets. The operation would unfold into a long, bloody war, first between East and West Pakistan and then between India and Pakistan, finally culminating in Pakistan’s surrender on 16 December 1971, and the birth of Bangladesh.

‘There was a lot of firing that night, but we assumed that it was the Dhaka University students, excited and eager to show their spirit to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was in town. By then, the firing had become a regular occurrence,’ Meghna told me. ‘Our flat was opposite Jagannath Hall, overlooking the Shahid Minar, the monument for the martyrs of the language movement of 1952. In fact, we were at the centre of all the things that were going on,’ she said, referring to how Dhaka University was one of the major centres of political activity, right from when the language movement started to the 1970s. ‘We even went to see Bangabandhu’s speech of 7 March (held at Ramna Race Course, now called Suhrawardy Udyan) and I remember, my father kept saying, “I don’t see any mediation. I don’t know what will happen.” He feared that the army would clamp down because there was no way they would let things continue as they were . . . The radios were broadcasting their own programmes in Bangla, there were marches happening, there was an active civil disobedience movement. But even then, my father thought the army clampdown would just involve forcing students to stop protesting and return to university, or at most translate into the arrest of teachers (who, the state thought, were instigating trouble). We could never have imagined what happened.’

On 7 March 1971, at the speech that Meghna attended with her father, Sheikh Mujib addressed lakhs of people. By now, Yahya Khan had postponed the opening session of the new parliament. As a result, ‘widespread violence erupted in East Pakistan . . . Mujib was under intense pressure from two sides. Leftist politicians and activists in East Pakistan demanded that he declare independence right away, while Pakistan’s military leaders flew in troops to make sure he would abstain from such a pronouncement.’ Against this backdrop, on 7 March, Sheikh Mujib delivered a historic speech, trying to steer a ‘strategic middle ground’ by emphasizing that until the regime met his conditions, all offices, courts and schools would be closed, and there would no cooperation with the government. Before ending the speech, he also declared, ‘This struggle is for emancipation! This struggle is for independence.’

In her third book 1971, winner of the 2017 KLF German Peace Prize Anam Zakaria takes a closer look at the conflicting narratives on the war of 1971 through the oral histories of various Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and Indians.

 

A Tale of Courage: Reasons You Need to Read ‘The Golden Eagle’ Now!

Posted on by Penguin India

This is a story that needs to be told.

A long time ago, there was a buzz in the bird-world. Fearful eyes scanned the horizon for messengers of woe. Birds huddled as they spoke in hushed tones, of trouble brewing in bird-land. Away from the Flamingo Lake, the skies above Stork-pur- a mysterious bird commune- had darkened as wings of evil flapped and fluttered, drowning out the misery of imprisoned birds. Stork-pur was ruled by a villainous iron-winged stork who dreamt of absolute power over all birds on earth.

What went on in Stork-pur had never happened before!

Chosen for a secret mission they felt ready to take on, scout doves Lovey and Dovey commit a mistake that plunges them in deep danger. Their feather-raising adventure ends finally in ‘the story of all stories’!

Do you want to know what makes The Golden Eagle a story to read and remember? Find out below!

This story is powerful

Stories have the power to take you on a journey where you learn character building lessons! Shikar, the amiable white-haired squirrel, tells the doves Lovey and Dovey about all that stories can do-

‘Longtail says that we learn from stories,’ went on Shikar. ‘They teach us right from wrong. They give us a sense of wonder, of awe. Stories make us laugh. They make us weep. Sometimes they turn our hearts cold and fill them with dread. But mostly they fill us with warmth and happiness.’

~

This story sets an example

Despite the pain of injury and the threat of death, Kabul-the courageous bulbul- chooses honour over life. Kabul’s refusal to bow down to the enemy for personal gain sets an example of bravery-

‘She knows perfectly well that she will die. But she spoke of an honour code that she lives by. I tried to persuade her, but her mind is as unbending as a tree. She would rather die, she says. Execution is acceptable. Breaking the honour code isn’t.’

~

This story puts freedom above all else

Times may change but the laws that govern nature must never be forgotten. The doves Lovey and Dovey are aghast at the master bird’s complete disregard for their right to freedom.

‘How can that be? How can your commune make such rules? Birds have absolute freedom to fly. That is the most basic of all bird laws. These worker birds are being held here against their will. They aren’t free. They are slave birds instead.’

~

This story teaches us to be responsible

Our failure to act responsibly at crucial moments can set off a chain reaction that can upset the balance of things and take us away from our end goal. The doves learn this lesson and manage to live through the consequences of their actions but the guilt weighs them down-

‘Our guilt weighed upon us. Kabul had instructed us to fly to the skyhole. We had disobeyed her and followed her here instead. We had let her down. Her execution—if it came to that—would be the result of our failure to obey her.’

~

This story is about dignity

The age old battle between good and evil teaches us that good must fight for its place in this world. The doves see Stork-pur trampling over the dignity of birds and assertively remind the captive green pigeon Teen to not celebrate trivial advantages when faced with the larger evil of slavery-

‘It’s not about working your feathers to the bone,’ said Dovey. ‘It’s about being forced to work. That is evil. It doesn’t matter how good or bad your job is.’

‘Being forced to work is slavery,’ I said. ‘There’s nothing to celebrate in that.’

In his fourth book in the Feather Tales series, Deepak Dalal creates an action-packed tale which leaves you inspired with the courage and empathy shown by the birds when they find themselves entangled in a web of lies and injustice.

To know how unity becomes strength and bravery begets triumph, read The Golden Eagle with your children!

A Squirrel Unlike Any: Meet Shikar from The Golden Eagle

Posted on by Penguin India

Perched atop a Jacaranda tree in an unusually quiet Rose Garden, two doves gaze adoringly at a squirrel as he swishes his tail and settles in with them for a night of stories from a long buried past. The brown squirrel, whose odd white head shines silver in the star-lit night, has questions that no one has answered. But tonight, he seeks his piece of history from his friends.

But wait, that can’t be! How can birds be friends with squirrels?

When the squirrel is as enchanting as Shikar and the birds as compassionate as the doves, a lot can happen! This white-headed squirrel from The Golden Eagle is deeply loved by Kabul, his bird-mother and Lovey and Dovey, his dove-aunty and dove-uncle.

Do you know what makes Shikar the most unusual squirrel? Read on to find out:

Shikar can melt hearts at first sight

The usually rational and level-headed skybird, Kabul, experiences a flutter in her heart when she sets eyes on infant Shikar:

‘The baby’s head was white. The squirrel was tiny, smaller than even a sunbird. Kabul sat there spellbound. Chorus went on singing. By the time Chorus ran out of breath, Kabul was convinced that the squirrel was the most adorable creature she had ever seen.’

~

Shikar is a squirrel among birds

Raised as one of their own, Shikar feels loved and protected by the birds but in his heart he knows his being among birds is out of the ordinary:

‘Shikar was aware that he was special. After all, he was the only squirrel in the whole wide world who could speak the bird language.’

~

Shikar yearns for adventure

Being a squirrel, Shikar feels left out of the excitement that birds enjoy when they take flight to faraway places:

‘I don’t have wings. I can’t fly to distant lands. I don’t have great stories to tell. It’s birds who lead exciting lives, flying everywhere and having adventures.’

~

Shikar is the outsider with a mysterious past

Dumbfounded at what he thinks are nasty rumours, Shikar struggles to cope with the rejection that causes him so much pain-

‘I’m the bird-squirrel, the ghastly creature that young squirrels are taught to fear. Squirrel mothers make up stories about me. I’m the pale-faced demon who will kidnap them if they don’t behave. There’s this one story so popular that every squirrel in the Gardens knows it. It’s about how I can summon eagles whenever I want. Eagles bigger than anyone has ever seen. Evil, golden ones.’

~

Shikar is spunky

The vulnerable baby squirrel has to become a brave little fighter when left alone to defend himself in an unfair battle with a gang of mean adult squirrels –

‘We couldn’t help marvelling at the little squirrel’s bravery. We watched him scamper up the tree and wage battle with the big squirrels once more. It was an unequal tussle and it wasn’t long before the squirrel fell again. Undaunted, the baby clambered back up.’

~

Shikar is unique

Sensing Shikar’s unhappiness at Kabul’s refusal to talk about the past, the doves decide to lay bare all that was withheld from the little squirrel-

‘The squirrels should have looked after you, but they rejected you, pushing you away every time you went to them. Their attitude was not entirely unexpected—same as the behaviour of the squirrels of the Rose Garden. Your head is white, Shikar. Squirrel heads are brown. They turned you away because you are different.’

Listening to the story of how it all came to be, Shikar realises he is a lucky little squirrel. In a world where danger lurks in every corner, he has friends who look out for him. His little head buzzing with stories of adventures the doves spoke of, Shikar can hardly believe all that had happened at Stork-pur and Flamingo Lake!

Romance, Revolution, and Reclamation: Chandni Chowk through Chhotu’s Eyes

Posted on by Penguin India

The year is 1947. Alongside the impending departure of the British, Partition also looms large. It is here that we meet Chhotu, a student-cum-cook specializing in paranthas in the famed gullies of Chandni Chowk. The area is a crucial setting for our hero’s coming-of-age story.

A visually engaging graphic novel by Varud Gupta and Ayushi Rastogi, Chhotu invites you to explore the lanes of Chandni Chowk like never before.

We give you a glimpse of your favourite gully in Delhi through Chhotu’s eyes.

 

Welcome to ‘‘Bapu’s Paranthas’! 

Tucked within the famous ‘gali paranthe wali’ of 1947, Bapu’s Paranthas (since 1938) has the most famous aloo ka paranthas, thanks to Chhotu’s culinary talent.

As Bapu puts it: ‘There’s nothing like a parantha to soothe your soul.’

Step into the Back Lanes for Extra Aloo

In a strange turn of events one day, all of Chandni Chowk runs out of potatoes; neither the local vendors nor any of the wholesale sellers seem to have any. Chhotu then finds his way into the back lanes, where Chumpak and Chameli are the only people who have aloo and have set up a gol gappa stall running a special offer with extra helping of potatoes.

The reader realizes soon that the two have something shady going on with the aloos, which Chhotu gets a sniff of.

Chhotu’s Favourite Place 

Our hero is smitten by the new girl in his class, Heer. As he (finally) works up the nerve to strike a conversation with her – by impressing her with his aloo paranthas, of course – he begins showing her around Chandni Chowk.

Chhotu eventually takes her to his favourite spot in Chandni Chowk – the cinema!

As it often does, the cinema becomes a spot for budding romance and conversation between Chhotu and Heer. As Lionel and Hathi plays on the screen, the two talk about their feelings, anxieties, and deepest fears – becoming closer in the process.

No Longer Home: ‘Chandni Chowk isn’t the place it used to be’ 

As India finally wakes up to its freedom (and Partition), Chhotu and his friends reflect on how things are and will be changing in their country.

Chandni Chowk is home for Chhotu, his best friend Pandey, and Heer. Their anxieties reflect a larger de-stability of the country during the time of the Partition.

Site of Revolution: The Teetar Gang of Chandni Chowk 

When Chhotu is thrown into jail on false charges of theft of potatoes, he befriends his cellmate Bandhu. Bandhu. Bandhu is part of a revolutionary gang called the Teetar Gang, who express dissent over the cost of freedom and fight against the communal divides taking over newly-independent India in the wake of Partition.

Hidden behind door number 1992, Kinari Bazaar in Chandni Chowk, the Chhotu joins the gang in an effort to make his home safe again.

‘No matter how hard it seems, you have to stand back up, we have to keep trying, not for yourself, but for others, for chandni chowk, and for India’, his best friend Pandey tells him.

In Chhotu, Chandni Chowk becomes a site of all the sentiments that defined the Partition period; loss of home, revolution, dissent, and reclamation.

On the Run: 10 Interesting Things about Pablo Escobar from ‘Mrs. Escobar’

Posted on by Penguin India

The story of Pablo Escobar, one of the wealthiest, most powerful and violent criminals of all time, has fascinated the world. Yet the one person closest to him has never spoken out – until now. Maria Victoria Henao met Pablo when she was 13, eloped with him at 15, and despite his numerous infidelities and violence, stayed by his side for the following 16 years until his death. At the same time, she urged him to make peace with his enemies and managed to negotiate her and her children’s freedom after Pablo’s demise.

Moulded by Pablo Escobar to be his obedient wife and a loving mother to his children, Victoria Eugenia Henao is often seen as a continuation of her husband’s evil. In Mrs. Escobar, she leads us into her world and reveals the real man behind the notorious drug lord’s legend.

Born to Dona Hermilda Gaviria, a school teacher, and Abel, a farmer, Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was the youngest of seven children. In contrast to his humble beginnings, Pablo Escobar’s aspirations became evident early in life when in 1974, he was arrested for driving a stolen Renault 4.

*

Pablo’s involvement in trafficking narcotics first came to light when he was arrested in 1976 for possession of 26 kilos of coca-paste.

*

The decade after 1978 marked Escobar’s meteoric economic rise. The young man once arrested for driving a stolen car now had the financial power to venture into the world of automobile racing. Pablo Escobar participated in the Renault Cup series of 1979 and 1980.

*

Pablo Escobar’s estate Hacienda Napoles, was named in honour of American gangster Al Capone, whose parents had been from Naples. Pablo admired Capone and was often seen reading books or articles about him.

*

The most fascinating part of Pablo Escobar’s estate was the zoo which was a testimony of his love for the beauty of exotic animals. Pablo spent US $ 2 million in cash to buy giraffes, kangaroos and elephants ,among other animals, for the zoo in Napoles which he opened for families to visit without any fee so they could enjoy the spectacle of nature in the heart of Colombia.

*

Escobar gained popularity with his social programmes designed to improve lives of the poverty stricken in impoverished areas of Medellin, Envigado and other towns of Aburra valley. He encouraged sports by building dozens of football fields, led tree planting drives and mingled with people as one of their own.

*

In April 1983, a national media outlet labelled a delighted Pablo ‘An Antioquian Robin Hood’ for his work such as his project Medellin without Slums- which offered homes to families living in impoverished areas.

*

During his short-lived political career which began in 1982, Pablo Escobar, as a representative with parliamentary immunity, waged a war against the extradition of Colombian citizens to the United States.

*

His political aspirations were squashed in October 1983, when the House of Representatives, by majority vote, lifted Pablo Escobar’s parliamentary immunity on suspicions of his involvement in drug trafficking and other crimes.

*

The unrelenting hunt for Pablo Escobar, the once indomitable head of the Medellin Cartel, came to an end on 2 December 1993 when he was killed on the roof of his hiding place in Medellin.

In stark contrast to his formidable image as a drug lord, Mrs. Escobar creates a portrait of a man who shares moments of raw emotion with his loved ones even as he fights to bolster his crumbling empire of crime.

How to be Ordinary- A Handbook for the Savvy Survivor

Posted on by Penguin India

Are you the shallow, insular self contained wallflower that Naomi Dutta waxes eloquent about in her book, of how-to’s and whatnot, How to be a Likeable Bigot? Jokes aside, Dutta’s book very smoothly sails through a myriad of scenarios that should either have you in splits or, leave you feeling offended.

Either way, if you’re on a quest to achieve the ordinary, blend in and be largely forgettable, you may find the following excerpts almost relatable!

 

 

  • Put it on email

 

 

Please note that this is the only time you will show initiative, but for a larger cause: initiative to bring about inertia. It isn’t rocket science, but it could be physics. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. By proactively setting off an email chain, you are bringing about inactivity. It looks like a lot of activity but its marginal productivity is zero. They have a term for this in high school economics: disguised unemployment. 

 

 

  • The Art of managing WhatsApp groups at work

 

 

Send messages at unearthly hours. Make sure to send messages to the group at odd hours to appear ever alert and wakeful. The messages don’t have to be of any import, but will shame the rest of the group as they try to sleep, eat or do anything apart from Top Priority 101. 

 

 

  • You are a mass of inertia, but your career will always be on a steady ascendant

 

 

Our key objective to stay in one organization for as long as possible – stay the course, survive management changes, blend in, be seen as a company loyalist and inveigle yourself into some mid-senior managerial post. That is ideal. You are the person who throws the rule book at new employees and resists all change by saying that it is against the brand values of the company. 

 

 

  • Words that should definitely find their way into your resume:

 

 

Ideas curator/ aggregator: You have never actually had an original idea in your life but are really good at filching ideas. Which means that you have the elusive ability to detect a good idea and then pass it off as your own. You were made for senior management. Go ahead and describe yourself as an ideas curator.

 

Digital Evangelist: You can use ‘evangelist’ on its own as well, but attaching digital to anything automatically makes it sound modern and cutting-edge. An evangelist is a passionate advocate for something, so if you are the most passionate setter-up of work WhatsApp groups, you are a digital evangelist. 

 

 

  • No productive person values their lunch hour 

 

This could be potentially the biggest sacrifice this book entails. Do not tell people on social media what you eat everyday – no daily lunch hour updates. A truly productive person is one who strategically schedules meetings that eat into lunch hour or one who proposes a working lunch. If you have the time to post photos online of your lunch, you have the time to eat lunch, which can only mean that you are shirking something that could potentially alter the course of humanity – such as working on an Excel sheet with details of how many cups of coffee team members have in a day and correlating it to performance.  

 

 

  • How not to look idle on social media

 

 

Be Well- Referenced: You don’t need to be well-read. The key is to be well-referenced. Post links to articles on a wide variety of topics, preferably from international publications on things that are of little or peripheral interest to the catchment. Like Brazil going right wing or the repercussions of Brexit on Lebanese eateries in London. Do not add your agreements or disagreements with any of these posts. Merely say, ‘interesting perspective’ or ‘an off-centre take on something that has been preoccupying me for a bit’ or ‘this does raise some interesting points’. 

 

 

  • Active participation has nothing to do with the intensity of involvement

 

Treat Social Media like a spectator sport. Part of the reason why we love being on social media is because there is always a high probability of a fight going on somewhere. Divergent opinions clash, people get snarky and all of this can get the adrenaline going. But here’s the thing: you don’t need to be an active participant because: i.) that gives you visibility which we don’t want; and ii.) it is finally work, which we absolutely don’t want. 

 

 

  • Instagram is a great platform to give you the fame of non-achievement

 

 

Photograph everything. Invest in a good camera phone and shoot everything. If you are a woman, most of your followers will be quite happy if you post a ‘Good Morning’ selfie everyday. But don’t do this as a vanity exercise. Be sure to write a few words of inspiration…

You don’t have to be penning your own motivational quotes. Luckily for us, Rumi, Gibran and many other great writers, have left us a handy bank of quotes that can be used for anything. 

We both know that this has the potential to become long winded but we’d love for you to check out the outrageously witty satire How To Be A Likeable Bigot by Naomi Dutta and tell us what you thought of it!

 

On Building a Secular Democracy: Excerpt from ‘Vision for a Nation’

Posted on by Penguin India

What is the nation? What is the idea of India? And whose India is it?

These are highly relevant and pressing questions for our country today. The first in a fourteen-volume series titled Rethinking India, Vision for a Nation: Paths and Perspectives, edited by Aakash Singh Rathore and Ashish Nandy, aims  to champion a plural, inclusive and prosperous India that is committed to unity and individual dignity.

Here is an insightful excerpt from ‘Secularism: Central to a Democratic Nation’, contributed by Neera Chandhoke, a former professor of Political Science at the University of Delhi:

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The results of the 2019 general elections in India confirmed the lurking fear that has hovered like a dark cloud over our political horizon since 2014. India is a multireligious country, but we now see the consolidation of the Hindu vote across caste and across class. This consolidation has brought the religious right back into power with an improved majority. Election rhetoric had ridiculed political leaders who stood from minority-dominated constituencies; appealed to a narrow, religion-based nationalism; evoked fear that Pakistan threatened the body politic; and raised aloft the banner of national security over other concerns. None of the planks that garnered rich dividends had anything to do with what are often called ‘real facts’, but fiery rhetoric won over mundane issues of a declining economy and increasing unemployment. A victorious prime minister told his national constituency: ‘Secularism was a tax that used to be paid till today. Fake secularism and its leaders who were calling for the secular forces to unite have been exposed.’ Exposed, one may ask, as what? As Indians committed to the dignity of all and discrimination against none? Or as citizens who want passionately to defend the plural character of Indian society?

The prime minister is not politically naive; he surely knows that political commitments that run against ruling ideologies do not fade into the twilight with the coming into power of a new government. These commitments might not be palatable to the new ruling class, but they continue to inhabit democratic imaginations, continue to act as signposts to a road that leads to a good life for all, and continue to act as a watchdog of ruling dispensations. Criticism of the government and its policies lies at the heart of democratic society, at the heart of the political project to hold elected power elites accountable for their acts of omission and commission.

In any case, democracy is not reducible to election results. Elections are one—albeit significant and decisive—moment of democracy. Democracy establishes and maintains a conversation between the citizens and their representatives. Elections decide who these representatives will be. The process of holding these representatives accountable does not cease with the results of an election. It holds good, no matter who holds power, or with what majority. For that reason, it is democracy, not just elections, of which we should speak, and it is the democratic spirit which we should, and will, uphold.

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Vision for a Nation provides a positive counter-narrative to reclaim the centrality of a progressive, deeply plural and forward-looking India.

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