Despite a few shortcomings, Peter Heehs's book on Sri Aurobindo, which has landed him in trouble with the Pondicherry ashram as well as earned a notice to quit India, could open the eyes of many more Indians (and Westerners) on the master's vision and the true destiny of India. It would certainly be a good contribution, says Claude Arpi
When the time will come to prepare your 'balance sheet' as China's core leader, it will be counted as your personal failure, you, the party's Tibet expert, longtime Tibet watcher Claude Arpi writes to Hu Jintao
The fiery 'India Shining' and 'India Everywhere' slogans of a not-so-distant past may have been empty bluster, as the bravado has been replaced by a mood of despondency in the Indian business community.
Dr Subhash C Kashyap, former secretary-general of the Lok Sabha and a well-known expert on Parliamentary affairs, has been involved in fighting corruption for years. The former member of the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution speaks to Rediff.com's Claude Arpi about the root cause of the massive corruption permeating the Indian system and the need to find a solution.
The logical next step for a nation promoting democracy in North Africa or the Middle East would have been to invite the 'elected' leader of the Tibetan diaspora along with the Dalai Lama. But no, Washington prefers to receive the Dalai Lama and ignore Dr Lobsang Sangay, the new 'elected' Kalon Tripa. It is more convenient to receive a 'religious' leader, says Claude Arpi
This is the time when the US would need the conceptual strategic thinking of a Henry Kissinger, able to ally diplomatic skills with a well-conceived worldview of what the emergence of a new balance of forces will mean for a US whose ability to shape global events has definitely declined but still exists, says Claude Smadja.
Director Neerav Ghosh has an eye for his material and knows where to look.
'Tibetans will participate in future conflicts with India (in all probability, some were already present in Galwan).' 'As nobody in India would like to have a deadly fight with Tibetan soldiers and officers, the issue needs to be closely followed,' observes Claude Arpi.
Here are 10 photos that prove we live in an incredibly bizarre world.
Major Chewang Rinchen became the youngest recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra. He not only seized the highest post ever captured, but also liberated an area of 800 sq km from Pak occupied Kashmir, the largest area captured in the 1971 war with hardly any supplies and no artillery support. Claude Arpi salutes this brave Indian soldier.
As China marks 60 years of Tibet's 'liberation', Claude Arpi lifts the veil off the propaganda surrounding the event
The problem is that nations or states are always ready to 'share' water with others living upstream, but their perception changes when the question comes to 'sharing' with lower riparians, says Claude Arpi after attending a 3-day conference in New Delhi on conflict resolution in the faceoff over water
French Defence Minister Herve Morin explains why India and France have such an important relationship.
Dr Lobsang Sangay, who was elected Kalon Tripa (prime minister) of the Tibetan government in exile on April 26, speaks about changes to the Tibetan charter, the new role of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan administration's relations with China.
The young, extremely bright Karmapa should teach his staff proper accounting ways, advises Claude Arpi
Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who will takeover as president next year, seems to have realised that the past policy of repression can't solve the long-pending Tibetan issue, says Claude Arpi.
The Dalai Lama is not only an institution, but also a 'private' human being. Tibetans will certainly ask him to continue to guide their destiny for the years to come, believes Claude Arpi.
Anjana Sukhani looked pretty as a petal walking for Parul Bhargava at Lakme Fashion Week.
'People who understand will tell you that France is a very critical partner.' India's Ambassador to France Ranjan Mathai on French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit.
Even as Europe continues to struggle with the large influx of migrants, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker proposed a quota system that each country should adhere to for asylum seekers. ' Rediff.com presents the latest updates in the crisis.
Keshava, the 7-year-old tabla prodigy stole the show at the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony. Claude Arpi on the wonder boy with magical fingers.
Claude Arpi profiles Xi Jinping, the man destined to lead China soon.
From match-making for young Indians to choosing the Indian cricket team to rescuing nations from economic ruin, many commentators feel Paul could be very useful. Will the octopus please help?
'My thoughts come from the Nalanda Buddhist tradition and this body has lived on Indian dal, rice and chapattis during the last 51 years.' The Dalai Lama, who is 75 today, in an exclusive interview.
Very few today realise that without Brigadier John Dalvi's courage, we would never have known what really happened during those tragic days of October/November 1962, reveals Claude Arpi.
'The stage is set for increasing tensions in a highly volatile region as crucial as ever from a geopolitical standpoint,' predicts Claude Smadja.
Shishir Nagaraja, currently associated with the Information Trust Institute of the University of Illinois (US), tells rediff.com, not only about the Google episode, but also his experience with the Office of the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala and the world of hackers, in general.
There are several misconceptions and questions about the north-western district of Arunachal Pradesh. Claude Arpi tries to address some.
On October 15, 2009, Irina Bokova of Bulgaria was elected as the tenth director-general of UNESCO.During her recent visit to India, Bokova spoke to Claude Arpi about her vision and aspirations for UNESCO in a changing world.
Meet Rahul Alvares, a 30-year-old wildlife enthusiast who started his career as a snake catcher and now conducts excursions in the forests of Goa. Alvares tells Abhishek Mande of career opportunities in wildlife conservation and the limitations of formal education.
The finance ministers of the 16 European Union nations, who have euro as their common currency, finalised the details of their bail out plan for Greece at a conference, chairman of the euro group and Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Junker said in Brussels on Sunday.
As the Dalai Lama turns 75 on July 6, he speaks about the importance of the Indian tradition of Nalanda, the differences between Buddhist science, philosophy and religion and why he believes that a 'sort' of cultural genocide is happening in Tibet.
Too many egos! too many individualities! It is not only true for France, but most 'great' teams with 'great players'. Zizou believes that 'the collective spirit must be displayed by the team'. He rightly said: 'A World Cup is very short; many will never play again, forget your ego and work together for the team'.
Many in India still believe that the priority No 1 of India's foreign policy should be to make friends with China. Once again, there is nothing wrong to be China's 'friend' or even 'brother', but it should not be at the cost of India's interests or by bending backward over each whim and fancy of a single-party regime in Beijing.
The United Nations Security Council on Thursday asked the Tamil Tigers to immediately surrender, renounce terrorism and join the political process through dialogue to put an end to the decades old ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. "We demand that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam immediately lay down arms, renounce terrorism, allow a UN assisted evacuation of the remaining civilians in the conflict area, and join the political process through dialogue," UNSC stated.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino bemoaned his side's first half display as Tottenham Hotspur's poor run of form continued with a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Leicester City in the Premier League on Tuesday.
The paceman had injury problems in the recent ICC Champions Trophy in England, forcing him to miss the semi-final defeat by the hosts, and that has weighed heavily on the minds of the selectors with Test series coming up against Pakistan, India and Australia.
The spirit, which saw off Real Madrid earlier in the competition will be revived if Lyon are to fell Bayern Munich on Tuesday and book their place in a first Champions League final.
Professor Robert Thurman, senior scholar at Columbia University and one of the Dalai Lama's oldest supporters, speaks to Claude Arpi about his relations with the Tibetan spiritual leader, the present state of capitalist' China, the Buddhist wave in the West, his idea of a Second Renaissance and his work for preserving Indian shastras.
'When you say the per capita argument is catastrophic, it appears to us that we have not the same rights than others,' says Indian ambassador to France Ranjan Mathai.
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