Following are edited excerpts of an interview with Mr. Rashid, author of “Pakistan on the Brink.”

In your book, you write that Pakistan is now considered the most fragile place on earth because of what might happen there politically and what it can foster elsewhere. You say it’s not yet a failed state but if it continues the way it’s doing right now… it’s sliding down the path of becoming one quickly. Why is Pakistan unraveling so rapidly now… more so than any other point in its history?

I think there is an internal crisis that has really not been addressed and this is the failure of the Pakistani elite, both civil and military, to cope with the end of the Cold War and the consequences of that. The end of the Cold War presented a lot of benefits to many countries but it passed Pakistan by completely. The whole era of economic reforms, globalization, high-tech, new industries, regional trade and peace attempts, it just totally bypassed Pakistan. So we are suffering from a 20-year lag, basically, of a failure to address the problems and the advantages and the benefits that the end of the Cold War produced.

Is this because Pakistan has been so focused on India?

I think the main problem has been internal. It’s been a failure of the elite to want to change its monopoly on power, on income, on the lack of taxation, on the lack of responsibility the elite has for development and the people. If you look at all the major indices, they have all gone down… whether it’s education or health.

Since 2004… India has not been such a major issue. Certainly, the budgetary focus, the defense spending is aimed at India, and if there is a foreign-policy dilemma in Afghanistan, it’s partly India-driven. But I will say it’s an internal crisis shown by a lack of vision by our politicians and generals who have not been able to wake up to reality.

If there has been a failure on the part of the elite, then what about regular people? Is there a possibility of something like an Arab Spring in Pakistan, where young Pakistanis take to the streets and demand accountability from the government?

The fear in Pakistan is on the contrary. That if there was a mass movement like that, it would probably very quickly fall into the hands of the Islamic parties and the extremists. We should remember that in the Arab world, Islamic parties were crushed and driven underground for 30-40 years and they were partly responsible for the Arab Spring, in that for the first time, they saw the freedoms and reacted in a very modern way. They are talking about democracy and women’s rights and education and industry.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s religious parties are not talking about any of these issues. They are not talking about issues that really concern people and, if there was an Arab Spring, they are the most organized force. Civil society is certainly there in Pakistan and has a powerful voice, I would say, through the media, through the NGOs and human rights groups, but they are not organized.

Read the rest of my Q&A for The Wall Street Journal here. 

Currently the co-host of cooking program MasterChef India 2, Mr. Khanna spoke to India Real Time about returning to his roots, the evolving food landscape in India, and why Indians can never drift away from “Mummy Ka Khana” (Mom’s dishes.)

Edited excerpts:

At last count, there were more than 250 cooking shows on Indian TV. You yourself are co-hosting MasterChef India 2. What do you make of our sudden interest in cooking shows?

As Indians, we are deeply passionate about our cuisine. Now, when we have a stage to express that passion, there is an immense excitement about the different types of food we can showcase. It’s like giving an instrument to a child who has been listening to music for several years. It’s in his subconscious, but now he can express it.

What are the key ingredients to a successful cooking show? In India, do you get a sense that as we cook less in our own kitchens, we consume more culinary shows?

A cooking show can’t just be about lectures and recipes. It has to be entertaining. As a culture, just like America, we love entertainment. The show must also have emotion – something we can connect to as regular people. It should also be about inspiration and should have a factor of relatability: Viewers should be able to relate to the food, the contestants and the judges.

I don’t agree that we are cooking less. Those people are in a minority. There are still people who cook three meals a day and these are the people to whom shows can be tailored to. People will watch shows they can relate to. My mother might say, “Oh this chef is cooking simple food, I like it,” while you might say “Oh, this chef is really entertaining. I am going to watch him.” There is a need for a lot of different types of shows and everyone will find a show to their liking.

Read the rest of my piece for The Wall Street Journal here. 

A few weeks ago, I witnessed the unfortunate collapse of my weakly-structured exercise regime. A bout of laziness steered me away from the gym. Too many “cat poses” and “downward dog” postures saw me crawl away on all fours from my power yoga class and some pointing and laughing at my dancing abilities at my salsa lessons saw me slink away in shame. 

I was back to square one: shuffling around the house in track pants, noisily eating cereal out of a box. I needed a new exercise routine. Then came “Kalaripayattu,” an ancient South Indian martial arts form that not only trains you in unarmed combat, but also teaches you how to handle daggers as well as herbal medicines.

Kalari, how Kalaripayattu is also known, burns calories and whips you back into shape – all while training you to become a warrior.

Read the rest of my piece for The Wall Street Journal here.

Almost three months after moving to India’s IT hub, I had barely ventured out of my apartment.

Shifting to the city from Mumbai, where I had navigated short distances by puttering about in an auto-rickshaw and traversed larger areas by hopping on a local train, my mobility was ruthlessly curbed.

If you wanted to go anywhere in Bangalore, you either used your own car, begged a friend for a ride or took a deep breath and prepared to take on foul-mouthed and greedy auto-rickshaw drivers who thought nothing of cheating you and then lecturing you on the immorality of refusing to pay an extra 20 rupees above the meter fare.

You could rarely ever “get going” in Bangalore. The norm was endless waits at traffic junctions, cheek-to-jowl with the hundreds of other two wheelers, cars, autos and buses that were trying, just like you, to get somewhere in a timeframe that didn’t resemble an inter-galactic space journey.

Read the rest of my piece for The Wall Street Journal here. 

Higher fuel prices and a poor electoral performance in key states have saddled the Congress-led UPA government with a political tinderbox at home, while it also is being asked to pick sides between old friends Iran and Israel.

New Delhi is walking a tightrope.

Trita Parsi, the founder and president of the Washington-based National Iranian Council, assesses India’s diplomatic performance so far and offers a view of how the U.S. can defuse the tension over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Mr. Parsi is the author of “A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama’s Diplomacy With Iran.”

Edited excerpts:

India imports 80% of its petroleum needs and buys $12 billion of Iranian oil annually. How damaging to oil prices is Iran’s saber-rattling?
The U.S. has been trying to get sanctions on Iran and what the Iranians want to do in response is hurt the West. And one of the ways to do that is through saber-rattling that gets oil prices to shoot up. The Iranian government benefits because it’s an oil producer and exporter and the Western countries take a big hit because they are consumers. Obama takes a particularly big hit because higher petrol prices mean higher gas prices. And higher gas prices mean it’s going to be more difficult to create jobs in the United States.

Can OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia make up for the shortfall in Iranian oil production?
I’m not an expert on Saudi oil and their capacity to produce but what is clear is that whatever their capacity is, the markets don’t seem to be convinced and petrol prices are shooting up.

Despite the Iran-Israel standoff, India is pressing ahead with its economic agenda with Tehran. We’re looking at refurbishing the Chabahar port in Iran and we also managed to find a way around the West’s oil sanctions by making oil payments in rupees. How are these moves being perceived in Washington — who India has great relations with — and in Israel, from whom India buys its arms?
Both Israel and the United States are annoyed that throughout this period, India has managed to keep a neutral position and have good relations with all sides. At the same time India is such an important country that it has become difficult for the United States to increase its pressure on India too much. Obviously there will be some increased pressure but the question is how far the West can go on this issue. I’ve heard that the U.S. will now tell India that they view the relationship with Iran as “offensive” which is a step higher than how it has been viewed in the past.

And how might that impact U.S.-India relations?
The question is how far the U.S. is willing to take this and it seems unlikely that the U.S. is willing to risk a conflict with India over this issue. At the same time how far is India willing to take this? Is India willing to forgo the Iranian market and Iranian energy in order to retain its position with the West? I feel the Indian government’s calculation is that it feels it is completely unfair for the West, and the U.S. in particular, to put India in a position where it has to choose one friend over another. And some of India’s resistance is that it simply refuses to yield into such a pressure that perhaps smaller countries can succumb to, but for a rising power like India, it would be a bit embarrassing.

This piece first appeared in The Wall Street Journal’s India Real Time Blog. 

(Pic Courtesy: Outlook India)

Oh snoopers of the world UNITE! I was always told that if you snoop around–you would never find anything nice. It’s a great thought, but that hasn’t stopped me from being sneaky–snooping around without a care in the world, facebook stalking, email checking, and being alarmingly insouciant about the things that I find.

While I snoop for pleasure, a recent article in Indian magazine Outlook had an (unintentionally) hilarious piece about more and more Indians employing private detectives to snoop on potential partners. It’s like “Mumbai PI ” minus the moustaches! By now, the whole world and its aunt knows about our ancient tradition of arranged marriages, where eligible girls are sent on blind dates by their parents with suitable boys.  The couple, usually, bond over a cup of coffee and traipse back to their folks to report on the date. If they like each other, they eventually end up getting married. So far, millions of couples have married into this system–often with great success and enduring love and respect for each other.

But now, because we are a shabby generation–spending time endlessly on the internet or wasting away in a movie hall watching Bollywood movies, our standards have changed. For a lot of youngsters opting for the arranged marriage route (not everyone in India has an arranged marriage, it’s perfectly normal to marry your boyfriend or girlfriend), their expectations of a partner have changed. When, once upon a time, it was more than enough to hope for a guy with a decent family and job, these days  the criteria has been expanded to include what brands a person wears, where he/she lives and who they hang out with–things that a person would normally find out if they went out on a couple of dates with the potential partner. But, because the norms of arranged marriages don’t really allow for that–Outlook reports that families are employing private detectives to conduct background checks.

• Phone records, pay slips, credit history and medical records are dug out
• Household help, dhobhi, kirana store owners are discreetly quizzed for ‘character verification’
• Relatives, family members, friends may be questioned undercover to confirm family background
• Spycams are used in extreme cases, and if the client demands hard evidence
• Most frequently, clients want to know the prospective groom/ bride’s job profile, financial status, family reputation, lifestyle habits, sexual preferences, medical history, previous marriages if any, whether they’re having an affair

For a fee of Rs. 15,000-25,000 ( from $350 to less than $500), you can get your own PI. According to Outlook, the PI will snoop and report back on anything that is burning in the client’s mind. Is he in a relationship with another woman? Or worse, a man? Is he impotent? Does he live well enough for my needs? Is he only after me for my Canadian citizenship? Will she be able to adjust to our ‘lifestyle and culture’? Does she drink? Has she lost her virginity? Does the family have a history of dowry harassment?

Fair enough. After all, it is a leap of faith to randomnly marry someone you’ve just met. While, I am sure that the PIs ( the “snoopers”)  do a great job on getting the stats on the number of friends the potential partner ( who shall, henceforth, be referred to as the “Snoopee”)  has and the status of the family, I wonder how one really finds out if the snoopee is impotent or is a virgin! Hmmm. Maybe the Snooper sleeps with the Snoopee. And then, presents the evidence.

Oh, thousand-year-old tradition–how you have been besmirched!

I just moved to Mumbai and as you can all imagine what that might be like. Exciting, exhausting and completely chaotic. But I promise to have more updates…including posts about life in Mumbai plus a few book reviews.

What struck me most upon my return is the increase in the number of Indian authors. There are whole shelf-fulls of young, upcoming Indian authors and I would love to read a few of them. I can’t say I am going to read a lot of the chick-lit that is out there, but I will try my best to get a sense of who is writing what and WHY!

But here are some initial impressions on coming back to the motherland after a brief stint in the States.

Having been in New York during the big financial bust of 2007-08, it’s quite  a change to see the news coming out of India. While  newspapers, blogs and news programs in the States still continue with news of gloom and doom–the story here is entirely different. The growth story continues unbounded–the GDP numbers came out the other day–the economy is growing at a rate of 7.2 percent, auto makers are churning out new cars, bikes for a hungry domestic market and Karnataka has just hosted a global investor’s meet to attract more cash into the State.

While business looks buoyant, it’s politics as usual in the country. Nothing has changed–same old, same old and I hate to say it angers me to see clods like Trinamool Congress’ Mamata Banerjee as the Railway Minister.

Violence in India also continues unabated. While it was terrorism two years ago, this time internal Maoist-fuelled attacks are on the rise.  Within the last three weeks, I have read reports of buses with civilians being bombed, trains derailed and attacks on security forces being carried out by the naxalites who have a beef with the government over the taking over of farm land for development (Think Avatar and the Na’avi). Hundreds have died. The Government has just announced that it is considering the possibility of deploying the Army to deal with the Maoists. Booker Prize-winning author and activist Arundhati Roy said she sides with the Naxalites, but thinks that we need to rethink development outside the purview of just Communism or Capitalism.

It’s still hot, sweaty, and dusty in Mumbai. We are all still waiting for the monsoons.  I am not looking forward to it.  Neither the heat nor the rains will make the squalor in this city bearable. The slums are everywhere; there is no end to the poverty in sight.

There’s a lot going on in India. You’ll hear about it–a LOT.

Nanda Devi looking west from Chandrashila (Pic: Bibek Bhattacharya)

Trying to find good trekking and topographical maps in India is somewhat like the proverbial head meeting the proverbial wall. My year of looking for the perfect set of maps- primarily of the Indian Himalayas, but also of other places- has yielded rather interesting results.

I love travelogues, especially those dealing with mountains, specifically the Himalayas. Now, due to the range’s monumental hold on generations of visitors, there’s no short supply of great books or essays on this subject. But for an obsessive like me, what’s the fun in reading about these grand places without a good map to locate them on?

The most commonly available maps of the Indian provinces of  Uttarakhand and Himachal are the Nest and Wings maps, which are a combination of various sources, including the Survey of India trekking and topographical maps, and others. Now, these are generally quite good, with towns, cities, villages, passes, roads, lakes, trails etc mentioned in impressive detail. For the longest time, they were enough for my needs.

A section of the Nest & Wings map of Uttarakhand

But with a deepening interest came the urge to collect better maps, which would chart out valley systems, topographical features, ridge lines, peaks and approaches better. Now, this isn’t an unfair thing to expect. Look up any mountainous region in the world where travelers are wont to venture, and you’ll find some excellent trekking maps- not the meagre ones that our government issues, but more on that later.

My search began in earnest last summer, after a visit to Tunganath and Chandrashila in the high Garhwal Himalaya, a place with views that make you want to sink to your knees and weep with rapture. Faced with the dramatic panorama of the Himalayan crest on the northern horizon, and the lower hills and then the plains far away, I was burning to lend nomenclature to all that I was seeing. Thanks to Nest and Wings, I had a general idea of the regions I was looking at- e.g. I could trace roughly the line from Bedni bugiyal via the high distant ridge of Kuari Pass in the west and below it, the deep cleft of the Alaknanda gorge.

Nanda Devi looking west from Chandrashila (Pic: Bibek Bhattacharya)

Where mid-day clouds covered the horizon, I expected the western arm of the Great Himalaya, containing the likes of Trishul, Nanda Devi, Dunagiri, Hathi Parbat, Ghori Parbat and Kamet, to name a few.

In front of me, just beyond the end of the ridge running north from where I was, the cairn strewn summit of Chandrashila, loomed Chaukhamba. It is also known as Badrinath, after the Dham, and these four pillars of snow, ice and granite held sway over the imagination of Garhwal.

On its northern face it formed a cirque of peaks at whose feet arose the Gangotri glacier. Further north west ran the line of the southern faces of a host of well known peaks that cluster around the Gangotri Glacier.

An overhead screenshot of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand province

It was impossible, however, to be sure of the names of the peaks- apart from those of Kedarnath and Chaukhamba- at least for me. Having recently discovered Google Earth, however, I was hopeful of finding out the names.

Google Earth was quite brilliant, visualizing the peaks for me, but they weren’t named, at least the vast majority weren’t. In this case, Nest and Wings was useless (To be continued…)

Bibek Bhattacharya is an avid traveler and writer. He is currently the Editor of Business Today’s lifestyle magazine -MORE.  Bibek blogs at bibekbhattacharya.blogspot.com

Inflammatory words, but Ojile’s selling outside the Met, not a Mets game. She and co-owner Derek Hunt are banking on a steady stream of sophisticated visitors to make up their rent, the highest of any mobile vendor in the city (just under $110,000, with the price increasing 10% per year). At just $3 per cupcake and $5 per milkshake, Ojile and Hunt have their work cut out for them. That’s why they’re banking on their products to sell themselves.

For cupcakes, there’s Tropicalia, a Tahitian vanilla cupcake with pineapple mousse and salted caramel frosting. There’s the Rich Guy, a mandarin orange cupcake with fig mousse and candied walnut cream cheese frosting. Then there’s the London Lilly, Earl Grey spiced teacakes with sarsaparilla mousse and tangerine butter crème, among other offerings.

Cake and Shake's Derek Hunt and Gina Ojile Test-Baking Their Goodies at LIC. (Pic: Cakeandshakeny.com)

You can also try the milkshakes, where Chef Hunt’s passion for frozen drinks is called into play. His creations include real-fruit offerings like mango and raspberry, as well as ingredients like salted caramel, Arabica espresso and Valrhona chocolate. And if you don’t have a sweet tooth, you can also sample their savory fare, lunch cakes with delicious fillings like ham, chicken and turkey.

Hunt and Ojile also run Culinary Engineers, a consultancy that helps restaurants streamline their business and develop their products and menus. The couple’s combined expertise with business and baking spurred them explore the idea of mobile cupcakes. “I love to bake,” Ojile gushes. “Some people run, I bake. I call it ‘bake therapy.’ So, it’s a natural progression for me to be in baked goods,” she laughs.

Hunt and Ojile designed a menu that would not just be unique but also green-friendly, with all-organic ingredients. “We care enough to buy products that are safer than any other products that are out there,” Ojile says. She added that not only are organic flour, milk and eggs standard ingredients in their creations, you can also be sure the packaging is biodegradable and compostable. And their products will all be housed in two solar-powered carts, one outside the Met and the other hawking its goods at Washington Square Park.

Menu decided, locations picked, biodegradable products procured, the couple is now test-baking their goodies at the Artisan Baking Center, a shared commercial baking space in Long Island City. “I am a big fan of Warm Glow,” Ojile says, referring to the spice cake with carrot pastry cream, golden raisin and coconut cream cheese frosting and candied walnuts. “And last week it was a toss-up between Rich Guy and Whatchamacalit (milk chocolate cake with nougat frosting)…I really don’t know how many calories are in that,” she laughs.

This piece first appeared in Edible Queens.

Image: Wikimedia

At a packed community council meeting on Tuesday, deputy inspector Paul Vorbeck of the 114th Precinct and his colleagues briefed the community on steps taken to curb the growth of crime in the area. Revealing the year-to-date crime figures, Vorbeck stated that overall crime in the area was down less than one percent, while rape was down 30 percent. Grand larceny had dipped 17 percent, but he noted that there was an increase in burglaries — which had spiked to 32 percent.

Vorbeck told residents not to be alarmed by the statistic and reassured them that having more police on the Astoria beat would help curb the rise in burglaries. He also cautioned residents to be aware of their surroundings, not to leave their rear entrances unlocked, and to report any suspicious activities in their area.

Citing success capturing suspects in connection with recent incidents, Vorbeck reported that Jesus Fernandez, a 23-year-old suspect who attacked an 81-year-old grand father on 47th Street and Broadway to steal his car, was apprehended by the police. Fernandez, allegedly robbed Mayer Behmoiras just outside the door of the fifth-floor apartment, viciously beating the man and fracturing his skull. Behmoiras was admitted to the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center at Mount Sinai Hospital and was reportedly unable to walk.

In another case, a livery cab driver was murdered by two other men in Long Island City. Suspects Gregory Johnson, 32, and Auther Latten, 22, were charged with murder. “They thought they could just get away with the crime,” Vorbeck said.

For residents in Norwood Gardens, who saw a rash of car break-ins and stolen GPSs, there was some good news too, as the man suspected of stealing the instruments had also been nabbed. Gary Yergarian, 29, was charged with a felony and several misdemeanors for stealing GPS units from two vehicles.

The police, however, are still seeking the public’s assistance in finding two suspects wanted for robbing a Dunkin Donuts located at 33-26, 21st St. on April 22. Both suspects entered the store in sweatshirts, armed with a handgun and demanded money. Vorbeck said anyone with any tips should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477) or text 27437 (CRIMES) followed by TIP577. All calls are confidential.

For residents around 30th Avenue who have been complaining about the increase in noise and fights in the bars around the area, Vorbeck said their concerns regarding deteriorating quality of life will be addressed. He said that establishments that have been particularly troublesome will be scrutinized further as they renew their liquor licenses.“We can’t have people shooting and fighting in these bars,” he said. “We will review their licenses. We can’t have such establishments in the area.”

The deputy inspector said he had enough officers in his precinct to deal with any crime. Countering Councilman Peter Vallone Jr.’s concern that Albany’s budget cuts would hamstring the local police force, Vorbeck stated he had about 200 cops at the precinct. “Sure, I’ll take more cops if they give them,” but he pointed out that there was no statistical relation between the number of officers on the streets and the amount of crime.  “Many years ago, there were cops in the precinct, but there were more crimes too,” he said.

Police officers from the Transit Authority too, made a brief presentation on subway safety. They urged passengers to be wary of the electronics they use on the subway, “not have their heads buried deep into their phones,” and not to use their iPhones by the subway door, as they risk being snatched by someone outside. The officers also reminded passengers to be wary of other riders and keep an eye out for pick-pockets.

Several residents at the meeting said they were satisfied with the officers’ presentation, saying overall they felt safe living in Astoria. Vinne Marsanico, a resident of 47th Street said while Behmoiras’ assault “shook him up a little,” he felt the area where he lived in was “pretty quiet.” “The 114 does an outstanding job,” he said. There are cops everywhere. You can see them go up and down the street. They respond very quickly.”

That sentiment was echoed by Daniela Mastrogiacomo, a resident of 37th Street who said that while she avoided walking alone at night, Astoria was still a safe place. “Of course, these events make me concerned,” she said. “I don’t want to be on astreet by myself when something happens,” she added.

Agnes and Vincent Maniace, who have lived in Astoria for more 80 years, remarked that while their neighborhood had changed over the years, they felt comfortable in their area. “We have nice neighbors; we have known each other for years,” Agnes Maniace said. “I call and tell a friend if I am out. They keep an eye out on the house for me then.” Commenting on the reported rise in crimes, Vincent Maniace added, “No matter where you go, there will always be break-ins, always be crimes.”

This piece first appeared in Queens Chronicle