Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs

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Today (11 may 2022) is a very important day in Indian history. To my mind, 11 may 1998,( that was 24 years ago) was as important an event in modern Indian history as 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950. If we got political freedom on 15 august 1947 and democratic republic on 26 january 1950, then 11 may 1998 was the day when India proclaimed independence from the bullying of foreign powers. It was on this day that India announced itself as a self respecting country that would no longer allow itself to be browbeaten by others.

It was on this date 24 years ago that India detonated three thermonuclear devices (Shakti I, Shakti II, Shakti III) at 3:45 PM from three different shafts in Pokharan. This test was conducted clandestinely evading the prying eyes of foreign spy agencies and their spy satellites. India had tried conducting these tests a few years ago, but USA had come to know about that through their spy satellite and USA had pressurised the then government to halt this test.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the BJP PM candidate and a self respecting nationalist leader was firm that India needed to have nuclear capability, in view of the kind of neighbourhood we were located in. When he became PM for the first time in 1996, his tenure lasted for just one week, and there was not much he could do in that tenure. The next time he was sworn in as a PM was in 1998. This tenure would last 13 months. But this time was enough for him to fulfil his promise of seeing India as a nuclear armed country.

His second tenure began on 19 march 1998. The process of nuclear tests were set on motion on top priority. Learning from the previous mistake, this time the whole exercise was conducted in such secrecy that USA, for all its high tech resources failed to get a wind of Indian nuclear tests. In a matter of less than two months, India carried out its nuclear tests on 11 may 1998. Subsequently three more tests were carried out two days later on 13 may 1998.

Soon after the tests, PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee came on national TV and made this announcement:-

Today, at 15:45 hours, India conducted three underground nuclear tests in the Pokhran range. The tests conducted today were with a fission device, a low yield device and a thermonuclear device. The measured yields are in line with expected values. Measurements have also confirmed that there was no release of radioactivity into the atmosphere. These were contained explosions like the experiment conducted in May 1974. I warmly congratulate the scientists and engineers who have carried out these successful tests.

This explosion was condemned worldwide. The nuclear have nots condemning it can be understood, but nuclear armed countries that had themselves carried out hundreds of tests themselves condemning this test was hypocrisy at its worst. These nuclear haves considered themselves above law as far as nuclear proliferation was concerned. They had forced most nations of the world into signing the highly discriminatory NPT (Nuclear non proliferation treaty) and CTBT (Comprehensive test ban treaty), after ensuring that they themselves had violated the provisions of these treaties in the past.

India refused to bow down to all that pressure and did not sign these treaties. Pakistan, ever eager to compare itself with India, did the same.

Pakistan, that was justifiably the most vociferous in condemning Indian nuclear tests, was under intense domestic pressure from the egotist and chauvinistic domestic population to match India and carry out nuclear tests. Pakistan was warned not to do that, but not matching India on this count was something Pakistan could not afford, so they too duly carried out their tests on 30 and 31 may 1998.

This test too drew worldwide condemnation from the entire world. Though Pakistan had condemned Indian nuclear tests, India did not condemn Pakistani tests, rather, Indian PM (Vajpayee) and Home Minister (Advani) secretly gave each other high fives. They were egging on Pakistan all these days -“come on, mard ke bachche ho to test karke dikhaao“. Pakistan could not restrain itself and finally succumbed to pressure. Pakistani tests that were carried out within two weeks of Indian test proved the Indian allegation that Pakistan had already acquired nuclear capability. Indian tests forced Pakistan hand and Pakistan too had to admit that they also had nuclear capability and that they were lying about it all these years.

Indian tests led to sanctions from USA and other countries. Pakistani tests led to they getting sanctioned as well. The way India responded to sanctions and the way Pakistan responded were poles apart and it was quite amusing to watch.

America had a policy called Glen Amendment that prescribed the process of sanctioning the errant nations.

The Glenn Amendment to the Arms Export Control Act of 1994 requires the president to
impose these seven sanctions:
• Suspend foreign aid (except for humanitarian assistance or food and other agricultural commodities);
• Terminate sales of any military items;
• Terminate other military assistance;
• Stop credits or guarantees to the country by US government agencies;
• Vote against credits or assistance by international financial institutions;
• Prohibit US banks from making loans to the foreign government concerned; and
• Prohibit exports of specific goods and technology [as specified in the Export Administration Act of 1979] with civilian and military nuclear applications.

As far as India was concerned, India was getting bullied and ill treated by USA for the last two decades. In effect, India was already under USA sanctions for the last many years. For instance, USA gave India a meagre $ 10 millions as aid in 1984. The figure for Pakistan was a mammoth $ 4.02 billions. Secondly, India did not buy any military equipment from USA. India did not seek any military assistance from USA. India was not looking for any loans from IMF etc that were controlled by USA. In the past India had sought Super computer for weather forecast which was denied by USA on the pretext that this supercomputer could be used for nuclear tests. India manufactured its own super computer and actually used that supercomputer for nuclear tests. India sought cryogenic engines for its space programme. Not from USA but from Russia. But USA arm twisted Russia and prevented them from giving India this technology. So India developed its own cryogenic technology and began to use that in her space programme. After that experience, India had stopped seeking any technologies from USA. In other words, USA sanctions against India was like an empty shell whose charge was already expended many years ago. India cared too hoots about USA sanctions.

It was an entirely different story with Pakistan. Pakistani public were jubilant and they took to street to celebrate their nuclear tests on 30 may 1998. After the USA sanction, Pakistan economy collapsed. The same Pakistani public took to streets once again, not in jubilation tis time, but to protest against the very same government that they were hailing a few weeks ago.

UN passed a resolution on 6 june 1998, condemning nuclear tests by India and Pakistan. This resolution number 1172 read :-

Mindful of its primary responsibility under the Charter of the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security,

1. Condemns the nuclear tests conducted by India on 11 and 13 May 1998 and by Pakistan on 28 and 30 May 1998

2. Endorses the Joint Communique issued by the Foreign Ministers of China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America at their meeting in Geneva on 4 June 1998 (S/1998/473);

3. Demands that India and Pakistan refrain from further nuclear tests and in this context calls upon all States not to carry out any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion in accordance with the provisions of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty;

4. Urges India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid threatening military movements, cross-border violations, or other provocations in order to prevent an aggravation of the situation;

5. Urges India and Pakistan to resume the dialogue between them on all outstanding issues, particularly on all matters pertaining to peace and security, in order to remove the tensions between them, and encourages them to find mutually acceptable solutions that address the root causes of those tensions, including Kashmir;

6. Welcomes the efforts of the Secretary-General to encourage India and Pakistan to enter into dialogue;

7. Calls upon India and Pakistan immediately to stop their nuclear weapon development programmes, to refrain from weaponization or from the deployment of nuclear weapons, to cease development of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons and any further production of fissile material for nuclear weapons, to confirm their policies not to export equipment, materials or technology that could contribute to weapons of mass destruction or missiles capable of delivering them and to undertake appropriate commitments in that regard;

8. Encourages all States to prevent the export of equipment, materials or technology that could in any way assist programmes in India or Pakistan for nuclear weapons or for ballistic missiles capable of delivering such weapons, and welcomes national policies adopted and declared in this respect;

9. Expresses its grave concern at the negative effect of the nuclear tests conducted by India and Pakistan on peace and stability in South Asia and beyond;

10. Reaffirms its full commitment to and the crucial importance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty as the cornerstones of the international regime on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and as essential foundations for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament;

11. Expresses its firm conviction that the international regime on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons should be maintained and consolidated and recalls that in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons India or Pakistan cannot have the status of a nuclear-weapon State;

12. Recognizes that the tests conducted by India and Pakistan constitute a serious threat to global efforts towards nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament;

13. Urges India and Pakistan, and all other States that have not yet done so, to become Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty without delay and without conditions;

14. Urges India and Pakistan to participate, in a positive spirit and on the basis of the agreed mandate, in negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, with a view to reaching early agreement;

15. Requests the Secretary-General to report urgently to the Council on the steps taken by India and Pakistan to implement the present resolution;

16. Expresses its readiness to consider further how best to ensure the implementation of the present resolution;

17. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

As one can see from the above, the UN resolution uses very patronising and condescending language. In a very humiliating tone, the resolution states that Five permanent members are above all the rules and regulations of nuclear tests and proliferations but other countries must strictly follow the dictats of the five permanent members and should remain at the mercy of the nuclear haves.

Those were the days when India was in no position to protest against such language, but today , more than two decades later, India is in a strong position to take exceptions. Ironically, Pakistan has ended up being in a more vulnerable position today than what it was in 1998.

India was yet to discard the inferiority complex and its subservient ways in dealing with the West. India did protest, but their protest to my mind sounded feeble and ineffective. Not that it matters. India were protesting the discriminatory nature of NPT , CTBT etc that the nuclear haves were forcing nuclear have nots to sign. These treaties gave nuclear haves to keep their nuclear bombs and nuclear programs going, while the other countries were strictly prohibited from doing so.

UN Expressed grave concern about the peace and stabilty in South Asia and beyond. The fact that peace and stability in South Asia and beyond was because of terror outfits being trained by Pakistan (with active support of USA) was a non issue as far as UN security council was concerned. Pakistan was pursuing nuclear programme and was indulging in black marketing of nuclear technology to countries like North Korea, Syria, Iraq etc. These facts came to public notice but neither UN nor USA acted to restrain Pakistan. Pakistan nuclear scientist A Q Khan had admitted in an interview in february 1987 that Pakistan was already a nuclear capable country. USA rules prevented USA government from giving aid to such countries. But USA very blatantly ignored this clear evidence and the USA president kept certifying that Pakistan did not have a nuclear programme and so they should be given USA aid of 4.02 billions. USA president kept giving this certificate of nuclear non proliferation to Pakistan year after year till 1998 when Pakistan made a mockery of this presidential certificate.

When USA realised that its sanctions were hurting its ally Pakistan, USA forgot all about its “concerns” about nuclear proliferations etc and they hastily removed sanctions on the two countries. The sole aim was to try and revive Pakistani economy that was in ICU.

Just six months after the sanctions were announced, however, the United States had lifted virtually all of them. The process of weakening the sanctions in place against India and Pakistan had actually begun in July 1998, when the Senate voted to exempt food exports from sanctions. On October 21, 1998, Congress passed the Brownback Amendment, which gave President Clinton the authority to waive certain economic sanctions in place against India and Pakistan and to
resume trade financing and other assistance programs for up to 12 months.

President Clinton wasted little time in using this waiver authority. On November 6, 1998, the president’s declaration, officially titled the “India-Pakistan Relief Act,” waived the prohibitions in place against the activities of the United States Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the Trade Development Agency in both India and Pakistan. Perhaps most importantly, the presidential waiver also authorized US officials to support loans
to Pakistan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Every sentence above mentions India and Pakistan both. But all this subterfuge is basically to cover up for one sentence, namely “… the presidential waiver also authorized US officials to support loans to Pakistan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Pakistan’s economy had crumbled and so USA forgot all its sanctimonious preaching on NPT and CTBT. All the resolutions and condemnations were hastily thrown into the dustbin and all sanctions were hastily removed so that Pakistan economy could be saved by urgently bailing it out by yet another IMF and world bank bailout package, among other measures.

While USA government rushed in to save Pakistan economy, USA businesses rushed in to pour money into Indian economy, trying to take advantage of the Indian market that was showing big promise and that promise actually turned into a remarkable success story, with India, then a $400 billion economy, becoming $3000 billions economy in two decades !

One year later, When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was trying to mend ways with Pakistan by going there on Bus and holding dialogues with Pakistan PM, Pakistan’s actual rulers the army, did not like this and they clandestinely acted to scuttle all this goodwill gesture undertaken by the two PMs. We know this Pakistani Army misadventure as Kargil War. When Pakistani army realised that they were losing badly, they tried to save face and tried to use their nuclear arms. Bill Clinton, who by now was realising that his country was backing a rouge state against a democratic and responsible state, got angry at Pakistan PM Nawaz Shareef and declared that Pakistan must stop its aggression and withdraw to LOC, and that USA will not ask India to give Pakistan any face saving opportunity. In any case USA did not have any leverage left with India and Clinton realised that it was time USA built bridges with India that they themselves had destroyed.

After Kargil war, Pakistan army duly usurped power and General Musharraf, who had scuttled the attempt of the two Prime Ministers to sue for peace, appointed himself President of Pakistan. This made USA government disillusioned with Pakistan. Bill Clinton then tried to build bridges with India during the remaining three years of his tenure.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, realising that Pakistan army is the real ruler in Pakistan, tried to sue for peace yet again with General Musharraf. General Musharraf responded, but it turned out that Pakistan army did not want peace with India, even if General Musharraf, head of Pakistani army wanted it. So one could see that it is Pakistan army as a whole, and not Pakistani army chief that calls the shots in Pakistan. and this Pakistan army does not want good relations with India, because they feel that good relations with India will threaten the importance and existence of Pakistan army as rulers of Army.

This, plus the 9/11 attack on USA by Al Qaida terrorists that were trained by Pakistan and later harboured by Pakistan, meant that USA gradually began to distance itself from Pakistan and began to grudgingly accept India as a nuclear power.

To cut a long story short, India, after its nuclear tests gradually found acceptance and grudging respect among other nations, with USA beginning to look at India with respect. USA helped India gets waivers despite being a non signatory to NPT, CTBT, etc. Pakistan too demanded the same treatment as India but they failed to get the same acceptability as India.

Moreover, India, after its assured and credible deterrence, began to concentrate on developing its economy. From a tiny $ 400 billions economy in 1998, today India is the fifth largest economy in the world. On PPP terms, India is already the third largest economy in the world. Indian exports in the year 2021-22 were $ 670 billions which is more than the combined GDP of its south Asian neighbours. Incidentally, four South Asian neighbours of India, including Pakistan are financially crumbling at the moment whereas Indian economy is in a strong position despite global supply chain and energy crisis.

Today India is in a position to tell other countries off when they try to preach us. We saw how our foreign affairs minister told off USA when they tried to preach us on our purchase of Russian Oil and our Human rights issue. “We purchase less Oil in a month compared to what Europe purchases in an afternoon”- Indian Foreign minister told USA. “If USA is taking note of our Human rights matters then we too are watching the human rights matters in USA”- Indian foreign minister stated. Such assertiveness on the part of Indians was unheard of and unimaginable in the past.

The seeds of this assertiveness and self respect were sown on 11 may 1998, at 15:45. Today that seed had become a giant tree.

India celebrated this day as National Technology day. I personally consider it as National Self Respect day.

“Parmanu”(2018) was a fictionalised account of the events that led to Indian nuclear tests in may 1998. I have been discussing songs from this movie on this day for the last three years. I have so far covered three songs from the movie.

Here is the fourth song from “Parmanu”(2018). Unlike the three songs already covered, that fitted the theme, this song does not fit the theme of the movie. This song is better heard than seen, and better heard as a standalone song having no relation to the story of the movie.

This song is sung by Yaser Desai. Kumar Vishwas is the lyricist. Music is composed by Sachin Jigar.

As a stand alone song, this sounds like a superb song.

The singer and lyricist make their debuts in the blog with this song.

I take this opportunity to wish all Indians a happy self respect day as I see this day. Officially it is National Technology day. So happy national Technology day as well.

Song-Ki ab meri saans saans tere paas hai (Parmanu)(1998) Singer-Yaser Desai, Lyrics-Kumar Vishwas, MD-Sachin Jigar

Lyrics

hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hm hmm hmm

tu hai subah tu shaam hai
jeene ka tu hi hai nazariya haan
teri lehar aathon pahar
main boond tu hi mera dariya
duniya se juda kar de
zarre ko khuda kar de
oh tere ishq se mujhko
na karna kabhi tu juda

ki ab meri saans saans tere paas hai
aur tere aas paas pehchaan hai ab meri
dil mein apne dil bhar kar de de jagah
de de jagah
meri saans saans tere paas hai
aur tere aas paas pehchaan hai ab meri
itni si mere rab tujhse hai dua

hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hm hmm hmm

jeeta raha khwaabon mein main
khud se hi par door thha
thhoda sa tu majboor thha
thhoda main majboor thha
khwaabon ko zubaan kar de
nazron se bayaan kar de
tere ishq se mujhko na karna kabhi tu juda
ki ab meri saans saans tere paas hai
aur tere aas paas pehchaan hai ab meri
dil mein apne dil bhar kar de de jagah
de de jagah
meri saans saans tere paas hai
aur tere aas paas pehchaan hai ab meri
itni si mere rab tujhse hai dua