BBC correspondent Humphrey Hawksley's new novel, Dragon Fire, created quite astir. George Fernandes praised the book. Shekhar Gupta damned it. Karan ...
BBC correspondent Humphrey Hawksley's new novel, Dragon Fire, created quite astir. George Fernandes praised the book. Shekhar Gupta damned it. Karan Thapar recommendedit. Inder Gujral dismissed it. Mani Dixit, .. Vohra, Jasjit Singh, Satish Nambiar and RajaMenon said it deserved consideration. China's foreign ministry called itirresponsible.
Why so much fuss about a mere novel?
Because it is futuristic and political. It paints a scenario where India gets embroiledwith Pakistan and China in war. It ends with China destroying India through nuclearstrikes. All this happens in 2007.
Then Outlook came out with a cover story about American think-tanks spinning differentscenarios. The first scenario has Pakistan collapsed and merged with India. This expandedsuperstate aligns with America to destroy China. The second has India and China aligningto humble America. The third has China and India sharing power in Asia.
These scenarios alarm Indians. Many anxious queries have reached this columnist.Indians hate war, death and change.
Indians can relax. The Brits and the Yanks understand neither India nor China. Theyunderestimate China's ambition. China sees India as an impediment. America is itsultimate target. It can use nuclear weapons only once. Why waste them on India? India isbeing destroyed by China's proxies through drugs and insurgency. If and when Chinauses nuclear weapons, it will be against America.
One of two things can really happen. In the optimistic scenario, a power struggle willdivide China. Its government will fight its army. The army sanctioned a million deaths inCambodia under Pol Pot. It backs drug-dealing generals in Myanmar and Pakistan. It dreamsof Lin Piao's crazy plan to conquer the world.
If the Chinese people assert themselves for a democratic government, a new world orderwill arise. Wars will be replaced by riots. Humankind's disputes will be like whichnation plays soccer best.
In the pessimistic scenario there will be a nuclear war that destroys the US, China,Europe and Russia. Only India will survive. India always does. New mythologies like theMahabharata will emerge. All global events will become Indian.
This is because all other powers are like mighty dinosaurs. India is the cockroach ofcivilisation. The cockroach is older than the dinosaur. Dinosaurs are extinct. Cockroachesstill scurry in itdc hotels.
Dragon fire, dragon fire,
Why can't you please cool your ire?
Mankind has begun to tire
Of wars becoming its funeral pyre!