Kashmir issue and India

Kashmir issue, since independence has remained a thorn in the otherwise peaceful Indian foreign policy. It has led to three major wars with Pakistan in last 65 years and still there seem no easy solutions to this problem. Various formulae are proposed by many stakeholders to resolve the stalemate in Kashmir.

1. Maintain status-quo – Line of Control to be the boundary beyond which, no party would interfere. India has been maintaining this stance to keep peace in the region. But, this would be at best a temporary solution. Pakistan has been repeatedly violating this scheme through state sponsored terrorism in Kashmir. This has also led to huge militarization of the region causing distress among the local population.

2. Abrogate Article 370 – Kashmir is an inseparable part of India and Article 370, which limits the applicability of union laws to Kashmir, only fuels the separatist tendency of the region. This argument has been put forward by nationalists in India. But, abrogating Article 370 would not be an easy solution as this would change the way of life in political circles in Kashmir, which would fuel already existing deep resentment among the local population against Union of India.

3. Hold referendum to decide the fate of Kashmir – Proposed by a section of local population in Kashmir. During the accession of Kashmir in India, it was proposed that the Union of India would let referendum to be held in Kashmir. But, this stalled for decades for various reasons. Now, with completely changed circumstances, this would not be a solution any party would agree to – India or Pakistan.

Kashmir issue can be a major limiting factor in the way of India becoming an economic and military power house in future. It is imperative that the new government find solutions not only through peaceful means but also through assertive means by growing its economic clout over the world. Developing the region and demilitarization would be important steps that India would like to take in future. But, this can only happen when the destabilization of the region is stopped by Pakistan.

A long awaited trip to the Valley

The prologue

It was 1993, precisely 15^thAugust, when I was first introduced to the world of Kashmir. Roja, a movie made on Kashmir won National awards that year and was telecast on Doordarshan on the Independence Day. The movie instantly hooked me up. Mani Ratnam has created a magnificent tale of rising insurgency in Kashmir. He not only presented the rising phenomena of terrorism with a captivating story, but also splendidly captured the scenic beauty of the valleys through his lenses. The song "Ye haseen wadiyan" was playing everywhere around. Those were the days, I used to think that when I grow up, I will move to Kashmir and spend my life there.

20 years since that incident have passed. Insurgency in Kashmir grew with each passing days. I grew up, became wiser and realized that my childhood dream would probably not come true. Economic and political conditions in Kashmir would make me better off stay elsewhere. Nevertheless, I decided that I would plan a long trip to Kashmir sooner. However, rising insurgency added with the pressure from family was forcing me to hold my plans of visiting Kashmir every year. Finally, this year I could not resist the itch and booked an itinerary, despite knowing that troubles in Kashmir has risen again with the execution of Afzal Guru. I was determined that come what may; we would not cancel our tickets.

On the way to Kashmir

My travel date was approaching fast and alas, an unfortunate incident happened. Five Indian soldiers were shot down by the insurgents and an indefinite curfew was imposed in Srinagar. Almighty probably did not want my wish to be fulfilled easily. But, as I decided earlier that come what may, I will go to Kashmir, I packed my baggage and left for the place with a slight uneasiness feeling.

All my apprehensions vanished the moment I landed in Srinagar airport. Taxi operators on the airport said that curfew usually does not affect the tourist centers in Srinagar. It is the city, which remains deserted during this time. I was in touch with a Houseboat operator and he arranged a pickup taxi from the airport for me. Our journey of fifteen kilometers from airport to Houseboat in Dal Lake made me realize why Kashmir is still a dangerous place to visit. Police check posts were at every kilometer along the route and the streets were entirely empty. I thought I might have to spend the next few days sleeping in my houseboat. But, when I reached Dal Lake I found that the taxi people at the airport were right. The place was full of life. Tourist spots and tourists are normally not troubled by both the army and the insurgents. Taxi driver dropped me there and I was guided towards a Shikara, which took me to the Houseboat.

Dal Lake, Houseboat and Shikara

Picture 1: Dal Lake

I freshened up in the Houseboat and in another hour went for the Shikara ride in the Dal Lake. Shikaras are smaller boats decorated in fancy ways to provide a nice warm experience to the worried tourists. But, It was a ride to remember. I started at around 5 pm and enjoyed the ride for about 3-4 hours. The Lake is huge with a shoreline extending up to 16 kilometers. There are mobile shops and markets in the lake, which provide locally manufactured handicrafts and goods. You will encounter several photographers and other sellers during your ride. It got real freezing in the Lake by the sunset. I would advice to take blankets along with you, if you want to enjoy the ride and do not want to hurry back due to the unbearable cold.

Picture 2: Houseboats in Dal Lake

Houseboats are larger stationery boats in the lake and usually contain 3-4 bedrooms along with a living room and a kitchen. They provide a different kind of ambience not normally available in the hotels. If you visit Srinagar, you may try out these places instead of hotels. I reached back to my houseboat at 9 pm and was welcomed by a nice Kashmiri meal and Kahawa there. If you are fond of beverages, try Kashmiri Kahawa, a local flavored Green tea with spices.

Picture 3: Busy roads in Gulmarg

Gulmarg and the Gondola ride

Next day, we planned to go to Gulmarg, a hill station located 50 kilometers away from Srinagar. Gulmarg is a very popular ski destination and is located at a height of 9000 feet. It has one of the highest cable cars in the world called “Gondola”, which goes up to 14000 feet. We left very early in the morning because of curfew inside the city. Streets were still empty. But, the view was breathtaking. There were towering snow laden mountains all around. I was especially surprised with the infrastructure of the city. I found the roads to be one of the best among the other state capitals. Gulmarg is situated at heights, so it gets very freezing while climbing up there. You should pack all you warm winter-wears and get snow-boots before placing your feet on Gulmarg snow. Gondola ride to the 14000 feet peak was one of the most amazing experiences I had in my life. You could see the ski marks on the mountains all along the way up from the trolley. I wonder how the skiers find courage to ski from such heights.

Picture 4: Gondola and the skiing marks

Picture 5: View from 14000 feet peak

We came back tired after clicking thousands of snaps of stunning views in Gulmarg. Two hours of rest and we got ready again to explore the local market in the city. Most of the shops were still closed. But, we could find few shops selling locally manufactured leather goods and handicrafts. Kashmiri wool and leather is not obscenely costly there and if you are good at bargaining, you can get great deals. In addition, the local handicrafts is one of the stuffs you can explore purchasing.

Picturesque valleys of Sonamarg

Picture 6: Way to Sonmarg

Picture 7: Sonamarg Valley

Sonamarg is one of the other places you must not miss during the trip to Kashmir. Sonamarg is situated approximately 96 kilometers from Srinagar. It again has snow all over, but the way to Sonamarg is not that steep compared to that in Gulmarg. You climb slowly and easily, moving along with tens of feet of snow on both sides of the road. Scenic beauty is amazing, with a view of snow-laden mountains all over the place your eyes can reach. We were fortunate as the Sonamarg valley was opened the very first day after the winter, when we reached there. So, we found barren unexplored snow everywhere. It was exciting but equally dangerous too, as you do not know what is beneath the snow. Overall, it was another incredible experience.

Exploring local tourist attractions in Srinagar

We spent next few days exploring other locales around Srinagar. Kashmir is known for its lush greeneries and vegetation. There is Mughal Garden, Tulip Garden, Pari Mahal, Dargah Hazratbal, Chashma Shahi among other popular places that tourists flock to when they are in Srinagar. But, as we went there in the month of March (end of winter), trees were all dried up because of the harsh preceding winter. The gardens were barren. We realized that we could probably have come 1-2 months later, when the trees and gardens come to live with blooming new leaves and flowers.

Way back home

Our return date finally approached. Due to curfew, we could not explore the Srinagar city much. But, on the way back to airport from Dal Lake, we experienced an entirely different city compared to what we saw, when we arrived here. Curfew was subsiding and so the emptiness in the city. Srinagar looked as busy as any other city in India. We were advised to reach airport two-three hours prior to the departure, as the security arrangements are very stiff there. Although necessary, I found the frisking process to be a little overstretched.

On the way back to Delhi, I had already started making the plans of my next visit to Kashmir during the times of normalcy. After all, I could not explore the Srinagar city and the greeneries of Kashmir that it is known for.  And yes, I realized why the countries are fighting over with each other to have a dominance over the region - the paradise on Earth, Kashmir.

Maqbool Fida Husain - To be praised or damned?

Husain, a name that arouses a feeling of extremes in the minds of ours, extreme love or extreme hatred, extreme praise or extreme denigration. Husain is for painting, what Sachin is for Cricket, what Anand is for Chess, what Federer is for Tennis. There are some people whose charizma makes a profession known to the masses. Husain falls somewhat into that category. He is the person who made painting a profession for many. He is the one who gave a budding artist a hope that he can pursue painting not as a mere hobby but as a profession.

From a humble beginnings in 1930s when he used to paint cinema hoardings, he came a long way to become one of the most admired artists of our era, an artist whose one single painting fetched a cool $2 million (9.1 crore rupee as per current exchange rate) in an auction. He recently joined the exclusive billion dollar club by signing a 100 cr deal for churning out paintings for next few years. He was the first painter of his times to being adorned with the national honors like Padma Shree (1955), Padma Bhushan (1973) and Padma Vibhushan (1991). Notice the years, too. Once a strong contender for India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, he is now a fugitive (Forgive me for chosing this word, but I couldn't think of a better word for his current situation.) So, what transpired in between? What made him spend the last few years of his life in a self imposed exile?

It all started in 1996 when few of his paintings he made in 1970s were published in a Hindi monthly magazine. The paintings he made reportedly portrayed Hindu deities in nude or sexual manner. Paintings were no doubt provocative in nature, on which even a non-believer like me would take umbrage. Hindu groups took offence on it and several criminal cases were registered against him. Right wing activists and political parties started fierce offensive against him. They vandalized the painting exhibitions where he displayed his creations. Most of these agitaions were led mainly to score a few political points by evoking public sentiments over religion. But, there is no denying the fact that those controversies were totally uncalled for.

Very few would deny that Husain is one of the most talented artists of our generation. But, very few would also deny that he is the most controversial painter of our times. Most of the controversies created by him tend to look very artificial, a product of a very thoughtful proocess. Husain is a public figure. His paintings are highly praised the world over. There is a large audience who awaits for his creations and value them highly. Didn't he know beforehand that nude paintings of Hindu gods will evoke strong reactions from a large chunk of population? Even if the affected population be a small minority, or a single person, shouldn't he had shown some prudence while making his paintings? What was the need to name the nude paitings after revered Hindu gods? Couldn't he find other issues where he could have expressed his creativity?

But then the point arises, India is a free country and everyone has a right to express his will. Freedom of expression is enshrined in our constitution and no one can snatch it away from us. Husain as a free citizen of a sovereign, secular, democratic republic is free to paint whatever he likes to.

Before proceeding further, it would be proper if we define what freedom actually is in a true sense.

Freedom is not merely an opportunity to do as one pleases; neither is it merely an opportunity to choose between a set of alternatives. Freedom of expression is a right which is meant to empower us to say a right thing RIGHT, and a wrong WRONG. It is not meant to be used to instigate a feeling of intolerance or disharmony among any section of a society. So, if someone's expression of free will hurts the sentiments of any segment of society then the freedom should be controlled. The control must come from within and not be imposed by external agents. Limiting freedom of expression in such situations is something that Husain must have thought well before.

PS: I wrote this piece some time back. Just happen to see it lying in my draft folder. Thought to publish it. 

Bihar elections: Changing paradigms of a failed state

Bihar, historically has always been a politically active state. A state, where people eat and sleep with politics. With feelings of caste and religion deeply rooted in the mindset of an average Bihari, any election eventually turns out to be a caste warfare. A dismal literacy rate of 47 percent also is one of the factors why caste and religion play a dominant role in elections in Bihar.

Laloo Prasad Yadav was the first person to realize this. His social engineering found a large audience in the form of poor, underprivileged people in rural sections of Bihar. Development went for a toss and casteist politics became the call of the day. He (mis)ruled the state first himself, and then with a proxy from 1997 till 2005, when JD(U) with the support of BJP first ousted him from the power.

Once a best governed state during independence, Bihar turned into a mess which no one cared to clear. The first winds of change was seen in 2005, when JD(U)-BJP combine won fair number of seats in Assembly and laid claims for forming a coalition government in Patna. With Ram Vilas Paswan playing a "king-maker" role, Laloo was almost certain to be ousted from power. That was when, once a strong ally, and then a power in Center, the great Congress Party came for his help. Congress agent and Bihar Governor, Mr Buta Singh dissolved the assembly and thwarted NDA, which was almost certain to form government in Bihar. President rule was imposed on Bihar and re-election was scheduled for October-November. People of Bihar, sensing the foul play, gave NDA complete majority this time to lay claims for power and Nitish Kumar became the Chief minister.

This was the turn around moment for many's fortunes.

Nitish Kumar, because he got a chance to undo whatever bad was done during Laloo-Rabri-Congress regime. With the extensive work done on improving infrastructure and law and order in Bihar, he established himself as "Vikas Purush", never before heard in the history of the state. People began to see a light at the end of the long dark tunnel of 15 years misrule by RJD.

Laloo Yadav, because he was relegated in the back seat for the first time in his political career. In subsequent elections his vote bank began to erode, so much so that in 2009 general elections he managed to win only 4 seats out of 40.

Congress, sensing that there is no more steam left in Laloo, started distancing itself from him. In 2010 assembly elections, it for the first time went all alone contesting on all seats on offer in Bihar. If exit polls are anything to go by, it clearly shows that Congress can dent hard the vote bank of RJD-LJP combine. For now, we can wait till November end to see the actual results.

Ram Vilas Paswan, once touted as king-maker, now is nowhere near to his glory days. He too suffered the similar fate as that of his now staunch ally Laloo. His disastrous showing in Lok Sabha elections 2009 was a clear signal that people can't be fool again and again on casteist agendas.

Rabri Devi, a reluctant and least qualified person to ever sit on CM's throne, with due respect, can peacefully go back to her kitchen. Seriously, how can you expect a simple housewife with 5th grade education as her only achievement in life to rule over second most populous state. This was a blasphemy and something for which people of Bihar can never forgive Laloo.

And finally Bihar, which till 2005, a laggard state in every aspect, has begun to show some signs of recovery. With increased investment in infrastructure, greater emphasis on education, vastly improved law and order situation and a visibly better governance, Bihar can look forward to attain its long lost glory.

Development is the new theme on which elections are set to be fought over in Bihar now. May the politics over caste and religion be history now and so may Laloo and Paswan.

Women's reservation bill: Will it really help?

One of the most significant political achievements in recent times, the passage of Women's reservation bill in Rajya Sabha, in a way is a preclude to the evolution of a major political class in the days to come. It signifies a major shift in the attitude of male dominated political class. Very few countries have dared to implement such law which can bring about a change in how a particular class is perceived, politically as well as socially.

For long, not only in India but in almost every part of the world women haven't been viewed with the same lenses with which a man is seen. For long, this section has been perceived not as a leader but a mute follower. Exceptions were always there. But they were few and far in between. There was an Indira Gandhi or a Benazir Bhutto or a Hillary Clinton. But, we all know from where they all came from. Had it not been a Nehru or a Bhutto or a Clinton around, we probably won't have heard the above mentioned names.

What this bill targets is creating not an Indira or Benazir but many more of Mayawatis or Mamta Bannerjis.

Since independence, our policy makers are designing policies favouring larger participation of women section in nation's growth. But still, female literacy lags behind a pathetic 54 percent. If we want to create a truly democratic society, then women empowerment is one of the foremost goals to achieve. There can be several ways of getting close to that goal. Providing better economic opportunities, better education facilities, or greater political representation could be the few possible ways which come directly to the mind.

Out of these three, providing political representation through reservation is one means by which parties can gain the maximum political mileage in the shortest span of time. And we all know how far-sighted our parties are, so the bill was the call of the day.

The Bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 12, 1996. Though, it has been introduced in Parliament several times since then, the Bill didn't see the light of the day because of lack of political consensus. Stuck long for about fourteen years in parliament, the bill finally passed with near unanimous agreement this February. Most of the major political parties supported the bill whole heartedly. A few disagreements arose, uproar in Rajya Sabha happened, a few MPs expelled for their indiscipline, but amidst of all these the bill was finally passed with 186 votes in favour and 1 against.

We will try to scrutinize the bill in detail in subsequent sections, but before proceeding further, a little detail about what actually encompasses the bill.

Major points:

- Bill provides 33% reservation for women in the Parliament and all Legislative Assemblies. In already reserved seats for SC/ST, one-third be reserved for women.

- Billl doesn't provide any separate reservation for minorities and OBCs' women.

- Bill provides the provision of rotation of constituencies, which means that every constituency will be reserved for women at least once in 15 years. In normal cases elections are held every five years, so each constituency undergoes election exactly three times. Out of these 3 terms, one term will be reserved for women, and rest two open for all.

- No provision made for any reservation in upper house of parliament, Rajya Sabha.

- Bill expires after a period of 15 years.

This is it.

The bill says it all. More reservation. More promise of upliftment. The question arises, will the above measures really help, and more important, is it really required?

The bill says that every constituency will be reserved once for women representatives. What it means is that all the contestants for a particular constituency in a particular election will be women. So, the election of a woman candidate is ensured. But, in subsequent elections that constituency will be made free for any one to contest. This can have positive as well as negative repercussions. A woman candidate can leave a mark on the constituency by her good work and can contest that seat even after the reservation is withdrawn, provided the party supports her candidature. With the male dominated political class this is really a tough thing to achieve because there will be many male politicians gunning for that unreserved seat. This will force that woman to contest from some other reserved constituency which may not be a familiar territory for her. Hence, a low probability of winning the election. So, why would a politician, male or female, be motivated to nurse a particular constituency when he or she is almost guaranteed of not representing the constituency again?

In the current era of modernization (strictly for a few numbered metro cities), the bill certainly doesn't make much sense. Why reservation is needed when we already have a strong, aware female political class comprising of distinguished personalities like Brinda Karat, Sushma Swaraj, Vasundhara Raje and several others? They didn't require any help to become what they are today. Reservation is definitely a luxury for such class. But as we look deep down, we find the real significance of the bill. For villages and cities in the interiors, reservation is a necessity. Necessity, because it is the mindset of the feudal society, which needs a strong stir, a complete overhaul in its thinking, towards how it perceives women.

The bill is indeed a very powerful tool if used judiciously by the targeted section. But, if we leave a minuscule part of elite urban women population, then we also know that the provisions of the bill will be misused to send more and more dummy representatives to the assemblies. There are many wives and daughters around, who will take the advantage of the bill.

Despite all flaws, we can't deny that a step has been taken, and the step augurs well for the future. Perception towards women needs to be changed, if we want to develop a society equitable in every aspects and there is no denying that the bill will help immensely to achieve that goal.

Pokharan test II - Its significance in India's modern history

Pokharan test in 1998 in many ways was a landmark incident in modern Indian history. It was the first time when India openly shrugged off her nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament stance against the powerful international lobby despite the numerous sanction threats.

Since the end of World War II, world was inequitably divided into two groups: one with nuclear power and the other without it. 98 percent of the countries of the world fall into the later with only USA, UK, France, Soviet Union and China being the privileged ones. Just after the aftermath of WW2, a Non Proliferation Treaty for Nuclear weapons was conceptualized among the nations winning the war. The treaty said that only four of the nations namely, the USA, the UK, the Soviet Union and France were authorized to produce and maintain their nuclear artilleries. Any other country if found to work with this technology will be dealt with firm hands and will have to face consequences in the form of political and economical ostracisms and even with military incursions. China being a major power at the time of formation of treaty was treated as an exception and thus it too became a part of the Big four. And thus a BIG five was formed which for the next four decades maintained its hegemony over the world till India became the first country to challenge that, which we will come in subsequent passages.

Subsequently, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) was created to endorse the earlier one, the NPT, specifying ways in which the sanctions would be applied to the violating countries. Most of the nations in the world were forced to endorse both the treaties with a few exceptions like India, Pakistan, Israel, Iran etc.

Since independence, India has followed a policy of non-alignment, which helped India maintain an equal distance from two major blocks developing after the WW2, namely the capitalist block with USA as its head and the communist block with USSR as its lead. India knew that endorsing any of the treaty like CTBT or NPT will eventually come in the way of maintaining an independent foreign policy. Also, India after independence was surrounded by nations which were not exactly friends with her. Pakistan in collusion with China and USA always used to threaten and transgress the Indian borders as were in 1948, 1965, 1971 and later on in 1999. In 1971, after its creation, Bangladesh also joined the chorus along with Pakistan. China in 1962 war also made clear its intentions of animosity. So, with these insurmountable problems India's harmonious existence has always been in danger.

In the wake of these threats, Congress government with Indira Gandhi as its head conducted the subdued first test in Pokharan. Subdued, because India was not a big power then to face international sanctions from all corners and to jeopardize its growth. India was still a country which needed much international support and aid for its existence. It has not become self dependent. Fifteen years later BJP government came into power overcoming much of the political turmoil with AB Vajpayee becoming Prime Minister of India the third time in three years. Due to some political pressure and due to some existential pressure, the BJP government in order to show India's mettle to the world and hence the government's mettle to its people conducted the TEST in 1999, which in many ways established India as an important player in the world politics.

India successfully conducted three nuclear tests in Pokharan under the able guidance of our former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, then the chief of nuclear operations. International community reacted sharply with USA, UN and other nations imposing several kinds of bans and sanctions on India. India was banned from participating in most of the international economic forums and several countries cut on the imports from India. Japan, Canada, etc suspended providing aid to India. USA however did not succeed in getting G-8 countries taking collective action against India. Germany, France and Russia continued their economic ties with India. With passage of time, several other countries let go their hard stance over India.

Pokharan II marks an important chapter in the history of India as a evolving democratic, independent nation. Although, India did a diplomatic blunder by openly admitting to the world about the tests, it in many ways helped India gain a prominent position among the powerful nations. India became only the sixth nation in the world to openly admit to have the capacity of producing nuclear technology and hence the weapons on its own. In the hindsight, the tests look like an eventuality which was bound to happen to challenge the old world order and form a new world order with new evolving paradigms. As described by UN General Secretary Mr Kofi Annan - "We can not have two parameters for evaluating different nations. At one hand CTBT allows the exclusive club to maintain and produce nuclear weapons and at other hand it restricts other countries (India and Pakistan) not to have them".

National Highways - India

NH1:

Delhi - Ambala - Jalandhar - Ludhiana - Amritsar - Atari (Indo-Pak Border)

Length in State(s): Delhi (22), Haryana (180), Punjab (254)

Total Length: 456 km

NH2: 

Delhi - Agra - Kanpur - Allahabad - Gaya - Dhanbad - Kolkata

Length in State(s): Delhi (12), Haryana (74), Uttar Pradesh (752), Bihar (202), Jharkhand (190), West Bengal (235)

Total Length: 1465 km

NH3:

Agra - Gwalior - Indore - Nasik - Thane - Mumbai

Length in State(s): Uttar Pradesh (26), Rajasthan (32), Madhya Pradesh (712), Maharashtra (391)

Total Length: 1161 km

NH4:

Thane - Pune - Hubli - Bangalore - Chittoor - Chennai

Length in State(s): Maharashtra (371), Karnataka (658), Andhra Pradesh (83), Tamil Nadu (123)

Total Length: 1235 km

NH5:

Cuttack - Bhubaneswar - Visakhapatnam - Vijayawada - Guntur - Nellore - Chennai (Junction with NH 6 near Baharagora)

Length in State(s): Orissa (488), Andhra Pradesh (1000), Tamil Nadu (45)

Total Length: 1533 km

NH6: 

Hajira - Dhule - Nagpur - Raipur - Sambalpur - Baharagora - Kolkata

Length in State(s): Maharashtra (813), Chattisgarh (314), Orissa (462), Jharkhand (22), West Bengal (161), Gujarat (177)

Total Length: 1949 km

NH7: 

Varanasi - Rewa - Jabalpur - Nagpur - Hyderabad - Bangalore - Salem - Madurai - Kanyakumari

Length in State(s): Uttar Pradesh (128), Madhya Pradesh (504), Maharashtra (232), Andhra Pradesh (753), Karnataka (125), Tamil Nadu (627)

Total Length: 2369 km

NH8: 

Delhi - Jaipur - Ajmer - Udaipur - Ahmedabad - Vadodra - Mumbai

Length in State(s): Delhi (13), Haryana (101), Rajasthan (688), Gujarat (498), Maharashtra (128)

Total Length: 1428 km

NH9: 

Pune - Solapur - Hyderabad - Vijayawada - Machillipatnam

Length in State(s): Maharashtra (336), Karnataka (75), Andhra Pradesh (430)

Total Length: 841 km

NH10: 

Delhi - Fazilka - Indo-Pak Border

Length in State(s): Delhi (18), Haryana (313), Punjab (72)

Total Length: 403 km

NH11: 

Agra - Jaipur - Bikaner

Length in State(s): Uttar Pradesh (51), Rajasthan (531)

Total Length: 582 km

NH12: 

Jabalpur - Bhopal - Kota - Bundi - Tonk - Jaipur

Length in State(s): Madhya Pradesh (490), Rajasthan (400)

Total Length: 890 km

NH13: 

Solapur - Chitradurga - Shimoga - Mangalore

Length in State(s): Maharashtra (43), Karnataka (648)

Total Length: 691 km

NH14: 

Beawar - Sirohi - Radhapur

Length in State(s): Rajasthan (310), Gujarat (140)

Total Length: 450 km