NEW DELHI, March 10 -- Many years ago, there was a popular American song that we sang gustily at our camps, picnics, and other get-togethers. Thanks to its very catchy tune, it was always a hit. The chorus went thus:

"This land is your land, and this land is my land From California to the New York island From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters This land was made for you and me."

A remarkable stanza of the song was: "There was a big, high wall there that tried to stop me A sign was painted said 'Private Property' But on the backside, it didn't say nothing This land was made for you and me."

The song is essentially a protest song, first composed by the American folk singer Woody Guthrie in 1940. It was a critical response to Ir...