1. S. Janaki has passed away. I’m Shanti. She sang more than 48,000 songs. Great artist. She sang in 17 languages.
2. Australia is selling uranium to India, probably freeing Indian stock for other purposes.
3. Looks like modi is not over yet.
4.Rahul Gandhi in forever foreign tour.
5. Hindus are pushing back on ‘sutlej’ , asking not to ignore their loss.
6. Indian cities are flooded. High time the drainage is redesigned.
7. Just as Opinions/demand for freeing Govt. Control of Hindu temples rise, a set of thiefs create a scene in ram temple. Lucky it is getting resolved.
I don’t know what is your experience with flood this year but its been okay in my city. Ever since the 2005 floods, drainage has been largely sorted out for my city.
Coastal cities with flatter terrain like Mumbai, Chennai needs more attention.
Elsewhere the problem appears only in certain areas. But even this should not happen.
Mayors are like jokers wearing strange clothes and absolutely no real power. Some drastic changes are needed here.
Nah there hasn’t been any large issues in Mumbai. Its just certain low-lying areas getting flooded. The larger issues have been on the Vasai-Virar side where development has led to blocking off of the natural lakes and canals. Mumbai this year hasn’t had any major issues with the railway or metro during the rains, I would argue that even most low lying areas were drained of water in a day after the rains had calmed down.
we remember when the rains were raging in Mumbai last year; it sort of flooded Bandra but those weren’t floods per se.
infrastructure seems to have been of intense (and helpful) focus by the Modi govt.
manipur needs attention in this forum. the inter tribal conflict appears very serious.
who and who ?
I think its between the Nagas and the Kukis. The reason it hasn’t been getting any international attention is due to the fact that both tribes are primarily Christian so the traditional narrative of Christianity civilizing natives doesn’t work. When it was between the Kukis and the Meiteis the same situation got a lot of attention because Meiteis were demonized as they were primarily Hindu.
yes the anti-Hindu bias is appalling ..
Very early on, a few years ago (irom sharmila ET. Al), the meiteis were against the ‘Indian state ‘ and we’re darlings of the human rights gangs.
There were also nude women protests.
Now meitei have realized who their friends are.
Meiteis are an ancient people! Their texts go back 2 millennia..
Indeed. I’ve been reading a lot of books by Manipuri author Linthoi Chanu. She focuses mainly on Manipuri folklore. Her book Wayel Kati for pre-teens and teens is a lovely introduction to the creation stories from Manipur.
There is no anti hindu bias. In the first case it is people from.mainland india making religopis identities a factor.
Something that backfired when the video of that kaki women being paraded naked went viral.
There is no “mainland” India buddy. We even had a Kuki MP going across the Myanmar border trying to smuggle more kuki-zou people into India, some even talked about trying to integrate parts of Myanmar into India.
The reason the FCRA was tightened was because the church was subsidizing some strange activities in these areas, when foreigners flout those rules to distribute debit cards into those areas I have trouble believing that religion isn’t a factor here. There is a clear anti-hindu bias among several christian groups here, a portion of the Nagas are still opens separatist.
+1
FCRA was tightened becauee thr government wants more control over funds coming for charity abroad while not caring how political parties including itself is funded.
And many northeast indian communities want lands that include all their people. From kukis who may want parts of myannmar to rajbhanshi to even nagas nothing unusual about all this.
Most christian communties may not agree with religious beliefs of hindus but any opposition is driven by ethnic not religious values. I have not come across multiple instances of denying burial grounds or even uprooting some graves in northeast india like there are multiple instance of in central India. Followers of non christian religious feom any of the tribes are not boycotted publicly even if bengali or marwari hindus or Sikhs and bengali muslims may be boycotted.
Western media often follows Indian media coverage, social media or otherwise.
The larger reason that Manipur conflict became international is the video of the woman being paraded naked going viral.
Otherwise nothing else in the situation went viral, neither the state police armory being looted by extremist groups nor the numerous refugee camps and complete breakdown of law and order.
Here also because this conflict has not gone viral in India and is largely confined to the hills it is not going viral elsewhere in the world, notwithstanding other issues like the US-Iran war taking away media space.
Not everything is a conspiracy against someone. Plus it is the people from mainland India who were focusing on the religious rather than tribal identity.
But the issues were discussed in European parliament, likely because Christians were involved.
That was on a whole and if hindus facing hate speecb in the west us a concern why cant indian christian issues be discussed especially when there are clear cases of social boycott against christians in many places.
Calvin issues can be either about religion or they can not be about religion. You yourself make arguments about how violence against hindus in the NE is not about religion and more about ethnicity. You can’t then turn around and say its about Christianity when a tribe of Hindus conducts a social boycott in the same geography.
Indians living in India dont seem to know how ethnicity plays the driving role in conflicts in the northeast.
I dont expect Europeans to have a better understanding of issues in the northeast.
Whatever Europeans have discussed is on a country wide level where at least in central india, social boycott have been driven by religion the european parliament is wrong in clubbing the manipur conflict in that.
Oh yea I think there was some miscommunication. I thought you were talking about the social boycott among the Meitei’s and Kuki’s where areas have become Meitei or Kuki exclusively. Central India is a different ball game.
Both meiteis and kukis have shown themselves to be very bigoted.
It’s a very prolonged historical quarrel, further damaged by religion.
These people would still be fighting each other even if they were the same religion.
If you believe that some community coming in the 1850s is not native and make broad accusations thst one community is dealing with drugs or the other community is trying to steal land, conflicts like this are expected especially if no one is willing to have a little empathy.
Just landed in Delhi ..
My friend who’s Meitei has spoken of the unbridled religious persecution of Hindus in the NE, especially areas where the Christian population is in a majority, like Meghalaya.
For the NE folks, yes its unfortunate that the mainland (Delhi primarily) sees them via the lens of non-North Indian ethnicity. That does not take away the angle of anti-Hindu sentiment in some of these States.
Nehru (dude really messed up everywhere) gave the Southern Baptists a free pass to the NE. These fanatics began demonizing and converting the locals. The pot of religious unrest has been kept burning. Christianity like its other Abrahamic siblings is a my way or the high way philosophy.
//My friend who’s Meitei has spoken of the unbridled religious persecution of Hindus in the NE, especially areas where the Christian population is in a majority, like Meghalaya.//
Has your friend spoke about Arambol Tenghuk thst is openly advocating violence against Kukis and has even raided state armory or how even kuki policemen and civil servants have been forced to leave.
Also most of the anti hindu violence is ethnic in nature and directed towards bengali hindus in megahalaya. Non christians from Khasi and goro communities in megahalya are not socially boycotted, or denied burial rights like in central india.
There is one case I could find whete cremation ground was denied in one village but that had been sorted locally without escalation. Anyways both kukis in general and Manipuri meitied have lost any moral authority in thr last few years to lecture anyone.
Furthermore, most nagas and kukis and khasis and goros were already christian by the time of independence. It is people in Arunachal pradesh who largely became christisn through kinship, not through foreign missionaries. Whatever restrictions applied, applied only in Arunachal pradesh where only those who were from communities present in Arunachal could go.
Also it is funny how the insurgent groups belonging to non christian communities like the bodos, Assamese or even tipras which have caused as much carnage, have been opposed as much as any christian insurgent groups and which were still active till 2015 long after insurgency ended in christian majority states like meghalaya and mizoram never figure when speaking about unrest in northeast. Please read about how tribal identity not religious identity is the driver of insurgency in the northeast with religion only being used as a glue to bind tribal identity not as a main identity itself.
“A film about slain Sikh activist Jaswant Singh Khalra is being screened across India after its removal from a streaming platform. Khalra exposed killings and secret cremations by Indian security forces during the Punjab insurgency.” Al Jazeera reports:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/2096521657949924
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18rpC3Smju/
This is Harris SINGH bal, political editor of caravan (and no friend of establishment) speaking. Incidentally he is a nephew of kps gill.
One interesting thing he says is that the victims of khalistan violence have no one in Bollywood to push their case, unlike the kashmiri pundits.
Hartosh SINGH bal.
saw the clip – Punjab seems to be an interesting situation..
that’s good clarification.. thank you
https://theprint.in/national-interest/punjab-satluj-diljit-dosanjh-akali-dal-bjp-aap-congress/2983442/
Shekhar Gupta writing in print.
The other angle is that sikhs are not an overwhelming majority in punjab.58% to 40% hindus.
After Modi, who?
Probable options:
1. Yogi
2. Fadnavis
3. Himanta
Anyone else? My preference is either Fadnavis (He has done Nana Phadnavis proud–for those who don’t know, Nana Phadnavis was the Chanakya of the Peshwas) or Yogi. Yogi seems to be the most natural choice but UP needs him more and he has time on his side.
Also let’s not talk too much about Nana Phadnavis. There’s a reason we don’t highlight him. Because after Nana there was not a single Rao among the Pant Pradhan/Peshwa.
You think so? He’s not particularly charismatic though. Modi can sway the nation. Shah is Chanakya to Modi’s Chandragupta. Can he bridge that divide, serious question?
Personally, I think Shah should become PM and Modi should become the President after 2029. That way Modi can remain a force in politics while Shah runs the administration. Personally, I think Fadnavis, and Himanta need some more time in their respective states to be real contenders. If Yogi can ensure UP stays saffron for the next election he might have an actual shot at the PM seat.
it will be fadnavis, an rss guy. the other two might become too independent.
That’s true as well.
None of the above?
Haha good one. What’s the alternative as per you?
Chandra babu naudu, stalin or even kejriwal if all polotical leaders are concerned
If I have to choose from BJP then maybe Shivaj Singh Chauhan?
Stalin and Kejriwal (he was a disappointment) are both extremely corrupt and no notion of nation above all. Also no pan-India appeal (thankfully) imo.
I’m hearing good things about Vijay in TN. That trajectory will be interesting to observe.
Chandra babu Naidu is primarily concerned with AP like Nitish with Bihar and limited national appeal.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan is possibly a dark horse in the BJP.
this ethanol debate is not considering the fact that all agriculture is done by free power and water, including sugar cane.if these are priced a bit, ethanol will become probably bit costly.
This once in 3 months foreign tours of Rahul is worrying. Apart from carefully done programmes occasionally , most of his activity is private.
Will he not become tool of others for blackmail.
Fishy
Yes true…he’s already compromised the nation thanks to his self centered behavoir.
Rahul Gandhi is neither in power nor is he the only person with the right to give criticism.
After 12 years we should start calling out the people in power for their misdeeds and arrogance or the lack of spine in many who have enabled this state of afffairs
His family will always be powerful thanks to dynasty whether they be in power or not. 5th generational entrenchment in the corridors of power, 75 years running. All countries have them to some extent. None as brutally corrupt and greedy like the Nehru-Gandhis. Till IG and maybe Rajiv Gandhi there seemed to be some amount of nation above self, but RG and PG are all about self over nation.
RG has spoke up about many issues from monopolizarion of sectors to gst being a burden to students lives being destroyed by paper leaks.
Not to mention whatever he has never said anything against the army but called out how the army is used to help shore up credentials of one party.
If even after being berated and insulted, he still picks up issues that affect everyone which many cant speak up for themselves he is definitely not someone who cares only about himself.
Many people from the largest party in Asia are much more self centered than he is.
I’m……surprised to see this full throated defense of a Rahul – I would expect anti-BJP folks to want to see more capable and effective leadership. Given the in-built strength of anti-incumbency in democracy, especially in India, it really wouldn’t take much to dump the BJP out of power. In fact, its an … impressive level of incompetency that has allowed the BJP such an extended reign at the center.
I am not defending RG, but pointing out basic things that any person who wants to interfere in this country’s functioning has more safer avenue and RG is neither selfish nor lacking in concern for this country.
You are making this into a discussion on his competency that is was not.
//In fact, its an … impressive level of incompetency that has allowed the BJP such an extended reign at the center.//
Except it is not RG incompetency that is allowing the BJP to stay in power, this is just one of the numerous copes many middle class dissatisfied supporters of the BJP keep on repeating to deal with the fact that like many other communities they too are voting on secretarian lines and not for any development.
There are not only other parties like the AAP or Prashant Kishors Jan Suraj which can be decent opposition with the amount of support BJP gets but when people who list out the dissatisfaction with the BJP cant even blame the minister or the party machinery involve but try to gaslight themselves as being forced to vote for the BJP because the congress is led by RG is worse( ignoring that both BjP and congress work with same bureaucracy, police, businessmen and in many cases same elected leaders as well) , making this less about any incompetency but more about obstinacy of many people. There is no point in being frustrated over people like that.
Many under priveleged and rich people are naturally going to be supportive of the dominant party so nothing can be done about that not as long as the middle class that holds the levers of power remains in this genjutsu that prevents them from seeing that they also have a responsibility to hold all parties into account not just the congress.
Sorry, but India is in desperate need of competency in the political opposition. Simply “not being in power” is no reason to shield a politician from criticism.
For someone whose politics is quite clearly and overtly anti the current administration, surely you would want to see better quality in the opposition leadership.
I dont think it is only upto RG to be the opposition, there are not only other parties but nothing stops regular people from expressing outrage or dissent.
In the last 12 years, every person who was questioning a policy was shouted down and heckled only for now the necessity of criticism to be realized by people who still dont want to seriously judge their favorite party and would revote them despite all the present disagreements
RG cannot do much if the people want to put people on a pedestal and many others including his own party members want to benefit from power without the responsibilities.
Why waste time on someone not in power when there are no laws against donating to political parties, including ones in power.
And if you donate to certain business powers the whole system will bend over backwards to defend you.
He is in power, meaning a vital part of establishment. He has a status of a cabinet minister and all the paraphernalia associated with it, including a senior ias secretary.
He is a shadow Prime Minister.
The stuff people come up with to make Rahul Gandhi more powerful than he is all so that the people actually running everything arw not questioned.
He is only representative of his electoral constituency as far as actual power is concerted, all laws that gave the LoP some power have been neutralizer in favor of the government.
Please look at how easy it is to donate to one major business house and the largest party in Asia if you arw really concerned about security implications.
This really does have the ‘grapes are sour’ whiff. More than a whiff.
Arw you referring to me?
Can you please explain why someone who wants to interfere in the country’s functioning woule choose a LoP with no administrative power over a company that literally has rules changed in its favour?
not sure what you mean by ‘LoP’?
I think the Congress and esp Rahul have gone out of their way to solicit backing from the global woko haraam. His talking points are structured to signal this. The irritatingly ignorant clumsy copy-paste of such nonsense, that is not only counter-productive to meaningful social change and progress, but actually divisive and potentially dangerous – is the reason why folks who ‘don’t love the BJP’ are actively turned off by Congress and Rahul.
Its not a ‘cope’. That’s just your close-minded dismissal of a viewpoint that doesn’t align with your personal perspective.
There is no such thing as woko haram.
If you think resisting autocracy, asking for elections to be fair and not use process to manipulate it are part of some virtue signaling rather than issues that matter that is something you need to reflect on. I dont think everything is a conspiracy against the present govt sometime they may just be doing something wrong and many of its supporters are unable to assign blame adequately.
It is that simple, and RG incompetence does not present other center of opposition from coming up, if people genuinely wanted one. I dont think thay they do despite all their dissatisfaction.
I personally don’t find too much of a difference between how the Congress behaved in power and how the current dispensation behaves.
The degree will vary purely based on the fact that the Congress has been entrenched in the corridors of power longer. It also means that the Congress fell prey to corrupt practices by virtue of the structure ossifying under dynastic rule. Otoh it seems unlikely that the BJP which is inherently cadre based and has a more democratic internal constitution will end up as badly as the Congress has today.
The only difference I see is that unlike the Congress determined to keep the unwashed masses as subjects constantly depending upon the benevolent Gandhi largesse, the BJP wants to ensure a more equitable space to all, hence the aspirational Indian.
So, RaGa the autocrat in the Congress doesn’t quite want Modi the autocrat in power.
If anything it is since 2014,that most people are becoming subjects.
If 22 crore of people were deprived of voting because of clerical errors or if an opposition had raised the possibility of errors in electoral list being used by the ruling during congress they would be widespread protests. No education minister who speaks lile Pradhan about people protesting paper leaks or like Gadkari about those who complain against ethanol would have been able to avoid resigning.
It is now, that many are willing to gaslight themselves that anything thst goes wrong is Rahuls fault or anyone else fault but the people in power who are responsible and take credit for anything positive are not to be questioned. This is not how citizens behave, but subjects do. In congress era, people always raised voices
On the being a cadre based party making someone immune to corruption, the Ram Mandir fiasco is enough to put these notions to rest. Furthermore the entire electoral bonds fiasco where you tried to hide whst is happening and then when it comes out, we see that companies started giving money to one party either after they got raided or before they got a major project, is something that would be seen as corruption anywhere else and even before 2014 by citizens.
We can go on and on about how Gadkari, someone who has been associated with the sangh since his childhood is a perfect example of government corruption and conflict of interest. But I think the point is clear, cadre based party does nothing to stop corruption and lack of anger and gaslighting towards certain people bad behaviour is clear proof of citizens becoming subjects.
Bro feel free to go on with the “Democracy khatre mei hai routine” but if we are being real anyone not situated in and around Delhi always felt like a subject being subjected to farmans from the Antonio family during the 2000s. The limp wristed approach towards law and order during those times really affected too many people so much so that there was a genuine groundswell of dissatisfaction against Delhi in most parts of the country represented by the Anna Andolan. It was so desperate we were willing to consider Kejriwal as an alternative.
Nothing equivalent exists today, the widespread scams of that era are legendary even today. I’d argue that corruption is still widespread and I’d argue larger than before in absolute terms, however that is not completely infuriating as in relative terms the infrastructure spending, the welfare, and the government services (like Jan Aushadhi, PM Awas Yojana, Har Ghar Naal Se Jaal) have improved. The public which would’ve marched against authoritarianism was always just marching for the sake of doles which this govt is more than happy to provide.
//Bro feel free to go on with the “Democracy khatre mei hai routine” but if we are being real anyone not situated in and around Delhi always felt like a subject being subjected to farmans from the Antonio family during the 2000s. The limp wristed approach towards law and order during those times really affected too many people so much so that there was a genuine groundswell of dissatisfaction against Delhi in most parts of the country represented by the Anna Andolan. It was so desperate we were willing to consider Kejriwal as an alternative.//
Most of the groundswell was against corruption that the UPA was seen as being weak against, I dont remember people feeling like subjects, subjects dont insult the prime minister and sonia gandhi in a comedy show on live TV or make fun of the supposed prince apparent that continues to this day. You can keep on beleiving that the Gandhis were able to engineer even half of the hero worship that goes on today, but the open and vitriolic criticism, from media, activists, opposition and even citizens of then would suggest otherwise.
//Nothing equivalent exists today, the widespread scams of that era are legendary even today. I’d argue that corruption is still widespread and I’d argue larger than before in absolute terms, however that is not completely infuriating as in relative terms the infrastructure spending, the welfare, and the government services (like Jan Aushadhi, PM Awas Yojana, Har Ghar Naal Se Jaal) have improved//
In relative terms it is only the reporting on scams that has decreased, electoral bonds or Gadkaris conflict of interests or the way the system bends over backwards for Adani is leagues above anything that was happening in the suppsoed 2g scam and coalgate that have been proven to be false in court. The lapses in the things you quoted in terms of many taps not having water coming through them, many houses being made for benefeciaries that dont exist and other lapses in other flagship schemes are just not reported, does not mean that delivery is better. Anyways the aadhar as well as the proliferation of micro banks and SBI were built by many governments of the past as well.
// The public which would’ve marched against authoritarianism was always just marching for the sake of doles which this govt is more than happy to provide.//
This goes further to prove my point, it is the public that is the reason we lack an opposition not RGs incompetence that is a conveninent scapregoat. I think you are underestimating how much perceptions have been modified to make it difficult for large number of people, to fathom that a particular party can be wrong or even held accountable.
We can see it in how anytime even middle class has to suffer due to policy failures, it is supposedly RGs fault that the minister could do this, not their own moral failures. I recently read an Indian Express article that described that in UP despite being unhappy their own legislators are sidelined and particular IAS officers are running the shots, many people legitimately believe there is a disctinction between this above system and their favorite politicians, this is sign of a public being emotionally manipulated, not of a public getting its cut of the doles.
Well put. Agree with your analysis.
The regional bullies like Laloo, Akhilesh etc being cut to size has also been beneficial to the BJP.
Not immune to corruption, less likely. Gadkari being case in point.
The Congress’s (read Gandhis) many follies include the inability to feel the pulse of the people, something that even Modi’s worst detractors admit.
Gadkari isn’t as corrupt as people online make him out to be. His kids own a company which makes 0.05% of the country’s ethanol. The reality is there isn’t a single political family in MH that doesn’t own sugar mills or isn’t involved in the sugar business which is directly connected to the ethanol business. We don’t have to look to far to find that even former presidents like Pratibha Patil being involved in this business.
The reality is even the Gandhi family can be directly convicted in corruption if the BJP wanted it to be. The National Herald case is still lying in the courts going nowhere. The only thing the BJP wants to convict Rahul Gandhi over seems to be his statements over Savarkar. They are very protective of their star campaigner from the Congress.
I think that’s a fair take.
National Herald will kick in once RaGa’s utility as star campaigner is completely utilized imo. This is of course assuming that the BJP continues to be in power even in the next term and more. The other hypothesis is to keep the NH case hanging like a Damocles sword over the Congress. Either way its a win for the BJP.
when are the next national elections.. Indian Democracy is very vigorous I feel.
2029. It is very vociferous and vigorous. Truth be told, we need a good opposition that has a better narrative than just a constant criticism of the BJP. This “democracy khatre mein hai” nonsense is just that. A distraction from the oppositions own misdeeds.
The NH case is that space guven for news work was utilized for other profit generating activities
Not modifying and changing policy for the sake of benefit of a few people. Whether it’s 0.05% or 500% changing policy to benefit everyone cloae to a party is pure conflict of interest and if 2g scams was corruption for the possibility of this the very clear linkages between politicians family and policy is bigger corruption than anything 12 years ago.
National Herald was a public company which had large amounts of land. That land was indirectly sold at an undervalued price to a shell company where Gandhi family members were directly present on.
500 million dollars were effectively transferred to the Gandhis through this in the 2010s. That land value will have skyrocketed in value by now, I’d argue this scam goes over a billion dollar in value in today’s dollar value.
it’s absurd as they present in such a simple manner.
no idea about this..
The corruption is in front of everyone but not one is calling it out
The electoral bonds is itself a collection of 100s of 2g scams and are you trying to tell me Gadkari is an exception not the rule? You know most of the congress corruption allegation have not been proven.
And being popular does not make everything ok, even Indira Gandhi was populat dus not make the emergency correct.
Rather than reading the people pulse, the sentiment is being actively manufactured to assign all credit to someone and blame to someone else
all your comments have been spectacular thank you..
Not saying corruption isn’t a problem. My point was on ecosystem rot which is much higher in the Congress.
Come on, do not defend the indefensible in the Congress’s corruption. It’s possible to be neutral about this. Your defense of the Congress undermines your credibility in rightly calling out the Achilles heel of the BJP.
There’s a reason people are voting for Modi repeatedly. Unlikely that its manufactured to suit personal preferences?
You can claim that Congress was the progenitor of many schemes that the BJP takes credit for. Well they were in power a lot longer to implement it. What gave?
Ultimately public memory is short, they will remember the ones under whom they benefitted not the ones who kept it hanging like a forbidden fruit.
this is a great point.
they are completely detached.
not like Rajiv & India and JN who were attuned
Yes, that’s something I coined, but I’m guessing you know exactly what I mean by it.
“stolen elections”, “its all rigged” – the cry of losers everywhere from Drumpf to RaGa. All whinge and no substance.
It is something I understood becoz I know exactly how conspiratorial thinking works.
And the argument is the playing field is being manipualed by a biased umpire something completely different from an election being stolen.
playing field is never perfectly level. Incumbents have had advantages even before the BJP era. Pretending that such advantages are unprecedented is just dishonest sensationalist chest beating.
Of course, as times change, the tools of said advantages evolve.
In fact it is precisely such crying fake wolf that enables BJP admin to get away with things it shouldn’t.
The playing field was not skewed to such an extent that one party has 10000 crore in its kitty and the other has 100 crore only.
In 2014, the bjps and congress accounts were each about 300 crore.
Using past misdeed to justify the present is exactly the kind of perception manipulation I am talking about. Corruption is no longer corruption if our favorite party is involved it is something to be sanctified and defended.
Do you think that this kind of imbalance should exist where one has 10000 crore and the other has only 100 crore? You prove me right when I saw people perception is being shaped to the detriment.
interestingly enough this was also the era of intense social media where Right-Wing parties did come to power..
Well, then they played well despite the ecosystem having been so entrenched against them. Why be so upset when the underdogs finally managed to do a one up on the perennial winner?
The Gandhis personal treasury is way more than both the Congress and BJP’s combined.
From a distance, my impression is that the mantle of political leadership was thrust upon him and not something he genuinely wants. But to sustain the…dynasty and protect the ‘family jewels’, he’s gotta do it. So he needs more than frequent ‘breaks’ to get away from the unwanted burden he’s shouldering.
this feels like a good analysis..
Most warrior queens have been forgotten. But history has a funny way of resurfacing. Here’s one on Didda, Queen of Kashmir.
https://www.greaterkashmir.com/opinion/didda-the-forgotten-warrior-queen-of-kashmir/
Here’s another on a formidable warrior from ancient Iran.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Artemisia-I
thanks for sharing.
“Dance and performance across boundaries of caste, gender and citizenship in India”
By Ranjana Dave
https://www.himalmag.com/lavani-tamasha-maharashtra-dance-performance-caste-gender-citizenship-india
Interesting but couldn’t see the entire article.
Based on the excerpt you’ve provided, it seems that these ladies are comfortable or OK with creating a spectacle of themselves (everything from what they wear to what they eat is chronicled) just to get married?
I guess you have to subscribe to Himal (it’s free) to read the entire article.
“Indian Matchmaking” was a show on Netflix some years ago. It featured rich Indians and Indian-Americans. It was a typical reality show which exploited not just the women on it but also the guys. But of course, they all agreed to be on the show.
But some of the women on it were quite professionally accomplished and Seema Aunty (the matchmaker) was still trying to put them in the appropriate boxes so they could get an arranged marriage. But that’s what they hired her for.
I just realized that S Janaki was the singer of the superhit Kiliye Kiliye song that was given a fresh lease of fandom via Lokah.
Om Shanti.
Wire for once has given a balanced account of what brahmos is and means to Russia and India.
Rahul bedi doing a decent job.
https://m.thewire.in/security/the-questions-that-need-to-be-asked-as-brahmos-emerges-as-indias-flagship-defence-export
“The Hindu nationalist remaking of transgender identity in India”
By Hritik Lalan
https://www.himalmag.com/hijra-transgender-hindu-nationalism-india
Indian youngsters have put a rocket in space, through private sector. Auguments govt. effort. Good progress.
One silver lining is that ISRO cooperated fully.
Yes was seeing stuff on twitter about India’s location being God-given for a spaceport (so close to the Equator)..
prabhu chawla in TNIE. interesting…
https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinion/columns/pc/2026/Jul/18/who-silenced-indias-protest-streets
Who silenced India’s protest streets?Civil society has remained hesitant, public intellectuals have largely stayed away and even those who routinely express outrage on television and social media have shown little inclination to translate indignation into physical participation.
Technology has unquestionably altered the grammar of politics. Earlier generations marched with banners; today’s generation brandishes smart phones. A hash tag can travel farther than a procession and a short video often reaches more people than a public meeting. Digital platforms have democratised expression in ways unimaginable a decade ago.
Economic change may have contributed to this behavioural transformation. India has become more aspirational than aggrieved. The expanding middle class is understandably preoccupied with careers, education, business and economic advancement. Agitation carries a cost. It consumes time, creates uncertainty and occasionally invites confrontation. Prosperity often moderates political behaviour, but has it also weakened the instinct for organised public action?
I’m quite surprised to see that everyone on this site is completely ignoring the Iran War.
we removed your comments on BP; btw the blog does deserve response.
I have stopped following the war tbh..
iran is being tragically degraded systematically. there is no great valour in dying and letting your own people die. even hitler’s generals surrendered, although they could have fought for some more time.
Iran is defending their homeland. This is an existential battle for them.
Iran has managed to attack US military bases in Jordan and kill American soldiers.
Obviously, I’m not in favor of this war going on for a long time. However, let’s remember that the war was started by the US and Israel. Iran has managed to impose costs on the US.
it is an existential battle for the islamic regime and not for the nation or its people.
the end result will be like the fate of ottoman regime at the end of world war 1. the nature of iranian regime might change. it’s influence on it’s proxies will reduce.
just like post war gemans, post ottoman turks, the new iranian regime will distance itself from the islamic regime.
At this point, it’s an existential battle for the nation. It’s not about the regime anymore. No country can allow any other to attack its bridges and critical infrastructure with impunity. Iran cannot allow any other country to control the Strait of Hormuz.
+1
well, instead of opening one more thread,…..
1) this CJP protest. it was literally dying when after shifting wangchuk to hospital, crowds started filling up as if on a cue, and the results are for all to see. looks very inorganic and is getting support from quarters whose support was not asked.
2) congress after being outside, now is protesting and taking the front position.
3) central ministers are meeting the protesters. has modi govt. lost nerve or may be to show public that they care.
4) no such protests reported elsewhere.
//this CJP protest. it was literally dying when after shifting wangchuk to hospital, crowds started filling up as if on a cue, and the results are for all to see. looks very inorganic and is getting support from quarters whose support was not asked.//
If anything Jantat Mantar was constantly filled till Wangchuk was taken, why would he be taken if this protest was dying. Is it really that difficult to fathom that large number of people may be angry over a bad education system? And genuinely feel like their future is being taken away?
//no such protests reported elsewhere.//
There were protests against the education minister and the paper leaks by congress and other opposition parties and protests all major cities even before Wangchuk was taken. After that I can at least confirm protests in bangalore, mumbai and kolkata.
The reported word is the operative here, the media is not reporting on protests like before.
This whole protest appears to be drama and nautanki. Half the protesters disagree with the rest. Its just a bunch of professional agitators, failed politicians and a bunch of useful idiots trying to grift.
This CJP Dipke dipshit is an ignorant fool. Just watching him for more than a minute makes this abundantly clear.
They’ve gotten violent so early which gives the govt an excuse to crack down on them hard. They’re clearly being financed to oppose the FCRA amendment, so I hope the govt doesn’t get cold feet on those issues.
This is not even on the agenda, as they have repeatedly said they want to bring education reform in india the first step of which is bringing some accoutability in the system.
Where did you even get this, because not a single protestor has even spoken about FCRA to begin with. The stories some people come up with to deal with the fact that many people dont like the present state of affairs.
The agenda is fungible. The main idea is to create obstructions around the Monsoon session of parliament. Their ideas for education reform would create a more divided education landscape. Ideas such as abolishing NEET shouldn’t even be entertained in a serious discussion. Pradhan is obviously a bad minister but he isn’t going to get removed until the next cabinet reshuffle because the govt won’t want to give in to any protest’s demands.
//The agenda is fungible.//
This is an assumption of yours, based on bias not anything objective. THis would not have lasted this long if the govt had even opened a dialogues and promised to look into their demands or shifted Pradhan already.
//Their ideas for education reform would create a more divided education landscape. Ideas such as abolishing NEET shouldn’t even be entertained in a serious discussion.//
On the basis of what is abolishing NEET a bad idea? Engineering exams have seperate examinations for states and certain private colleges, one advantage of this is that if one organization bungles everyone does not suffer like so many have due to paper leaks. Plus NEET PG itself is not the only way to get a post graduate medical seat for instance.
Anyways abolishing NEET does not mean scrapping the exam, but adding more exams along with it, like JEE Main and JEE Advanced, or allowing colleges and states to hold their own medical exams or have their own admission criteria. Having many options not only makes paper leaks difficult but even gives people many options.
You some how looked at the Indian examination system for Medical students and thought that it needed to be less meritocratic and more bureaucratic.
When going through coaching, that is quite pricey is the only way to clear an exam and get a high score then meritocracy has already gone out of the window.
These exams dont test competence, they are eliminators straight and simple,not to mention they have no bearing on what kind of profrssional one becomes. Dont know why these eliminators are linked with meritocracy, it is more a test of discipline than anything else.
Furthermore, the NTA itself does not have as much staff and resources needed to conduct this exam, needing to involve a host of contractors, one of whom has been responsible for this years leak. There is neither meritocracty nor lesser bureaucracy in this system.
Maybe making it more like engineering would at least solve some problems.
The entire point of having standardized testing is that it tests a large number of people on the same set of syllabus and same set of topics. It even the playing field, we have seen this even in the US where standardized testing is actually one of the few pathways where poorer students can pull ahead of rich students. The entire point of having prestigious institutions is that the barrier to entry is really high which weeds out the chaff. Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, and Princeton are not prestigious because the classes are hard but instead because the barrier to entry is really high. A poor student won’t be able to afford to prepare for multiple tests from different states for a medical college. Whereas with NEET a lot of students will be able to pay for tuition on for a single exam.
All the ideas you are putting out would actually make it harder for poorer students. In fact the largest sources of paper leaks in India is from the state government, if state governments were allowed to conduct their own exams it would be just as rotten at the Punjab teachers exam leak and the Rajasthan SI Exam leak. None of your solutions work, the only real workable solution is a single centralized, computerized exam like NEET.
Of course standardised testing reflects privilege as well..
seriously?
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/emip.12598
In the US there are enough institutions for everyone who are citizens if they want to study.
The primary issue at least with medical education is the lack of institutions giving education at a reasonable rate. All this talk about NEET being fair is nonsense if the basic infrastructure is not there.
And if being fair is the main thing then why not do what Tamil Nadu did and make the 12th board the only criteria for medical entrance. Much cheaper and better to improve the syllabus than put people through a wringer in the name of a false ‘fairness’.
You know that the benefit of multiple tests in a country with multiple good institutions is that you can actually priorities and decide your admission prep. Someone who is poor, can focus mostly on the institutions in their own district rather than competing with those from other states with better resources for whom this is a backup.
So your solution is to deprive poorer district while concentrating wealth and knowledge in rich districts. That’s an amazing solution, no south Indians should come to Mumbai and vice versa. Its great that you have taken up Shiv Sena talking points.
I almost completely agree with your points on standardized testing…Having been at the IITs..I can say the examination process is a rejection system rather than a selection one..the best of engineers are now found outside these systems and fortunately they do very well.
We need to look at supplementing standardized testing with other metrics for judging merit. We also need to make the educational system more egalitarian but this wont happen because the ruling political class itself has en masse abandoned the public education system.
you are obviously defending and supporting this CJP protest stuff.
If the agenda is not ‘fungible’, how about you list out their demands other than nebulous chest beating for “reform”.
1.Remove Dharmendra Pradhan to establish accountability.
2. Give 1 crore compensation to the families of children who committed suicide.
3.Sonam Wangchuks release.
These are the three demands forwarded ti the BJP. The first one is why this whole movement was organizer’s for and why everyone is protesting.
Reforming the education system is a long term goal thst this is the first step to show that messing up people future will not onlt result in one being shifted to somewhere else in the government or party machinery.
State monopoly on violence can only be challenged in dysfunctional states.
Right to protest doesn’t mean constant disruption on your own terms.
I dont think you have actually seen a video about the protest at Jantar mantar beyond some reels that are purposely portraying it in a bad light.
Most of the people protesting at Jantar Mantar are neither professional agitators( whatever you mean by that), nor are politicians( barring those who came to express solidarity) and grifters dont put themselves in the line of fire through either a hunger fast or by taking the beating of the police.
//This CJP Dipke dipshit is an ignorant fool. Just watching him for more than a minute makes this abundantly clear.//
The person above has been able to manage one of the most successful transitions of dissatisfaction from social media to reality so far, if he was as foolish as you say, neither would he be detained, nor would so many people come to support the movement he started after Sonam Wangchuk had been taken. Nor would people still be there after Delhi police had torn down their banner.
Maybe evaluate the foolishness of the education minister who is the main reason this whole thing is even happening?
I don’t care about any ‘good light bad light’ media or “reels”.
2 wrongs don’t make a right? Is the current education minister an idiot, worthy of removal. Sure, possibly. Does that mean Dipke and his ‘protests’ shouldn’t be evaluated on their own merits? Hell no.
//wrongs don’t make a right? Is the current education minister an idiot, worthy of removal. Sure, possibly. Does that mean Dipke and his ‘protests’ shouldn’t be evaluated on their own merits? Hell no//
If you want to criticize someone understanding their own POV is the most basic thing
I know this whole situation makes people close to you look bad but putting the blame of their missteps on others is not done.
I mean using the half expletives you are using for Dipke on Pradhan who is the reason this has lasted this long is a good start
>grifters dont put themselves in the line of fire through either a hunger fast or by taking the beating of the police.
oh yes they do. That is literally their playbook.
No, grifters incite others. Put them in the line of fire and dont take any consequences of their own.
Most of the students and supporters who took the Delhi polices lathi are not grfiters neither is Sonam wangchuk, or Abhijit dipke or the others from AISA who are also on hunger fast
Please see if people from your favorite party fall in the same definition of grifters you are applying to the CJP.
“congress” yadav, you name it, all the useless impotent politicians are trying to cash in on the spectacle and chaos. Its all so …predictably stupid.
one interesting thing i noticed: this is a middle class grievance. now it has morphed to regime change.
dipke claims to be a dalit. he is bringing ambedkar’s photo into the stir. although ambedkar is the new holy cow of india and politicians are cagey to voice their opinion on him, for the common middle class crowds ambedkar is a divisive personality.
now, there are footage of stone throwing protesters with blue scarfs.
there are lots of elements with different ideas than CJP.