Tag: manipur

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-37

About: the world this week, 8 September to 14 September 2024: Wars; America Debates; SpaceX walks in Space; Typhoon Yagi; India – West Bengal, Pappu, Manipur; Paralympics 2024 – the end.

Everywhere

Ukraine; Israel

This Tuesday, Ukraine targeted Russia’s capital Moscow, in its biggest drone attack so far, killing at least one person, wrecking dozens of homes, and forcing around 50 flights to be diverted from airports around Moscow. On its turn, Russia said it had destroyed about 20 Ukrainian attack drones as they swarmed over Moscow.

In the Israel-Hamas War, reports say that Israel offered Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, a safe exit from Gaza in return for release of all the remaining hostages, in a bid to end the war. But it was turned down. And the war goes on.

This week, Israel launched multiple strikes on southern Lebanon, killing a senior Hezbollah Commander. In another daring raid, Israeli commandos obliterated a missile and secret weapons production facility in Syria, near the Lebanese border. The operation involved Air and Ground Forces. More than 18 were killed and dozens injured. And Hezbollah keeps firing rockets into Israel.

America Debates

WARNING: Debate victories do not always translate into election wins.

In the first-and perhaps only-US Presidential Debate, Vice-President Kamala Harris sparred with Ex-President, Donald Trump this Tuesday, on tackling issues like abortion, immigration, the economy, and foreign policy. The Debate was hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia’s National Constitution Centre.

The overwhelming opinion on the outcome was that Harris won the Debate, with Trump ‘willingly’ taking the bait and walking into traps laid for him. It was a poised and prepared Kamala Harris that met a crabby and thin-skinned Donald Trump. Harris effectively needled Trump on his deepest insecurities while painting a clear choice for voters. When Trump spoke dismissively of Harris, she systematically dismantled his rhetoric. This line by Harris probably sums it up, “You’re not running against Joe Biden. You’re running against me”. Make my day?

The ABC News moderators were criticised for not ‘moderating enough’ and leaning towards the Harris side, doing fact-checks on Trump’s statements and not on Harris’.

When Harris challenged Trump’s obsession with rallies, he countered in his trademark style, “People don’t leave my rallies. We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics”.

Giant Leap in Space

This Tuesday (oh, what a Tuesday of the week!) SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn Mission kicked off, launching a four-person crew of civilian astronauts into orbit. And hours later they made history, reaching the highest orbit around Earth. The SpaceX Crew Dragon Spacecraft carrying the crew reached its peak altitude of 1,400.70 km, which surpassed the 1,373 km record set by NASA, in the early days of Space ventures, in the 1966 Gemini 11 Mission. Elon Musk’s SpaceX continues to scale greater heights!

NASA’s Apollo Missions have traveled farther, but did not enter a traditional orbit around Earth as they were destined-straight- for the moon. The Polaris Dawn mission also marks the farthest any human has journeyed since the final Apollo mission in 1972.

Then, in a ground-breaking moment, the crew successfully carried out the first ever commercial spacewalk, on the third day in space, when the spacecraft was orbiting at 732 km above the Earth’s surface.

Billionaire Jared Isaacman, the 41 year old founder of Shift4 Payments and Commander of the mission, exited the Spacecraft, performed designated tests, and returned to the Spacecraft in about 12 minutes. He was then followed by Mission Specialist, Sarah Gills, a SpaceX Engineer who also egressed the Spacecraft, did the same tests and returned, without incident.

Isaacman and Sarah conducted a series of mobility tests, carefully moving arms and legs through various positions to assess the Special Space Suit’s (EVA – ExtraVehicular Activity – suit) flexibility and comfort in the vacuum of Space. The Spacewalkers remained tethered to the spacecraft using a specially designed ‘Skywalker’ handrail system for stability.

The other two crew mates, Mission Pilot Scott Poteet and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon stayed and watched from inside – monitoring vital support systems throughout the operation. The whole process lasted about 46 minutes and the Spacewalk itself was for about 20 minutes.

When the hatch was unlocked and opened, the entire Spacecraft was depressurised and exposed to the vacuum of Space – a dangerous, and historic milestone. On the return when the hatch was closed, the Spacecraft re-pressurised, cabin oxygen and pressure levels normalised and confirmed, the crew were able to remove their EVA suits.

Meanwhile, late last week, on Friday evening, Boeing’s ‘impaired’ Starliner capsule returned from the International Space Station (ISS), concluding its nearly three-month ‘diseased stay’ in space. It flew back to Earth with an empty cabin, leaving behind two astronauts, it had carried, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams who must now remain on the ISS for another five or six months – waiting for a SpaceX Mission to bring them home. They were left behind as it was considered too risky to use the Starliner, which had problems with its Thrusters and a leaking helium system, which could not be resolved.

Before the capsule departed, Butch and Sunita wished the spacecraft, nicknamed ‘Calypso’, luck on its journey home. As the Starliner dropped through Earth’s air, a set of parachutes-which Boeing redesigned and tested as recently as this January-slowed the capsule before the vehicle deployed airbags for a gentle touchdown on terra firma. Starliner is the first US-made spacecraft to parachute to a landing on the ground rather than typically splash down in the ocean. Boeing hopes that approach will make it easier to recover and refurbish the spacecraft after flight.

The decision not to bring-back Butch and Sunita appears to a good one, as on the return a new thruster failed, and the Starliner experienced a temporary blackout of its guidance system during reentry. However, the undocking from the ISS and the landing on Earth were successful. Over to that, ‘Space between the ears’ – for Boeing?

Vietnam

Late last week, Asia’s most powerful typhoon this year, Typhoon Yagi, battered the north of Vietnam killing more than 200 people – and about 125 missing. In the capital Hanoi thousands had to be evacuated, especially those living near the swollen Red River – the principal river of northern Vietnam – as its waters rose to a 20-year high, flooding streets. Yagi brought gales and heavy rain as it moved westwards after landfall last Saturday, causing the collapse of a bridge, while it scythed through provinces along the banks of the River. A flash flood swept away an entire hamlet in Lang Nu, in the Lao Cai province.

Across the country, the typhoon and subsequent landslides wreaked havoc on many factories and flooded warehouses in coastal export-oriented industrial hubs east of Hanoi, forcing closures, with some only expected to resume full operations after weeks. The disruptions threaten global supply chains as Vietnam hosts large operations of multinationals that ship mostly to the US, Europe, and other developed nations.

India

West Bengal

In Kolkata, West Bengal State, Doctors are continuing to protest and cease work, seeking justice for the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College, a month ago, and water-tight safety measures at work. The Supreme Court of India appeared to be taking sides when it gave an ultimatum to the striking Doctors to return to work by 5pm on Tuesday or face the wrath of the Government. Meanwhile, State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee invited the Doctors for talks, which was rejected. Never mind, the Doctors still refused to get back to work.

The mainstream protests appear to be organic and non-political, with people spontaneously rising-up to agitate over the abysmal state of affairs. A prominent Member of Parliament and an ex-IAS Officer, Jawhar Sircar, of the ruling party of the State resigned in disgust over the mishandling of the entire Case. The pressure is mounting, even as India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in investigating, and is yet to throw up a decisive final report. The CBI cleared gang-rape allegations and identifies the accused- already in Police custody-Sanjay Roy as the sole culprit, based on evidence to this effect.

Manipur

Peace continues to elude the ethnic strife torn state of Manipur ever since clashes between the valley-based Meitei community and the hills-based Kuki community, triggered by a reservations issue in May last year.

This week violence erupted again following a sophisticated drone and rocket attack by Kukis. Drones were used to drop explosives in a few places. Overall, at least eight people have died and many injured in the fresh wave of violence.

Student protestors marched to the Raj Bhavan – where the Governor of the State resides -demanding the resignation of the Sate Police Chief and the Security Advisor among other demands. The march had to be tear-gassed by Police when stone pelting and other kinds of violence began.

Curfew was imposed, internet shutdown and more paramilitary forces were rushed to troubled spots to quell violence.

A Loose Cannon Ball: Lobbying Abroad

India’s Opposition Leader, of the Congress Party, Rahul Gandhi, fondly called ‘Pappu’ (an innocent kid) is on a tour of the United States and he is living up to his nickname, and much more. His claim that Sikhs in India are not allowed to wear Turbans and Kada (metal bracelet) and worship in Gurdwaras, in India, while the only time they had to hide their Sikh identity was during the 1984 anti-Sikhs pogrom (under his late father, Rajiv Gandhi’s Prime Ministership) stirred the proverbial hornet’s nest. Now the damage: Khalistani Separatist Groups have endorsed Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Sikhs being unsafe in India and are using it to justify their call for a separate Sikh state. The Khalistan movement is outlawed in India a considered a grave national security threat.

Pappu also raked up caste divisions in India and why he wanted a Caste Census to be done to ‘measure-up’.

Instead of promoting India abroad, he seemed to defame India. And the ‘select’ people he met -and interacted with -during his visit, only reinforced an anti-India bias – a hatred for India. A case in the point is Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who has introduced many anti-India resolutions in the US Congress and violated India’s sovereignty in visiting Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir on the invitation of Pakistan. She has also been peddling hatred against Hindus in India.

During our school days we were taught to understand ‘puns’ with the popular example, ‘An Ambassador LIES abroad for the good of his Country’. Well, here is a person, that too a responsible law-maker, spewing hatred abroad, for his own good?

Paralympics 2024: The Closing

This Sunday France bid goodbye to the Paralympics 2024 with an explosion of fireworks, laser beams, breakdancing, and a thumping set, by the giants of French electronica. It was the biggest party it had ever thrown.

The big surprise of the night-and one of the best musical performances -was the blind Malian singers Amadou and Mariam performing a stunning rendition of Serge Gainsbourg’s anthem about goodbyes, Je Suis Venu te Dire que Je M’en Vais (I came to tell you, it’s goodbye ) at the base of the ballon-borne Paralympic flame, just as it was extinguished.

The rain Gods, which blessed and soaked the Opening Ceremony with a downpour or rain came back for another round of washing. The skies opened completely drenching the athletes who valiantly danced to the music as flames warmed the occasion by constantly bursting into the sky from the stage.

India limped to the end of the Paris Paralympics 2024 with a haul of 29 medals – 7 Gold, 9 Silver, and 13 Bronze – which is nearly half of the 60 medals won by India in all its 13 Games so far. In its 11 Paralympics till 2016, India had won 12 medals. India’s performance at Tokyo Paralympics 2020 marked a quantum jump with 19 medals. It has gone up by 10 more at Paris.

China led the Medals table with 220 medals followed by Britain with 124, and the United States at 105. Overall India was at number 18.

More stories to soak-in coming up in the weeks ahead. Keep your umbrella, stay with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2023-29

About: the world this week 16 July to 22 July 2023. The grains of Ukraine; Manipur situation; the new largest office building in the World; Wimbledon Tennis; and AIDS.

Everywhere

Russia and Ukraine

This week, Russia announced that it would no longer allow Ukraine to export its grain by sea. Last year, the United Nations brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative so that Ukraine’s ships could safely bypass Russia’s blockade and get grain to the rest of the world. Now, Russia says it’s pulling out of the deal because of the crippling Western sanctions. This could destabilise global food prices and push 47 million people worldwide into famine or hunger. The European Union is scrambling to find alternative routes, by rail, through Eastern Europe.

Now, one day after the announcement, Russia attacked a Ukrainian grain Port. And launched a series of missile attacks on other cities.

There was a commotion over the United State’s decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine after Ukraine warned that it was running out of ammunition in its counter-offensive against Russia. The cluster bombs have arrived and said to be used ‘wisely’ by Ukraine. And the war continues.

Manipur

India’s State of Manipur is in the deadly grip of ethnic violence, and this week pictures of women of one community being paraded naked by another community shook and stirred the conscience of India. The incident happened on 4th May, but the videos were released only on 19th July – one reason mentioned is that the internet was shut-down in Manipur.

The situation in Manipur is not a one-dimensional one. Read World Inthavaarm 2027 https://kumargovindan.com/2023/07/08/world-inthavaaram-2023-27/on early history of the conflict. About the Meities, the Kuki’s, and the Naga communities, and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Adding more this week.

Women bear the brunt of violence during communal and ethnic riots and we rarely see the perpetrators brought to justice. And if at all arrested, they promptly get bail. In Manipur, violence against women has been a particularly resonant issue ever since the remarkable grass-roots movement for civil rights, Meira Paibi – Women Torch Bearers- in the 1970s. The Meria Paibi fought human rights violations by the paramilitary and armed forces against innocent people. It’s now run by five women leaders, known as ‘imas’ or mothers.

Going back in time, on 15 July 2004, it was that radical protest by 12 Manipuri women, who disrobed themselves and stood in protest at the historic Kangla Fort in Imphal-then the headquarters of the Assam Rifles-carrying banners with messages painted in red. ‘Indian Army Rape Us’, read one. ‘Indian Army Take Our Flesh’, said another. The women were protesting against the brutal killing of Manorama Thangjam, a 32 years old woman who had been picked up by the Assam Rifles under suspicious circumstances. Manorama’s bullet-riddled body was found near a paddy field, hours later. The case was a flashpoint in Manipur and forced the administration to address human rights violations by the Central Forces during the peak of the insurgency-when the various communities of the Hills and Valleys in Manipur were fighting each other.

Recall that a woman, Irom Chanu Sharmila’s 16 year long hunger strike for the repeal of AFSPA contributed towards changing the discourse on insurgency in the State.

The Assam Rifles is a central paramilitary force responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India. It primarily guards the Indo-Myanmar border. And is one of the Central Armed Police Forces administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The AFSPA was used sporadically in the hill districts of Manipur to tackle insurgency before being imposed across the whole state in 1980. Resentment against the security forces’ alleged excesses began as early as 1974, when a local woman committed suicide after she was allegedly raped by a Border Security Force officer, who faced no action for the suspected crime.

In March this year, in a significant move, the Central Government had withdrawn AFSPA from certain areas in Manipur, citing ‘significant improvement in the law and order situation’.

There is another angle to the Manipur situation, a destabilising factor: armed insurgents from Myanmar-many of whom have kinship ties with transnational ethnic communities straddling India and its immediate neighbours-slipping into the northeastern states through the porous border and adding to the complexity of Kuki-Meitei clashes and exacerbating the ongoing conflict in Manipur.

To escape the crackdown by neighbouring Myanmar’s military regime, ethnic Kuki-Chin (the Chin are an ethnic community native of the Chin state of Myanmar) people have entered India by thousands since the Myanmar coup in 2021. According to figures from UNHCR -the refugee agency of the United Nations- the ongoing civil war in Myanmar has displaced 1,827,000 people since February 2021, among which over 53000, mostly from the conflict-ridden Chin state and Sagaing region of Myanmar-the hotbed of armed resistance against the junta-have entered India’s northeastern states of Mizoram and Manipur till the month of May 2023.

In the last week of April this year, a random identification drive by the Manipur Government as part of the population commission’s work -which was was set up last year to track illegal immigration- identified about 2180 undocumented Myanmar nationals in the districts of Chandel, Churachandpu, andTengnoupal. These are Kuki-dominated districts along the Myanmar border.

During the recent All-Party meet in Manipur, India’s Home Minister said biometrics of people coming from across the border are being recorded and “for a permanent solution” to the instability in Manipur, “we have set up wired fencing across 10 kilometres (km) of the Manipur-Myanmar border on a trial basis, work tender has been invited for fencing on another 80 km, and a survey for fencing the rest of the Manipur-Myanmar border is being initiated.”

Now to the last angle – the drug angle- without which the complex web of issues behind the ethnic clashes in Manipur will remain incomplete; a reference that has repeatedly cropped up during high-level interactions between India and Myanmar.

Myanmar has become the ‘largest producer of illegal drugs within the infamous Golden Triangle—a tri-junction at the Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand borders that makes its way to India through the porous border.

Supply of drugs from the Golden Triangle remains a persisting problem. In recent times, however, poppy cultivation has proliferated in the hilly areas of Manipur and the Narcotics trade is playing a significant role in the Manipur violence. And drug cartels are utilising large chunks of the hilly districts for ‘quality poppy cultivation’.

While Kuki-Chin ingress has happened in Manipur over decades, what has happened over the past few years is an explosion in poppy cultivation in Manipur’s Kuki-dominated districts backed by drug cartels and insurgent groups with a cross-border network, resulting in huge loss of forest cover: a problem that aggravated since the Myanmar 2021 military coup when the influx of the persecuted Kuki-Chin community intensified. It is believed that a section of these illegal immigrants is being used by the drug and weapon cartels in Manipur.

As Manipur shifts its status from a transit route for drugs to a major producer, fuelled by armed refugees from Myanmar, observers say opium cultivation in Manipur seems to be more integrated within the regional drug economy and connected to other actors, notably from Myanmar.

The present Government of Manipur has tackled the drug menace to a great extent and about INR 1500 crore of drugs were busted in the past few years.

It is evident that a knotty vortex of issues has contributed to instability in Manipur besides the said majoritarianism of one community.

Yet, even though women have led the political discourse on rights, they continue to be prime targets for mobs in times of strife.

Surat

For 80 long years, The Pentagon of the United States of America was the world’s largest office building with about 6.6 million square feet of floor space. Now a new building in India just whacked-off that title: the Surat Diamond Bourse, built in India’s gem capital, Surat, Gujarat, India – about 240km north of Mumbai.

The Belgian city of Antwerp may be known as the world’s diamond trading hub, while most rough stones are mined in Russia or Africa. But it is in Surat, where around 90% of all the planet’s diamonds are cut.

Spanning over 35 acres of land, the sprawling 15-storey Surat Diamond Bourse complex with 7.1 million square feet of floor space accommodates 4,700 offices and 131 elevators. It has been constructed to house the diamond industry – to serve as a one stop shop for over 65,000 diamond professionals, including cutters, polishers and traders. It features a series of nine interconnected rectangular structures emanating from a central ‘spine’, resembling the layout of an airport terminal.

The state-of-the-art building has features designed to consume up to 50% less energy, qualifying it for a ‘platinum’ rating from the Indian Green Building Council. It incorporates a radiant cooling system that circulates chilled water beneath its floors, which will reduce indoor temperatures. Further, solar energy powers the common areas within the building.

The mammoth office space will save people’s time and resources: especially those who travel to Mumbai, with some people have to spend up to four hours, daily, to come from their homes to their offices and back home again.

The project took about four years to complete, including two years of COVID19 pandemic related delay. The building will be officially opened later this year by India’s Prime Minister, and host its first occupants in November.

The Surat Diamond Bourse is designed by Indian architecture firm Morphogenesis, based in New Delhi, following an international design competition. The project’s size was dictated by demand with all offices purchased by diamond companies prior to construction.

The design was also influenced by Morphogenesis’ research into how the Indian diamond trade operates. The series of nine 1.5-acre courtyards, complete with seating and water features, serve as casual meeting places for traders; the landscaped area becomes the ‘traditional bazaar’ where any informal transactions take place outside the office environment. Email orders are probably taken inside, but human-to-human transactions are almost all outside. The courtyards are described a public parks where it is assumed all these activities will take place.

The Moon

India’s Moon-mission spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 is enjoying the ‘space sights’ on its way to the Moon and is in superb health, since its launch last week. India’s ISRO Scientists have been manoeuvring it gradually to longer orbits around the Earth and a 4th such manoeuvre was also completed this week. The last will be on 25 July after which it will be nudged into the lunar transfer trajectory to the Moon. Likewise, it will dance around the Moon before deciding to land.

Wondered why is takes more than 40 days to cover the nearly 3,84,000 km distance between the Earth and Moon when the USA, Russia and China do it under a week’s time?

India does not, as yet, have a powerful enough launcher to take it directly to the lunar transfer trajectory, hence this less costly means of cleverly using the Earth’s gravity to slingshot out of the Earth’s pull and then get into the lunar orbit. And again squeezing every bit of the Moon’s low gravity to make a soft landing.

Tennis

This year’s Wimbledon Tennis Championship in London, which ended this Sunday, served us two brand new winners in the Women’s Singles, and the Men’s Singles.

Czechoslovakia’s ‘much-tattooed’ 24 years old Marketa Vondrousova beat Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in straight-sets 6-4, 6-4 to clinch her maiden Wimbledon Women’s Singles Title. Vondrousova is also a silver medallist at the 2020/2021 Tokyo Olympics. And she is the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon Women’s Singles.

She got the first of many tattoos on her arms at the age of sixteen. And some have special significance, such as her lucky number 13, the Olympic Rings, and the quote, ‘No rain, no flowers’ (success does not come easily) above her right elbow. After winning Wimbledon, she and her coach Jan Hernych plan to get a matching tattoo in celebration-they pledged to so do if she won. A tattoo parlour in Prague, Czechoslovakia is their next destination!

But, the best was in the Men’s Singles.

Spain’s 20 years old Carlos Alcaraz beat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals and went on to stun and end Serbia’s Novak Djokovic’s reign with a classic and enthralling 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 match. It was a four hours and forty-two minute battle on the Centre Court of the All England Club. Last year, Alcaraz became the youngest player to earn the year-end World No. 1 honour. And this is his first Wimbledon Title – keeping the World No.1 ranking.

Djokovic holds this year’s Australian Open and French Open Titles and was aiming to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles and match Margaret Court’s all time record of 24 Grand Slam victories.

Margaret Court is an Australian former World No 1 women’s tennis player and considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Her 24 major singles titles and overall 64 major titles (doubles and mixed-doubles) is the most by anyone in Tennis history. She dominated women’s tennis in the 1960s with a powerful serve and volley game, and retired in 1972.

About, the new Wimbledon Champion, the best comment from Djokovic himself, “People have been talking about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself. I’d agree with that, He’s basically got the best of all three worlds…I haven’t played a player like him ever”.

AIDS

Long before the COVID19 pandemic stole our breath away another not so contagious but nevertheless deadly pandemic ruled the world: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). And we still do not have an effective cure for it since it first came to light in the 1980s.

A new report says that the end may be in sight for AIDS. The Joint United Nations (UN) Program on HIV and AIDS says that Botswana, Eswatini, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe have all reached ’95-95-95’ targets, meaning 95% of the people who are living with HIV know their status, 95% of those people are on lifesaving antiretroviral treatment, and 95% of people in treatment are virally suppressed.

Across eastern and Southern Africa, new HIV infections have been reduced by 57% since 2010. Also since 2010, the percentage of pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV who have access to antiretroviral treatment has nearly doubled, and new infections among children have more than halved.

There’s more work to be done, but the UN said the world could end AIDS by 2030 if we stay the course keep-up the investment from World leaders.

More clusters of stories will be fired in the weeks ahead. Stay safe with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2023-27

About: stories of weeks gone by 21 to 26, the end of May and the whole of June, and this week, 2nd to 8th July. I was travelling to the United Kingdom and Europe for a first-hand touch of places. And, often a well-deserved hiatus sharpens your thoughts. Here I go, for the cut.

Everywhere

Gone Weeks

India inaugurated a brand new Parliament Building on 28th May, built in a record time of over two years. This was much needed, to get rid of the old colonial-minded building, and to accommodate India’s ever growing population: meaning more Members of Parliament -for a deeper representation – who will fill-in the seats, in the years ahead. Sound-proof, with undetachable seats and objects, and an in-built ruckus prevention system, I hope!

India’s new Parliament certainly rocks and most of the Opposition Parties cited sudden, mysterious reasons to stay away. They created a problem where none existed, for one, that the President of India must inaugurate and not the Prime Minister. They were deeply jealous that the Prime Minister got the new building plan executed to perfection when they tried to prevent its construction-as wasteful-in the first place.

Diving deeper, the Government came up with a stunner: installing the ‘Sengol’ in the New Parliament. A Sengol is a ‘dharma (righteousness) sceptre’ which symbolizes authority, sovereignty, virtual and ethical rule, and is highly spoken of in the ancient Tamil texts of Southern India. The sceptre bears a ‘Nandi’ (bull) and an image of Goddess Lakshmi, both of which mean wealth and prosperity. The Sengol was made under the directions of a 500 years old Saivaite monastery- the Thiruvaduthurai Atheenam- in Tamil Nadu, and given to Jawaharlal Nehru as a way of blessing his role as the first Prime Minister of India. This when the country obtained independence from the British in 1947 and was taking its first baby democratic steps. It symbolically represented the transfer of power from the British, and was later packed-off to a museum in Allahabad and its significance conveniently forgotten.

The wrestling on action against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is in a corner, ahead of the next bout. The WFI President insisted that he is not guilty, and to hang him if indeed any one of the allegations against him is found true. The Police are investigating, and the Courts are waiting to judge. Despite a tenacious, muscular match on the streets seeking dismissal of Brij Bhushan, the Govt stood firm on the mat, and finally the Wrestlers called off the protests agreeing to continue grappling in the Courts.

India’s Northeastern State of Manipur is burning with riots, arson, and attacks becoming the order of the day with two warring ethnic communities, the Meitei and the Kuki going after each other.

The Manipur issue is a complex one going back over many decades. Two communities-actually three-locked in a conflict over space, on the land, and in the mind.

The Meities who are about 53% of Manipur’s population are traditional owners and rulers of the land living in 10% of the area, in the valleys and plains, while the Kukis and allied tribes who came if from Myanmar -thanks to the British- are about 28% of the population occupying the hills, which is about 90% of the area. They share the hills with the another traditional land owner, the Nagas who once used to invade the Meities in the plains beating the living daylights out of them. All of these ethnic groups, at different points of history, wanted an independent country of Manipur or an independent state and formed insurgency groups to achieve this before and after Manipur joined the Indian Union. On account of this, Manipur was for long called a ‘disturbed’ State and the Indian Army given special powers under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) 1958 to maintain law & order.

The present conflict is mainly between the Meities and the Kukis, and began when the Meities demanded that they be included in the Scheduled Tribe Status List and petitioned the Manipur High Court to sent a recommendation to this effect to the Central Government. A fault line opened-up: even past rulers of the land wanted to be called a ‘Schedule Tribe (ST)’ to enjoy reservations in the Government, amongst other ‘green’ benefits. But there is a catch as not being a ST the Meities cannot buy land in the Hills whereas the Nagas & Kukis holding ST status can buy land in the hills, and also the valleys. Basic instincts of survival and progression of the clan rose to the surface. And the communities went berserk with the ‘spaces belonging to them’ being threatened.

The 2023 Archery World Cup, also known as the Hyundai Archery World Cup-for sponsorship reasons-is the 17th edition of the international archery circuit organised annually by World Archery. The 2023 World Cup consist of four events, and will run from 19th April to August, followed by a Grand Finale in which all finalists of the four events will participate. The first event was held in Antalya, Turkey. And the second, the Stage 2 was held in China’s Shanghai during the month of May. Upcoming are competitions is Colombia’s Medellin, and France’s Paris, and a grand finale in Mexico’s Hermosillo.

The end of Stage 2 was a proud moment for India, when 19 year old Prathamesh Samadhan Jawkar won Gold. He pulled off a major upset defeating world Number 1 Mike Schloesser. Technically, Prathamesh Samadhan is the new Archery World Champion. On another lane, 18 years old Kaur Avneet Kaur won the bronze medal in the Women’s event.

India is the land of fictional archery greats from Ekalavya, Arjuna, and Karna of the Mahabharata, to Lord Rama and Lakshmana of the Ramayana. Recall that Guru Dronacharya realising that Ekalavya was superior to Arjuna in archery, demanded his thumb as Guru Dakshana (offering), as Drona had promised Arjuna that he would make Arjuna the greatest archer in the world!

Outside India, Robin Hood and Horace Ford were famous with the bow in England; William Tell -shooting an apple off his son’s head fame-is an archery folk hero of Switzerland; Minamoto no Tametomo a Japanese samurai who sank an entire Taira ship with a single arrow – his left hand was 15cm longer than his right, which allowed him to draw the bow longer and make more powerful shots. Then there is Artemis in Greek mythology often seen hunting with a bow & arrow. Archery has a quiver-full of history and stories worth exploring.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a Yoga Show at the United Nations and got the world to twist and turn to the ancient magic of India. He followed it up with a brilliant visit to the United States to strengthen ties between the world’s largest democracies. Despite being a superb orator in Hindi and Gujarati he chose to speak in clear English and the Opposition in India wasted our time in finding pronunciation faults.

Russia’s seemingly invincible President Vladimir Putin suddenly seemed fragile – exposing a chink in his armour-when a crisis unfolded in Russia in the last week of June. Putin faced an insurrection from an ally, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, and the Russian mercenary fighters – the Wagner Group- he leads when they began marching to ‘take’ Moscow.

For the moment, the situation appears to have de-escalated. The forces answering to Prigozhin, the Wagner Group chief, halted their march toward Moscow and turned around, as Prigozhin was offered safe passage to Belarus. President Alexander Lukashenko brokered an agreement between Prigozhin and Putin. Criminal charges against Prigozhin were dropped, and preparations were made for Wagner to hand over its heavy military equipment to the Russian military. The deal appears to be holding.

Since its founding nearly a decade ago, the Wagner Group has typically operated in the shadows in Ukraine, Africa and elsewhere in the world. It is not a single, traditional company, but a network of organizations providing fighters for hire-with the approval of Russia, though details remain shrouded in secrecy. Russian President said that the Wagner was ‘fully funded by the state’ though he did not say whether that cash flow would continue.

The group’s lightning blitz toward the capital-and seizure of military sites along the way-stunned the world and prompted Russian authorities to scramble to build defenses on the outskirts of Moscow and other cities. Putin had pledged to crush the revolt and portrayed its participants as traitors to the nation.

That pledge quickly went up in smoke! For a moment Ukraine caught the wind of a victory. And the Russia-Ukraine war mercilessly continues.

This Week

France is burning.

The killing of a 17 years old driver, a boy, named Nahel of Algerian descent, driving a Mercedes Benz Car, has led to unprecedented anger, violent protests, and rioting across France. Violence has gripped the European nation for the more than a week. Thousands have been arrested after 40,000 police were deployed, as there was mass rioting across France.

Buildings, including schools, town halls and the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics in nearby Seine-Saint-Denis, were also torched. The historic Alcazar library, the largest public library in Marseille, was set on fire. Attackers stormed the home of suburban Paris Mayor’s home and fired rockets at his fleeing wife and children. They used a car to ram through the gates before setting it on fire.

Definitely a line has been crossed.

Nahel was an only child brought up by single-parent mother and lived in Nanterre in the western suburbs of Paris. He had been working as a takeaway delivery driver, and on the sidelines played rugby league. At 17 he was too young for a Driver’s Licence (18 being the age required). He has been the subject of many as five police checks since 2021-refusing to comply with an order to stop. Most of the trouble he got into involved cars: driving without a licence or insurance and using false number plates.

On the fateful day he was driving a yellow Mercedes with Polish number plates with two passengers – and no licence. He was stopped by the police, obviously for checks, who had the car covered with a gun. He then attempted to drive away, after which a police officer fired at the car and a bullet hit Nahel, pierced his arm and chest, killing him. And the fleeing car crashed into a near by post. One passenger was taken into custody while the other one is believed to have fled the scene.

The mother said she was angry at the accused officer rather than at police in general. “He saw a little, Arab-looking kid, he wanted to take his life,” were her words.

The ‘Police overreach’ ignited a fuse of simmering radical discrimination resulting in never before seen riots in France questing immigration policies and people being absorbed into the French mainstream. What about good parenting and following the rules?

The Israel-Palestine conflict is forever a burning, boiling cauldron. Over the past 18 months, Israel has intensified its military search, arrest and home demolition raids into Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank, amid a sharp rise in Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis: with casualty rates on both sides reaching levels not seen in many years. Since the start of this year, at least 162 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, while 21 Israelis have been killed.

This week, Israeli troops entered a neighbourhood on the edge of the West Bank city of Jenin’s packed urban refugee camp, targeting the family home of a militant jailed by Israel. It launched one of its biggest assaults on the occupied West Bank in decades killing at least 12 Palestinians.

The Jenin camp has long been a hotbed for militants with an army of weapons and growing arsenal of explosive devices. Israel accuses militant groups of basing fighters within densely populated urban areas such as refugee camps that date back to 1948. Many militants live in these camps, often with their families.

It’s about 654 days since the Taliban banned teenage schools from schools. Afghanistan is the only country in the world preventing girls and women from getting an education as a part of state policy. Now taking another cruel step, the

Taliban have ordered beauty salons in Afghanistan to be shut down. There is no end to the misery women face in this country. What next, break all mirrors?

This Tuesday the Indian football team won its ninth South Asian Football Federation Championship (SAFF) title after beating Kuwait on penalties. At the centre of the triumph was one man -Indian captain Sunil Chhetri, 38 years old. He has served Indian football for close to two decades, inspiring a generation of players. And led India to a modest Inter-continental Cup and SAFF Championship over the last three weeks, and is currently the third highest scorer of international goals among active footballers. That brings Sunil Chhetri on the same league of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Unbeleivable, for an Indian Player.

Sunil Chhetri has 93 strikes from 142 matches – the top two positions belonging to Cristiano Ronaldo (123 goals from 200) and Lionel Messi (103 from 175).

Take a look at the all-time list and Chhetri is ranked fourth with Iranian legend Ali Daei ahead of him with 109 goals from 148 matches. What makes his story all the more exceptional is that the list of all-time best 10 footballers is populated by stars from countries with an impeccable football lineage – where Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas holds the sixth position (84 goals) and Robert Lewandowski of Poland is ranked eighth (79 goals).

Compare that to the footballing credentials of India! The last time India had a podium finish in a major championship was a bronze more than 50 years back in the 1970 Asian Games, while their FIFA ranking has hovered around the 100-mark for as long as one can remember.

His achievements have not gone entirely unrecognised – FIFA produced a documentary on him called ‘Captain Fantastic’, last year, playing on their website. And we thought Indian cricket’s, now-retired, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was India’s only Captain Fantastic?

This week Wimbledon Tennis began playing. And for the first time in recent history, the world’s oldest tennis tournament is relaxing its Victorian-era, all-white dress code, which includes headbands, wristbands, even medical tape. Now, female players will be allowed to wear dark-colored undershorts beneath their skirts or shorts. The change, which was first announced in November, is intended to relieve ‘a potential source of anxiety,’ so athletes can focus solely on their performance. It comes after players opened up about the stress of having to wear all-white ensembles while on their period and after protests at last year’s Grand Slam.

This week’s Tuesday was the hottest day on Earth since at least 1979, with the Global Average Temperature reaching 17.18 Degrees Centigrade (62.92F). The previous record was set in August 2016 at 16.92 Degrees C (62.46F). Some scientists believe 4th July may have been one of the hottest days on Earth in around 125,000 years. Watch out. The Earth is warming for sure

More colourful stories coming up in the weeks ahead. Get that driver’s licence, follow the rules, and stay warm with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2023-18 & 19

About-the world this week, 30 April to 6 May 2023 and 7 May 2023 to 13 May 2023 -Two weeks in one: Russia versus Ukraine; Gun Violence in Europe; India’s Manipur; a King’s Coronation; Pakistan in turmoil; The Kerala Story; Indian wrestling; the Pulitzers; Nude lipstick at the Met Gala 2023.

Everywhere

Last week, Russia came up with a ‘special accusation’, blaming Ukraine of engineering a plot to assassinate its President, Vladimir Putin. This, after Russian air defences shot down two drones attempting to strike Putin’s residence inside the Kremlin walls. Of course, Russia said ‘naughty’ Ukraine carried out the drone strikes on the Kremlin.

Ukraine, on its part, denied any involvement and accused Russia of cleverly using the incident as a pretext for stepping-up attacks on the country.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is busy defending itself from the rapacious attack of Russia and pushing back Russian troops from its soil. There is fierce fighting-the longest and the bloodiest of this war so far- in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and Ukraine is clinging to the last streets. Russia has been unable to take control of the city due to the unbelievable fight-back by Ukraine.

When you think of Gun Violence, the United States (US) automatically shoots up in the mind. Maybe they have a close competitor – Serbia. This week, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Belgrade and other cities to protest gun violence after two mass shootings shook Serbia. Last week, a 13 years old boy opened fire in his school in Belgrade, killing nine people and injuring seven others. A day later, a 20 years old man, with an assault rifle, shot and killed eight people in several villages. Serbia has the highest rate of gun ownership in Europe.

In response to the shootings, the Government launched a month-long effort to get people to surrender their illegal weapons with no questions asked. So far, more than 1,500 guns have been surrendered. Now, Serbians are demanding a boost in security, a reduction of violent media content, and the resignation of top government officials for failing to ‘holster the situation’.

Britain’s King Charles III was officially crowned on the Saturday of last week, in a magnificent and deeply religious ceremony combined with pageantry at London’s Westminster Abbey. It was Britain’s first coronation in 70 years and was a symbolic coming together of the Monarchy, the Church, and the State. King Charles is the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned since the year 1066.

After the two-hour ceremony, King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla-who was also crowned-travelled to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach, which has been used in every Coronation since 1831. They later made the mandatory appearance on the palace balcony alongside other members of the royal family.

Estranged Prince Harry watched the proceedings alone from the sidelines – without a sparkle: wife Meghan Markle and the kids were in far-away US.

This week, Pakistan saw deadly protests in the wake of the arrest of former Prime Minister, Imran Khan. Tensions remained high with paramilitary troops and police on the streets in major cities. Mobile services were suspended – that’s becoming a habit all over the world – and schools and offices were closed in two of Pakistan’s four provinces.

Imran Khan was arrested on two corruption charges of more than 100 cases registered against him since his ouster in April 2022, in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. If convicted, he may be unable to contest elections. And his party, Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is most likely to emerge victorious if free and fair elections are held later this year. With Pakistan’s Army infamously poking its nose fully into governance of the Country we can expect lots of gunfire and twists and turns in the coming weeks and months.

In some relief for Imran Khan, late in the week, the Supreme Court declared his arrest by the Army as illegal. However, he will be held in a Police Guest House until the smoke clears!

India’s North Eastern State of Manipur has been thrown into ethnic turmoil with violence, arson, and mayhem unfolding in its various districts. Shoot-at-sight orders was issued to quell the violence.

The immediate provocation for the unrest appears to be the demand of the Meitei community, which accounts for 53% of Manipur’s population and primarily inhabits the Manipur Valley, to be included in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list – for reservation benefits. The Manipur High Court also issued an order asking the Government of Manipur State to send a recommendation to the Centre to include the Meitei community in the ST List.

Going deeper, there is also an underlying anger, simmering for a long time, on the Government’s clampdown on reserved and protected forests in the State’s hill areas. And also a feeling among Manipur’s Kuki community of being persecuted. Several Chin, people of the same ethnic group from across the border in Myanmar, have entered India, fleeing violence and persecution, and the Government’s tough stance against these illegal immigrants has angered the Kukis. There, you have a pot-boiler situation.

It all began on 3 May, after the All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) held a solidarity march in all districts opposing the Manipur High Court order.

On 4th May, as the violence escalated, the Centre invoked emergency provisions under the Constitution. And in the last few days, convoys of Army trucks, the Assam Rifles, the Rapid Action Force, and local police personnel have moved into the State and entered affected areas.

Over a dozen people have been killed, hundreds have been wounded, and over 9,000 people belonging to the Kuki and Meitei communities, besides others, have been displaced so far. Buildings, homes, and other property, including vehicles, have been destroyed. The situation is tense, and the Government is struggling to bring back peace in the region.

The Indian movie The Kerala Story, which puts the spotlight on forced conversion and radicalisation of women in the State of Kerala, has sparked a terrific row. Amid protests, petitions challenging the film’s release reached the Supreme Court, which has refused to intervene in the matter.

The controversy around started after film-makers dropped the trailer, which claimed that 32,000 girls from Kerala had gone missing and joined the terrorist organisation, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The Kerala High Court refused to halt the release of the multi-lingual film after concluding that the trailer did not contain anything that could be considered offensive to any particular community as a whole.

The Kerala Story is a compilation of the true stories of three young girls from different parts of Kerala, who converted to Islam and joined ISIS. Shalini Unnikrishnan, a woman who converted to Islam, shares her harrowing journey of aspiring to become a nurse, only to be abducted from her home and coerced by extremist groups. She was eventually manipulated into joining ISIS and ended up imprisoned in Afghanistan.

Directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, The Kerala Story stars Adah Sharma (as Shalini Unnikrishnan), Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani. It released on 5th May and is having an incredible run at the box-office.

The film has courted controversy for claiming thousands of innocent women have been systematically converted to Islam, radicalized & their lives destroyed.

The events portrayed in the film were inspired by the accounts of four women from Kerala who converted to Islam and traveled with their husbands to Afghanistan to join ISIS between 2016 and 2018. And who were interviewed by a news website in 2019. They were part of a 21 member group from Kerala to join ISIS in 2016, who remain incarcerated in Afghanistan since surrendering in 2019. The makers of the film have claimed that the film is the true story of an instance of ‘Love Jihad’ — a Hindutva conspiracy theory about non-Muslim women romanced and lured into marriage to convert them to Islam.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is wrestling with a scandal involving its President Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan, 66, President of the WFI since 2011. He was elected for a third consecutive term in February 2019, and is a politician, currently with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and also a Member of Parliament.

The allegations are that the President had sexually exploited and harassed women wrestlers over a period of several years. Top Indian wrestlers have been protesting on the streets of New Delhi for the last week over the lack of action against the WFI President. The protesting athletes have demanded an immediate arrest and sought the intervention of the Supreme Court, which directed the police to register a case against Brij Bhushan Singh.

The WFI President as denied the allegations, saying it’s arm-twisting by the Opposition…and the sparring continues.

While on protest, India’s top wrestlers have alleged that they were abused and assaulted by the police in Delhi while trying to bring beds to the protest site where they have been protesting since 23rd April.

For more than 100 years, the Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded by Columbia University to honour American achievements in journalism, letters and drama, and music. Pulitzers are widely recognised as the most prestigious awards in their field within the United States.

The 107th Pulitzer prizes celebrated journalists across the country. The Associated Press won two awards for its coverage of the war in Ukraine, including the most prestigious of all Pulitzers, the Public Service award.

The Washington Post won two Pulitzers- National Reporting and Feature Writing- as did the Los Angeles Times-Breaking News Reporting and Feature Photography. So did Al.com, Birmingham. Its columnist Kyle Whitmire won the Commentary award for his work analyzing Alabama’s confederate heritage. The publication also took home a Local Reporting Pulitzer for its series exposing malfeasance on the part of the local police force. Two awards were given in that category. The other Local Reporting Pulitzer went to Mississippi Today, in Ridgeland, Miss.

The New York Times won two Pulitzers as well, for International Reporting and for Illustrated Reporting and Commentary. The Pulitzer for Music went to Omar, by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels an innovative and compelling opera about enslaved people brought to North America from Muslim countries, a musical work that respectfully represents African as well as African American traditions, expanding the language of the operatic form while conveying the humanity of those condemned to bondage.

In some glad news, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that Monkeypox is no longer a global public health emergency. WHO added that the virus is still sneaking around and further waves and outbreaks could continue, but the highest level of alert is over. This comes almost a week after WHO also declaring that the COVID-19 Emergency is over. Two good goodbyes?

Please Yourself

This year’s annual fashion event, the Met Gala 2023, graced by iconic persons had most of them sporting sexy, sublime nude lips. From red carpets to catching up with friends or date nights, nude lips are as versatile and easy to wear as they come. Taking into consideration the right makeup look for any ensemble or event has never been easier as one can seldom go awry with a nude lip.

The Met Gala 2023 saw the model industry’s sweetheart Gigi Hadid looking stunning in a sheer black Givenchy Gown. To pull the whole look together, she wore natural base makeup, shimmery eye shadow and razor-sharp cat eyeliner that brought out the captivating beauty of her eyes with ease. Most notably, Gigi wore a comfortable caramel nude lip colour that complemented her peaches and cream skin perfectly.

India’s Bollywood Actress Alia Bhatt’s debut at the Met Gala 2023 was no short of a fantastic feat in her career. ‘Dressed to the nines’ in custom Prabal Gurung couture, Alia shone under the lights looking like a million dollars. Her signature dewy make-up and soft glam brown smokey eyes were brilliantly paired with a cool nude lipstick that pulled her ensemble to perfection.

Thus the nude lipstick became the signature tune of this year’s Met Gala.

More beautiful stories coming up in the weeks ahead. Stay clothed with World Inthavaaram.