Tag: US Elections

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-45

About: the world this week, 3 November to 9 November 2024: Israel infighting; USA’s new old President; Amsterdam street-hunt; Cricket-Kiwis make ants of India; and Quincy Jones departs.

Everywhere

Israel: Infighting

This week, Israel’s Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu fired his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, 14 months into the Gaza War, and the attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran.

Netanyahu said there has been too many ‘significant gaps’ between them over the management of Israel’s wars. He added, “In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the PM and the defence minister. Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister”.

The two have regularly been at odds over the handling of the Gaza war. A previous attempt to fire Gallant, in March last year, led to widespread street agitations against Netanyahu, with opposition groups calling for mass protests.

This time, the ‘gallant’ sacking comes amid a backdrop of disagreements over drafting of ultra-orthodox students into the IDF, with Gallant deciding to send out thousands of draft notices. Leaders of ultra-orthodox Haredi parties in Netanyahu’s coalition Government have called for a law exempting full-time religious seminary students from service.

Religious young men are exempt from military service, which is compulsory for most Jews in the country. Many Israelis are annoyed the ultra-orthodox remain exempt from national service when so many of the country’s young men and women are fighting.

Yoav Gallant was replaced by Israel Katz, was previously foreign minister. Katz has nowhere near the military command experience of Gallant-who is so well regarded within Israel that when he spoke about the direction of the war, often in opposition to Netanyahu, people listened.

Amsterdam Hunt

Late this week Jewish soccer fans were ‘attacked and hunted like animals’ by Islamists, Pro-Palestinian mobs, and antisemitic hit-and-run squads who went on a rampage in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Israelis were abused and pelted with fireworks around the city, and riot police had to be called-in to protect them and escort them to hotels. At least five people were treated in hospital. Israel despatched its aeroplanes to the rescue and said it would fly many fans home. However at the end of the day all missing people were accounted for and Israel sighed in relief.

Dutch police said they had launched a major investigation into multiple incidents following the Europa League soccer game this Thursday night between Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dutch side Ajax.

Later, the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander said: ‘We failed the Jewish community during World War II, and last night we failed again’.

United States (US): a New Old President

The US has a peculiar, long-drawn process of electing its President and Vice-President, beginning from the nomination of candidates through Presidential Primaries, Caucuses, Conventions, and ending on Election Day. They are not chosen by a direct popular vote. The US Constitution requires that a process known as the Electoral College ultimately decides who wins the Presidential election. In all other US elections, candidates are elected directly by popular vote.

Each state gets as many Electors as it has members of Congress (House and Senate). Each state’s political parties choose their own slate of potential Electors. Who is chosen to be an Elector, how, and when varies from State to State.

After a voter casts his ballot for President and Vice-President, his vote goes to a statewide tally. In 48 states and Washington, DC., the winner gets all the electoral votes for that State. The States of Maine and Nebraska assign their electors using a proportional system. A candidate needs the vote of at least 270 Electors—more than half of all Electors out of a total of 538—to win the presidential election. In most cases, a projected winner is announced on election night in November after voting is completed. But the actual Electoral College vote takes place in mid-December when the electors meet in their States.

Electoral votes are awarded on the basis of the popular vote in each State. The Electoral College is not a physical place. It is a process which includes: the selection of Electors; meeting of Electors who cast votes for the President and Vice-President; and counting of the Electors’ votes by Congress.

This week on 3rd November, Tuesday, America voted to elect a new President and Vice-President for the next four years. Counting of votes begins on Election night and typically proceeds in a specific order: election day votes first, followed by early and mail-in ballots. Local election officials are tasked with verifying and counting votes, a process that is meticulously regulated to ensure accuracy and transparency.

In this year’s Presidential Elections, former President Donald Trump of the Republican Party trounced Vice-President Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party to become the 47th President(Elect) of the United States. Trump won the Electoral and the Popular Vote: 295 Electoral votes and 50.8% of the Popular vote, to Kamala Harris’ 226, and 47.5% respectively. The vote for the Vice-President-the running mate- runs alongside that President. And J D Vance becomes Vice President-elect.

Donald Trump made history in many ways: he is the oldest President, at 78, to be elected; the first convicted felon; and the first Republican to win the popular vote in over two decades.

Trump’s strategy of courting a coalition of less engaged voters and minority groups, especially Black and Hispanic men, paid off. His messaging on immigration and the economy resonated with voters, giving him an edge, as many expressed dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden’s administration-baggage Kamala Harris struggled to shrug off.

Trump has proven to be political Teflon: no matter the scandal or issue, he has outmanoeuvred it and garnered support. Voters chose Trump despite the litany of offensive or racist remarks at rallies, concerns about his age, questions about his mental acuity, the fallout from the 6 January 2020 insurrection, and a colourful trial that ended with a criminal conviction.

In his first speech, Trump said the nation delivered “an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” while JD Vance called the election “the greatest political comeback” in US history.

How did Trump pull it off?

He had the fortune of running when Americans were frustrated by inflation, high prices and, to a lesser extent, illegal immigration across the US southern border. On the campaign trail, Trump said he opposed a federal abortion ban but that states are free to pass laws as restricted or unrestricted as they choose. He also became a vocal advocate for having insurers cover the cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments.

Trump’s emphatic win seems to be a revenge of the normal working class and a message by the ordinary man on the street to get the job done of making their lives easier, and better. And doing what he said he will do.

Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk lent his entrepreneurial, start-up muscle techniques and his dollars, to the win, especially with the social media platform ‘X’. He endorsed Trump and set a winning narrative. Maybe, America has reached a fork in its destiny, worked, after all. Microsoft’s Bill Gates and a galaxy of Hollywood stars in turn endorsed Kamala, but they acted to a wrong script, ‘divorced from the mega reality’ and it was a flop show.

Those were the Trump’s signature issues, ones that proved to be anvils that weighed down Vice President Harris’ candidacy. The result was a quicker-than-expected set of returns that secured Trump an unbelievable, landslide victory.

India was not let down in ‘trying to place its person’ in the White House, or at least in the neighbourhood. If Indian origin Kamala Harris lost the Presidency, Indian origin Usha Chilukuri won the job of the Second Lady as wife of Vice-President J D Vance – that’s a family vote. Usha becomes the first Indian American, Telugu American, and Hindu Brahim American to reach the position. An elated Chief Minister of the Indian State of Andra Pradesh was quick to give a ‘shout out’, welcoming them home, sometime.

Usha Chilukuri, 38, is the daughter of Indian immigrants. Her father is a mechanical engineer from IIT Chennai and a lecturer at San Diego State University; her mother is a molecular biologist and provost at the University of California, San Diego.

Her parents’ ancestral village is Vadluru in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, though Usha grew up in a San Diego suburb.

Usha graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in history and from Yale Law School with a Juris Doctor degree. After law school, Usha served as a law clerk for multiple federal judges, including Chief Justice John Roberts, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, and Judge Amul Thapar. Usha married Vance in 2014, and in 2019 she was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar and subsequently worked for a leading law firm handling civil litigation and appeals in cases involving higher education, local government, entertainment, and technology. She resigned from her law firm job in July 2024 to help her husband in the Vice-Presidential campaign. The Second Couple boast three children – two boys and a girl.

Cricket

The New Zealand cricket team’s tour of India ended with a perfect white-wash, topping-up with frothy white cream, to the already won 2 test matches, in the 3 Test Match Series. Words such as historic win, first-ever… etc., were hit to the boundary.

Indians expected their team to salvage some pride by winning the Third Test match played at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, starting on the 1st November, but it was a huge disappointment. Set to chase 146 runs for a win, India disastrously floundered and lost by 25 runs. They left the stadium with their tails firmly between their legs while the Kiwis, who had no tail to wag, or wings to fly, sturdily walked home with the Victory Trophy. Feet firmly pitched on the ground.

‘Q’: You Were The World

This week, American record producer, songwriter, composer, and film and television producer, Quincy Jones, the man known simply as ‘Q’ died on Sunday at age 91. With reasons not being disclosed, we can assume that old age kicked-in.

Q worked with musicians ranging from Count Basie to Frank Sinatra and reshaped pop music with his collaborations with Michael Jackson in a music career spanning more than 65 years. There was little Jones did not do in his career. He was a trumpeter, bandleader, arranger, composer, producer and winner of 28 Grammy Awards.

Quincy Jones was a studio workaholic and a virtuoso at handling delicate egos. He shaped recordings by jazz greats such as Miles Davis, produced for Frank Sinatra, and put together the superstar ensemble that recorded the 1985 fundraiser, ‘We Are the World’, the biggest hit song of its time. That was to raise money for fighting famine in Ethiopia. Jones organised ‘We are the World’ along with Jackson and singer Lionel Richie. The huge all-star chorus featured Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen and Smokey Robinson. Q set the tone for the recording session with a sign that said, ‘Leave your ego at the door’.

Quincy was also a prolific writer of movie scores and co-produced the film, ‘The Color Purple’, as well as the 1990s television show ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’, which launched the career of Actor Will Smith.

Jones’ most lasting achievements were in collaboration with Michael Jackson. They made three landmark albums – ‘Off the Wall’ in 1979, ‘Thriller’ in 1982, and ‘Bad’ in 1987 – that changed the landscape of American popular music. ‘Thriller’ sold as many as 70 million copies, with six of the nine songs on the album becoming top 10 singles.

Hits like ‘Beat It’, ‘Billie Jean’ and the title song made ‘Thriller’ the biggest-selling album of all time. It won three Grammys for Quincy Jones and seven for Michael Jackson. They followed that in 1987 with ‘Bad,’ which had five No. 1 hits, including, ‘Smooth Criminal’ and ‘Man in the Mirror’. Over to their music in Heaven!

More thrilling stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Listen to the music of World Inthavaaram (wish Q was here to make a recording).

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-40

About: the world this week, 29 September to 5 October 2024: Hydra-headed Hezbollah; US Election Debates; India State Elections; Hurricane Helene; SpaceX’s Dragon docks with the ISS.

Everywhere

Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran

Last week, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a brilliant, precise strike on the terror organisation Hezbollah’s central headquarters, embedded under residential buildings in the heart of Dahieh, Beirut, Lebanon. Hassan Nasrallah, 64, the leader of Hezbollah – was without-doubt – the target of the attack. Initially, there were confusing reports that he had survived, however, after several hours, his death was confirmed by both Israel and Hezbollah. Nasrallah suffocated to death from toxic gases inside his secret bunker after it was demolished by about 80 tons of ‘bunker-busting’ bombs. A number of other commanders, including Ali Karaki, the commander of the southern front, who had all probably come over for a meeting, were also eliminated in the strike. This is a significant, game-changing development in the region terrorised by Hezbollah-which is solidly backed by Iran.

Hassan Nasrallah himself became the leader of Hezbollah after the Israelis knocked-off the previous leader, Abbas al-Musawi, in 1992. Nasrallah is well-known for his strident anti-Israel actions and has repeatedly called for the end of the State of Israel. He also has the blood of United States (US) citizens on his hands with Hezbollah being involved in numerous anti-US terrorist attacks in Beirut: the suicide truck bombings of the US Embassy in April 1983, the US Marine barracks in October 1983, and the US Embassy Annex in September 1984. Naturally, the US ‘welcomed’ his elimination.

Nasrallah played a pivotal role in various attacks and wars against Israel. In particular, the 2006 Lebanon War against Israel solidified his status as a resistance leader in the Arab world. He was also involved in regional politics, supporting the Assad regime in Syria during the Syrian Civil War. Under him, Hezbollah transformed from a guerrilla group focused on resisting Israel into a significant political player in Lebanon, holding seats in the Lebanese Parliament and participating in government coalitions.

Nasrallah believed that Islam holds the solution to the problems of any society, once saying, “With respect to us, briefly, Islam is not a simple religion including only prayers and praises, rather it is a divine message that was designed for humanity, and it can answer any question man might ask concerning his general and personal life. Islam is a religion designed for a society that can revolt and build a community”.

Israel has done the world a huge favour, and after Osama Bin Laden was killed in a special military operation by the United States, Hassan Nasrallah was one who deserved the same treatment.

Nasrallah’s immediate successor, Hassan Khalil Yasinm was also ‘instantly’ taken down by the IDF. This is a culmination of a recent trend in which Israel has repeatedly targeted Hezbollah’s leadership structure and has wiped-out the entire command structure.

Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah is now Hezbollah’s new leader. The third since Nasrallah was killed. Wonder, how long he will last, but there is chance that all Hezbollah members will become leaders, one by one. But this is a hydra-headed problem, cut one head off another grows, and takes its place.

In Greek mythology, the Hydra is a gigantic water-snake-like monster with about nine heads, one of which is immortal. The monster’s haunt was in the marshes of Lerna, near Argos, Greece, from which it periodically emerged to attack people and livestock. Anyone who attempted to behead the Hydra found that as soon as one head was cut off, two more heads would emerge from the fresh wound.

The destruction of Hydra was one of the 12 Labours of Hercules. For that and other labours, Hercules enlisted the aid of his nephew Iolaus. As Hercules severed each mortal head, Iolaus was set the task of quickly cauterising the fresh wounds so that no new heads would emerge. When only the immortal head remained, Hercules cut it off too and buried it under a heavy rock. Further, he dipped his arrows in the monster’s poisonous blood to be able to inflict fatal wounds. It’s now up to Israel to find the cauterising fire… and the poison.

Israel’s breathtakingly ballsy strike on Hasan Nasrallah has opened up the possibility of a brand new Middle East: one where Iran doesn’t call the shots. Israel is making the moves the West hasn’t for decades: demonstrating that aggression will be countered with complete evisceration.

This week, Israel also begun the ground invasion in Southern Lebanon-a limited ground operation-against terrorist targets and infrastructure of Hezbollah. The start was bloody with eight Israeli soldiers being killed in combat as its forces pushed into Lebanon.

What has Iran got to do with all of this? Iran has probably crossed many a red line in supporting, arming, and providing safe haven for terrorists such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthi’s of Yemen, in an anti-Israel stance known as ‘The Iran–Israel proxy conflict, The Iran–Israel proxy war or Iran–Israel Cold War. In the Israeli–Lebanese conflict, Iran has supported Lebanese Shia militias- the Hezbollah. In the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Iran has backed Palestinian groups-the Hamas.

In turn, Israel has supported Iranian rebels, such as the People’s Mujaheedin of Iran, conducted airstrikes against Iranian allies in Syria and assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists in a long history of tit-for-tat tactics.

Israel’s Prime Minster made a direct appeal to the people of Iran to throw out their tyrant rulers and work towards peace with Israel. But then someone else seems to have heard-got the opposite message-and on Tuesday Iran dispatched about 200 ballistic missiles into Israel, earning the wrath of Israel and the world. The war now grows in yet another direction.

Israel countered the aggression of the ‘Iran missile rain’ with perfect activation and synchronisation of its famous missile defence systems: The Iron Dome detonated the short range missiles within the 70 km range; The David’s Sling system dealt with the mid-range missiles up to about 300 km; and then the Arrow system, which can literally detonate missiles that can fly outside of the earth’s atmosphere in a range of about 2,400 km! The United Kingdom and the United States fell behind Israel and helped shoot-down some of Iran’s missiles.There were no deaths reported on the Israel side except for a lone Palestinian, in the West Bank.

Iran is definitely a menace in the region – a nation gone astray. They need to be dealt with, in a calibrated and wise manner. Maybe Israel (and the US) are upto the task this time around. Meanwhile, the world waits for Israel’s ‘promised’ response.

Towards the end of the week, in yet another attack, Israel not only eliminated Hezbollah’s new leader, but also the entire Shura Council, the committee that nominates Hezbollah leaders.

US Elections: Debates

This Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate between running-mates, Republican J D Vance and Democrat Tim Walz felt like a civil and relatively restrained conversation about the issues at the top of American voters’ minds going into the 5th November election. In that, it was unlike the two fiery presidential debates earlier this year.

If Vance was picked because he puts ideological meat on the bones of Trump’s conservative populism, during the debate he put a polite, humble face on them, as well. And the debate’s lasting impact may be to convince members of his party that the young, only 40 years old, Ohio Senator has a future in national conservative politics, given his ability to clearly advance their ideological priorities on the brightest of stages.

The overall view was that Vance trumped over Walz and made meat of him.

India’s State Elections

Elections in India’s State of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) ended on 1st October, which was the third and last phase for the 90 member Legislature. The first was on 18th September and the second on 25th September. Counting of votes will be on 8th October. This is the first assembly election since J&K’s special status was revoked and fully integrated with the rest of India. However, J&K remains a union territory and statehood is expected to happen sometime after the assembly elections.

The State of Haryana goes to the Polls in a single phase on 5th October for 90 seats. Counting of votes will also be on 8th October.

It’s a coincidence that it’s 90 seats in both States. Going by opinion polls the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-at the Centre-is unlikely to win in any of these States. Despite the fact that in J&K, it should be rewarded for bringing back peace after abrogation of J&K’s special status under Article 370 of India’s Constitution. In Haryana anti-incumbency again the ruling BJP is high. The results could be knocking.

Elections seem to be taking place all the time in India, and the Government is hell-bent on pushing through its new legislation of ‘One Nation One Election’ through the Parliament benches and making it law. That’s a work in progress.

Hurricane Helene Devastates

Hurricane Helene, a large, deadly, catastrophic, and fast-moving tropical cyclone, the strongest on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida devastated parts of southeastern United States(US). It is the eighth named storm, fifth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. Helene developed gradually from a mid-September disturbance in the western Caribbean Sea within a broad area of low pressure known as the Central American gyre. And then Helene moved inland for the kill.

Some of Helene’s deadliest, most catastrophic flooding unfolded in western North Carolina. It turned the western part of the state into a ‘post-apocalyptic’ landscape.

At least 130 people have died across six states and the death toll can rise. Many more remain missing, perhaps unable to leave their location or unable to contact family where communications infrastructure has been washed away.

Among the demolished towns was the tiny hamlet of Bat Cave, about 160 km west of Charlotte, where in what climate scientists are describing as a 1,000-year event, the Broad River rose to unprecedented levels, washed away homes and broke through the town’s bridge. “It’s so overwhelming. You don’t even know how to fathom what recovery looks like, let alone where to start,” said a survivor.

SpaceX Docks with ISS

This week, SpaceX’s Dragon Spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS), and when it returns after a few months it is expected to bring back stranded Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore. The incoming spacecraft had two astronauts in the driver’s seat(s), with ‘space’ for the returning two.

Astronauts Nick Hague, the Dragon Crew 9 commander and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, the Crew 9 mission specialist were given a ‘weightless welcome’ when they met the others on the Space Station, after crossing over.

The space station’s population has temporarily increased to 11 after this Sunday saw the arrival of Crew 9. The orbital residents spent Monday unpacking Dragon and handing over mission responsibilities as the next quartet prepares to return to Earth.

More docking stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Weigh the world more with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-34

About: the world this week, 18 August to 24 August 2024: Wars; America’s Presidents; India grapples with sexual assault, India’s PM visits Poland and Ukraine; Bangladesh crisis; and Antimicrobial resistance.

Everywhere

The Wars

The wars of the world seem to be adding up every week, without end in sight. Ukraine is basking in its counter-offensive against Russia, wading into Russian territory, holding on, and shouting out loud that the famous Russian retaliation is after all a, cry-wolf!

In the Gaza War, this week, Israel retrieved bodies of six hostages from the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza. They were found dead in a tunnel. And are part of the Israeli civilians that Hamas had kidnapped alive on 7th October 2023, held hostage, tortured in underground tunnels, and obviously executed.

Cease-fire talks are going on furiously with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken flying around. Israel appears close to accepting a proposal, keeping the release of the remaining hostages in mind, but Hamas remains the bad boy, thinking about the ‘day after’. Unconfirmed reports say that the Hamas Chief, Yahya Sinwar insists on guarantees for his own safety-that he should not be assassinated-as part of any agreement to release hostages. He once roared that it would be an honour to die fighting Israel.

America

This week, ahead of the United States Presidential Elections, the Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago City to uphold the candidatures of Vice President Kamala Harris for President, and her running-mate Minnesota State Governor Tim Walz for Vice President(VP). And a formal acceptance of the nominations by respective candidates happening during the Convention.

President Biden gave an emotional speech as he made the case for ‘President Kamala Harris’. He praised his choice of Harris as his VP, saying it was the best decision of his career. The Obamas spoke about why Kamala Harris should win. While the former President gave his speech in a generic uplifting manner, the former First Lady talked black & white.

Meanwhile, outside the Convention hall, thousands of protesters gathered to show dissatisfaction over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

India

The outrage in India continues over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old Post Graduate trainee Doctor while on night-duty at the RG Kar Medical College, Kolkatta. Protests continued this week and the streets are screaming for justice.

India’s Supreme Court stepped in on a ‘suo motu’ basis, slamming the events after the murder: the Hospital immediately calling it a suicide, speedily cremating the body as if to bury the crime, and lodging a First Information Report (FIR) well after the post-mortem of the unnatural death.

The Supreme Court constituted a 10-member National Task Force to formulate a protocol for ensuring safety of doctors and healthcare professionals. And appealed to the striking Doctors to ‘trust the SC’ and resume their duties. Later, the Doctors agreed and called-off the strike, but protests by others continue.

Then in another incident in the State of Maharashtra massive protests broke out in Badlapur when two four-year old girls were sexually abused by a school, house-keeping staff, sweeper, a 23-year-old male, who was subsequently arrested on a complaint by the parents. The assault occurred in the girls’ toilet, which lacked female staff supervision. The incident came to light when one of the girls visibly frightened, told her parents that an older male at school, whom she referred to as ‘dada’ (Marathi for elder brother), had undressed her and touched her inappropriately. The parent then went on to make a complaint. The school suspended the Principal and three staff members as the protests escalated. Parents of the children and local citizens blocked the railway tracks at Badlapur Railway Station and also ransacked a local Police Station demanding strict punishment – a death penalty for the accused.

Stepping back, the cases of rape and sexual assaults in India have been astoundingly high. Blame it on India being an underdeveloped country or our hardwired genetics playing its part? And, we now have social media and democratised data access to report incidents. Will a death penalty work as a deterrent? Solid studies show that, without doubt, it is the ‘fear of getting caught’ that reduces criminality. Taking a higher view, India must sort out investigation of crime and enforcement – separating them. India is crying for Police and Judicial reforms: delivery of justice should be quick -on the double. Recall the Ajmer sex scandal which came to light in the year 1992. More than 100 girls aged between 11 and 20 years were victimised by a gang, whose members befriended them and shot their photographs in compromising situations, and later raped them. This week, 6 of the 18 accused were sentenced to life imprisonment – after a whopping 32 years!

Four years ago, I wrote about Police Reforms in India. Here is a link for any further reading:

https://kumargovindan.com/2020/08/15/shake-well-before-use-indian-police-reimagined/

This week, India’s Prime Minister (PM) set out on a visit to Poland and Ukraine to improve bilateral ties and discuss global issues. The Poland visit was the first by an Indian PM in 45 years. Amazing that it took so long for an Indian PM to reach Poland. And it is the first trip by an Indian PM to Ukraine since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

India and Poland share a social relationship going back to World War II when Maharaja of Nawanagar, Jamnagar, Gujarat, Digvijaysinghji Ranjitsinji Jadeja – called the Dobry Maharaja (the Good Maharaja)- provided shelter and homes for Polish refugees escaping the wrath of Hitler’s invasion of Poland. You can read that story here:

https://kumargovindan.com/2021/08/28/world-inthavaaram-2021-35/

Naturally, India’s PM paid homage at a memorial of the Dobry Maharaja in Warsaw and recalled the special relationship. He also touched upon the Kabaddi Connection between the countries. The game of Kabaddi had reached Poland, and they have taken it to great heights, with the country becoming the European Kabaddi Champion for two consecutive years. And Poland is all set to host the World Kabaddi Championships, for the first time, this 24th August. Kabaddi is quite popular in Poland as it resembles the European game of Tag, and Wrestling.

Tag is a playground game involving one or more players, who is ‘it’ chasing other players in an attempt to ‘tag’ or mark them out of play, typically by touching with a hand, thereby making that person ‘it’.

India’s PM said he will ‘share perspectives’ on the peaceful resolution of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia during his visit to Ukraine, which comes more than a month after he travelled to Russia. The PM added that for decades India’s foreign policy was to maintain a distance from all countries. The situation has changed. Today India wants to maintain close ties with all countries. Hence, the many firsts coming up…and the list may get longer.

India’s support for Ukraine has been patchy and may be this is an opportunity to show substance and explain why India does what it does – a Bharat first approach.Could India have an ace up its sleeve – balancing Russia and Ukraine?

Towards the end of the visit, India’s PM listened to Ukrainians speak Hindi – being taught in the country. And presented four BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes to Ukraine. The BHISHM cubes are an easy-to-use, mobile medical facility that can be swiftly deployed to save lives in the most challenging circumstances.Each BHISHM Cube is self-contained consisting of medicines and equipment for the first line of care in emergency situations. It also includes surgical equipment for a basic Operation Room that can manage 10-15 basic surgeries per day. The Cube has the capacity to handle about 200 cases of diverse nature such as trauma, bleeding, burns, fractures, etc. It can also generate its own power and oxygen in limited amounts. A team of experts from India have been deployed to provide initial training to the Ukrainian side to operate the Cube.

And of course, to match the Russian bear-hug, Indian and Ukrainian leaders hugged each other, awfully close.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, with the new Interim Government in place, normalcy appears to be only limping-back, but Islamist violence against Hindus continues. And the situation is as if hanging in some kind of a balance. Wonder what comes up next!

On 20th August in the district of Thakurgaon mobs set fire to Hindu homes, leaving devastation and fear in their wake. This incident is not an isolated one, but a continuation of a sinister pattern of persecution that has gripped the Hindu community in Bangladesh for decades. Just days before, Bangladesh was rocked by the murder of Haradhan Roy, a Hindu councillor, and his driver. The senseless killing is believed to be motivated by Roy’s religious identity and his position of influence within the community. This was soon flooded by another disturbing incident where Gautam Chandra Paul, a respected Hindu Teacher was forced to resign from his position solely because of his faith.

The systematic erasure of Hindus from the social, political, and cultural fabric of Bangladesh appears to a work in progress. The numbers tell a story of their own. In 1941, Hindus constituted approximately 28% of the population in what is now Bangladesh. Today, that figure has plummeted to less than 9%. This sharp decline is the result of a calculated campaign of violence, intimidation, and forced conversions aimed at driving out the Hindu population. It highlights a disturbing trend of religious persecution. Despite the gravity of the situation, there is a deafening silence from certain media and political quarters who have sought to downplay these incidents; dismissing them as sporadic acts of violence rather than acknowledging them as part of a broader, systematic issue.

AMR

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a term used to describe micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolving over time and becoming resistant to antimicrobials-drugs used to treat infections caused by such micro-organisms. As a result existing medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others, and making it harder to treat and contain diseases.

Antimicrobials include antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasites. Micro-organisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are also called ‘superbugs’. The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, plants, and animals are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.

AMR is considered as a ‘silent pandemic’ and according to a study published by ‘The Lancet’ in January 2022, it was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.

India is the largest consumer of antibiotics globally in terms of absolute volume. Studies have reported poor prescription quality, including un-indicated prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics without evidence of bacterial infection. These findings are of particular public health relevance considering India reports high antibiotic resistance in bacteria that cause certain common infections.

Under the guidelines of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Action Plan, India launched its National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR): a five-year plan (2017–2021) that outlines strategies to curb AMR in the country. The plan aims to tackle AMR in both human and non-human sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry, and the environment. The plan’s first five strategic priorities align with the Global Action Plan while the sixth priority highlights India’s role in containing AMR internationally. The plan also includes state-level action plans to ensure action at the ground level.

The States that have launched their State specific Plans are Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi. The State of Kerala stands-out in making pioneering progress in AMR.

The Kerala Drug Control Department launched tests in the first week of January 2024 called Operation Amrith (AMRITH – Antimicrobial Resistance Intervention For Total Health) to prevent the overuse of antibiotics in the State. Pharmacies must keep accurate records of antibiotic sales as per this initiative. Additionally, a poster mentioning ‘antibiotics not sold without a Doctor’s prescription’ should be displayed. If not complied, strict action would be taken against pharmacies and medical stores that supply antibiotics without a Doctor’s prescription. Operation Amrith is aimed at conducting surprise raids in retail medical shops for detecting Over-The- Counter(OTC) sale of antibiotics and also a Toll Free Number is provided for lodging complaints against medical shops. Once a complaint is received, it will be transferred to the corresponding zonal office for verification and immediate departmental actions will be taken, if violation is detected.

The Government of Kerala was the first state in India that came up with the state action plan on AMR, KARSAP, in 2018. Aligned with India’s National Action Plan, Kerala’s plan reflects a multi-sectoral approach. Besides human health aspects, it aims to address animal and environmental dimensions of the AMR problem, which is crucial for effective containment of AMR. Delhi-based think tank, Centre for Science and Environment, had actively contributed to the Kerala action plan and has been an implementation partner in the state’s AMR containment efforts.

It’s time other States hear Kerala’s clarion call and get their act together.

More viral stories coming up in the weeks ahead. Stay safe with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-32

About: the world this week, 4 August 2024 to 10 August 2024: Britain’s riots; US Elections-running mate; Taylor Swift-not fearless; Bangladesh coup; war fronts; and the Paris Olympics – focus on India.

Everywhere

Britain: Rioting Right

Violent protests erupted in towns and cities across Britain following last week’s knife attack, which killed three children in Southport, north of Liverpool. The protests spread across the country, including Liverpool, Bristol, and Manchester, resulting in dozens of arrests as shops and businesses were vandalised and looted. Several police officers were injured in the line of duty.

The stabbing attack was seized on by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups as misinformation spread that the suspected attacker was an immigrant and a radical Islamist. This stoked further outrage. Police said the suspect was born in Britain and are not treating it as a terrorist incident.

On Sunday, hundreds of anti-immigration protesters gathered by a hotel near Rotherham, northern England, where Britain’s Interior Ministry was housing asylum seekers. The protesters, many wearing masks or balaclavas, threw bricks at police and broke several hotel windows, before setting a large bin close to the hotel on fire.

The new Government, fresh from a superb win at the hustings, scrambled to control the worst disorder in the United Kingdom in more than a decade. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the protests and riots as “far-right thuggery” and said perpetrators would face the full force of the law. The target of the attacks were Muslim communities, mosques, and other minorities. With this crisis running on the streets of Britain, the honeymoon period of the new Government is all but over.

Who is behind the thuggery? Faceless. Plans to engage in violent gatherings have been spread on social media, encouraging attendees to shield their faces or use coded language that stirs up anger at immigration without explicitly calling for violence. Naturally, the Govt is looking at social media as an instigator. Mind that ‘misinformed’ tweet, you could get yourself arrested!

United States Elections: Running Mate

This week US Vice President Kamala Harris decided on her running-mate, choosing Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota. Walz is currently in his second term as Governor and chairs the Democratic Governors Association. He previously served 12 years in Congress. And prior to that, Walz was a high school teacher and football coach and served in the Army National Guard, reaching the rank of Command Sergeant Major, one of the highest ranks an enlisted member can attain. As a first-time campaigner, he opposed a ban on same-sex marriage and supported abortion rights. Walz fell out of favour with the gun lobby over his support for gun safety actions as Governor. Walz supports In Vitro-Fertilization (IVF) having himself ‘become productive’ after struggling to become a parent along with his wife of three decades.

Taylor Swift: Not Fearless

US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is in the Vienna, Austria leg of her blockbuster Eras tour scheduled to play three shows in the European city from Thursday to Saturday. But Organisers cancelled the shows over a possible terrorist attack after Austrian authorities said they foiled a terror plan in Vienna. The extraordinary decision-which came at significant cost to Vienna’s businesses-has devastated fans and renewed focus on the vulnerability of huge concerts as soft targets for terror networks and spree killers.

Police in Austria have questioned three teenagers suspected of plotting a suicide attack at the Taylor Swift show, sparking renewed concerns over the indoctrination of young people online. Foreign intelligence agencies helped authorities uncover the plot. That’s the world swiftly singing together on intelligence gathering.

The Bangladesh Drift: the Churning

Bangladesh is at a historic turning-point. Well, it has been in this place many times before, at about the same cross-roads. And they keep coming on the trot.

The student protests of the past weeks over reservations in government jobs, dangerously changed track and galvanised into a force that toppled the Government of Prime Minister (PM) Sheik Hasina, 76. In January this year, she won a landslide mandate for the fourth consecutive time in the General Elections. Her party, The Awami League won 224 seats, out of the 300 under direct elections. That’s about 15 years in continuous power and a total of 20 years as PM. Most Opposition Parties had boycotted the Elections, apparently making the win easier.

The seemingly harmless and peaceful demands by University students to abolish quotas in civil service jobs that began in July transformed beyond recognition. This despite the Supreme Court calling-off the strangulating quota system. However, the creeping death toll reaching over 300, due to the brutal crackdown on the protesters, turned the Government into an authoritarian one to preserve peace. Enough reason for people to spill on to the streets. And with most of the Opposition in various modes of arrest, this seemed the only outlet for anger against the Government. The PM repeatedly cut-off internet access in parts of the country, imposed a nation-wide curfew, and labeled the demonstrators as ‘terrorists seeking to destabilise the nation’. Well, they lived up to the label.

Sheikh Hasina blamed the Pakistan basedJamaat-e-Islami, its Islami Chhatra Shibir student wing, and other associate bodies for inciting the student violence. And in an official circular imposed a ban on Jamaat-e-Islami under an anti-terrorism law.

With protests spiralling out of control, the Army served a 45 minute ultimatum to Sheik Hasina to leave the country. She found a helicopter and flew into the safe-haven of India, landing at a military airfield, Hindon, near New Delhi, and was met by India’s National Security Advisor after which was taken to a safe location.

Meanwhile, protesters reached the PM’s house and raided all that was inside, dusting-up her blouses, bras, and what not? One even paraded her Sari and wore it.

It was awfully painful to see people climb up the statue of the Father of the Nation and try to hammer him down. Almost killing him a second time. Recall, Sheik Mujibur Rahman-the founding father of Bangladesh and the father of Sheik Hasina- was shot in point plank range by the same Army, which entered his home, and killed almost the entire family in a horrific turn of events in 1975. That was the first Army coup of Bangladesh. Hasina herself was in Germany at that time and after years of struggle lived to become PM one day. Her sister too escaped the carnage, at that time.

Bangladesh Army Chief, General Waqar-uz-Zaman quickly took control and announced the formation of an Interim Government. Meanwhile the President of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahabuddin, ordered the immediate release, from House-Arrest, former PM Khaleda Zia who was also Bangladesh’s first Woman PM and leader of the Opposition, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Bangladesh’s unicameral parliament was also dissolved. What is the President’s role in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh has a unique system of transfer of power; at the end of the tenure of the government, power is handed over to members of a civil society for three months, who run the general elections and transfer power to elected representatives. The President as the ceremonial head of the state has limited powers. He can grant pardon to a man sentenced to death penalty or lessen the punishment. In certain instances, he also performs some legislative and judicial functions.

On another front, Hindu and other minority communities were ruthlessly attacked amounting to ethic-cleansing and heading towards genocide, showing another diabolical motive of the unfolding drama in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said that about 200 to 300 Hindu homes and businesses have been vandalised since Hasina resigned. About 15 to 20 temples have been looted.

Towards the end of the week, the Protestors agreed to Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus becoming Leader of an Interim Government. Student Leaders of the so-called ‘Gen Z Revolution’ said they have not met all of their goals, and after Hasina’s resignation, the group wanted to ‘abolish fascist systems forever’. The leaders say they won’t accept a military-led or supported government.

Professor Muhammad Yunus, 84, who was in France over a minor medical procedure, flew in to Bangladesh’s capital Dacca, and was sworn-in on Thursday. Tucked inside his new cabinet are Nahid Islama and Asif Mahmud, students who led the anti-government protests. Yunus kept up to 27 critical portfolios with himself. One man show?

Muhammad Yunus known as the ‘banker to the poor’ aims to bring stability to Bangladesh. He answered the call of student protesters to temporarily lead the restive country following weeks of deadly anti-government demonstrations.

Yunus is a social entrepreneur and banker who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering microfinance work as founder of the Grameen Bank that helped alleviate poverty in Bangladesh and was widely adopted around the world.

He is also a longtime critic of Sheikh Hasina. Over the years, Yunus was embroiled in multiple legal cases said to be unfairly targeted by the authorities. They include a defamation suit, a food safety case, and allegations of tax irregularities. In January, a court in Bangladesh sentenced Yunus to six months in prison for labor law violations. In a separate case, he was indicted in June on embezzlement charges. All of which was denied by Yunus.

India’s Prime Minister, under pressure to protect persecuted Hindus, had this to say, “My best wishes to Professor Muhammad Yunus on the assumption of his new responsibilities. We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities. India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfill the shared aspirations of both our peoples for peace, security and development”.

Yunus’ first speech acknowledged the attack on Hindus and minorities and appealed to the protesters to trust him to bring law and order under control. If not, he threatened to step-down as Interim Leader.

Israel and Ukraine: the fight is on

The two steadily ongoing war fronts are that of, Ukraine-Russia in Europe and Israel-Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Middle East.

In the first front, this week, in a surprise turn, Ukraine Forces pushed further into the Kursk region of Russia in a cross-border incursion with the intent of diverting Russian forces and to disrupt and demoralise them. Ukraine intends to hold-on to the territory as long as they possibly can.Will a tit-for-tat work?

In the second front, Iran mulls scrapping plans to take revenge on Israel for killing Hamas’ Political Head on its soil, in exchange for a Gaza ceasefire. In the background US, Qatar and Egypt hit the negotiation acceleration pedal urging Hamas to resume talks, after the killing in Iran.

Paris Olympics 2024: Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together

The Olympic Games is running on the Paris, France, stage from 26 July to 11 August.

In Tennis, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic struck gold in the Men’s Singles Tennis beating Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2), in an enthralling neck-and-neck final.

Novak Djokovic is the only player in tennis history to win every big event in the game of Tennis. This is the first time in his career that he has won an Olympic Gold, adding to his ever-expanding chest of 24 Grand Slam titles. Alcaraz missed out on a gold medal in his maiden Olympics appearance.

In Hockey, India beat Britain in penalty shoot-outs, 4-2 after a 1-1 tie in the regular game. Indian Goal-keeper Sreejesh became an overnight sensation over his heroics of the day-saving many goals on the field and blocking a crucial one in the shoot-out. The Great Wall of India-shouted fans, who then went treasure hunting into this Home Sate of Kerala and dug up stories of what went into building of the wall. India faced Germany in the semi-finals but despite a valiant fight succumbed 2-3. Then, bringing some cheer, India went on to beat Spain 2-1 to clinch the bronze medal. This is Indian’s second consecutive win having won the bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, beating Germany.

India’s gold medal winning hope Neeraj Chopra secured a Javelin final spot with a throw of 89.34m. His best throw was 89.94m at Stockholm in the Diamond League Games, last year. In the finals, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem threw a stunning 92.97m to win the Gold and break the Olympic Record of 90.57 established in Beijing 2008. Neeraj threw 89.45 to get the Silver. The Bronze Medal throw reached 88.45m.

This is a back-to-back Olympic Medal for Neeraj who had won the gold in Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 87.58m. In that competition Arshad Nadeem had finished fifth with 84.62m. This is Pakistan’s first ever medal in this event at the Olympics.

In Wrestling, India’s Vinesh Phogat defied huge odds to earn herself a sure chance of a medal in the 50kg event. She became the first Indian Woman to reach an Olympic final in Wrestling. Sakshi Malik is the only other wrestler, who had clinched a bronze medal in the Rio 2016 Olympics. In her opening match Phogat stunned reigning Olympic Champion, Japan’s Yui Susaki; then beat former European Champion, Ukraine’s Oksana Livach in the quarters, and Pan American Games Champion, Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman in the semi-finals to reach the finals. She was to take on USA’s Sarah Hildebrant for the Gold. But then, in a sudden twist and a heart-break, on the day of the finals, Phogat was disqualified for being overweight by a beggarly 100 grams in the 50 kg weight category. Competition rules say wrestlers must stay in their weight category on both days of the tournament. After Phogat’s disqualification, only the gold and bronze medals were awarded in the event. India has made a legal appeal and there could be yet another twist.

Now, a flashback. In May 2023, Vinesh Phogat was detained by police in New Delhi while attempting to march to India’s new parliament building, just as it was being inaugurated. This was during a protest against Brij Bhushan Singh, the wrestling federation chief, over allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation. Phogat was later released.

In the run-up to the final, Phogat’s fellow wrestlers hailed her journey as both a personal and collective triumph for India’s wrestling community who have long complained that authorities failed to take their allegations seriously.

At the end of the week, Aman Sehrawat, 21, won the Bronze Medal in the Men’s Freestyle 57 kg bringing some cheer to India. He became the youngest Olympic medalist in Wrestling.

Vaulting to other events, Sweden’s Armand Mondo Duplantis broke the men’s Pole Vault world record for the 9th time with a jump of 6.25 m to cap a gold medal-winning streak. The 24-year-old has won every global men’s Pole Vault title since claiming his first Olympic gold in Tokyo.

In the Medals Tally, USA leads with 33 Gold and overall 111 medals, followed by China, Australia, and Japan. India had a total of 6 medals: 1-Silver and 5-Bronze. In the previous Olympics Tokyo Olympics, India had won 7 medals: 1-Gold, 2-Silver, and 4 Bronze.

More medal stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Run, jump, or swim to glory with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-30

About: the world this week, 21 July 2024 to 27 July 2024: Microsoft goes hard; the wrath of Israel; new Presidents of the US; Bangladesh rocks; India’s Budget, Testing, and Firing; Nepal plane crash; Paris Olympics; and Dark Oxygen.

Everywhere

Microhard

In one of the biggest technical outages in history, millions of Microsoft Windows users world-wide experienced the Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD), last Friday. Almost all Passenger Airlines around the world faced technical issues that affected booking, check-in, and flight updates. Hundreds of flights were cancelled. Other sectors affected were healthcare, shipping, finance, food chains, and brokerage firms. What caused this?

A mistake in a security software update sparked hours-long global computer systems outages, another incident highlighting the vulnerability of the world’s interconnected technologies. This occurred when CrowdStrike, used in Microsoft Windows, released a sensor configuration update for its ‘Falcon Sensor’ to Windows Operating Systems. Sensor configuration updates are an ongoing part of the protection mechanisms of the Falcon platform. The configuration update triggered a logic error resulting in a system crash BSOD. However Mac and Linux-based systems were not affected.

CrowdStrike’s website says, it is a cyber security service designed to stop internet breeches or hacks. It was founded on the premises that sophisticated attacks targeting the world’s leading businesses cannot be solved merely using existing malware-based defenses. A brand new approach was needed – one that combines the most advanced endpoint protection with expert intelligence to pinpoint the adversaries perpetrating the attacks, no just the malware.

Later, CrowdStrike said the issue has been isolated and a fix deployed. It confirmed that it is not a security incident or a cyber attack. Users running Falcon Sensor for Windows version 7.11 and above, that were online between Friday, 19 July 2024 04:09 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) and Friday, 19 July, 2024 05:27 UTC were affected. Systems running Falcon Sensor for Windows 7.11 and above that downloaded the updated configuration from 04:09 UTC to 05:27 UTC – were susceptible to a system crash.

Global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike is one of the largest operators in the industry. It is not a household name, but it is a USD 83 billion company with more than 20,000 subscribers around the world, including Amazon and Microsoft.

The Wrath of Israel: Don’t Start a Fire

Late last week the Houthis (an Iran-backed militant group) of Yemen hit Israel’s city of Tel Aviv with a drone resulting in the death of one Israeli civilian and injuring many others. When you do this to Israel, what happens? You invite its wrath!

Israel’s Air Force struck the largest Port in Yemen causing grave damage. The Port was completely engulfed in flames. About 25, F-15 and F-35 aircraft, accompanied by refuelling planes, flew about 2000 km toward the city of Hodeidah in Yemen for the attack. The strike was carried out in eight waves, which destroyed fuel depots and a power station north of the Port inflicting severe damage on the Port.

Bibi in America

During the week, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi) flew to the United States, shopping for ‘good will and support’. He also addressed both Houses of Congress and delivered a masterpiece of a speech. It was mighty impressive that he got an insane number of standing ovations, 55 to be precise – the most standing ovations given to any foreign leader addressing Congress. The applause went overboard, and at one point, the audience began to clap and Bib had to stop them to say, “No, don’t applaud. Listen.” Here are some of the best lines:

This is not a clash of civilizations. It’s a clash between barbarism and civilization.

These protesters chant, ‘from the river to the sea’. But many don’t have a clue what river and what sea they’re talking about. They not only get an ‘F’ in geography, they get an ‘F’ in history. They call Israel a colonialist state.

Don’t they know that the Land of Israel is where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob prayed, where Isaiah and Jeremiah preached and where David and Solomon ruled?

For nearly 4000 years, the land of Israel has been the homeland of the Jewish people. It’s always been our home; it will always be our home.

And one more thing. When Israel acts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, that could destroy Israel and threaten every American city, every city that you come from, we’re not only protecting ourselves. We’re protecting you.

In World War II, as Britain fought on the front-lines of civilization, Winston Churchill appealed to Americans with these famous words: “Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job.” Today, as Israel fights on the frontline of civilization, I too appeal to America: “Give us the tools faster, and we’ll finish the job faster.”

Back to the War Front

In an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) operation in Khan Younis, 5 bodies of hostages were recovered from the Gaza Strip and brought back to Israeli territory. It is over 300 days and about 125 hostages are still held in excruciating captivity by the Terrorist Hamas.

Biden Out: Kamala In

US President President Joe Biden, 81 – who is recovering from Covid – and has been ‘rapidly growing old’ in recent times, finally announced he will no longer seek re-election, ending his Presidential campaign less than four months before Election Day. He said his decision was in the best interest of his party and the country. And he quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee, calling on fellow Democrats to come together and beat Republican candidate Donald Trump. This is the first time a US President has ended his re-election bid this late in the game. The last incumbent to make a similar move was President Lyndon B Johnson in 1968.

The US Secret Service: Grilled & Roasted

Over the week, US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle appeared before a bipartisan House Oversight Committee looking into the lapses of the Donald Trump assassination attempt, to answer questions. The committee was allover her with piercing questions, and she cut a sorry figure under the intense grilling. She rankled lawmakers by refusing to provide sufficient details about the incident, being as slippery as an eel and as evasive as a snake. Said one of the members, ’This committee is not known for its model of bipartisanship, and I think today we came together unanimously in our disappointment. We don’t have that confidence that you can lead.” During more than four hours of often contentious proceedings, Cheatle called the 13 July 24 shooting “the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades”.

Later in the week, she could hold-on no longer. She resigned.

Bangladesh Rocks

Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday rolled back most of the controversial quotas on government jobs which sparked violent protests in the country.

The Court dismissed the earlier ruling that brought back the quotas, directing that 93% of government jobs will be open to candidates on merit, without quotas. A lawyer representing the students said that the Supreme Court, “gave a final solution to this quota system. That is, 93% quota for general people, 5% quota for freedom fighters and their kin, 1% for ethnic minority community, and 1% for third gender and physically disabled”.

India: We built this City

The official commentary on Budget 2024, that was unveiled on 23 July 24, would run something like this: ‘It’s a comprehensive strategy built on nine foundational pillars – agriculture, employment, inclusive development, manufacturing and services, urban development, energy, infrastructure, innovation/research and development, and next-generation reforms. These will serve as guiding principles aimed at fostering broad-based opportunities and sustainable progress across the country. It presents a holistic approach to economic development, balancing fiscal prudence with targeted interventions for inclusive growth and sets a bold trajectory towards a prosperous and resilient India’.

The focus of this year’s Budget was on ‘ four caste’ groups of: Farmers, Youth, Poor, and Women, to hopefully make life better for them.

Set aside that jargon, and let’s roll over. The Government, short of a majority in Parliament, actually stands on two foundation pillars. 1-its own numbers, and, 2-that of the States of Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Bihar plus certain other small Allies. And AP and Bihar got their pound of flesh, when the new Government set sail on the high seas on 11 June 24 following the declaration of Election Results on 4 June 24.

AP got a bonanza of INR 15,000 crore for building its new capital city of Amravathi (It had no capital following bifurcation into Telangana and AP, with Telangana getting Hyderbad as its Capital) a completion of irrigation projects and essential infrastructure such as water, power, railways, and roads. Bihar got big-ticket measures of INR 26,000 crore for various road projects in the state and bombastic plans for new airports and sports infrastructure. In addition, it grabbed another INR 11,500 crore for flood mitigation and taming the mercurial River Kosi, which runs through the State.

The hard-working, honestly tax-paying middle class felt left-out again – timidly thrown under the bus. Though the tax slabs were tinkered with and the standard deduction tweaked, giving them ‘slightly more money’ in their hands, they were disappointed. It was depressing that the tax on Long Term Capital Gains was increased by 2.5% to 12.5% (from 10%) without indexation. And Short -Term Capital Gains from equities and mutual funds to 20%. The Govt rewarded the risk taken to grow their money. What was given by the right hand was quickly grabbed by the left hand. Did something spill down?

The Big Numbers said INR 48.21 Lakh Crore would be the estimated total expenditure by the Govt with a nominal GDP Growth of 10.5%. The Fiscal deficit, which represents the difference between the government’s total income and its total expenditure was plugged at 4.9% with serious intentions to bring in under 4.5% by 2025-26, which is actually very good.

The allocation for Defence was 6.22 Lakh crore; the Rural push was 2.66 Lakh crore; and for Education it was 1.26 Lakh crore, among other outlays.

With the top honchos of the Corporate world complaining about a lack of skills among the ‘educated unemployed’, the Govt heard. It came up with a programme to skill-up 20 lakh young people over a 5-year period. 1,000 Industrial Training Institutes will be upgraded in a hub. One-month wage will be provided to new entrants in all formal sectors in 3 instalments up to INR 15,000, which is expected to benefit 210 lakh youth.

Finally, is a great spin, import duties on gold and silver were reduced to 6% from the earlier 15% leading to India’s Jewels in the crown getting cheaper. And gold prices fell by over 5%. With Indian households owning approximately 11% of the World’s Gold the fall in prices wiped out over 10 lakh crore from the value of gold held by Indians in a single day.

India: We Test Well

This week India’s Supremo Court ruled on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for Under-Graduate admission to India’s Medical Colleges, which testing was challenged. It said that there was no proof of systematic breach of exam – sanctity preserved, hence no-retest needed, nor a cancellation of exam itself. But 4 lakh candidates will lose 5 marks each over a contentious Physics question. New merit lists were to be notified in two day’s time and the derailed process was put back on track.

India: We Fire Well

In another fighting news, on Wednesday, India quietly and successfully flight-tested its Phase-II Ballistic Missile Defence System from off the Odisha coast. The test demonstrated India’s indigenous capability to defend against ballistic missiles of 5,000 km class. The Target Missile was launched mimicking an adversary Ballistic Missile, which was detected by weapon system radars deployed on land and sea and activated the Interceptor system.

Nepal: Plane Crash

This week there was yet another plane crash in Nepal. I recall writing about two other plane crashes over the past two years in 2023, and 2022. Since 2000, nearly 360 people have died in plane or helicopter crashes in the country.

This Wednesday, a small passenger plane, a Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft, belonging to Nepal’s Saurya Airlines crashed and caught fire while taking off from the capital Kathmandu, killing 18 people on board and leaving one survivor, the Captain Pilot. The 50-seater plane, carrying two crew members and 17 technicians, was heading for regular maintenance to Nepal’s new Pokhara airport, which is equipped with aircraft maintenance hangars. Eighteen of those on board were Nepali citizens, with one engineer from Yemen.

Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft veered off to the right and crashed on the east side of the runway with its wing hitting the ground.

The crash again focused attention on the poor air safety record of the landlocked Himalayan nation that is wedged between India and China and is heavily dependent upon air connectivity due to its limited road network. Nepal’s aviation industry has a poor safety record – that has been attributed to multiple factors over the years, from unpredictable weather to lax regulations.

The Paris Olympics: On Your Marks

In what will be a unique festival ‘on the water’, for the first time in the history of the Summer Olympics Games, the Opening Ceremony will be held outside a stadium. Athletes will parade down Paris’ famous River Seine, on boats – a floating parade through the heart of the City. The Opening Ceremony is scheduled to begin on Friday 26 July, when the first boats depart from the Austerlitz Bridge.

Going east to west through the city, 10,500 athletes on 94 boats will be ferried down a 6 km route that ends in front of the famous Trocadero, opposite the Eiffel Tower, where the rest of the Ceremony shows takes place, such as the lighting of the Olympic cauldron and the official opening speech by French President Emmanuel Macron. The boats will pass through some of Paris’ most iconic landmarks, including the Louvre and the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral.

Saboteurs struck France’s TGV high-speed train network in a series of pre-dawn attacks that caused chaos on the country’s busiest rail lines and heightened security concerns. Vandals damaged signal boxes along the lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west and Strasbourg in the east. Another attack on the Paris-Marseille line was foiled.

In another incident, the Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg airport, located by the French-Swiss-German border, was evacuated due to a bomb threat. It later reopened and resumed operations.

Under the Sea: Dark Oxygen

We are all too familiar with oxygen produced by photosynthesis. But what if there is another source, that too deep under our Oceans?

This week, Scientists found evidence of an additional source of oxygen – raising questions about the origins of life on Earth. For decades, scientists have floated theories about dark matter, which is believed to hold galaxies together by its gravitational pull. The enigma of dark matter continues, and now scientists have discovered what they call ‘dark oxygen’ on the ocean’s floor.

A recent study published in Nature Geoscience-a journal dedicated to Earth sciences research-shows oxygen emitted from mineral deposits 4,000 meters below the ocean’s surface on the seafloor at a depth that is almost half the length of the tallest peak of Mount Everest.

On the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), which spans 4.5 million square kilometres in the Pacific Ocean, there are coal-like mineral rocks, called polymetallic nodules, which typically contain manganese and iron. Scientists have found that these nodules produce oxygen without the process of photosynthesis. The fact that we’ve got another source of oxygen on the planet other than photosynthesis has consequences and implications that are utterly profound.

More oxygen-rich stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Breathe easy with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-27

About: the world this week, 30 June 2024 to 6 July 2024: Israel grinds; US gasps; France swings; Britain labours; India stampedes; and Team India wins a nail-biting T20 Cricket World Cup Final.

Everywhere

Israel Grinds On

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the idea of starting a ceasefire in Gaza while Hamas remains in power. This comes in the background of talks about a truce that would give Israeli troops time to prepare for a potential land war with Iran-backed militant Hezbollah, operating in Lebanon.

Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander on Wednesday, the second top field leader killed in less than a month, and Hezbollah retaliated by firing scores of rockets at Israeli military positions near the border. This is anyway a regular sideline feature in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The over 120 Israeli hostages in the captivity of Hamas, for over 270 days, are yet to see freedom. Negotiations for a possible deal to secure their release appears to be alive, walking in the shadows.

The United States Gasps

The first Presidential debate-ahead of the upcoming US Election in November 2024-left viewers gasping for breath; actually it was the Democrats’ candidate, incumbent President Joe Biden, who struggled to find air. He delivered a shaky, halting performance, while his Republican rival Donald Trump battered him with a series of attacks at a debate last Thursday. The two oldest presidential candidates ever, exchanged personal insults; traded barbs on abortion, immigration, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza; growled on each other’s handling of the economy; and even put stick to their golf games. Later, standing on firmer ground, Joe Biden said, he can do the job even though, “I don’t walk as easy as I used to, I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to, I don’t debate as well as I used to.” Time to send him home? Reusing has its limits!

Meanwhile, in a landmark ruling, the US Supreme Court ruled that Trump cannot be prosecuted for any actions that were within his constitutional powers as President, but can be, for private acts. This ruling recognises for the first time, any form of presidential immunity from prosecution.

Then, Biden, this time quick on the draw, and reading from a teleprompter, thundered, “This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America. Each, each of us is equal before the law. No one is above the law. Not even the President of the United States”. He called the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, a ‘dangerous precedent’ that could turn Presidents into kings and called on the American people to ‘dissent’ by rejecting Donald Trump in November’s election. Maybe, the Democrats need to dissent on going along with him.

France Swings

France has a semi-Presidential type of Government with a President and Prime Minister. The President is the pre-eminent figure-the Big Boss-and is directly elected through Presidential Elections in a term, separate from Parliament. The President’s role is unique. He can deal directly with the people when required, bypassing and even dissolving Parliament. The President appoints the Prime Minister and chairs cabinet meetings. The Prime Minister is responsible to Parliament, which consists of a Lower House- the National Assembly and an Upper House-the Senate.

The parliamentary election to the National Assembly is a complex, two-round process in which the two candidates who get the most votes in the first round go through to a second round. There are 577 seats in the National Assembly. And for an absolute majority a party needs 289. The Parliament may or may not be controlled by the party the President belongs to.

When opposing parties control parliament and the presidency, the power-sharing arrangement is known as cohabitation. Before the year 2002, cohabitation occurred as a regular feature, because the term of the President was seven years and the term of the National Assembly was five years. And the overlapping brought together strange bed-fellows. With the term of the President shortened to five years, it is expected that cohabitation is less likely to happen.

Emmanuel Macron is the current President of France, in office since May 2017, being elected for a second term in May 2022.

This week, the results of the first round of France’s Parliamentary Elections were out. And the challenger, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) & Allies made historic gains winning 33% of the vote, followed by a left-wing bloc with 28%, and well ahead of President Macron’s broad alliance of centrists, who scored just 22%.

The first round eliminates all candidates who fail to win the support of 12.5% of locally registered voters. Anyone who scores more than 50% of the vote with a turnout of at least a quarter of the local electorate wins automatically. That normally happens only in a handful of constituencies.

RN is led by 28-year-old Jordan Bardella – designated Prime Minister – and in Parliament by Marine Le Pen, who has fought for the presidency three times and lost each time. Now, the polls say her party could become the biggest in France, falling short of an absolute majority. Naturally, Le Pen has set her eye on the next presidential election, in three years’ time.

Pollsters calculated the first round had put the RN on track for anything between 250-300 seats, but that is before tactical withdrawals reshape voter intentions this weekend. And there seems to be ganging-up of parties against Marine Le Pen, given her strident anti-Muslim stand. Le Pen has called for the hijab to be banned in public spaces, while Jordan Bardella, has called the veil a ‘tool of discrimination’.

The second round – the run-off will be held on Sunday, 7th July. And consists of a series of run-offs fought either by two, three or sometimes four candidates. Some candidates may drop out before 7th July to give an Ally a better chance of stopping a rival from winning.

Never before has the far-right won the first round of a French parliamentary election.

The Macron alliance had only 250 seats in the outgoing Assembly.

Whoever wins, President Macron has said he will not resign. If his party loses, and National Rally wins, then the question is whether RN can win an absolute majority or a relative majority similar to that held since 2022 by the Macron camp.

An RN victory could open the door to almost three years of ‘cohabitation’: when the president of one party heads the state and another party runs the government.

Marine Le Pen is the daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen who founded the National Front Party. For years, she has been working to ‘de-diabolise’ or detoxify her party from the antisemitic and extremist roots of her father and his fellow founders. Once in control, she renamed the party as, National Rally to shrug-off the past. Much of its focus now is on the cost-of-living crisis, but many of its strict anti-immigration policies remain, and a ruling this year by the Council of State, France’s highest court for administration, confirmed it could be considered ‘extreme right’. Jordan Bardella wants to ban French dual nationals from sensitive strategic posts, calling them ‘half-nationals’. He also wants to limit social welfare for immigrants and get rid of the automatic right to French citizenship for children with foreign-born parents.

Britain’s Labour Labours Liberally

British voters headed to the polls this Thursday for a crucial General Election. The snap vote, called by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, was held months earlier than necessary, and caught much of his party by surprise.

The opposition Labour party had suffered its worst defeat since 1935 in the last general election, but has since rebuilt itself under the leadership of Keir Starmer. And when the results were out on Friday it was a Landslide win for Labour with 410 sets, well above the majority mark of 362. Well, that was what India’s Prime Minster was aiming for, 400 paar – 400 and above. Never mind, it happened in faraway Britain.

The Labour Party swept hundreds of seats across the country and in the process brought an end to 14 years of Conservative rule. And a tumultuous era, which saw five different Conservative leaders running the country.

Sir Keir Starmer, 61, was quickly appointed Prime Minister(PM) by King Charles, later in the day. Rishi Sunak, the outgoing PM, conceded early in the morning, acknowledging Labour had won and calling Starmer to congratulate him. Sunak took responsibility for the loss. His Conservative party won a conservative 121 seats.

Britain’s new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, studied at Reigate Grammar School, University of Leeds, and University of Oxford. He is married to NHS occupational therapist Victoria Alexander and has one son and one daughter.

Keir started his professional life as a Barrister in the 1990s, and was appointed the director of public prosecutions, the most senior criminal prosecutor in England and Wales, in 2008, which service eventually got him knighted as ‘Sir Keir Starmer.’

He was first elected in the Holborn and St. Pancras constituency in north London in 2015, and took over the leadership of Labour after the party’s poor 2019 general election, pledging to start a new era after the abrasive left-wing leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

This election’s insurgent party was Reform UK, the right-wing successor to the Brexit Party and the UK Independence Party. Nigel Farage, its leader, finally won a seat on his eighth attempt – but his party’s initial projection of 13 seats fizzled to four.

India’s Death Stampede

It is one of the deadliest stampedes and worst crowd crushes in India, 123 people, including women and children, died in Phulrai Mugalgarhi village in Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) Hathras District. About 250 were injured. The tragedy occurred at the conclusion of a Hindu religious satsang (a prayer meeting) organised in the area, by a self-styled God-man guru, called Bhole Baba; when the meeting concluded and the Baba was leaving the venue.

The organisers tried to create a passage from the venue to the main highway for the convoy of Baba’s cars to leave, amidst a rush of people who began gathering on both sides of the corridor. All of this, combined with the mismanagement of the huge crowd by the organisers has prima-facie led to the stampede. A Mad rush, extreme humidity, slippery ground, desperation to seek Baba’s blessings – collect dust under his feet- confusion, screams, and fear were tell-tale signs of the gruesome scene. Most of the deaths resulted from suffocation.

More than three times the permitted number of people attended the event-about 250,000-despite permission being granted only for 80,000.

The satsang was held by Suraj Pal, 58, who also goes by the names, Narayan Hari, Sakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba or simply ‘Bhole Baba’. Hari hails from Bahadur Nagari village in Kasganj district, about 65 km from Hathras where the stampede occurred. Suraj Pal worked as a constable with the UP Police, and was last posted in Agra, before he quit in the 1990’s to become a religious preacher. He claims to have a spiritual bend even while working with the Police, which made him ‘switch careers’.

He then adopted the name Bhole Baba, began preaching, and conducted satsangs known as ‘Manav Mangal Milan Sadbhavna Samagam’ along with his wife, who is known as Matashree. Hari does not have children.

Bhole Baba does not wear the traditional saffron clothes, often appearing in a white suit and tie or a kurta-pyjama. He claims to spend all the money donated to him on devotees. He calls himself a disciple of Hari (Lord Vishnu). He is said to have a notable following in western Uttar Pradesh.

Wonder why the ‘God-Man’ did not stay back and offer succour to those affected, or use his ‘Godly power’ to bring back people to life? Instead, he promptly fled the scene.

T20 World Cup Cricket Thrills

I have not watched live cricket on TV in a long time and there was no better day to get back than last Saturday. And it was worth its weight in gold watching the India – South Africa Finals.

India’s 13 year wait for a World Cup win finally ended on a glorious day at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies, on 29th June. For South Africa, the endless agony for a Cup Win goes on. The spectacle these two teams produced was more than worthy of a World Cup final. It was a contest that sashayed back and forth, each blow followed by an equally brutal counterpunch that left the result hanging in balance until the final moments, in an edge-of-the-seat position.

In the end India won against South Africa by seven runs, becoming just the third side to win the Men’s T20 World Cup twice, after England (2010, 2022), and West Indies (2012, 2016). Barring a no result against Canada, India won all their remaining contests in the tournament, thus becoming the only undefeated side to win the T20 World Cup.

In the Finals, India batted first, making 176/7 runs in 20 overs with a vintage performance by Virat Kohli who made 76 of 59 balls, and pinch-hitter Axar Patel delivering his role to perfection, knocking 47 runs off 31 balls. In return, South Africa made 169/8 in 20 overs. Indian bowlers Hardik Pandya 3/20, Jasprit Bumrah 2/18, Arshdeep Singh 2/20 delivered the final blows – finishing the job.

Classy Klaasen lifted South Africa to the precipice but then it took the genius of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya to dismantle the Proteas. Bumrah, the human slingshot with logic-defying accuracy, had bowled flawlessly throughout the tournament and in the final innings. And when India was desperate for a wicket -that would open the gates to the South African batting’s tail-end, he flung down a delivery only the cricketing gods could conceive, clicking-off the stumps. And then Suryakumar Yadav performed a nimble feet-of-flames tiptoe around the boundary rope to complete a one-man relay catch struck by David Miller off a Hardik Pandya ball, which was a turning point in the game. Virat Kohli was declared the man of the match and Bumrah, man of the tournament. India exploded in celebrations and waited for the Team to return Home-caught in a West Indian Hurricane.

This was ‘the Wall’ Rahul Dravid’s final innings as Team Coach (he lamented that he is now jobless!), while Captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kholi said they were quitting T20 International Tournaments. It was an all-round fiery display of coaching and captaincy, which brought Team India to deliver its best when it really mattered. Over to the next team.

The ICC Men’s Twenty20 (T20) tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) commenced on 1st June with co-hosts USA taking on neighbours Canada, while fellow hosts the West Indies playing Papua New Guinea in Guyana on the second day of group play.

More nail-biting stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Stay the course with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-4

About: the world this week, 21 January 2024 to 27 January 2024; the wars of the land; US Elections; India’s Ram Temple; and the Australian Open Tennis.

Everywhere

The patience is wearing out awfully thin for the families of the 136 hostages still held by the terrorist Hamas and the famed Israeli Army is facing its toughest challenge in finding them. Remember, not a single hostage has been rescued since the barbaric attack by Hamas on Israel, on 7 October 2023.

This Monday, about 20 relatives of the hostages stormed a parliamentary committee session in Jerusalem, demanding Israel do more to try to free the hostages. Israelis overwhelmingly support the war, but a growing outspoken number say the Government should do more to reach a deal to free them, even if that means reining in its offensive.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected outright Hamas’ most recent offer and conditions for release of all remaining hostages. The demands were, an end to the war, the release of Palestinian prisoners, and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza. Israel in turn, offered a two month cease-fire, during which period, it wanted a phased release of all hostages and the return of the bodies of dead hostages. The first phase would see the release of women, men over the age of 60 years old, and hostages who are in critical medical condition. The next phases would include the release of female soldiers, men under the age of 60 years old who are not soldiers, Israeli male soldiers, and the bodies of dead hostages. Of course, Hamas struck it down.

Israeli tanks stormed southern Gaza’s main city of Khan Yunis, reaching the gates of two hospitals, as the bloodiest fighting of the new year tore through areas sheltering those displaced by the fighting. Then, this Monday, twenty-four Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting in the biggest single loss of life for Israeli troops inside the battered enclave of Southern Gaza, since the war began – a severe set-back for Israel.

Later in the week, Israel and Hamas appear to have made some progress towards agreement on a 30-day ceasefire in Gaza.

Towards the end of the week, on Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gave its interim ruling on a case of ‘genocide’ by Israel in the Gaza brought by South Africa. The World Court said that Israel must refrain from acts that could possible lead to genocide against the Palestinians and do more to help civilians. And it did not order a cease-fire, as requested by South Africa. Instead the ICJ called for the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages. The Court’s orders are binding on nations, but unenforceable.

On the other war: a leading western think-tank says, the war in Ukraine has dented Russia’s confidence in its conventional forces and increased the importance of non-strategic nuclear weapons as a means of deterring and defeating NATO in a potential future conflict. And Russia unleashed a mass air strike on Ukraine killing at least four people and wounding more than 60 others. Meanwhile, the lack of quality drones is affecting Ukraine’s ability to survey and attack Russian positions.

In the boiling-hot Red Sea, US and UK forces carried out a fresh round of strikes in Yemen, targeting a Houthi underground storage site, and missile and surveillance capabilities used by the Iran-aligned group against Red Sea shipping.

In the United States, former President Donald Trump cruised to victory in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential contest, marching closer to a November 2024 rematch with President Joe Biden. Trump beat former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley earning 11 delegates, with 55% of the state’s Republican vote. It’s a blow to Haley’s campaign, which had narrowed in on Trump’s lead ahead of the primaries but ended up 11% behind. Still, Haley said, “this race is far from over”, and is looking forward to South Carolina. Meanwhile, Trump said he “couldn’t care less” if Haley stays in the game.

This week on Monday, India awakened to the dawn of a new era of civilisation, a turning-point, with the consecration of the Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya, built on the site of Lord Ram’s birthplace. It was a celebratory event all over India with people participating in their own religious manner in their homes or Temples across the country. It was also the successful achievement of an Election Poll promise made by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

One striking celebration was that of the the Suryavanshi (House of the Sun – descendants of Rama) Thakurs, a community of Saraisi Village, in Ayodhya. They had taken an oath that they will not wear their symbolic, traditional Turbans until the temple was rebuilt at the birthplace of Rama. On Monday the community got back to wearing their Turbans, after 500 years. This is one of the many stories of a relentless, bloody, determined struggle to see Lord Rama back at his home in Ayodhya. And a culmination of the dreams of over a billion people.

Which country in the history of the world has seen its majority people patiently struggle for over 500 years, and in the end legally securing the birthplace of its God? A Janmabhoomi – a sacred birthplace- which was intentionally ravaged by an invader to humiliate the native religion.

The centuries of untold pain, torment, and suffering of the Hindus was completely missed or deliberately omitted, by foreign media such as, the BBC, CNN, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal…. They all went to town calling it ‘controversial’, when the controversy itself was patiently resolved by due process of the laws of the land. And a fresh page in history was turned. The headlines were absolutely negative and inappropriate. Would a fascist Government- if there was one-wait so long? Does not the media operate under rules and regulations? And when the rules are broken or transgressed are they not punished, or a wrong rectified? Wonder, why this bigotry, and hatred for one of the world’s oldest civilisations. Instead, they should have joined India in celebrating the moment – a homecoming!

Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi led the consecration following a 11-day fast to make him eligible, worthy to enter the sanctum sanatorium, and engage in the holy rituals. At the event, the PM chanted Hindu religious verses before placing flower petals at the feet of Lord Ram, and joined his palms in prayer, then bowed before it and circled the sacred flame.

The superb communicator and one of the best speech makers in the business, that he is, the PM used the occasion to give a thought-provoking, far-looking speech – befitting the moment. It was measured, weaving threads on the tapestry of the divinity of Lord Ram and giving a clarion call to making the celebrations a launch pad for a national endeavour in building a strong India – modern and yet proud of its rich heritage. There was not chest-thumping or trampling on past events, but with all humility, acknowledging the divine moment and thinking ahead, taking the people along. ‘Shun the ego, stayed united’, was another message of the day.

“Lord Ram has arrived. Our Ram Lalla (child) will no longer live in a tent, our Ram Lalla will reside in this divine temple,” the PM said, referring to earlier temporary structures which housed an old Ram idol. “A nation rising by breaking the mentality of slavery…creates new history in this manner. Ram is not conflict, but resolution. And Ram belongs to all”.

Thousands danced in the streets outside, waving saffron flags as they chanted religious slogans. Ayodhya turned in to a sea of sadhus clad in saffron. Cries of “Jai Shri Ram”, echoed across the city of about three million and firecrackers were burst in celebration. The event ignited religious fervour across India, with many states declaring a holiday on Monday, stock markets shut, and homes and businesses illuminated after the PM called for it to be marked as another Deepavali – the festival of lights. “Just in sheer magnitude … this event has almost no precedent in history. It is a watershed moment,” a commentator wrote in an Indian newspaper.

The Rama Lalla idol was crafted by Mysore-based Sculptor, Arun Yogiraj, riding on the shoulders of a family, with generations of sculpture behind him. He said he was the luckiest person on earth, when his sculpture was selected among others, in a competition. People marvelled at the idol’s remarkable features particularly the eyes and the smile. The 51-inch statute is hewn from a three billion year old black stone rock, extracted from a place called Gujjegowdanapaura in Jayapura Hobil, HD Kote Taluk of Mysuru, Karnataka State.

There are many heroes behind the successful Pran Prathistha of the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya and one of them is 91 years old veteran Supreme Court lawyer Keshav Parasaran whose devotion to the cause echoed in the build-up to the ceremony. He was a former Attorney General of India and presented his case without shoes and stood for extended period of time during the proceedings – as a mark of respect to Lord Rama. On winning the case, he said that the arguments he delivered were due to his love and devotion to his God, Ram, and that he did his best. And the Supreme Court did the rest.

India’s is a wounded civilisation – looted (including the word ‘looted’ – from Hindi) by countless invaders in of the bloodiest in History- and for the first time, in a very long time, the wounds are beginning to heal.

The Australian Open (AO) Tennis Tournament is underway at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 14th January to 28th January.

In a shocking upset, Women’s World No 1, Iga Swiatek of Poland was defeated by 19 year old Czech, Linda Noskova, 6-3; 3-6, 4-6, in the third round in the Rod Laver Arena. This brought to an end a 18 match winning streak of Iga Swiatek. Linda Noskova, ranked 50th in the world, looked composed throughout the match as she hammered 35 winners past the top seed. In another upset, Ukrainian qualifier 23 years old Dayana Yastremska surged into her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal on Monday defeating two-time champion Belarusian Victoria Azarenka . Using a booming serve and aggressive groundstrokes she won 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, again at the Rod Laver Arena. Incidentally, she played Linda Noskova in her next match, who had progressed to the last eight when her opponent, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina retired hurt. Then Yastremska beat Noskova to reach the semi-finals, where her dream run ended when she lost to China’s Qinweng Zheng. The Women’s Singles Finals is between Zheng and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, to be played this Saturday.

On another court, Indian tennis star Rohan Bhopanna scripted history at the age of 43. He became the oldest World Number One Double Tennis Player as he progressed to the semi-finals of the Men’s Doubles event and later made it to the Finals. This feat, for India, comes after almost a decade.

The AO men’s title, defending champion, Novak Djokovic who ‘did not sin once’ in his 33-match winning run in Melbourne was stunned in the semi-final when he ran into Italian Jannik Sinner. Sinner advanced to his first grand slam final with a fantastic 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, victory against the 10-time champion. In the other semi-final, Russian Daniil Medvedev came from two sets down to defeat Germany’s, Alexander Zverev and reach his third AO final. Medvedev looked beaten at two sets down but won two tiebreaks in a row to claim a 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory in over four hours. The former US Open champion will bid for a second grand slam title against Sinner on Sunday.

More heroic stories coming up in the weeks ahead. Play with World Inthavaaram .

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2022-46

About –the stories of the world this week, 13 November to 19 November: The United States counts, Iran protests fester, India bleeds, G20 meets, mission to the moon, India’s private sector enters Space, and a sequel to a blockbuster movie.

Everywhere

After the counting in the United States (US) Midterm Elections cantered along -on horseback -over the darkness of last week, the results are finally seeing cracks of dawn and spilling over to this week. With all its advancement, the US takes an awful lot of time to draw its guns and get the votes counted. I reckon Americans can sling a rocket to the Moon and back before ‘em votes are shot down.

The Blue Democrats retained control of the Senate (total 100 seats) with 50 seats to the Red Republicans’ 49. This was made possible by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto who was re-elected in the State of Nevada with a ‘hour-glass margin’ of over 6000 votes. A win is a win. A run-off in the State of Georgia December later this year could take the tally to 51-49.

In the House (total 435 seats), the Republicans gained control, just managing to obtain a majority -218 seats against the Democrats’ 210 seats. President Joe Biden may stumble to get Bills passed over the remaining two years of his Presidency.

The nationwide protests in Iran, against the draconian Islamic Dress Code for woman fires on. Iran is facing one of its biggest and most unprecedented shows of dissent and defiance following the death-in-custody of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish Iranian woman detained by the morality police for not wearing her hijab properly.

A Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO (IHRNGO) group claims that Iranian security forces have killed at least 326 people since the protests erupted two months ago. It includes 43 children and 25 women, and the number is an ‘absolute minimum’.

Meanwhile, an Iranian court has issued the first death sentence linked to recent protests, convicting an unnamed person of ‘enmity against God’ and ‘spreading corruption on Earth’. Iran’s Revolutionary Court issued the sentence to a protester who set fire to a government building. Now, some fear that more than 1000 others who have been arrested could face similar charges, potentially carrying the death sentence.

It was a bloody week in India, bleeding with news on two counts.

One, the killers of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi were ordered to be released by the Supreme Court of India. This after being found guilty, sentenced to death, then commuted to life, and now freed.I guess you can just about do anything in India and get away with it?

Recall, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in May 1991 by a suicide bomber belonging to the Tamil separatist organisation, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during an Election meeting in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. 16 other people died and about 43 were injured in the bombing on that fateful day. In one of the best known manhunts in India’s history and successful tracking-down of the perpetrators, those involved were either killed or caught, arrested, and successfully convicted.

The release of the convicts followed unbelievable, hyperactive rallying by Political Parties in the State of Tamilnadu-mainly the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). They competed with one another in getting them released, on the ground of being Tamilians and unconscionably pandering to Tamil sentiment. And of course, the Court garnishes the reasons with the ‘mandatory’ good-behaviour in Jail.

I was devastated by the release of convicts who killed a Prime Minister of the Country in a carefully executed macabre plot. And consider it a global disgrace. The Supreme Courts in all its sagacity has probably weakened the country. The guilt of the released convicts in the brutal assassination Rajiv Gandhi and many others who were killed, for no fault of theirs, was beyond doubt. Commuting the death sentence to make it a life sentence is mercy. Freeing them is mockery. Worse still giving them airtime, celebrating their release, extracting sympathy bites, is horrific. Why does a ‘bad man’ get all the ‘honour’ a good man should get by default?

Two, the story that hogged the headlines for the greater part of the week was about the gruesome murder of a woman, Shraddha Walkar, by her live-in partner Aftab Poonawala, who after killing her, chopped her body to pieces, bought a refrigerator to store it and slowly disposed off the body parts over a period of five or more months. Shraddha had eloped from her Home in Mumbai, to New Delhi, breaking all daughter ties with her parents, but a concerned father happened to check her out and unable to find her filed a Police complaint, leading to the investigation. The murderer has been arrested and there are no visible traces of remorse on him.

Shraddha has asked Aftab to marry her and one disagreement led to another resulting in the killing.

What are we turning into, savages in the bygone days?

The Group of 20

The Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum consisting of 19 of the World’s major economies and the European Union which meets annually to tackle major issues related to the global economy. This year they met on 15 and 16 November, in picturesque Bali under the Presidency of Indonesia. Last year it was Italy. And the Presidency passes to India for the year 2023 with Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi taking over from Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, not the best of friends, had some tough talk going between them and sparks flying, over PM Trudeau being a leaking sieve by passing on everything discussed, to the Media. Xi told him it’s no appropriate and that’s not the way a conversation is conducted.

One of the outcomes of G20 Bali-Indonesia was that ‘most’ members condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and came close to using the word ‘war’ to describe what we all know simply as the ‘Russian-Ukraine War’. Wow!There were some murmurs of ‘eschewing’ use of nuclear weapons. And the European Union, Denmark and Norway announced a USD 20 million deal to decarbonise Indonesia’s coal-powered economy.

Return Ticket To The Moon

In ancient Greek mythology, Artemis is the daughter Greek God Zeus- the Sky and Weather God- and the twin sister of Apollo. US’ NASA first put man on the Moon with the Apollo 11 mission on 29 July 1969 and is returning to the Moon with… you guessed it, the Artemis Mission. And, naturally a woman to the Moon.

Artemis is the goddess of hunting, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She preferred to remain a maiden goddess and was sworn never to marry, and was thus one of the three Greek virgin goddesses-the others being Athena and Hestia.

Tracing the history of man on the moon, a total of 12 men have walked on the moon in six moon landings. This was accomplished with two US pilot-astronauts flying a Lunar Module on each of six NASA missions across a 41-month period starting 29 July 1969, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11, and ending on 14 December 1972 with Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt on Apollo 17. Gene Cernan was the last man to step off the lunar surface.

In summary, twenty-four US astronauts have traveled to the Moon; three have made the trip twice, and twelve have walked on its surface. Here are the names.

Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin (Apollo 11), Charles Conrad, Alan Bean (Apollo 12) , Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14), David Scott, James Irwin (Apollo 15) John Young, Charles Duke (Apollo 16), Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17). Four of America’s moonwalkers are still alive: Aldrin, David Scott, Charles Duke, and Harrison Schmitt.

Moving forward from Apollo, Artemis I is an uncrewed test flight that will provide a foundation for deep space exploration and demonstrate the capability to return humans to the Moon. It will demonstrate the performance of the new Orion Spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS), and test capabilities to orbit the Moon and return safely to Earth.

The primary objective is to thoroughly test integrated systems before crewed missions, operating Orion in a deep space, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after re-entry, descent, and splashdown. The flight will pave the way for future missions, including landing the first woman and first person of colour on the surface of the Moon.

The mission team encountered a number of setbacks in the lead-up to this week Wednesday morning’s launch, including technical issues with the mega moon rocket and two hurricanes that have rolled through the launch site. But then, count Artemis to self-heal and comeback.

The SLS carrying Orion blasted off from NASA’s modernised spaceport at the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, this 16 November. Propelled by a pair of five-segment boosters and four RS-25 (Aerojet Rocketdyne, Liquid-fuel cryogenic) engines, the rocket reached the period of greatest atmospheric force in 90 seconds. The solid rocket boosters then burnt through their propellant and separated after about two minutes, and the core stage and RS-25s depleted propellant after eight minutes. After jettisoning the boosters, service module panels, and launch abort system, the core stage engines were shut down and the core stage separated from the spacecraft, leaving Orion attached to the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) in orbit. As the spacecraft made an orbit of Earth deploying its solar arrays in the process – to build its muscles- the ICPS gave Orion the big push it needed to leave Earth’s orbit and travel towards the Moon. This manoeuvre, called the trans-lunar injection, precisely targets a point about the Moon that will guide Orion close enough to be captured by the Moon’s gravity.

Orion separated from the ICPS about two hours after launch, after which ICPS deployed ten small satellites, known as CubeSats, along the way to study the Moon or head farther out to deep space destinations.

As Orion continues on its path from Earth orbit to the Moon, it will be propelled by a service module provided by ESA (European Space Agency) that will course-correct as needed along the way. The service module supplies the spacecraft’s main propulsion system and power.

The outbound trip to the Moon will take several days, during which time engineers will evaluate the spacecraft’s systems. Orion will fly about 97 kilometres (km) above the surface of the Moon at its closest approach, and then use the Moon’s gravitational force to propel Orion into a Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO), traveling about 64,000 km past the Moon. This distance is 48,000 km farther than the previous record set during Apollo 13 and the farthest in space any spacecraft built for humans has flown. Orion will also stay in space longer than any human spacecraft has without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.

For its return trip to Earth, Orion will get another gravity assist from the Moon as it does a second close flyby, firing engines at precisely the right time to harness the Moon’s gravity. And accelerate back toward Earth, setting itself on a trajectory to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere.

Once the spacecraft has passed this extreme heating phase of flight, the forward bay cover that protects its parachutes will be jettisoned-crew module separates from service module- Orion’s two drogue parachutes deploy first, at 7600 m, and within a minute slow Orion to about 160 kph (kilometres per hour) before being released. They are followed by three pilot parachutes that pull out the three main parachutes which will slow Orion’s descent to less than 32 kph. The spacecraft will make a precise landing within eyesight of the Recovery Ship off the coast of San Diego in the Pacific Ocean.

Three ‘passengers’ will fly aboard Orion to test the spacecraft’s systems and collect data for future missions with real astronauts.

A suited manikin (model of the human body) named Commander Moonikin Campos occupies the commander’s seat inside Orion to provide data on what crew members may experience in flight. Two additional seats in Orion will be occupied by manikin torsos, called phantoms, manufactured from materials that mimic human bones, soft tissues, and organs of an adult female. Named Zohar and Helga, the torsos will be fitted with more than 5600 passive sensors and 34 active radiation detectors to measure radiation exposure as part of the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment (MARE), an international effort including the German Aerospace Center, the Israel Space Agency, and NASA.

Zohar will wear a radiation protection vest, called AstroRad, while Helga will not. The study will provide valuable data on radiation levels astronauts may encounter on lunar missions. It will evaluate the effectiveness of the protective vest that could allow crew to exit the storm shelter and continue working on critical mission activities inspite of a solar storm.

The Artemis I Mission duration is about 25 days, 11 hours, 36 minutes. Total distance travelled 1.3million miles. Splashdown will be on 11 December 2022.

Absolutely exciting, what ‘flies ahead’ in the weeks to come.

The Prarambh of India’s Private Space Adventure

India’s Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) wasn’t making any friends to chill out with and was shamelessly engrossed in effortlessly launching Satellites into space. Could get lonely at times. The Government noticed and in June 2020 arranged to open the Space sector to private players so that ISRO could find some partners and have a relationship, Live-in? Maybe? Private players were allowed to use various ISRO resources to make the cut, use, and study Space.

This Friday, India’s first privately built rocket, Vikram-S (named after India’s pioneering Space Scientist Vikram Sarabhai), developed by Hyderabad based startup Skyroot Aerospace successfully blasted off from ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, creating history. The mission was called Prarambh (the beginning) and Vikram-S will help test and validate 80 % technologies for future suborbital missions especially the upcoming Vikram-I in 2023.

Suborbital? What’s that? Suborbital launch refers to vehicles that travel high enough to travel to the edge of outer space, but do not have the energy to achieve orbit around the Earth. Typically, they reach speeds of 2 to 6 times the speed of sound and curve back to kiss dear Earth. In comparison, an orbital spacecraft has to travel fast enough to orbit the Earth without falling back due to gravity, which involves speeds of about 25 times the speed of sound.

The 6m tall rocket, Vikram-S, is a single-stage solid fuelled, suborbital test launch vehicle, which took about two years to develop. It weighs about 545 kg and, in its maiden flight carried three customer payloads belonging to SpaceKidz India, and BazoomQ Armenia and N-Space Tech India – who all reported that they are happy with the outcome.

The launch also served as a technology demonstration to showcase the capabilities of Skyroot which has used its propulsion system, Kalam 80, and spin stabilisation system for the rocket.

Skyroot eventually plans to pitch itself as a company offering one of the quickest and most affordable rides to Space, and could become part of ISRO’s journey to evolve into a preferred destination for cost-effective launch of satellites. Skyroot expects more than 20,000 small satellites to be kicked into Space in the coming decade and aims to position itself as a serious player through mass producibility and affordability. They are hoping that launching satellites into Space will soon become as easy as booking a cab-quick, precise, and affordable!

Root for the skies, it’s for the asking!

Please Yourself

When the movie Black Panther hit theatres in February 2018, it opened to a stellar USD 202 million weekend. It then went on to make USD 1.3 billion worldwide and garnered multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. The film is considered to be one of the best and biggest blockbusters from the comic book genre and from the Marvel Studios- the most lucrative brand in all of Hollywood, United States.

With this in black and white and in the background screen, the sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever released this week, opened to an estimated USD 180 million in North America – that’s sizeable. This time the film had to do with without star Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in 2020.

The opening is one of the best premieres of the year and makes the superhero film the highest-grossing debut ever for the month of November. The original record belonged to ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,’ which made USD 158 million in November 2013.

Black Panther: Wakanda, stars Letitia Wright and Angela Bassett as the princess and queen of the fictional African country of Wakanda. And appears to be a fitting sequel to one of the most popular films of all time.

More thrilling stories coming up in the weeks ahead. Launch yourself into the Space of World Inthavaaram, forever.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2020-45

About: This is what happened this week, in our World.

Wisdom

“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.” – Bruce Lee

Everywhere

The United States (US) of America.

The World is watching and even the most noisy democracies are looking in the mirror and finding a better reflection of them, over what’s happening in the US.

The US has finally decided to name Joe Biden as ‘President-Elect’ in a gridlocked, knife-edged, roller-coaster Presidential Election, with every vote riding single in a large saloon car, crowding the roads, where the signals are coming on too fast for too short a time.

It could take days, even weeks, before the US Presidential race is finally settled, and there is not much hope that the incumbent President, Donald Trump, will ever utter the great words, “I concede”. He showed the best of his worst behaviour shouting-out that he has won, and that the counting be stopped, in baseless allegations of a fraudulent election – under his watch, as President? Damn! He has showed enough red signs of ‘not accepting the results’. He has even threatened to go to the US Supreme Court and is tweeting lies every time he opens his beak to speak. Meanwhile, the news channels are humming with reports of ‘dead people’ coming alive to vote and markers, using ‘Sharpie pens’, that disappear on ballot papers.

Most of us in India are stumped by the US Election process and I have never followed an US Election this closely – learning the names of all the States! It’s a fact that Americans actually do not directly vote for the President – as many of us might have believed – Something called the ‘Electoral College’ chooses the President. Let me explain.

The winner of the US Presidential Election is determined through a system called Electoral College. Each of the 50 American States, plus Washington DC, is given a number of electoral college votes adding to a total of 538 votes. More populous states are get more electoral votes than smaller states. A candidate needs to poll 270 plus 1 to win. In every State the candidate that gets the most votes wins all of the states electoral votes except in two states of Maine & Nebraska. Hence a candidate can win an election without getting the most votes at the national level.

Americans are also electing members of the two chambers of Congress: House of Representatives and the Senate.

At the time of this Post, Joe Biden was leading with 253 Electoral College Votes (ECV) over Donald Trump’s 213 and has just been projected to win the 20 EVC of Pennsylvania taking his score to 273. Votes are being carefully and furiously counted and all eyeballs are on the battleground States where results are yet to be declared: Pennsylvania – 20 ECV, Biden projected to win; Georgia – 16 ECV, Biden leading by over 7200; Arizona – 11 ECV, Biden leading by over 29800; Nevada – 6 ECV, Biden leading by over 22,000 votes. Alaska – 3 ECV, Trump leading by over 51 000 votes.

It’s easy to see that Biden will win, but the twists & turns have been far more than anybody imagined, and the suspense lingers along with a heavily guarded opinion. Watch an Alfred Hitchcock film, we’ll have to wait this out.

History will be made when the Democratic Party candidates, Biden-Harris win the US Elections. Joe Biden, at 77, will be the oldest President of the United States ever to be elected to a first term in Office. He based his campaign on standing for two things: one, workers that built the US and, two, values that can bridge its divisions. I reckon he needs to work real hard, like a Worker, to build great spans of bridges that add iron & steel to his Presidency.

Kamala Harris would become the first Woman Vice President of the US, and the first Afro-American, and the first Asian American. Previously, only Geraldine Ferraro, a Vice Presidential candidate, running with Democratic Presidential candidate Walter Mondale, in 1984, came close. Mondale and Ferraro lost the general election in a landslide receiving only 41% of the popular vote compared to Ronald Reagan and Bush’s 59%.

The election shows that the US is so fractured that the New President will have to learn ‘black-white-brown’ magic, to cast a spell, to mend the broken parts, before he puts the bones to work. God Bless America.

If Donald Trump doesn’t accept the result he may have to be pulled out of the White House, kicking, screaming and screeching – Marshalls around? (Call Bruce Lee, from the Dead?)

Driving in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Women in Saudi Arabia were not allowed to drive a motor car, all these decades, until June 2018, when they were finally granted this right, in what appeared to be an opening-up of the Kingdom.

This was largely due to a successfully campaign by woman activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, 31, who fought to sit on the drivers seat, and a demand to abolish ‘male guardianship’. But, she was arrested in May 2018 on charges of ‘attempting to destabilise the Kingdom’. A number of other activists who fought for women’s right to drive, alongside Loujain, have since been released, but two years on, she remains behind bars. She has, in end October 2020, began a hunger strike to try and urge Authorities to allow her to have regular contact with her family.

Loujain al-Hathloul was named one of Time magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People of 2019’.

What is male guardianship? Under Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system, every woman must have a male guardian who has the authority to make a range of critical decisions on her behalf. Traditionally, a woman’s male guardian from birth is her father and once she is married her guardian becomes her husband.

Unbelievable that in this modern World a woman had to fight for such basic rights and then on the right being made right, be punished for being right.

The United Nations is sounding the horn, but it needs to drive Saudi Arabia – at Formula-One speeds – into ensuring ‘passenger comfort’ for its citizens – especially women. I’m hoping Loujain al-Hathloul is released at the soonest.

India

Elections, again.

The third and final phase of the Bihar State Assembly Elections are happening this Saturday and counting Day is on 10th November.

Will this be another thrilling cliffhanger?

Space

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is back in action, this Saturday, with the successful launch of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) -C49 in its 51st mission, lifting-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, India. The PSLV put into orbit India’s own Earth Observation Satellite (EOS)-01 as primary satellite, along with nine International customer Satellites, a grand total of ten, at one blast.

This is one space the World is cheaply looking up to.

The Pandemic in India

While the World is seeing new waves of the COVID-19, coronavirus pandemic, India after making a slow steady climb in the number of infections, is gradually, but surely mixing all the waves into one and rolling down a declining slope.

I must appreciate India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for having the foresight to lockdown very early, saving tens of thousands of lives and brutally locking people in their homes to learn their coronavirus lessons. So much so that every Indian has become fluent, like Donald Trump, and many have confidently declared that they have seen the back of this virus. They shout, ‘Stop the counting. Remove the masks’. I think it’s still too early to call a win as the Festive Season, could ‘un-mask’ new battlegrounds. Let me tell you a story.

On Tuesday evening, after over seven months of strictly adhering to COVID-19 prevention Rules, I reluctantly accepted an invitation to a small Family gathering in a small village near where I was born. My cousin called saying he is putting a knife to the throat of a few goats to propitiate the Gods and cook us all a good meal. This for the well-being of his father, who is struggling to walk again, after a stroke.

I wonder what the poor Goats can do? Maybe if a surgical knife is put to the Father he may recover!

It was late evening and I travelled alone in my Honda City Saloon on a largely ‘signal-less’ State Highway, with my Driver at the wheel. Both of us were masked-up tight, and fully- armed to the teeth with sanitisers, back-up masks, and other virus fighters. We reached the dinner spot, a Farmstead on the outskirts of the nearest Town, by 7.30pm just as the evening was running the last mile, to hand over the baton to Night.

I was welcomed by a few giggling ‘mask-less’ nephews, who when asked about wearing masks ushered us in to see for ourselves a ‘supremely coronavirus-free gathering’ huddled together, holding hands and making small conversation. Welcome to the party, they said.

I was the only one (repeat, only ONE) wearing a mask in the about 100 group.

I told everybody, of the family, either wear a mask, keep physical distance, or I leave. They were stunned for a moment – an Aunt pulled out a mask hanging at her sari folds and waved it. Others said they have no masks. And there is no coronavirus living in these parts, they laughed.

I then thanked the host, my cousin, and promptly walked out! The smell of dinner cooking on the fire was irresistible, but I held my ground.

The pandemic isn’t over as yet. Follow the Rules. I wish my cousin well and hope the day is remembered for the right reasons.

A friend of mine, an evolving Monk, trying to grow his beard to Sadhguru lengths, who drove all over India on a ‘Parikrama’, in his blue Suzuki car, believes the pandemic is a sham and a scam. Says he watched the cash flowing in all kinds of directions, in close quarters. Maybe, we should put him on a new Parikrama flight to the hotpots of Spain, Italy, or the US and hope for a safe return. Some people simply don’t get it!

Sport

Cricket

The IPL 2020 Cricket Tournament is counting the balls in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the last ball will be played on 10th November, to decide the winner, in the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.

Mumbai Indians have kept-up their lead in the points table and have reached the finals. They will play the winner of second Qualifier Match, scheduled on Sunday, 8th November, between Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have risen, over the week, to get here.

There’s a close fight at the very bottom with Rajasthan Royals pushing up Chennai Super Kings – slightly – to occupy the last position.

KL Rahul of Kings XI still has the most runs to his name, 670 in fourteen games. David Warner of Sunrisers Hyderabad is the closest with 546 runs in fifteen games. Ishan Kishan of Mumbai Indians has hit the most sixes – 29. Easy to understand how Mumbai Indians gained those points. He has pushed down last week’s Sixer, Rajasthan Royals’ Sanju Samson – 26 sixes.

Potpourri

Half-male, Half-female

While humans are expanding their sex orientation from the basic two of male and female, the Birds are fast catching up. In fact they are mixing it up.

Scientists have found a half-male, half-female songbird at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Powdermill Nature Reserve, USA in what’s being described as a ‘once in a lifetime’ discovery. This songbird is a rare species and is only the fifth such songbird to be discovered out of the nearly 800,000 birds that the Nature Reserve has seen. Well, someone’s counting, for sure. The ‘mixed-up’ bird was identified as a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Male and female Grosbeaks are distinguished by their colour: males have pink ‘wing pits,’ while females are yellow-brown. And, you guessed it: the sides of this songbird’s body were of different colours, typical of the male, and female.

How does this happen? It’s the result of a genetic error when an unfertilised egg with two nuclei fuses with the sperm, and produces an embryo with both male and female cells.

Now, if the female-side has a functional ovary – not known as yet – it could attract a male and make and egg, to reproduce, while the other part can also get to do its job of impregnating ‘other halves’.

Every single day we Humans are discovering something new and it only shows the endless possibilities of life on Earth. Male and Female is ‘two narrow’?

Migration

Keeping the conversation flying with the Birds, I read in the local Newspapers that three new rare migratory birds, Whimbrel, Pacific Golden-Plover (both are Shore Birds), and Eurasian Wryneck (Woodpecker family) have been recently sighted in Salem,Tamil Nadu, near the Mettur Dam region, by the Salem Ornithological Foundation. These rare migratory birds are from the Northern European Region and have been spotted for the first time around these parts.

Over the week, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has been asking the world to invest heavily in India highlighting its Democracy, Demography, Demand, and Diversity – and to build nests in India. The birds have lightly flown in, listened and have come to do a check, to take the tidings to the other parts, I’m sure.

Oh, I wish we could migrate like the birds!

Many fabulous things expected to happen in the upcoming week. Sit back and wait for the results – let others count!