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| Late patriarch Ziona Zionnghaka with his family. |
# There is a big dilemma about democracy. Had the man been more intelligent, he would have known how to conduct correctly, and if God had made man or woman less intelligent, he/she would have been more disciplined and thus easier to govern and control. But we have to face life and politicians as they are.
- Punjab has seen the very ugly face of terrorism. Of course, most of it was Pakistan-instigated. Islamabad must be waiting in the wings to take revenge for Bangladesh. In Kashmir, all its investment for years was virtually negated on August 5, 2019.
and see how on Nov 19, PM announced repealing of farm laws. 'anti-Sikh' narrative was one reason....( I was right yet again with Namo, or he took my warning seriously)
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| Great snap: 2021 |
“Between 1947 and 1991, the economy was driven by corrupt bureaucrats. Their family picnics were more important than national economic growth. The 1991 liberalization of the economy ensured prosperity no doubt, but India also saw a rise in its economic disparity,” said Naushad Khan, a trader in East Delhi. - from my piece for UCA News....
Link
India's rich-poor divide is widening
On Nov 21, Sunday, Yogi Adityanath, who shared the photograph from his Twitter handle, wrote in Hindi, "Hum nikal pade hain pran karke....ambar se ooncha jana hai, ek Bharat naya banana hai (We have started on with the pledge to sacrifice our body and mind. We are determined to create a new sun/wave and go further than the skies-to build a New India)."
The snaps and the tweet went viral on social media, and there was a public debate in more ways than one. The photos of PM Modi, a catalyst of development with a firm commitment to the Hindutva ideology, keeping his hand on Yogi Adityanath's shoulder, would be in public memory for weeks and months to come.
(Organiser - Modi-Yogi snaps: Symbiotic 'Hindutva' bond)
https://www.organiser.org/india-news/uttar-pradesh/lucknow-news/modi-yogi-snaps-symbiotic-hindutva-bond-8163.html
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| power of a photo |
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| Jamir in Delhi: Nov 7, 2021 |
Govt sources in Delhi say ----
"Pakistan had planned to invite a select group of people from India to visit Teri temple in Pakistan in a non transparent manner. This was not acceptable to us".
- This was also "contrary to the spirit" under which the two sides conducts pilgrimages.
"Now around 160 Indians pilgrims, selected by Indian organisers, will cross over to Pakistan through Wagah-Attari border tomorrow, Jan 1, 2022"
** Sources further said - "As in the past, Indian Govt is fully committed to provide all assistance to the Indian pilgrims".
Part 9
Finally. The decision for winter tour destinations for both the teams were finalized.
The Women team reached Nagaland capital Kohima. - the time was celebratory in the pre-dominant Christian state. The local tourism bonanza was called Hornbill Festival named after the wild flying creature once found in abundance in the wilds.
Christmas not far off and so...the mood of the natives was also religious. To a large extent the three Bengali Hindu women found the atmosphere pious.
No meeting, no tea party and no dinner session would begin without a prayer. "Amra to emon noe" - we are not like this," said Shampa.
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| Snap: Ajay Khape Jadhav |
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| Story teller and Nagas |
The house wife was the real owner of the house on the paper as well and the cottage but she maintained a low profile.
"NAGAS are known for being a Male chauvinistic society. Angamis are more. So I had grown up like that....always happy to play second fiddle to Mr Barua. He served in a government department and we met and the love was instant on my part. He gives me so much indulgence," the wife of Barua - Vitono told them.
She told them breakfast and lunch were complimentary. The three guests were certainly overwhelmed, never anticipated this generosity. Shampa even called up her husband Moloy to inform him about the arrangements at the 'Khonoma Cottage'.
Vitono once told them - "After my son was born, Mr Barua said he would settle down in Kohima with me...A Naga boy of a Naga mother should grow up in Nagaland-- he told me and had already made up his mind".
She also said many of her relatives and even Barua's brothers in Assam feel ...."I forced him to stay in Kohima. I did not".
Between the three sisters in law, Parul once said - "This Naga woman's story has an irony...don't you both see..she does not like to be staying on in Nagaland, ...I fail to understand".
Geetanjali said - "That's because Nagaland saw a lot of disturbance and killings once. No mother would like children to grow up amid violence".
Shampa said - ".....but she is opening up before us..at times I get a feeling that she is trying to do some kind of 'Prayaschit'...repentance".
"Why she has to feel guilty about it," Parul was curious - perhaps she had already sensed a deeper and interesting story plot.
"In fact, she told me ...Repentance is essential feature of Naga Christians," said Shampa.
"May be so," remarked Parul perhaps casually. "...we hardly know of Christian cultures and Naga traditions. In Bengal we were so much lost about our own culture, life, problems and gossips."
All three laughed together.
"Our husbands must be experiencing a different world in Allahabad... religious...so much of Hindu rituals...and of course evening drinks along Ganga Ghat," said Parul.
Again three of them laughed out. Geetanjali sounded politically correct and said, "Oh ya, but Allahabad is Prayag !"
At times Barua would also sit with them and chit chat. He was specially excited to know that Parul also writes. Journalism and writing always fascinated him, he said.
Barua said he had landed in the Nagaland Government's information and public relations department chiefly for writing works. Then he moved to the state assembly and took interests in reading and writing about Nagaland legislative history...enacting of laws...preparing Speakers and other Assembly officials and members and various committees for conferences and international seminars.
"I also traveled a bit specially a few SAARC countries and twice to Thailand and the Philippines," he told them.
As the guests would grill him further, he would say - "When the Naga insurgency against India and seeking independence was at its peak ...they also wanted the Government of India to fight their battle if there was a battle at all".
Barua also said, "For long there was a psychic tug of war. Even within families there were divisions...some Naga youths would join IAS civil service and even Indian army...others would join militant organisatoms and call themselves 'brave underground and freedom fighters'."
Perhaps they were not so pragmatic like Mizos as rebel leader Laldenga had led his Lushai and Mizo community to end insurgency once and for all in 1986.
The Nagas continued their battle, sometime against Indian forces, sometime against state politicians and also against one tribe against the other.
Rajiv Gandhi was Indian prime minister when Mizo Accord was signed, Barua has been an admirer of Rajiv, the last Congress Prime minister he admired.
He disliked Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh, he openly confessed. "I don't know why...perhaps I could sense these two leaders would fail and bring a long term damage to the Congress party".
Nagas also have serious differences among themselves ---- the fact that a major combative community of Nagas was "in Manipur state" made things more complex in 1990s and later. Nagas are also in Assam, Barua's wife Vitono told them.
Barua would also explain to them - "All Nagas are not quick tempered...nor all Nagas are dog eaters".
They are allowed to take beef as Christians and as Naga tribal natives, but Nagas have a craze for pork instead.
Laughingly he said, "I also love pork and specially if it is prepared by my wife in Angami Naga style with lots of ginger leaves and pieces of pork fats around your plates. She controls me by her cooking talent".
All of them would laugh out loud at the dining table.
Parul and two others Shampa and Geetanjali had pork for the first time in the Khonoma Cottage only; and and each one of them later confessed to each other - the experience was 'good'.
"Bolte parish ei gulo mangesher dalna...(You can say this is a little variety of a Bengali dish too)," Geetanjali told both of her sisters-in-law.
"Yes, Yes; we will take you there," Barua was too keen to assure them.
Next Sunday was planned for the trip to Khonoma.
The journey was planned for a quick but leisurely drive for about an hour from Kohima town.
"Because it is Sunday traffic will not be a problem," Barua's wife told them.
On the way yet again Barua was doing most of the talking while his wife and others did the patient hearing.
In between Parul asked his wife, "...why don't you also share some of your thoughts?"
Vitono smiled joyfully. Slowly, Parul realised - Vitono was yet again opening up.
"There is a deliberate and peculiar schizophrenia among Nagas...an outsider may not appreciate this. But we are really the conformists lot among the human race," she said.
Barua agreed readily and said -- "Within family and village social structures there is not much of rebellion. Nagas grow up and learn to follow and abide by family and social norms. Respecting elders is good, but sometime they seem to be defending even people who are absolutely wrong".
"Yes...", said his wife and hastened to add, "we can divide our private lives and public lives very smoothly. An outsider can mistake it to be opportunism. It is not".
Barua also said -- "If may add, even at times 'silence' is a kind of eloquent speaking....I am surprised at times when even my wife will sit down in silence and allow her relatives to attack my Assamese people or the Indian government.." - he smiled in between.
Parul says, "My husband also keeps complaining like that...all men will be men...".
to be continued ..... /-
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| Story teller and 'Angami' friend |
(India and Russia have rekindled the old bond at the Summit meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin on December 6 in New Delhi)
A major lesson from 2021 diplomatic and strategic experiences is that it would be erroneous to suggest that China is all too happy about the developments in Afghanistan.
Great Wall of China: Coffee time 2019
India and China have borders and other skirmishes. But they do have a significant stake in the stability of countries like Afghanistan. Beijing is particularly concerned about the stability of its restive Xinjiang region. New Delhi's concerns are pretty well known.
Against this backdrop, it will be important to assess India-China relations in 2022 and the importance of RIC - Russia, India and China.
Once upon a time, the United States virtually found it exceedingly difficult to define its "national interest" in the absence of Soviet power. But things changed once China developed its business and trade globally.
China is rapidly emerging as a challenger to the global pre-eminence of America. This pushed Washington to understand the importance of partnering with a democratic India.
Lately, India and China cooperated and collaborated during the COP-26 Summit in Glasgow and joined in opposing a commitment to "phase out" coal. Both Asian giants and Russia under Vladimir Putin have also been cooperating on regional security in fora, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
RIC Summit and Foreign Ministers meet have also been regular events. But it is also true that while Russia-China has inched closer, for its part, India has inclined more towards the United States.
Even the Summit for Democracy and President Joe Biden inviting PM Narendra Modi was crucial. India to the United States is a suitable 'counterbalance' against communist China. But complexities are too prominent to be missed regarding the India-China relationship.
China enjoys a favourable balance of trade with India, but Beijing will not hesitate about its military aggression regarding territorial issues and so-called border tensions. The Indian government has banned a series of Chinese apps. These, however, do not affect China much on the economic front. India's trade deficit with China rose by 56.12% to $28.10 billion USD in the first half of 2021.
This indicates that in spite of the tensions, the India-China trade equation has thrived. But when it comes to giving access to Indian pharmaceutical companies, China is yet to award market access.
India has other irritants too. Beijing launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, started working with Pakistan, and tried to 'undermine' India's influence in its neighbourhood. It also expanded the military presence in the Indian Ocean.
Beijing has continuously pushed its economic interest in the region and the extended neighbourhood of ASEAN countries.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has tried to understand the significance of all these, and thus he waxed eloquently. "... the state of the relationship, at the end of the day, will reflect the state of the border. You can't have a tense, high friction border and have great relations in all other parts of life. It doesn't work that way."
But when it comes to Russia, both New Delhi and Moscow have rekindled the old bond at the Summit meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin on December 6 in New Delhi. New Delhi seems to have drawn the right message from the western mistakes.
The western campaign to 'isolate' Russia after the Soviet collapse has driven Moscow to China's 'much closer embrace'. Even the US is taking corrective steps. In July 2020, under the Trump administration, Washington suggested the expansion of the G-7.
The Group of Seven (G7) is an inter-governmental forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was suggested that India, Russia, Australia and South Korea be included. The move left Beijing worried as it is already in the middle of several complex games both at the Asia level and globally.
The challenges are far from over. For India, the Indo-Pacific initiatives, a US-inspired forum and Australia-Japan, are crucial. Russia sees the Indo-Pacific as an American ploy, perhaps for a military alliance against China and Russia. Beijing sees Indo Pacific as a specific anti-China grouping.
Amid all these, therefore, RIC has a critical element. More important perhaps is the bilateral arms of the Russia-India-China triangle.
India needs to push up defence ties with Russia and keep China engaged in boundary talks and robust trade ties.
ends
China name some places in Arunachal Pradesh : Nothing new says New Delhi
December 30, 2021
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| What will Indian communists say ? |
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| Bamboo works at display: Beijing 2019 |
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| Blogger in China: 2019 |
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| CM Rio |
The agaland assembly on December 20 passed a unanimous official resolution seeking immediate repeal of
the controversial law.
Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home, Piyush Goyal will be the member secretary of the panel, and it
will have Lt Gen P C Nair, DG Assam Rifles among others as the members.
Other members of the committee are J Alam, Chief Secretary, Nagaland, T. John Longkumer, DGP, Nagaland,
Dr M S Tuli, Joint Director Intelligence Bureau and Lt Gen B S Raju, DG Military Operations, will be the special invitee.
"The terms of reference of the committee shall be to review the application of AFSPA in Nagaland and make suitable recommendations within a period of three months."
The Christmas festival went off this month in predominantly Christian-stronghold Nagaland state in a dampened
mood this year.
Protesters even burned effigies of Union Home Minister Amt Shah in remote Tizit area for allegedly
'misleading' the Parliament on December 4 shooting at Oting in Nagaland where local Konyak
Naga coal miners were killed in a botched up anti-insurgency operation.
The AFSPA has been enforced in Nagaland since 1958.
The enforcement of AFSPA in Nagaland (erstwhile Naga Hills) was preceded by the Assam Maintenance of
Public Order Act 1947 on June 15,1948 in response to the 'Naga independence' movement by the NNC.
Naga National Council claimed 'independence' for Nagaland on August 14,1947.
Insurgency in Nagaland started way back in the 1940s when doyen of 'Naga freedom movement'
A Zapu Phizo had floated the Naga National Council. It is also the oldest insurgency in the region.
Mizoram too had seen serious insurgency struggle but during the tenure of Rajiv Gandhi as
Prime Minister, the rebel group Mizo National Front had come forward and signed a peace
accord in 1986.
Full-fledged statehood was granted to Nagaland in 1963 with a 16-point Agreement inked
between Naga groups and the centre but the insurgency still continued
and multiple groups emerged at a later stage.
ends
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| Biden: Flanked by VP Harris, Secy of State Blinken |
There is a paradox in it too as India has certainly inched close to the US over the years, while Russia and China
are closer between them. And of course Beijing maintained blow hot-blow cold relationships with both New Delhi
and Washington throughout circa 2021.
For Biden of course, the worst crisis and that hit America's global reputation was in the form of the Afghanistan
crisis. In simpler language, it was a 'botched up' withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan and the Taliban
took over Kabul on August 15, 2021.
Americans had themselves to blame for everything.
The so called 'Doha' assurances of the Taliban leaders
In the last few years came a cropper.
Of course, a few weeks after the August high drama punctuated with loss of face for Uncle Sam, India's
no nonsense External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar did some plain speaking.
"....When I say levels of concern, the commitments which were made by the Taliban at Doha, the US
knows it best. We were not taken into confidence on various aspects of that," Dr Jaishankar said
speaking virtually at the Leadership summit of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).
Only on August 26, Biden's Afghanistan policy hit his country most.
At least 60 civilians and 12 US service members were killed as Islamic State
claimed responsibility for the dastardly Kabul attacks. It turned out to be the deadliest day for US
forces in a decade, subjecting President Biden to face sharper criticism.
The evacuation of western forces and others from Afghanistan plunged into a deeper crisis as
multiple explosions in Kabul killed scores throwing the entire world into panic.
Biden took a stand in his national broadcast and asserted:
“We will not forgive, we will not forget. We will hunt you down...".
But the truth was much bitter to be sweetened or otherwise by his rhetoric.
The Afghanistan debacle has done extreme damage to drive home the point that the
international community needs to understand that unlike the past - the US is perhaps no longer
the real 'leader' of the 'free world'.
Some skeptics said, America is now getting the taste of an increasing blow-back for pursuing bad policies over
decades in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the name of fighting the terror. Why it had to trust Pakistan beyond a point ?
On Nov 16, Biden to cut short on 'military engagement' with Beijing held the first virtual meeting with Chinese
President Xi Jinping for three and a half hours.
But the long meeting did not have much to give in substance.
A US spin was that the ice has been broken and the downward decline in the US-China relationship
would stop. Chinese President Xi even called Biden "an old friend"; but there was a categorical 'warning'
also about playing with 'fire'.
“It is playing with fire, and if you play with fire, you will get burned,” the Chinese readout quoted President
Xi as having stated over US support to Taiwan.
"Xi warns US over support for Taiwan secessionism," screamed a 'Global Times' headline.
But old timers say, American history is not quite new to such criticism and humiliation.
In the 1970s after Vietnam fiasco and mishandling of Iran, it had become fashionable
to portray the US as 'leaderless'. Then it was the erstwhile Soviet Union taking advantage of
the American 'weakness'.
But as they say, 'born again Americanism' was soon back under Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter days
were quickly lost in memories.
For the US policy makers, the year 2021 had begun with some of these refrains -
“If we are the people’s house, let’s do the people’s work and let’s vote to impeach this president (Trump)”.
But by August-September, some surveys claimed Trump was regaining his lost ground at the national level.
The 'Marketwatch.com' said in December, - Biden’s biggest challenges in 2022 would be to
convince Americans that ‘the United States is on the right track’ and of course winning the
economy battle.
Fight it every step, as the maxim goes.
ends
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| Democrat Modi was 'invited' for Summit for Democracy |
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma in his address on September 2 said, "... The main objective of (the) ZORO Movement in 1988 was Zo-Reun...
