India Narrative

“Aaj kal kuchh log ne theka le rakhha hai ke unhone Bharat ko badnam hi karna hai (Some people have now taken upon themselves to defame India)”. This is an angry BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain hitting back at Delhi Minorities Commission Chairman Zafarul-Islam Khan, demanding an investigation against him after he created a row by “thanking” Kuwait for its “support” to Indian Muslims against what he called “Hindutva bigots”. The former Union minister stressed on Khan’s alleged political affiliation to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the ruling party in India’s capital. “I condemn the language used by the Aam Aadmi Party leader; there should be a probe against him. It is a big crime. No nation has the right to intervene in India’s internal matters, even if that is an Arab nation. Because worldwide, the largest Muslim population lives in India after Indonesia. And for them, there can not be a better nation than India to live in and a better leader than (Narendra) Modi,” he said. ...

With nations around the world battered by their dependence on China for vital supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that Washington was discussing restructuring global supply chains with India and other Indo-Pacific “friends”. At a news conference in Washington on Wednesday, Pompeo said that conversations with leaders of India and the other Indo-Pacific countries involve “thinking about how we restructure these supply chains to prevent something like this from ever happening again”. “One example of our work together is with India. It’s lifted export bans on critical medical supplies, including pharmaceuticals used to treat some Covid-19 patients,” he said. During the discussions with also Australia, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea and New Zealand, they shared “information and best practices as we begin to move the global economy forward” and “getting our economies back to full strength”, he said. India, like the US and other countri...

The versatile National Award-winning film actor Irrfan Khan passed away today morning. He breathed his last early today at the age of 53. Khan was admitted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection earlier this week. However, he succumbed to his ailment. The actor is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and two sons Babil and Ayan. “Irrfan was buried at the Versova kabrastan in Mumbai at 3 p.m. this afternoon soon after the news of his passing away was announced. In presence were his family, close relatives and friends. Everyone paid their final respects and mourned the loss of his passing away. We pray for his peace and we hope he’s in a better place today. He was strong in his fight, and we all have to be strotoo in this loss,” an official statement from his spokesperson said. Film celebrities took to the social media to express their grief on Khan’s untimely demise. His Piku co-star Amitabh Bachchan referred to the late actor as a “gracious col...

The versatile National Award-winning film actor Irrfan Khan passed away today morning. He breathed his last early today at the age of 53. Khan was admitted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection earlier this week. However, he succumbed to his ailment. The actor is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and two sons Babil and Ayan. “Irrfan was buried at the Versova kabrastan in Mumbai at 3 p.m. this afternoon soon after the news of his passing away was announced. In presence were his family, close relatives and friends. Everyone paid their final respects and mourned the loss of his passing away. We pray for his peace and we hope he’s in a better place today. He was strong in his fight, and we all have to be strotoo in this loss,” an official statement from his spokesperson said. Film celebrities took to the social media to express their grief on Khan’s untimely demise. His Piku co-star Amitabh Bachchan referred to the late actor as a “gracious col...

The filing of more than 100 first information reports (FIRs) against Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami has not just shown the vulnerability of the press; it has also bared the shaky foundation of the rule of law. The question here is not whether Goswami was correct in comments on Congress president Sonia Gandhi after the lynching of Hindu Sadhus at Palghar in Maharashtra on April 16. Was it journalism or activism? I am nobody to judge him; let people do that; besides, that is not the moot question. The moot question here is the rule of law. The rule of law, which is the basis of civilization, implies preexisting, objective pieces of legislation that govern life in a country. The true ruler is not a man or a group of men and women but the law; those who govern do so in accordance with the predefined rules and regulations. It is the law that is majestic, not the men and women enforcing it. This is the reason that in monarchies royal personages, embodying the law, are ad...

American online travel major, TripAdvisor has announced that it will trim its workforce by about 900 employees, which is approximately one-quarter of the total number of people the online travel company employs, due to the effects of Covid-19. Majority of these 900 roles that the company is eliminating – about 600 – are based in the US and Canada, said TripAdvisor which is headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts. In addition, TripAdvisor will also be asking for the majority of its salaried employees to move to a 4-day work week and take a corresponding 20 per cent reduction in base salary, for three months starting in June, the company’s CEO and Co-founder, Steve Kaufer, said in a message to employees on Tuesday. “Since mid-to-late February, Covid 19’s impact on the travel industry and our business has slowly revealed itself day by day. The pandemic has had an impact on the economy that no one expected. Our personal and professional lives have changed in profound ways,” Kau...

The versatile National Award-winning film actor Irrfan Khan passed away today morning. He breathed his last early today at the age of 53. Khan was admitted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection earlier this week. However, he succumbed to his ailment. The actor is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and two sons Babil and Ayan. “Irrfan was buried at the Versova kabrastan in Mumbai at 3 p.m. this afternoon soon after the news of his passing away was announced. In presence were his family, close relatives and friends. Everyone paid their final respects and mourned the loss of his passing away. We pray for his peace and we hope he’s in a better place today. He was strong in his fight, and we all have to be strotoo in this loss,” an official statement from his spokesperson said. Film celebrities took to the social media to express their grief on Khan’s untimely demise. His Piku co-star Amitabh Bachchan referred to the late actor as a “gracious col...

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today extended curfew by two weeks after May 3, though he announced relaxation in the lockdown from Thursday in the non-containment and non-red zones. This means that the lockdown in the state will continue till May 17. The relaxation is for four hours from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. every day. It is contingent upon adherence to the Covid-19 safety protocols. The state government took the decision on the recommendations of an expert committee that was constituted to chalk out the state’s exit strategy. The inputs received from various sections of society were also taken into account, the Chief Minister said. Addressing the people of the state, the Chief Minister said the situation will be reviewed after two weeks and further relaxations will be announced thereafter if the pandemic remains in control. Certain shops will be allowed to remain open in certain areas by rotation for four hours every morning, with 50 per cent staff strength and social ...

Every day, in these extraordinary times, the social media, as well as the Indian news channels, are flooded with viral videos featuring policemen thrashing and humiliating people for violating the lockdown orders. Yet, to be fair to the constabulary, they haven’t severely punished anyone for breaking the lockdown. They have employed lathis (sticks) occasionally but the gun has remained safely in the holster. In fact, the rank and file of Indian police have been playing a heroic role during the Covid-19 pandemic. Along with the medical personnel, of course. They’ve come face to face — literally —with the spitting Tablighis and encountered stone pelting mobs. The valiant Punjab Assistant Sub-Inspector Harjeet Singh even had his hand chopped off. Many policemen have also died, and hundreds of them are in isolation currently, after being tested positive while contracting the virus in the line of duty. Not in the other countries though.Turkish police killed a 19-year-old boy Ali...

Air pollution has plummeted over many parts of India during the nationwide lockdown, but the real challenge will begin once the lockdown is lifted on May 3. Vehicles will begin to ply and factories will be back in operation. Experts say after lockdown steps have to be taken to curb air pollution, which also include dust, as high pollution levels would make people vulnerable to coronavirus, which manifests itself in the respiratory tract. Doctor Arvind Kumar, Founder and Managing Trustee Lung Care Foundation, said if the lockdown had not happened and the pollution levels had not dipped, going by the north Italy experience, the coronavirus would have spread faster. “Every effort should be made to keep the pollution level low, which also includes dust pollution. High pollution level will contribute towards faster spread of the virus”, said Kumar. A study was conducted on the air quality in Italy’s northern provinces — Lombardy and Emilia Romagna — which found a connection betw...