2024

Accruing to the inheritance of a rickety civilian infrastructural pedestal- a byproduct of collateral damage done by decades of wars and insurgencies between the Afghan government and different insurgent groups especially the Taliban, the de facto regime’s confrontation with several other structures of weak economy are getting further weakened under the de facto Taliban regime. The de facto regime wrested power to rule a country whose economy was excessively externally financed as well as (…)

Global freshwater reserves are dwindling at an alarming rate, posing imminent threats to densely populated regions worldwide. Both low- to middle-income developing nations and highly developed countries are exalted to confront water stress unless proactive measures are taken to manage existing reserves effectively. Developing countries, although exhibiting low per capita water consumption, face water scarcity due to rapid population growth and inefficient water usage across sectors. (…)

May 14, 2024
We are in the midst of the elections to the Lok Sabha. The main contenders for power are the BJP, nay, Narendra Damodar Modi and the Opposition INDIA bloc, unofficially led by the Congress Party. Of course, assembly elections are held in Odisha, which does not generate much interest as the BJD led by the ubiquitous Naveen Patnaik is sure of returning to power. Andhra Pradesh, where voting took place on the 13th, is, no doubt, arousing curiosity as to whether Jagan Reddy will (…)

The Other Day When Nojendranath Got sudden pain in his belly He went to the doctor, who asked: “Pain, pain, you have pain?” And then he himself answered: “Well, well, first you give me money” Nojendranath asked: “How much? How much money?” And the good doctor stretched his hands and screamed: “This much, this much, this much”.
Nojendranath became sad But then suddenly Someone tapped his shoulders and said: “Don’t worry, don’t worry, Big Brother has promised to send money, Bags and bags (…)

From his deep regard and love for the great Indian epic Ramayana, Tagore in his essay ’ Ramayana’, written in 1903, said “ The uniqueness of Ramayana is that it elaborates the age-old family saga of man. The religious as also the love and reverential bondage in the relationship between father and son, brother and brother, husband and wife have been so glorified in the Ramayana, that they have naturally become the befitting themes of an epic. The conquest of countries, the annihilation of (…)

Now Israel has killed over 34,700 Palestinians in its war on Gaza during the last seven months and taken seize of Rafah, the point from where Palestinians can go only into Egypt, where they are not welcome. It cannot be more humiliating for the Palestinians. The humanitarian aid has also been disrupted once again. The manner in which war crimes have been committed brazenly by Israel in this war by attacking hospitals, killing large number of women and children, choking off essential supplies (…)

If most people are unable to understand the war aims of Israel, they should not be surprised as it is quite possible that even Israel’s rulers pushing this aggression relentlessly are not clear about their aims.
Israel’s Channel 13 recently reported that army commander Herzi Halevi had told Netanyahu that without plans in place to create an alternative (non-Hamas) Palestinian government in Gaza, the military effort to defeat Hamas would be like a ‘Sisyphean effort’.
This was a reference (…)

The Editors Guild of India
13th May 2024
The Chief Election Commissioner Election Commission of India Nirvachan Sadan New Delhi 110001
Dear Mr Rajiv Kumar,
Greetings on behalf of the Editors Guild of India, a body committed to its objective of protecting freedom of the press in the country.
As the country is in the midst of an intensely competitive electoral contest, we are writing to draw your attention to an important issue with respect to safety and protection of journalists (…)

Press Release
[May 14, 2024]
Today a delegation comprising Anjali Bhardwaj, Ashok Sharma, Shabnam Hashmi, Navsharan Singh & Amrita Johri submitted a petition to the Election Commission of India (ECI) demanding that the ECI disclose authenticated record of voter turnout figures as contained in Part I of Form 17C.
The petition which has been endorsed by more than 4,000 people states:
“For the first phase of elections, the ECI in its press note on the day of polling (19.4.2024) (…)

[fond noir][blanc]BOOK REVIEWblanc]fond noir]
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Chambers Book of Indian Election Facts
by Kingshuk Chatterjee and Surbek Biswas
Hachette India 2024 Pages: xii + 563; Price: Rs 699 PB ISBN : 9789357318389
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An estimated 2.8 million of the 80 million potential women voters could not make it to the electoral rolls when India conducted its first general election after independence. The reason? These women, mostly in northern India, wished to register themselves as ‘the (…)