<p>The US on Thursday expressed concern over the brutal attack on Pakistani journalist Taha Siddiqui.</p>

<p>&quot;We are always very concerned over any reports of violence against journalists, in Pakistan and around the world. We will continue to monitor developments,&quot; a State Department spokesperson said responding to a question on the attack on Siddiqui.</p>

<p>&quot;The United States values freedom of expression as a key component of democratic governance. An active civil society and tolerance of dissenting views are vital components of any democracy,&quot; the spokesperson said as several media watchdogs came out in condemnation of the attack on Siddique.</p>

<p>Siddiqui, the Pakistani bureau chief for the New Delhi- based television channel WION, was in Islamabad on his way to the airport when a group of men stopped his car on the highway, beat him, and threatened him.</p>

<p>The men then <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saale-ko-goli-maaro-armed-men-shouted-as-they-tried-to-abduct-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29126" target="_blank">attempted to abduct</a> the journalist, according to Siddiqui.</p>

<p>He said he believed his attackers knew that he was on his way to the airport, and had orchestrated this assault because they knew it would take longer for people to realise he was missing as he was supposed to be in transit.</p>

<p>&quot;This brazen attempt to abduct journalist Taha Siddiqui on a busy highway in broad daylight suggests the perpetrators have no fear of facing any consequences,&quot; said Steven Butler, Asia programme coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists.</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/islamabad-police-register-fir-after-abduction-attempt-on-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29225" target="_blank">Islamabad Police register FIR after abduction attempt on WION&#39;s Pakistan bureau chief</a></p>

<p>&quot;Pakistani authorities must end these lawless attacks against journalists and freedom of expression,&quot; Butler said as CPJ urged Pakistan to investigate the attempted abduction Siddiqui and prosecute the perpetrators.</p>

<p>&quot;This kidnap attempt is extremely worrying in a country where the lack of security for journalists and impunity for crimes of violence against them is a structural problem,&quot; said Daniel Bastard, the Asia-Pacific head of Reporters Without Borders (RSF).</p>

<p>&quot;Although Siddiqui has been harassed and threatened for months, he is a courageous journalist whose investigative reporting has never hesitated to implicate the military when appropriate, although criticising the armed forces is very dangerous for journalists in Pakistan. We urge the authorities to make every effort to guarantee his safety,&quot; he said.</p>


Several media watchdogs came out in condemnation of the attack on Siddique

The US on Thursday expressed concern over the brutal attack on Pakistani journalist Taha Siddiqui. "We are always very concerned over any reports of violence against journalists, in Pakistan and around the world. We will continue to monitor developments," a State Department spokesperson said responding to a question on the attack on Siddiqui. "The United States values freedom of expression as a key component of democratic governance. An active civil society and tolerance of dissenting views are vital components of any democracy," the spokesperson said as several media watchdogs came out in condemnation of the attack on Siddique. Siddiqui, the Pakistani bureau chief for the New Delhi- based television channel WION, was in Islamabad on his way to the airport when a group of men stopped his car on the highway, beat him, and threatened him. The men then attempted to abduct the journalist, according to Siddiqui. He said he believed his attackers knew that he was on his way to the airport, and had orchestrated this assault because they knew it would take longer for people to realise he was missing as he was supposed to be in transit. "This brazen attempt to abduct journalist Taha Siddiqui on a busy highway in broad daylight suggests the perpetrators have no fear of facing any consequences," said Steven Butler, Asia programme coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists. Also read: Islamabad Police register FIR after abduction attempt on WION's Pakistan bureau chief "Pakistani authorities must end these lawless attacks against journalists and freedom of expression," Butler said as CPJ urged Pakistan to investigate the attempted abduction Siddiqui and prosecute the perpetrators. "This kidnap attempt is extremely worrying in a country where the lack of security for journalists and impunity for crimes of violence against them is a structural problem," said Daniel Bastard, the Asia-Pacific head of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). "Although Siddiqui has been harassed and threatened for months, he is a courageous journalist whose investigative reporting has never hesitated to implicate the military when appropriate, although criticising the armed forces is very dangerous for journalists in Pakistan. We urge the authorities to make every effort to guarantee his safety," he said.

US expresses concern over attack on WION's Pakistan bureau chief

<p>Taha Siddiqui is my colleague. He is WION&#39;s Pakistan bureau chief.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Close to a dozen armed men tried to abduct Taha Siddiqui this morning. He was beaten, his phone and laptop snatched. The man, luckily, managed to escape.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is Taha Siddiqui (<a href="https://twitter.com/TahaSSiddiqui?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TahaSSiddiqui</a>) using Cyrils a/c. I was on my way to airport today at 8:20am whn 10-12 armed men stopped my cab &amp; forcibly tried to abduct me. I managed to escape. Safe and with police now. Looking for support in any way possible <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StopEnforcedDisappearances?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StopEnforcedDisappearances</a></p>
&mdash; cyril almeida (@cyalm) <a href="https://twitter.com/cyalm/status/950970834524532736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Taha, stationed at Islamabad, is known for fearless journalism. The journalism of courage, which we all aspire to do but rarely can, is practised by Taha every day.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>He is a Pakistani citizen but works for an Indian international news channel. He tries to do his job conscientiously, amidst much constraint and threat. Recently, he came out with a fearless criticism of how the Pakistani press treated Jadhav&#39;s mother and wife. I was the fortunate Opinion editor who published that critique for the world.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Somedays we do a story tht disgusts us. Today was one such day. But it wasnt cuz of what I covered. Rather it was cuz of how my fellow journos behaved with mother &amp; wife of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KulbushanJadhav?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KulbushanJadhav</a> whn they left FO building. They shouted taunts. It was very shameful</p>
&mdash; Taha Siddiqui (@TahaSSiddiqui) <a href="https://twitter.com/TahaSSiddiqui/status/945320373117210624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Taha wrote in piece, knowing fully well, this will land him in grave danger: &quot;Many of these journalists are familiar faces at Foreign Office briefings and have a number of years of experience before being allotted such an important news beat to cover. And yet on Monday, when they were covering the meet-up, they seemed to have lost all sense of ethics when it comes to reporting.&quot;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Again in the same piece, Taha writes: &quot;Whatever his alleged crimes are, the two women did not deserve such harassment, and that too from supposedly trained professionals.&quot;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>And, this morning he paid the price for his insolence. For following professional ethics, and for not giving up to statist coercion.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>On his way to the Islamabad airport, they tried harming him, tried to shoot him, threatened him of taking his life. Taha escaped.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>He is currently with security agencies. Taha, I would like to believe, is safe.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Audibly shaken like any normal being, Taha, however, did not fail to be the fine professional he is.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>He was ready to face the camera, as he battled injuries.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The forced disappearance of journalists is becoming very common in this increasingly intolerant world. It is encouraging that fellow journalists are speaking up against such acts of forced disappearance.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Assault on <a href="https://twitter.com/TahaSSiddiqui?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TahaSSiddiqui</a> is a substantial escalation of a campaign of intimidation.<br />
<br />
This brute thuggery is unacceptable. It only damages Pakistan.<br />
<br />
Intimidation cannot suppress voices that do not align w more favourable narratives. Stop trying.</p>
&mdash; Mosharraf Zaidi (@mosharrafzaidi) <a href="https://twitter.com/mosharrafzaidi/status/951002749927329792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>In Pakistan itself, a 24-year-old Pakistani journalist Zeenat Shahzadi, went missing on August 19, 2015. The young journalist was taken in broad daylight on her way to work. She is the first female journalist in Pakistan to be forcefully disappeared.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The press statement issued by Islamabad Rawalpindi press union (Others)</p>
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<p>International Federation of Journalists notes that around 16 cases of forced disappearance of journalists remain unsolved in the Asia-Pacific region. Nepal tops the chart with 4 missing journalists, Sri Lanka has 3.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>IFJ has rightly recognised that the &quot;Enforced disappearances are aimed to spread terror and fear.&quot;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Yes, they wanted to scare Taha Siddiqui. I am beyond glad he survived.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Take care, buddy.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).</em></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


On his way to the Islamabad airport, they tried harming him, tried to shoot him, threatened him of taking his life. Taha escaped.

Taha Siddiqui is my colleague. He is WION's Pakistan bureau chief. Close to a dozen armed men tried to abduct Taha Siddiqui this morning. He was beaten, his phone and laptop snatched. The man, luckily, managed to escape. This is Taha Siddiqui (@TahaSSiddiqui) using Cyrils a/c. I was on my way to airport today at 8:20am whn 10-12 armed men stopped my cab & forcibly tried to abduct me. I managed to escape. Safe and with police now. Looking for support in any way possible #StopEnforcedDisappearances — cyril almeida (@cyalm) January 10, 2018 × Taha, stationed at Islamabad, is known for fearless journalism. The journalism of courage, which we all aspire to do but rarely can, is practised by Taha every day. He is a Pakistani citizen but works for an Indian international news channel. He tries to do his job conscientiously, amidst much constraint and threat. Recently, he came out with a fearless criticism of how the Pakistani press treated Jadhav's mother and wife. I was the fortunate Opinion editor who published that critique for the world. Somedays we do a story tht disgusts us. Today was one such day. But it wasnt cuz of what I covered. Rather it was cuz of how my fellow journos behaved with mother & wife of #KulbushanJadhav whn they left FO building. They shouted taunts. It was very shameful — Taha Siddiqui (@TahaSSiddiqui) December 25, 2017 × Taha wrote in piece, knowing fully well, this will land him in grave danger: "Many of these journalists are familiar faces at Foreign Office briefings and have a number of years of experience before being allotted such an important news beat to cover. And yet on Monday, when they were covering the meet-up, they seemed to have lost all sense of ethics when it comes to reporting." Again in the same piece, Taha writes: "Whatever his alleged crimes are, the two women did not deserve such harassment, and that too from supposedly trained professionals." And, this morning he paid the price for his insolence. For following professional ethics, and for not giving up to statist coercion. On his way to the Islamabad airport, they tried harming him, tried to shoot him, threatened him of taking his life. Taha escaped. He is currently with security agencies. Taha, I would like to believe, is safe. Audibly shaken like any normal being, Taha, however, did not fail to be the fine professional he is. He was ready to face the camera, as he battled injuries. The forced disappearance of journalists is becoming very common in this increasingly intolerant world. It is encouraging that fellow journalists are speaking up against such acts of forced disappearance. Assault on @TahaSSiddiqui is a substantial escalation of a campaign of intimidation. This brute thuggery is unacceptable. It only damages Pakistan. Intimidation cannot suppress voices that do not align w more favourable narratives. Stop trying. — Mosharraf Zaidi (@mosharrafzaidi) January 10, 2018 × In Pakistan itself, a 24-year-old Pakistani journalist Zeenat Shahzadi, went missing on August 19, 2015. The young journalist was taken in broad daylight on her way to work. She is the first female journalist in Pakistan to be forcefully disappeared. The press statement issued by Islamabad Rawalpindi press union (Others) × International Federation of Journalists notes that around 16 cases of forced disappearance of journalists remain unsolved in the Asia-Pacific region. Nepal tops the chart with 4 missing journalists, Sri Lanka has 3. IFJ has rightly recognised that the "Enforced disappearances are aimed to spread terror and fear." Yes, they wanted to scare Taha Siddiqui. I am beyond glad he survived. Take care, buddy. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Taha Siddiqui's failed abduction. Fearless journalism is costly in Pakistan

<p>WION&rsquo;s Pakistan bureau chief Taha Siddiqui narrowly escaped abduction after people tried to pull him out of a cab when he was going to the Islamabad airport on Wednesday morning.</p>

<p>He shared a tweet from Dawn correspondent Cyril Almeida&rsquo;s account saying that he had escaped abduction at the hands of 10-12 people.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is Taha Siddiqui (<a href="https://twitter.com/TahaSSiddiqui?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TahaSSiddiqui</a>) using Cyrils a/c. I was on my way to airport today at 8:20am whn 10-12 armed men stopped my cab &amp; forcibly tried to abduct me. I managed to escape. Safe and with police now. Looking for support in any way possible <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StopEnforcedDisappearances?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StopEnforcedDisappearances</a></p>
&mdash; cyril almeida (@cyalm) <a href="https://twitter.com/cyalm/status/950970834524532736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Siddiqui was beaten, threatened with death and his belongings taken. He is now at the police station where he says he is safe.</p>

<p>&quot;They threw me in the back of the vehicle in which I had been travelling, but the door on the other side was open,&quot; Siddiqui told WION from the police station where he was filing a report on the incident.</p>

<p>&quot;I jumped out and ran and was able to get into a taxi that was nearby,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rawalpindi/Islamabad Union of Journalists express serious concerns over attempt to abduct WION&#39;s Pak bureau chief <a href="https://twitter.com/TahaSSiddiqui?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TahaSSiddiqui</a> in Pakistan | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WIONJournoAssaulted?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WIONJournoAssaulted</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MEAIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MEAIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SushmaSwaraj</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PMOIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/pid_gov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pid_gov</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ForeignOfficePk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ForeignOfficePk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImranKhanPTI</a> <a href="https://t.co/ydyxEtaYe1">pic.twitter.com/ydyxEtaYe1</a></p>
&mdash; WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/951013010440536064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Many people, including journalists, have condemned the incident.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Assault on <a href="https://twitter.com/TahaSSiddiqui?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TahaSSiddiqui</a> is a substantial escalation of a campaign of intimidation.<br />
<br />
This brute thuggery is unacceptable. It only damages Pakistan.<br />
<br />
Intimidation cannot suppress voices that do not align w more favourable narratives. Stop trying.</p>
&mdash; Mosharraf Zaidi (@mosharrafzaidi) <a href="https://twitter.com/mosharrafzaidi/status/951002749927329792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cyber armies are actively maligning journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/TahaSSiddiqui?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TahaSSiddiqui</a> and cruelly mocking his escape from abduction attempt earlier today. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/journalismisnotacrime?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#journalismisnotacrime</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stopenforceddisappearances?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#stopenforceddisappearances</a></p>
&mdash; Rabia Mehmood (@Rabail26) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rabail26/status/950991372546379777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Stay safe <a href="https://twitter.com/TahaSSiddiqui?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TahaSSiddiqui</a> - pathetic attempt to muzzle independent journalists. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Journalismisnotacrime?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Journalismisnotacrime</a> <a href="https://t.co/mgWwGgGGzK">https://t.co/mgWwGgGGzK</a></p>
&mdash; Raza Ahmad Rumi (@Razarumi) <a href="https://twitter.com/Razarumi/status/950985374683279360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of journalists has expressed serious concerns over the incident. It appealed to Pakistan&#39;s Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal to direct officials to investigate the incident.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>THe press statement issued by Islamabad Rawalpindi press union (Others)</p>
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<p>In May 2017, Siddqui had filed a writ petition with the Islamabad high court alleging harassment by the country&#39;s Federal Investigation Agency.</p>

<p>The petition says the FIA called Siddiqui, demanding that he appear before it at FIA headquarters for interrogation.</p>

<p>When Siddiqui asked the FIA why, he was not given a concrete answer.</p>

<p>But the FIA hinted that it wished to question him about his reporting.</p>

<p>When Siddiqui replied that his work was in the public domain and that any questions could be asked over the phone, the FIA told Siddiqui in a threatening tone and voice that it would &quot;be better&quot; for him to appear before it.</p>

<p>In 2016, Almeida had written an editorial piece in The Dawn titled &#39;How to Lose Friends and Alienate People&#39; where he said that instead of taking action against terrorist groups, the government and the country&#39;s military was lecturing journalists. Almeida was subsequently banned from leaving the country.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Siddiqui was beaten, threatened with death and his belongings taken.

WION’s Pakistan bureau chief Taha Siddiqui narrowly escaped abduction after people tried to pull him out of a cab when he was going to the Islamabad airport on Wednesday morning. He shared a tweet from Dawn correspondent Cyril Almeida’s account saying that he had escaped abduction at the hands of 10-12 people. This is Taha Siddiqui (@TahaSSiddiqui) using Cyrils a/c. I was on my way to airport today at 8:20am whn 10-12 armed men stopped my cab & forcibly tried to abduct me. I managed to escape. Safe and with police now. Looking for support in any way possible #StopEnforcedDisappearances — cyril almeida (@cyalm) January 10, 2018 × Siddiqui was beaten, threatened with death and his belongings taken. He is now at the police station where he says he is safe. "They threw me in the back of the vehicle in which I had been travelling, but the door on the other side was open," Siddiqui told WION from the police station where he was filing a report on the incident. "I jumped out and ran and was able to get into a taxi that was nearby," he added. Rawalpindi/Islamabad Union of Journalists express serious concerns over attempt to abduct WION's Pak bureau chief @TahaSSiddiqui in Pakistan | #WIONJournoAssaulted @MEAIndia @SushmaSwaraj @PMOIndia @narendramodi @pid_gov @ForeignOfficePk @ImranKhanPTI pic.twitter.com/ydyxEtaYe1 — WION (@WIONews) January 10, 2018 × Many people, including journalists, have condemned the incident. Assault on @TahaSSiddiqui is a substantial escalation of a campaign of intimidation. This brute thuggery is unacceptable. It only damages Pakistan. Intimidation cannot suppress voices that do not align w more favourable narratives. Stop trying. — Mosharraf Zaidi (@mosharrafzaidi) January 10, 2018 × Cyber armies are actively maligning journalist @TahaSSiddiqui and cruelly mocking his escape from abduction attempt earlier today. #journalismisnotacrime #stopenforceddisappearances — Rabia Mehmood (@Rabail26) January 10, 2018 × Stay safe @TahaSSiddiqui - pathetic attempt to muzzle independent journalists. #Journalismisnotacrime https://t.co/mgWwGgGGzK — Raza Ahmad Rumi (@Razarumi) January 10, 2018 × The Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of journalists has expressed serious concerns over the incident. It appealed to Pakistan's Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal to direct officials to investigate the incident. THe press statement issued by Islamabad Rawalpindi press union (Others) × In May 2017, Siddqui had filed a writ petition with the Islamabad high court alleging harassment by the country's Federal Investigation Agency. The petition says the FIA called Siddiqui, demanding that he appear before it at FIA headquarters for interrogation. When Siddiqui asked the FIA why, he was not given a concrete answer. But the FIA hinted that it wished to question him about his reporting. When Siddiqui replied that his work was in the public domain and that any questions could be asked over the phone, the FIA told Siddiqui in a threatening tone and voice that it would "be better" for him to appear before it. In 2016, Almeida had written an editorial piece in The Dawn titled 'How to Lose Friends and Alienate People' where he said that instead of taking action against terrorist groups, the government and the country's military was lecturing journalists. Almeida was subsequently banned from leaving the country.

WION's Pakistan bureau chief Taha Siddiqui narrowly escapes abduction attempt

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saale-ko-goli-maaro-armed-men-shouted-as-they-tried-to-abduct-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29126" target="_blank">&#39;Saale ko </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saale-ko-goli-maaro-armed-men-shouted-as-they-tried-to-abduct-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29126" target="_blank">goli</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saale-ko-goli-maaro-armed-men-shouted-as-they-tried-to-abduct-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29126" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saale-ko-goli-maaro-armed-men-shouted-as-they-tried-to-abduct-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29126" target="_blank">maaro</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saale-ko-goli-maaro-armed-men-shouted-as-they-tried-to-abduct-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29126" target="_blank">,&#39; armed men shouted as they tried to abduct WION&#39;s Pakistan bureau chief Taha </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saale-ko-goli-maaro-armed-men-shouted-as-they-tried-to-abduct-wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-29126" target="_blank">Siddiqui</a></p>

<p>WION&#39;s Pakistan bureau chief&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/wions-pakistan-bureau-chief-taha-siddiqui-narrowly-escapes-abduction-attempt-29101" target="_blank">narrowly escaped an abduction attempt</a>&nbsp;on him this morning in Islamabad, Pakistan. Taha Siddiqui had been on his way to the Islamabad airport in a cab early Wednesday morning -- he was going on leave for three days -- when another car overtook him and blocked his path.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/uidai-issues-virtual-id-against-aadhaar-to-strengthen-data-security-29128" target="_blank">After report of Aadhar details being sold, UIDAI issues virtual IDs</a></p>

<p>Days after a media report that Aadhaar details were being sold for as little as Rs 500, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Wednesday introduced virtual IDs for Aadhar holders which can be used in lieu of a person&#39;s Aadhaar number.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-origin-shopkeeper-beaten-to-death-in-uk-29141" target="_blank">Indian-origin shopkeeper beaten to death in </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-origin-shopkeeper-beaten-to-death-in-uk-29141" target="_blank">UK</a></p>

<p>An Indian-origin shopkeeper was killed after he was punched for refusing to serve cigarette paper to under-age UK teenagers at his shop in north London. Vijay Patel, 49, was attacked in Mill Hill area of the city on Saturday night and rushed to a hospital, where he died of head injuries on Monday.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/1984-anti-sikh-riots-case-supreme-court-orders-re-investigation-of-186-cases-29114" target="_blank">1984 anti-Sikh riots: SC orders reinvestigation of 186 cases</a></p>

<p>The Supreme Court on Wednesday has ordered re-investigation of 186 cases in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. These cases had earlier been closed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-army-killed-138-pakistani-soldiers-across-loc-in-2017-sources-29119" target="_blank">Indian Army killed 138 Pakistani soldiers across LoC in 2017: Sources</a></p>

<p>The Indian Army killed 138 Pakistan Army personnel in 2017 in tactical operations and retaliatory cross-border firings along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, government intelligence sources said today.</p>


'Saale ko goli maaro,' armed men shouted as they tried to abduct WION's Pakistan bureau chief Taha Siddiqui WION's Pakistan bureau chief narrowly escaped an abduction attempt on him this morning in Islamabad, Pakistan. Taha Siddiqui had been on his way to the Islamabad airport in a cab early Wednesday morning -- he was going on leave for three days -- when another car overtook him and blocked his path. After report of Aadhar details being sold, UIDAI issues virtual IDs Days after a media report that Aadhaar details were being sold for as little as Rs 500, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Wednesday introduced virtual IDs for Aadhar holders which can be used in lieu of a person's Aadhaar number. Indian-origin shopkeeper beaten to death in UK An Indian-origin shopkeeper was killed after he was punched for refusing to serve cigarette paper to under-age UK teenagers at his shop in north London. Vijay Patel, 49, was attacked in Mill Hill area of the city on Saturday night and rushed to a hospital, where he died of head injuries on Monday. 1984 anti-Sikh riots: SC orders reinvestigation of 186 cases The Supreme Court on Wednesday has ordered re-investigation of 186 cases in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. These cases had earlier been closed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case. Indian Army killed 138 Pakistani soldiers across LoC in 2017: Sources The Indian Army killed 138 Pakistan Army personnel in 2017 in tactical operations and retaliatory cross-border firings along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, government intelligence sources said today.

WION Evening News brief, January 10, 2018

<p><em>In an exclusive interview with WION&#39;s <strong>Kartikeya Sharma</strong>, </em>&nbsp;<em>Sanjaya Baru, Secretary General, FICCI says&nbsp;that in 1990s, Prime Minister Rao was blamed for the setback in the assembly elections as defeats were heaped on reforms. Even today there is a criticism of PM on hurting the electoral prospects in Gujarat. Some of the reforms have an impact on growth and employment but over a period of time, things will recover. Congress too recovered. Here is the full text of the interview&nbsp;</em></p>

<p>Q: What explains Moody&rsquo;s new ratings?</p>

<p>A: Moody&rsquo;s new ratings are delayed and ratings should have been upgraded sometime back. In a sense, Moody&#39;s is catching up. They have recognized what has been done in India rather than us doing something new or special. Other rating agencies are yet to catch up.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Q: The ratings have come in the wake of demonetization and GST when experts are saying that economy has shrunk?</p>

<p>A: I think Moody&#39;s has used GST and other policy changes. India deserved upgrade much earlier. Indian economy is a good story to tell. India&rsquo;s story is a strong story.</p>

<p>Q: Will these ratings have an impact on the economy?</p>

<p>A: It makes easier to borrow internationally as rates are much below the interest rates available in India.</p>

<p>Q: Many experts say that this still calls for greater fiscal prudence?</p>

<p>A: There was fiscal liberalism in UPA. They spent money before 2009 elections and then during the financial crisis. This government has been fiscally prudent. We at FICCI believe that roadmap which was announced was a conservative roadmap. We are a developing country and private investment is not picking up and overall growth has slowed down. So, I don&rsquo;t feel anything wrong in government spending a little more to boost demand.</p>

<p>Q: But high deficit levels also remain a cause for concern?</p>

<p>A: I agree. We shouldn&rsquo;t be having a high deficit. Going from 3.2 percent of the GDP to 3.5 percent of the GDP is not such big slippage and India should not be punished for a little additional spending. If the government wants to spend on electricity and rural housing then it should be allowed as it will have a positive impact on development.</p>

<p>Q: Are you saying that investment in rural economy would benefit?</p>

<p>A: It&rsquo;s much better like this. If you expect the future to be better then you take different decisions in terms of spending and savings which helps the economy. &nbsp;If you think future is not bright then spending gets reduced, people save a little more and demand goes down. If the future seems positive then economy benefits from it and that&rsquo;s what precisely drove the Indian economy from 2003 to 2012. For 9 years India had 8 percent growth because India was optimistic. Since then the steps taken by the previous government and inadequate steps taken by the present government meant that the overall sentiment became negative. In last one year PM Modi has turned the tide around and has made the mood positive.</p>

<p>Q: Does GST 2.0 version satisfies the industry?</p>

<p>A: Not yet. Most people and Indian business wants fewer rates. We began with too many rates but we must understand that any tax reforms, the government tends to be extremely cautious. The biggest challenge for Finance Ministry is to ensure that change doesn&rsquo;t lead to fall in revenue. I think high rates&nbsp;were introduced to see what sort of impact it will have on the revenue. First month the revenue went down and subsequently, it picked up. This has given government confidence that even if some commodities are to be taken off from high bands then revenue would not suffer. It is entirely understandable that no government would take up reforms which would reduce its ability to spend. A tax reform needs to be revenue neutral and when it came to GST no one knew as to what the impact would be. &nbsp;And seeing the reality on the ground the government has recalibrated which is very good. It is good the government admits that there is a need for change.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Q: Can be GST be equated with reforms unleashed by PV Narsimha Rao and Manmohan Singh?</p>

<p>A: In a manner, yes and in the field of taxation it is a fundamental change as we have moved into a new regime. In 1991, licensing regime was brought to an end and that was the big reform. &nbsp;The trade policy reforms happened too and then fiscal stabalisation happened. That had a negative impact. People forget that economy&rsquo;s growth rate from 5 percent in 1989 went down to 0.8 percent in 1991. The economy collapsed for a year. It was almost like giving a booster shot to a patient. Then the recovery began and Indian economy bounced back. The impact of GST is similar. Initial impact is negative but over a period of time the impact would be positive.</p>

<p>Q: So, good economics makes for bad politics?</p>

<p>A: In some ways, yes. In 1990s within Congress, Prime Minister Rao was blamed for setback in the assembly elections as defeats were heaped on reforms. Even today there is criticism of PM on hurting the electoral prospects in Gujarat. Some of the reforms have impact on growth and employment but over a period of time things will recover. Congress too recovered.</p>

<p>Q: So, what you are saying is that GST is not only about transformative economics but also a change in behaviour and state making its presence felt? It is also about compliance.</p>

<p>A: Absolutely. This is one point successive Prime Ministers have spoken about and that being low tax GDP ratio in India. Even tax compliance is low. People don&rsquo;t pay tax. You have people driving AUDI&rsquo;s but they don&rsquo;t pay tax. Forcing people to pay tax is not a popular thing to do but not country can afford not doing so. In US, it is a different thing when they reduce taxes as they are at a different level. They can afford it but the state in India is expected to spend on health and infrastructure. Where will the money come from?</p>

<p>&nbsp;Q: Many detractors say that Demonetisation built more political than economic muscle. &nbsp;But did it really work against black money?</p>

<p>A: They were three different objectives to this scheme. First, there was the whole thing about the cashless economy then second was to unearth black money and third was political. It changed the political discourse. After the initial defeats the Delhi and Bihar, demonetization changed the political narrative for them. The political benefit was found in Uttar Pradesh. The jury is still out on black economy as to how much black money was impacted. Government is also right in saying that they have the information to chase those who don&rsquo;t pay taxes but we still hear about corruption. On digital transaction, the data is positive. To that extent, it has had a positive impact.</p>

<p>Q: Does Modi&rsquo;s politics and economics somehow resembles that of Indira Gandhi?</p>

<p>A: In some ways, yes. Mrs. Gandhi&rsquo;s strategy was to position as the messiah of poor who took away the privileges of the rich. She nationalized banks and did away with privy purse. It did hurt the private wealth but projected herself as the messiah of poor. It is very similar to PM Modi who has taken cudgels on behalf of the poor. Vijay Mallya is on the run and there are notices against him. His assets are being seized and banks are demanding recovery.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Q: Vijay Mallya is the poster boy of bad debts. Do you think the government has done enough to plug the present loopholes?</p>

<p>A: Not entirely. But the bankruptcy bill and the decision to support the banks have ensured compliance. We at FICCI support corporate governance. All members would like to see Indian business operating in a financially transparent manner in which no one is cheating the government of the day. I think the political leadership should be careful to not to paint every businessman as corrupt or doing illegal things. It is like media saying that every politician is corrupt. Then the political class shoots back saying every journalist is corrupt. The blanket categorization is incorrect. This campaign against black money and people who are holding on to bank&rsquo;s money should not become a campaign against businesses as a whole. It discourages investments at home and many companies find it easier to do business abroad. This should not happen. We must instill confidence in global business and foreign investment will only happen to us when Indian companies remain invested in India.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Q: This is happening at a time when many people would say that global capital has not benefitted the middle class? Look how US voted?</p>

<p>A: India is not a homogenous entity. There are many states who have benefited from globalization. Kerala has been saved by globalization. IT boom is a positive aspect of globalization. Every country had to deal with the cost of it. Look at Indian economy after 1991. We have done better on all counts. The post-1991 story of Indian economy being integrated into the world is a positive story. West is under pressure. The decline in job opportunities in West is part of a historical process. For last 300 years, Asia went down and Europe and North America went up. Now Asia is rising. Asia will continue to rise. This process will not stop. West has to live with it.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Q: Is rise in the prices of the crude impact the economy?</p>

<p>A: Studies suggest that up to 70 dollars are factored into our pricing strategy. Energy mix in India too is changing. More use of renewable is happening. The International market is also changing and US too has become a source of energy. India has entered into agreements with new emerging markets. So, both supply and demand sides are changing.</p>

<p>Q: Make in India and Made in India have not taken off. Why?</p>

<p>A: There is no single India. This was an initiative of UPA and Make in India programme is an extended part of it. The problem of Make in India is that not enough was done on the ease of doing business which is now being the focus. The second reason is that we were hesitant in FDIs in defence. We have opened the door but the other side is still waiting and an attempt must be made to draw them in and tell them that doors will not shut and if they would like to go then they would be allowed.</p>

<p>Q: What does FICCI expect from the budget?</p>

<p>A: We expect a little pause on the fiscal side. GDP has not grown very fast. We expect that it would have a positive impact on demand. There was a commitment on part of the government to rationalize corporate tax. I hope that policy objective is met. We would like corporate tax is reduced. The rate is regarded as too high. The government also wants to bring it down but as it is the last budget it strikes the right balance between political compulsions and economy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Q: EU has brought in laws to curtail Chinese imports. Do you believe that we have been far too liberal with the Chinese?</p>

<p>A: This is a big issue. The trade deficit with China is unacceptable. We have repeatedly raised this issue with successive governments and one of the reasons for the deficit is that Indian exporters find it difficult to do business in China. They have a non-transparent economy and many disincentives. We must pay greater attention to this. There has been a public campaign on this issue too.</p>

<p>Q: Why does China get away with it?</p>

<p>A: The reason is that we are trying to engage China on the economic side to offset the differences on the political side like border dispute. We have been bit generous to China in last many years and that generosity is being tested. India finally agreed to work in QUAD. These are responses to the fact that Chinese aren&rsquo;t attentive. See what they are doing in Pakistan and they have also been not attentive to the issues of terrorism. They are testing us. After all they are neighbours. Beyond a point India also gets tired. We took a tough line in Doklam and said enough is enough.</p>

<p>Q: You took over as the Secretary-General of FICCI recently. What policy direction are you trying to give?</p>

<p>A: &nbsp;FICCI is a ninety-year organization. In 1927 Gandhi called GD Birla and JRD Tata asked them that Indian business should be part of the national freedom. That is how FICCI was born. FICCI is the voice of the Indian business. This role got bit diluted by other things which FICCI did like doing more events rather than invest in research and technology. We would strengthen the knowledge capacity of FICCI. We have signed the memorandum of understanding with ICMR. We have the agreement with Indian armed forces to look at what Indian industry do for them to innovate on new technologies. We want to be a knowledge-based institution and not as a source of lobby and seminars. This will strengthen the personality of FICCI.&nbsp;</p>


Moody?s new ratings are delayed and ratings should have been upgraded sometime back. In a sense Moody is catching up. They have recognized what has been done in India rather than us doing something new or special.

In an exclusive interview with WION's Kartikeya Sharma, Sanjaya Baru, Secretary General, FICCI says that in 1990s, Prime Minister Rao was blamed for the setback in the assembly elections as defeats were heaped on reforms. Even today there is a criticism of PM on hurting the electoral prospects in Gujarat. Some of the reforms have an impact on growth and employment but over a period of time, things will recover. Congress too recovered. Here is the full text of the interview Q: What explains Moody’s new ratings? A: Moody’s new ratings are delayed and ratings should have been upgraded sometime back. In a sense, Moody's is catching up. They have recognized what has been done in India rather than us doing something new or special. Other rating agencies are yet to catch up. Q: The ratings have come in the wake of demonetization and GST when experts are saying that economy has shrunk? A: I think Moody's has used GST and other policy changes. India deserved upgrade much earlier. Indian economy is a good story to tell. India’s story is a strong story. Q: Will these ratings have an impact on the economy? A: It makes easier to borrow internationally as rates are much below the interest rates available in India. Q: Many experts say that this still calls for greater fiscal prudence? A: There was fiscal liberalism in UPA. They spent money before 2009 elections and then during the financial crisis. This government has been fiscally prudent. We at FICCI believe that roadmap which was announced was a conservative roadmap. We are a developing country and private investment is not picking up and overall growth has slowed down. So, I don’t feel anything wrong in government spending a little more to boost demand. Q: But high deficit levels also remain a cause for concern? A: I agree. We shouldn’t be having a high deficit. Going from 3.2 percent of the GDP to 3.5 percent of the GDP is not such big slippage and India should not be punished for a little additional spending. If the government wants to spend on electricity and rural housing then it should be allowed as it will have a positive impact on development. Q: Are you saying that investment in rural economy would benefit? A: It’s much better like this. If you expect the future to be better then you take different decisions in terms of spending and savings which helps the economy. If you think future is not bright then spending gets reduced, people save a little more and demand goes down. If the future seems positive then economy benefits from it and that’s what precisely drove the Indian economy from 2003 to 2012. For 9 years India had 8 percent growth because India was optimistic. Since then the steps taken by the previous government and inadequate steps taken by the present government meant that the overall sentiment became negative. In last one year PM Modi has turned the tide around and has made the mood positive. Q: Does GST 2.0 version satisfies the industry? A: Not yet. Most people and Indian business wants fewer rates. We began with too many rates but we must understand that any tax reforms, the government tends to be extremely cautious. The biggest challenge for Finance Ministry is to ensure that change doesn’t lead to fall in revenue. I think high rates were introduced to see what sort of impact it will have on the revenue. First month the revenue went down and subsequently, it picked up. This has given government confidence that even if some commodities are to be taken off from high bands then revenue would not suffer. It is entirely understandable that no government would take up reforms which would reduce its ability to spend. A tax reform needs to be revenue neutral and when it came to GST no one knew as to what the impact would be. And seeing the reality on the ground the government has recalibrated which is very good. It is good the government admits that there is a need for change. Q: Can be GST be equated with reforms unleashed by PV Narsimha Rao and Manmohan Singh? A: In a manner, yes and in the field of taxation it is a fundamental change as we have moved into a new regime. In 1991, licensing regime was brought to an end and that was the big reform. The trade policy reforms happened too and then fiscal stabalisation happened. That had a negative impact. People forget that economy’s growth rate from 5 percent in 1989 went down to 0.8 percent in 1991. The economy collapsed for a year. It was almost like giving a booster shot to a patient. Then the recovery began and Indian economy bounced back. The impact of GST is similar. Initial impact is negative but over a period of time the impact would be positive. Q: So, good economics makes for bad politics? A: In some ways, yes. In 1990s within Congress, Prime Minister Rao was blamed for setback in the assembly elections as defeats were heaped on reforms. Even today there is criticism of PM on hurting the electoral prospects in Gujarat. Some of the reforms have impact on growth and employment but over a period of time things will recover. Congress too recovered. Q: So, what you are saying is that GST is not only about transformative economics but also a change in behaviour and state making its presence felt? It is also about compliance. A: Absolutely. This is one point successive Prime Ministers have spoken about and that being low tax GDP ratio in India. Even tax compliance is low. People don’t pay tax. You have people driving AUDI’s but they don’t pay tax. Forcing people to pay tax is not a popular thing to do but not country can afford not doing so. In US, it is a different thing when they reduce taxes as they are at a different level. They can afford it but the state in India is expected to spend on health and infrastructure. Where will the money come from? Q: Many detractors say that Demonetisation built more political than economic muscle. But did it really work against black money? A: They were three different objectives to this scheme. First, there was the whole thing about the cashless economy then second was to unearth black money and third was political. It changed the political discourse. After the initial defeats the Delhi and Bihar, demonetization changed the political narrative for them. The political benefit was found in Uttar Pradesh. The jury is still out on black economy as to how much black money was impacted. Government is also right in saying that they have the information to chase those who don’t pay taxes but we still hear about corruption. On digital transaction, the data is positive. To that extent, it has had a positive impact. Q: Does Modi’s politics and economics somehow resembles that of Indira Gandhi? A: In some ways, yes. Mrs. Gandhi’s strategy was to position as the messiah of poor who took away the privileges of the rich. She nationalized banks and did away with privy purse. It did hurt the private wealth but projected herself as the messiah of poor. It is very similar to PM Modi who has taken cudgels on behalf of the poor. Vijay Mallya is on the run and there are notices against him. His assets are being seized and banks are demanding recovery. Q: Vijay Mallya is the poster boy of bad debts. Do you think the government has done enough to plug the present loopholes? A: Not entirely. But the bankruptcy bill and the decision to support the banks have ensured compliance. We at FICCI support corporate governance. All members would like to see Indian business operating in a financially transparent manner in which no one is cheating the government of the day. I think the political leadership should be careful to not to paint every businessman as corrupt or doing illegal things. It is like media saying that every politician is corrupt. Then the political class shoots back saying every journalist is corrupt. The blanket categorization is incorrect. This campaign against black money and people who are holding on to bank’s money should not become a campaign against businesses as a whole. It discourages investments at home and many companies find it easier to do business abroad. This should not happen. We must instill confidence in global business and foreign investment will only happen to us when Indian companies remain invested in India. Q: This is happening at a time when many people would say that global capital has not benefitted the middle class? Look how US voted? A: India is not a homogenous entity. There are many states who have benefited from globalization. Kerala has been saved by globalization. IT boom is a positive aspect of globalization. Every country had to deal with the cost of it. Look at Indian economy after 1991. We have done better on all counts. The post-1991 story of Indian economy being integrated into the world is a positive story. West is under pressure. The decline in job opportunities in West is part of a historical process. For last 300 years, Asia went down and Europe and North America went up. Now Asia is rising. Asia will continue to rise. This process will not stop. West has to live with it. Q: Is rise in the prices of the crude impact the economy? A: Studies suggest that up to 70 dollars are factored into our pricing strategy. Energy mix in India too is changing. More use of renewable is happening. The International market is also changing and US too has become a source of energy. India has entered into agreements with new emerging markets. So, both supply and demand sides are changing. Q: Make in India and Made in India have not taken off. Why? A: There is no single India. This was an initiative of UPA and Make in India programme is an extended part of it. The problem of Make in India is that not enough was done on the ease of doing business which is now being the focus. The second reason is that we were hesitant in FDIs in defence. We have opened the door but the other side is still waiting and an attempt must be made to draw them in and tell them that doors will not shut and if they would like to go then they would be allowed. Q: What does FICCI expect from the budget? A: We expect a little pause on the fiscal side. GDP has not grown very fast. We expect that it would have a positive impact on demand. There was a commitment on part of the government to rationalize corporate tax. I hope that policy objective is met. We would like corporate tax is reduced. The rate is regarded as too high. The government also wants to bring it down but as it is the last budget it strikes the right balance between political compulsions and economy. Q: EU has brought in laws to curtail Chinese imports. Do you believe that we have been far too liberal with the Chinese? A: This is a big issue. The trade deficit with China is unacceptable. We have repeatedly raised this issue with successive governments and one of the reasons for the deficit is that Indian exporters find it difficult to do business in China. They have a non-transparent economy and many disincentives. We must pay greater attention to this. There has been a public campaign on this issue too. Q: Why does China get away with it? A: The reason is that we are trying to engage China on the economic side to offset the differences on the political side like border dispute. We have been bit generous to China in last many years and that generosity is being tested. India finally agreed to work in QUAD. These are responses to the fact that Chinese aren’t attentive. See what they are doing in Pakistan and they have also been not attentive to the issues of terrorism. They are testing us. After all they are neighbours. Beyond a point India also gets tired. We took a tough line in Doklam and said enough is enough. Q: You took over as the Secretary-General of FICCI recently. What policy direction are you trying to give? A: FICCI is a ninety-year organization. In 1927 Gandhi called GD Birla and JRD Tata asked them that Indian business should be part of the national freedom. That is how FICCI was born. FICCI is the voice of the Indian business. This role got bit diluted by other things which FICCI did like doing more events rather than invest in research and technology. We would strengthen the knowledge capacity of FICCI. We have signed the memorandum of understanding with ICMR. We have the agreement with Indian armed forces to look at what Indian industry do for them to innovate on new technologies. We want to be a knowledge-based institution and not as a source of lobby and seminars. This will strengthen the personality of FICCI.

WION exclusive: India deserved Moody's upgrade much earlier, says Sanjaya Baru

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/eight-dead-in-suspected-terrorist-truck-attack-on-manhattan-bike-path-23254">Eight dead in suspected terrorist truck attack in New York</a></p>

<p><br />
A driver in a rented pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists on a bike path alongside the Hudson River in New York City on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about a dozen others in what authorities said was an act of terrorism.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/new-york-terror-attack-donald-trump-orders-stepped-up-extreme-vetting-23259">New York terror attack: Donald Trump orders stepped up &#39;extreme vetting&#39;</a></p>

<p>US President Donald Trump said on Twitter he had ordered the Department of Homeland Security to step up its &quot;extreme vetting program&quot; following a vehicle attack in New York. &quot;I have just ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!&quot; Trump said, hours after a man driving a pickup truck killed eight people.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/world-leaders-condemn-new-york-terrorist-attack-23260">World leaders condemn New York terrorist attack</a></p>

<p>Several world leaders have condemned the terrorist attack in New York in which a pickup driver killed eight people on Tuesday. Eleven others were seriously hurt when the truck driver struck in broad daylight just blocks from the 9/11 Memorial, on the West Side of Lower Manhattan, close to schools as children and their parents geared up to celebrate Halloween.</p>

<p><br />
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/new-york-terror-attack-my-thoughts-with-families-of-deceased-tweets-pm-modi-23258">New York terror attack: My thoughts with families of deceased, tweets PM Modi</a></p>

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the terror attack in New York in which eight people have been killed. &quot;Strongly condemn the terror attack in New York City. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased &amp; prayers with those injured,&quot; PM Modi tweeted.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gst-will-further-boost-indias-ranking-in-ease-of-doing-23256">GST will further boost India&#39;s ranking in &#39;ease of doing</a></p>

<p>With the improvement in India&#39;s ranking in the World Bank&#39;s &#39;ease of doing business&#39; report to 100th position, bankers and experts today expressed hope that implementation of the GST will strengthen the country&#39;s position in the future.</p>


Eight dead in suspected terrorist truck attack in New York A driver in a rented pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists on a bike path alongside the Hudson River in New York City on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about a dozen others in what authorities said was an act of terrorism. New York terror attack: Donald Trump orders stepped up 'extreme vetting' US President Donald Trump said on Twitter he had ordered the Department of Homeland Security to step up its "extreme vetting program" following a vehicle attack in New York. "I have just ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!" Trump said, hours after a man driving a pickup truck killed eight people. World leaders condemn New York terrorist attack Several world leaders have condemned the terrorist attack in New York in which a pickup driver killed eight people on Tuesday. Eleven others were seriously hurt when the truck driver struck in broad daylight just blocks from the 9/11 Memorial, on the West Side of Lower Manhattan, close to schools as children and their parents geared up to celebrate Halloween. New York terror attack: My thoughts with families of deceased, tweets PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the terror attack in New York in which eight people have been killed. "Strongly condemn the terror attack in New York City. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased & prayers with those injured," PM Modi tweeted. GST will further boost India's ranking in 'ease of doing With the improvement in India's ranking in the World Bank's 'ease of doing business' report to 100th position, bankers and experts today expressed hope that implementation of the GST will strengthen the country's position in the future.

WION Morning News Brief, Nov 1 2017

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/himachal-pradesh-polls-bjp-announces-prem-kumar-dhumal-as-partys-chief-ministerial-candidate-23225">Himachal polls: Prem Kumar Dhumal is BJP&#39;s chief ministerial candidate</a></p>

<p>BJP chief Amit Shah made the announcement at a rally on Tuesday.&nbsp;The polling&nbsp;in Himachal Pradesh will take place on November 9.&nbsp;The BJP is hopeful of getting a clear majority and defeating the incumbent Congress government in the hill state.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-and-pakistan-should-amicably-solve-kashmir-issue-tunisia-23234">India and Pakistan should amicably solve Kashmir issue: Tunisia</a></p>

<p>India has had an uneasy relationship with&nbsp;the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), but Tunisian foreign minister Khemaies Jhinaoui&rsquo;s latest statement might soon change that.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-planning-1000km-tunnel-to-divert-brahmaputra-water-from-tibet-to-xinjiang-23192">China planning 1,000km tunnel to divert Brahmaputra water from Tibet to Xinjiang</a></p>

<p>The move, that is expected to &ldquo;turn Xinjiang into California&rdquo;, has raised concerns among environmentalists about its likely impact on the Himalayan region.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/high-court-asks-navy-to-consider-transgender-for-alternate-job-23204">Delhi High Court asks Navy to consider transgender for alternate job</a></p>

<p>&quot;You can punish her for indiscipline, but at the same time, you can accommodate her,&quot; the court stold the Navy. The Navy has removed sailor Manish Giri (now named Sabi)&nbsp;after a sex change operation citing disciplinary issues.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/international-academy-rescinds-spaceys-upcoming-emmy-honour-23188">Kevin Spacey&#39;s upcoming Emmy honour rescinded</a></p>

<p>The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has announced that Kevin Spacey will not receive the Emmy award, which was scheduled to be conferred on the actor this year in wake of the sexual allegations against him by Anthony Rapp.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/four-rohingya-drown-as-refugee-boat-capsizes-off-bangladesh-23209">Rohingyas drown as refugee boat capsizes off Bangladesh</a></p>

<p>People living in the coastal strip south of the Bangladesh port of Cox Bazar&nbsp;fished 37 survivors out of the water and 11 have been admitted to hospital in a critical condition.</p>


Missed the big stories of the day? Fret not, here is a round up of all the big news events from around the world.

Himachal polls: Prem Kumar Dhumal is BJP's chief ministerial candidate BJP chief Amit Shah made the announcement at a rally on Tuesday. The polling in Himachal Pradesh will take place on November 9. The BJP is hopeful of getting a clear majority and defeating the incumbent Congress government in the hill state. India and Pakistan should amicably solve Kashmir issue: Tunisia India has had an uneasy relationship with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), but Tunisian foreign minister Khemaies Jhinaoui’s latest statement might soon change that. China planning 1,000km tunnel to divert Brahmaputra water from Tibet to Xinjiang The move, that is expected to “turn Xinjiang into California”, has raised concerns among environmentalists about its likely impact on the Himalayan region. Delhi High Court asks Navy to consider transgender for alternate job "You can punish her for indiscipline, but at the same time, you can accommodate her," the court stold the Navy. The Navy has removed sailor Manish Giri (now named Sabi) after a sex change operation citing disciplinary issues. Kevin Spacey's upcoming Emmy honour rescinded The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has announced that Kevin Spacey will not receive the Emmy award, which was scheduled to be conferred on the actor this year in wake of the sexual allegations against him by Anthony Rapp. Rohingyas drown as refugee boat capsizes off Bangladesh People living in the coastal strip south of the Bangladesh port of Cox Bazar fished 37 survivors out of the water and 11 have been admitted to hospital in a critical condition.

WION Evening News Brief, October 31

<p>Among those radicals associated with the Left Wing of the Congress Party during the decades prior to independence, there was probably no one who could rival Ram Manohar Lohia in genius and originality of thought.</p>

<p>Lohia was a truly novel thinker, a fierce polemist and a ruthless critic. His ideas on power, inequality, freedom and the role of the state drew upon and contended with those of contemporary figures like Jayaprakash Narayan, Jawaharlal Nehru and Ashoka Mehta, as well as upon the thought of Marx and Gandhi, but were always tinged by his own personal views and highly critical intelligence.</p>

<p>Following the transfer of power, Lohia arose as the most important and visible figure in the ranks of the new Socialist Party. Along with many socialists around the world during the 1950s and 60s, Lohia identified socialism with the possibility of a radical transformation of society and, through it, the coming of a new civilisation. He developed an open-ended conception of socialism based on an impetuous vernacular and anti-elitist stance regarding political power and the role and management of the state.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>In his view, socialism could not mean a mere revival of cottage industries and a return to the village. Indeed, he described the latter as spaces of arbitrary power, embodied in the trinity formed by &ldquo;vested interests, the police and village goondas.&rdquo; At the same time, however, he refused to adhere to a teleological version of Marxism, a doctrine he denounced as Eurocentric and unable to account for the link between capitalist accumulation and colonialism. Moreover, he openly attacked the elitism of the Nehruvian statist project of modernisation, as well as the potentially violent programme of communists in India.</p>

<p>During the 1950s and early 60s, Lohia emerged as the most vocal representative of anti-Congressism and a virulent critic of what he termed &ldquo;the Nehru myth.&rdquo; In his view, the revolutionary potential of the freedom movement was being arrested by the project of modernisation defended by the elites of independent India, in which &ldquo;criminal luxury and waste were concealed under the deceptive slogans of national dignity and needs of representation.&rdquo; He extended his sharp criticism of the prime minister to the &ldquo;leadership of sterile Marxists&rdquo; in other recently decolonised countries, a group in which he included Nehru&acute;s fellow champions of Non-Alignment during the late 1950s, Nkrumah and Sukarno.</p>

<p>Lohia denounced Nehru as the leader and main promoter of this harmful project, and consequently directed some of his most virulent attacks against the figure of the prime minister. This strategy, coupled with a similar dismissive and aggressive approach towards communists, would contribute to Lohia&acute;s gradual political marginalisation during the first two decades of independent life in India</p>

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<p>More than any other socialist leader of his time, Lohia&nbsp;reflected upon issues of caste, gender, language diversity and vernacular knowledge in the course of his intellectual development. His rise to prominence as a party leader coincided with a period of intense debate around the issue of caste-based reservations. Even before the appearance of the First Report of the Backward Classes Commission, written in 1953 and published in 1955, Lohia has advanced his interest in involving members of the lower castes in the ranks and leadership of the Socialist Party, and had begun his active campaign for the application of preferential opportunities for the backward sections of society.&nbsp;</p>

<p>During the second half of the 1950s, Lohia made significant efforts to contact the leaders of the most important anti-caste movements, as well as major leaders of the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes. Between 1955 and 1956, he maintained a correspondence with B. R. Ambedkar, inviting him to attend the 1955 Conference of the Socialist Party, and, in 1957, the Lohia-led SP merged with the Indian National Backward Classes Federation. Moreover, Lohia extended Ambedkar&acute;s demands and advocated for extending the scope of the Backward Classes label to include other sections of the population, notably depressed Muslims, Adivasis and women.</p>

<p>His focus on the specificities and concrete needs of Indian society, however, did not prevent him from taking into consideration the contingencies of the international arena and devising a plan for a global parliament. His open-ended vision of socialism was shaped by an awareness of international events, as well as by the deeply felt need to go beyond Eurocentrism and promote indigenous and independent models of socio-political development.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Lohia was a fierce critic, a combative thinker, and a tireless organiser. The boldness and potency of his intellectual project, however, was contrasted by the dismal political failure of his politics in electoral terms. During the 1950s and early 60s, he presided over the SP, the Praja Socialist Party and the Samyukta Socialist Party, all of which remained unable to challenge the potency of the Congress or the communists in electoral terms until his death in 1967.</p>

<p>Despite the fact that it did not materialise in any significant institutional gains, Lohia&acute;s political project made a crucial contribution to the emergence of original conceptions of socialism that were wholly unrelated to anything known elsewhere by that name. It also opened up a space for political trajectories that are still being played out in the horizon of contemporary Indian politics.</p>

<p>But perhaps the greatest legacy of his politics can be found in his constant effort to question established dogmas and re-think the seemingly obvious. Despite the fact that it entailed his marginalisation from the mainstream of national politics, Lohia was never one to compromise. He spoke of the importance of fighting the entrenched injustices of Indian society in a time of nationalist triumphalism. He defended the role of the state in a time of growing Gandhian anti-statism.</p>

<p>Further, he dreamt of an alternative economic system based on the creation of &ldquo;small machines&rdquo; in an epoch infatuated with the prospect of big-scale industrialisation. In a time, such as ours, in which there seems to be an increasingly narrow window for dissent and rational thought in global politics, Lohia&acute;s fiery adherence to debate and critical thought is a legacy to be cherished and taken seriously once more.</p>


Lohia spoke of the importance of fighting entrenched injustices of Indian society in a time of nationalist triumphalism

Among those radicals associated with the Left Wing of the Congress Party during the decades prior to independence, there was probably no one who could rival Ram Manohar Lohia in genius and originality of thought. Lohia was a truly novel thinker, a fierce polemist and a ruthless critic. His ideas on power, inequality, freedom and the role of the state drew upon and contended with those of contemporary figures like Jayaprakash Narayan, Jawaharlal Nehru and Ashoka Mehta, as well as upon the thought of Marx and Gandhi, but were always tinged by his own personal views and highly critical intelligence. Following the transfer of power, Lohia arose as the most important and visible figure in the ranks of the new Socialist Party. Along with many socialists around the world during the 1950s and 60s, Lohia identified socialism with the possibility of a radical transformation of society and, through it, the coming of a new civilisation. He developed an open-ended conception of socialism based on an impetuous vernacular and anti-elitist stance regarding political power and the role and management of the state. Lohia openly attacked the elitism of the Nehruvian statist project of modernisation, as well as the potentially violent programme of communists in India × In his view, socialism could not mean a mere revival of cottage industries and a return to the village. Indeed, he described the latter as spaces of arbitrary power, embodied in the trinity formed by “vested interests, the police and village goondas.” At the same time, however, he refused to adhere to a teleological version of Marxism, a doctrine he denounced as Eurocentric and unable to account for the link between capitalist accumulation and colonialism. Moreover, he openly attacked the elitism of the Nehruvian statist project of modernisation, as well as the potentially violent programme of communists in India. During the 1950s and early 60s, Lohia emerged as the most vocal representative of anti-Congressism and a virulent critic of what he termed “the Nehru myth.” In his view, the revolutionary potential of the freedom movement was being arrested by the project of modernisation defended by the elites of independent India, in which “criminal luxury and waste were concealed under the deceptive slogans of national dignity and needs of representation.” He extended his sharp criticism of the prime minister to the “leadership of sterile Marxists” in other recently decolonised countries, a group in which he included Nehru´s fellow champions of Non-Alignment during the late 1950s, Nkrumah and Sukarno. Lohia denounced Nehru as the leader and main promoter of this harmful project, and consequently directed some of his most virulent attacks against the figure of the prime minister. This strategy, coupled with a similar dismissive and aggressive approach towards communists, would contribute to Lohia´s gradual political marginalisation during the first two decades of independent life in India More than any other socialist leader of his time, Lohia reflected upon issues of caste, gender, language diversity and vernacular knowledge × More than any other socialist leader of his time, Lohia reflected upon issues of caste, gender, language diversity and vernacular knowledge in the course of his intellectual development. His rise to prominence as a party leader coincided with a period of intense debate around the issue of caste-based reservations. Even before the appearance of the First Report of the Backward Classes Commission, written in 1953 and published in 1955, Lohia has advanced his interest in involving members of the lower castes in the ranks and leadership of the Socialist Party, and had begun his active campaign for the application of preferential opportunities for the backward sections of society. During the second half of the 1950s, Lohia made significant efforts to contact the leaders of the most important anti-caste movements, as well as major leaders of the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes. Between 1955 and 1956, he maintained a correspondence with B. R. Ambedkar, inviting him to attend the 1955 Conference of the Socialist Party, and, in 1957, the Lohia-led SP merged with the Indian National Backward Classes Federation. Moreover, Lohia extended Ambedkar´s demands and advocated for extending the scope of the Backward Classes label to include other sections of the population, notably depressed Muslims, Adivasis and women. His focus on the specificities and concrete needs of Indian society, however, did not prevent him from taking into consideration the contingencies of the international arena and devising a plan for a global parliament. His open-ended vision of socialism was shaped by an awareness of international events, as well as by the deeply felt need to go beyond Eurocentrism and promote indigenous and independent models of socio-political development. Lohia was a fierce critic, a combative thinker, and a tireless organiser × Lohia was a fierce critic, a combative thinker, and a tireless organiser. The boldness and potency of his intellectual project, however, was contrasted by the dismal political failure of his politics in electoral terms. During the 1950s and early 60s, he presided over the SP, the Praja Socialist Party and the Samyukta Socialist Party, all of which remained unable to challenge the potency of the Congress or the communists in electoral terms until his death in 1967. Despite the fact that it did not materialise in any significant institutional gains, Lohia´s political project made a crucial contribution to the emergence of original conceptions of socialism that were wholly unrelated to anything known elsewhere by that name. It also opened up a space for political trajectories that are still being played out in the horizon of contemporary Indian politics. But perhaps the greatest legacy of his politics can be found in his constant effort to question established dogmas and re-think the seemingly obvious. Despite the fact that it entailed his marginalisation from the mainstream of national politics, Lohia was never one to compromise. He spoke of the importance of fighting the entrenched injustices of Indian society in a time of nationalist triumphalism. He defended the role of the state in a time of growing Gandhian anti-statism. Further, he dreamt of an alternative economic system based on the creation of “small machines” in an epoch infatuated with the prospect of big-scale industrialisation. In a time, such as ours, in which there seems to be an increasingly narrow window for dissent and rational thought in global politics, Lohia´s fiery adherence to debate and critical thought is a legacy to be cherished and taken seriously once more.

Ram Manohar Lohia: The fiery critic of Nehru

<p>The iPhone 8 and the 8 Plus went on sale in India at 6 pm on Friday. The buzz in the market and on social media has been described as &quot;moderate&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>But never mind all of that... The only pertinent question now is, should one buy them?&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus went on sale in India at 6 pm on Friday. Excited?</strong>&nbsp;</p>

<p>No, not at all. There has been no innovation on the phones, if you compare them to the 7S and the 7S Plus.</p>

<p>In a way, Apple never came across as innovating ever since Tim Cook took over the company.</p>

<p>The phones look and feel good -- the glass back of the 8 and the 8 Plus for example but when you start using them, you realise that they&#39;re not all that impressive.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Considering the perks of your job, you&#39;ve had the opportunity to check out the phones. What did you think?</strong>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The beauty of the phones is impressive but again, when you start using them you realise that, compared to the 7S and the 7S Plus, they don&#39;t offer much more than incremental upgrades.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>So the all-important question. Should one buy them?</strong>&nbsp;</p>

<p>If you&#39;re using an iPhone older than the 7, then yes. But not otherwise.&nbsp;</p>

<p>If you&#39;re really looking for the whole iPhone experience, I would suggest you wait for the iPhone X. (Did you know Apple has got rid of the home button on that phone?) The X is going to be here on November 3.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>The 8 and 8 Plus are kind of expensive too...</strong>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Yes. Rs 64,000 for the base version of the 8, and Rs 73,000 for the 8 Plus.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>What phone would you recommend to someone who might want the same sort of experience but does not want to buy the 8 or the 8 Plus?</strong>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The OnePlus 5 at Rs 33,000 is a very good buy. And you should also wait for the Google Pixel 2, which is going to be unveiled on October 4. (Google has not yet announced how much it is going to cost.)&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>


Parakram Rautela spoke with WION's in-house tech maestro Ankit Tuteja, and asked him that all-important to buy or not to buy question

The iPhone 8 and the 8 Plus went on sale in India at 6 pm on Friday. The buzz in the market and on social media has been described as "moderate". But never mind all of that... The only pertinent question now is, should one buy them? The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus went on sale in India at 6 pm on Friday. Excited? No, not at all. There has been no innovation on the phones, if you compare them to the 7S and the 7S Plus. In a way, Apple never came across as innovating ever since Tim Cook took over the company. The phones look and feel good -- the glass back of the 8 and the 8 Plus for example but when you start using them, you realise that they're not all that impressive. Considering the perks of your job, you've had the opportunity to check out the phones. What did you think? The beauty of the phones is impressive but again, when you start using them you realise that, compared to the 7S and the 7S Plus, they don't offer much more than incremental upgrades. So the all-important question. Should one buy them? If you're using an iPhone older than the 7, then yes. But not otherwise. If you're really looking for the whole iPhone experience, I would suggest you wait for the iPhone X. (Did you know Apple has got rid of the home button on that phone?) The X is going to be here on November 3. The 8 and 8 Plus are kind of expensive too... Yes. Rs 64,000 for the base version of the 8, and Rs 73,000 for the 8 Plus. What phone would you recommend to someone who might want the same sort of experience but does not want to buy the 8 or the 8 Plus? The OnePlus 5 at Rs 33,000 is a very good buy. And you should also wait for the Google Pixel 2, which is going to be unveiled on October 4. (Google has not yet announced how much it is going to cost.)

iPhone 8 and 8 Plus on sale now, should you buy them??

<p>China ramped up its response to an earthquake on Thursday, that killed 20 people and injured hundreds, by sending supplies and personnel into the mountainous zone as rescuers fanned out to search for more victims.</p>

<p>Jiuzhaigou, a popular tourist destination near the epicentre of Tuesday night&#39;s 6.5-magnitude quake, reportedly saw dozens of relief and military trucks rolling through the remote corner of Sichuan province.</p>

<p>Locals took refuge in blue relief tents in several makeshift camps or out on streets in towns as more than a thousand aftershocks jolted the region and landslides kept nerves on edge.</p>

<p>Jiuzhaigou is an area populated largely by ethnic Tibetans and Qiang people. Its scenic landscape is popular with mainly Chinese tourists who flock to its national park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Nearly 60,000 people -- around half of which were tourists -- were evacuated from quake-hit towns and villages on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Authorities were seeking to help more victims on Thursday, with the Sichuan provincial fire department saying 16 tourists were stranded in a picturesque spot called Panda Sea.</p>

<p>More than 500 medical staff have been dispatched to the disaster zone, provincial official Qumushiha said at a press conference Thursday evening.</p>

<p>Authorities have said thousands of response personnel were sent into the area, as rescue workers search for at least four people still missing.</p>

<p>Yang Yongzhi was among a search team in red jumpsuits and hardhats who were forced by landslides to turn back on Wednesday night after trying to press into cut-off valleys.</p>

<p>&quot;We&#39;re responsible for finding if there are still people trapped over there. We&#39;re the first to go check,&quot; Yang said as the team prepared to make another attempt at reaching the isolated area.</p>

<p>The tremor evoked memories of a devastating 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the region in 2008 that left 87,000 people dead or missing, but the impact of Tuesday&#39;s disaster was comparatively light.</p>

<p>Authorities brought the death toll up to 20 on Thursday afternoon, with 431 injured, 34 critically. A Frenchman and a Canadian woman were among those hurt.</p>

<p>The quake tore cracks in mountain highways and cars were reportedly smashed by giant falling boulders.</p>

<p>Some buildings in towns bore cracks, but few structures appeared to have sustained heavy damage.</p>

<p>Provincial fire authorities reported that one Jiuzhaigou hotel partially collapsed and the body of a woman was pulled out of the rubble on Thursday morning.</p>

<p>It was not known if others were still buried. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>So far, 200 million yuan, which is about $30 million, in government relief funds has been allocated for quake relief, according to authorities.</p>

<p>The government of Aba prefecture, where Jiuzhaigou is located, issued an appeal for donations.</p>

<p>Authorities said 1,680 private homes across Jiuzhaigou&#39;s 17 townships suffered varying degrees of damage.</p>

<p>The local government said it had repaired 129 telecommunication towers or other installations that were damaged by the quake, restoring communications with much of the affected area.</p>

<p>President Xi Jinping had called earlier for &quot;all-out efforts to rapidly organise relief work and rescue the injured&quot; in the Sichuan quake.</p>


Authorities brought the death toll up to 20 on Thursday afternoon, with 431 injured, 34 critically

China ramped up its response to an earthquake on Thursday, that killed 20 people and injured hundreds, by sending supplies and personnel into the mountainous zone as rescuers fanned out to search for more victims. Jiuzhaigou, a popular tourist destination near the epicentre of Tuesday night's 6.5-magnitude quake, reportedly saw dozens of relief and military trucks rolling through the remote corner of Sichuan province. Locals took refuge in blue relief tents in several makeshift camps or out on streets in towns as more than a thousand aftershocks jolted the region and landslides kept nerves on edge. Jiuzhaigou is an area populated largely by ethnic Tibetans and Qiang people. Its scenic landscape is popular with mainly Chinese tourists who flock to its national park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Nearly 60,000 people -- around half of which were tourists -- were evacuated from quake-hit towns and villages on Wednesday. Authorities were seeking to help more victims on Thursday, with the Sichuan provincial fire department saying 16 tourists were stranded in a picturesque spot called Panda Sea. More than 500 medical staff have been dispatched to the disaster zone, provincial official Qumushiha said at a press conference Thursday evening. Authorities have said thousands of response personnel were sent into the area, as rescue workers search for at least four people still missing. Yang Yongzhi was among a search team in red jumpsuits and hardhats who were forced by landslides to turn back on Wednesday night after trying to press into cut-off valleys. "We're responsible for finding if there are still people trapped over there. We're the first to go check," Yang said as the team prepared to make another attempt at reaching the isolated area. The tremor evoked memories of a devastating 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the region in 2008 that left 87,000 people dead or missing, but the impact of Tuesday's disaster was comparatively light. Authorities brought the death toll up to 20 on Thursday afternoon, with 431 injured, 34 critically. A Frenchman and a Canadian woman were among those hurt. The quake tore cracks in mountain highways and cars were reportedly smashed by giant falling boulders. Some buildings in towns bore cracks, but few structures appeared to have sustained heavy damage. Provincial fire authorities reported that one Jiuzhaigou hotel partially collapsed and the body of a woman was pulled out of the rubble on Thursday morning. It was not known if others were still buried. So far, 200 million yuan, which is about $30 million, in government relief funds has been allocated for quake relief, according to authorities. The government of Aba prefecture, where Jiuzhaigou is located, issued an appeal for donations. Authorities said 1,680 private homes across Jiuzhaigou's 17 townships suffered varying degrees of damage. The local government said it had repaired 129 telecommunication towers or other installations that were damaged by the quake, restoring communications with much of the affected area. President Xi Jinping had called earlier for "all-out efforts to rapidly organise relief work and rescue the injured" in the Sichuan quake.

China combs through quake region for victims

<p>Gulzar, the poet of love and endearment in all its forms, can be a frustratingly elusive interviewee. This leisurely chat with him one winter morning was facilitated through nothing less than divine intervention. When I shared with Gulzar that Yudhisthir and Draupadi by Pavan K Verma is one of my favourite books of contemporary poetry, he responded with a pertinent question, &ldquo;Why is it not a part of the English Literature curriculum at our schools and universities?&rdquo; That set the ball rolling for an hour long conversation that resonated with the rhythm of his poetry.</p>

<p><strong>Teaching Poetry</strong></p>

<p>&ldquo;If we can teach Milton&rsquo;s Paradise Lost about Adam and Eve, why can&rsquo;t we teach poems about Yudhisthir and Draupadi?&rdquo; This rhetorical question laced with angst leads to a mellower thought on western poetry, &ldquo;I have nothing against Shakespeare or Milton. But till how long can we go on studying and teaching Julius Caesar?&rdquo; I share with him that universities have begun to revise their curricula and there is a much greater representation of Indian writers than ever before in English Literature syllabi. He beams. &ldquo;You mean they are now teaching Faiz and Firaq? And what about Manto?&rdquo; My affirmative nodding brings a beatific smile to his face.</p>

<p>He begins to talk about Rabindranath Tagore. &ldquo;All of us need to read Tagore. If his poetry is inaccessible to some, it is worthwhile to translate it not only from one language to another but also in terms of register. Tagore&rsquo;s works should be taught at the school level and not just the most well known ones.&rdquo; As an afterthought he says, &ldquo;Poetry is not for textbooks. It is for and about the lived experience. The language of our everyday business is the language of poetry.&quot;</p>

<p><strong>On the Labour of Translation</strong></p>

<p>Gulzar recently paid tribute to Tagore by translating more than 60 poems of the Nobel laureate from Bengali to Hindi. He also teamed up with singer Shreya Ghoshal for &lsquo;In Conversation with Tagore&rsquo; a seven track music album of Tagore&rsquo;s translated poems.</p>

<p>&ldquo;My latest translation project &lsquo;A Poem a Day&rsquo; aims at amplifying the voice of young and dynamic poets writing in different languages and dialects from across the country. I have already finished translating 272 poems from&nbsp;32 languages,&rdquo; he beams while sharing. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m fascinated by the sheer dynamism of poetry coming from different parts of the country, especially the North Eastern states. I think today the North Eastern poets stand a class apart from others,&rdquo; he says.</p>

<p>When it comes to languages, does he have any favourites?</p>

<p>&ldquo;I love the sound of Malayalam. It is music to my ears. I don&rsquo;t understand it well but I love it. Bengali comes naturally to me because of my childhood years in Kolkata. Because of Bengali I also understand Oriya and Assamese in some measure,&rdquo; he says.</p>

<p>And poets? Millions revere Gulzar&rsquo;s poetry, who does he revere?</p>

<p>The answer comes easily, &ldquo;Jayant Mahapatra.&rdquo; Playing on the poet&rsquo;s first name he exclaims, &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a &lsquo;Giant&rsquo; of a poet!&rdquo; While taking Mahapatra&rsquo;s name, Gulzar touches his ears ritualistically and it instantly establishes the guru-shishya relationship between the two poets. &ldquo;Once he mailed a short story to me. Like a teacher he recommended that I read it,&rdquo; he shares.</p>

<p>Talking of translation and poets of Bengal and Orissa, the welcome inevitability of Jibananada Das&rsquo;s name presented itself. &ldquo;Jibanananda Das is one of the most difficult poets to comprehend and translate. Most modern amongst his contemporaries, most unusual! The intricacies of his poetry cannot be replicated,&rdquo; he shares. Gulzar has written &lsquo;Mone Pode,&rsquo; a poem, celebrating Das&rsquo;s life and poetry.</p>

<p><strong>Of Love and Gaalis</strong></p>

<p>As a poet and translator, Gulzar has several quirky lessons for budding translators. The first being falling in love with a person speaking the language one intends to learn. &ldquo;Nothing teaches language better than love. Imbibe as much as you can. Learn the intricacies of the language,&rdquo; he says.</p>

<p>When I share that the first words and phrases we acquire in a new language are usually the terms of endearment or expletives, he lets out a hearty laugh before embarking upon a discourse on gaalis. &ldquo;Most interesting abuses are there in Punjabi. They don&rsquo;t hurt. There is a concept of farmaishi gaali (abuse on demand) in Punjabi,&rdquo; he says smiling. &ldquo;Bangla has no abuses. Bengalis use Hindustani when they want to abuse,&rdquo; he shares a couple of expressions of Bengali rage.</p>

<p>Maybe the Bengalis do not want to spoil the lexicon of their language.</p>

<p>&ldquo;It is a characteristic of urban culture. When we want to abuse, we borrow words and phrases from another language. Perhaps this is our way of retaining respectability,&rdquo; he muses.</p>

<p>Does Gulzar have a language and a script for his thoughts?</p>

<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no script in thinking. I don&rsquo;t think in a script. My thoughts become a script later on,&rdquo; he says.</p>

<p>The conversation veers towards films and scripts at this point.</p>

<p><strong>Poetry of Cinema</strong></p>

<p>Gulzar is a winner of Dadasaheb Phalke Award, several Indian National Film Awards, 20 Filmfare Awards, one Academy Award, and one Grammy Award for imbuing cinema with the grace of his words. He has written stories, songs, screenplays and dialogues for more than a hundred films. He has also directed some of them.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Poetry is part of a film. You can&rsquo;t separate it. The challenge is to convey the characters&rsquo; thoughts in the language that they understand. High poetry in my film songs mostly belong to the dream sequences,&rdquo; says Gulzar. &ldquo;The challenge is also to convey the flavour of the region that the characters come from,&rdquo; he adds. &ldquo;In the recently released &lsquo;Ok Jaanu&rsquo; Naseeruddin Shah&rsquo;s character&rsquo;s Hindi is different from that of his wife. The former&rsquo;s language bears the mark of his years spent in Lucknow. That needed to be conveyed.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Gulzar is a champion of experiments in language and form, be it in poetry or cinema. Like all great experimenters, he acknowledges that the avant garde does not work all the time. Talking of &lsquo;Mirzya&rsquo;, a much hyped film in 2016 that tanked and drew much criticism, he recognises the shortcomings of the screenplay he wrote. &ldquo;Mirzya was conceptualised as a ballet opera on screen. There was the narrator-chorus structure which clearly did not work for cinema. Perhaps, I failed as a screenplay writer,&rdquo; he says without any rancour.</p>

<p>Gulzar did not want the interview to end and this is clearly one of the most flattering and humbling experiences for any interviewer. When I put my pen down, there was a casual exchange on people we knew in common, mostly academics and poets. Poetry of this conversation was invaded by the pressing needs of the business of living. There was lunch waiting for his attention, along with some hungry friends.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Sampooran Singh Kalra, or Gulzar, is a man with a mission armed with his poetry on paper, vinyl records, celluloid, & their digital cousins

Gulzar, the poet of love and endearment in all its forms, can be a frustratingly elusive interviewee. This leisurely chat with him one winter morning was facilitated through nothing less than divine intervention. When I shared with Gulzar that Yudhisthir and Draupadi by Pavan K Verma is one of my favourite books of contemporary poetry, he responded with a pertinent question, “Why is it not a part of the English Literature curriculum at our schools and universities?” That set the ball rolling for an hour long conversation that resonated with the rhythm of his poetry. Teaching Poetry “If we can teach Milton’s Paradise Lost about Adam and Eve, why can’t we teach poems about Yudhisthir and Draupadi?” This rhetorical question laced with angst leads to a mellower thought on western poetry, “I have nothing against Shakespeare or Milton. But till how long can we go on studying and teaching Julius Caesar?” I share with him that universities have begun to revise their curricula and there is a much greater representation of Indian writers than ever before in English Literature syllabi. He beams. “You mean they are now teaching Faiz and Firaq? And what about Manto?” My affirmative nodding brings a beatific smile to his face. He begins to talk about Rabindranath Tagore. “All of us need to read Tagore. If his poetry is inaccessible to some, it is worthwhile to translate it not only from one language to another but also in terms of register. Tagore’s works should be taught at the school level and not just the most well known ones.” As an afterthought he says, “Poetry is not for textbooks. It is for and about the lived experience. The language of our everyday business is the language of poetry." On the Labour of Translation Gulzar recently paid tribute to Tagore by translating more than 60 poems of the Nobel laureate from Bengali to Hindi. He also teamed up with singer Shreya Ghoshal for ‘In Conversation with Tagore’ a seven track music album of Tagore’s translated poems. “My latest translation project ‘A Poem a Day’ aims at amplifying the voice of young and dynamic poets writing in different languages and dialects from across the country. I have already finished translating 272 poems from 32 languages,” he beams while sharing. “I’m fascinated by the sheer dynamism of poetry coming from different parts of the country, especially the North Eastern states. I think today the North Eastern poets stand a class apart from others,” he says. When it comes to languages, does he have any favourites? “I love the sound of Malayalam. It is music to my ears. I don’t understand it well but I love it. Bengali comes naturally to me because of my childhood years in Kolkata. Because of Bengali I also understand Oriya and Assamese in some measure,” he says. And poets? Millions revere Gulzar’s poetry, who does he revere? The answer comes easily, “Jayant Mahapatra.” Playing on the poet’s first name he exclaims, “He’s a ‘Giant’ of a poet!” While taking Mahapatra’s name, Gulzar touches his ears ritualistically and it instantly establishes the guru-shishya relationship between the two poets. “Once he mailed a short story to me. Like a teacher he recommended that I read it,” he shares. Talking of translation and poets of Bengal and Orissa, the welcome inevitability of Jibananada Das’s name presented itself. “Jibanananda Das is one of the most difficult poets to comprehend and translate. Most modern amongst his contemporaries, most unusual! The intricacies of his poetry cannot be replicated,” he shares. Gulzar has written ‘Mone Pode,’ a poem, celebrating Das’s life and poetry. Of Love and Gaalis As a poet and translator, Gulzar has several quirky lessons for budding translators. The first being falling in love with a person speaking the language one intends to learn. “Nothing teaches language better than love. Imbibe as much as you can. Learn the intricacies of the language,” he says. When I share that the first words and phrases we acquire in a new language are usually the terms of endearment or expletives, he lets out a hearty laugh before embarking upon a discourse on gaalis. “Most interesting abuses are there in Punjabi. They don’t hurt. There is a concept of farmaishi gaali (abuse on demand) in Punjabi,” he says smiling. “Bangla has no abuses. Bengalis use Hindustani when they want to abuse,” he shares a couple of expressions of Bengali rage. Maybe the Bengalis do not want to spoil the lexicon of their language. “It is a characteristic of urban culture. When we want to abuse, we borrow words and phrases from another language. Perhaps this is our way of retaining respectability,” he muses. Does Gulzar have a language and a script for his thoughts? “There’s no script in thinking. I don’t think in a script. My thoughts become a script later on,” he says. The conversation veers towards films and scripts at this point. Poetry of Cinema Gulzar is a winner of Dadasaheb Phalke Award, several Indian National Film Awards, 20 Filmfare Awards, one Academy Award, and one Grammy Award for imbuing cinema with the grace of his words. He has written stories, songs, screenplays and dialogues for more than a hundred films. He has also directed some of them. “Poetry is part of a film. You can’t separate it. The challenge is to convey the characters’ thoughts in the language that they understand. High poetry in my film songs mostly belong to the dream sequences,” says Gulzar. “The challenge is also to convey the flavour of the region that the characters come from,” he adds. “In the recently released ‘Ok Jaanu’ Naseeruddin Shah’s character’s Hindi is different from that of his wife. The former’s language bears the mark of his years spent in Lucknow. That needed to be conveyed.” Gulzar is a champion of experiments in language and form, be it in poetry or cinema. Like all great experimenters, he acknowledges that the avant garde does not work all the time. Talking of ‘Mirzya’, a much hyped film in 2016 that tanked and drew much criticism, he recognises the shortcomings of the screenplay he wrote. “Mirzya was conceptualised as a ballet opera on screen. There was the narrator-chorus structure which clearly did not work for cinema. Perhaps, I failed as a screenplay writer,” he says without any rancour. Gulzar did not want the interview to end and this is clearly one of the most flattering and humbling experiences for any interviewer. When I put my pen down, there was a casual exchange on people we knew in common, mostly academics and poets. Poetry of this conversation was invaded by the pressing needs of the business of living. There was lunch waiting for his attention, along with some hungry friends. (WION)

In Conversation with Gulzar

<p>This year&rsquo;s Man Booker Prize jury boasts of the presence of an extraordinary woman. Lila Azam Zanganeh, the forty-year-old Iranian-French writer, is delighted about the opportunity to select the best fiction for 2017. An erstwhile academic who felt &ldquo;miserable&rdquo; grading papers at Harvard, Azam Zanganeh is a worshipper of chaos. Her award-winning book, <em>The Enchanter: Nabokov and Happiness</em> exemplifies her resistance to handed-down structures and ideas. &ldquo;Something borrowed and something invented&rdquo; is how she describes her writing.</p>

<p><strong>Of mothers and motherlands</strong></p>

<p>I begin by asking Azam Zanganeh about her poetic sensibility through a somewhat leading question, using words and phrases like &ldquo;childhood&rdquo; and &ldquo;immigrant adult experience.&rdquo; She is too clever to miss it. &ldquo;Oh! It does come from my childhood.&rdquo;</p>

<p>What follows next, however, sets the theme of the interview on her terms.</p>

<p>&ldquo;It also comes from my relationship with my mother who loves words, poetry and beauty, and always tries to attract my attention to things of beauty and wonder. She thought that when you lost everything on the outside, the only thing that mattered was what you had within yourself: your culture. So, in a way, it comes from my Persian background. So much of the Persian culture is poetry. It&rsquo;s Rumi and Hafiz you grow up hearing. There&rsquo;s a beautiful line by Hafiz &#39;Look, among the ruins I see the light of God! Can you imagine what I see in what place?&#39; I think that informs everything else.&quot;</p>

<p>Azam Zanganeh was born and raised in France in a diplomatic family, which was soon to become political immigrants after the Islamic revolution in Iran. She studied literature and philosophy at &Eacute;cole Normale Sup&eacute;rieure, a premier institution dedicated to the training of professors, researchers and public administrators. She moved to the USA to become a teaching fellow at Harvard University, only to realise that academic life was not for her.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Freedom to work</strong></p>

<p>&ldquo;I struggled with the structure of the academic life. I like not having structures. I love inventing my own. I felt imprisoned,&rdquo; she says.</p>

<p>Does this yearning for freedom and making forays into a world that is opening up come from her background?</p>

<p>&ldquo;I was the first woman in my family to vote when I became a French citizen. I&rsquo;m also the first one to choose exactly what she wants to do. I&rsquo;m completely supported by my parents. This freedom is exciting and you want to do something with it. When I was a student in France, I worked for radio, interned for television and did a million things. One of my French friends once remarked, &lsquo;Oh, you are really obsessed with work&#39;. I was really upset with her. You, my friend, come from a background with generations of women who have had the possibility to work. Don&rsquo;t tell me, as an immigrant Iranian girl, that I&rsquo;m obsessed with work. Of course, I am. I have a great desire to work and to be engaged with the world. There&rsquo;s nothing better.&quot;</p>

<p>Is Azam Zanganeh trying to make up for the generations of Iranian, Middle Eastern women who never had a chance to work?</p>

<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m making amends without feeling resentful. I&rsquo;m aware of the generations behind me and they don&rsquo;t pour resentment into me. They pour great strength instead. I feel their collective yearning and it&rsquo;s that longing that I carry with me around the world. I think of my grandmother, Zahra, who is incredibly intelligent. My own mother, a brilliant diplomat, could not work after the Islamic revolution. We became political immigrants in France and her life became complicated.&quot;</p>

<p>At this point, I&rsquo;m curious about Azam Zanganeh&rsquo;s thoughts on dealing with various categories which she falls under: Woman, immigrant, Iranian.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Resisting categories</strong></p>

<p>&ldquo;Categories were once empowering but now they have become extremely problematic. I was in NYC on 9/11 and everybody wanted me to write a book about being Iranian in that age. I refused. It was nothing but reductive. Of course, I&rsquo;m Iranian! But I&rsquo;m also many other things, as we all are. I feel the same way about being a woman. I understand that it&rsquo;s a historical fight. We benefit so much from the women behind us 60 years ago. But I&rsquo;m now in a position where I&rsquo;m beginning to think that gender doesn&rsquo;t matter and we have to start thinking differently.&rdquo;</p>

<p>She starts talking about her upcoming work of fiction.</p>

<p>&ldquo;My new book is about a woman knight that crosses 1400 years. It&rsquo;s about her emergence as a woman and her understanding of what being a woman is. As I was thinking about the meaning of womanhood, I understood that the principle of androgyny is present in all spiritual traditions. We all carry the masculine and the feminine. And beyond that, we carry the force to transcend those dualities at any moment to become something completely unique. As writers, that&rsquo;s what we are looking for: The uniqueness of our voice and not the voice of a specific identity.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Are we, then, ready for a post-feminist world?</p>

<p>&quot;It&rsquo;s always a fight. We are always losing and re-negotiating. The feminist movement is so important. I would probably not be sitting here, neither would you! We wouldn&rsquo;t be having this conversation if it weren&rsquo;t for the feminist movement. At the same time, thinking about a post-feminist movement is important too. Maybe someday, we would be in a world where it wouldn&rsquo;t matter. It&rsquo;s worth imagining what that world would look like.&quot;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Women and kindness</strong></p>

<p>Azam Zanganeh slips in an interesting thought while talking about her favourite authors. &ldquo;I like the French Belgian writer Marguerite Yourcenar who wrote <em>Memoirs of Hadrian</em>. I adore her, she was hugely well-read and erudite. But she wasn&rsquo;t a very good human being; Not very kind. Kindness to me is extremely important, just as important as intelligence and anything else is. Kindness is at the heart of whatever politics I embody.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Kindness and fortitude are Azam Zanganeh&#39;s most defining character traits. Her association with initiatives like International Rescue Committee, Libraries Without Borders, Narrative 4, and The Lunchbox Fund exemplifies that.</p>

<p>When she finishes speaking, I begin to wonder if women have to be particularly kind. Is that a burden of their category- gender- they ought to carry? I carry this thought away with me. We reconnect over SMS after a couple of months. She remembers me but misspells my name. Most people do so. What sets her apart from them is that she sends an apology briefly afterwards. She cares. I recall how upon our first meeting she suggested that since we both were starving, lunch was a better idea than an interview. How she later waited for me to wrap up other interviews.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Lila Azam Zanganeh didn&rsquo;t have to.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


The Man Booker Prize jurist talks about understanding, but not being defined by, categories like 'immigrant', 'Iranian', and 'woman'

This year’s Man Booker Prize jury boasts of the presence of an extraordinary woman. Lila Azam Zanganeh, the forty-year-old Iranian-French writer, is delighted about the opportunity to select the best fiction for 2017. An erstwhile academic who felt “miserable” grading papers at Harvard, Azam Zanganeh is a worshipper of chaos. Her award-winning book, The Enchanter: Nabokov and Happiness exemplifies her resistance to handed-down structures and ideas. “Something borrowed and something invented” is how she describes her writing. Of mothers and motherlands I begin by asking Azam Zanganeh about her poetic sensibility through a somewhat leading question, using words and phrases like “childhood” and “immigrant adult experience.” She is too clever to miss it. “Oh! It does come from my childhood.” What follows next, however, sets the theme of the interview on her terms. “It also comes from my relationship with my mother who loves words, poetry and beauty, and always tries to attract my attention to things of beauty and wonder. She thought that when you lost everything on the outside, the only thing that mattered was what you had within yourself: your culture. So, in a way, it comes from my Persian background. So much of the Persian culture is poetry. It’s Rumi and Hafiz you grow up hearing. There’s a beautiful line by Hafiz 'Look, among the ruins I see the light of God! Can you imagine what I see in what place?' I think that informs everything else." Azam Zanganeh was born and raised in France in a diplomatic family, which was soon to become political immigrants after the Islamic revolution in Iran. She studied literature and philosophy at École Normale Supérieure, a premier institution dedicated to the training of professors, researchers and public administrators. She moved to the USA to become a teaching fellow at Harvard University, only to realise that academic life was not for her. Freedom to work “I struggled with the structure of the academic life. I like not having structures. I love inventing my own. I felt imprisoned,” she says. Does this yearning for freedom and making forays into a world that is opening up come from her background? “I was the first woman in my family to vote when I became a French citizen. I’m also the first one to choose exactly what she wants to do. I’m completely supported by my parents. This freedom is exciting and you want to do something with it. When I was a student in France, I worked for radio, interned for television and did a million things. One of my French friends once remarked, ‘Oh, you are really obsessed with work'. I was really upset with her. You, my friend, come from a background with generations of women who have had the possibility to work. Don’t tell me, as an immigrant Iranian girl, that I’m obsessed with work. Of course, I am. I have a great desire to work and to be engaged with the world. There’s nothing better." Is Azam Zanganeh trying to make up for the generations of Iranian, Middle Eastern women who never had a chance to work? “I’m making amends without feeling resentful. I’m aware of the generations behind me and they don’t pour resentment into me. They pour great strength instead. I feel their collective yearning and it’s that longing that I carry with me around the world. I think of my grandmother, Zahra, who is incredibly intelligent. My own mother, a brilliant diplomat, could not work after the Islamic revolution. We became political immigrants in France and her life became complicated." At this point, I’m curious about Azam Zanganeh’s thoughts on dealing with various categories which she falls under: Woman, immigrant, Iranian. Resisting categories “Categories were once empowering but now they have become extremely problematic. I was in NYC on 9/11 and everybody wanted me to write a book about being Iranian in that age. I refused. It was nothing but reductive. Of course, I’m Iranian! But I’m also many other things, as we all are. I feel the same way about being a woman. I understand that it’s a historical fight. We benefit so much from the women behind us 60 years ago. But I’m now in a position where I’m beginning to think that gender doesn’t matter and we have to start thinking differently.” She starts talking about her upcoming work of fiction. “My new book is about a woman knight that crosses 1400 years. It’s about her emergence as a woman and her understanding of what being a woman is. As I was thinking about the meaning of womanhood, I understood that the principle of androgyny is present in all spiritual traditions. We all carry the masculine and the feminine. And beyond that, we carry the force to transcend those dualities at any moment to become something completely unique. As writers, that’s what we are looking for: The uniqueness of our voice and not the voice of a specific identity.” Are we, then, ready for a post-feminist world? "It’s always a fight. We are always losing and re-negotiating. The feminist movement is so important. I would probably not be sitting here, neither would you! We wouldn’t be having this conversation if it weren’t for the feminist movement. At the same time, thinking about a post-feminist movement is important too. Maybe someday, we would be in a world where it wouldn’t matter. It’s worth imagining what that world would look like." Women and kindness Azam Zanganeh slips in an interesting thought while talking about her favourite authors. “I like the French Belgian writer Marguerite Yourcenar who wrote Memoirs of Hadrian. I adore her, she was hugely well-read and erudite. But she wasn’t a very good human being; Not very kind. Kindness to me is extremely important, just as important as intelligence and anything else is. Kindness is at the heart of whatever politics I embody.” Kindness and fortitude are Azam Zanganeh's most defining character traits. Her association with initiatives like International Rescue Committee, Libraries Without Borders, Narrative 4, and The Lunchbox Fund exemplifies that. When she finishes speaking, I begin to wonder if women have to be particularly kind. Is that a burden of their category- gender- they ought to carry? I carry this thought away with me. We reconnect over SMS after a couple of months. She remembers me but misspells my name. Most people do so. What sets her apart from them is that she sends an apology briefly afterwards. She cares. I recall how upon our first meeting she suggested that since we both were starving, lunch was a better idea than an interview. How she later waited for me to wrap up other interviews. Lila Azam Zanganeh didn’t have to. (WION)

International Women's Day: In conversation with Lila Azam Zanganeh

<p>Imagine an alien massacre destroys our homes, and&nbsp;what remains&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;world unfit for human&nbsp;survival. We are&nbsp;physically and emotionally hurt. Mankind is directionless, and there&#39;s no sign&nbsp;of help or hope.</p>

<p>This is what happens to wild animals when their homes, the forest, are cut down. We place them in an environment&nbsp;their natural instincts don&#39;t recognise.</p>

<p>One&nbsp;species to face this&nbsp;is&nbsp;the sloth&nbsp;of South America. With&nbsp;trees being rapidly cut down&nbsp;they were left homeless, injured and tormented.&nbsp;Until one day they&nbsp;saw a ray of hope.</p>

<p>A human&nbsp;came like a hero to save them, by&nbsp;sheltering&nbsp;them in her own house.&nbsp;A&nbsp;place that was unfamiliar but felt safe. She fed them, soothed them and when they were ready put them back into their natural homes. Over a 12-year period super-saviour Monique Pool, also known as the &quot;Sloth Lady&quot;, has rescued 700 sloths.</p>

<p>Pool fell in love with sloths after&nbsp;she took in Lucia, a baby from a rescue centre. Today&nbsp;14 sloths safely reside in her house, while she continues to rescue&nbsp;more and advocate&nbsp;for their conservation rights.</p>

<p><br />
<strong>Sloths: What are they?</strong></p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HgRymMe6520" width="970"></iframe></p>

<p><br />
<strong>The Sloth Lady</strong></p>

<p>It all began in 2005 when Pool&nbsp;lost her dog and phoned the local Animal Protection Society to see if they&#39;d found her. They hadn&#39;t, but she was told about a baby sloth they didn&#39;t know how to look after. Even though she was clueless about sloths, she offered to take it in and was instantly smitten.</p>

<p>To learn how to take care of&nbsp;her newly-found love, she consulted another sloth rescuer in Costa Rica. It turns out sloths&nbsp;consume goat&#39;s milk, as cow&#39;s milk is&nbsp;fatal.</p>

<p>&ldquo;My first baby will always remain in my heart. &nbsp;He died within two years and I didn&#39;t know why at first. The experience taught me how little expertise there was in their rehabilitation and care. He is the reason I continue to do this work.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Her motivation to establish an organisation came from her desire to help one animal. That alone&nbsp;showed her&nbsp;the need to ensure the survival of this species.</p>

<p>The rescue process begins with a call from a concerned community member. &nbsp;Pool travels to the animal&#39;s location&nbsp;to pick it up. &ldquo;Sloths are difficult to rescue considering their strong climbing skills and ability to hang on to anything with their strong grip.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Once the sloth has been safely rescued, she brings them back to her rehabilitation centre&nbsp;and performs an examination.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Some of them have come to us with severe wounds and sometimes completely debilitated, always caused by humans. These types of animals do not make it, sloths do everything slow, even dying. Sometimes I sit with them, chanting to them mantras to help them make the transition.&rdquo;</p>

<p>If the animal is healthy, it is released back in the forests. Otherwise, it is treated until it&#39;s ready to be on its own.</p>

<p>&ldquo;They are not pets, they are wild animals. They&#39;re capable of taking care of themselves as long as they are in their natural surroundings and that is where I decided to put them. It&#39;s a special experience to watch a sloth climb on a tree, deep in the safety of a forest.&rdquo;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>It&#39;s raining sloths</strong></p>

<p>In 2012, Pool faced a crisis that she calls &quot;Sloth Armageddon&quot;. A forest near her city was being cleared and she was to rescue 14 sloths. As 50-foot-high trees were cut down, sloths fell to the ground, to be picked up by Pool and her team.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;There were so many of them, it was hard to open the cage and keep them all in,&quot; she says. &quot;As soon as they saw the doors open, they would try and get out.&quot; At night, males would fight and had to be separated.</p>

<p>Four days into the rescue, they realised they were dealing with a lot more than 14 sloths. &quot;After a month we were close to 200 sloths,&quot; says Pool. &quot;At one point, we had 17 babies being fed with droppers.&quot;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/untitled%20design%20(26)-20170307052135.png" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Super-savior Monique Pool, also known as the Sloth Lady has rescued 700 sloths and rehabilitated them in her house over a period of 12 years. (Others)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Being slothified</strong></p>

<p>&ldquo;They are peaceful and smiling creatures but far from easy to keep. Unlike most animals, sloths that are moving are sloths that are unhappy. When they sit, eat and sleep, is when they are happy.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Taking care of sloths is a challenge in itself. Since there is limited knowledge about their biology, Pool struggled to keep these furry animals healthy and help them recover from traumatic events. The adult sloths need to be fed three times a day and babies every few hours.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Sloths have very sensitive diets. Our team has to go to the forest every day to fetch fresh leaves.&rdquo;</p>

<p>She finds them sharp - a group of sloths learned how to open the bathroom door and one even used the toilet.</p>

<p>&quot;The first time we thought it was a mistake. It was only after the fourth time we realised we had taught her how to go to the toilet,&quot; she said.&nbsp;&ldquo;When I had my first baby, a friend observed that it was clutching my glasses and looking at it like it was investigating.&rdquo;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Not just sloths</strong></p>

<p>Pool now also takes care of dolphins, anteaters, armadillos and porcupines. She is a real hero in the world of wildlife rehabilitation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When animals are in trouble, she is the one you call!</p>

<p>More power to you Monique!</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Monique Pool has 14 sloths she rescued living in her house. When forests are cut down, she's out saving even more

Imagine an alien massacre destroys our homes, and what remains is a world unfit for human survival. We are physically and emotionally hurt. Mankind is directionless, and there's no sign of help or hope. This is what happens to wild animals when their homes, the forest, are cut down. We place them in an environment their natural instincts don't recognise. One species to face this is the sloth of South America. With trees being rapidly cut down they were left homeless, injured and tormented. Until one day they saw a ray of hope. A human came like a hero to save them, by sheltering them in her own house. A place that was unfamiliar but felt safe. She fed them, soothed them and when they were ready put them back into their natural homes. Over a 12-year period super-saviour Monique Pool, also known as the "Sloth Lady", has rescued 700 sloths. Pool fell in love with sloths after she took in Lucia, a baby from a rescue centre. Today 14 sloths safely reside in her house, while she continues to rescue more and advocate for their conservation rights. Sloths: What are they? The Sloth Lady It all began in 2005 when Pool lost her dog and phoned the local Animal Protection Society to see if they'd found her. They hadn't, but she was told about a baby sloth they didn't know how to look after. Even though she was clueless about sloths, she offered to take it in and was instantly smitten. To learn how to take care of her newly-found love, she consulted another sloth rescuer in Costa Rica. It turns out sloths consume goat's milk, as cow's milk is fatal. “My first baby will always remain in my heart. He died within two years and I didn't know why at first. The experience taught me how little expertise there was in their rehabilitation and care. He is the reason I continue to do this work.” Her motivation to establish an organisation came from her desire to help one animal. That alone showed her the need to ensure the survival of this species. The rescue process begins with a call from a concerned community member. Pool travels to the animal's location to pick it up. “Sloths are difficult to rescue considering their strong climbing skills and ability to hang on to anything with their strong grip.” Once the sloth has been safely rescued, she brings them back to her rehabilitation centre and performs an examination. “Some of them have come to us with severe wounds and sometimes completely debilitated, always caused by humans. These types of animals do not make it, sloths do everything slow, even dying. Sometimes I sit with them, chanting to them mantras to help them make the transition.” If the animal is healthy, it is released back in the forests. Otherwise, it is treated until it's ready to be on its own. “They are not pets, they are wild animals. They're capable of taking care of themselves as long as they are in their natural surroundings and that is where I decided to put them. It's a special experience to watch a sloth climb on a tree, deep in the safety of a forest.” It's raining sloths In 2012, Pool faced a crisis that she calls "Sloth Armageddon". A forest near her city was being cleared and she was to rescue 14 sloths. As 50-foot-high trees were cut down, sloths fell to the ground, to be picked up by Pool and her team. "There were so many of them, it was hard to open the cage and keep them all in," she says. "As soon as they saw the doors open, they would try and get out." At night, males would fight and had to be separated. Four days into the rescue, they realised they were dealing with a lot more than 14 sloths. "After a month we were close to 200 sloths," says Pool. "At one point, we had 17 babies being fed with droppers." Super-savior Monique Pool, also known as the Sloth Lady has rescued 700 sloths and rehabilitated them in her house over a period of 12 years. (Others) × Being slothified “They are peaceful and smiling creatures but far from easy to keep. Unlike most animals, sloths that are moving are sloths that are unhappy. When they sit, eat and sleep, is when they are happy.” Taking care of sloths is a challenge in itself. Since there is limited knowledge about their biology, Pool struggled to keep these furry animals healthy and help them recover from traumatic events. The adult sloths need to be fed three times a day and babies every few hours. “Sloths have very sensitive diets. Our team has to go to the forest every day to fetch fresh leaves.” She finds them sharp - a group of sloths learned how to open the bathroom door and one even used the toilet. "The first time we thought it was a mistake. It was only after the fourth time we realised we had taught her how to go to the toilet," she said. “When I had my first baby, a friend observed that it was clutching my glasses and looking at it like it was investigating.” Not just sloths Pool now also takes care of dolphins, anteaters, armadillos and porcupines. She is a real hero in the world of wildlife rehabilitation. When animals are in trouble, she is the one you call! More power to you Monique! (WION)

International Women's Day: Super-woman saves the sloths

<p><br />
World Autism Awareness Day is internationally recognised on the 2nd of April.</p>

<p>In an effort to raise awareness and understanding, WION digs deeper into the status and perception of the condition in urban and rural Indian society, efforts made by the government to address the issue, challenges faced by parents, and an inside view of autism.</p>

<p><strong>Inside the mind of a person with autism</strong></p>

<p>We asked&nbsp;doctors to&nbsp;explain as best they could&nbsp;what goes on inside the&nbsp;mind of the different&nbsp;autistic people we met. The doctors told us what the autistic people would say, if they were able to articulate it themselves:&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;I understand what you say but I don&rsquo;t know how to respond &mdash; words don&rsquo;t come out. I do feel happy, sad, frightened and very confused and not being able to express is extremely frustrating. In my own definition of rationalism, screaming seems the only way to put out a message.</p>

<p>My ears are very sensitive to loud noises &mdash; it is painful. It&rsquo;s like having microphone in your ears that catches every frequency &mdash; volume set to maximum. I try to filter out as many noises as possible but high-pitched ones are impossible to ignore.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I feel uneasy when I am touched &mdash; I withdraw human touch to avoid the overwhelming sensations. I want to feel good about being hugged but it arises anxiety &mdash; the type you get from stage fright.</p>

<p>My mind functions very differently from yours. It does not work by words, but through visuals &mdash; like videos being played in my imagination. When I hear the word &quot;stop&quot;, I can only visualise the &quot;BUS STOP&quot; sign. When I hear the word &quot;dog&quot;, images are of individual dogs I have known or read about. I do not think about a general dog. Thinking in images is very different from thinking in languages.</p>

<p>Also, I often fail to recognise faces until I have known a person for a long time.</p>

<p>The only non-visual thoughts I have are of music. I can clap out a rhythm by myself, but I am unable to synchronise my rhythm with somebody else&#39;s.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I don&rsquo;t like changes - I don&rsquo;t like wearing new clothes. I have a shirt assigned for each day of the week. If I cannot wear that particular one, I feel uncomfortable. I don&rsquo;t know how to tell you that so I scream and cry. I need at least a few days to adapt to new types of clothing.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I wish you understand that the way you sense the surroundings are different from how I do. Stimuli that you consider safe sometimes seems threatening to me. At times, I feel the environment is hostile.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Only if you knew, my behaviour would be so much better.</p>

<p>I feel I don&rsquo;t belong&mdash;sometimes, it seems like everyone else knows a secret that I don&rsquo;t. I wish they would stop trying to change me and accept me as I am.&rdquo; says a person with autism.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>What is autism</strong></p>

<p>Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a range of conditions identified by impairment of speech and social skills, repetitive behaviours, nonverbal communication and developmental delays.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Autism can only be detected through behavioural tests. There is no medical diagnosis available since the disorder is not based on any particular biological marker. However, the behaviour itself may change due to intervention or the lack of it, making the condition mild or worse&rdquo; Dr Prathibha Karanth, founder of Communication Deall, an intervention programme for autism, told WION.</p>

<p>The most evident signs of the condition tend to appear between the age of two and three years. It is known to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Autistic children do not look physically different from their peers which makes it challenging for others to understand why they are behaving in a particular way. The mind of an autistic child perceives its surroundings differently. Abrupt pacing, rocking or hand flapping are their natural reactions to stimuli. Most cases have limited vocabulary and difficulties in establishing eye contact,&rdquo; says Dr Meghna Mukherjee, an autism therapist.</p>

<p>They are very sensitive to any change in their surroundings. Any stimulus which may be normal for others could become a source of panic for the autistic. &ldquo;If a child is used to wearing a red shirt on Sundays, it could be very distressing for that child if asked to wear a green shirt instead. Small changes in their routine or surroundings could cause anxiety. The mind of an autistic person could get attached to certain objects or people and any change may exhibit aggressive and self-injurious behaviour.&rdquo; Mukherjee said.</p>

<p>The goal of autism interventions should be to help autistic people achieve their full potential while recognising that autism is a core component of the person. One of the myths surrounding autism is that most individuals affected by the condition will have a special talent.</p>

<p>&ldquo;There are as many gifted people with autism as there are neurotypicals- statistically. Each one of us may be partial to some skills as opposed to others and that is what we see in them too. As parents and educators, finding those preferences and interests will definitely help in long-term planning of leisure and skill development.</p>

<p>It is important to explore and expose the children to a range of activities and skills.&rdquo; says Gita Srikanth from Chennai-based NGO for autism, WeCAN.</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>India vs The West</strong></p>

<p>Autism is not uncommon&mdash;it is known to be the third most common developmental disorder. International studies show that about one in 68 people have autism and its overall occurrence is uniform across the globe (CDC, 2014). This suggests that there are more than 18 million people with autism in India. It is four times more commonly diagnosed in boys than in girls</p>

<p>In the West, some countries provide fully sponsored autism programs, subsidies in occupational and speech therapies, social skills groups, special schools. In the United States, more&nbsp;than $200 million are allocated towards research and services.</p>

<p>India, however has a long way to go. &ldquo;In India the onus for everything is largely on private bodies and non-government organisations. There is some support under the National Trust, but it&#39;s a fraction of what is required. Government support is mostly through financial &lsquo;grants&rsquo;. The quantity of grants is limited and the process for accessing grants lengthy and complex.&rdquo; said Merry Barua, Director of Action For Autism and National Centre for Autism.</p>

<p>Autism is officially recognised as a disability. Karanth says, &ldquo;Indian government has stepped up its efforts in the recent past. It is expected that the recently passed legislation for those with disabilities will help ameliorate their difficulties to some extent. However, in practice a lot more needs to be done.&rdquo;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Autism in Rural India</strong></p>

<p>Mental and neurological conditions in India are perceived as a taboo. The major population resides in rural areas, where the knowledge about autism is very limited. It could be easily mistaken with other conditions.</p>

<p>&ldquo;In rural areas, autism remains largely undiagnosed. At one level, individuals living there are often absorbed into the life of the community, working on the land and in home. The bottom line is that along with diagnosis, we must also have the accessible services in place. Giving a diagnosis and then telling families &mdash; &lsquo;Sorry we have nothing for you&rsquo; &mdash; is devastating.&rdquo; says Barua.</p>

<p>There is not a whole lot of accuracy in diagnosis and intervention. &ldquo;It remains an enigma and there are many myths about the condition that simply refuse to go away. While people who can read English and have access to the internet can read loads of literature on autism, some relevant and a lot of irrelevant matter too. It does not necessarily translate into better understanding of the condition or better services,&rdquo; says Srikanth</p>

<p>According to a study conducted in the rural parts of Goa, parents&rsquo; perspectives often differ from traditional scientific or professional ones and frequently invoke spiritual, moral, or personal interpretations.</p>

<p>Indian parents recognise symptoms of autism six-10 months later than families do in the West.</p>

<p>Potential reasons given for the extra time prior to help-seeking includes local cultural beliefs like &ldquo;boys speak late,&rdquo; which perhaps normalises early unusual behaviours.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Some parents of autistic children consult Ayurvedic doctors, who determine that &quot;a nerve got choked somewhere&quot; while babas (religious men) come up with the notion that there was a &quot;shraap&quot; (curse) and the only cure would be a Ganesh Aarti (religious service).</p>

<p>The most common speculations for the condition in rural areas include genetics or chemical exposure, potential links to other children in the family with developmental issues like a &ldquo;spastic&rdquo; relative, mother mistaking medications during pregnancy.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Everyday Struggles</strong></p>

<p>People with autism are physically indistinguishable from the general populace. As a result, they are largely viewed as misbehaving, disruptive or defiant. Society does not empathise with the challenges that persons with autism face, the way it does with other visible disabilities.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Persons with autism face widespread discrimination and are often barred from participating in civic and recreational activities. Schools are by and large not inclined to admit them. Employment is closed to them. They are often asked to get off public transport,&rdquo; Barua said.</p>

<p>In India, children are assessed mainly on academics and parents have high expectations. With such hopes, it is very difficult for parents to even acknowledge the condition. The kids are bullied in school since the young ones cannot understand the genuineness of the difficulties of an autistic child.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;There is a great need to make education inclusive. However, school practices are strongly exclusionary and getting even more so. High scorers are feted and children who might &lsquo;pull down the rank of the school&rsquo; are not welcome. Parents are often actively asked to pull their children out. Bullying is a big issue. Children on their own are not born bullies. They learn to be bullies from parents who are inclined that way and from their teachers as well. A classroom with a truly inclusive teacher will have little bullying happening&rdquo; Barua added.</p>

<p><strong>Parenting an autistic child</strong></p>

<p>Parents of children with autism do face a fair amount of stress. Everyday activities like traveling or shopping with the child could be gruelling as they have to be prepared to manage an emotional meltdown in the middle of the mall or grocery store.<br />
&ldquo;Parents have to become experts on their children. This includes identifying their strengths, weaknesses, what the child enjoys, their sensory sensitivities and creating a customized treatment plan for them&rdquo; said Mukherjee.</p>

<p>Some autistic cases may require special educators, psychologists and occupational therapists to help them acquire social, language skills and basic educational awareness. This may lead to excessive financial burden on the families.</p>

<p>It is sometimes a lonely experience. &ldquo;Raising an autistic child also arises difficulties in parent&rsquo;s marital life since they tend compare themselves with other couples who have &#39;normal&#39; children. Moreover, organising their own life around the child&rsquo;s is also a challenge. They have to make sacrifices and that could be mentally tiring at times,&rdquo; she said.</p>

<p>All human beings crave acceptance. According to Barua, parents need to accept their child with his autism. The greater the acceptance, the happier will the child be, and the better able to learn.</p>

<p>&ldquo;If we want society to accept and include our children, we have to lead by example. Parents often share how upset, and disturbed they feel by the way society looks at their children. Yet the same parents are also embarrassed by their children and their behaviours. As a parent, if I am ashamed of my child, I cannot expect the wider society to be accepting,&rdquo; Merry Barua, who is also the mother to a person with autism.</p>

<p>Parents feel they&#39;re not doing a good job if their child does not behave normally or when they are not able to control their autistic behaviours.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Parenting an autistic child requires a lot of patience and unconditional love. Most imperative step is to realise and accept that their child is different.</p>

<p>Being a parent means to go beyond the usual threshold of patience. Autistic children may present a bigger challenge but they are wonderful unique creations who deserve to be treated with pride and respect. Parents will make mistakes in the process but that&rsquo;s a part of it. They need to learn to taper off expectations of what their child could achieve and embrace how the kid is. Being different is not a crime. They behave perfectly, keeping in mind that they are wired differently. Take help, talk to other parents with similar situation.&rdquo; advices Mukherjee.</p>

<p><strong>&lsquo;What about after we are no more?&rsquo;</strong></p>

<p>This is probably the biggest fear of every parent of a child with autism. Unlike some Western countries, there are few residential facilities for people with autism in India.</p>

<p>The child should be trained to live in a group home since that may be the need of the hour after the parents are no more to provide the necessary support to the adult with autism.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Some parent organisations are working towards ensuring that their children are looked after by setting up group homes. Indian government is providing support through the National Trust.&rdquo; Karanth added.</p>

<p>It is necessary that any such residence that provides a structured environment, and predictable routines where individuals are able to function independently in their capacity.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is also very important for autistic adults living in such residences to have ample opportunity to integrate with society so that they do not live isolated lives.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Do we understand, accept and include people with autism?

World Autism Awareness Day is internationally recognised on the 2nd of April. In an effort to raise awareness and understanding, WION digs deeper into the status and perception of the condition in urban and rural Indian society, efforts made by the government to address the issue, challenges faced by parents, and an inside view of autism. Inside the mind of a person with autism We asked doctors to explain as best they could what goes on inside the mind of the different autistic people we met. The doctors told us what the autistic people would say, if they were able to articulate it themselves: “I understand what you say but I don’t know how to respond — words don’t come out. I do feel happy, sad, frightened and very confused and not being able to express is extremely frustrating. In my own definition of rationalism, screaming seems the only way to put out a message. My ears are very sensitive to loud noises — it is painful. It’s like having microphone in your ears that catches every frequency — volume set to maximum. I try to filter out as many noises as possible but high-pitched ones are impossible to ignore. I feel uneasy when I am touched — I withdraw human touch to avoid the overwhelming sensations. I want to feel good about being hugged but it arises anxiety — the type you get from stage fright. My mind functions very differently from yours. It does not work by words, but through visuals — like videos being played in my imagination. When I hear the word "stop", I can only visualise the "BUS STOP" sign. When I hear the word "dog", images are of individual dogs I have known or read about. I do not think about a general dog. Thinking in images is very different from thinking in languages. Also, I often fail to recognise faces until I have known a person for a long time. The only non-visual thoughts I have are of music. I can clap out a rhythm by myself, but I am unable to synchronise my rhythm with somebody else's. I don’t like changes - I don’t like wearing new clothes. I have a shirt assigned for each day of the week. If I cannot wear that particular one, I feel uncomfortable. I don’t know how to tell you that so I scream and cry. I need at least a few days to adapt to new types of clothing. I wish you understand that the way you sense the surroundings are different from how I do. Stimuli that you consider safe sometimes seems threatening to me. At times, I feel the environment is hostile. Only if you knew, my behaviour would be so much better. I feel I don’t belong—sometimes, it seems like everyone else knows a secret that I don’t. I wish they would stop trying to change me and accept me as I am.” says a person with autism. What is autism Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a range of conditions identified by impairment of speech and social skills, repetitive behaviours, nonverbal communication and developmental delays. “Autism can only be detected through behavioural tests. There is no medical diagnosis available since the disorder is not based on any particular biological marker. However, the behaviour itself may change due to intervention or the lack of it, making the condition mild or worse” Dr Prathibha Karanth, founder of Communication Deall, an intervention programme for autism, told WION. The most evident signs of the condition tend to appear between the age of two and three years. It is known to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. “Autistic children do not look physically different from their peers which makes it challenging for others to understand why they are behaving in a particular way. The mind of an autistic child perceives its surroundings differently. Abrupt pacing, rocking or hand flapping are their natural reactions to stimuli. Most cases have limited vocabulary and difficulties in establishing eye contact,” says Dr Meghna Mukherjee, an autism therapist. They are very sensitive to any change in their surroundings. Any stimulus which may be normal for others could become a source of panic for the autistic. “If a child is used to wearing a red shirt on Sundays, it could be very distressing for that child if asked to wear a green shirt instead. Small changes in their routine or surroundings could cause anxiety. The mind of an autistic person could get attached to certain objects or people and any change may exhibit aggressive and self-injurious behaviour.” Mukherjee said. The goal of autism interventions should be to help autistic people achieve their full potential while recognising that autism is a core component of the person. One of the myths surrounding autism is that most individuals affected by the condition will have a special talent. “There are as many gifted people with autism as there are neurotypicals- statistically. Each one of us may be partial to some skills as opposed to others and that is what we see in them too. As parents and educators, finding those preferences and interests will definitely help in long-term planning of leisure and skill development. It is important to explore and expose the children to a range of activities and skills.” says Gita Srikanth from Chennai-based NGO for autism, WeCAN. India vs The West Autism is not uncommon—it is known to be the third most common developmental disorder. International studies show that about one in 68 people have autism and its overall occurrence is uniform across the globe (CDC, 2014). This suggests that there are more than 18 million people with autism in India. It is four times more commonly diagnosed in boys than in girls In the West, some countries provide fully sponsored autism programs, subsidies in occupational and speech therapies, social skills groups, special schools. In the United States, more than $200 million are allocated towards research and services. India, however has a long way to go. “In India the onus for everything is largely on private bodies and non-government organisations. There is some support under the National Trust, but it's a fraction of what is required. Government support is mostly through financial ‘grants’. The quantity of grants is limited and the process for accessing grants lengthy and complex.” said Merry Barua, Director of Action For Autism and National Centre for Autism. Autism is officially recognised as a disability. Karanth says, “Indian government has stepped up its efforts in the recent past. It is expected that the recently passed legislation for those with disabilities will help ameliorate their difficulties to some extent. However, in practice a lot more needs to be done.” Autism in Rural India Mental and neurological conditions in India are perceived as a taboo. The major population resides in rural areas, where the knowledge about autism is very limited. It could be easily mistaken with other conditions. “In rural areas, autism remains largely undiagnosed. At one level, individuals living there are often absorbed into the life of the community, working on the land and in home. The bottom line is that along with diagnosis, we must also have the accessible services in place. Giving a diagnosis and then telling families — ‘Sorry we have nothing for you’ — is devastating.” says Barua. There is not a whole lot of accuracy in diagnosis and intervention. “It remains an enigma and there are many myths about the condition that simply refuse to go away. While people who can read English and have access to the internet can read loads of literature on autism, some relevant and a lot of irrelevant matter too. It does not necessarily translate into better understanding of the condition or better services,” says Srikanth According to a study conducted in the rural parts of Goa, parents’ perspectives often differ from traditional scientific or professional ones and frequently invoke spiritual, moral, or personal interpretations. Indian parents recognise symptoms of autism six-10 months later than families do in the West. Potential reasons given for the extra time prior to help-seeking includes local cultural beliefs like “boys speak late,” which perhaps normalises early unusual behaviours. Some parents of autistic children consult Ayurvedic doctors, who determine that "a nerve got choked somewhere" while babas (religious men) come up with the notion that there was a "shraap" (curse) and the only cure would be a Ganesh Aarti (religious service). The most common speculations for the condition in rural areas include genetics or chemical exposure, potential links to other children in the family with developmental issues like a “spastic” relative, mother mistaking medications during pregnancy. Everyday Struggles People with autism are physically indistinguishable from the general populace. As a result, they are largely viewed as misbehaving, disruptive or defiant. Society does not empathise with the challenges that persons with autism face, the way it does with other visible disabilities. “Persons with autism face widespread discrimination and are often barred from participating in civic and recreational activities. Schools are by and large not inclined to admit them. Employment is closed to them. They are often asked to get off public transport,” Barua said. In India, children are assessed mainly on academics and parents have high expectations. With such hopes, it is very difficult for parents to even acknowledge the condition. The kids are bullied in school since the young ones cannot understand the genuineness of the difficulties of an autistic child. “There is a great need to make education inclusive. However, school practices are strongly exclusionary and getting even more so. High scorers are feted and children who might ‘pull down the rank of the school’ are not welcome. Parents are often actively asked to pull their children out. Bullying is a big issue. Children on their own are not born bullies. They learn to be bullies from parents who are inclined that way and from their teachers as well. A classroom with a truly inclusive teacher will have little bullying happening” Barua added. Parenting an autistic child Parents of children with autism do face a fair amount of stress. Everyday activities like traveling or shopping with the child could be gruelling as they have to be prepared to manage an emotional meltdown in the middle of the mall or grocery store. “Parents have to become experts on their children. This includes identifying their strengths, weaknesses, what the child enjoys, their sensory sensitivities and creating a customized treatment plan for them” said Mukherjee. Some autistic cases may require special educators, psychologists and occupational therapists to help them acquire social, language skills and basic educational awareness. This may lead to excessive financial burden on the families. It is sometimes a lonely experience. “Raising an autistic child also arises difficulties in parent’s marital life since they tend compare themselves with other couples who have 'normal' children. Moreover, organising their own life around the child’s is also a challenge. They have to make sacrifices and that could be mentally tiring at times,” she said. All human beings crave acceptance. According to Barua, parents need to accept their child with his autism. The greater the acceptance, the happier will the child be, and the better able to learn. “If we want society to accept and include our children, we have to lead by example. Parents often share how upset, and disturbed they feel by the way society looks at their children. Yet the same parents are also embarrassed by their children and their behaviours. As a parent, if I am ashamed of my child, I cannot expect the wider society to be accepting,” Merry Barua, who is also the mother to a person with autism. Parents feel they're not doing a good job if their child does not behave normally or when they are not able to control their autistic behaviours. “Parenting an autistic child requires a lot of patience and unconditional love. Most imperative step is to realise and accept that their child is different. Being a parent means to go beyond the usual threshold of patience. Autistic children may present a bigger challenge but they are wonderful unique creations who deserve to be treated with pride and respect. Parents will make mistakes in the process but that’s a part of it. They need to learn to taper off expectations of what their child could achieve and embrace how the kid is. Being different is not a crime. They behave perfectly, keeping in mind that they are wired differently. Take help, talk to other parents with similar situation.” advices Mukherjee. ‘What about after we are no more?’ This is probably the biggest fear of every parent of a child with autism. Unlike some Western countries, there are few residential facilities for people with autism in India. The child should be trained to live in a group home since that may be the need of the hour after the parents are no more to provide the necessary support to the adult with autism. “Some parent organisations are working towards ensuring that their children are looked after by setting up group homes. Indian government is providing support through the National Trust.” Karanth added. It is necessary that any such residence that provides a structured environment, and predictable routines where individuals are able to function independently in their capacity. It is also very important for autistic adults living in such residences to have ample opportunity to integrate with society so that they do not live isolated lives. (WION)

Autism Awareness Day: How is autism perceived in India?

<p>Mumbai, being our financial capital, has seen a spate of terror attacks, around half a dozen since the 1990&rsquo;s that shattered the lives of many innocent Mumbaikers, leaving over six hundred dead and more than a thousand injured. It was in July, approximately a decade ago, 11 July 2006 to be precise.&nbsp;in a space of just eleven minutes between 6:24 PM and 6:35 PM, the rush hour, first class compartments of seven local trains were targeted with improvised &ldquo;Pressure Cooker&rdquo; bombs that left 207 dead and at least 700 injured. Then again, five years later on 13th Jul 2011, serial bombings between 6:54 PM and 7:06 PM, in just 12 minutes, targeted Zaveri Bazar, Opera House and Dadar West localities leaving 26 dead and 130 injured.</p>

<p>Both these attacks had a few common threads. In both cases, the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED&rsquo;s) were based on RDX High Explosive and used extremely sophisticated timers. Both attacks were carried out by the Indian Mujahideen (IM), a local terror group.&nbsp;Allegedly, the IM was&nbsp;assisted by the Mumbai underworld, Pakistan&rsquo;s Inter-Services Intelligence and some foreign-based terror groups, like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and&nbsp;even Al Qaeda. Rumours made rounds that both attacks were in retaliation against&nbsp;the manner in which the Muslim community has been allegedly ill-treated in the country, especially in Kashmir and Gujarat. Some reports, however, also suggested that the terrorists&nbsp;were also aiming&nbsp;at derailing the Indo &ndash;Pakistan peace initiatives that were being undertaken in those days.</p>

<p>In both cases most of the perpetrators have been brought to book. In the former case, all the twelve accused were convicted by a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court in September 2015. Five of those convicted have been sentenced to death while the remainder have been given life terms. In the latter case, the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) had charge-sheeted ten of the alleged perpetrators of whom five are under arrest, while the rest remain at large. The investigations themselves have not been without controversy as allegations of mass detentions and police brutality have been made. Investigations into the death in custody one of those detained is still in progress.</p>

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<h5>National security is no longer about just protecting the borders but about protecting people.&nbsp;While physical threats continue to pose challenges, non-military threats have gained in importance and directly impact the well- being of nation-states</h5>
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<p>While it is important to revisit these tragic incidents and commemorate the memory of those lost in these horrific attacks, it is also vitally important to see if lessons have been learnt from all that transpired so as to ensure that such attacks are prevented in the future. Without doubt focus needs to be brought on our intelligence and security establishment to ensure that not only are they forewarned and capable of nipping any such attacks being planned the bud, but also have the training and wherewithal to respond quickly and efficiently in the event terrorists do manage to launch another attack.</p>

<p>However, where we seem to be going wrong, and which is bound to adversely impact our polity and the security environment in the future, is our mishandling of fundamentalists, both of the religious and ideological variety. There is a prevailing belief that the British succeeded in ruling us for two hundred years through their policy of Divide and Rule, it now appears that even the vast majority within our political class believes that a similar policy will pay dividends. Nothing could be further from the truth since we live in a completely different age. A inter-connected world where ideas travel faster than light and movement of people, good and services are no longer restricted by international borders or physical barriers and it is impossible to isolate people or ideas from global discourse. National security is no longer about just protecting the borders but about protecting people.&nbsp;While physical threats continue to pose challenges, non-military threats have gained in importance and directly impact the well- being of nation-states.</p>

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<h5>It is necessary for all of us to understand that by not opposing or raising our voices against fundamentalism and in targeting minorities, we are only helping in making the environment more conducive for radical groups to operate</h5>
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<p>This is only possible when local and central governments are empathetic and do not discriminate on the basis of caste, creed, ethnicity or economic status. Where rule of law is given primacy and the criminal justice system works without fear or favour. Sadly, this has never been the case here ever since Independence. The situation has got further exacerbated over the past few years with the rise of Hindu radical groups that have been able to foment trouble with little or no attempts by the state to deal with them except for platitudes. The spate of lynching&rsquo;s and attacks on minorities by vigilantes&rsquo; points to this pathetic state of affairs.</p>

<p>Let alone our political leadership, it is necessary for all of us to understand that by not opposing or raising our voices against fundamentalism and in targeting minorities, we are only helping in making the environment more conducive for radical groups to operate. There will always be criminal elements within society who will attempt to use any and every cause that will benefit them. Those elements can be neutralised by a professional police force and an efficient criminal justice system. The problem arises when the common man perceives he is being discriminated against and unable to get justice and willingly provides support, both overt and covert, to fringe elements.</p>

<p>Added to this, India&#39;s not so friendly neighbouring states often willingly exploit the situation by providing moral, monetary and physical support. In our own case our democratic traditions and the belief in the rule of law have restricted the impact of such groups to a large extent.&nbsp;However&nbsp;if, as a nation, we ignore the consequences of what allows radical elements to thrive, then we are truly on the road to perdition, and the serial bombings will just be milestones to worse atrocities.</p>

<p>The inescapable truth is that only the innocent will pay with their lives, those responsible for the state of affairs will get away, thanks to the personal security and sanitised environment provided at the tax-payer&rsquo;s cost.</p>


Terror attacks can only be prevented if India shows more care in dealing with any forms of religious fundamentalism.

Mumbai, being our financial capital, has seen a spate of terror attacks, around half a dozen since the 1990’s that shattered the lives of many innocent Mumbaikers, leaving over six hundred dead and more than a thousand injured. It was in July, approximately a decade ago, 11 July 2006 to be precise. in a space of just eleven minutes between 6:24 PM and 6:35 PM, the rush hour, first class compartments of seven local trains were targeted with improvised “Pressure Cooker” bombs that left 207 dead and at least 700 injured. Then again, five years later on 13th Jul 2011, serial bombings between 6:54 PM and 7:06 PM, in just 12 minutes, targeted Zaveri Bazar, Opera House and Dadar West localities leaving 26 dead and 130 injured. Both these attacks had a few common threads. In both cases, the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) were based on RDX High Explosive and used extremely sophisticated timers. Both attacks were carried out by the Indian Mujahideen (IM), a local terror group. Allegedly, the IM was assisted by the Mumbai underworld, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and some foreign-based terror groups, like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and even Al Qaeda. Rumours made rounds that both attacks were in retaliation against the manner in which the Muslim community has been allegedly ill-treated in the country, especially in Kashmir and Gujarat. Some reports, however, also suggested that the terrorists were also aiming at derailing the Indo –Pakistan peace initiatives that were being undertaken in those days. In both cases most of the perpetrators have been brought to book. In the former case, all the twelve accused were convicted by a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court in September 2015. Five of those convicted have been sentenced to death while the remainder have been given life terms. In the latter case, the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) had charge-sheeted ten of the alleged perpetrators of whom five are under arrest, while the rest remain at large. The investigations themselves have not been without controversy as allegations of mass detentions and police brutality have been made. Investigations into the death in custody one of those detained is still in progress. National security is no longer about just protecting the borders but about protecting people. While physical threats continue to pose challenges, non-military threats have gained in importance and directly impact the well- being of nation-states × While it is important to revisit these tragic incidents and commemorate the memory of those lost in these horrific attacks, it is also vitally important to see if lessons have been learnt from all that transpired so as to ensure that such attacks are prevented in the future. Without doubt focus needs to be brought on our intelligence and security establishment to ensure that not only are they forewarned and capable of nipping any such attacks being planned the bud, but also have the training and wherewithal to respond quickly and efficiently in the event terrorists do manage to launch another attack. However, where we seem to be going wrong, and which is bound to adversely impact our polity and the security environment in the future, is our mishandling of fundamentalists, both of the religious and ideological variety. There is a prevailing belief that the British succeeded in ruling us for two hundred years through their policy of Divide and Rule, it now appears that even the vast majority within our political class believes that a similar policy will pay dividends. Nothing could be further from the truth since we live in a completely different age. A inter-connected world where ideas travel faster than light and movement of people, good and services are no longer restricted by international borders or physical barriers and it is impossible to isolate people or ideas from global discourse. National security is no longer about just protecting the borders but about protecting people. While physical threats continue to pose challenges, non-military threats have gained in importance and directly impact the well- being of nation-states. It is necessary for all of us to understand that by not opposing or raising our voices against fundamentalism and in targeting minorities, we are only helping in making the environment more conducive for radical groups to operate × This is only possible when local and central governments are empathetic and do not discriminate on the basis of caste, creed, ethnicity or economic status. Where rule of law is given primacy and the criminal justice system works without fear or favour. Sadly, this has never been the case here ever since Independence. The situation has got further exacerbated over the past few years with the rise of Hindu radical groups that have been able to foment trouble with little or no attempts by the state to deal with them except for platitudes. The spate of lynching’s and attacks on minorities by vigilantes’ points to this pathetic state of affairs. Let alone our political leadership, it is necessary for all of us to understand that by not opposing or raising our voices against fundamentalism and in targeting minorities, we are only helping in making the environment more conducive for radical groups to operate. There will always be criminal elements within society who will attempt to use any and every cause that will benefit them. Those elements can be neutralised by a professional police force and an efficient criminal justice system. The problem arises when the common man perceives he is being discriminated against and unable to get justice and willingly provides support, both overt and covert, to fringe elements. Added to this, India's not so friendly neighbouring states often willingly exploit the situation by providing moral, monetary and physical support. In our own case our democratic traditions and the belief in the rule of law have restricted the impact of such groups to a large extent. However if, as a nation, we ignore the consequences of what allows radical elements to thrive, then we are truly on the road to perdition, and the serial bombings will just be milestones to worse atrocities. The inescapable truth is that only the innocent will pay with their lives, those responsible for the state of affairs will get away, thanks to the personal security and sanitised environment provided at the tax-payer’s cost.

The Mumbai serial bombings: Lessons from the past

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>By Subuhi Safvi &amp; Priyanka Verma</p>

<p>Indians were getting lynched, and India could not take it anymore. As police arrested four accused on Ballavgarh train lynching yesterday, thousands of people gathered across the country in 14 cities to protest that such heinous crimes cannot continue in the name of the people. Similar gatherings happened in Boston, London, and Toronto which boast of a large Indian diaspora. The movement popularly referred to as #notinmyname, however, started humbly with just a Facebook post from filmmaker Saba Dewan, who gave a shout out to all her friends that there should be a civil society-led protest against the lynchings. It turned out to be a galvanising moment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="520" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://shijithpk.carto.com/builder/25428164-52f0-4523-a0cc-43ebaffc2c1c/embed" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p>What the organisers #notinmyname expected to be a small silent march of about 200 people eventually turned into a mass movement. Karuna Dayal, one of the protestors present at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi said, &ldquo;This kind of a movement is a go ahead in our country, it is a democratic country and we must act against certain heinous crimes in our country in time and at the right moment.&quot; Looking at the protestors who came from all work of life, Karuna felt some sense of hope &quot;that so many people from so many walks of life have come together to support it.&quot;</p>

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<p>The last killing of someone so young sparked something in the people, Muslims decided not to celebrate Eid, instead, wearing black armbands to protest against the violence. (WION)</p>
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<p>Thus, voluntarily, citizens of India marched to stand against the deaths of fellow Indians and to condole the loss of Hafiz Junaid, the 16-year-old who was killed on a moving train. On the evening of the 22nd of June, 2017, Junaid was beaten to death in a train compartment by a mob while returning from Delhi after Eid shopping. Junaid&#39;s death is not an isolated event that could be brushed aside as an aberrant act of the crazies. In the past too, a mob gathered and lynched a man to death on suspicion of carrying beef on September 28, 2015.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>&#39;Mob lynching is spreading like poison in India&#39; (WION)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Such violence has not escaped the Dalit, another minority community in India. Indian Dalits have been targeted for skinning cow carcasses, a job they had been doing for time immemorial because finding other avenues of income has never been easy for them. Terrified of reprisals, several Dalit families refused to handle the dead cows though it meant cutting off the source of daily income. But it did not save them as they were beaten again.&nbsp;</p>

<p>All these events were creating a deep sense of anguish among the Indians for some time, which reached a climax with Junaid&#39;s murder. &nbsp;Muslims decided not to celebrate Eid and, instead, wore black armbands to protest against the violence. As so many of the participants in the protest gathering at Jantar Mantar pointed out that such acts should not be happening in India, which comes with a proud history of secularism. One of the protestors pointed out to me, India is &quot;moving towards progressive development (hence) we must stop it (such crimes).&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Almost all the protestors I spoke to carried this sense of contradiction in them; they are deeply proud of India, the country&#39;s democratic tradition, its march towards achieving developmental goals, but at the same time there is a pervasive sense of frustration at what they see as growing intolerance. Kumar Prashant remarked, &ldquo;I am here to be counted with these people that are here protesting. I want this to spread across India and to do that we all have to proclaim India as our country on each and every occasion. We are all Indians and this is our country,&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Crowd during the protest (WION)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>#NotInMyName has been used as in protests before, but it has been traditionally used by Muslims against terrorist attacks done in the name of Islam. The Mayor of London used the term recently after the stabbings in London on the 3rd of June, 2017. It is interesting that the same hashtag used by Muslims to condemn violence done in their name is being used against violence targeted at Muslims and Dalits.</p>

<p>India has a long history of protests, starting with the &quot;protest&quot; of the Buddhists and Jains against the Brahminical dominance in the 6th century BC, then Gandhi&#39;s historic protest movements of the early twentieth century, Ambedkar&#39;s incessant struggle against casteism. In line with this glorious tradition of protest movements in India, the citizens, after the brutal rape and torture of Nirbhaya, took to public spaces to protest violence against women and lax laws. Fasting as a form of political protests and dharnas too are common; Irom Sharmila&#39;s 16-year-long fast against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Anna Hazare&#39;s hunger strike against corruption gained national momentum.</p>

<p>At the protest meeting, there was music and poetry and posters which made it clear how the citizens felt. Those that could not make it sent messages of support on the protest page on Facebook. In a functioning democracy, there is no need for mob violence or any need for people to take the law into their own hands. But in an atmosphere of bigotry, we often tend to forget the foundational values of a democratic regime. Hopefully, as one of the protestors pointed out, movements like #notinmyname &quot;will give rise to the nation&#39;s voice&quot;, and we will be able to remind ourselves that all lives are valuable. &nbsp;</p>

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<p>People from all over the world used social media to express their views. (WION)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


In a functional democracy like India, there is no place for mob violence, voice the participants in #Notinmyname campaign

By Subuhi Safvi & Priyanka Verma Indians were getting lynched, and India could not take it anymore. As police arrested four accused on Ballavgarh train lynching yesterday, thousands of people gathered across the country in 14 cities to protest that such heinous crimes cannot continue in the name of the people. Similar gatherings happened in Boston, London, and Toronto which boast of a large Indian diaspora. The movement popularly referred to as #notinmyname, however, started humbly with just a Facebook post from filmmaker Saba Dewan, who gave a shout out to all her friends that there should be a civil society-led protest against the lynchings. It turned out to be a galvanising moment. What the organisers #notinmyname expected to be a small silent march of about 200 people eventually turned into a mass movement. Karuna Dayal, one of the protestors present at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi said, “This kind of a movement is a go ahead in our country, it is a democratic country and we must act against certain heinous crimes in our country in time and at the right moment." Looking at the protestors who came from all work of life, Karuna felt some sense of hope "that so many people from so many walks of life have come together to support it." The last killing of someone so young sparked something in the people, Muslims decided not to celebrate Eid, instead, wearing black armbands to protest against the violence. (WION) × Thus, voluntarily, citizens of India marched to stand against the deaths of fellow Indians and to condole the loss of Hafiz Junaid, the 16-year-old who was killed on a moving train. On the evening of the 22nd of June, 2017, Junaid was beaten to death in a train compartment by a mob while returning from Delhi after Eid shopping. Junaid's death is not an isolated event that could be brushed aside as an aberrant act of the crazies. In the past too, a mob gathered and lynched a man to death on suspicion of carrying beef on September 28, 2015. 'Mob lynching is spreading like poison in India' (WION) × Such violence has not escaped the Dalit, another minority community in India. Indian Dalits have been targeted for skinning cow carcasses, a job they had been doing for time immemorial because finding other avenues of income has never been easy for them. Terrified of reprisals, several Dalit families refused to handle the dead cows though it meant cutting off the source of daily income. But it did not save them as they were beaten again. All these events were creating a deep sense of anguish among the Indians for some time, which reached a climax with Junaid's murder. Muslims decided not to celebrate Eid and, instead, wore black armbands to protest against the violence. As so many of the participants in the protest gathering at Jantar Mantar pointed out that such acts should not be happening in India, which comes with a proud history of secularism. One of the protestors pointed out to me, India is "moving towards progressive development (hence) we must stop it (such crimes)." Almost all the protestors I spoke to carried this sense of contradiction in them; they are deeply proud of India, the country's democratic tradition, its march towards achieving developmental goals, but at the same time there is a pervasive sense of frustration at what they see as growing intolerance. Kumar Prashant remarked, “I am here to be counted with these people that are here protesting. I want this to spread across India and to do that we all have to proclaim India as our country on each and every occasion. We are all Indians and this is our country,” Crowd during the protest (WION) × #NotInMyName has been used as in protests before, but it has been traditionally used by Muslims against terrorist attacks done in the name of Islam. The Mayor of London used the term recently after the stabbings in London on the 3rd of June, 2017. It is interesting that the same hashtag used by Muslims to condemn violence done in their name is being used against violence targeted at Muslims and Dalits. India has a long history of protests, starting with the "protest" of the Buddhists and Jains against the Brahminical dominance in the 6th century BC, then Gandhi's historic protest movements of the early twentieth century, Ambedkar's incessant struggle against casteism. In line with this glorious tradition of protest movements in India, the citizens, after the brutal rape and torture of Nirbhaya, took to public spaces to protest violence against women and lax laws. Fasting as a form of political protests and dharnas too are common; Irom Sharmila's 16-year-long fast against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Anna Hazare's hunger strike against corruption gained national momentum. At the protest meeting, there was music and poetry and posters which made it clear how the citizens felt. Those that could not make it sent messages of support on the protest page on Facebook. In a functioning democracy, there is no need for mob violence or any need for people to take the law into their own hands. But in an atmosphere of bigotry, we often tend to forget the foundational values of a democratic regime. Hopefully, as one of the protestors pointed out, movements like #notinmyname "will give rise to the nation's voice", and we will be able to remind ourselves that all lives are valuable. People from all over the world used social media to express their views. (WION) ×

Death of an Indian and why it should not happen in my name

<p>It&rsquo;s going to be a long night as the UK goes to the polls for its snap 2017 general election. So should you stay up all night or take a democracy nap? Here are the key moments to look out for and the seats which might indicate early on whether Theresa May has secured the thumping majority she originally envisaged.</p>

<p><strong>The polls close at 10 pm</strong></p>

<p>The doors will shut and ballot boxes will be sealed up and transported to one of the counting centres across the UK. In some places, this involves travelling a significant distance, so delays can occur. In Scotland, helicopters have been used to transfer boxes from remote islands to the mainland.</p>

<p>Counting clerks will then work through the night to count the votes in most cases. If you&rsquo;re feeling tired by this point, remember that many of these officials will have begun work at 6.30am (or earlier) setting up the poll.</p>

<p><strong>Will there be an exit poll and will it be reliable?</strong></p>

<p>IPSOS-Mori&rsquo;s exit poll will be reported on the BBC and Sky News at 10 pm as soon as polls close.</p>

<p>At the last election, the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-32428768">exit poll</a> caused quite a stir. Announced on the BBC at 10 pm, it forecast that the Conservatives would be the largest party. It took an immediate bashing with Paddy Ashdown infamously stating that he would &ldquo;eat his hat&rdquo; if it was correct. He had to eat his hat.</p>

<p>As it turned out, that poll was much closer to the eventual reality than polls that took place before the election. The exit poll is, therefore, a crucial clue as to how things will unfold.</p>

<p>We should nevertheless take exit polls with a pinch of salt. They&rsquo;ve been wrong before, as they were in <a href="http://www.conservativehome.com/video/2012/04/the-1992-election-bbc-exit-poll-predicts-a-hung-parliament.html">1992</a>. They are based on samples which may not be representative of the whole population, but exit polls do have the advantage of asking people what they really did, rather than what they intend to do at some point in the future.</p>

<p><strong>When might we expect local results?</strong></p>

<p>A local returning officer is responsible for the counts in their area and declarations will drip through during the early hours of the morning.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/does-sunderland-always-declare-election-results-first/">Sunderland</a> traditionally works hard to make its announcement first. Constituents in Houghton &amp; Sunderland South might hear their result as early as 11 pm. The result in Sunderland Central generally comes an hour later. After that, things will go quiet. Then there will be a rush of results between 3 am and 5 am. A handful of constituencies will be as late as noon on Friday.</p>

<p><strong>The distribution of estimated declaration times</strong></p>

<figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/172325/area14mp/file-20170605-16877-1nfxak5.png"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/172325/width754/file-20170605-16877-1nfxak5.png" /></a>

<figcaption><span class="caption">When to expect results, based on information from the Press Association.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption>
</figure>

<h2>&nbsp;</h2>

<p><strong>When will we know who has won?</strong></p>

<p>Ah, that&rsquo;s the million dollar question. &ldquo;Winning&rdquo; usually means getting 326 seats. This would allow the party leader to have a majority of the seats in parliament. They would then be able to form a government and pass policies without needing the support of another party.</p>

<p>There won&rsquo;t be enough declarations for a party to have won 326 seats until 4 am. And as many seats will go in different directions, it will be much later before a party has won enough constituencies to form a government.</p>

<p>But political scientists and the media will be identifying underlying trends from the early results to get a sense of the overall outcome. Armed with information about the underlying demographic and political makeup of constituencies, we can expect changes in voting patterns to be similar in similar constituencies (on average).</p>

<p>My University of East Anglia colleague Chris Hanretty estimated that Remain had only a 0.03 probability of winning the Brexit referendum by 2:03 am. It was zero by 3 am. That was long before the politicians (and media channels) cottoned on to what was unfolding. Watch for such forecasts again.</p>

<p><strong>When will we know who the next PM is?</strong></p>

<p>If there is decisive victory with one party winning an overall majority, then that party leader will be quickly confirmed as prime minister on Friday morning.<br />
But if no party reaches the magic 326 seats, then there might be some wait. Negotiations will begin between parties about whether they could form a coalition to take them over that threshold. In 2010, it took five days for the Cameron-Clegg coalition to form. There was some surprise in Britain that this process took so long. But in some countries it takes much longer &ndash; 541 days after the <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261379411001430">Belgian elections</a> which took place at around the same time.</p>

<p>And what if Theresa May wins a majority &ndash; but a much less handsome one than David Cameron in 2015? Given that a landslide was originally predicted for this election, she might even face an internal coup.</p>

<p><strong>Could any seats give an early indication?</strong></p>

<p>If the Conservative party shows signs of winning seats off other parties then they are on track to stay in government. Chris Hanretty has helpfully identified a list of those predicted gains for the Conservatives.</p>

<p>The table below lists the first 25 of these to be called. If they turn blue as expected, Theresa May will be on course to stay in power with an enhanced majority (and 365 seats, according the <a href="http://www.electionforecast.co.uk">electionforecast.co.uk</a> predictions).</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="1000" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" msallowfullscreen="msallowfullscreen" oallowfullscreen="oallowfullscreen" scrolling="yes" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Ptot9/1/" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="100%"></iframe><strong>So should I stay up &hellip; or go to bed?</strong></p>

<p><img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/78822/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />The hard-core psephologist stays up and stays the course. The more sensible, normal person stays up for the 10 pm exit poll, necks a hot chocolate and gets some kip. Be up early for 4 am and you should still have plenty to see. But then again, British politics has been rather unpredictable lately.</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-sleep-or-not-to-sleep-everything-you-need-to-know-about-ge2017-election-night-78822">original article</a>.</p>


Key moments to look out for and the seats which might indicate early on whether Theresa May has secured the thumping majority she originally envisaged

It’s going to be a long night as the UK goes to the polls for its snap 2017 general election. So should you stay up all night or take a democracy nap? Here are the key moments to look out for and the seats which might indicate early on whether Theresa May has secured the thumping majority she originally envisaged. The polls close at 10 pm The doors will shut and ballot boxes will be sealed up and transported to one of the counting centres across the UK. In some places, this involves travelling a significant distance, so delays can occur. In Scotland, helicopters have been used to transfer boxes from remote islands to the mainland. Counting clerks will then work through the night to count the votes in most cases. If you’re feeling tired by this point, remember that many of these officials will have begun work at 6.30am (or earlier) setting up the poll. Will there be an exit poll and will it be reliable? IPSOS-Mori’s exit poll will be reported on the BBC and Sky News at 10 pm as soon as polls close. At the last election, the exit poll caused quite a stir. Announced on the BBC at 10 pm, it forecast that the Conservatives would be the largest party. It took an immediate bashing with Paddy Ashdown infamously stating that he would “eat his hat” if it was correct. He had to eat his hat. As it turned out, that poll was much closer to the eventual reality than polls that took place before the election. The exit poll is, therefore, a crucial clue as to how things will unfold. We should nevertheless take exit polls with a pinch of salt. They’ve been wrong before, as they were in 1992. They are based on samples which may not be representative of the whole population, but exit polls do have the advantage of asking people what they really did, rather than what they intend to do at some point in the future. When might we expect local results? A local returning officer is responsible for the counts in their area and declarations will drip through during the early hours of the morning. Sunderland traditionally works hard to make its announcement first. Constituents in Houghton & Sunderland South might hear their result as early as 11 pm. The result in Sunderland Central generally comes an hour later. After that, things will go quiet. Then there will be a rush of results between 3 am and 5 am. A handful of constituencies will be as late as noon on Friday. The distribution of estimated declaration times When to expect results, based on information from the Press Association. Author provided When will we know who has won? Ah, that’s the million dollar question. “Winning” usually means getting 326 seats. This would allow the party leader to have a majority of the seats in parliament. They would then be able to form a government and pass policies without needing the support of another party. There won’t be enough declarations for a party to have won 326 seats until 4 am. And as many seats will go in different directions, it will be much later before a party has won enough constituencies to form a government. But political scientists and the media will be identifying underlying trends from the early results to get a sense of the overall outcome. Armed with information about the underlying demographic and political makeup of constituencies, we can expect changes in voting patterns to be similar in similar constituencies (on average). My University of East Anglia colleague Chris Hanretty estimated that Remain had only a 0.03 probability of winning the Brexit referendum by 2:03 am. It was zero by 3 am. That was long before the politicians (and media channels) cottoned on to what was unfolding. Watch for such forecasts again. When will we know who the next PM is? If there is decisive victory with one party winning an overall majority, then that party leader will be quickly confirmed as prime minister on Friday morning. But if no party reaches the magic 326 seats, then there might be some wait. Negotiations will begin between parties about whether they could form a coalition to take them over that threshold. In 2010, it took five days for the Cameron-Clegg coalition to form. There was some surprise in Britain that this process took so long. But in some countries it takes much longer – 541 days after the Belgian elections which took place at around the same time. And what if Theresa May wins a majority – but a much less handsome one than David Cameron in 2015? Given that a landslide was originally predicted for this election, she might even face an internal coup. Could any seats give an early indication? If the Conservative party shows signs of winning seats off other parties then they are on track to stay in government. Chris Hanretty has helpfully identified a list of those predicted gains for the Conservatives. The table below lists the first 25 of these to be called. If they turn blue as expected, Theresa May will be on course to stay in power with an enhanced majority (and 365 seats, according the electionforecast.co.uk predictions). So should I stay up … or go to bed? The hard-core psephologist stays up and stays the course. The more sensible, normal person stays up for the 10 pm exit poll, necks a hot chocolate and gets some kip. Be up early for 4 am and you should still have plenty to see. But then again, British politics has been rather unpredictable lately. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Everything you need to know about UK election

<p><em>Jitendra Singh, Minister of State(MoS)(Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region spoke exclusively to WION&#39;s senior correspondent Kartikeya Sharma on J&amp;K, stone-pelting&nbsp;and several other issues.&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><strong>Q: What is the reality of stone throwers in the valley?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>A: The separatist politics in the valley has been the politics of other means. Those who could not make it in mainstream politics take an extreme stand or when they are out of power they take an extreme stand. As far as the stone-pelters are concerned, they become a means for them to promote their activism in the valley&nbsp;to hold Centre to ransom. They have the advantage of being funded by Pakistan and ISI. It is more of a mercenary stone throwing,&nbsp;these leaders don&rsquo;t send their children to throw stones.</p>

<p>&nbsp;<br />
<strong>Q: Is there an effort to glamourise stone-pelters in the valley?</strong></p>

<p>A: Media focus serves as an oxygen to them. Most of them don&rsquo;t contest popular elections but even mainstream Kashmiri politicians indulge in semi-separatist jargon which I would say is very irresponsible.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: So how do you address the issue of stone-pelters in the valley?</strong></p>

<p>A: Lasting solution is to reach out to the youngsters. Even the Army Chief has spoken about it. They must be told that they are being taken for a ride. There is a strong Pakistan factor. Social media is being used across the border. Whenever an operation commences, WhatsApp messages are sent to youth to rush to the site of encounter and the messages don&rsquo;t come from the site of operation but across the border. We need to counter this propaganda.</p>

<p>Also Read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/preview/article/14020">Hafiz Saeed&#39;s JuD&nbsp;decides to wage &#39;social media war&#39; in Kashmir</a></p>

<p><strong>Q: Pellet guns have become controversial because of injuries they have caused?</strong></p>

<p>A: I&rsquo;m not going to have the last word on it. As we understand now there is politics involved. Those who oppose pellet guns like Congress which facilitated the use of pellet guns. As I said that it is a fashion in Kashmir that regional parties speak in a different language when in power and different when out of power. No one would deny that injuries have taken place but security forces are trying to evolve different methods to deter the crowd.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: Is there a Modi doctrine when it comes to Kashmir?</strong></p>

<p>A: What we have today is a Kashmir baggage and we blame Nehru for it. Though it is not pleasant but Patel should have been allowed to handle Kashmir. What we have is one-third of Kashmir. Kashmir is about composite culture and traditions which overlap but with the departure of Kashmiri pundits, composite culture cannot be claimed. PM&rsquo;s agenda is development and the youth to be the architect of new India.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: PM has taken </strong><strong>a number</strong><strong> of bold steps in different parts of public affairs but not in Kashmir, why?</strong></p>

<p>A: What we have is clarity and consistency. We have said that we have zero tolerance for corruption and terrorism and held true to the mantra. PM is clear, terror and talk cannot go hand in hand.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: How do you politically </strong><strong>stabilise</strong><strong> the state?</strong></p>

<p>A: There are one or two factors peculiar to J&amp;K. In J&amp;K dissent takes the form of secession. It has certain bargaining value. This needs to be streamlined without stifling the democratic outlets. We should educate the children. This kind of protest&nbsp;needs to be de-glamourised and there cannot be a premium on anti-India activism whether physical violence or intellectual activism. You would have seen people talking against India become instant newsmakers. We need to draw a line on this issue. Many leaders earlier would say one thing in Srinagar, one thing in Jammu and another in Delhi. They are being exposed today.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: The process of rehabilitation of Kashmiri pundits has been slow despite your government in power. Why?</strong></p>

<p>A: I would agree that unless return of Kashmiri pundits is not completed we would not regain composite Kashmir. We are committed to this cause. In principle, the return must be respectable and secure. You cannot push them unless and until safety can be guaranteed. A number of options have been discussed.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: There is always a hue and cry in the valley whenever there is a proposal for Army colony or land for Kashmiri pundits. It is your government and you should have taken the </strong><strong>bull</strong><strong> by the horn.</strong></p>

<p>A: We have been in discussion with the Kashmiri pundit community. I know there has been a hue and cry about the issue but we will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of religion and Kashmiris belongs to both Muslims and Hindus.</p>

<p><strong>Q: Hindus have not got the minority rights in the state. What have you done about it?</strong></p>

<p>A: The issue of minority per se is not only limited to Jammu and Kashmir. Basically, in the Constitution, I don&rsquo;t know whether to call it anomaly or aberration, it includes designated minority communities. Since I take care of North-East, there are 7 to 8 such states like Meghalaya, AP, Nagaland and Punjab where Sikhs are in the majority, are in minority. This is an aberration and SC too is seized of the matter. I&rsquo;m sure that in course of time some mechanism would be evolved. If you go by the Constitution, a Muslim is a minority member regardless of the state he lives like J&amp;K or Christian would be considered a minority in Meghalaya even if he lives in a Christian majority state. Same goes for Sikhs in Punjab and it is an aberration and cannot be denied. The Minority Affairs ministry too is seized of this matter.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: Are you going to correct it?</strong></p>

<p>A: I&rsquo;m not in that position to comment as it falls in the purview of Ministery of Home Affairs(MHA) but they are seized of the matter and they are trying to take the best way out. The issue is those earlier governments didn&rsquo;t bell the cat.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: Do you believe in J&amp;K&rsquo;s exceptionalism when it comes to the&nbsp;</strong><strong>Indian Union?</strong></p>

<p>A: I don&rsquo;t... the only issue is to retrieve the pending territory of Kashmir...</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: Then what about article 356. There is no talk about it?</strong></p>

<p>A: There is a constitutional position being adhered to. As far we are considered, J&amp;K is part of the Indian Union, like any other state.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: PM said that blood and water cannot flow together. Despite </strong><strong>cross-border</strong><strong> raids, attacks have gone up. What needs to be done now?</strong></p>

<p>A: We are adopting strategies on a&nbsp;need-to-know basis to combat Pakistan sponsored terrorism. Retaliatory action has been much better than what it used to be previously and now forces have high morale as they have clear orders from the top. That is why civilian population also feels secure.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: Doesn&rsquo;t it worry you that idiom of protest has acquired Islamic overtones...</strong></p>

<p>A: It is a great concern to all of us but it is a world-wide phenomenon. It is added challenge which we would need to engage at multiple levels...</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: There is lot controversy around RTI. Why are you changing the rules?</strong></p>

<p>A: We have not fiddled with RTI. We are committed to transparency. What we have done is to initiate the process of implementation of regulations into rules which were brought in by the UPA government. We have put out a circular asking for suggestions from the people. SC anyways has already questioned the government and there is an urgency to frame rules. What we have done is to invite people&rsquo;s opinion. And it is not final. This draft too was drafted by the UPA government. We are finishing a pending job left by the UPA...</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: J&amp;K CM has described the stone-pelters as troubled and said that their pain should be understood. Your comments?</strong></p>

<p>A: There is a difference. Means are as important as ends as Gandhi said. They may be pained but means of the dissent should be in a framework. Does it mean that disillusioned youth in Delhi be encouraged to pelt stones? The best means in a healthy democracy is to engage with the government. PM Modi has made numerous visits to J&amp;K. This dispensation is receptive and there are other means available to the youth other than stone-pelting and it should not be encouraged...</p>

<p>(WION)</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


WION's senior correspondent Kartikeya Sharma spoke to Jitendra Singh, Minister of State(MoS)(Independent Charge) on J&K and other issues

Jitendra Singh, Minister of State(MoS)(Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region spoke exclusively to WION's senior correspondent Kartikeya Sharma on J&K, stone-pelting and several other issues. Q: What is the reality of stone throwers in the valley? A: The separatist politics in the valley has been the politics of other means. Those who could not make it in mainstream politics take an extreme stand or when they are out of power they take an extreme stand. As far as the stone-pelters are concerned, they become a means for them to promote their activism in the valley to hold Centre to ransom. They have the advantage of being funded by Pakistan and ISI. It is more of a mercenary stone throwing, these leaders don’t send their children to throw stones. Q: Is there an effort to glamourise stone-pelters in the valley? A: Media focus serves as an oxygen to them. Most of them don’t contest popular elections but even mainstream Kashmiri politicians indulge in semi-separatist jargon which I would say is very irresponsible. Q: So how do you address the issue of stone-pelters in the valley? A: Lasting solution is to reach out to the youngsters. Even the Army Chief has spoken about it. They must be told that they are being taken for a ride. There is a strong Pakistan factor. Social media is being used across the border. Whenever an operation commences, WhatsApp messages are sent to youth to rush to the site of encounter and the messages don’t come from the site of operation but across the border. We need to counter this propaganda. Also Read: Hafiz Saeed's JuD decides to wage 'social media war' in Kashmir Q: Pellet guns have become controversial because of injuries they have caused? A: I’m not going to have the last word on it. As we understand now there is politics involved. Those who oppose pellet guns like Congress which facilitated the use of pellet guns. As I said that it is a fashion in Kashmir that regional parties speak in a different language when in power and different when out of power. No one would deny that injuries have taken place but security forces are trying to evolve different methods to deter the crowd. Q: Is there a Modi doctrine when it comes to Kashmir? A: What we have today is a Kashmir baggage and we blame Nehru for it. Though it is not pleasant but Patel should have been allowed to handle Kashmir. What we have is one-third of Kashmir. Kashmir is about composite culture and traditions which overlap but with the departure of Kashmiri pundits, composite culture cannot be claimed. PM’s agenda is development and the youth to be the architect of new India. Q: PM has taken a number of bold steps in different parts of public affairs but not in Kashmir, why? A: What we have is clarity and consistency. We have said that we have zero tolerance for corruption and terrorism and held true to the mantra. PM is clear, terror and talk cannot go hand in hand. Q: How do you politically stabilise the state? A: There are one or two factors peculiar to J&K. In J&K dissent takes the form of secession. It has certain bargaining value. This needs to be streamlined without stifling the democratic outlets. We should educate the children. This kind of protest needs to be de-glamourised and there cannot be a premium on anti-India activism whether physical violence or intellectual activism. You would have seen people talking against India become instant newsmakers. We need to draw a line on this issue. Many leaders earlier would say one thing in Srinagar, one thing in Jammu and another in Delhi. They are being exposed today. Q: The process of rehabilitation of Kashmiri pundits has been slow despite your government in power. Why? A: I would agree that unless return of Kashmiri pundits is not completed we would not regain composite Kashmir. We are committed to this cause. In principle, the return must be respectable and secure. You cannot push them unless and until safety can be guaranteed. A number of options have been discussed. Q: There is always a hue and cry in the valley whenever there is a proposal for Army colony or land for Kashmiri pundits. It is your government and you should have taken the bull by the horn. A: We have been in discussion with the Kashmiri pundit community. I know there has been a hue and cry about the issue but we will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of religion and Kashmiris belongs to both Muslims and Hindus. Q: Hindus have not got the minority rights in the state. What have you done about it? A: The issue of minority per se is not only limited to Jammu and Kashmir. Basically, in the Constitution, I don’t know whether to call it anomaly or aberration, it includes designated minority communities. Since I take care of North-East, there are 7 to 8 such states like Meghalaya, AP, Nagaland and Punjab where Sikhs are in the majority, are in minority. This is an aberration and SC too is seized of the matter. I’m sure that in course of time some mechanism would be evolved. If you go by the Constitution, a Muslim is a minority member regardless of the state he lives like J&K or Christian would be considered a minority in Meghalaya even if he lives in a Christian majority state. Same goes for Sikhs in Punjab and it is an aberration and cannot be denied. The Minority Affairs ministry too is seized of this matter. Q: Are you going to correct it? A: I’m not in that position to comment as it falls in the purview of Ministery of Home Affairs(MHA) but they are seized of the matter and they are trying to take the best way out. The issue is those earlier governments didn’t bell the cat. Q: Do you believe in J&K’s exceptionalism when it comes to the Indian Union? A: I don’t... the only issue is to retrieve the pending territory of Kashmir... Q: Then what about article 356. There is no talk about it? A: There is a constitutional position being adhered to. As far we are considered, J&K is part of the Indian Union, like any other state. Q: PM said that blood and water cannot flow together. Despite cross-border raids, attacks have gone up. What needs to be done now? A: We are adopting strategies on a need-to-know basis to combat Pakistan sponsored terrorism. Retaliatory action has been much better than what it used to be previously and now forces have high morale as they have clear orders from the top. That is why civilian population also feels secure. Q: Doesn’t it worry you that idiom of protest has acquired Islamic overtones... A: It is a great concern to all of us but it is a world-wide phenomenon. It is added challenge which we would need to engage at multiple levels... Q: There is lot controversy around RTI. Why are you changing the rules? A: We have not fiddled with RTI. We are committed to transparency. What we have done is to initiate the process of implementation of regulations into rules which were brought in by the UPA government. We have put out a circular asking for suggestions from the people. SC anyways has already questioned the government and there is an urgency to frame rules. What we have done is to invite people’s opinion. And it is not final. This draft too was drafted by the UPA government. We are finishing a pending job left by the UPA... Q: J&K CM has described the stone-pelters as troubled and said that their pain should be understood. Your comments? A: There is a difference. Means are as important as ends as Gandhi said. They may be pained but means of the dissent should be in a framework. Does it mean that disillusioned youth in Delhi be encouraged to pelt stones? The best means in a healthy democracy is to engage with the government. PM Modi has made numerous visits to J&K. This dispensation is receptive and there are other means available to the youth other than stone-pelting and it should not be encouraged... (WION)

Stone-pelters hold Centre to ransom, get funding from Pakistan's ISI, says minister of state Jitendra Singh

<p>A day after challenging a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court to &ldquo;arrest and put him in jail&rdquo; for contempt, Calcutta High Court judge, Justice CS Karnan continued to be defiant, calling the SC bench &ldquo;unconstitutional&rdquo; and &ldquo;artificial&rdquo; and maintained that the contempt order against him was in violation of principle of natural justice and was not maintainable under the law.</p>

<p>In an exclusive interaction with WION, Justice Karnan also stood by his allegations of corruption against 20 judges in the Madras High Court and claimed that he can establish his case against these judges on the basis of the available administrative record. &ldquo;The 20 judges are corrupted. The administrative record is available on the file of the Madras High Court registry. On the strength of the administrative file, I can establish my case against the 20 judges,&rdquo; he told WION/DNA.</p>

<p>The Calcutta High Court judge also said that &ldquo;all honourable seven judges have no locus standi to constitute and unconstitutional bench and issue a suo motu contempt order against me which is violating the natural principle of justice&rdquo;. &ldquo;Article 19 (1) G of the Constitution duly permits to all citizens freedom of speech, writing etc,&rdquo; he added.</p>

<p>Asked whether he was ready to tender an unconditional apology to the apex court, Justice Karnan said, &ldquo;No..no..no..no. They are contemnors. Yesterday, I passed judicial order and I declared that all seven judges are contemnors...all seven judges are accused under the SC/ST Atrocities Act...further directed the Registrar General not to allot any administrative or judicial work &nbsp;to the honourable judges because they are accused under the SC/ST Atrocities Act.&rdquo;</p>

<p>On whether he had any locus standi in passing an order on the SC judges, Justice Karnan said, &ldquo;Yes, the Indian Constitution permits. Under the provision of the Constitution, I can pass orders. I am also having interim power. This SC bench is not a regular bench...it is an unconstitutional bench...artificial bench. In order to harass me, the bench was artificially constituted.&rdquo;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Karnan further said that &ldquo;the point of unconditional apology does not arise because so far there is no discussion or findings that I am contemnor&rdquo;. &ldquo;The suo motu contempt initiated by the seven judge bench is not maintainable under the law. Law does not permit this. There was no original jurisdiction...no cause of action...no provision. What relief are the honourable judges seeking against me? So far they haven&rsquo;t disclosed,&rdquo; he told WION/DNA.</p>

<p>Karnan also made it clear that he will &ldquo;not appear before the honourable seven judges since they are accused under the SC/ST Atrocities Act&rdquo;.</p>

<p>When asked about his future course of action, Justice Karnan said, &ldquo;I want to execute my order.&rdquo; Asked as to how will he do that, he responded, &ldquo;Wait and see a couple of days.&rdquo; On his dare to the SC asking it to put him in jail, the judge said, &ldquo;Law doesn&rsquo;t permit that. They cannot put me in jail.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Karnan further said that he had written a complaint against 20 corrupt judges to the Prime Minister of India since the &ldquo;PM of India has power...is a high competent authority to order an inquiry on my complaint&rdquo;. &ldquo;However, the honourable judges suo motu issued contempt proceedings against me...before that there is no prior notice...judicial and administrative work was taken off from me without hearing my side. Actually, there is no discussion..no findings that I am contemnor but the honourable judges direct me to come and appear before them,&rdquo; he added.</p>

<p>&quot;I am also holding constitutional office. One constitutional office should not stand (against) another constitutional office,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Justice Karnan stood by his allegations of corruption against 20 Madras High Court judges

A day after challenging a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court to “arrest and put him in jail” for contempt, Calcutta High Court judge, Justice CS Karnan continued to be defiant, calling the SC bench “unconstitutional” and “artificial” and maintained that the contempt order against him was in violation of principle of natural justice and was not maintainable under the law. In an exclusive interaction with WION, Justice Karnan also stood by his allegations of corruption against 20 judges in the Madras High Court and claimed that he can establish his case against these judges on the basis of the available administrative record. “The 20 judges are corrupted. The administrative record is available on the file of the Madras High Court registry. On the strength of the administrative file, I can establish my case against the 20 judges,” he told WION/DNA. The Calcutta High Court judge also said that “all honourable seven judges have no locus standi to constitute and unconstitutional bench and issue a suo motu contempt order against me which is violating the natural principle of justice”. “Article 19 (1) G of the Constitution duly permits to all citizens freedom of speech, writing etc,” he added. Asked whether he was ready to tender an unconditional apology to the apex court, Justice Karnan said, “No..no..no..no. They are contemnors. Yesterday, I passed judicial order and I declared that all seven judges are contemnors...all seven judges are accused under the SC/ST Atrocities Act...further directed the Registrar General not to allot any administrative or judicial work to the honourable judges because they are accused under the SC/ST Atrocities Act.” On whether he had any locus standi in passing an order on the SC judges, Justice Karnan said, “Yes, the Indian Constitution permits. Under the provision of the Constitution, I can pass orders. I am also having interim power. This SC bench is not a regular bench...it is an unconstitutional bench...artificial bench. In order to harass me, the bench was artificially constituted.” Karnan further said that “the point of unconditional apology does not arise because so far there is no discussion or findings that I am contemnor”. “The suo motu contempt initiated by the seven judge bench is not maintainable under the law. Law does not permit this. There was no original jurisdiction...no cause of action...no provision. What relief are the honourable judges seeking against me? So far they haven’t disclosed,” he told WION/DNA. Karnan also made it clear that he will “not appear before the honourable seven judges since they are accused under the SC/ST Atrocities Act”. When asked about his future course of action, Justice Karnan said, “I want to execute my order.” Asked as to how will he do that, he responded, “Wait and see a couple of days.” On his dare to the SC asking it to put him in jail, the judge said, “Law doesn’t permit that. They cannot put me in jail.” Karnan further said that he had written a complaint against 20 corrupt judges to the Prime Minister of India since the “PM of India has power...is a high competent authority to order an inquiry on my complaint”. “However, the honourable judges suo motu issued contempt proceedings against me...before that there is no prior notice...judicial and administrative work was taken off from me without hearing my side. Actually, there is no discussion..no findings that I am contemnor but the honourable judges direct me to come and appear before them,” he added. "I am also holding constitutional office. One constitutional office should not stand (against) another constitutional office," he said. (WION)

EXCLUSIVE: SC contempt order not maintainable under law, Justice Karnan tells WION

<p>With setting in of summer and melting of the snow, Pakistan has upped its game on social media to instigate the civil society in the valley of Kashmir against the state government and security forces. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Apart from laying importance on physical attacks on public property and damage to the security forces, there is a renewed attempt to use cyberspace to mobilise public opinion against the Indian Army. It&rsquo;s one of the many which do rounds in the valley of Kashmir but looking at it points out at the sophistication anti-India cyber operation.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
A social media publicity material in possession of WION is one such example of it. The publicity material clearly states the days and the dates of social media workshops in different parts of Pakistan to organise cyber warfare against India. Not only does it inform them of the time but numbers are available which are working and can be used to take quick notes if internet connection is slow. The most important is its message that the only thing required to wage cyber war in Kashmir is a phone and internet connection. It also clearly states that the current workshops are only focused on the year 2017 indicating that every year terror organisations based in Pakistan would use social media platforms differently.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
WION spoke to Arun Chaudhary, a retired Intelligence Bureau officer who headed the Kashmir division on this matter. He is of the view that social media is being increasingly used to organize people in the valley and its power should not be underestimated.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The best example is that of recent phenomena of quick mobilisation of people against security forces right during an operation to pelt stones against the security forces. &ldquo;Reach of social media in Kashmir is huge. I should be understood that Pakistan continues to heavily invest in technology to ensure that their assets remain safe inside the valley,&rdquo; said Arun Chaudhary.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The political establishment continues to be tense because mobilisation of people in isolated pockets during anti-terror operation is making the job of Indian Army tough and delicate at the same time. Though the government in the state would like lesser publicity in television when anti-terrorist operations are on, it acknowledges the power of social media as it continues to shape a different narrative in the valley despite a different position taken by the main stream media. Despite different content running on main channels, social media continues to create a different political landscape where the&nbsp;hero is a martyr&nbsp;and protest is both physical and digital at the same time.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


A social media publicity material states the days and dates of social media workshops in Pakistan to organise cyber warfare against India

With setting in of summer and melting of the snow, Pakistan has upped its game on social media to instigate the civil society in the valley of Kashmir against the state government and security forces. Apart from laying importance on physical attacks on public property and damage to the security forces, there is a renewed attempt to use cyberspace to mobilise public opinion against the Indian Army. It’s one of the many which do rounds in the valley of Kashmir but looking at it points out at the sophistication anti-India cyber operation. A social media publicity material in possession of WION is one such example of it. The publicity material clearly states the days and the dates of social media workshops in different parts of Pakistan to organise cyber warfare against India. Not only does it inform them of the time but numbers are available which are working and can be used to take quick notes if internet connection is slow. The most important is its message that the only thing required to wage cyber war in Kashmir is a phone and internet connection. It also clearly states that the current workshops are only focused on the year 2017 indicating that every year terror organisations based in Pakistan would use social media platforms differently. WION spoke to Arun Chaudhary, a retired Intelligence Bureau officer who headed the Kashmir division on this matter. He is of the view that social media is being increasingly used to organize people in the valley and its power should not be underestimated. The best example is that of recent phenomena of quick mobilisation of people against security forces right during an operation to pelt stones against the security forces. “Reach of social media in Kashmir is huge. I should be understood that Pakistan continues to heavily invest in technology to ensure that their assets remain safe inside the valley,” said Arun Chaudhary. The political establishment continues to be tense because mobilisation of people in isolated pockets during anti-terror operation is making the job of Indian Army tough and delicate at the same time. Though the government in the state would like lesser publicity in television when anti-terrorist operations are on, it acknowledges the power of social media as it continues to shape a different narrative in the valley despite a different position taken by the main stream media. Despite different content running on main channels, social media continues to create a different political landscape where the hero is a martyr and protest is both physical and digital at the same time. (WION)

Cyber war heats up Kashmir

<p><small>Photo Attribution</small></p>

<p><br />
<strong>Where have the sparrows gone?</strong></p>

<p>When was the last time you saw a sparrow chirping near your window?<br />
The house sparrow has been one of the oldest companions of humans. Poets of all languages have praised of their trust and love for each other. Sparrows have been associated by the ancient Greeks with Aphrodite- the goddess of love, due to their perceived lustfulness. The association was inscribed by writers such as Shakespeare and Chaucer.</p>

<p>The familiar bird prefers to live around agricultural areas, and for several, human settlements are a primary habitat. House sparrows for a long period of time have been known to reside around buildings.</p>

<p>However, over the last 5 decades, sparrows have deserted human company in urban areas, preferring the countryside to make short visits to close by human habitats.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>World Sparrow Day</strong><br />
The sudden and puzzling alienation led to the species being included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in UK.&nbsp;<br />
World Sparrow Day is observed on March 20 across the world as an international initiative taken in 2010 by Nature Forever Society of India in collaboration with Eco-Sys Action Foundation (France) and numerous other national and international organisations across the world. It aims to provide a platform for advocacy and spreading awareness on the need to conserve biodiversity of lower conservation status. Delhi adopted House sparrow as the state bird.</p>

<p><br />
<strong>Reasons for decline</strong><br />
Contrary to their small size, sparrows are strongly immune birds. Their abrupt disappearance must be seen as an ecological indication or warning to humans about forthcoming environmental menace. Several environmentalists&nbsp;have put theories on the table to account for sparrows to abandon human habitat and they all conclude to the fact that the changes in the human lifestyle and mindless urbanisation is increasingly incompatible with the conservative lifestyles of sparrows and is depriving the species of their natural habitat.</p>

<p>These changes include the unavailability of food in form of tiny insects due to the&nbsp;reduction of vegetation in modern adaptations, overuse of insecticides outdoors and insect repellents indoors and concrete buildings with no nesting spaces.</p>

<p>Further, noise and air pollution from vehicles in urban settlement could be deterrents. Moreover, the rise in electromagnetic radiations from mobile phone towers and the excessive use of wireless devices in houses have caused the birds to move away. It could be the combined effect of these environmental pollutants that has forced sparrows to go away from their long-trusted companions.</p>

<p><strong>Things you did not know about the little bird</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li>The population of the bird has fallen by 99% in some areas</li>
	<li>When their population was abundant about century ago, there were clubs whose members competed to kill the most birds</li>
	<li>Though a commonly observed resident of Britain and India, it&rsquo;s thought to be a native north from North Africa.</li>
	<li>They are often seen as social birds, nesting together in colonies.</li>
	<li>They are non-migratory, but urban flocks traditionally moved to the countryside in the late summer to feed on the ripening grain fields.</li>
	<li>Most pairs raise two to three broods in a year.</li>
	<li>Incubation period is of about 11 days, and within two weeks, the young ones leave the nest.</li>
	<li>Cats are major predators of the species. They target the inexperienced infants when mothers leave the nest</li>
	<li>Sparrows fly at 24 miles/hour. When in danger, they can go up to 31 miles/hour.</li>
	<li>Sparrows can survive for 4-5 years in the wild</li>
</ul>

<p><b>What can we do for them?</b></p>

<p>Placing feeders and bird houses outside the house or in the courtyard/balcony<br />
Placing water bowls during summer months to keep birds hydrated<br />
Create a welcoming environment for birds by growing plants and hedges around the house</p>


Abrupt disappearance of sparrows must be seen as an ecological indication to humans about forthcoming environmental menace

Photo Attribution Where have the sparrows gone? When was the last time you saw a sparrow chirping near your window? The house sparrow has been one of the oldest companions of humans. Poets of all languages have praised of their trust and love for each other. Sparrows have been associated by the ancient Greeks with Aphrodite- the goddess of love, due to their perceived lustfulness. The association was inscribed by writers such as Shakespeare and Chaucer. The familiar bird prefers to live around agricultural areas, and for several, human settlements are a primary habitat. House sparrows for a long period of time have been known to reside around buildings. However, over the last 5 decades, sparrows have deserted human company in urban areas, preferring the countryside to make short visits to close by human habitats. World Sparrow Day The sudden and puzzling alienation led to the species being included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in UK. World Sparrow Day is observed on March 20 across the world as an international initiative taken in 2010 by Nature Forever Society of India in collaboration with Eco-Sys Action Foundation (France) and numerous other national and international organisations across the world. It aims to provide a platform for advocacy and spreading awareness on the need to conserve biodiversity of lower conservation status. Delhi adopted House sparrow as the state bird. Reasons for decline Contrary to their small size, sparrows are strongly immune birds. Their abrupt disappearance must be seen as an ecological indication or warning to humans about forthcoming environmental menace. Several environmentalists have put theories on the table to account for sparrows to abandon human habitat and they all conclude to the fact that the changes in the human lifestyle and mindless urbanisation is increasingly incompatible with the conservative lifestyles of sparrows and is depriving the species of their natural habitat. These changes include the unavailability of food in form of tiny insects due to the reduction of vegetation in modern adaptations, overuse of insecticides outdoors and insect repellents indoors and concrete buildings with no nesting spaces. Further, noise and air pollution from vehicles in urban settlement could be deterrents. Moreover, the rise in electromagnetic radiations from mobile phone towers and the excessive use of wireless devices in houses have caused the birds to move away. It could be the combined effect of these environmental pollutants that has forced sparrows to go away from their long-trusted companions. Things you did not know about the little bird The population of the bird has fallen by 99% in some areas When their population was abundant about century ago, there were clubs whose members competed to kill the most birds Though a commonly observed resident of Britain and India, it’s thought to be a native north from North Africa. They are often seen as social birds, nesting together in colonies. They are non-migratory, but urban flocks traditionally moved to the countryside in the late summer to feed on the ripening grain fields. Most pairs raise two to three broods in a year. Incubation period is of about 11 days, and within two weeks, the young ones leave the nest. Cats are major predators of the species. They target the inexperienced infants when mothers leave the nest Sparrows fly at 24 miles/hour. When in danger, they can go up to 31 miles/hour. Sparrows can survive for 4-5 years in the wild What can we do for them? Placing feeders and bird houses outside the house or in the courtyard/balcony Placing water bowls during summer months to keep birds hydrated Create a welcoming environment for birds by growing plants and hedges around the house

World Sparrow Day: Where have the birds gone?

<p>The self-proclaimed &quot;King of Germany&quot; was sentenced to three years and eight months of imprisonment Wednesday.</p>

<p>Peter Fizek was found guilty of setting up an illegal bank and misappropriating 1.3 million Euros in deposits. His bank ran for four years from 2009 to 2013.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Around 600 people unknowingly deposited in the hoax bank, entrusting him with a total of 1.7 million Euros ($1.8 million). Prosecutors accused Fitzek of embezzling 1.3 million Euros for personal use.</p>

<p>Fitzek had positioned his so-called &quot;kingdom&quot; on the site of a former hospital in the eastern city of Wittenberg in 2012 and crowned himself monarch.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Peter Fitzek&#39;s movement claims with 3,100 members, its own currency, a social security along with the bank (Youtube, Abbey Rot) (Others)</p>
</div>
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<p><br />
Sentencing Fitzek to three years and eight months in prison, presiding judge Ursula Mertens noted that no legitimate accounting exists of the sums managed by Fitzek.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Over the years, you&rsquo;ve muddled along and taken a lot of money,&rdquo; said Mertens.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Your investors now have nothing because nothing was hedged,&rdquo; she added.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Dressed in a blue shirt with a logo of his &ldquo;kingdom&rdquo;, Fitzek interrupted the sentencing, screaming &ldquo;joke&rdquo;, &ldquo;scandal&rdquo; and &ldquo;lies&rdquo;. (AFP)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Dressed in a blue shirt with a logo of his &ldquo;kingdom&rdquo;, Fitzek interrupted the sentencing, screaming &ldquo;joke&rdquo;, &ldquo;scandal&rdquo; and &ldquo;lies&rdquo;. About 20 of his &ldquo;subjects&rdquo; who were following the proceedings also started hooting. One man was eventually escorted out of the courtroom. Fitzek professed that he had spent the missing funds for the betterment of his community.</p>

<p>But Mertens retorted: &ldquo;You, Mr Fitzek, have done nothing for the common good. You have used the money on yourself.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Fitzek has been convicted several times, including for driving without a licence. He argued that his kingdom had issued him the permit. He has also been arrested for illegally running a health insurance agency.</p>

<p>On his website, koenigreichdeutschland.org Fitzek says he has also issued his own currency since 2007 called Engelgeld (Angel Money).</p>

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<div class="media-description">
<p>The kingdom naturally had its own currency, the so-called angel money. On the front is a living tree, while on the back a coat of arms is decorated with sun symbols and decorated with a crown (Photo: Website of Konigliche Reichsbank) (Others)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Germany&rsquo;s domestic intelligence service consider Fitzek as a conspirator of the far-right &ldquo;Reichsbuerger&rdquo; or &ldquo;Citizens of the Reich&rdquo; movement which objects the legitimacy of the German republic.</p>

<p>Once dismissed simply as lunatics, the Reichsbuerger movement is being seen as an increasing threat after members opened fire on police forces in recent months.</p>

<p>Domestic intelligence service chief Hans-Georg Maassen has said the &ldquo;Reichsbuerger scene&rdquo; of activists and sympathisers was now thought to number about 10,000, including 500-600 right-wing extremists and 700 with gun licences. Fitzek denies being part of the movement.</p>

<p>Before dubbing himself the &quot;King of Germany,&quot; Peter Fitzek trained as a cook.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION with input from agencies)</p>


Peter Fitzek was found guilty of setting up an illegal bank and misappropriating 1.3 million Euros

The self-proclaimed "King of Germany" was sentenced to three years and eight months of imprisonment Wednesday. Peter Fizek was found guilty of setting up an illegal bank and misappropriating 1.3 million Euros in deposits. His bank ran for four years from 2009 to 2013. Around 600 people unknowingly deposited in the hoax bank, entrusting him with a total of 1.7 million Euros ($1.8 million). Prosecutors accused Fitzek of embezzling 1.3 million Euros for personal use. Fitzek had positioned his so-called "kingdom" on the site of a former hospital in the eastern city of Wittenberg in 2012 and crowned himself monarch. Peter Fitzek's movement claims with 3,100 members, its own currency, a social security along with the bank (Youtube, Abbey Rot) (Others) × Sentencing Fitzek to three years and eight months in prison, presiding judge Ursula Mertens noted that no legitimate accounting exists of the sums managed by Fitzek. “Over the years, you’ve muddled along and taken a lot of money,” said Mertens. “Your investors now have nothing because nothing was hedged,” she added. Dressed in a blue shirt with a logo of his “kingdom”, Fitzek interrupted the sentencing, screaming “joke”, “scandal” and “lies”. (AFP) × Dressed in a blue shirt with a logo of his “kingdom”, Fitzek interrupted the sentencing, screaming “joke”, “scandal” and “lies”. About 20 of his “subjects” who were following the proceedings also started hooting. One man was eventually escorted out of the courtroom. Fitzek professed that he had spent the missing funds for the betterment of his community. But Mertens retorted: “You, Mr Fitzek, have done nothing for the common good. You have used the money on yourself.” Fitzek has been convicted several times, including for driving without a licence. He argued that his kingdom had issued him the permit. He has also been arrested for illegally running a health insurance agency. On his website, koenigreichdeutschland.org Fitzek says he has also issued his own currency since 2007 called Engelgeld (Angel Money). The kingdom naturally had its own currency, the so-called angel money. On the front is a living tree, while on the back a coat of arms is decorated with sun symbols and decorated with a crown (Photo: Website of Konigliche Reichsbank) (Others) × Germany’s domestic intelligence service consider Fitzek as a conspirator of the far-right “Reichsbuerger” or “Citizens of the Reich” movement which objects the legitimacy of the German republic. Once dismissed simply as lunatics, the Reichsbuerger movement is being seen as an increasing threat after members opened fire on police forces in recent months. Domestic intelligence service chief Hans-Georg Maassen has said the “Reichsbuerger scene” of activists and sympathisers was now thought to number about 10,000, including 500-600 right-wing extremists and 700 with gun licences. Fitzek denies being part of the movement. Before dubbing himself the "King of Germany," Peter Fitzek trained as a cook. (WION with input from agencies)

Self-proclaimed 'King of Germany' sent to jail for 3 years, 8 months

<p>On the eve of International Women&#39;s Day, the remarkable Wall Street bull saw something stand in its way - a little bronzed girl fearlessly staring upon gender inequality.&nbsp;</p>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">State Street Global Advisors just put a statue of a defiant girl in front of the Wall Street bull ??love it so much ?? <a href="https://t.co/LI6VuE6TAA">https://t.co/LI6VuE6TAA</a> <a href="https://t.co/F7xHfHrC25">pic.twitter.com/F7xHfHrC25</a></p>
&mdash; Molly Rose ?? (@mollyrose_esq) <a href="https://twitter.com/mollyrose_esq/status/839321163939655682">March 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>The statue carved with&nbsp;confrontational&nbsp;body language and expressions was installed to raise voice against industry&rsquo;s gender inclusivity, lack of equal pay for women and issues with diversity.</p>

<p>&quot;A lot of people talk about gender diversity, but we really felt we had to take it to a broader level,&quot; said Anne McNally, whose firm is an investment management subsidiary of State Street Corp.</p>

<p>Several&nbsp;American women boycotted work on International Women&#39;s Day on March 8 which led cancellation of classes in some schools.</p>

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<div class="media-description">
<p>A woman poses next to a statue of a girl facing the Wall St. Bull, as part of a campaign by U.S. fund manager State Street to push companies to put women on their boards, in the financial district in New York (Reuters)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Women who could not afford to miss work wore red and limited their shopping to female-owned businesses to express their solidarity.</p>

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<p>The statue carved with a confrontational body language and expressions was installed to raise voice against industry&rsquo;s gender inclusivity, lack of equal pay for women and issues with diversity. (Reuters)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Although women have made notable progress in the recent times, State Street states that one out of every four of the companies that make up the Russell 3000 Index have no female members on their panel.</p>

<p>&quot;Today, we are calling on companies to take concrete steps to increase gender diversity on their boards, and have issued clear guidance to help them begin to take action,&quot; State Street Global Advisors CEO Ron O&#39;Hanley said in a statement.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Love this. McCann drop a statue of a &quot;Fearless Girl&quot; next to Wall Street&#39;s Charging Bull. Hope it becomes permanent. <a href="https://t.co/FAOg2UIndD">https://t.co/FAOg2UIndD</a> <a href="https://t.co/BkySVe3X9Z">pic.twitter.com/BkySVe3X9Z</a></p>
&mdash; Musa Tariq (@MusaTariq) <a href="https://twitter.com/MusaTariq/status/839157313386721282">March 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Created by artist Kristen Visbal, the girl statue showed up in a manner similar to how artist Arturo Di Modica&rsquo;s bronze bull was installed overnight in front of the New York Stock Exchange in 1989. It was later made a permanent installation in the financial district, in response to public support.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


The statue carved with?confrontational?body language was installed to raise voice against industry?s gender inequality

On the eve of International Women's Day, the remarkable Wall Street bull saw something stand in its way - a little bronzed girl fearlessly staring upon gender inequality. State Street Global Advisors just put a statue of a defiant girl in front of the Wall Street bull ??love it so much ?? https://t.co/LI6VuE6TAA pic.twitter.com/F7xHfHrC25 — Molly Rose ?? (@mollyrose_esq) March 8, 2017 × The statue carved with confrontational body language and expressions was installed to raise voice against industry’s gender inclusivity, lack of equal pay for women and issues with diversity. "A lot of people talk about gender diversity, but we really felt we had to take it to a broader level," said Anne McNally, whose firm is an investment management subsidiary of State Street Corp. Several American women boycotted work on International Women's Day on March 8 which led cancellation of classes in some schools. A woman poses next to a statue of a girl facing the Wall St. Bull, as part of a campaign by U.S. fund manager State Street to push companies to put women on their boards, in the financial district in New York (Reuters) × Women who could not afford to miss work wore red and limited their shopping to female-owned businesses to express their solidarity. The statue carved with a confrontational body language and expressions was installed to raise voice against industry’s gender inclusivity, lack of equal pay for women and issues with diversity. (Reuters) × Although women have made notable progress in the recent times, State Street states that one out of every four of the companies that make up the Russell 3000 Index have no female members on their panel. "Today, we are calling on companies to take concrete steps to increase gender diversity on their boards, and have issued clear guidance to help them begin to take action," State Street Global Advisors CEO Ron O'Hanley said in a statement. Love this. McCann drop a statue of a "Fearless Girl" next to Wall Street's Charging Bull. Hope it becomes permanent. https://t.co/FAOg2UIndD pic.twitter.com/BkySVe3X9Z — Musa Tariq (@MusaTariq) March 7, 2017 × Created by artist Kristen Visbal, the girl statue showed up in a manner similar to how artist Arturo Di Modica’s bronze bull was installed overnight in front of the New York Stock Exchange in 1989. It was later made a permanent installation in the financial district, in response to public support. (WION)

Wall Street bull meets 'fearless girl' on International Women's Day

<p>Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s King Salman and a 500-member plus entourage visited Malaysia and are now in Indonesia. The Saudis will holiday there and then travel onwards to Brunei, the Maldives, Japan and China. Saudi Arabia is ostensibly seeking and offering investment, among others a Joint Venture with South East Asian oil companies. But is he also there as a public relations act to fortify Wahabi Islam, the rapidly spreading and rigid form as practised in Saudi Arabia.</p>

<p>WION&rsquo;s Senior International Correspondent Padma Rao Sundarji spoke to Malaysian activist Marina Mahathir. She is the daughter of Mahathir Mohammed, the longest-serving former Prime Minister of Malaysia and also at the forefront of activism against what she calls &ldquo;Arab colonialism&rdquo;.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>PRS:</strong> Ms Mahathir, Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s King Salman is currently visiting your region with a huge entourage and will remain in Asia for an entire month. You have often warned of &lsquo;&rsquo;Arab Colonialism&rdquo; in Malaysia. Does that warning extend to the entire South East Asian region and if so, are your own Islamic scholars doing anything about it?</p>

<p><strong>Mahathir:</strong> They claim to be. But it&rsquo;s not very effective because they are giving out mixed messages. On the one hand, they talk about how people should not go off to join IS. They are very concerned about potential recruits for IS. But at the same time, they are also extremely conservative and not very tolerant of anything that is not part of the Sunni sect of Islam. Malaysian Muslims have been increasingly taking on Arab forms of dress, even Arab forms of speaking. Most of us do not speak Arabic but to show their Islamic credentials, some people will start a speech in Arabic without translating it, for instance. Additionally, there is almost a rejection of our own local culture. There is a lot of Malay culture that has been banned or downgraded or neglected. I feel very much that we are losing our identity and becoming more and more alien to our culture. And I see that also in other parts of Muslim parts of South Asia but I think it is more obvious here because we are a Muslim majority country but much smaller.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>PRS: </strong>Does this &ldquo;Arab colonialism&rdquo; target women in particular? Have there been sudden, new diktats on how to dress, how to and what to speak?<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>Mahathir: </strong>I think the most obvious is in the way that some women dress. Suddenly, we see a lot of women favouring the long caftan-like outfit, rather than our traditional dress. Whether out of fashion sense or comfort, it&rsquo;s still quite worrying to see so many women doing so and neglecting our own, traditional outfits. I&rsquo;ve started seeing quite a few niqabs,&nbsp;the face-covering head-dress. It is completely alien to our culture and I am wondering where it came from. But on the other hand, we&rsquo;ve made so many forward strides since independence that it&rsquo;s very hard to roll all that back. So nobody has dared to suggest that women in Malaysia cannot drive, and that sort of thing. But still, in terms of personal laws -- that&rsquo;s where my organisation comes in and -- we&rsquo;re very worried about this trend. Of course, the most worrying thing is the move first by the opposition and now by our government, to push forward what we call the hudood bill. It is intended to make Shariah courts more powerful than they have ever been and to implement so-called Islamic laws for various crimes. That&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s worrying.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>PRS:</strong> On a scale of 1-10, to what extent is Saudi Arabia itself responsible for this radicalisation? Does the inspiration come from this one country alone? Or are there other causes too?</p>

<p><strong>Mahathir: </strong>They are a factor perhaps a five on that scale. But there are many other reasons. The sluggish economy, lots of listless men who have nothing to do and get attracted to this type of ideology. In addition, we have a government that is politicising religion, that seems to be in a race with the opposition to show who is more Islamic. It all combines to move towards this type of radicalisation.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>PRS:</strong> Still, there was some good news today. An appeals court overthrew an earlier decision against your petition for a judicial review of a fatwa issued against your organisation, The Sisters of Islam and has ordered the courts to look at it again. Does your petition have widespread support both in Malaysia and elsewhere in South East Asia?</p>

<p><strong>Mahathir:</strong> I wouldn&rsquo;t call it widespread. There are certainly many people watching it and we are very happy with the unanimous decision by the appeals court judges to allow the judicial review. But we face challenges all the time. Even the fact that the fatwa is supposedly on hold, doesn&rsquo;t stop sermons being read against us or all sorts of other attempts to harass us every day. So yes, it was a good day today but we still face long challenges and I am sure it will not be easy, once we go back to court to hear the judicial review.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>PRS:</strong> Are such fatwas new? &nbsp;Do you feel that these recent fatwas are also due to growing Saudi influence?</p>

<p><strong>Mahathir:</strong> Yes, I do think that there have been more in the past ten years. Partly because of all circumstances, not just the Saudi influence, particularly the politicisation of religion in this country and the competition between the government and the Islamist party. With the ruling party losing the 2/3rds majority in parliament, it is trying to win back rural voters who are mostly Muslim and thinks this is the best way to do so. They&rsquo;ve mounted a campaign against pluralism, liberalism, Shias &ndash; all very similar to Saudi-style Islam. And we are caught in it and are very big targets because we are women talking about religion. And we&rsquo;ve been around for long. We are not unused to this type of harassment. But we feel that it has become more intense nowadays and that&rsquo;s because it&rsquo;s being weaponised by the government. The Islamic Development Agency, a government body in the PM&rsquo;s department, enjoys a budget of 1 billion Ringgit. Considering they don&rsquo;t have that much to do, what&rsquo;s all that money for? &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>PRS: </strong>Saudi Arabian King Salman is on a month-long Asia visit, supposedly to firm up oil deals, investments, business. But is that all there is to the trip? Or is there more than meets the eye? He is, after all, also going to the Maldives &ndash; and Wahabi Islam has been on the rise there too&hellip;</p>

<p><strong>Mahathir:</strong> I am no expert. But I think there is probably a different agenda, though perhaps not a conscious one. It&rsquo;s probably to make an impression upon the Muslims here, to dazzle them with the huge entourage and the money being thrown around in such a way, that they somehow equate all this wealth with Islam. It&rsquo;s kind of a PR campaign: to promote a certain brand of Islam without considering that our part of the world is very, very different from Saudi Arabia.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>PRS:&nbsp;</strong>Is this attempt to impress aimed primarily at the grassroots? People, who are dependent on tourism?</p>

<p><strong>Mahathir:</strong> I don&rsquo;t know how much money will actually reach the grassroots. After all, they&rsquo;re staying in luxury<a class="V4K1n6ka LoGF30kb145kc" href="#86321189" style="z-index: 2147483647;" title="Click to Continue &gt; by Advertisement"> </a>hotels and no middle-class people go there. But okay, the odd waiter may get a huge tip. A lot of Asians have this &ldquo;Big Man Syndrome.&rdquo; &nbsp;A big man is surely entitled to all these luxuries and privileges, is the thinking. And it&rsquo;s all very impressive to the grassroots. What&rsquo;s worse is, the visit is being spun politically here in Malaysia. Our PM is justifying a controversial goods and service tax, a one-off payment to poor families, all only because Saudi Arabia has those provisions in place. So everything is being justified in relation to Saudi Arabia. In a way, that is saying that if Saudi Arabia is doing something then it must be a good thing and by implication, also an Islamic thing. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>PRS:</strong> King Salman travelled to Malaysia first, before flying to Indonesia. How did people in your country react? Were there protests?</p>

<p><strong>Mahathir:</strong> We Malaysians are a very passive lot. Nobody really protested. It was more like grumbling about a big dignitary being in town and causing traffic jams. But I am quite impressed by Indonesian women who have come out to protest against his visit, principally because of the sufferings of a number of Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>PRS:</strong> Do you have a sizeable Hindu population in Malaysia? Or even a small but influential one?</p>

<p><strong>Mahathir: </strong>About 10 per cent of our population is of subcontinental origin. They are grouped as Indians&nbsp;but are not necessarily all Hindus. There is a nascent Hindu movement because of many cases of discrimination. &nbsp;There is also an Indian component party of the ruling coalition but they did so badly in the party elections, so they have much of a voice anymore. Unfortunately, we are all living under a very domineering government. It is hard for minorities but even for Muslims who don&rsquo;t agree with the government line. For them, there&rsquo;s no space. &nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


The activist spoke to WION about 'Arab colonialism' and what King Salman's visit means for the country and the region as a whole

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and a 500-member plus entourage visited Malaysia and are now in Indonesia. The Saudis will holiday there and then travel onwards to Brunei, the Maldives, Japan and China. Saudi Arabia is ostensibly seeking and offering investment, among others a Joint Venture with South East Asian oil companies. But is he also there as a public relations act to fortify Wahabi Islam, the rapidly spreading and rigid form as practised in Saudi Arabia. WION’s Senior International Correspondent Padma Rao Sundarji spoke to Malaysian activist Marina Mahathir. She is the daughter of Mahathir Mohammed, the longest-serving former Prime Minister of Malaysia and also at the forefront of activism against what she calls “Arab colonialism”. PRS: Ms Mahathir, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is currently visiting your region with a huge entourage and will remain in Asia for an entire month. You have often warned of ‘’Arab Colonialism” in Malaysia. Does that warning extend to the entire South East Asian region and if so, are your own Islamic scholars doing anything about it? Mahathir: They claim to be. But it’s not very effective because they are giving out mixed messages. On the one hand, they talk about how people should not go off to join IS. They are very concerned about potential recruits for IS. But at the same time, they are also extremely conservative and not very tolerant of anything that is not part of the Sunni sect of Islam. Malaysian Muslims have been increasingly taking on Arab forms of dress, even Arab forms of speaking. Most of us do not speak Arabic but to show their Islamic credentials, some people will start a speech in Arabic without translating it, for instance. Additionally, there is almost a rejection of our own local culture. There is a lot of Malay culture that has been banned or downgraded or neglected. I feel very much that we are losing our identity and becoming more and more alien to our culture. And I see that also in other parts of Muslim parts of South Asia but I think it is more obvious here because we are a Muslim majority country but much smaller. PRS: Does this “Arab colonialism” target women in particular? Have there been sudden, new diktats on how to dress, how to and what to speak? Mahathir: I think the most obvious is in the way that some women dress. Suddenly, we see a lot of women favouring the long caftan-like outfit, rather than our traditional dress. Whether out of fashion sense or comfort, it’s still quite worrying to see so many women doing so and neglecting our own, traditional outfits. I’ve started seeing quite a few niqabs, the face-covering head-dress. It is completely alien to our culture and I am wondering where it came from. But on the other hand, we’ve made so many forward strides since independence that it’s very hard to roll all that back. So nobody has dared to suggest that women in Malaysia cannot drive, and that sort of thing. But still, in terms of personal laws -- that’s where my organisation comes in and -- we’re very worried about this trend. Of course, the most worrying thing is the move first by the opposition and now by our government, to push forward what we call the hudood bill. It is intended to make Shariah courts more powerful than they have ever been and to implement so-called Islamic laws for various crimes. That’s what’s worrying. PRS: On a scale of 1-10, to what extent is Saudi Arabia itself responsible for this radicalisation? Does the inspiration come from this one country alone? Or are there other causes too? Mahathir: They are a factor perhaps a five on that scale. But there are many other reasons. The sluggish economy, lots of listless men who have nothing to do and get attracted to this type of ideology. In addition, we have a government that is politicising religion, that seems to be in a race with the opposition to show who is more Islamic. It all combines to move towards this type of radicalisation. PRS: Still, there was some good news today. An appeals court overthrew an earlier decision against your petition for a judicial review of a fatwa issued against your organisation, The Sisters of Islam and has ordered the courts to look at it again. Does your petition have widespread support both in Malaysia and elsewhere in South East Asia? Mahathir: I wouldn’t call it widespread. There are certainly many people watching it and we are very happy with the unanimous decision by the appeals court judges to allow the judicial review. But we face challenges all the time. Even the fact that the fatwa is supposedly on hold, doesn’t stop sermons being read against us or all sorts of other attempts to harass us every day. So yes, it was a good day today but we still face long challenges and I am sure it will not be easy, once we go back to court to hear the judicial review. PRS: Are such fatwas new? Do you feel that these recent fatwas are also due to growing Saudi influence? Mahathir: Yes, I do think that there have been more in the past ten years. Partly because of all circumstances, not just the Saudi influence, particularly the politicisation of religion in this country and the competition between the government and the Islamist party. With the ruling party losing the 2/3rds majority in parliament, it is trying to win back rural voters who are mostly Muslim and thinks this is the best way to do so. They’ve mounted a campaign against pluralism, liberalism, Shias – all very similar to Saudi-style Islam. And we are caught in it and are very big targets because we are women talking about religion. And we’ve been around for long. We are not unused to this type of harassment. But we feel that it has become more intense nowadays and that’s because it’s being weaponised by the government. The Islamic Development Agency, a government body in the PM’s department, enjoys a budget of 1 billion Ringgit. Considering they don’t have that much to do, what’s all that money for? PRS: Saudi Arabian King Salman is on a month-long Asia visit, supposedly to firm up oil deals, investments, business. But is that all there is to the trip? Or is there more than meets the eye? He is, after all, also going to the Maldives – and Wahabi Islam has been on the rise there too… Mahathir: I am no expert. But I think there is probably a different agenda, though perhaps not a conscious one. It’s probably to make an impression upon the Muslims here, to dazzle them with the huge entourage and the money being thrown around in such a way, that they somehow equate all this wealth with Islam. It’s kind of a PR campaign: to promote a certain brand of Islam without considering that our part of the world is very, very different from Saudi Arabia. PRS: Is this attempt to impress aimed primarily at the grassroots? People, who are dependent on tourism? Mahathir: I don’t know how much money will actually reach the grassroots. After all, they’re staying in luxury hotels and no middle-class people go there. But okay, the odd waiter may get a huge tip. A lot of Asians have this “Big Man Syndrome.” A big man is surely entitled to all these luxuries and privileges, is the thinking. And it’s all very impressive to the grassroots. What’s worse is, the visit is being spun politically here in Malaysia. Our PM is justifying a controversial goods and service tax, a one-off payment to poor families, all only because Saudi Arabia has those provisions in place. So everything is being justified in relation to Saudi Arabia. In a way, that is saying that if Saudi Arabia is doing something then it must be a good thing and by implication, also an Islamic thing. PRS: King Salman travelled to Malaysia first, before flying to Indonesia. How did people in your country react? Were there protests? Mahathir: We Malaysians are a very passive lot. Nobody really protested. It was more like grumbling about a big dignitary being in town and causing traffic jams. But I am quite impressed by Indonesian women who have come out to protest against his visit, principally because of the sufferings of a number of Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. PRS: Do you have a sizeable Hindu population in Malaysia? Or even a small but influential one? Mahathir: About 10 per cent of our population is of subcontinental origin. They are grouped as Indians but are not necessarily all Hindus. There is a nascent Hindu movement because of many cases of discrimination. There is also an Indian component party of the ruling coalition but they did so badly in the party elections, so they have much of a voice anymore. Unfortunately, we are all living under a very domineering government. It is hard for minorities but even for Muslims who don’t agree with the government line. For them, there’s no space. (WION)

Exclusive: Marina Mahathir on Saudi king's visit to Malaysia

<p><strong>Anandibai Joshi</strong></p>

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<p>Anandibai Joshi (Wikimedia Commons) (Others)</p>
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<p>The first female physician in the country to practice western medicine, she was motivated to become a doctor when her new-born baby died soon after birth.</p>

<p><strong>Anna Mani</strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Anna Mani (Others)</p>
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<p>A student of renowned scientist CV Raman, she earned global fame for her work on meteorological&nbsp;instrumentation.</p>

<p><strong>Janaki Ammal</strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Janaki Ammal (Wikimedia Commons) (Others)</p>
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<p>The Indian botanist conducted scientific research in phytogeography and cytogenetics. The Padma Shree awardee is most known for her research on sugarcane and the eggplant.</p>

<p><strong>Asima Chatterjee</strong></p>

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<p>Asima Chatterjee (Image Courtsey: Indian Academy of Sciences) (Others)</p>
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<p>She is most known for her research in phytomedicine and organic chemistry to develop cancer medicine, anti-epileptic and anti-malarial drugs. Being the first woman to be named a Doctor of Science by an Indian university, she broke stereotypes and inspired many.</p>

<p><strong>Charusita Chakravarty</strong></p>

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<p>Charusita Chakravarty (Image Courtsey: IIT Delhi, Official Website) (Others)</p>
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<p>Charusita Chakravarty was a professor of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. She was honoured with several awards for her work, most notably, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize.</p>

<p><strong>Tessy Thomas</strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Terry Thomas (Youtube) (Others)</p>
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<p>Known as the &#39;Missile Woman&#39; of India, Tessy is the first female engineer to head a missile project in the country. Thomas is an engineer and the Project Director for Agni-IV missile in Defence Research and Development Organisation.</p>

<p><strong>Rajeshwari Chatterjee</strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Rajeshwari Chatterjee (@nirbhaavuka) (Twitter)</p>
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<p>The first woman engineer from Karnataka, she was given a scholarship by the government of Delhi to study abroad She studied at the University of Michigan where she obtained her Master&rsquo;s degree in electrical engineering. She returned to India to join the Department of Electrical Communication Engineering at IISc where she set up a microwave research laboratory. Her research on Microwave Engineering in greatly acknowledged.</p>

<p><br />
<strong>Aditi Pant</strong></p>

<p>The oceanographer was a part of the Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1983. She became the first Indian woman to visit Antarctica.</p>

<p><strong>Kalpana Chawla</strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Kalpana Chawla (NASA, Public Domain by WikiMedia Commons) (Others)</p>
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<p>The first Indian woman in space flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. In the unfortunate disaster of Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, Chawla was one of the seven crew members killed.</p>

<p><br />
<strong>Sudha Bhattacharya</strong></p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>An&nbsp;academic, scientist and&nbsp;writer, she is recognised for her in-depth study of Entamoeba histolytica, an amoebiasis causing parasitic protozoan. Her laboratory was the first to detect&nbsp;Ribosomal RNA genes on Circular DNA.</p>

<p><strong>Indira Nath</strong></p>

<p>The immunologist is known for her research&nbsp;on the cellular immune responses in human leprosy. She has over 120 publications, reviews, opinions on recent developments in international journals. Her pioneering work is a remarkable step towards the development of vaccines for leprosy.</p>

<p><strong>Shubha </strong><strong>Tole</strong></p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The neurologist is most known for&nbsp;discovering a gene that is crucial to the proper formation of the hippocampus, amygdala, and cortex of the brain.&nbsp;She has won many accolades for her work, the Infosys Prize in the Life Sciences category being the most noteworthy.</p>

<p><strong>Qamar Rahman</strong></p>

<p>The scientist studied the physiological effects of nanoparticles. She is&nbsp;internationally acclaimed for her research on asbestosis, effects of slate dust and particulate pollution and methods for improving occupational health</p>

<p>(WION)</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


On National Science Day, we celebrate women who have made great contributions in the field of science and paved paths for others

Anandibai Joshi Anandibai Joshi (Wikimedia Commons) (Others) × The first female physician in the country to practice western medicine, she was motivated to become a doctor when her new-born baby died soon after birth. Anna Mani Anna Mani (Others) × A student of renowned scientist CV Raman, she earned global fame for her work on meteorological instrumentation. Janaki Ammal Janaki Ammal (Wikimedia Commons) (Others) × The Indian botanist conducted scientific research in phytogeography and cytogenetics. The Padma Shree awardee is most known for her research on sugarcane and the eggplant. Asima Chatterjee Asima Chatterjee (Image Courtsey: Indian Academy of Sciences) (Others) × She is most known for her research in phytomedicine and organic chemistry to develop cancer medicine, anti-epileptic and anti-malarial drugs. Being the first woman to be named a Doctor of Science by an Indian university, she broke stereotypes and inspired many. Charusita Chakravarty Charusita Chakravarty (Image Courtsey: IIT Delhi, Official Website) (Others) × Charusita Chakravarty was a professor of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. She was honoured with several awards for her work, most notably, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize. Tessy Thomas Terry Thomas (Youtube) (Others) × Known as the 'Missile Woman' of India, Tessy is the first female engineer to head a missile project in the country. Thomas is an engineer and the Project Director for Agni-IV missile in Defence Research and Development Organisation. Rajeshwari Chatterjee Rajeshwari Chatterjee (@nirbhaavuka) (Twitter) × The first woman engineer from Karnataka, she was given a scholarship by the government of Delhi to study abroad She studied at the University of Michigan where she obtained her Master’s degree in electrical engineering. She returned to India to join the Department of Electrical Communication Engineering at IISc where she set up a microwave research laboratory. Her research on Microwave Engineering in greatly acknowledged. Aditi Pant The oceanographer was a part of the Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1983. She became the first Indian woman to visit Antarctica. Kalpana Chawla Kalpana Chawla (NASA, Public Domain by WikiMedia Commons) (Others) × The first Indian woman in space flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. In the unfortunate disaster of Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, Chawla was one of the seven crew members killed. Sudha Bhattacharya Sudha Bhattacharya (Image Courtsey: Jawaharlal Nehru University, Official Website) (Others) × An academic, scientist and writer, she is recognised for her in-depth study of Entamoeba histolytica, an amoebiasis causing parasitic protozoan. Her laboratory was the first to detect Ribosomal RNA genes on Circular DNA. Indira Nath The immunologist is known for her research on the cellular immune responses in human leprosy. She has over 120 publications, reviews, opinions on recent developments in international journals. Her pioneering work is a remarkable step towards the development of vaccines for leprosy. Shubha Tole Shubha Tole (Image Courtsey: Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research) (Others) × The neurologist is most known for discovering a gene that is crucial to the proper formation of the hippocampus, amygdala, and cortex of the brain. She has won many accolades for her work, the Infosys Prize in the Life Sciences category being the most noteworthy. Qamar Rahman The scientist studied the physiological effects of nanoparticles. She is internationally acclaimed for her research on asbestosis, effects of slate dust and particulate pollution and methods for improving occupational health (WION)

Inspirational women scientists who made India proud

<p>American pop star Justin Bieber&#39;s <a href="http://www.wionews.com/life-fun/justin-bieber-concert-in-mumbai-on-may-10-12435">upcoming concert in Mumbai on May 10</a> has already hit the headlines but what has startled fans across India is the price of&nbsp;VVIP tickets which&nbsp;cost Rs 76,790 online.</p>

<p>The ticket sale of the concert went live on BookMyShow.com at&nbsp;noon today with VVIP and diamond seats being sold out within a few hours. The queue has reached over&nbsp;2,000&nbsp;with&nbsp;five minutes of waiting time.</p>

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<p>Tickets start at Rs 4,060 and go upto Rs 76,790 (Photo:bookmyshow) (Others)</p>
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<p>The concert will be held at the D.Y Patil Stadium&nbsp;as a part of the pop star&#39;s &#39;Purpose&#39; World Tour.</p>

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<p>How long will you wait to get your tickets? (Photo:bookmyshow) (Others)</p>
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<p>Twitter was abuzz with ticket prices for the&nbsp;Bieber concert with several fans looking for tickets online.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Justin Bieber&#39;s India Concert Tickets Cost Up To 76000 INR And Here&#39;s Something Worth Thinking About <a href="https://t.co/4TvzHqcFWN">https://t.co/4TvzHqcFWN</a></p>
&mdash; macedon dmello (@macedondmello) <a href="https://twitter.com/macedondmello/status/834138464765386752">February 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Any competitions for justin bieber&#39;s concert tickets in india? ????<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mumbai?src=hash">#mumbai</a><a href="https://twitter.com/Vh1India">@Vh1India</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/9XOIndia">@9XOIndia</a></p>
&mdash; taylorswiftindia (@tayloriswithus) <a href="https://twitter.com/tayloriswithus/status/834000391947874304">February 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>So Beliebers, are you also in the queue?</p>


The ticket sale started on bookmyshow.com at?noon today with VVIP and diamond seats sold out within a few hours

American pop star Justin Bieber's upcoming concert in Mumbai on May 10 has already hit the headlines but what has startled fans across India is the price of VVIP tickets which cost Rs 76,790 online. The ticket sale of the concert went live on BookMyShow.com at noon today with VVIP and diamond seats being sold out within a few hours. The queue has reached over 2,000 with five minutes of waiting time. Tickets start at Rs 4,060 and go upto Rs 76,790 (Photo:bookmyshow) (Others) × The concert will be held at the D.Y Patil Stadium as a part of the pop star's 'Purpose' World Tour. How long will you wait to get your tickets? (Photo:bookmyshow) (Others) × Twitter was abuzz with ticket prices for the Bieber concert with several fans looking for tickets online. Justin Bieber's India Concert Tickets Cost Up To 76000 INR And Here's Something Worth Thinking About https://t.co/4TvzHqcFWN — macedon dmello (@macedondmello) February 21, 2017 × Any competitions for justin bieber's concert tickets in india? ????#mumbai@Vh1India @9XOIndia — taylorswiftindia (@tayloriswithus) February 21, 2017 × So Beliebers, are you also in the queue?

Justin Bieber concert in India: Ticket prices skyrocket to Rs 76,000

<p lang="EN-US">Shanti&nbsp;Raghavan, founder&nbsp;EnAble&nbsp;India,&nbsp;is working to transforming attitudes towards employing the&nbsp;disabled.&nbsp;Raghavan&nbsp;has been working to further the&nbsp;cause of economic independence and dignity of the disabled for more than nine years.&nbsp;Till December 2016, she has helped more than 4,500 differently-abled people with their livelihoods, while securing jobs for about 10,000.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;<br />
<strong>Q. What prompted you to help the differently-abled?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><strong>A.&nbsp;</strong>The journey started after my husband,&nbsp;Dipesh,&nbsp;and I experienced disability at close quarters with my brother, Hari, who started growing blind at the age of 15 due to a degenerative eye condition. We learned a lot while rehabilitating him. In the process, we decided to help others, ultimately coming up with&nbsp;EnAble&nbsp;India. Today, my brother is a manager at IT major Dell and is doing very well.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q. What are the systemic flaws preventing employment opportunities for the disabled in India?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><strong>A:</strong>&nbsp;The primary reason would be the lack of knowledge management. There are many non-governmental bodies doing good work. But they have not&nbsp;documented&nbsp;their&nbsp;experiences with finding solutions&nbsp;which can&nbsp;then&nbsp;be replicated&nbsp;elsewhere. There is also a lack of human capital and processes.&nbsp;Our effort as an&nbsp;organisation&nbsp;is to fill these gaps.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q. How does your&nbsp;</strong><strong>organisation</strong><strong>&nbsp;help&nbsp;the disabled?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><strong>A.</strong>&nbsp;Before Enable India started in livelihoods, most&nbsp;with disabilities were getting jobs through reservations (in&nbsp;the public sector). We opened up the private sector and made companies understand the business value in hiring persons with severe sensory disabilities. We impact livelihoods across 11 disabilities, including visually impaired, physically disabled, autism spectrum disorder, mental illness, learning disability, audio-visual impairment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The disabled do not need sympathy - they need a supportive environment to grow and fulfil their needs, potential and dreams. (WION)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q. How is the training done?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><strong>A.</strong>&nbsp;We&nbsp;emphasise&nbsp;on encouraging candidates to develop an attitude to work. This is followed by making candidates aware of the skills necessary to succeed in any job role such as working with quality. Next&nbsp;is facilitating candidates to increase knowledge about their disability so that they speak about it using positive language and learn about using tools to work at par with the non-disabled. And finally, we strengthen workplace readiness &ndash; enabling candidates to get ready for the job that matches their educational qualification and skills.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q.&nbsp;What are&nbsp;the pros and cons of being a social entrepreneur?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><strong>A.</strong>&nbsp;I see only pros.&nbsp;I have to work on my self-development and my values constantly to ensure that the vision is delivered. Innovation is a must.&nbsp;As we solve pieces of the puzzle, you&nbsp;realise&nbsp;how&nbsp;much more you need to do. I&nbsp;have been able to evolve to higher&nbsp;degrees of focus and energy by cutting out negativity, ego, judgment and more.&nbsp;There are no cons because this is what I want to do and would not have it any other way.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q.&nbsp;What are some challenges that you have faced and how did you overcome them?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><strong>A.&nbsp;</strong>Challenges vary from demand creation to opening up of jobs, developing&nbsp;the skills of&nbsp;candidates to barriers in environment&nbsp;to those&nbsp;with disability.&nbsp;We have come up with an innovative employability training, a division for demand creation, different workplace solutions to open up jobs which hitherto did not exist for&nbsp;the&nbsp;disabled.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q.&nbsp;What keeps you&nbsp;motivated?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><strong>A.</strong>&nbsp;Every occasion when we have felt bereft of answers or have lost steam, we have seen the power of intent. I also draw inspiration from every person I meet. I wonder about how different people work in tough sectors with&nbsp;low income, how homemakers manage without any recognition,&nbsp;marginalised&nbsp;women&nbsp;in&nbsp;construction work to house work, transgenders and much&nbsp;more.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;<br />
<strong>Q.&nbsp;How can a common man contribute in the initiative?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><strong>A.</strong>&nbsp;We come across disabilities in our day-to-day lives&nbsp;in the form&nbsp;of accidents, illnesses and stress factors. If we build something in our sphere of influence keeping these disabilities in mind,&nbsp;a&nbsp;world will be&nbsp;created&nbsp;to benefit them. People will see inclusion as a way of life. Inclusion is a process which will make each person feel valued and accepted for who they are.&nbsp;</p>


One-fifth of humanity face significant disabilities. They are more likely to experience lower education and poorer levels of employment

Shanti Raghavan, founder EnAble India, is working to transforming attitudes towards employing the disabled. Raghavan has been working to further the cause of economic independence and dignity of the disabled for more than nine years. Till December 2016, she has helped more than 4,500 differently-abled people with their livelihoods, while securing jobs for about 10,000. Q. What prompted you to help the differently-abled? A. The journey started after my husband, Dipesh, and I experienced disability at close quarters with my brother, Hari, who started growing blind at the age of 15 due to a degenerative eye condition. We learned a lot while rehabilitating him. In the process, we decided to help others, ultimately coming up with EnAble India. Today, my brother is a manager at IT major Dell and is doing very well. Q. What are the systemic flaws preventing employment opportunities for the disabled in India? A: The primary reason would be the lack of knowledge management. There are many non-governmental bodies doing good work. But they have not documented their experiences with finding solutions which can then be replicated elsewhere. There is also a lack of human capital and processes. Our effort as an organisation is to fill these gaps. Q. How does your organisation help the disabled? A. Before Enable India started in livelihoods, most with disabilities were getting jobs through reservations (in the public sector). We opened up the private sector and made companies understand the business value in hiring persons with severe sensory disabilities. We impact livelihoods across 11 disabilities, including visually impaired, physically disabled, autism spectrum disorder, mental illness, learning disability, audio-visual impairment. The disabled do not need sympathy - they need a supportive environment to grow and fulfil their needs, potential and dreams. (WION) × Q. How is the training done? A. We emphasise on encouraging candidates to develop an attitude to work. This is followed by making candidates aware of the skills necessary to succeed in any job role such as working with quality. Next is facilitating candidates to increase knowledge about their disability so that they speak about it using positive language and learn about using tools to work at par with the non-disabled. And finally, we strengthen workplace readiness – enabling candidates to get ready for the job that matches their educational qualification and skills. Q. What are the pros and cons of being a social entrepreneur? A. I see only pros. I have to work on my self-development and my values constantly to ensure that the vision is delivered. Innovation is a must. As we solve pieces of the puzzle, you realise how much more you need to do. I have been able to evolve to higher degrees of focus and energy by cutting out negativity, ego, judgment and more. There are no cons because this is what I want to do and would not have it any other way. Q. What are some challenges that you have faced and how did you overcome them? A. Challenges vary from demand creation to opening up of jobs, developing the skills of candidates to barriers in environment to those with disability. We have come up with an innovative employability training, a division for demand creation, different workplace solutions to open up jobs which hitherto did not exist for the disabled. Q. What keeps you motivated? A. Every occasion when we have felt bereft of answers or have lost steam, we have seen the power of intent. I also draw inspiration from every person I meet. I wonder about how different people work in tough sectors with low income, how homemakers manage without any recognition, marginalised women in construction work to house work, transgenders and much more. Q. How can a common man contribute in the initiative? A. We come across disabilities in our day-to-day lives in the form of accidents, illnesses and stress factors. If we build something in our sphere of influence keeping these disabilities in mind, a world will be created to benefit them. People will see inclusion as a way of life. Inclusion is a process which will make each person feel valued and accepted for who they are.

Finding jobs for disabled ? creating enabling mindsets

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><meta charset="utf-8" /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Usually, in the race of life and in the middle of all the chaos, one ignores small things. Things like where your last meal was grown and how it could be contaminating your system. <strong>S Madhusudhan</strong>, a marketing veteran, stopped to re-evaluate his own fast-paced lifestyle and food habits after a health scare. His findings not only turned him into an organic farmer&nbsp;but also gave birth to <a href="https://www.back2basics.farm/">Back2Basics</a>, a venture that is now distributing fresh farm produce to several parts of the world.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: You often talk of organic farming as an art. How does growing food resemble art?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Madhusudhan: </strong>Growing food is certainly just as fulfilling as creating art and just as therapeutic.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: &nbsp;What are your eating habits?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Madhusudhan:</strong> I believe in the healthy way of living and I am a consumer of my own produce. I am a strict vegetarian and avoid foods that are either too sweet or too spicy. I am also a teetotaller and avoid cold drinks as well due to their high sugar content.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: What&nbsp;motivated you to start the venture?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Madhusudhan:</strong> Following a brief yet serious health scare, I was compelled to take a break from my busy life to evaluate how it had started affecting my&nbsp;health. During my recovery, my doctor had suggested that I indulge in gardening, which also happened to be one of my favorite hobbies. I subsequently decided to turn my passion for gardening into something more, and began researching on organic farming and various agricultural practices.</p>

<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: What were your findings?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Madhusudhan:</strong> After nearly four years of research on&nbsp;the organic farming segment and meticulous market research, I found that almost 90% consumers had no idea about the source of their produce. They usually bought fruits and vegetables which looked farm-fresh, and considered the quality of products to be secondary. Consequently, this lack of awareness has led to many long-term health issues for individuals, as they indirectly ingest harmful chemicals through these products. Inspired by this study, I wanted consumers from all walks of life to buy chemical-free, farm fresh produce that is delivered to their homes as soon as they are harvested. That is when the idea of my company came into being.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: &nbsp;What do you enjoy as an entrepreneur?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Madhusudhan:</strong> My favorite part about being an entrepreneur is the simple fact that every day is a new adventure and a new challenge &ndash; it is truly an exhilarating feeling, as each new day brings with it a new learning experience.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: Some challenges you&#39;ve encountered?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Madhusudhan:</strong> The biggest challenge faced by me was when I had just started out. I was attempting to set up a farm without any background in agriculture. However, following years of research and self-study, I was finally prepared to build my business further, and have not looked back since.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: &nbsp;How is it to work with your daughter?&nbsp;</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Madhusudhan: </strong>My daughter&nbsp;Bhairavi was initially skeptical of joining me as she had no prior experience in organic farming. However, after observing every aspect of this business and inspired by my work, she decided to utilize her industry experience within the company and started investing her expertise to help this business grow. She has played a key role in making the venture gain more financial stability by developing a special algorithm to change the pricing structure. This&nbsp;helped increase the company&rsquo;s profits by 54 percent within 16 days.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: How big is your team?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Madhusudhan:</strong> We are like one big family. Each person regardless of their job function is an important member. We employ over 450 laborers in our farms&nbsp;and manage a small but dedicated corporate team.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: What is an experiential farm like?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Madhusudhan:</strong> Quite literally, an experiential farming process invites people to visit its farms and witness high-quality organic production for themselves. Through its contemporary farming practice, we hope to establish a dialogue about the &lsquo;organic&rsquo; way of living. Furthermore, it hopes to promote a healthier lifestyle by educating consumers and their families on the benefits of organic farm fresh produce. We love how people enjoy to pluck produce from the farms and eat it there itself.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: What do you do with the produce unused?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Madhusudhan:</strong> We try to produce only what is ordered. But in cases when the produce does not match a certain quality standard, it is sent to liquidation channels that develop it as natural compost and are further utilized in the farming soil to generate more value.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: &nbsp;You are based out of India, a country where 70% of the population indulges in agriculture.&nbsp;What would you say are some loopholes in the industry?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Madhusudhan:</strong> While the organic farming industry in India has witnessed significant growth over the years, it still remains at a nascent stage. Many agronomists still doubt the sustainability of growth and the future of this sector mostly due to lack of awareness, and consequent lack of branding and promotion for higher realization. Furthermore, while certain efforts have been taken by the central government to create more awareness about organic farming in India, the state government should also announce some subsidies that can benefit both farmers and the organic farming industry in the long run.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: Can we feed the entire world with organic food?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Madhusudhan: </strong>While it certainly sounds like an ambitious initiative, attempting to feed the entire world with organic food can take years to be put into effect, if it ever happens. In theory, it can be said that promoting organic farming can certainly fill some gaps within the conventional agricultural space, which usually witnesses production of chemical laden high-yield crops. With more land dedicated to organic farming, people all over the world will certainly have more access to organic produce. However, for now, the focus should be on developing this segment further by introducing comprehensive technology and better infrastructure that can sustain its growth in the future.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: &nbsp;How do you unwind?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Madhusudhan: </strong>When I do get some free time, I enjoy spending it with my family and our pets (we have 3 dogs, 4 cats and 35 birds). I also enjoy traveling and indulging in extreme sports.</p>

<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">(Coordinator &amp; Editor: Devanshi Verma)</p>


S Madhusudhan is an organic farmer who wants people to go back to the basics

Usually, in the race of life and in the middle of all the chaos, one ignores small things. Things like where your last meal was grown and how it could be contaminating your system. S Madhusudhan, a marketing veteran, stopped to re-evaluate his own fast-paced lifestyle and food habits after a health scare. His findings not only turned him into an organic farmer but also gave birth to Back2Basics, a venture that is now distributing fresh farm produce to several parts of the world. Kazimi: You often talk of organic farming as an art. How does growing food resemble art? Madhusudhan: Growing food is certainly just as fulfilling as creating art and just as therapeutic. Kazimi: What are your eating habits? Madhusudhan: I believe in the healthy way of living and I am a consumer of my own produce. I am a strict vegetarian and avoid foods that are either too sweet or too spicy. I am also a teetotaller and avoid cold drinks as well due to their high sugar content. Kazimi: What motivated you to start the venture? Madhusudhan: Following a brief yet serious health scare, I was compelled to take a break from my busy life to evaluate how it had started affecting my health. During my recovery, my doctor had suggested that I indulge in gardening, which also happened to be one of my favorite hobbies. I subsequently decided to turn my passion for gardening into something more, and began researching on organic farming and various agricultural practices. Kazimi: What were your findings? Madhusudhan: After nearly four years of research on the organic farming segment and meticulous market research, I found that almost 90% consumers had no idea about the source of their produce. They usually bought fruits and vegetables which looked farm-fresh, and considered the quality of products to be secondary. Consequently, this lack of awareness has led to many long-term health issues for individuals, as they indirectly ingest harmful chemicals through these products. Inspired by this study, I wanted consumers from all walks of life to buy chemical-free, farm fresh produce that is delivered to their homes as soon as they are harvested. That is when the idea of my company came into being. Kazimi: What do you enjoy as an entrepreneur? Madhusudhan: My favorite part about being an entrepreneur is the simple fact that every day is a new adventure and a new challenge – it is truly an exhilarating feeling, as each new day brings with it a new learning experience. Kazimi: Some challenges you've encountered? Madhusudhan: The biggest challenge faced by me was when I had just started out. I was attempting to set up a farm without any background in agriculture. However, following years of research and self-study, I was finally prepared to build my business further, and have not looked back since. Kazimi: How is it to work with your daughter? Madhusudhan: My daughter Bhairavi was initially skeptical of joining me as she had no prior experience in organic farming. However, after observing every aspect of this business and inspired by my work, she decided to utilize her industry experience within the company and started investing her expertise to help this business grow. She has played a key role in making the venture gain more financial stability by developing a special algorithm to change the pricing structure. This helped increase the company’s profits by 54 percent within 16 days. Kazimi: How big is your team? Madhusudhan: We are like one big family. Each person regardless of their job function is an important member. We employ over 450 laborers in our farms and manage a small but dedicated corporate team. Kazimi: What is an experiential farm like? Madhusudhan: Quite literally, an experiential farming process invites people to visit its farms and witness high-quality organic production for themselves. Through its contemporary farming practice, we hope to establish a dialogue about the ‘organic’ way of living. Furthermore, it hopes to promote a healthier lifestyle by educating consumers and their families on the benefits of organic farm fresh produce. We love how people enjoy to pluck produce from the farms and eat it there itself. Kazimi: What do you do with the produce unused? Madhusudhan: We try to produce only what is ordered. But in cases when the produce does not match a certain quality standard, it is sent to liquidation channels that develop it as natural compost and are further utilized in the farming soil to generate more value. Kazimi: You are based out of India, a country where 70% of the population indulges in agriculture. What would you say are some loopholes in the industry? Madhusudhan: While the organic farming industry in India has witnessed significant growth over the years, it still remains at a nascent stage. Many agronomists still doubt the sustainability of growth and the future of this sector mostly due to lack of awareness, and consequent lack of branding and promotion for higher realization. Furthermore, while certain efforts have been taken by the central government to create more awareness about organic farming in India, the state government should also announce some subsidies that can benefit both farmers and the organic farming industry in the long run. Kazimi: Can we feed the entire world with organic food? Madhusudhan: While it certainly sounds like an ambitious initiative, attempting to feed the entire world with organic food can take years to be put into effect, if it ever happens. In theory, it can be said that promoting organic farming can certainly fill some gaps within the conventional agricultural space, which usually witnesses production of chemical laden high-yield crops. With more land dedicated to organic farming, people all over the world will certainly have more access to organic produce. However, for now, the focus should be on developing this segment further by introducing comprehensive technology and better infrastructure that can sustain its growth in the future. Kazimi: How do you unwind? Madhusudhan: When I do get some free time, I enjoy spending it with my family and our pets (we have 3 dogs, 4 cats and 35 birds). I also enjoy traveling and indulging in extreme sports. (Coordinator & Editor: Devanshi Verma)

Konversations: This self-taught farmer wants to change how we eat

<p><meta charset="utf-8" /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Allow your passion to be your purpose and one day it may just become your profession. Praveen Kumar&nbsp;turned his passion into his profession, and with his best friends as business partners, he started a platform that caters to the entire community of travel enthusiasts. With his company, Kumar is able to make trip-planning an exhilarating experience in itself.</p>

<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: What is your idea of travel?</h3>

<p><strong>Praveen: </strong>Everyone has a different perception of travel. For me personally, it is a learning experience. It opens your mind to views and opinions on a wider aspect. When you travel and look at the world, you learn a lot. As they say, if you haven&rsquo;t traveled, you&rsquo;ve just read one page of your life&rsquo;s book.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For me, travel is a way to live; if you are not traveling, you are not doing enough!</p>

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<h5>If you haven&rsquo;t traveled, you&rsquo;ve just read one page of your life&rsquo;s book</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=If you haven?t traveled, you?ve just read one page of your life?s book" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: Is there a difference between a traveller &amp; a tourist?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Praveen: </strong>If you are traveling as a tourist, you go ahead as a tourist who wants to see monuments, come back and check it off the list. I am a traveler who would rather understand lifestyles and the way cultures merge.<strong>&nbsp;</strong>I try and interact with more and more people on my travels, and this has enriched me with plenty of experiences that have stayed with me. From living in a cave hotel in Istanbul to connecting to locals on every trip that I take, the experience has been magical. On the Leh road trip, I could stay closest to&nbsp;nature and connect to it, which helped me realize who I was as a person.</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: How can passions be turned into careers?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Praveen: </strong>Passion ideally can&rsquo;t be a plural. Yes, you can have interests and hobbies, but your passion is your first, solo priority. If your work is your passion, then there&rsquo;s nothing like it. If you can micromanage your time well, you can find time to pursue your hobbies and interests as well. I believe what is to be done now has to be done now!</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: How did your travel experiences turn into a start-up?</h3>

<p><strong>Praveen: </strong>Saket, Karthik (my co-founders) and I have always been very passionate about traveling. Through our own experiences, we realized that trip planning is a real world problem. The problem is not the dearth of information, but being able to organize the information.</p>

<p>We believe that trip planning is itself an experience many people love, and more and more people today prefer planning their own trips. We wanted to make trip planning an enjoyable and easy experience.</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: How has the journey&nbsp;been so far?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Praveen: </strong>The journey has been splendid. We&rsquo;ve been angel funded, started with 2 employees, building a tech team, moving through phases, learning through experiences and changes in the industry. More and more travelers across the world are opting for DIY trip planning.</p>

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: What is the biggest hurdle you have faced or are still facing?</h3>

<p><strong>Praveen: </strong>Apart from acquiring funds, the biggest hurdle for any start-up is to acquire talented individuals that share the same passion for the product like us.</p>

<p>Getting the like-minded people who share the same passion as you and work aligning to the same direction as you is slightly difficult. Even though we have come a long way forward, but it still is one of our prime challenges.</p>

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<h5>the biggest hurdle for any start-up is to acquire talented individuals</h5>
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<p>(Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)</p>


'If you are not traveling, you are not doing enough!'

Allow your passion to be your purpose and one day it may just become your profession. Praveen Kumar turned his passion into his profession, and with his best friends as business partners, he started a platform that caters to the entire community of travel enthusiasts. With his company, Kumar is able to make trip-planning an exhilarating experience in itself. Kazimi: What is your idea of travel? Praveen: Everyone has a different perception of travel. For me personally, it is a learning experience. It opens your mind to views and opinions on a wider aspect. When you travel and look at the world, you learn a lot. As they say, if you haven’t traveled, you’ve just read one page of your life’s book. For me, travel is a way to live; if you are not traveling, you are not doing enough! If you haven’t traveled, you’ve just read one page of your life’s book × Kazimi: Is there a difference between a traveller & a tourist? Praveen: If you are traveling as a tourist, you go ahead as a tourist who wants to see monuments, come back and check it off the list. I am a traveler who would rather understand lifestyles and the way cultures merge. I try and interact with more and more people on my travels, and this has enriched me with plenty of experiences that have stayed with me. From living in a cave hotel in Istanbul to connecting to locals on every trip that I take, the experience has been magical. On the Leh road trip, I could stay closest to nature and connect to it, which helped me realize who I was as a person. Kazimi: How can passions be turned into careers? Praveen: Passion ideally can’t be a plural. Yes, you can have interests and hobbies, but your passion is your first, solo priority. If your work is your passion, then there’s nothing like it. If you can micromanage your time well, you can find time to pursue your hobbies and interests as well. I believe what is to be done now has to be done now! Kazimi: How did your travel experiences turn into a start-up? Praveen: Saket, Karthik (my co-founders) and I have always been very passionate about traveling. Through our own experiences, we realized that trip planning is a real world problem. The problem is not the dearth of information, but being able to organize the information. We believe that trip planning is itself an experience many people love, and more and more people today prefer planning their own trips. We wanted to make trip planning an enjoyable and easy experience. Kazimi: How has the journey been so far? Praveen: The journey has been splendid. We’ve been angel funded, started with 2 employees, building a tech team, moving through phases, learning through experiences and changes in the industry. More and more travelers across the world are opting for DIY trip planning. Kazimi: What is the biggest hurdle you have faced or are still facing? Praveen: Apart from acquiring funds, the biggest hurdle for any start-up is to acquire talented individuals that share the same passion for the product like us. Getting the like-minded people who share the same passion as you and work aligning to the same direction as you is slightly difficult. Even though we have come a long way forward, but it still is one of our prime challenges. the biggest hurdle for any start-up is to acquire talented individuals × (Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)

Konversations: He received $3m to pursue his passion for travel

<p>Despite the lip service paid by political parties to curbing black money in the&nbsp;economy, all political parties continue to show that 70 per cent of the donations they receive are of amounts lower than Rs 20,000. According to the rules, it is not mandatory to furnish the source of donations below Rs 20,000.</p>

<p>As per Association for Democratic Reforms&#39; (ADR) data from 2004 to 2014, all political parties put together received Rs 11,367 crores -- and 70 per cent of that money was received from unknown sources.</p>

<p>The income political parties got from known donors added up to about 16 per cent, or Rs 1,835 crore, of their total income, while income from other known sources including memberships added up to about 14&nbsp;per cent or Rs 1,698 crore.</p>

<p>The most shocking part of the ADR report was that of 51 regional parties, 45 have not submitted donation statements to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for at least one financial year, while 12 regional parties have never filed a donation statement.</p>

<p>The NCP for example, the ADR report says, did not submit a donation report to the Election Commission&nbsp;between 2004-5 and 2006-7.</p>

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<p>An Association for Democratic Reforms report says political parties got Rs 7,832.98 crore from unknown donors between 2004-05 and 2014-15. (DNA)</p>
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<p>Total income of national political parties between 2004 and 2014. (Image source: ADR Report) (Others)</p>
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<p>Sources of income of national parties between 2004 and 2014. (Image source: ADR Report) (Others)</p>
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<p>Total declared income of regional parties. (Image source: ADR Report) (Others)</p>
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<p>Regional parties with maximum declared income. (Image source: ADR Report) (Others)</p>
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<p>As per the ADR&rsquo;s analysis, Congress received 83 per cent of funds from anonymous sources. For Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) it stood at 65 per cent and for Samajwadi Party (SP) at 94 per cent. The biggest surge was noticed in the war chest of former UP chief minister Mayawati&#39;s Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP). In ten years BSP&rsquo;s war chest surged from Rs 5.9 crores to Rs 111.9 crores, which is a jump of 2057 per cent. BSP also remains the only political party which maintains that it has never received any political funding above&nbsp;20,000 rupees.</p>

<p>The data accessed by ADR also shows that money from anonymous sources also surged in last 10 years. As per the data, the income of national parties from unknown sources increased by 313 per cent and for the regional parties, it increased by 652 per cent. In this category, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) remains the only regional party to have the&nbsp;highest income from known sources which is absent in most of the other regional parties.</p>

<p>As per the data accessed by ADR, Samajwadi Party had the highest income at Rs 819 crores followed by DMK with Rs 203 crores and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) with Rs 165 crores.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi has committed himself to root out black money from the electoral system. A similar position was taken during the UPA regime and the then government of the day also toyed with the idea of state funding of elections but not much happened. For now, BJP has positioned demonetisation as an anti-black money drive but political parties had the exemption to deposit unlimited money in old currency in their bank accounts.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


The income political parties got from known donors added up to about 16%, the remaining 14% came from known sources like memberships

Despite the lip service paid by political parties to curbing black money in the economy, all political parties continue to show that 70 per cent of the donations they receive are of amounts lower than Rs 20,000. According to the rules, it is not mandatory to furnish the source of donations below Rs 20,000. As per Association for Democratic Reforms' (ADR) data from 2004 to 2014, all political parties put together received Rs 11,367 crores -- and 70 per cent of that money was received from unknown sources. The income political parties got from known donors added up to about 16 per cent, or Rs 1,835 crore, of their total income, while income from other known sources including memberships added up to about 14 per cent or Rs 1,698 crore. The most shocking part of the ADR report was that of 51 regional parties, 45 have not submitted donation statements to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for at least one financial year, while 12 regional parties have never filed a donation statement. The NCP for example, the ADR report says, did not submit a donation report to the Election Commission between 2004-5 and 2006-7. An Association for Democratic Reforms report says political parties got Rs 7,832.98 crore from unknown donors between 2004-05 and 2014-15. (DNA) × Total income of national political parties between 2004 and 2014. (Image source: ADR Report) (Others) × Sources of income of national parties between 2004 and 2014. (Image source: ADR Report) (Others) × Total declared income of regional parties. (Image source: ADR Report) (Others) × Regional parties with maximum declared income. (Image source: ADR Report) (Others) × As per the ADR’s analysis, Congress received 83 per cent of funds from anonymous sources. For Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) it stood at 65 per cent and for Samajwadi Party (SP) at 94 per cent. The biggest surge was noticed in the war chest of former UP chief minister Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP). In ten years BSP’s war chest surged from Rs 5.9 crores to Rs 111.9 crores, which is a jump of 2057 per cent. BSP also remains the only political party which maintains that it has never received any political funding above 20,000 rupees. The data accessed by ADR also shows that money from anonymous sources also surged in last 10 years. As per the data, the income of national parties from unknown sources increased by 313 per cent and for the regional parties, it increased by 652 per cent. In this category, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) remains the only regional party to have the highest income from known sources which is absent in most of the other regional parties. As per the data accessed by ADR, Samajwadi Party had the highest income at Rs 819 crores followed by DMK with Rs 203 crores and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) with Rs 165 crores. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has committed himself to root out black money from the electoral system. A similar position was taken during the UPA regime and the then government of the day also toyed with the idea of state funding of elections but not much happened. For now, BJP has positioned demonetisation as an anti-black money drive but political parties had the exemption to deposit unlimited money in old currency in their bank accounts. (WION)

Is black money funding elections? Parties got 70% cash from unknown sources

<p>Living paintings, breathing portraits, life on a canvas - describing<a href="http://www.alexameade.com/"> Alexa Meade</a>&#39;s art is an art in&nbsp;itself. Her subject is the painting in the true essence. In her art, 2D and 3D become one, leaving you wondering what is real and what is paint. A self-taught artist, when not working, she spends her time dreaming.</p>

<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: Did you always want to become an artist?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Alexa:</strong>&nbsp;As a kid, I was always told that art was a hobby, not a career, and I better be ready to find a job when I&rsquo;m a grown-up. While my passion was art, I hadn&rsquo;t really entertained the possibility that it was a viable career option.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: What was the pivotal moment in your life when you turned to art?</h3>

<p><strong>Alexa:&nbsp;</strong>Growing up in Washington, DC, I was immersed in the world of politics. I studied political science in college, and I wrote my thesis on the Obama campaign where I&rsquo;d served as press staffer in 2008. Working on the side of the campaign that dealt with spin and PR, I became really fascinated by how we interpret information and the mismatch between what is said and what is heard.</p>

<p>When I graduated from college in 2009, I realized that art was more than a passion, it was meant to be my life, and I stepped away from politics. However, I carried my interest to spin into my art, prompting me to explore the different ways that visual perception can be manipulated.</p>

<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr"><meta charset="utf-8" /></p>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: How would you describe your art?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Alexa</strong>: I believe in creating an installation that must be experienced live, in person, rather than something tangibly mediated by video or photography.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: What are some prominent elements of your work?</h3>

<p><strong>Alexa:&nbsp;</strong>I first came across this body of work through my fascination with shadows, and I would say that they are one of my major sources of inspiration. I like that the absence of light can sometimes be more descriptive in our understanding of the world around us than the presence of light.</p>

<p>I&rsquo;m experimenting with an entirely new body of work that&nbsp;continues with an exploration of perceptions of space through light and shadow. Like my main body of work, there is a play on the expectations of media, and there is not a digital component to manipulate the in-person experience of the performance. However, at the present stage of the project&rsquo;s evolution, paint, portraiture and photography are not major elements.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H60SRG2OoBA" width="970"></iframe></p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: Does the model determine the piece or is it the other way around?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Alexa:&nbsp;</strong>I paint portraits of people directly on top of themselves, in a one-to-one ratio. Rather than painting them to blend into a background or turn them into something they&rsquo;re not, I amplify what they already are, but to the extent that they become transformed into something else altogether. They perceptually turn into a flat painting, seemingly pure representation, yet also maintaining their &quot;subject hood&quot; beneath it all. The effect is quite uncanny as background, foreground, and subject seem to be compressed into one continuous space absent of depth.</p>

<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: Artists that inspire you?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Alexa:&nbsp;</strong>While I was teaching myself how to paint as I was inventing this new style of painting on 3D objects, I drew a lot of inspiration from portrait artists Lucien Freud and Alice Neel. I also looked at a lot of paintings by Jenny Saville and Cezanne.</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h3>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: What is brewing in your artistic pot lately?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Alexa:&nbsp;</strong>These days I&rsquo;m really inspired by mirrors, prisms, and other optical toys. When I first started out, I was highly inspired by the book &ldquo;Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees&rdquo; about 1970s California minimalist artist Robert Irwin, who played with light and shadows to manipulate the perception of space.</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">Kazimi: Your dream project?</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Alexa: </strong>To&nbsp;paint&nbsp;Obama&#39;s portrait</p>

<p><br />
(Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)</p>


'I amplify what they already are, but to the extent that they transform into something else altogether'

Living paintings, breathing portraits, life on a canvas - describing Alexa Meade's art is an art in itself. Her subject is the painting in the true essence. In her art, 2D and 3D become one, leaving you wondering what is real and what is paint. A self-taught artist, when not working, she spends her time dreaming. Kazimi: Did you always want to become an artist? Alexa: As a kid, I was always told that art was a hobby, not a career, and I better be ready to find a job when I’m a grown-up. While my passion was art, I hadn’t really entertained the possibility that it was a viable career option. Kazimi: What was the pivotal moment in your life when you turned to art? Alexa: Growing up in Washington, DC, I was immersed in the world of politics. I studied political science in college, and I wrote my thesis on the Obama campaign where I’d served as press staffer in 2008. Working on the side of the campaign that dealt with spin and PR, I became really fascinated by how we interpret information and the mismatch between what is said and what is heard. When I graduated from college in 2009, I realized that art was more than a passion, it was meant to be my life, and I stepped away from politics. However, I carried my interest to spin into my art, prompting me to explore the different ways that visual perception can be manipulated. Kazimi: How would you describe your art? Alexa: I believe in creating an installation that must be experienced live, in person, rather than something tangibly mediated by video or photography. Kazimi: What are some prominent elements of your work? Alexa: I first came across this body of work through my fascination with shadows, and I would say that they are one of my major sources of inspiration. I like that the absence of light can sometimes be more descriptive in our understanding of the world around us than the presence of light. I’m experimenting with an entirely new body of work that continues with an exploration of perceptions of space through light and shadow. Like my main body of work, there is a play on the expectations of media, and there is not a digital component to manipulate the in-person experience of the performance. However, at the present stage of the project’s evolution, paint, portraiture and photography are not major elements. Kazimi: Does the model determine the piece or is it the other way around? Alexa: I paint portraits of people directly on top of themselves, in a one-to-one ratio. Rather than painting them to blend into a background or turn them into something they’re not, I amplify what they already are, but to the extent that they become transformed into something else altogether. They perceptually turn into a flat painting, seemingly pure representation, yet also maintaining their "subject hood" beneath it all. The effect is quite uncanny as background, foreground, and subject seem to be compressed into one continuous space absent of depth. Kazimi: Artists that inspire you? Alexa: While I was teaching myself how to paint as I was inventing this new style of painting on 3D objects, I drew a lot of inspiration from portrait artists Lucien Freud and Alice Neel. I also looked at a lot of paintings by Jenny Saville and Cezanne. Kazimi: What is brewing in your artistic pot lately? Alexa: These days I’m really inspired by mirrors, prisms, and other optical toys. When I first started out, I was highly inspired by the book “Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees” about 1970s California minimalist artist Robert Irwin, who played with light and shadows to manipulate the perception of space. Kazimi: Your dream project? Alexa: To paint Obama's portrait (Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)

Konversations: Your body is her canvas

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