U.S. urges Canada to use federal powers to end bridge blockade

VOL 16 ISSUE 07 ● NEW YORK / DALLAS ● FEB 11 - 17 , 2022 ● ENQUIRIES: 646-247-9458 ● [email protected]

# 1 Indian American Weekly : Since 2006EVER TRUTHFULwww.theindianpanorama.news

SUPREME COURT REFUSESTO INTERVENE IN

KARNATAKA HIJAB ROWNEW DELHI (TIP): The Supreme

Court on Friday, February 11, refusedto intervene in the Karnataka hijabcontroversy, saying "We will take it upat an appropriate time."

"You should think if such issuesshould be brought at the nationallevel," a Bench led by CJI NV Ramanatold senior advocate Devdatt Kamat.

Seeking to challenge the KarnatakaHigh Court's interim order restrainingstudents from wearing religious dresstill it decided the issues arising out ofthe hijab controversy, Kamat urged thetop court to take up the matter onMonday.

CONTD ON PAGE 38

U.S. urges Canada to use federalpowers to end bridge blockade

THE AMBASSADOR BRIDGE IS THE BUSIEST U.S.-CANADIAN BORDER CROSSING,CARRYING 25% OF ALL TRADE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES, AND THE EFFECTS OF

THE BLOCKADE THERE WERE FELT RAPIDLY.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The Bidenadministration urged Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau's government Thursday,February 10, to use its federal powers to endthe truck blockade by Canadians protestingthe country's COVID-19 restrictions, as thebumper-to-bumper demonstration forcedauto plants on both sides of the border toshut down or scale back production,according to an AP report.

For the fourth straight day, scores oftruckers taking part in what they dubbedthe Freedom Convoy blocked theAmbassador Bridge connecting Windsor,Ontario, to Detroit, disrupting the flow ofauto parts and other products between thetwo countries.

CONTD ON PAGE 38

Truckers protest against COVID-19 vaccinemandates - File photo

NEW YORK (TIP): The United Stateshas said Russia is also dispatching some30,000 troops to Ukraine's neighborBelarus for the exercises that started onThursday, February 10.

Russia and Belarus launched jointmilitary drills on Thursday, February 10that heightened tensions and added urgencyto diplomatic efforts by NATO leaders toavert a feared invasion of Ukraine.

The war games, set to run untilFebruary 20, are the latest point ofcontention between Russia and the Westover Ukraine. Kyiv quickly denouncedthe maneuvers as "psychologicalpressure".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves LeDrian called the exercises "a very violentgesture", while British ForeignSecretary Liz Truss used a visit toMoscow to accuse Russia of attempting"to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty".

NATO Secretary General Jens

Stoltenberg said the buildup was "adangerous moment for Europeansecurity".

Western leaders have been warningfor weeks that Russia could be preparingto escalate an eight-year separatistconflict in east Ukraine after building upof some 1,00,000 troops around theformer Soviet state. The United Stateshas said Russia is also dispatching some30,000 troops to Ukraine's neighborBelarus for the exercises that started onThursday.

CONTD ON PAGE 38

Russia launches Belarus militarydrills as West fears Ukraine invasion

INDIAN-ORIGIN COP NEILBASU IN SHORT-LIST TO

BE SCOTLAND YARD CHIEF

LONDON (TIP): Neil Basu, anIndian-origin British police officer, iswidely believed in political and mediacircles to be in a short-list ofcandidates who could become the nextLondon Metropolitan PoliceCommissioner or chief of thehallowed Scotland Yard.

But his plain-speaking in the pastmay have rubbed decision-makersPrime Minister Boris Johnson andHome Secretary Priti Patel the wrongway. The post of police commissionerof the British capital became vacanton Thursday after the incumbentCressida Dick, the first woman to

CONTD ON PAGE 38

Neil Basu, an Indian-origin British police

officer is considered tobe in line for Scotland

Yard chief - A videograb

INDIA SLAMS UN TERRORREPORT FOR 'IGNORING'

JEM, LASHKAR LINKS

UNITED NATIONS (TIP): India hasexpressed dismay at the failure of theUN Secretary General's report on ISIS totake note of the close links betweenproscribed terrorist groups, such asPakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba andJaish-e-Mohammad, despite New Delhirepeatedly flagging these concerns.

CONTD ON PAGE 38

"It is essential that wedon't lose sight of theease with which theproscribed Haqqani

Network, with supportfrom their patron state,have worked along with

prominent terroristorganizations like Al-Qaida and ISIS-K inSouth Asia," said

Ambassador Tirumurti,India's Permanent

Representative to theUnited Nations

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FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 02GUEST COMMENT

National icon, an emblem of excellence, LataMangeshkar united us all

Zara aankh mein bhar lo paani… asiconic Lata Mangeshkar passesinto eternity, citizens of India have

every reason to mourn. A two-daynational mourning in her honor,befitting the Bharat Ratna recipient,however, will not be enough to fill thegnawing void she leaves behind. Indeed,once we recover from the immeasurableloss, we will find many more reasons tocherish her legacy and hum hercountless songs. For here was a timelessvoice which could melt the heart ofIndia's first Prime Minister JawaharlalNehru, and her demise makes thecurrent one 'anguished beyond words.'Beyond political affiliations, caste, creed,class and religion, even borders, sheunited music lovers of all hues, not justBollywood aficionados. Singer ofthousands of songs in umpteenlanguages and many genres, she was that

rare artiste who could connect with all ofIndia and bridge the chasm with itsneighbor Pakistan too.

Born on September 28, 1929, in a familysteeped in classical musical tradition,her singing talent was both spotted andhoned by her father Pandit DeenanathMangeshkar. His early demise propelledher towards the world of acting and latersinging - she rendered her first song at

13. Soon, she was to become not just thevoice but also the soul of Hindi filmmusic. So exalted was her stature thatlegendary composer SD Burmanfamously said, 'Give me a harmonium,give me Lata, and I will make music.'

Her passion for music was bestexemplified in her songs, a wellspring ofemotions, and her zest for life wasreflected in her love for movies, cricket,cars and Mozart. Clearly, her passionswere as diverse as her melodiousrepertoire. Singers may come and go,Lata's place in the annals of musicalhistory is irreplaceable. An emblem ofexcellence, as we recall her song Ek pyarka nagma, the lines Kuch kho kar paanahai kuch paa kar khona hai… jeevan kamatlab toh aana aur jaana hai acquire aprofound meaning. In her we have lost aprecious gem and in her again we founda timeless treasure. (Tribune, India)

National icon Lata Mangeshkar - File photo

The hijab controversy inKarnataka's educationalinstitutions and the attack last

week on Asaduddin Owaisi duringelectioneering in Uttar Pradesh cannotbe wished away as incidents without anylink. Both represent the outcome ofpatronage to rabid communal messagingthat appears to celebrate bigotry, whilemaking a boisterous jump fromsubtleties to brazenness. If the politicalclass still chooses to be blind to theconsequences of normalization of aculture of hate and otherization, thecountry will have to bear the brunt, andat a terrible cost. A narrative ofmanufactured insecurities that wants

the conversation to be centered around'us' versus 'them' is being allowed to seepits way into the delicate social fabric.The free run for the militant mutation ofprejudices poses a grave threat.

All-round condemnation of violenceand vitriol in any form can be construedas tokenism at best in the absence of anysubstantial and visible action that showsthe intent to clamp down onradicalization. Owaisi's speech in theLok Sabha, a day after he escaped unhurtwhen his car came under attack inHapur, is a reminder of how minds arebeing polluted, with no counter-effortsforthcoming. The four-time MP'srejection of the Z-category security

cover can be seen as political positioningbut offering a posse of securitypersonnel ignores the larger issue. Thetalk of two Indias, one based on love andthe other being created on hatred, is nomore some fictional construct.

Polarization has not raised its uglyhead for the first time in UP elections,but the efforts at crass communalizationof the campaign call for urgent attentionof the Election Commission. How andwhy all sorts of boundaries have beencrossed is acutely disturbing and needsanswers. Not acting is not an option. Atstake is not only the credibility of theinstitution, but all that the Constitutionstands for. (Tribune, India)

Culture of hate: Bigotry, communalizationare having a free run

Barely two days before the firstphase of polling in Uttar Pradesh,the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the

BJP released their election manifestos.With large-scale unemployment being apressing issue, the SP has promised tobring in an 'Urban EmploymentGuarantee Act', while the latter hasannounced that it will provide at leastone job or self-employment opportunityto every household. Freebies figureprominently in the Samajwadi VachanPatra as well as the BJP's Lok KalyanSankalp Patra, even as the SupremeCourt recently gave four weeks to theCentre and the Election Commission ofIndia (ECI) to submit their replies on apetition seeking directions to freeze theelection symbol or deregister a partythat promises or distributes 'irrational'

freebies in the run-up to the polls.Both parties have gone all out to woo

the farming community, which is amake-or-break vote bank, especially so inthe wake of the year-long agitationagainst the three farm laws. The SP haspromised that all small and marginalfarmers owning less than two acres ofland will get two bags of DAP fertilizer,five bags of urea, electricity forirrigation and interest-free loans. Theother sops include two LPG cylindersevery year to BPL families, one liter ofpetrol to all two-wheeler owners andthree liters of petrol and 6 kg of CNG permonth to auto-rickshaw drivers. TheBJP's manifesto mentions free electricityfor irrigation; free scooty formeritorious girl students under RaniLaxmibai Yojana; two crore tablets and

smartphones under the SwamiVivekanand Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana;and two free LPG cylinders (one each onHoli and Diwali) to every beneficiary ofPM Ujjwala Yojana.

Late last month, the apex court hadexpressed concern that the politics offreebies was depriving the elections of alevel playing field. However, it's obviousthat various political parties cannotresist the temptation of reaching out tovoters through allurements. The so-called vision documents are mostlyaimed at short-term gains. The onus ison the ECI to frame specific guidelineson poll-time competitive populism toprevent the deluge of sops from vitiatingthe poll process.

(Tribune, India)

Deluge of freebies: Parties vie with eachother to woo voters at any cost

NY/NJ/CT THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 03Veteran Community leader Gobind

Munjal is inaugurated as President ofThe Association of Indians in America

NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TAKES OATH OF OFFICE AT A VIRTUAL CEREMONY

LONG ISLAND, NY (TIP): Gobind Munjal, the newlyelected National President of The Association of Indiansin America (AIA), was sworn-in along with his NationalExecutive Committee in an exciting Inaugurationceremony arranged virtually on Sunday February 6, 2022.

The occasion was graced by the chief guest HonorableConsul General Randhir Jaiswal, Hon. Congressman TomSuozzi, and Hon. New York Senator Kevin Thomas. TheInauguration and Oath ceremony was attended by wellover one hundred attendees and their families. Thisincluded AIA founding members, board of Trustees, AIANational Past Presidents, AIA current and past chapterPresidents, community leaders, AIA members, friends,and all the media partners.

Bharat Ratna legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar wasgiven homage by observing a moment of silence. It wasfollowed by melodious singing of American and IndianNational Anthem by Gita Setia.

The Chairman Board of Trustees, Dr Samin Sharmainitiated the program and spoke briefly about AIA. ChiefGuest Hon. Consul General of India in New York, RandhirJaiswal. in his opening Remarks, praised AIA for all that ithas done for the community during its 55 years of historyand commended the organization for sending oxygenconcentrators to India in 2021. He also pledged to workwith AIA for outreach to the community.

National President Gobind Munjal was sworn-in byHonorable Congressman Tom Suozzi, who alsoadministered the oath to Vice Presidents UmaSwaminathan (NJ), Nilima Madan (NY), Santosh Pandey(IL), Uma Eniasivam (Fl), Secretary Gunjan Rastogi (NY)and Treasurer Dr. Bal Gilja (NY). Honorable NYS SenatorKevin Thomas had the honors for swearing-in themembers at large from all the states, namely Anil Sharma(IL), Aridaman Jain (NJ), Ashish Sen (IL), Dr. BhartiPalkhiwala (NJ), Dr Binod K. Verma (NY), Gobind Bhatija(NY), Manoranjan Mishra (IL), Maya Kirpalani (FL),

Neelam Modi (NY), OM Dhirgra (IL), Pradeep Tandon(NY), Prem Mehrotra (IL), Rajeev Chaudhary(NY) RamKhanna (NY), Santosh Khera (NY), Sharmistha Dutta(FL), Shashi Malik (NY), Sujata Seth (NY), SushmaKotahwala (NY), Usha Bansal (NY).

In his speech, National President Munjal welcomedeveryone and shared a glimpse of his vision. In pursuingthe AIA's moto of "Indian Heritage and AmericanCommitment", he emphasized that: "We are here to servethe community needs. As we continue to direct our help tothe people in India, our homeland, we should equallyremain committed to the community right here in theUnited States, our adopted homeland. We hope to work

towards increasing that commitment.As the demographic profile of the Indian American

Community has changed in past 5 decades since thefounding of AIA, so are their needs. We remain committedto understanding the changing requirements of thecommunity, and then will develop Programs to help both -the Youth and the Elderly. NEC pledges support to all theChapter Presidents and its members, so they all can buildand expand on these programs across the nation. This waytogether, we can make the next two years most productive".

A plaque was presented to the outgoing NationalPresident Dr. Urmilesh Arya for her splendid service andall the contributions to the organization and thecommunity.

All AIA leadership extended their good wishes andsupport. The program concluded with a traditional vote ofthanks by the secretary.

The program on Zoom was very well planned andexecuted and was appreciated by all. It was mentioned thatas soon as the covid conditions improve, an in-personevent will be planned in the near future.

The Association of Indians in America (AIA) is theoldest not-for-profit organization of Asian Indians inAmerica founded on August 20, 1967. It is the grassrootsnational organization of Asian immigrants in UnitedStates. With chapters and membership spread across theUnited States of America, AIA represents the hopes andaspirations of those immigrants who are united by theircommon bond of Indian Heritage and AmericanCommitment.

Gobind Munjal is administered the oath of office by CongressmanTom Suozzi

AIA Officers take oath of office

Clockwise: Dr. Sameen Sharma, Satish Khanna, Dr. Jagdish Gupta,Nilima Madan, Asmita Bhatia, Mukesh Modi

Clockwise: AIA National President Gobind Munjal, Dr. UrmileshArya , the outgoing President, Dr. Samin Sharma, Congressman

Tom Suozzi

Elon Musk’s Neuralink allegedly subjected monkeys to‘extreme suffering’: New York Post

NEW YORK (TIP): ElonMusk's brain-chip companyNeuralink is facing a legalchallenge from an animal rightsgroup that has accused thecompany of subjecting monkeysto "extreme suffering" duringyears of gruesome experiments, aNew York Post report says.

Neuralink's brain chips - whichMusk claims will one day makehumans hyper-intelligent and let

paralyzed people walk again -were implanted in monkeys'brains during a series of tests atthe University of California,Davis from 2017 to 2020, accordingto a compliant from thePhysicians Committee forResponsible Medicine filed withthe US Department of Agricultureon Thursday, February 3.

In one example, a monkey wasallegedly found missing some of

its fingers and toes "possibly fromself-mutilation or some otherunspecified trauma." The monkeywas later killed during a"terminal procedure," the groupsaid in a copy of the complaintshared with The Post.

In another case, a monkey hadholes drilled in its skull andelectrodes implanted into itsbrain, then allegedly developed abloody skin infection and had to

be euthanized, according to thecomplaint.

In a third instance, a femalemacaque monkey had electrodesimplanted into its brain, then wasovercome with vomiting, retchingand gasping. Days later,researchers wrote that the animal"appeared to collapse fromexhaustion/fatigue" and wassubsequently euthanized.

CONTD ON PAGE 6Elon Musk

Photo / courtesy Wikipedia

INDIAN ABROAD THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 04

INDIAN-ORIGIN ORGANDONOR IN SINGAPORE

AWARDED FOR GIVING NEWLEASE OF LIFE TO BABY

SINGAPORE (TIP): SakthibalanBalathandautham, an Indian-originsenior sales executive in Singapore,has received the "The Straits TimesSingaporean of the Year 2021" awardfor donating a part of his liver to a one-year-old girl he had never met before, amedia report said on Wednesday,February 9.

The 28-year-old, who received theaward from President Halimah Yacobon Wednesday, donated 23 per cent ofhis liver to baby Rheya on September30, 2020, responding to a plea on socialmedia in July 2020 by a young Indiancouple looking for a liver donor fortheir one-year-old child, The StraitsTimes newspaper reportedBalathandautham's generous gesturehas given a new lease of life to Rheya,who was diagnosed with biliaryatresia a few weeks after her birth in2019.

Organ donor who gave baby Rheyaa new lease of life is STSingaporean of the Yearhttps://t.co/vYdeWinSw6

- The Straits Times

(@straits_times) February 9, 2022

(Read full story atwww.theindianpanorama.news)

Singapore’s Indian-origin opposition leader PritamSingh faces probe for covering a fellow MP's lie

SINGAPORE (TIP): A parliamentary committee inSingapore has recommended that Leader of theOpposition Pritam Singh be referred to the publicprosecutor for further investigations if criminalproceedings should be instituted on his conduct beforea panel that probed his fellow lawmaker for lying in theHouse last year, according to media reports onThursday, February 10.

The Indian-origin Singh, 45, is Secretary-General ofThe Workers' Party (WP) and Member of Parliament.He was appointed Leader of the Opposition after the2020 General Election.

Media reports said Singh and WP vice-chairmanFaisal Manap should be referred to the publicprosecutor to "consider if criminal proceedings oughtto be instituted", due to Singh's conduct during thecommittee's probe and Faisal's refusal to answerrelevant questions.

The Committee of Privileges, chaired by Speaker ofParliament Tan Chuan-Jin, was looking into WP MPRaeesah Khan's conduct after she admitted onNovember 1 that she had lied in Parliament. This wasover a claim that she had accompanied a sexual assaultvictim to a police station where the victim was treatedinsensitively.

The committee comprises six other lawmakers from

the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) as well as WPParliamentarian Dennis Tan.

Tan is a leading member of the PAP which has anabsolute majority in the House.

The committee's recommendations are expected to bedebated when Parliament sits next week, according tothe media report. The committee also recommended

that Khan be fined SGD25,000 for stating an untruth inParliament on August 3.

She repeated the untruth on October 4, for which thecommittee is recommending an additional fine ofSGD10,000.

In November, Khan confessed in Parliament that shehad in fact heard this anecdote in a support group shewas part of and had shared it without the victim'sconsent.

Khan, 29, resigned as a WP member and MP onNovember 30, a mere 15 months after being sworn in asSingapore's youngest MP after the 2020 general election.

Under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities andPowers) Act, if any MP has committed an offence ofdishonorable conduct, abuse of privilege or contempt,Parliament may impose penalties and refer them to anyselect committee for a new probe.

The committee this round decided to refer the WPleaders to a public prosecutor instead, rather thanrecommending a new committee of privileges, becausea new committee may not uncover more evidence, thereport stated. The ruling PAP has 83 seats in the 104-seatHouse, WP has nine seats, with one vacant due toKhan's resignation, and Progress Singapore Party hastwo seats. Nine seats have been allotted to nominatedMPs. (Source: PTI)

Singapore's Indian-origin opposition leader Pritam Singh facesprobe for covering a fellow MP's lie - Photo / courtesy Facebook

Indian-origin woman foundunresponsive at WashingtonDulles airport, hospitalizedWASHINGTON (TIP): A 54-

year-old Indian woman, foundunresponsive in a wheelchairnear the baggage belt atWashington Dulles InternationalAirport, has been saved with thetimely intervention of emergencymedical personnel, according toauthorities who described thesituation as "harrowing".

The Customs and BorderProtection (CBP) on Tuesday,February 8, said the woman, anIndian national and US lawful permanent resident, arrived atthe airport on Sunday evening after a 15-hour flight from Doha,Qatar. Airport ambassadors alerted nearby CBP officers of thewoman being unresponsive in a wheelchair near the baggagebelt. "For a harrowing 10 minutes, US Customs and BorderProtection emergency medical technicians administeredextraordinary lifesaving efforts" on the unresponsive femaletraveler at the airport, the federal agency said in a statement.

Later, airport paramedics regained a pulse on the woman,who has not been identified. The statement added that as pernews from the hospital, the woman was breathing on her own.

Within minutes of finding the woman unresponsive, CBPOfficer Nicholas Karstetter, who is a certified advancedemergency medical technician (EMT), and Supervisory CBPOfficer Herman Hundal, another certified EMT, responded andimmediately initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Two additional CBP officers - Chief Leo Carbone, anothercertified EMT; and Supervisor Harmanpreet Singh - arrivedand took turns administering CPR compressions.

Minutes later, the Metropolitan Washington AirportsAuthority (MWAA) Fire and Rescue arrived and assumedlifesaving efforts with CBP EMT assistance. They then placedthe woman on a stretcher and departed CBP's inspectionstation and soon reported that they regained a pulse. MWAAPolice officers report that the woman was breathing on herown at the hospital.

(Read full story at www.theindianpanorama.news)

Indian-origin Malaysian mansentenced to death for

drug trafficking in Singapore SINGAPORE (TIP): A

Malaysian man of Indian originhas been sentenced to death by acourt here for delivering heroin inSingapore and acting as amiddleman for drug traffickers,according to a media report.

Kishor Kumar Raguan, 41, rodehis motorcycle into Singapore todeliver a bag containing morethan 900 grams of a powderysubstance in July 2016. The fourbundles inside the bag brought inwere later analyzed to contain 36.5grams of heroin.

The law provides for the death penalty if the amount ofheroin trafficked is more than 15 grams.

Singaporean national of Chinese-origin Pung Ah Kiang, 61,who received the bag from Raguan, was sentenced to lifeimprisonment for possessing the drugs for the purpose oftrafficking.

In written grounds released on Friday, High Court JusticeAudrey Lim said she found that both Raguan and Pung knewthat the bundles contained heroin, The Straits Timesnewspaper reported on Friday.

Rejecting Raguan's defense that he believed the bagcontained "stones", the judge said the Indian-origin man, whowas involved in drug activities, had failed to show that hegenuinely believed the bundles contained somethinginnocuous.

She found that Kishor was told that the items to be deliveredwere "kallu", which he knew referred to heroin.

Justice Lim also rejected Pung's claim that he did not knowwhat was in the bag and was merely keeping it temporarily forhis brother-in-law.

She imposed life imprisonment on Pung as he was certifiedby the prosecution to have substantively assisted the CentralNarcotics Bureau (CNB) in disrupting drug traffickingactivities, the report said.


An unresponsive woman atWashington Dulles International

airport has been saved withtimely intervention of

emergency medical personnel

Kishor Kumar Raguan, 41, rodehis motorcycle into Singapore

to deliver a bag containingmore than 900 grams of a

powdery substance in July2016 - Photo for representation

INDIAN ABROAD THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 05Indian Americans condemn

vandalization of Gandhistatue in New York

INDIAN AMERICANHIMANSHU B. PATEL TOADVISE CONGRESSMANSESSIONS ON CRYPTO

WASHINGTON, (D.C.):

Congressman Pete Sessions hasappointed Indian-American HimanshuB Patel as his chief economicdevelopment and energyinfrastructure advisor for his CryptoTechnical Working Group.

In a statement, Sessions said it isvital for the United States and India totake the lead globally on settingstandards on innovative frontiers inareas of financial digital technologiesand energy infrastructuredevelopments.

"I am excited to be working closelywith Himanshu Patel. His counsel isimportant to my team and I as we lookto better educate other policymakersand engage the global businesscommunity. I am confident thatenhanced collaboration betweenknowledgeable experts and world-classleaders will advance efforts on amutually beneficial global scale," hesaid. (Read full story atwww.theindianpanorama.news)

INDIAN AMERICANSOFTWARE ENGINEER INSEATTLE GOES MISSING

SEATTLE, WA (TIP): SaurabhGupte, an Indian American who worksat Amazon went down from his 6thfloor apartment in Trio Condos inSeattle to throw trash on Monday,February 7 morning, and neverreturned, according to local mediareports. "Something has happened,"his wife Shraddha Gupte was cited assaying by KIRO 7. "I don't know whathappened but I'm requesting to everyone of you please please please helpme." Security cameras in the buildingcaptured Gupte, 34, in the parkinggarage when he went down afterfinishing a work meeting around noon,Shraddha said. He then headed back tothe 6th floor to grab the trash and takeit to the chute down the hall. That wasthe last time anyone saw him. (Read fullstory at www.theindianpanorama.news)

NEW YORK (TIP):

I n d i a n - A m e r i c a ncommunity leaders onMonday, February 7,condemned the vandalism ofa statue of Mahatma Gandhiin New York and said this isdisrespect to Gandhi andMartin Luther King, twoleaders who sought toeradicate hate.

A life-sized bronze statueof Mahatma Gandhi wasvandalized in Union Square,New York City on Saturday,February 5. The incidentwas strongly condemned as'despicable' by the Consulate

General of India.The eight-foot-high statue,

located in Manhattan'sUnion Square, was defacedby unknown persons, theIndian Consulate in NewYork had said.

"As an African-Americanpractitioner of the Hindudharma, I am deeplyoffended that anyone woulddisrespect Mahatma Gandhi,who inspired MLK (MartinLuther King) to take up themission of non-violence,which inspired majorchanges in society that arestill positively impacting our

lives today," said BalabhadraBhattacharya Dasa (BennyTillman), president of theVedic Friends Association.

Utsav Chakrabarti,executive director of theHinduPACT said that this isnot the first time that astatue of Gandhi had beenvandalized in the US.

"In the past few years,statues of Mahatma Gandhihave been vandalized bygroups aligned with radicalIslamists and theirsympathizers in South Asiancommunities," he claimed.(Source: PTI)

A life-sized bronze statue of MahatmaGandhi in Union Square, New York City

was vandalized in New York City onSaturday, Feb 5

Indian American Michelin-star chef VikasKhanna partners with Zighrana to launch

signature Made-in-India perfume in New YorkNEW YORK CITY (TIP): A

traditional Indian essence and wellnessproducts company has partnered withMichelin-star chef Vikas Khanna tolaunch a signature Made-in-Indiaperfume here, aiming to usher in a "newdawn" for India's arrival in the globalperfumes industry.

Zighrana has collaborated withKhanna to launch the flagship perfumethat will bear his name and be called"'Vikas Khanna' by Zighrana". Theproduct will be launched on February 14,marked as Valentine's Day, at theConsulate General of India in New York.

A company press release said thelaunch of the 'Make in India' perfume, tobe unveiled by Consul General of Indiain New York Randhir Jaiswal, "willusher in a new dawn for India's arrival inthe global perfumes industry".

Hailing from Kannauj, the perfumecapital of India, the new product isZighrana's "humble attempt to capturethe essence of Incredible India".

The company said it is delighted towork with Khanna, an Indian culturalicon and entrepreneur on the path-breaking venture. In keeping with theMichelin-star chef's culinary expertise,the new perfume 'Vikas Khanna' byZighrana is a "unique blend of spiceslike cloves, cardamom, nutmeg,sandalwood, jasmine and rose whichhave come to define the unique smells ofIndia for more than a millennia."

The company said it has used preciousingredients like pure rose oil that is bothresource and labor intensive to generate,taking nearly 100 kg of flowers to makeas little as 20 gm of rose oil.

Entrepreneur Swapnil Pathak Sharmafrom the company said that through this

unique collaboration, she aims to ensurethat India's age-old fragrance industrygets its due global recognition.

Sharma hails from a family which hasbeen in the field of traditional Indianessence and wellness products since1911. "I have worked hard to ensure thatour latest forte into the perfume industryis at par if not better than the globalstandards of excellence in the perfumeindustry," she told media.

Khanna said in a tweet that since hemoved to the US in 2000 his "mission is tobring Indian Culture, Cuisine, Arts &history with me. I'm completelydedicated to choose projects thatrepresent those values. Proud to bringthe legacy of #Kannauj India's perfumecapital in form of#VikasKhannaByZighrana on Feb 14."

Khanna had posted a photo holding thesignature perfume bearing his name,along with Jaiswal, Sharma and herfather, Akhilesh Pathak.

On the collaboration with Khanna,Sharma said the world-renowned chefand entrepreneur is a cultural brandambassador for incredible India and heunderstands both India's rich traditionas well as its place in the modern world.

"Our discussions revealed that we have

to come up with an aroma that is areflection of the great Indian culinary,and given his background as a world-class chef there was nothing better butto develop a perfume inspired by ourspices as his signature perfume," shesaid.

With the launch, Zighrana aims tomake an entry into the globalmarketplace of perfumes with the brandnew product "which showcases the soulof India in the global cultural capital ofNew York," the release added. Throughthe flagship perfume, Sharma said sheaims to bring forth the history andlegacy of her family of being in thefragrance industry for 111 years.

"It's high time India should mark itsstrong presence in the fragrance marketand reach out to the world. New York isan intersection of different culturalinfluences," which makes it the idealplatform to project the Indian heritage ofperfumery.

"It is an honest attempt to bring theIndian fragrance to the world stage,given that I am the fourth generation inthis industry," she said.

Going forward, Sharma said she plansto come out with more distinctfragrances representing India's historyand culture.

"We will be coming up soon withperfume on 'Kannauj' and also a uniquefragrance developed for celebratingIndia's 75 years of independence in theform of 'India at 75'."

The company will also be diversifyingits portfolio and wants to bring itstraditional attars in the US market,besides exploring opportunities in thescented candles market.

(Based on a press release)

Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna

Congressman PeteSessions has appointedHimanshu Patel as his

chief economicdevelopment and energyinfrastructure advisor for

his Crypto TechnicalWorking Group.

Seattle police is searching for Saurabh Gupte(seen here with wife Shraddha Gupte) who

went down in his apartment building to throwtrash and never returned

contd from page 3

ELON MUSK'S NEURALINKALLEGEDLY SUBJECTEDMONKEYS TO 'EXTREMESUFFERING': NEW YORKPOST

An autopsy then showed the monkeyhad suffered from a brain hemorrhage,according to the report.

MONKEYS : The experiments

involved drilling holes in monkeys'brains, leading to fatal infections andother deadly side effects, according to thecomplaint.

Elon Musk's Neuralink conductedgruesome tests on monkeys for years,according to a new complaint from ananimal rights group.

The experiments involved 23 monkeysin all. At least 15 of them died or wereeuthanized by 2020, according to thegroup, which based the report on recordsreleased through California's open

records law."Pretty much every single monkey that

had had implants put in their headsuffered from pretty debilitating healtheffects," Jeremy Beckham, the PhysiciansCommittee for Responsible Medicine'sresearch advocacy director, told The Post."They were, frankly, maiming and killingthe animals."

The macabre report comes as Neuralinkplans to begin its first human tests. Musksaid in December that he wants to starthuman trials for the devices in 2022 andthe company posted a job listing for aclinical trial director this January.

The group behind the report, thePhysicians Committee for ResponsibleMedicine, advocates for veganism andalternatives to animal testing - positionsthat have sometimes put the group at oddswith the American Medical Association.It has also previously received fundingfrom controversial animal rights groupPETA, The Guardian reported.

The group doesn't currently have "anyrelationship with PETA" but sometimesworks on overlapping issues, Beckham said.

The organization is accusing Neuralinkand UC Davis of nine violations of thefederal Animal Welfare Act - a federalmeasure designed to reduce sufferingduring animal experiments.

"Many, if not all, of the monkeysexperienced extreme suffering as a resultof inadequate animal care and the highlyinvasive experimental head implantsduring the experiments, which wereperformed in pursuit of developing whatNeuralink and Elon Musk have publicly

described as a 'brain-machine interface,'"the group wrote in its complaint to theUSDA.

"These highly invasive implants andtheir associated hardware, which areinserted in the brain after drilling holesin the animals' skulls, have producedrecurring infections in the animals,significantly compromising their health,as well as the integrity of the research."

The group is also suing UC Davis in anattempt to make them release morephotos, videos and information about themonkeys under California's publicrecords laws.

The alleged abuses come in starkcontrast to publicly shared materialsfrom Neuralink. In a video posted onYouTube last April, the company showeda healthy and happy-seeming monkeyplaying the video game Pong with itsbrain.

Neuralink and UC Davis did notimmediately respond to requests forcomment. A UC Davis spokesperson toldFortune that its work with Neuralinkended in 2020 and that the university'sInstitutional Animal Care and UseCommittee had "thoroughly reviewed andapproved" its project with Neuralink.

Elon Musk says Neuralink will one daycure paralysis and make humans smarter.

"We strive to provide the best possiblecare to animals in our charge," thespokesperson added. "Animal research isstrictly regulated, and UC Davis followsall applicable laws and regulationsincluding those of the U.S. Department ofAgriculture."

NY/NJ/CT THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 06Legislator MuléAttends Nassau

County PBALeadership Breakfast

ROSLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. (TIP): Nassau County LegislatorDebra Mulé (D - Freeport) joined her colleagues in localgovernment at the Nassau County Police BenevolentAssociation (PBA) Government Leadership Breakfast onMonday, Feb. 7. Held at 388 Restaurant in Roslyn Heights, thebreakfast was hosted in honor of new PBA President TommyShevlin and the organization's Executive Board.

"I was heartened by President Shevlin's passion forimproving access to mental health care in police departmentsand diffusing the stigma in our society that inhibits peoplefrom seeking the help they need and deserve," Legislator Mulésaid. "It was a pleasure to hear directly from him at this event,and I look forward to continuing to work closely with ourpartners in law enforcement to keep Nassau County the safestin the nation."

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Mayor Adams announcesCommissioner of Department of

Consumer and Worker Protection

NEW YORK (TIP): New York City Mayor EricAdams, on February 8 announced two newappointments to fill out his economicdevelopment team and deliver on his vision foruplifting and protecting working New Yorkers.Vilda Vera Mayuga will serve as commissioner ofthe Department of Consumer and WorkerProtection (DCWP). As commissioner, Mayugawill deepen the agency's mission of ensuringthere are robust protections in place for cityworkers and consumers, and that suchprotections are fairly and equitably applied. JoseOrtiz, Jr. will serve as senior advisor forworkforce development. In that role, he willadvise Deputy Mayor for Economic andWorkforce Development Maria Torres-Springeron strategies for better coordinating the city's

workforce development programs to aid the city'srecovery from COVID-19 and ensure people fromunderserved communities have access to good-paying jobs.

"As a blue-collar mayor, I am focused onbuilding a team that serves the needs of workingNew Yorkers throughout the five boroughs," saidMayor Adams. "From preparing workers for jobsin emerging industries to ensuring dignity andeconomic justice in the workplace, myadministration has an ambitious agenda to 'GetStuff Done' for the hard-working people of thiscity. Vilda and Jose have been doing this work fora long time, and I am thrilled to have them joinour economic development team as we work tobuild an equitable recovery."


"As a blue-collar mayor, I am focusedon building a team that serves the

needs of working New Yorkersthroughout the five boroughs," said

Mayor Adams

Vilda Vera Mayuga has been appointedCommissioner of Department of

Consumer and Worker Protection

José Ortiz, Jr. has been appointedSenior Advisor for Workforce

DevelopmentA group of people at the breakfast - Photo / Office of Legislator Debra Mulé

ADVT THE INDIAN PANORAMA


"DEFENDERS OF THEMARKET FORGETTHAT A SOCIETYTHAT IS INDIFFERENTTO THE NEEDS OFTHE DEPRIVEDBREEDS ITS OWNCONTRADICTIONS.WE WITNESSED ANINSTANCE OF THISFRUSTRATION LASTMONTH WHENTHOUSANDS OFRESTLESS,THWARTED ANDANGRY PEOPLE SETTRAINCOMPARTMENTS ONFIRE. THEIR RAGE ISUNDERSTANDABLE.THIS IS PERHAPS THEBEGINNING OF ACRISIS. THE CRISISOF UNEMPLOYMENTWILL RELENTLESSLYEXACERBATEPOLITICALDISCONTENT.THE DIVIDE: POLICY-MAKERS SHOULDTAKE INTO ACCOUNTTHAT A SUBSTANTIALCHUNK OF THEPOPULATION LIVESBEYOND THE PALE OFMARKET FORCES."

According to the 2022 OxfamReport, 'Inequality Kills', in 2021,4.6 crore Indians fell into extreme

poverty. In the same year, the wealth ofbillionaires increased from Rs 23.14 lakhcrore to Rs 53.15 lakh crore. The Centrefor Monitoring Indian Economy reportsthat 95 per cent of 3.05 crore Indians, ofwhich 95 per cent are below the age of 29,are unemployed. As many as 1.8 crore ofthis number is graduates. If we careabout our fellow citizens and about howthey live, we should take serious note ofthese numbers.

Poverty is not mere statistics.Statistics indicate that our people live indestitution. There is more, for povertybreeds multiple deprivations. The poorare not only denied access to basic needs,but they are also socially marginalized,politically insignificant in terms of'voice' as distinct from the 'vote',dismissed and subjected to intensedisrespect in and through the practicesof everyday life.

There was a time when policymakers,charged by notions of redistributivejustice, focused on progressive taxation,land redistribution, right to work,employment generation, quality of work,education and health of the workingclass. After the collapse of the socialistworld in 1989, they casually abandonedgrand visions of a decent society inwhich people encountered each other asequals, and not as members of twodifferent worlds defined by garish wealthand mind-numbing poverty, respectively.We entered an era marked by the victoryof political liberalism; a liberalism thathad been pounded out of shape by theeconomics of neo-liberalism.

Across the world, the state withdrewfrom commitment to the well-being of itscitizens and transited to what has beencalled the 'entrepreneurial' state. Thebelief that citizens have to create theirown jobs, irrespective of the quality ofwork, is integral to neo-liberalism. Theideology simply does not recognize thatthe state throws needy individuals ontothe not so tender mercies of the market.

Generations of socialist thinkers havetold us that the market has place only forthose who can buy, and for those who canfind buyers for the commodities theyoffer. It has neither compassion nor needfor those who are born into poverty, andwho spend their time looking for ahandful of grain. We forget these lessons.And defenders of the market forget that asociety that is indifferent to the needs ofthe deprived breeds its owncontradictions. We witnessed aninstance of this frustration last monthwhen thousands of restless, thwartedand angry young people set traincompartments on fire. Their rage isunderstandable; they cannot find a placein the lower rungs of governmentservices, while other young people drivepast in flashy cars, live lives of luxuryand inhabit opulent neighborhoods.

This is, perhaps, the beginning of acrisis. The crisis of unemployment willrelentlessly exacerbate politicaldiscontent. The former cannot beresolved by sops to reduce poverty. Thelatter can hardly be resolved by promisesof cash transfers during elections. In thedebate on equality, the philosophicalschool of sufficientarianism suggeststhat people should be given enough toeat; how does it matter if they areunequal? Egalitarians insist that thechallenge is not only about giving peopleenough to eat; it is about the right ofeveryone to participate in social,economic and political transactions asequals. The objective of equality is toenable people to be authors of their ownlives. People can hardly write their ownhistory if they are told condescendinglyduring elections: 'Give me your vote andI will give you a thousand or so rupees.' Isthis all India's power elites owe the poor?Not structural change?

It is time we take a once valued conceptout of the closet, dust it, refashion it tosuit our times, and present a picture ofthe world we should be living in, insteadof the world we do live in. The concept isthat of social democracy. Socialdemocracy is, as all concepts in political

theory are, contested. The mostpersuasive case for social democracy isoffered by Polish philosopher LeszekKolakowski (1927-2009). The concept, hesaid, offers no ultimate solution forhumankind. It merely speaks of 'anobstinate will to erode by inches theconditions which produce avoidablesuffering, oppression, hunger, wars,racial and national hatred, insatiablegreed and vindictive envy.' These ills ofthe human condition have to be foughtthrough forms of collective action.Collective action has to concentrate onthe antidote to poverty and inequality:social democracy which promotes well-being. Leaders cast, but an occasionaleye on the suffering, and charitablyextend a thousand rupees here and athousand there as a personal favor. In ademocracy, citizens do not need charity,they have rights to freedom and equality.They do not need the largesse of amedieval monarch, nor do they need tothank him repeatedly.

Social democracy lacks the fire andthunder of regressive right-wingpolitics. It lacks the romanticimagination of a post-revolutionary,perfectly egalitarian world. But it doestell us that a world where little childrendo not have to beg for cast-off food inbare feet and tattered clothes, is far, farbetter than the one in which people's lifechances are shaped by inequality. Anindividual who is unequal to others insociety can hardly write her own history.Inequality fosters unfreedom. In history,revolutions have been inspired byfreedom, but also equality.

(The author is a Political Scientist)

AS I SEE IT THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 08BY NEERA

CHANDHOKEDemocracy should bridge

economic chasmPOVERTY IS NOT MERESTATISTICS. STATISTICS

INDICATE THAT OURPEOPLE LIVE IN

DESTITUTION. THERE ISMORE, FOR POVERTYBREEDS MULTIPLE

DEPRIVATIONS. THEPOOR ARE NOT ONLYDENIED ACCESS TO

BASIC NEEDS, BUT THEYARE ALSO SOCIALLY

MARGINALIZED,POLITICALLY

INSIGNIFICANT INTERMS OF 'VOICE' ASDISTINCT FROM THE

'VOTE', DISMISSED ANDSUBJECTED TO INTENSE

DISRESPECT IN ANDTHROUGH THEPRACTICES OF

EVERYDAY LIFE.

The gap between the rich and the poor is to be seen everywhere in India

PERSPECTIVE THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 09BY BRINDA

KARATIs Wearing Hijab on Campus

A Law and Order Issue?"THE CONFRONTATIONS BEINGORGANIZED, AND DIVISIONSCREATED AMONG THE YOUTH AT ATIME WHEN LAKHS OF STUDENTSHAVE SUFFERED A LOSS OFEDUCATION BECAUSE OF ONLINELEARNING WHICH THEY COULD NOTACCESS, IS NOTHING SHORT OFCRIMINAL. WHAT IS BEING PLAYEDOUT IS THE OPEN AND BLATANTPROMOTION OF THE HINDUTVAAGENDA EXTENDED TOEDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. THECORONA PANDEMIC IS BEINGREPLACED BY THE COMMUNALPANDEMIC, A VIRUS CREATED IN THELABORATORY OF THE HINDUTVAFORCES, LEADING TO A LOCKDOWNOF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS,RUINING THE LIVES OF YOUNGPEOPLE."

There is nothing controversial aboutMuslim girls wanting to wear aheadscarf, referred to (incorrectly)

as a "hijab". But describing the happeningsin BJP-ruled Karnataka as the " hijabcontroversy" is misleading. It is nothing ofthe kind. It is an outright assault on theright to education of young Muslimwomen, guaranteed to them by the law andthe Constitution of India. It is significantthat even the National Human RightsCommission, thought to be pro-government under its new chief, issuednotice to the district authorities in Udipi onJanuary 27after it received a complaintstating " Facts of the case are disturbing.The allegations made in the complaint areserious in nature involving 'Right toEducation'. The case therefore involvesgrave violation of human rights of thevictim students."

It is thus very disappointing that thesingle bench of the Karnataka High Courtdid not grant an interim stay against theKarnataka government' s whollyunwarranted and misconceived order ofFebruary 5 which has jeopardized thefuture of hundreds of young Muslimwomen studying for their final Class 12exams scheduled in just two months. Theorder wrongly invokes Section 133 (2) of theKarnataka Education Act, 1983, to statethat students have to wear the dress chosenby the college Development Committee orthe Appellate Committee of theAdministrative Board of Pre-UniversityColleges, which come under the Pre-University Education Department. In theevent of the Administrative Committee notselecting a uniform, "clothes which disturbequality, integrity and public law and ordershould not be worn. " The use of thisparticular section 133(2) is itselfquestionable since it permits directintervention by the state government inmatters pertaining to " development ofeducation." Uniforms surely do not fit into

this category.The intent of this dubious phrasing is

clear enough. In Karnataka, CollegeDevelopment Committees are headed bythe elected MLA of the area in which thecollege is located. The PU college in Udipidistrict, where the issue first started, isheaded by the BJP MLA on whose watchthe decision was taken to impose the banon entering campuses for girls wearingheadscarves, even though the college hasno such rules against the wearing of aheadscarf. The Bajrang Dal Udipi districtsecretary Surender Koteshwar warnedthat "If the college allows students to wearhijab on campus, they would make allHindu students put on saffron shawlsinside the campus."

He put this plan into action withgovernment patronage. First, thegovernment, through its network of non-state actors like him and the Bajrang Dalmobilized aggressive young men wearingsaffron scarves as a counter, then it allowedthem to march to colleges where Muslimgirls were being shut out at the gates, itspolice forces standing by as spectators asgirls were heckled and harassed, and then,in the name of being "even-handed", itissued an order which in effect held thatthe headscarf could cause a public law andorder problem and was thereforeprohibited, whether the college had such arule or not. In fact, another college, theBhandarkars Arts and Science DegreeCollege, which is also in the Udipi district,had permitted girls to wear headscarvesand specified that the coloring should bethe same as the dupatta. But today, in spiteof this rule, girls are being kept out of thiscollege. Is this not blatantly unfair? Thiskind of targeting of Muslim girls leads to acounter-response among the community,and wearing a headscarf becomes asymbol of protest even for those who neverwore one. This is also what we seedeveloping in Karnataka. In such asituation, the grounds are laid forextremist Muslim organizations who arenot in support of women's freedom topromote their fundamentalist ideology.

It is being presented as if the veryconcept of a uniform in educational

institutions is being opposed by the girls.The Karnataka Education Minister BCNagesh stated, " I have appealed to all thesestudents to honor the uniform prescribedby the government. I am also making itclear that those who want to defy thegovernment's school uniform regulationscannot enter their schools and attendclasses. " Muslim girls are wearing theprescribed uniform. They are, in addition,covering their heads with a headscarf.They are not replacing their uniform witha burkha. They are not using a veil to covertheir face. When boys of the Sikh religionwear turbans. are they defying thegovernment's orders on uniforms? Arethere any rules anywhere in India whichprevent a Sikh boy or girl from coveringtheir head? Why should there be doublestandards? No one is against uniforms ineducational institutions. There is nodefiance of uniform regulations in the caseof a Muslim girl wearing a headscarf.

The contention that this could be a lawand order issue is absurd. All these years, ithas never been a public law and orderproblem anywhere in Karnataka or indeed,India. In neighboring Kerala, Muslimstudents may if they choose, wear aheadscarf. Many choose not to. There is nocompulsion either way. There has been nolaw and order problem created by girlswearing headscarves in Kerala. It is a statewhich has the highest literacy rate amongMuslim women and also the highestenrolment of Muslim girls in highersecondary schools. The reference to publicorder in the Karnataka governmentdirective is deliberate. Article 25 of theConstitution states "(1) Subject to publicorder, morality and health and to the otherprovisions of this Part, all persons areequally entitled to freedom of conscienceand the right freely to profess, practice andpropagate religion." By bringing in theissue of public order, the government isbuilding a case that its stand is protected bythe Constitution since in this case " theright to profess, practice and propagatereligion" is leading to a problem of publicorder.

There is a specific case dealt by theKerala High Court (Amnah Bint Basheer

vs CBSE 2016) which has held that wearinga headscarf and long sleeves for a Muslimwoman is "an essential religious practice"which has the protection of Article 25. Thecase concerned a Muslim female candidatewho was offended by the CBSE dress codestipulating short sleeves for women and nohead covering on the grounds that itviolated her fundamental rights underSection 25. The court upheld her objectionsince the CBSE directive was to prevent thesmuggling in of materials to cheat and wasnot connected to public order or morality.However, the judgement also instructed thecandidate to subject herself to physicalinspection by CBSE-appointed authorities.Thus, the integrity of the examinationprocess was protected, as also herfundamental right. Earlier as well in 2015in another case (Nadia Raheem vs CBSE),the court had upheld the petition of twoMuslim female candidates to wear a headscarf and long sleeves on grounds ofreligious belief. The court noted that in acountry with many religions and diversecustoms, it cannot be insisted that aparticular dress code be followed failingwhich a student would be prohibited fromsitting for the examinations. In this casetoo, the court directed the candidate tosubject herself to physical inspection toaddress CBSE's concerns. It is tocircumvent the implications of thesejudgements that the KarnatakaGovernment has deliberately created apublic law and order problem as a faitaccompli before the court hearings.

The focus should surely be on extendingthe right to education to more and morechildren. Girl students suffereddisproportionately during these two yearsof online classes. According to the Right toEducation Forum. ten million girls in Indiacould drop out of secondary school due tothe COVID-19 pandemic. A Karnatakasurvey, conducted by the Department ofRural Development and Panchayat Raj,whose findings were submitted to the state'sHigh Court in July 2021, found that 1.59 lakhchildren in rural Karnataka did not go toschool. Yet this government is forciblypreventing girls from attending school,pushing a narrow agenda. It would seemthat these Muslim girls are to be excludedas betis - daughters- in the" Beti Bachao,Beti Padao" slogan of the government.

It is a tragedy to see young people'semotions being manipulated so cynicallyby these forces. The confrontations beingorganized, and divisions created among theyouth at a time when lakhs of studentshave suffered a loss of education because ofonline learning which they could notaccess, is nothing short of criminal. Whatis being played out is the open and blatantpromotion of the Hindutva agendaextended to educational institutions. TheCorona pandemic is being replaced by thecommunal pandemic, a virus created in thelaboratory of the Hindutva forces, leadingto a lockdown of educational institutions,ruining the lives of young people.

(The author is an Indian politician) (Source: Wire)

A controversy about Muslim girls wanting to wear a headscarf, referred to (incorrectly) as a "hijab" isdisturbing peace in educational institutions in Karnataka

"A REAL BREAKTHROUGH IN THERECURRING PROBLEM OFAGRICULTURAL DEBT CAN BEMADE BY THE LINKING OFSELLING OF GRAINS UNDER MSPTO PROVISION OF BANK CREDITPARTICULARLY FOR SMALLFARMERS. THE FARMER CAN GETA CERTIFICATE SELLING GRAINSAT MSP WHICH WOULD BE CREDITPOINTS PROPORTIONAL TO THEAMOUNT SOLD; THIS WILLENTITLE THEM TO A BANK LOANAS THEIR RIGHT AND CALIBRATETHE FLUCTUATIONS BETWEENGOOD AND BAD HARVEST YEARSBY STORING THE CERTIFICATESFOR LATER USE. THIS MECHANISMWOULD GO A LONG WAY NOT ONLYIN ADDRESSING THEINDEBTEDNESS IN THE FARMINGCOMMUNITY BUT ALSO HAS THEVIRTUE OF GREATADMINISTRATIVE SIMPLICITY INDISBURSING BANK LOANS."

The ongoing struggle of farmers isnot for political power. It is astruggle to transform Indian

agriculture and the livelihoods of thefarming majority which are in ruins inmost parts of the country. The compulsionof our time is to give a new direction to apeaceful peoples' movement to generatemomentum in small peasant agriculture,which in turn could give real content toour democracy. Setting aside falsepromises of doubling the farmers' incomeby the Government or pretending thatmarket-friendly reforms will do the trick,we propose a different way of designing aminimum support price (MSP).

A background

The massive solidarity (despite deeplydivisive social fault lines) seen in therecent farmers' movement has alreadyshaken the Himalayan arrogance of theGovernment. Maintaining that solidarityis essential, which means MSP must lookespecially into the requirements offarmers and the landless. MSP could serve,in principle, three purposes - pricestabilization in the food grains market,income support to farmers, and also as amechanism for coping with theindebtedness of farmers.

The price stabilization policy for foodgrains in India evolved over time, firstwith the Essential Commodities Act in1955 to counter price rise due tospeculative private trading and then MSPin the 1960s. A buffer stock policy with thepublic storage of food grains for market

intervention was developed over time toinvolve different kinds of mechanismssuch as: setting cost-based minimumprocurement price; paying the differencebetween procurement price and marketprice; storing the procured surplus for salethrough the Public Distribution System(PDS) at issue price, and marketintervention to stabilize price whendeemed necessary. These induced farmersto shift to a high-yielding varietiescropping pattern during the GreenRevolution, while ensuring food securityfor citizens. This task requiredinterlinking procurement, storage anddistribution with more centralizedinvestment and control of each of thesetasks.

Partial coverage

The procurement and PDS from theGreen Revolution period provided assuredprice incentives for rice, wheat and sugar(the flagships of the Green Revolution) butleft out some 20 crops now underdiscussion for MSP including millets,coarse cereals, pulses and oilseeds. As aresult, this partial MSP coverage skewedthe cropping pattern against severalcoarse grains and millets particularly inrain-fed areas. The area under cultivationof rice and wheat from the time of theGreen Revolution till recently increasedfrom 30 million hectares to 44 millionhectares and nine million hectares to 31million hectares, respectively, while that ofcoarse cereals plunged from 37 millionhectares to 25 million hectares. Althoughpart of the diet of many people across thecountry, these left-out crops (grown mostlyin rain-fed conditions) were not madeavailable in ration shops. Almost 68% ofIndian agriculture is rain fed and the cropsgrown in these regions are usually moredrought resistant, nutritious and staple inthe diet of the poorer subsistence farmers.This has been a particularly vulnerablepoint of our food security system; greatercoverage of all 23 crops under MSP is away of improving both food security andincome support to the poorest farmers in

rain-fed regions.

Economic cost

The centralized mechanism forensuring distribution of the procuredstock of rice and wheat at MSP entailsbringing the procured grains tocentralized Food Corporation warehouses.Here they are milled, made ready forconsumption and sent back to eachdistrict/province, and from there tovillages/slums/wards for distributionthrough fair price (ration) shops at anissue price fixed by the government whichis below the market price to make itaffordable for poor households.

The total economic cost involvingsubsidy for selling below market pricealong with procurement costs, distributioncosts of freight, handling, storage, interestand administrative charges along withcosts borne due to transit and storagelosses would be around ?3 lakh-crore.Sugarcane comes under a separatecategory because all this is organizedthrough private sugar mills and is oftenplagued by delays.

If price is charged in a range accordingto harvest conditions, the total economiccost will vary within a price "band".

As a band

MSP has to be conceived as a list of some23 crops with a more flexible arrangement.Each crop within a band of maximum anda minimum price depending on harvestconditions (i.e., higher price in a bad andlower price in a good harvest year ingeneral) will have its price set in the band.The price of some selected coarse grainscan be fixed at the upper end of its band toencourage their production in rain fedareas. In this way, the objectives of incomesupport to farmers, price stabilization andfood security and inducing more climate-friendly cropping patterns can becombined to an extent. Wide coverage ofMSP through income support to farmerswould generate massive positive economicexternalities through raising industrialdemand especially for the unorganized

sector. This will help in extendingsolidarity among farmers and non-farmers while creating a chain reaction ofdemand expansion through multipliers forthe whole economy.

For estimating the additional cost of awider MSP; of the total grains producedsome 45%-50% is for farmers' self-consumption and the rest is marketedsurplus. This marketed surplus sets theupper bound of total procurement costfrom which must be deducted the netrevenue recovered through the PDS (if allthese crops are sold through ration shops).Our preliminary estimate puts it in therange of ?5 lakh-crore, far less than the ?17lakh-crore estimated by the government. Itis of the same order of magnitude as DA topublic sector employees (less than 5% ofthe population, and the total tax break andincome foregone announced in the Budgetfor a handful of industrial houses (?3 lakh-crore), not to speak of a willful default ofbank loans by a handful of borrowers (wellover ?10 lakh-crore). This expenditure willbenefit more than half the populationdirectly and another 20%-25% of thepopulation indirectly in the unorganizedsector - over 70% of India's citizens.

A real breakthrough in the recurringproblem of agricultural debt can be madeby the linking of selling of grains underMSP to provision of bank creditparticularly for small farmers. The farmercan get a certificate selling grains at MSPwhich would be credit points proportionalto the amount sold; this will entitle them toa bank loan as their right and calibrate thefluctuations between good and bad harvestyears by storing the certificates for lateruse. This mechanism would go a long waynot only in addressing the indebtedness inthe farming community but also has thevirtue of great administrative simplicityin disbursing bank loans.

It needs emphasizing that howeffectively such an MSP scheme could beimplemented would depend largely ondecentralizing the implementing agenciesunder the constitutionally mandatedsupervision of panchayats. The nearmiracle we have witnessed in organizingand unifying the farmers' movementacross caste, class and gender through thepanchayat and maha-panchayat system inPunjab, Haryana and West Uttar Pradeshraises hope that they will turn theirattention to decentralizing the MSPimplementation mechanism. Themovement enabled massive and effectivemobilization through these decentralizedbodies. Therefore, they are capable ofdoing it again.

(Amit Bhaduri has taught economics across variousuniversities. He is internationally selected professorin Pavia University, Italy and also visiting professor

in the Council for Social Development, Delhi.Kaustav Banerjee teaches at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

University Delhi)

OPINION THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 10An MSP scheme to

transform Indian agricultureA DECENTRALIZED PLAN WOULD AID PRICE STABILIZATION, OFFER INCOME SUPPORT,

AND ALSO COPE WITH THE INDEBTEDNESS OF FARMERS

AMIT BHADURI

KAUSTAVBANERJEE

Release of Ram Rahim of Dera Sacha Sauda onparole a fortnight before the February 20 poll inPunjab has set in motion an animated debate

over the timing of his "Furlow". There are many whoview it as a political master stroke played by the BJPgovernment in Haryana to influence elections, both inUttar Pradesh and Punjab, others are dismissing it asan administrative or procedural relief to a convict.Whatever be the reasons or the background of hisrelease, it has stirred a controversy that may have farreaching political implications.

Deras in general, and Dera Sacha Sauda in particular,have generally played a decisive role in many ofprevious electoral battles.

One of the major factors believed to influence theoutcome of battles of the ballot in Punjab are Derasthat dot not only the entire State but also the catchmentareas, including neighboring Haryana.

Important and major Derasor sects like Radha

Soamis, Nirankaris andNamdharis generally

stay clear of politicsand elections, samecannot be said ofmany others,especially DeraSacha Sauda, thatwield considerable

influence in theMalwa belt and some

parts of Western UttarPradesh.

A few monthsbefore the 2017elections to thePunjab assemblywere announced, the

then Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi visitedDera Radha Soami at Beas.

Incidentally, the President of the All-India Namdharisect is H S Hanspal, who headed the Punjab PradeshCongress Committee when Capt Amarinder Singh wasChief Minister of Punjab (2002-2007). Hanspal alsorepresented Congress as Member of Rajya Sabha. Thistime, Hanspal, upset over the denial of a party ticket tohis grandson, decided to leave Congress and join handswith the Aam Aadmi Party.

A substantial section of Sant Samaj that has in itsfold various Sikh sects, including revered Nanaksar,used to support the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal. Thesituation has changed this time. The Damdami Taksal,an influential sect of Sikhs, caused a big flutter whensome of its top leaders declared support for BharatiyaJanata Party.

While there has been no corroborative evidence offollowers of one Dera or the other voting en masse for aparticular party or a candidate, yet no party ofsubstance misses an opportunity to appease these socio-religious organizations.

In the past, State Governments have been doling outconcessions and special treatment to them in anendeavor to have their leadership on their side. Somuch so that at times they even enjoy immunity fromthe law of the land.

Law enforcement agencies face a harrowing time asand when these Deras or their chiefs get mired incontroversies linked to serious criminal offences,including rape, murder or illegal confinement. Some ofthese cases are handled by the prime investigationagency, the Central Bureau of Investigation. It is in oneof such cases that the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, RamRahim, was convicted and sentenced for life. His earlierpleas for release on parole were dismissed for securityreasons.

In fact, before his arrest, a big drama took place thatled to arson and violence in Panchkula as a lot was saidabout the CBI case against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief.There were allegations that the case was being pushedto cold storage after BJP came to power on its own inthe 2016 Assembly elections in the State. Earlier, theDera was believed to have supported Congress in the2007 Punjab Assembly elections. Some political punditsgo to the extent of saying that the Dera was playing therole of a King maker.

It is why his 21-day parole and physical presence inthe region is being followed with abated interest.

Looking back at electoral battles of the past twodecades, it can be safely inferred that Deras have beenthe most sought-after centers when it comes to ensuringa victory in the elections. Undoubtedly the Deras havebeen playing King Makers, though discreetly. Theirinfluence has been growing steadily and may not beimpacted by the Apex court verdict on restrainingpolitical parties from seeking a vote in the name ofcaste, creed, religion or language.

If Akali Dal suffered reverses in the 2007 Assemblyelections in the Malwa belt - it got only 19 of 65 seats - itwas suspected that Dera Sacha Sauda followers votedfor Congress. Though Congress led by Capt AmarinderSingh failed to return to power, it gave a lesson to thepower incumbents Shiromani Akali Dal-BharatiyaJanata Party (SAD-BJP) alliance a lesson in Derapolitics.

The message of the 2007 elections was loud and clear.Subsequently, every party, including the Congress,

the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Aam Aadmi Party, andBahujan Samaj Party -- have been bending backwards toseek the blessings of these deras and their chiefs beforeor during elections.

Even the latest entrant to Punjab politics, AamAadmi Party, too, also tried to garner the support ofDeras. In the 2017 elections, the Bahujan Samaj Partythat had its base eroded considerably over the yearsalso seriously considered seeking the support of at leastfive Deras that have a huge following of the Dalits.

In Punjab, Scheduled Castes are the single largestvote bank as they are a little more than 32% of theState's population. It is probably the reason forCongress to name the incumbent Chief MinisterCharanjit Singh Channi as its Chief Ministerial face forthe 2022 elections by overlooking the claims of itsPunjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief NavjotSingh Sidhu.

There have been instances when one Dera or theother openly pledged allegiance to a party, the party

concerned made a significant dent in its rivals' voteshare. The success of Congress in the Malwa belt in the2007 Punjab Assembly elections and the BJP success inthe 2016 Haryana Assembly elections are points inorder.

Though the Apex Court gave a landmark verdict onthe eve of 2017 Assembly elections to five States,including Punjab, that votes cannot be solicited in thename of religion, caste or language, the Deras remainedhigh on demand.

Intriguingly in the Assembly elections in 2012 andalso the 2014 general elections, candidates close to theDera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmit Ram Raheem, failed toget voters' verdict in their favor. They includeHarminder Jassi, who in 2017 contested unsuccessfullyfrom Maur in the Malwa belt on Congress ticket.

The Deras play safe as they do not flout election lawsand refuse to openly support one party or the other.After all parties have approached them, they follow thesame safe modus operandi of referring the matter totheir respective political wings, who in turn direct thefollowers to vote according to their conscience.

One of the prime reasons for growing the Dera cult isthe failure of the State to curb caste distinctions.Discarded by upper castes, lower castes, coming fromdifferent religious backgrounds, form the bulk of Derasas they are treated at par and given respectability.Various political parties find Dera followers aheterogeneous voter base that once convinced caninfluence electoral fortunes.

"How Deras impact the ensuing Assemblyelections?", only results will tell.

(The author is a veteran journalist with over three decades ofexperience covering a wide spectrum of subjects and stories. Hehas covered Punjab and Sikh affairs for more than three decades

besides covering seven Olympics and several major sportingevents and hosting TV shows. For more in-depth analysis pleasevisit probingeye.com or follow him on Twitter.com/probingeye)

PUNJAB ELECTIONS THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 11BY PRABHJOT

SINGH PUNJAB ELECTIONS

AND DERASREGION IS DOTTED WITH DERAS THAT ARE KNOWN TO INFLUENCE ELECTIONS

● Biggest of these Deras is ofRadha Soamis based out ofBeas in the Majha region

● Among major sects orDeras are Namdharis andNirankaris, Dera SachaSauda with headquarters inSirsa remains mostcontroversial

● Other major Deras areSachkhand Ballan, SwamiJagat Giri Ashram and NoorMahal

● Various Sikh sects, includingNanaksar, Dhadrian, HarianBellan, Hansali and others,represent Sant Samaj

● Damdami Taksal too hasbeen hawking mediaheadlines

Release of Ram Rahim on parole has revived an animated debateas many see politics behind it

Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon, head ofRadha Soami Satsang Beas wieldsconsiderable influence in the Majha

region of Punjab

US THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 12Kamala Harris administered oath of office to members

of Presidential Advisory Commission on AsianAmericans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Co-chaired by Health and Human Services(HHS) secretary Xavier Becerra and USTrade Representative AmbassadorKatherine Tai, the commissioncomplements the White House Initiativeon Asian Americans, Native Hawaiiansand Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI),both of which were established byPresident Joe Biden last May.

Members of the commission wereannounced recently. Of the 23 members,four are Indian Americans - Ajay JainBhutoria, Sonal Shah, Kamal Kalsi andSmita Shah. Bhutoria is a Silicon Valleytechnology executive, community leader,speaker and author who has beenrecognized for his work, the White House

said.A social impact and innovation leader,

Sonal Shah is the founding president ofThe Asian American Foundation(TAAF), which has started the largestphilanthropic effort to serve the AsianAmerican, Native Hawaiian and PacificIslander communities.

Smita N Shah is an engineer,entrepreneur and civic leader serving aspresident and CEO of Chicago-basedSPAAN Tech, Inc, a multi-disciplinaryfirm with expertise in public and privateinfrastructure projects, includingtransportation, aviation and facilities.

Kamal Kalsi is an emergency medicinephysician from New Jersey who hasserved in the Army for 20 years. He wasawarded a Bronze Star medal for hiswork, taking care of hundreds of combatcasualties on the front lines inAfghanistan, it said.

The commission will advise thePresident on ways the public, private andnon-profit sectors can work together toadvance equity, justice and opportunityfor Asian American, Native Hawaiian,and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI)communities.

"We know there is still a lot of work todo in an affirmative, purposeful and

intentional way about ensuring thatpeople are engaged, and that we arerelevant to the way that they areexperiencing and living life, and that weare connected with their goals and theirdreams for themselves, their familiesand community," Harris said during theswearing-in ceremony on Thursday.

"And that is why it is so important tohave you all as the leaders that you aretogether in this advisory group becausethe work that you will do is to give uscandid feedback," she told thecommissioners.

"On behalf of the President andmyself, I thank you yet again for the lifethat you have chosen to live, which hasbeen a life of leadership and service,"Harris said.

HHS secretary Becerra noted, "Thecommissioners you see today representnot only subject matter experts who arerecognized in their fields, but alsovisionary leaders who reflect thestrength and diversity of the AsianAmerican, Native Hawaiian and PacificIslander community."

"From addressing anti-Asian hate andbias, to COVID-19 recovery, to the needfor better data on AA and NHPIcommunities and resources for limited

English proficient individuals, the needsof our AA and NHPI communities arewide-ranging, unique, and urgent for usto address.

"Together, with the leadership of ourcommissioners, we will work to ensurethat our nation lives up to its foundingideals, and that the American dream iswithin reach for every AA and NHPIfamily," she said.

US Trade Representative AmbassadorKatherine Tai said unfortunately, thepast two years have underscored andexacerbated long-standing inequities inthe country.

"The pandemic has had significanteconomic and social impacts on AA andNHPI workers -- particularly in thehospitality and leisure, retail, and otherservice industries that employ one infour workers from our communities," Taisaid. "Meanwhile, small businessowners have faced xenophobia,harassment, vandalism and targetedthreats. This is why the Biden-Harrisadministration is prioritizing the valuesof equity, equality and opportunity inthe Build Back Better agenda - and whyour pandemic recovery must bring alongall communities," she added. (Source:PTI)

VP Kamala Harris virtually administered the oathof office to members of the Presidential Advisory

Commission on Asian Americans, NativeHawaiians and Pacific Islanders - File photo

RELATIONSHIP WITH INDIA STANDS ONITS OWN MERIT, NOT IMPACTED BY

TENSIONS WITH RUSSIA: USWASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP):

America's relationship withIndia stands on its own meritand has not been impacted bythe ongoing tension withRussia, the Bidenadministration said.

"We have a relationship withIndia that stands on its ownmerits," State Departmentspokesperson Ned Price toldreporters at his daily newsconference on Thursday,

February 3. He was responding to a question if the US tieswith India have been impacted due to the tension with Russiaover Ukraine crisis.

For the second time this week, the State Departmentspokesperson refrained from responding to questions relatedto India's position on Ukraine in the United Nations SecurityCouncil.

"I will leave it to our Indian partners to discuss their stancein the UN Security on this particular issue," Price said.

"We have been in touch with literally dozens of countriesaround the world, including our Indian partners, on ourconcerns regarding Russia's military buildup and itsunprovoked potential aggression against Ukraine," hemaintained.

These are conversations that the United States is having atdifferent levels, he said.

"As I was saying in a different context earlier, Russianaggression against Ukraine and a Russian invasion ofUkraine would have implications for the securityenvironment well beyond that neighborhood. Whether it is thePRC or India or countries around the world, the implicationswould be far-reaching. And I think there is a broadunderstanding of that," the official added. (Source: PTI)

"We have a relationship with Indiathat stands on its own merits,"

State Department spokespersonNed Price told reporters at his

daily news conference onThursday, February 3. - File pic

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): A group ofprominent American lawmakers wrote to PresidentJoe Biden to ensure global supply and distributionof COVID-19 vaccines

Global health experts have identified an array ofneeds where the United States leadership can have areal and immediate impact to save lives and slowthe spread of COVID-19. Most important is tocontinue to help countries manage and deliver thevaccines, especially given the generous investmentby the United States in purchasing the doses, fourtop American lawmakers wrote in the letter.

The letter was written by Barbara Lee; Judy Chu,chair of the influential Congressional AsianAmerican Pacific Caucus; Raul Ruiz, chair of theCongressional Hispanic Caucus; and Joyce Beatty,chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

In the letter dated January 23, these powerfulCongressional caucuses urged the Bidenadministration to invest in the global supply andmanufacture of vaccines as well as therapeuticsand medical equipment to fight the pandemic.

The development follows focused outreach byIndia's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit SinghSandhu, and the embassy to these importantcaucuses which represent over 170 members of the

US Congress and include several members of theSenate.

During these outreach programs, Indiandiplomats have been emphasizing on stronghealthcare partnership between India and the US,and the potential for India-US collaborations toprovide affordable vaccines/medicines, includingto the developing, especially Africa and LatinAmerica.

Notably, Sandhu has spoken to all the chairs ofthe three caucuses, and they expressed strongsupport for the collaboration with India for globalgood. Other important members of the caucus havealso expressed their support for India. Earlier, theBlack Caucus had separately written to theambassador on vaccine cooperation and delivery ofvaccines to Africa in 2021.

In the letter, the lawmakers also wrote that theAmerican leadership is needed on expanding accessto diagnostic, therapeutic and other health needslike oxygen and personal protective equipment.

Not least, as the pandemic stretches into its thirdyear, assistance is needed to address related harmssuch as hunger, school closure, growing strains onhealth system and other related health efforts, theletter added. (Source: PTI)

US lawmakers urge Biden admin to ensureglobal supply of COVID-19 vaccines

Barbara Lee; Judy Chu, Raul Ruiz and Joyce Beatty have in a letter to Biden urged him to ensure global supply and distributionof COVID-19 vaccines

US THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 13MANY STATES ANNOUNCE

PLANS TO END MASKMANDATE IN SCHOOLS

NEW YORK (TIP): School maskmandates will come to an end inConnecticut, New Jersey, Delawareand Oregon within weeks, stateofficials announced, February 8.

This is a positive sign of decreasingCovid-19 cases across the nation as thecountry moves toward a new normal,several Democratic governors said.California will also lift its statewideindoor mask mandate for vaccinatedpeople next week, nearly two yearsafter it was first implemented.

Similar announcements areexpected from other states in the nearfuture as more local leaders considerthe shifting tide of mask politics,frustration with continued Covid-related restrictions, as well as highervaccination rates and a decline incases since the peak of the Omicronsurge.

School mask mandates will come to an endin Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware and

Oregon within weeks, state officialsannounced, February 8. - Photo for

representation only

WASHINGON, D.C. (TIP):

Congratulating Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman on delivering abudget that allows the government tocontinue supporting development whilekeeping an eye on fiscal deficit, the headof a top India-centric American businessadvocacy group described it as a"measured and pragmatic budget".

"The first principle is do no harm andthe government has adhered to this -there are no major policy changes, whichis good in the current scenario. I call thisa measured and pragmatic budget. Therewas tremendous pressure on thegovernment to do more given theupcoming state elections," Mukesh Aghi,

president, US-India Strategic andPartnership Forum (USISPF), said onTuesday, Feb 1.

In a statement, Aghi said there is alsothe unsaid acknowledgment in thebudget that coronavirus and inflation arestill not behind us.

"We are pleased to see the 35 per centincrease in capital expenditure budget,which will support investment in criticalinfrastructure needed for business toexpand and create more jobs along withthe investments in public health andwelfare," he noted.

The head of USISPF also welcomed thesupport for "manufacturing through PLIschemes and investments in solar

technology and other greeninfrastructure, which ties in nicely withthe government's 'Make in India'initiative, and India's desire to lead thefight against climate change".

"This budget charts a credible pathforward, and we applaud thegovernment's steady policy hand torevive and continue the path of growthfor the Indian economy," Aghi added.

Sitharaman had on Tuesday unveiled abigger Rs 39.45 lakh crore budget, withhigher spending on highways toaffordable housing with a view to fire upthe key engines of the Indian economy tosustain a world-beating recovery fromthe pandemic.

A measured and pragmatic Budget 2022-23, says USISPF

A "measured and pragmatic budget", saidMukesh Aghi, president, US-India Strategic andPartnership Forum (USISPF), on Tuesday, Feb 1.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): TheUnited States asserted that it stands withIndia against Chinese aggression asseveral lawmakers slammed China forchoosing a PLA soldier, who was part ofthe military command that attackedIndian soldiers in the Galwan Valley in2020, as a torchbearer for the BeijingWinter Olympics.

"When it comes to the India-Chinaborder situation, we continue to support

direct dialogue and a peaceful resolutionof the disputes," State Departmentspokesperson Ned Price told reporters athis daily news conference on Thursday.

"We have previously voiced ourconcerns on Beijing's pattern of ongoingattempts to intimidate its neighbors. Aswe always do, we stand with friends. Westand with partners and allies to advanceour shared prosperity, security andvalues in the Indo-Pacific," he said.

Earlier in the day, two top Americansenators slammed China for its decisionto field Qi Fabao, the regimentalcommander of the People's LiberationArmy (PLA), who was injured during theJune 2020 border skirmish with Indiansoldiers in the Galwan Valley in easternLadakh, as the torchbearer for theGames Torch Relay.


America stands with India against Chineseaggression: US senators

"When it comes to the India-China bordersituation, we continue to support direct dialogueand a peaceful resolution of the disputes," State

Department spokesperson Ned Price toldreporters at his daily news conference on

Thursday, February 3

Ambassador Sandhu meetsofficers of Indian descent

at US Naval AcademyWASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): India's

Ambassador to the United StatesTaranjit Singh Sandhu met a group ofofficers of Indian descent serving in theUS Navy during a rare visit to the USNaval Academy in Annapolis,describing them as a "firm anchor" ofIndia-US ties.

There are a number of Indian-originmidshipmen at the Naval Academy, thesecond oldest of the five US serviceacademies.

"It was a delight to meet youngofficers of Indian descent at the USNaval Academy, proudly serving in theUS Navy. A firm anchor of India USties," Sandhu tweeted along withpictures of him interacting with theofficers.

THE AMBASSADOR HELDDISCUSSIONS WITHSUPERINTENDENT VICEADMIRAL SEAN BUCK ANDHAD AN INTERACTION WITHSOME OF THE MIDSHIPMEN OFINDIAN DESCENT ON FRIDAY.

Established on October 10, 1845,under Secretary of the Navy GeorgeBancroft, the Naval Academy educatesofficers for commissioning primarilyinto the United States Navy and theUnited States Marine Corps.

The entire campus (known toinsiders as "the Yard") is a NationalHistoric Landmark and home to manyhistoric sites, buildings, andmonuments.

It replaced Philadelphia NavalAsylum, in Philadelphia, that served

as the first United States NavalAcademy from 1838 to 1845, when theNaval Academy was formed inAnnapolis, Maryland's capital city.

Candidates for admission generallymust both apply directly to theacademy and receive a nomination,usually from a member of Congress.Students are officers-in-training withthe rank of midshipman. Tuition formidshipmen is fully funded by theNavy in exchange for an active-dutyservice obligation upon graduation.

Approximately 1,200 "plebes" (anabbreviation of the Ancient Romanword plebeian) enter the academy eachsummer for the rigorous PlebeSummer. About 1,000 midshipmengraduate.

Graduates are either commissionedas ensigns in the Navy or secondlieutenants in the Marine 2 | NavalAttache, Washington DC Corps, but asmall number can also be crosscommissioned as officers in other USservices, and the services of alliednations.

(Source: PTI)

Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu

INDIA RECORDS 58,077NEW COVID CASES, 657MORE DEATHS

NEW DELHI (TIP)

India saw a single-day rise of58,077 coronavirus infections,which took the tally of cases to4,25,36,137, while the active caseshave declined to 6,97,802, accordingto Union health ministry dataupdated on Friday, February 11.

The daily Covid cases are beingrecorded at less than one lakh forthe last five consecutive days.

The death toll has climbed to5,07,177 with 657 daily fatalities,the data updated at 8 am said.

The active cases comprised 1.64per cent of the total infections,while the national recovery ratehad further improved to 97.17 percent, the health ministry said.

A reduction of 92,987 cases hasbeen recorded in the active Covidcaseload in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate hasbeen recorded at 3.89 per centwhile the weekly positivity ratehas been recorded at 5.76 per cent,according to the health ministry.

The number of people who haverecuperated from the disease hasincreased to 4,13,31,158, while thecase fatality rate has been recordedat 1.19 per cent.

The cumulative dosesadministered so far under thenationwide Covid vaccinationdrive has exceeded 171.79 crore.

Source: PTI

SC GIVES FINALOPPORTUNITY TO VIJAYMALLYA TO APPEARBEFORE IT IN CONTEMPTCASE

NEW DELHI (TIP)

The Supreme Court on Thursday,Feb 11, gave a final opportunity tofugitive businessman Vijay Mallya,accused in bank loan default case ofover Rs 9,000 crore involving hisdefunct Kingfisher Airlines, toappear before it personally orthrough his lawyer in a contemptcase where he has been found guilty.

The top court said it has givenmultiple opportunities to Mallya toappear either personally or througha lawyer and had even givenspecific directions in its last orderdated November 30, 2021.

A bench of justices U U Lalit, SRavindra Bhat and P S Narasimhaposted the contempt case forfurther hearing after two weeks,saying that respondent contemnor(Mallya) is at liberty to act as perdirection given in order datedNovember 30 last year, failingwhich the matter shall be taken toits “logical conclusion”.

At the outset, the bench toldsenior advocate Jaideep Gupta, whohas been appointed amicus curiaein the matter, that it has found thecontemnor guilty of contempt ofcourt, and now, punishment has tobe imposed.

Quad meeting: Jaishankarunderlines shared vision for free

and open Indo-PacificNEW DELHI (TIP)

India and its partners in theQuadrilateral Security Group or Quadon Friday, Feb 11, reiterated theirsupport for efforts aimed at ensuring afree and open Indo-Pacific, and agreed toexpedite the delivery of Covid-19vaccines across the region.

During their fourth meeting inMelbourne, the foreign ministers of thefour members of the Quad – India,Australia, Japan and the US – reviewedcooperation in several key areas such asthe Covid-19 response, maritime securityand the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific, and prepared the ground for thenext Quad Leaders’ Summit to be hostedby Tokyo in the first half of the year.

India’s external affairs minister SJaishankar, Australian foreign ministerMarise Payne, Japanese foreign ministerYoshimasa Hayashi and US secretary ofstate Antony Blinken also metAutsralian Prime Minister ScottMorrison before their talks anddiscussed the realisation of the visionoutlined by the Quad leaders.

Jaishankar told a joint newsconference after the ministerial meetingthat the foreign ministers heldproductive discussions. He said therobust bilateral relations between theQuad members, their strategicconvergences and shared democraticvalues helped make the Quad a vibrantand substantial network with a sharedvision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The Quad members agreed to expeditethe delivery of Covid-19 vaccines and

augment the last-mile delivery facilities,Jaishankar said. They will also work touphold the rules-based trading systemand continue their cooperation incounterterrorism, humanitarianassistance and disaster relief, andmaritime domain awareness, he said.

Jaishankar said the Quad memberswill continue to support their partners inAsean to uphold peace and security inthe region, and also take steps tostrengthen people-to-people linkagesthrough education and think tanklinkages.Payne cautioned that the rules-based system that the Quad members arecommitted to is “under pressure from

authoritarian regimes” – an apparentreference to China’s aggressive actionsacross the region. She said the Quadmembers will continue to supportfreedom of navigation and overflightacross the Indo-Pacific.

Blinken explained that a free and openIndo-Pacific would mean that people willbe free and live in open societies,countries will be able to choose theirpartners, and goods will flow freely. Healso referred to “Russian aggression” inUkraine and said such challenges to therules-based world order could even havean impact on the Indo-Pacific.

Source: HT

Union minister’s son, accused of runningover farmers in UP, gets bail

LUCKNOW/NOIDA (TIP)

The Allahabad High Court onThursday, February 10, granted bailto Ashish Mishra, the son of Unionminister Ajay Mishra, who wasarrested in connection with theLakhimpur Kheri violence thatkilled eight people including fourfarmers.

The Bhartiya Kisan Union and theRashtriya Lok Dal expresseddispleasure over Mishra’s bail.Congress leader Priyanka GandhiVadra renewed her demand for theminister’s resignation.

The Lucknow bench of the courthad reserved its order on January 18on Ashish Mishra’s plea afterconcluding the hearing throughvideo-conferencing.

Justice Rajeev Singh delivered theorder, granting bail to Mishra whohad spent four month in custody.

The counsel appearing on behalf ofthe minister’s son had told the courtthat his client was innocent andthere was no evidence against himthat he incited the driver of a vehicleto crush the farmers.

Opposing the plea, AdditionalAdvocate General V K Shahi had saidthat at the time of the incident,Ashish Mishra was in the car thatmowed down the farmers.

On October 3, eight people werekilled in Lakhimpur Kheri duringviolence that erupted when farmerswere protesting against UttarPradesh Deputy Chief MinisterKeshav Prasad Maurya’s visit to thearea.

Four farmers were moved down byan SUV. A driver and two BJPworkers were then allegedly lynchedby angry farmers.

A journalist also died in the

violence that triggered outrageamong opposition parties and farmergroups agitating over the Centre’snow-repealed agri laws.

RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary onThursday hit out at the “system” thatgranted bail to Mishra.

“What a system! Mowed down fourfarmers, got bail in four months,”Chaudhary tweeted in Hindi.

BKU spokesperson SaurabhUpadhyay described the court ordergranting bail to the minister’s son asan “attack” on democracy.

“Is it that easy for people chargedwith murder to get bail?” he asked,slamming the Modi governmentletting the minister continue on hispost.

“When will the farmers of thecountry get justice?” Upadhyay said,claiming that the government is yetto deliver on the promises made tothe farmers who ended their year-long laws protest in December.

Congress general secretaryPriyanka Gandhi Vadra renewed theopposition demand that the accused’sfather should resign. Source: PTI

INDIA THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBUARY 11, 2022 14

US secretary of state Antony Blinken meets with Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar before theQuad meeting of foreign ministers in Melbourne on February 11, 2022. (REUTERS)

TRS SEEKS PRIVILEGEMOTION OVER MODI’SCOMMENTS ON ANDHRABIFURCATION MOVE

HYDERABAD (TIP)

Four Telangana Rashtra Samithi(TRS) Rajya Sabha members onThursday, Feb 10, sought a privilegemotion against Prime MinisterNarendra Modi for allegedly“demeaning and denigrating” theParliament through his comments onthe passage of the Andhra PradeshReorganisation Bill in the House in 2014.The bill was passed for Telangana’screation as a state.

In his reply to the debate on the motionof thanks to the presidential address inRajya Sabha on Tuesday, Modiquestioned the procedures presidingofficers adopted in the House during itspassage.

In the notice for the privilege motion,TRS lawmakers K Kesava Rao, J SantoshKumar, B Lingaiah Yadav, and K RSuresh Reddy referred to Modi’scomments. “The statement attempts toshow the Parliament Houses in the mostbad and contemptuous manner,denigrating, demeaning the proceduresand proceedings of the House and itsfunctioning. It tantamount to findingfault with the members of Parliamentand the Presiding Officers for theirconduct in the House,” the notice said.

UP Assembly Elections 2022:60.17% voting recorded in

first phase of pollsNEW DELHI (TIP)

Polling ended peacefully in 58constituencies during the firstphase of the Assembly elections in

Uttar Pradesh on February 10. TheElection Commission put the votingpercentage at 60.17, which is about 1 percent less than the figure for the 2017Assembly elections. There were reportsof technical snags in EVMs at someplaces, but voting was peaceful, sourcessaid. Additional Chief Election OfficerBD Ram Tiwari said, “There werereports of technical snags in EVMs atsome places. Such EVMs wereimmediately replaced.” On theSamajwadi Party’s allegation that poorvoters were not allowed to exercise theirfranchise at Dundukheda village in theKairana Assembly constituency, Tiwarisaid the district magistrate concernedwas asked to look into the matter.

High voter turnout is crucial to theBJP achieving a comfortable majority inthe state Assembly for the secondsuccessive time. In 2017, the BJP had won53 of these 58 seats with an Opposition

MLA joining it later.Of the 11 districts that went to the

polls, the polling in Baghpat,Bulandshahr, Muzaffarnagar, Shamliand Hapur was well above the overallpercentage, while it was tepid in urban-dominated Gautam Buddh Nagar andGhaziabad. The polling percentage wasaround the overall average in Agra,Aligarh, Mathura and Meerut districts.

The fate of six ministers in the YogiAdityanath Cabinet has been sealed inthe first phase. They are ShrikantSharma, Suresh Rana, Sandeep Singh,

Kapil Dev Aggarwal, Atul Garg andChowdhury Laxmi Narayan Singh. Areport from Ghaziabad said a minorskirmish took place between thesupporters of BJP leader VK Singh andCongress leader Rajan Kant, allegedlywhen the former addressedmediapersons and talked about the workdone by the BJP within the premises of apolling station.

In all, 634 candidates, including 73women, are in the fray for the first phaseof elections. Leading the BJP’s campaignfor the seven-phase Uttar PradeshAssembly elections, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has been pitching for adouble-engine government for fast-paceddevelopment, while attacking theSamajwadi Party-RLD combine. UnionHome Minister Amit Shah and UP ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath have beentrying to put the spotlight back on thealleged “exodus” of Hindus fromKairana before 2017, while SP presidentAkhilesh Yadav claimed the people havemade up their mind to vote out the BJP.

Source: TNS

Enforcement Directorateattaches journalist Rana Ayyub’s

assets worth Rs 1.77 croreNEW DELHI (TIP)

The enforcement directorate has lockedassets worth over Rs 1.77 crore belongingto journalist Rana Ayyub, the Hindureported. The action comes after an FIRwas registered last year by theIndirapuram Police Station in Ghaziabad,Uttar Pradesh, alleging that the journalistacquired money from the public in thename of charity.

The ED had initiated an investigationagainst Ayyub in September when the FIRwas registered. Both the ED and theincome tax department have since beeninvestigating the transactions in question,Hindustan Times reported. On Thursday,the ED locked the assets.

A note from the ED said: “Fundstotalling Rs 2,69,44,680 were raised onKetto by Rana Ayyub. These funds werewithdrawn in the bank accounts of hersister/father. Of this amount, Rs 72,01,786was withdrawn in her own bank account.”

The note alleged that “fake bills”purportedly prepared by Ayyub werefound. “Expenses made for personal travelby air were claimed as expenses for reliefwork,” it claimed.

The FIR was filed in September based ona complaint by Vikas Sankrityayan, co-founder of the Hindu IT Cell, a Hindusupremacist group. Sankrityayan accusedAyyub of “illegally acquiring money fromthe general public in the name of charity”on Ketto, a crowdfunding website, afterAyyub raised money through the platform

for three relief campaigns.He also claimed she had violated the

Foreign Contribution Regulation Actbecause she was a “journalist byprofession” and was “receiving foreignmoney without any approval certificate orregistration from the government”.

The ED has claimed that the funds wereraised in a pre-planned manner, in thename of charity and that they were notcompletely used for the stated purpose.The agency also said that Ayyub parkedsome of the funds in a current account andcreated a fixed deposit of Rs 50 lakh fromthe funds raised on Ketto.

When the FIR was filed, Ayyub hadreleased a statement on Twitter, calling it“baseless” and “malicious”. She statedthat the donations received via Ketto were

NEW DELHI (TIP)

Actor-athlete Praveen Kumar Sobti,best known for playing Bheem in theTV series “Mahabharat” and forwinning an Asian Games gold medal,died following a cardiac arrest lateMonday, Feb 7, evening. The 74-year-old actor breathed his last at his AshokVihar residence here.

“He had a chronic chest infectionproblem. At night, when he startedfeeling uneasy, we called the doctor athome. He passed away between 10-10.30PM following a cardiac arrest,” arelative of Praveen told PTI. Sobti,who hailed from a humble family inSarhali Kalan village near Amritsar,was 20 when he joined the BorderSecurity Force (BSF), where he wasfirst noticed for his athletic skills.

The athlete dominated the discus andhammer throw events for many yearsduring the 1960s and 70s, winningmedals in three Asian Games, oneCommonwealth Games and taking partin two Olympics — the 1968 Mexicoeditions and the ill-fated 1972 Games inMunich — where Israeli athletes weremassacred by a Palestinian terroristgroup.

He came up with his career-bestefforts in the two Olympics — 60.84m inhammer throw (1968) and 53.12m indiscus throw (1972).

Sobti’s discus throw gold medals inthe Asiad came in the 1966 and 1970editions. He won a hammer throwbronze in the 1966 Asian Games and asilver in the same discipline in theCommonwealth Games that year. He

also won a discus throw silver in the1974 Asian Games.

His hammer throw silver (in 1966)remains the only one that an Indianhas won at the CWG. It was India’smaiden medal in a field event in theCommonwealth Games and only thesecond in athletics after MilkhaSingh’s 440 yard gold in the 1958edition. He gained further popularityafter he began his acting career andfeatured as Bheem in BR Chopra’sclassic “Mahabharat” in 1988.

As an actor, Sobti featured insupporting parts in close to 50 movieslike “Yudh”, “Adhikar”, “Hukumat”,“Shahenshah”, “Ghayal”, “Aaj KaArjun” and Tamil film “MichaelMadana Kama Rajan”.

He entered politics in 2013 when hejoined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tocontest the Delhi assembly elections.However, Sobti lost to BJP’s MahenderNagpal. After that, he joined the BJP in2014.He is survived by wife, daughter,two younger brothers and a sister.

INDIA THE INDIAN PANORAMA


‘Mahabharat’s Bheem’ actor PraveenKumar Sobti dies

Rana Ayyub

TRIBUTE THE INDIAN PANORAMA


GOODBYE, NIGHTINGALE29 SEPTEMBER, 1929-6 FEBRUARY, 2022

Lata Mangeshkar, “the nightingaleof Bollywood”, who has died aged92 after contracting Covid-19, was a

much-loved Indian national andinternational figure, whose songsprovided the backdrop to the lives ofmillions for seven decades.

Music sung by her was heardconstantly across India, in shops,restaurants, taxis or on the radio, andshe became known as “Didi”, or sister,because so many people identified withher often emotional songs. And yet shewas best known as a playback singer, avocalist who does not appear onscreenbut provides the soundtrack for films inwhich actors lip sync to her singing.

Her output was extraordinary – she isestimated to have recorded some 25,000songs, which appeared in more than a1,000 Hindi films, and she also sang inmore than 20 different Indian languages.With an impressive vocal range, coveringfour octaves, she became massivelypopular with film directors for herability to understand the context inwhich her songs would be used.

Mangeshkar did not just sing, butmade sure that her performancematched the storyline and the character,saying that she always read the lyricsand listened to the tune before agreeingto sing.

She first came to national fame inIndia with the song Aayega Aanewala(meaning “the one who is destined tocome will definitely come”), which sherecorded in 1949 while still a teenager. Acharming and dramatic song, whichfeatured in the film Mahal that year, itwas the start of a remarkable career inwhich she interpreted work by all themajor Indian film composers.

For more than three decades sherecorded hundreds of songs by thecomposing duo of Laxmikant-Pyarelal(Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar andPyarelal Ramprasad Sharma), includingsuch hits as Sheesha Ho Ya Dil Ho (fromthe film Aasha, in 1980). She also workedwith SD Burman, and later with hiscelebrated son the composer RD Burman(who would marry her sister Asha),recording RD Burman songs includingBahon Mein Chale Aao (from the filmAnamica, 1973).

Later she collaborated with the mostinternationally celebrated Bollywoodcomposer, AR Rahman, and sang severalof his best known songs including JiyaJale (from the 1998 romantic thriller DilSe) and Luka Chuppi (from the 2006 filmRang De Basanti), which she recordedwhen she was in her mid-70s. Rahmanremembered how carefully she wouldrehearse: “She would sit with herassistant, and would start singing veryslowly, with every lyric clear.” She was,he said, “part of a soul, part of aconsciousness of India”.

If she had any competition as India’sfinest playback singer, it was from heryounger sister Asha Bhosle. After all, itwas Asha who had Cornershop’s 1997 hitBrimful of Asha written about her, andwho had recorded the most number ofsongs (according to The Guinness Bookof World Records Lata was ahead in 1974

but Asha overtook her), and it was Ashawho recorded with the experimentalKronos Quartet. Lata insisted there wasno sibling rivalry, saying; “we’re veryclose, we never competed with eachother.”

Mangeshkar was born in Indore, inwhat is now Madhya Pradesh state, theoldest child of Shevanti (later renamedShuddhamati) and Pandit DeenanathMangeshkar, a musician and teacherwho ran a touring theatre company. Latanever went to school, as she quit on thefirst day when the teacher refused toallow her to bring her then 10-month-oldsister Asha into the classroom.

Much of her childhood was spentsinging alongside her father at concerts.He died in 1942, when she was 13, and shethen had to support her mother and foursiblings. A close family friend, VinayakDamodar Karnataki, offered her workwith his film company NavyugChitrapat, acting in minor roles. Whenthe company moved to Bombay (nowMumbai) in 1945, she and her familymoved with them.

She said she disliked acting “because Iwas very small and hated putting onmakeup and having to laugh and cry infront of the cameras”. But she lovedplayback singing, and was given her firstbreak with a song in the film Majboor(1948). Then came the film Mahal, whichincluded her hit song, and she rapidlybecame known as India’s PlaybackQueen.

Though most celebrated for her filmwork, she also gave concerts in India andabroad. In 1963, shortly after the Sino-Indian war, she sang the patriotic Hindi

song Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon (“Ohpeople of my country”) to an audienceincluding Jawaharlal Nehru, the primeminister, who is said to have been movedto tears. In 1974 she performed many ofher Bollywood hits at the Royal AlbertHall in London, backed by musiciansincluding SD Burman, and was hailed asthe first Indian artist to have performedthere.

Away from music, her passionsincluded fast cars and cricket – shewould insist on taking time off to watchmatches. The former Indian captainVirat Kohli was among those who paidtribute to her, as did Imran Khan,another leading cricketer and now

Pakistan’s prime minister. He wrote that“the subcontinent has lost one of thetruly great voices the world has known”– a reminder that she had a vastfollowing beyond India’s borders.

Mangeshkar may have recordedthousands of emotional love songs, butshe never married. Asked about herprivate life by the Hindustan Times, shesaid, “there are some things only for theheart to know. Let’s keep it that way.” In2001 she received India’s highest honourfor civilians, the Bharat Ratna.

She is survived by her youngersiblings Meena, Asha, Usha andHridaynath, all of whom are singers orcomposers. Source: The Guardian

Lata Mangeshkar’s music was heard constantly across India, in shops, restaurants, taxis or on the radio, and she became known as ‘Didi’, orsister. Photograph: Prodip Guha/Getty Images

Mangeshkar was cremated in Mumbai city with full state honors. GETTY IMAGES


FRIDAY FEBUARY 11, 2022 17‘End of an era’, ‘rest in melody’:

Tributes for Lata MangeshkarAs the mellifluous voice of India’s

nightingale Lata Mangeshkar fellsilent on Sunday, tributes poured in

for the legendary singer on social media aswell, with many people also sharing herpictures or clips of her old songs, fittinglydescribing her death as an “end of an era”.

From Twitter to Facebook, the news feedwas flooded with images of the singer,whose divine voice has ruled the silverscreen and hearts of millions of people,across generations, in India and aroundthe world.

No sooner had the news of her deathcome out, leaving legions of her admirersand fans grief-stricken, people also beganto pay homage to her on social media.

‘End of an era’, ‘RIPLataji’ and ‘LataMangeshkar’ were trending on Twitter asthousands of social media users expressedtheir sentiments over the loss of a belovedicon of India, whose voice had the magicalpower to halt people in their tracks andmelt anyone’s heart.

On Facebook, the posts made by severalusers had a common refrain — “MeriAwaz Hin Pehchan Hai. Gar yaad rahe”(‘my voice is my identity, if yourremember’).

While some chose to post her image asan aged woman with a beaming smile shealways wore, others used old, monochromepictures of her in a young avatar.

PM Modi leads tributes as country'snightingale goes silent

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said theveteran singer left a void in our nation thatcan never be filled. “I am anguishedbeyond words. The kind and caring LataDidi has left us. She leaves a void in ournation that cannot be filled. The cominggenerations will remember her as astalwart of Indian culture, whosemelodious voice had an unparalleledability to mesmerise people.”

“Lata Didi’s songs brought out a varietyof emotions. She closely witnessed thetransitions of the Indian film world fordecades. Beyond films, she was alwayspassionate about India’s growth. Shealways wanted to see a strong anddeveloped India.”

The Prime Minister also said, “Iconsider it my honour that I have alwaysreceived immense affection from LataDidi. My interactions with her will remainunforgettable. I grieve with my fellowIndians on the passing away of Lata Didi.Spoke to her family and expressedcondolences. Om Shanti."

Remembering the iconic singer,President Ram Nath Kovind said, “In hervast range of songs, rendering the essenceand beauty of India, generations foundexpression of their inner-most emotions.A Bharat Ratna, Lata-ji’s accomplishmentswill remain incomparable."

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saidMangeshkar remained the most belovedvoice of India for many decades. “Hergolden voice is immortal and will continueto echo in the hearts of her fans. Mycondolences to her family, friends andfans,” he added.

Paying his "heartfelt tributes", Union

minister Nitin Gadkari said the singer'spassing away was "an irreparable loss tothe country".

Ameen Sayani, veteran radio personalityMy heart is full of sorrow. India’s

melody queen, Lata Mangeshkar, is nomore. She was not only the queen ofIndian melody but also my sister. She wasthree years older than me, but I nevercalled her Lata didi like the rest of theworld because she always looked abouteight years younger than me. We had a lotof good times together. Of course, everytime she sang, my heart used to be full ofabsolute happiness. When she fell ill thistime, I sent her a letter telling her thesame. My wife and I had lovely eveningstogether with Lata. We often went to herhouse on Pedder Road and had some greatmeals.

I speak today with a hand on mygrieving heart. What a lovely voice ourLataji had. It seemed as if god had pouredsome honey into her lovely renderings.Almost every song that she sang became ahit. My Radio Hit Parade Geetmalafeatured so many of her songs.

Now that Lataji has passed away, thehearts of millions of music lovers all overthe world must be singing for her thatsoulful film song, Tum kya jaano tumhariyaad mein hum kitna roye. With Lata’spassing, a lot of lovely feelings in my hearthave passed away. I do hope she sings inheaven and keeps it full of melody.

Anvita Dutt, lyricist and directorLata Mangeshkar is the sound of my

childhood—of coming back home to lunchin Guwahati, of evenings in the verandahin Jodhpur, of the fiat in Sarsawa. Inbetween the hiss of an LP and the crackleof the radio and the tangled-up cassettes ofmy teens, her voice was a synonym forsongs. Today I write them, but she wassinging them to me before I even knew howto spell lyrics.

Shilpa Rao, singerI want to thank Lataji for showing us the

path of learning and worshipping music.She was an institution of music and herconnection with music was external. Ouryouth must learn from her how to upholdmusic in its true form. Her passing away isa huge loss for all of us. My favouritealbum of hers would be Pakeezah. We needto look at what Lataji has sung and for that,we need to learn and practice music; that’swhen we can have a deeper connection.

Balaji Vittal, authorLata Mangeshkar was born with a voice

that only one in a billion can hope to beblessed with. That is her greatest strength.She could strike sustainable relationshipswith every production house and majordirectors. She was never seen as partisan.She had fallouts with SD Burman andMohammed Rafi and never worked withOP Nayyar, but by and large, LataMangeshkar was a name acceptable to all.That is a tribute to the person that she is,not just the singer—humble, extremelyhard working and with a sense ofgratitude to everyone.

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Twittter.com/@narendramodi)

President Ram Nath Kovind honoring Lata Mangeshkar.


FRIDAY FEBUARY 11, 2022 18Lata Mangeshkar, heroine off-screenAakshi Magazine

When playback singing wasintroduced in Indian cinema in 1935, itwas not a given that the singer wouldbecome a star in their own right. Afterall, they had to be invisible on-screen.This was a change from the period ofsinger-actors like K L Saigal. But as thistradition came to be established, LataMangeshkar’s career trajectory wouldshow that a “dual star text” — as filmscholar Neepa Majumdar calls it — waspossible. You could be a fan ofMadhubala, as well as of Lata who wassinging for her. You didn’t have to choose.

While this stardom was enjoyed byother singers of that time likeMohammad Rafi, Mukesh, TalatMahmood, Geeta Dutt, Hemant Kumar,Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar too,what is peculiar to Lata, is the enduringnature of her career — people haveheard her voice age through sevendecades and mostly been loyal listeners.Dual stardom ensured that even whenher voice clearly did not fit a youngeractor like Rani Mukherjee, fans let it go.Realism was not something Hindicinema trained you in, its pleasures weredifferent.

This absence of realism created itsown possibility, the song being the bestexample. This was the beauty of theHindi film song sequence. Freed ofdemands of continuity or realisticcharacterisation, and yet taken seriouslyby filmmakers, musicians, lyricists,actors and singers, the song became aspace of innovation. And freedom. Itcould celebrate love even if in real lifecaste-class barriers prevented it.Another world was possible.

Even within the limited patriarchalimagination of most film narratives, thesong could transcend barriers bybecoming a space where inner lives wereexplored. The heroines did this throughtheir expressiveness (often throughdance), and Lata did this through hervoice. Her star image may have beencontrolled and sanitised of possiblegossip, but once she sang, nothing heldher back. Not even her real lifeassociation with Hindu right-wingpolitics.

To be sure it was sought to be tamedthrough the virgin-vamp binary, whichplaced the respectable Hindi filmheroine in opposition to the bad girl —often the cabaret dancer who wouldtransform into the vamp by the 1960s and1970s. Lata herself said she didn’t sing“those” kinds of songs (they werereserved for the richly-textured voice ofGeeta Dutt or her sister Asha Bhosle).This division was a reminder of theerasure of thumri singers and singer-courtesans that coincided with the riseof Lata. But has it really stood the test oftime? In a lovely piece published inAgents of Ishq, Paromita Vohra listswhat she calls Lata’s sexy songs andrethinks this binary, which is itself apatriarchal construct.

Whether it is expressing longing inLag Ja Gale, an erotic-romantic duet likeDum Bhar Jo Udhar Munh Phere orprotest in Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya andJao Re Jogi, a female voice exploringdesire was radical even when framed as“respectable” to soften its implication.Written by poet-lyricists and composed

by talented composers, these songs donot conform to maintaining the statusquo. The voice that brings these words tolife, makes them real even as they areutopian.

The film song is often a source ofembarrassment today, or is enjoyedironically. It is treated as something thathas to be gotten over in order for Hindicinema to evolve. In the songs of the 50sand 60s — the “golden era” — which LataMangeshkar perhaps best personified,we encounter feeling as feeling. It is notjust about her perfect notes; perfectioncan often leave you cold. It is somethingelse. This is a quality she carried withher to her later songs of the 2000s – likeLuka Chuppi from Rang De Basanti orPyaara Sa Gaon from Zubeidaa. All herbest songs embody it. Much before weunderstand the words, we feel the truthin her voice.

The writer, Aakshi Magazine, is a NewDelhi-based writer and holds a PhD in

film studies.Source: The Indian Express


FRIDAY FEBUARY 11, 2022 19Lata Mangeshkar was one of the iconic andversatile singers, India has witnessed. In somany years of her professional life, LataMangeshkar had received so many awardsand her list of achievements in never ending.

Here is a list of achievements of LataMangeshkar:

1958 - Aaja Re Pardesi [MADHUMATI] -Filmfare

1962 - Kahi Deep Jale Kahi Dil [BEES SAALBAAD] - Filmfare

1964 - Woh Kaun Thi - Best Female PlaybackSinger - Bengal Film Journalist AssociationAward

1965 - Tumhi Mere Mandir Tumhi Meri Pooja[KHANDAAN] - Filmfare

1966 - Sadhi Mansa - Best Playback Singer.

1967 - Jait Re Jait - Best Playback Singer.

1967 - Milan - Best Female Playback Singer -Bengal Film Journalist's Association Award

1968 - Raja Aur Rank - Best Female PlaybackSinger - Bengal Film Journalist's AssociationAward

1969 - Saraswati Chandra - Best FemalePlayback Singer - Bengal Film Journalist'sAssociation Award

1969 : Padam Bhushan

1969 - Aap Mujhe Achhe Lagne Lage [JEENE KIRAAH] - Filmfare

1970 - Do Raaste - Best Female PlaybackSinger - Best Female Playback Singer - BengalFilm Journalist's Association Award

1971 - Tere Mere Sapne - Best FemalePlayback Singer - Best Female PlaybackSinger - Bengal Film Journalist's AssociationAward

1972 - Parichay - Best Female Playback Singer

1973 - Marjina Abdulla (Bengali) - Best FemalePlayback Singer - Bengal Film Journalist'sAssociation Award

1973 - Abhimaan - Best Female PlaybackSinger - Bengal Film Journalist's AssociationAward

1974 : Guinness Book of World Records:forsinging the maximum number of songs in theworld

1975 - Kora Kagaz - Best Female PlaybackSinger

1980 : Was presented key of the city ofGeorgetown, Guyana, South America

1980 : Honorary Citizenship. The Republic ofSuriname, South America

1981 - Ek Duje Ke Liye - Best Female Playback

Singer.A Portrait Of Lataji - 1983 - Bengal FilmJournalist's Award Association

1985 - Ram Teri Ganga Maili - Best FemalePlayback Singer - Bengal Film Journalist'sAward Association

1985 : 9th June declared as Asia Day in honourof her arrival in Toronto, Canada

1987 : Honorary Citizenship of the U.S.A,Houston, Texas, U.S.A

1989 : Dada Saheb Phalke Award

1990 - Lekin - Best Female Playback Singer

1990 : Honorary Doctorate (Literature) ByPune University

1993 : Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

1993 : Filmfare felicitated by the MaharashraGovernment 1994 : Filmfare Special Award (Didi Tera Devar Deewana -HAHK)

1996 : Videocon Screen Lifetime AchievementAward

1997 : Rajiv Gandhi Award.

1998 : Lux Zee Cine Lifetime AchievementAward

1999 : Padma Vibhushan

1999 : NTR Award

2000 : Lifetime Achievement Award by IIFA inLondon

2000 : Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar by theChaturang PratishthanThe Bharat RatnaAward

2001 : Bharat Ratna - The Nation's HighestCivilian Award 2001: Noorjehan Award : FirstReciepient

2001: Maharashtra Ratna : First Reciepient

2002: Felicitation By CII ( For Contribution toMusic & the Film Industry)

2002: Hakim Khan Sur Award ( For NationalIntegration by Maharana Mewar Foundation)

2002: Asha Bhosle Award : First Reciepient

ACHIEVEMENTS OF LATA MANGESHKARRare pictures ofthe melody queen

Lata Mangeshkar on stage with Kishore Kumar.

Lata Mangeshkar with the Clintons -Bill Clinton and Hillary RodhamClinton in Chicago, June 1995.

In picture: Lata Mangeshkar (R) is accompanied by her sisters Asha Bhosle (2R), MeenaKhadikar (L) Usha Mangeshkar (2L) during the Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar Awards in

Mumbai on March 31, 2013.

Lata Mangeshkar shared this throwback picture andnarrating the backstory, wrote, "1971 Bangladesh

mukti yudh samapt hote hi hum Bangladesh gaye theaur Sunil Dutt ji ke group ke saath humne kaafi

karyakram kiye,us waqt hum Army ke plane se hi sabjagah jaate the. [sic]"

In picture: Lata Mangeshkar (L) being welcomed by Bal Thackeray Shiv Sena chief (R) on March5, 2001, at a concert in aid of the Gujarat earthquake victims held at the Shivaji Park grounds in

central Bombay. Looking on is cricket master blaster Sachin Tendulkar (2nd L) and megastarAmitabh Bachchan.

India in history this Week FEBRUARY 11, 2022, TO FEBRUARY 17, 2022

11 FEBRUARY1901 Indian revolutionary Damodar Swaroop Seth

was born.1856 The East India Company took over Awadh.

1968 Jana Sangh founder, writer, journalist PanditDeen Dayal Upadhyay was killed in Mughalsarai.

1933 The publication of Mahatma Gandhi's HarijanWeekly began in 1933.

1966 Former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastridied in Tashkent.

1997 Indian Astrophysicist Jayant V Narlikarawarded the 1996 Kalinga Prize in 1996 by UNESCO.

12 FEBRUARY

1502 Vasco-de-Gama sailed from Lisbon for a secondtrip to India.

1928 Gandhiji declared Satyagraha in Bardoli.1975 India declared itself as a smallpox-free nation

on 12 February 1975.1999 President's rule in Bihar.

2009 In 2009, the University of Cambridgeannounced the conferment of a DeLitt degree to India'srenowned economist Amartya Sen.

13 FEBRUARY1879 Birth of freedom fighter Sarojini Naidu.

1984 Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhiinaugurates the Mazgaon Dock in Mumbai for the Navy.

14 FEBRUARY

1989 Union Carbide, responsible for Bhopal gasscandal, agreed to give compensation to thegovernment.

1881 In 1881, Rajendra Lal Dutt and Basu opened thecountry's first homoeopathic college in Calcutta.

1967 In 1967, the 74th Lok Sabha elections were held.1999 The fifth National Games were inaugurated in

Imphal in 1999.1970 The ordinance was passed by the President in

1970 about nationality.

15 FEBRUARY

1869 Mirza Ghalib, the famous Urdu poet, died.2017 On this day ISRO launched 104 satellites

simultaneously.1967 Elections to the fourth Lok Sabha were held in

1967 in India.1976 The Central Agricultural Research Institute

was established in 1976 in Bhopal, the capital of

Madhya Pradesh.

16 FEBRUARY

1944 Dada Saheb Phalke died.

1982 The Jawaharlal Nehru International Gold Cupfootball tournament was held in Calcutta for the firsttime in 1982.

1987 A missile with submarine capable of hittingthe submarine was inducted into the Indian Navy in1987.

2008 Tata Motors launched a vehicle for the Armyon February 16, 2008, called a Light Specialist Vehicle,to allow the Army to show its power through it.

2009 On February 16, 2009, former President PranabMukherjee presented the Interim Budget for the year2009-2010.

17 FEBRUARY

1915 Gandhiji visited Santiniketan for the first time.1931 Lord Irwin welcomed Gandhiji to the Viceroy's

residence.2007 Veteran Gandhian Smt. Arunaveen Desai

passed away in Gujarat.2014 On 17 February 2014, the Election Commission

banned the transmission of exit polls until the lastphase of voting was over.

HISTORY THE INDIAN PANORAMA


FEATURE THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBUARY 11, 2022 21Guru Ravidas: Mystic poet-saint

of the bhakti movement

Guru Ravidas was a poet-sant ofthe Bhakti movement andfounder of the Ravidassia

religion. He was a suave socio-religious reformer, a thinker, atheosophist, a humanist, a poet, atraveler, a pacifist, and above all atowering spiritual figure. He stressedequality where every citizen will enjoyhuman rights-social, political,cultural, spiritual.

Guru Ravidass is by far the mostrevered among the scheduled castes,especially Dalits of Northwest andCentral India. His devotional versesare included in the Sikh scriptures,Guru Granth Sahib. He was one of theleading saints of the Bhakti movementwho was against the Hindu Caste-System. He propagated equality,human rights, and universalbrotherhood, liberty, fraternity, andworship of one God.

Early LifeGuru Ravidas was born in Seer

Gobardhangaon near Varanasi onMagh Purnima. His mother was KalsaDevi and his father was Santokh Dass.Everyone has their own opinion on thebirth of Ravidas, some people believethat he was born around 1376-77, somesay 1399 CE. According to somedocuments, Ravidas lived between 1450and 1520. His birthplace is now called‘Shri Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan‘.

Guru Ravidas was born in a lowercaste family and his father was asarpanch in the Raja Nagar state. Heused to make and repair shoes. RavidasJi’s father used to make leather fromthe dead animal’s skin and then makesandals and shoes.

Ravidas was very brave and adoredGod very much since childhood.Ravidas had to suffer from theinferiority complex of high clans sincechildhood, they used to always keep inmind that this child is not of a highclan. Ravidas used his pen to changesociety, he used to explain to peopleabout life through his creations.Teaching people that a person shouldlove his neighbor as himself withoutany discrimination.

Ravidas educationIn childhood, Ravidas used to go to

his Guru Pandit Sharda Nand’s schoolfor education. After some time, theupper caste people stopped him fromattending school. Pandit Sharda Nandknew the talent of Ravidas, he did notbelieve in the great things of society,he believed that Ravidas is a child sentby God. After which Pandit ShardaNand started teaching Ravidas in hisown Pathshala. He was a very talentedand promising student, more than hismentor taught him; He used to doeducation with his understanding.Pandit Sharda Nand was veryimpressed with Ravidas, seeing his

conduct and talent, he used to thinkthat Ravidas would become a goodspiritual teacher and great socialreformer.

Along with Ravidas, the son ofPandit Sharda Nand used to study inPathshala, both of them were goodfriends. Once both of them wereplaying hide and seek, after playing 1-2times it became night, due to whichthey asked to play the next day. On thesecond day, Ravidas comes to play inthe morning, but that friend did notcome. Then he went to his house, andfind that his friend has died in thenight. Hearing this, Ravidas becomesnumb, then his guru Sharada Nandtakes him to a dead friend. Ravidas hadsupernatural powers since childhood,he tells his friend that this is not thetime to sleep, get up and play with me.His dead friend stands upon hearingthis. Seeing this, everyone presentthere is amazed.

Sant Ravidas lifeAs Ravidas grows older, his devotion

to Lord Rama increases. He alwaysused the words Ram, Raghunath,

Rajaram Chandra, Krishna, Hari,Govind, etc., which gave proof of hisreligiousness. Ravidas Ji used to be thereligious guru of Meera Bai. Meera Baiwas the daughter of the king ofRajasthan and the queen of Chittor.

Guru Ravidas’s education very muchinfluenced her and she became a greatfollower of guruji. Meera Bai alsowrote a few words in honor of hermentor, such as ‘Guru Milaya RavidasJi...’ Meera Bai was the only child ofher parents, after her mother’s death,her grandfather ‘Duda Ji’ raised her.Duda Ji was a great follower ofRavidas, Meera Bai along with hergrandfather always used to meetRavidas. Where she was veryimpressed by his education. Aftermarriage, Meera Bai made Ravidas Jiher guru with the consent of herfamily. Meera Bai writes in hercompositions that her Guru Ravidas Jisaved her several times from death.

Babur was the first king of theMughal Empire, who after winning thebattle of Panipat in 1526, sat on thethrone of Delhi where he sacrificedmillions for the trust of God. He was

already familiar with the divine powersof Sant Ravidas and decided that oneday he would meet Guruji along withHumayun. He went there and touchedhis feet to honor Guru Ji however;Instead of blessing, he was punished byGuruji because he had killed millionsof innocent people. Guruji explained tohim deeply which influenced Baburvery much and after that, he became afollower of Sant Ravidas and starteddoing social service by serving the poorof Delhi and Agra.

Guru Ravidas teachingsPeople say, God sent Ravidas Ji into

the earth to protect religion because atthis time sin had increased a lot, peopleused to do caste, apartheid in the nameof religion. Ravidas Ji bravely faced allthe discrimination and explained thetrue definition of faith and caste to thepeople. He used to explain to peoplethat man is not known by faith in caste,religion, or God, but he is recognizedby his actions. Ravidas Ji made a lot ofefforts to end the prevalence ofuntouchability in society.

At that time, those belonging to thelower caste were highly discouraged.They couldn’t worship in the temple,studied in school, moved out of thevillage during the day, and were evenforced to live in a raw hut instead of apucca house in the village. Seeing thisplight of the society, Ravidas Ji decidedto remove untouchability,discrimination from society andstarted giving the right message to thepeople.

Ravidas Ji used to message peoplethat ‘God has created man, not a manhas created God‘. This means Godcreates every human being andeveryone has equal rights on the earth.Saint Guru Ravidas Ji used to givevarious teachings to the people aboutuniversal brotherhood and tolerance.Guru Ravidas opposed all activitiesbanned to the lower caste people likeShudras (untouchables) were notallowed to wear common clothes likeBrahman such as Janev, tilak onforehead, and other religiouspractices.

Various religious songs and othercompositions written by Ravidas Jihave been included in the Sikhscripture Guru Granth Sahib‘. Thefifth Sikh Guru ‘Arjan Dev‘ includedthem in the book. The followers ofGuru Ravidas Ji’s teachings are called‘Ravidassia’ and his collection ofteachings is called ‘Ravidassia Panth‘.

He was a true messenger of God, andhe came on earth when it wasnecessary to save the real Dharma as atthat time when social and religiouspatterns were distressing because ofthe lots of human-madediscriminations over social beliefs,caste, color, and etc.

Source: Ritiriwaz.com

The birth anniversary of socio-religious reformer, a thinker, a theosophist, ahumanist and founder of Ravidassia sect falls on February 16

SOUTH ASIA THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 22EIGHT KILLED AND FIVE

INJURED IN ACCIDENT INNEPAL: POLICE

KATHMANDU (TIP): A passengervehicle carrying a newly-wed coupleand some of the wedding attendantsskidded off a hilly road in WesternNepal on february 5, killing eight peopleand injuring five others, police said.

The accident happened in thecountry’s Pyuthan district when thejeep bound to Libang of Gaumukhirural municipality from Lung ofNaubahini rural municipality carryingthe couple and their wedding attendantsskidded off and fell 150 metres down theroad. “At least eight people died and fiveothers sustained injuries in theaccident,” a senior police official said.Six persons died on the spot and twoothers died while undergoing treatmentin a local hospital. “Five peopleincluding the bride and groom wereinjured in the incident,” the officialsaid. Similar accidents are common inWestern Nepal during winter due to thedense fog and slippery roads. Last yearin November, a passenger bus skiddedoff the road in Western Nepal, killing atleast 12 people and wounding nearly 20.(PTI)

PAKISTAN OFFERS PRSCHEME FOR WEALTHYFOREIGN NATIONALS,

INCLUDING SIKHS IN USAND CANADA, TO

ATTRACT INVESTMENTISLAMABAD (TIP) : Pakistani

lawmakers are mulling a proposedamendment to the civil service rulesthat will bar top government officialsfrom holding dual nationality andcould affect over 20,000 bureaucrats,according to a media report on Feb 11.

The Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951explicitly allows a citizen of Pakistanto hold dual nationality. Pakistaniswith dual citizenship are currentlyforbidden to run for public office, sit inparliament, contest elections or jointhe army. In a ruling in September 2012,the country's top court disqualifiedeleven lawmakers for failing to disclosetheir dual nationalities upon takingoffice. The amendment to the civilservice rules came up before the SenateStanding Committee on CabinetSecretariat on Thursday during adiscussion on the ‘The Civil Servants(Amendment) Bill, 2021' moved bySenator Afnan Ullah Khan in thesitting held on January 17, 2022.

The proposed amendment bars civilservants from holding dual nationalityand suggests a timeline for dualnational civil servants to relinquishtheir foreign nationality, the Dawnnewspaper reported. Minister of Statefor Parliamentary Affairs AliMohammad Khan was of the view thatgovernment servants should not holddual nationality during service,arguing that one person cannot beloyal to two countries at the same time.(PTI)

Pregnant Pakistani woman getsnail hammered into her head sothat she gives birth to a son

ISLAMABAD (TIP): The belief that ason could provide better financialsecurity to parents than daughters hadthis Pakistani woman do something,which was unbelievable.

A pregnant Pakistani woman, who hadthree daughters, had a nail hammeredinto her head by a faith healer who said itwould guarantee that she gave birth to aboy.

The injured woman was admitted at theLady Reading Hospital in northwesternPeshawar city where she underwentsurgery to remove the nail from her skull,according to Pakistani media reports.

The woman’s X-ray showed that thefive-centimetre (two-inch) nail hadpierced the top of the woman’s foreheadbut missed her brain.

“The family said that she was at home

and became unconscious,” Dr Sulemantold the Dawn newspaper.

He added that attempts were also made

to remove the nail at her home.The woman is a mother to three

daughters. It is said that the victim wasallegedly threatened by her husband togive birth to a boy, and that he wouldabandon her if she gave birth to a fourthgirl.

Media reports claimed that the womanwent to the faith healer after it wasrevealed through an ultrasound that shewas about to give birth to a daughteragain.

The Capital City Police Peshawar(CCPO) Abbas Ahsan told Geo News TVthat the victim support officers have beendirected to meet the woman to counselher and get details of the incident, addingthat “a legal action will be taken againsther husband and the culprits involved.”(TNS)

Malaysia’s ex-PM Mahathirdischarged from heart hospital

KUALA LUMPUR (TIP): FormerMalaysian Prime Minister MahathirMohamad was discharged on Feb 6 fromthe National Heart Institute two weeksafter he was admitted and willrecuperate at home, the hospital said.

THE 96-YEAR-OLD TWO-TIMEFORMER PREMIER, ONCE THEWORLD’S OLDEST LEADER, WASADMITTED TO THE CORONARYCARE UNIT ON JAN 20 FOR THETHIRD TIME IN JUST OVER AMONTH. THE LATEST HOSPITALSTAY FOLLOWED AN ELECTIVEMEDICAL PROCEDURE AT THESAME FACILITY ON JAN 7. INDECEMBER, HE WAS ADMITTEDFOR A FULL MEDICAL CHECKUPAND OBSERVATION.

The hospital said Mahathir will haveto follow up for continuation of hismedical treatment, without giving anydetails.

His prolonged stay at the hospital hassparked concerns over his health. Butthe nonagenarian said in a videomessage on Friday that he is recoveringwell.

The brief video posted on social mediashowed Mahathir walking into his houseunassisted, reading a newspaper andhaving tea with his wife. Mahathir saidin the video that he has been allowed toreturn home in the day but goes back tothe hospital in the evening.

He looked frail and weaker than usualas he thanked those who had prayed forhis recovery and sent him flowers andcards.

“My hope is that soon I would be able

to recover fully,” he added.

MAHATHIR HAS HAD TWOCORONARY BYPASS SURGERIESBUT WAS STILL ROBUST ANDSHARP WITTED. HE LED THEOPPOSITION TO A HISTORICELECTION VICTORY IN 2018 THATOUSTED A CORRUPTION-TAINTEDGOVERNMENT IN THE FIRSTPEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWERSINCE MALAYSIA’SINDEPENDENCE IN 1957.

Mahathir became the world’s oldestleader at 92 for a second stint but thattriumph lasted only 22 months as hisgovernment collapsed due to infighting.That didn’t stop him, and Mahathirformed a new ethnic Malay party in 2020to oppose the new leadership. AP

MYANMAR PILES ON 11THCORRUPTION CHARGE

AGAINST SUU KYIBANGKOK (TIP): Police in

Myanmar have filed an 11th corruptioncharge against Aung San Suu Kyi, thecountry’s elected leader who was oustedfrom power by a military takeover ayear ago, state-controlled mediareported February 11.

The Global New Light of Myanmarnewspaper reported that Suu Kyi wasbeing charged under the Anti-Corruption Law covering bribery, whichcarries a maximum prison term of 15years.

Suu Kyi has faced a raft of chargessince she was taken into custody whenthe military seized power on Feb. 1 lastyear. Her supporters and human rightsgroups say the cases against her arebaseless, and have been contrived to barher return to politics and participationin a new election the army has promisedby 2023.

Suu Kyi has already been sentenced tosix years’ imprisonment after beingconvicted of illegally importing andpossessing walkie-talkies and violatingcoronavirus restrictions.

She is also being tried on the charge ofviolating the Official Secrets Act, whichcarries a maximum sentence of 14years. Australian economist SeanTurnell, who was her advisor, is a co-defendant.

A court session in the capitalNaypyitaw in the secrets case waspostponed Thursday because the 76-year-old Suu Kyi was suffering from lowblood pressure, causing dizziness, said aperson familiar with the proceedings,speaking on condition of anonymitybecause the hearings are closed.

But she was back in court Fridaywhen hearings began on five corruptioncharges related to granting permissionto rent and buy a helicopter. (AP)

FEATURE THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBUARY 11, 2022 23Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day, also called St. Valentine’s Day, holiday(February 14) when lovers express their affectionwith greetings and gifts. Given their similarities, it

has been suggested that the holiday has origins in theRoman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February. Thefestival, which celebrated the coming of spring, includedfertility rites and the pairing off of women with men bylottery. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I forbidthe celebration of Lupercalia and is sometimes attributedwith replacing it with St. Valentine’s Day, but the trueorigin of the holiday is vague at best. Valentine’s Day didnot come to be celebrated as a day of romance until aboutthe 14th century. Valentine's Day is celebrated on Monday,February 14, 2022.

Although there were several Christian martyrs namedValentine, the day may have taken its name from a priestwho was martyred about 270 CE by the emperor Claudius IIGothicus. According to legend, the priest signed a letter“from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, whom he hadbefriended and, by some accounts, healed from blindness.Other accounts hold that it was St. Valentine of Terni, abishop, for whom the holiday was named, though it ispossible the two saints were actually one person. Anothercommon legend states that St. Valentine defied theemperor’s orders and secretly married couples to spare thehusbands from war. It is for this reason that his feast day isassociated with love.

Formal messages, or valentines, appeared in the 1500s,and by the late 1700s commercially printed cards werebeing used. The first commercial valentines in the UnitedStates were printed in the mid-1800s. Valentines commonlydepict Cupid, the Roman god of love, along with hearts,traditionally the seat of emotion. Because it was thoughtthat the avian mating season begins in mid-February, birdsalso became a symbol of the day. Traditional gifts includecandy and flowers, particularly red roses, a symbol ofbeauty and love.

What Do People Do?Many people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day

by showing appreciation for the people they love or adore.Some people take their loved ones for a romantic dinner ata restaurant while others may choose this day to propose orget married. Many people give greeting cards, chocolates,jewelry or flowers, particularly roses, to their partners oradmirers on Valentine’s Day.

It is also a time to appreciate friends in some socialcircles and cultures. For example, Valentine's Day inFinland refers to “Friend's day”, which is more aboutremembering all friends rather than focusing solely onromance. Valentine's Day in Guatemala is known as Day ofLove and Friendship). It is similar to Valentine’s Daycustoms and traditions countries such as the United Statesbut it is also a time for many to show their appreciation fortheir friends.

Public LifeValentine’s Day is not a public holiday in many

countries, including Australia, Canada, the UnitedKingdom and the United States. However, restaurants,hotels and shopping centers may be busy around this timeof the year.

BackgroundThe origins of Valentine's Day are not clear but many

sources believe that it stems from the story of St Valentine,a Roman priest who was martyred on or around February14 in the year 270 CE. How he became the patron saint oflovers remains a mystery but one theory is that the churchused the day of St Valentine’s martyrdom to Christianizethe old Roman Lupercalia, a pagan festival held around themiddle of February. The ancient ceremony includedputting girls’ names in a box and letting the boys draw themout. Couples would then be paired off until the followingyear. The Christian church substituted saints’ names forgirls’ names in hope that the participant would model hislife after the saint whose name he drew. However, it wasonce again girls’ names that ended up in the box by the 16thcentury. Eventually the custom of sending anonymouscards or messages to those whom one admired became theaccepted way of celebrating Valentine’s Day. There was anincrease in interest in Valentine's Day, first in the UnitedStates and then in Canada, in the mid-19th century. Earlyversions of Valentine cards fashioned of satin and lace andornamented with flowers, ribbons, and images of cupids orbirds appeared in England in the 1880s.

The Legend of St. ValentineThe history of Valentine’s Day–and the story of its

patron saint–is shrouded in mystery. We do know thatFebruary has long been celebrated as a month of romance,and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, containsvestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become

associated with this ancient rite?The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different

saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom weremartyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priestwho served during the third century in Rome. WhenEmperor Claudius II decided that single men made bettersoldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawedmarriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injusticeof the decree, defied Claudius and continued to performmarriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’sactions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put todeath.

Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh is the official brandambassador of NBA (National Basketball Association)for India. Taking his association forward with the

NBA, the actor will now be flying to Cleveland to be a part ofa star-studded NBA All-Star Celebrity Game that featuresbasketball players and global musicians as well. For theunversed, Ranveer will be playing the game alongside Anuel,Machine Gun Kelly, Jack Harlow, Quavo and comedianTiffany.

The Gully Boy actor confirmed his participation in thegame during a Q and A on social media. Ranveer informedhis fans that he has started preparing for the big match,which is set to take place on February 18, in Cleveland. "I’mflying to Cleveland to play the NBA Celebrity All-Star Gamelater this month. Better get some practice, varna naak katjayegi," the actor said on social media.

Last year, in September, when Ranveer was declared as thebrand ambassador for the NBA in India, the actor hadconfessed his love for basketball.

"I have loved basketball and the NBA since my childhoodand have always been fascinated with its influence on popularculture, including music, fashion and entertainment. Withthe NBA tipping off its 75th season celebrations, therecouldn’t have been a better time to join forces with the leagueand support their efforts to grow basketball in the country,"Ranveer said.

Talking about the big game that is set to take place nextweek, it will also feature Cleveland Browns player MylesGarrett, Las Vegas Aces player Dearica Hamby and ClevelandCavaliers legends, Booby Gibson and Anderson Varejao.

When Amrita Rao rejectedthe offer to be an in-house

YRF actor

Bollywood actor Amrita Rao recently shared in aYouTube video that back in 2011, she rejected anoffer to be an in-house YRF talent. Amrita, along

with her husband RJ Anmol, shared this part of herlife on their YouTube show Couple of Things.

Amrita said that she really wanted to be in a YRFfilm and Aditya Chopra had previously offered herNeal ‘n’ Nikki and Bachna Ae Haseeno. She had topass on both these offers as these films had kissingscenes and she was not comfortable performing them.In 2011, Aditya called Amrita to the YRF office andshared that he was creating a bank of actors whowould be a part of YRF films and wanted Amrita to bea part of it.

“He asked if I still had those reservations that I hadbefore, about performing intimate scenes,” sherecollected. After hearing Aditya’s pitch, Amrita wasquite impressed but that’s when her dilemma started.Amrita recalled that she spoke to director SoorajBarjatya, with whom she collaborated on Vivah, aboutthe offer and he suggested that she should follow herheart.

Ranveer joins MachineGun Kelly, Tiffany Haddish

for NBA All-Star Game

Farhan’s mom Honey Irani is‘very excited’ for his wedding

with Shibani

Farhan Akhtar'smother HoneyIrani has said she

finds his girlfriendShibani Dandekar“gorgeous and madly inlove” with her son.Farhan and Shibani areall set to tie the knot onFebruary 21 after fouryears of relationship.

Farhan is the son oflyricist and writer JavedAkhtar and his firstwife, screenplay writerHoney Irani. The lattersaid Farhan and Shibaniinformed them about their plans to get married at a dinner outing sometime back.

Talking to ETimes about Shibani, Honey Irani said, “Shibani is lovely,pleasant and gorgeous; she is madly in love with Farhan. Farhan too ismadly in love with her. I just hope they make and keep each otherhappy.”

Javed Akhtar had earlier said that the wedding will be a simple affairdue to the present situation of the coronavirus pandemic. Sharing herexcitement for the same, Honey Irani added, "It's a joyous occasion andI am looking forward to it. In fact, everyone in the family is lookingforward to it. We are very excited."

She also said that they as parents are not the interfering types andwould have approved of whatever they wanted. “The most importantthing is that they are both very happy. I just hope they have a wonderfullife; it's really nice to see they are tying the knot now. They were veryserious about each other.” she added. Source: HT

Akshay Kumar-ManushiChhillar’s Prithviraj to release in

theatres in JunePrithviraj starring Akshay Kumar,

Sonu Sood, Sanjay Dutt andManushi Chhillar is all set to

release in theatres. The YRF film,which was first scheduled to release in2020, got postponed due to thepandemic. Directed by ChandraprakashDwivedi, Prithviraj will now release intheatres on June 10. Akshay Kumarshared a few character posters with acaption that read, “The grand Samrat#Prithviraj Chauhan’s historic journeyis coming to the big screen on 10th Junein Hindi, Tamil & Telugu.” In November2021, the film released the first teaserthat gave a glimpse into the magnumopus. The film also stars AshutoshRana, Sakshi Tanwar, Manav Vij andLalit Tiwari. The film marks MissWorld 2017 Manushi’s debut in themovies. “It is truly an honour that I willbe playing the role of one of the mostfearless and courageous kings of India,Prithviraj Chauhan. As a nation, weshould always celebrate our heroes andimmortalize what they did to propagatethe values that Indians lived by.Prithviraj is our attempt to bring tolight his valour and daredevilry,”Akshay said.

Source: The Indian Express

BOLLYWOOD THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Jimmy Kimmel slams Oscarsfor snubbing No Way Home in

Best Picture category

Adam Driver,Penelope Cruz,

Shailene Woodley tostar in Michael

Mann’s ‘Ferrari’

Filmmaker Michael Mann has ropedin actors Adam Driver, PenelopeCruz, and Shailene Woodley to star

in his upcoming racing drama 'Ferrari'.Driver, who replaced Hugh Jackman inthe project, will star in the film as ex-racecar driver and auto manufacturinggiant Enzo Ferrari.

Set in the summer of 1957, the storyfollows Ferrari's life both on the track andat home that started to fall apart.

The company he and his wife Laura hadbuilt was struggling and his stormymarriage had been rocked by the death oftheir son, Dino, and his affair with LinaLardi, with whom he had a second son,Piero.

Meanwhile, Ferrari was preparing for agruelling and dangerous race across Italy,the Mille Miglia.According to the reports,Cruz will play the role Enzo's wife, LauraFerrari, while Woodley will feature asLina Lardi. Source: PTI

I have a special place in my heart forrom-coms: Jennifer Lopez

Hollywood star JenniferLopez says she has asoft spot for romantic

comedies and that is why shehas done several films in thegenre, including herupcoming movie Marry Me.

Between 2000 and 2010, thesinger-actor has starred inpopular rom-coms such asThe Wedding Planner, Maidin Manhattan, Shall WeDance?, Monster-in-Law andThe Back-up Plan.

“Yes, I do have a specialplace in my heart for rom-coms. That’s why I’ve done somany of these throughout mycareer,” Lopez said inresponse to a question askedby PTI during the virtualpress conference for MarryMe from Los Angeles.

As a movie goer, the pop icon said she loves romantic comedies especially theones starring Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts.

“They are some of my favourite movies of all time whether it is ‘When Harry MetSally’ or ‘Prelude to a Kiss’, any of these kinds of movies of Meg Ryan era, JuliaRoberts, all of those movies are what I grew up on in a way. I love them so much,”she added.

Jennifer Lopez’s last rom-com was 2018’s Second Act. Source: PTI

When the nominations for the94th Academy Awards wereannounced on Tuesday, fans

were disappointed to see that theMarvel-Sony blockbuster Spider-Man:No Way Home failed to win anomination for Best Picture. Thecritically acclaimed and commerciallysuccessful film was tipped to be one ofthe rare superhero films to earn a BestPicture Oscar nod. But in the end, itfailed to find a place among the tennominees.

Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel isamong those who feel the film has beenunjustly 'snubbed'. The late-night chatshow host used the February 8 episodeof his show Jimmy Kimmel Live toattack the Academy Awards. During hismonologue, he referred to No WayHome and said, "How did it not get oneof the 10 nominations for best picture?Forget the fact that the movie made $750million [in the US] and is still going.This was a great movie. It wasn’t in thetop 10 best movies of the year?"

Jimmy particularly took offence tosatirical comedy Don't Look Up pippingNo Way Home in the nominees' list."There were three Spider-Men in it.You’re telling me Don’t Look Up wasbetter than Spider-Man? It mostcertainly was not,” he said.

The host argued that the voters of theAcademy of Motion Pictures, Arts &Sciences, who determine the nominees,were swayed by Don't Look Up'sheavyweight cast, including LeonardoDiCaprio and Meryl Streep.

Chris Pine all set to make hisdirectorial debut with

mystery-comedy film Poolman

Hollywood star Chris Pine isset to make his directorialdebut with a mystery-

comedy film, titled Poolman.According to Deadline, the 41-year-old actor will also star in the moviealong with veteran actors AnnetteBening and Danny DeVito.

Poolman is being touted as across between Jeff Bridges-starrerThe Big Lebowski and classic LAnoir films, with a hint of DamianChazelle’s La La Land.

Pine will play DarrenBarrenman, a hapless dreamerand would-be philosopher whospends his days looking after thepool of the Tahitian Tikiapartment block in sunny LosAngeles and crashing city councilmeetings with his neighbours Jack (DeVito) and Diane (Bening).

“When Barrenman uncovers the greatest water heist in LA history since‘Chinatown’, he makes uneasy alliances with a beautiful and connected femmefatale while following every lead he can with corrupt city officials, burned outHollywood types, and mysterious benefactors, all in the name of protecting hisprecious Los Angeles,” reads the official plotline. Source: PTI

HOLLYWOOD THE INDIAN PANORAMA


WORLD THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 26PHILIPPINES OPENSDOORS TO VISITORSAFTER TWO YEARS

MANILA (TIP): The Philippineswelcomed back more than 200 foreigntourists on February 10, becoming thelatest Southeast Asian nation toreopen in a bid to revive a batteredtourism sector after its borders shut tovisitors nearly two years ago.

Popular for its white sand beachesand rich marine life, the Philippineshas seen a sharp drop in Covid cases.— Reuters

UK, RUSSIA DIPLOMATSCLASH OVER UKRAINE

MOSCOW (TIP): Britain’s topdiplomat urged Russia on February 10to defuse tensions over Ukraine andtake the path of diplomacy even asthousands of Russian troops engagedin sweeping manoeuvres in Belarus aspart of a military buildup nearUkraine that has fueled Western fearsof an invasion.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Trusswarned Russia that attacking itsneighbour would “have massiveconsequences and carry severe costs”,urging Moscow to de-escalate thetensions.

Facing Truss across the table, thegrim-faced Russian Foreign MinisterSergey Lavrov set a stern tone for thetalks, emphasising that Moscow won’taccept Western lecturing. — AP

PRINCE CHARLESISOLATING AFTER

TESTING POSITIVE FORCOVID-19

LONDON (TIP): Britain’s PrinceCharles has tested positive for Covid-19and is self-isolating, his office saidfebruary 10. A message on the royal’sofficial Twitter page said Charlestested positive on Thursday morningand was “deeply disappointed” not tobe able to attend a scheduled visit inWinchester, England.

No other details were immediatelyavailable.

Charles, 73, met dozens of peopleduring a Wednesday evening receptionat the British Museum.

The heir to the throne previouslycontracted the coronavirus in March2020. Officials said he had mild COVID-19 symptoms then. Charles and hiswife, Camilla, isolated at QueenElizabeth II’s Balmoral estate inScotland at the time. Spain’s KingFelipe VI, 54, and Denmark’s QueenMargrethe II, 81, also tested positivefor the coronavirus this week. AP

Photos indicate NorthKorea may be preparing

military paradeSEOUL (TIP): Satellite photos show

hundreds of people in formation at atraining ground in North Korea'scapital in a possible sign the countryis preparing for a military paradeamid heightened animosities over itsrecent missile tests.

The 38 North website, whichspecialises in North Korea studies,said on february 9 the February 5imagery taken on the Mirim airfieldin Pyongyang—where rehearsals forpast military parades occurred—likely signals a forthcoming parade.

North Korea often marks importantanniversaries with parades and otherdisplays, and the website notedseveral upcoming occasions, such asnext week's 80th birthday of Kim JongIl, the late father of current leaderKim Jong Un, and April's 110thbirthday of Kim Il Sung, the lategrandfather of Kim Jong Un.

The three Kims, who have beenruling North Korea successively sinceits foundation in 1948, are the subjectof a strong personality cult among its25 million people.

The birthdays of the two late Kimsare the country's most important

holidays, and its powerful Politburorecently decided to celebrate theirupcoming birth anniversaries “withsplendor” and make them as “thegreat festivals of victory and glory toshine long in the annals of thecountry”.

North Korea hasn't disclosed what

events it would hold to mark theupcoming birth anniversaries. But onpast birthdays and other key stateanniversaries, North Korea oftenstaged massive military paradesfearing goose-stepping soldiers andnew weapons systems to bolster unityand intimidate its rivals. (AP)

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak admits attendingDowning Street lockdown party

LONDON (TIP): UK’s Indian-originChancellor Rishi Sunak has admitted toattending Prime Minister BorisJohnson’s lockdown birthday party in2020 but refused to say what happenedwhen he entered the room and claimedthat he was there for a meeting to discussthe Covid-19 situation.

His comments came after Johnson’sfive aides, including longstanding policychief Munira Mirza, chief of staff DanRosenfield, principal private secretaryMartin Reynolds and communicationsdirector Jack Doyle, resigned from theirposts within hours of each other onFebruary 10.

They stepped down after a damninginvestigation revealed that multipleparties took place at Downing Streetwhile the rest of the United Kingdomwas living under strict Covid-19lockdown rules.

Sunak, who lives next door to thePrime Minister in Downing Street, isalso reported to have attended a surprisebirthday party for Johnson in No. 10’sCabinet Room in June 2020.

He admitted to attending Johnson’slockdown birthday party in 2020 butrefused to say what happened when heentered the room, the Mirror newspaperreported.

The Chancellor said that he was in the

Cabinet Room for Johnson’s lockdownbirthday party but insisted he was therefor a meeting to discuss the Covid-19situation.

He acknowledged that the scandalsurrounding parties during lockdown atDowning Street has damaged the public’strust in the government, the BBCreported.

The Chancellor, however, said that hebelieved his plans to deal with the cost ofliving crisis would help restore it.

Sunak, 41, insisted that PrimeMinister Johnson, who is facing growingcalls for his resignation, has his “fullsupport.” Dismissing talk of himreplacing Johnson, the Chancellor saidthat the Prime Minister had always toldthe truth about the parties.

“Yes, of course he does. He is the

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,”he said.

Asked whether the parties held inviolation of Covid-19 lockdown rulesdamaged the public’s confidence in thegovernment, Sunak said “Yes, I think ithas. I can appreciate people’sfrustration. And I think it’s now the jobof all of us in government, allpoliticians, to restore people’s trust”.

As an embattled Johnson faces intensepressure to step down from theopposition and Conservative MPs, someTory MPs believe that Sunak, as one ofthe most powerful figures in thegovernment, is the frontrunner toreplace Johnson.

But Sunak quelled such talk.“Well, that’s very kind of them to

suggest that. But what I think peoplewant from me is to focus on my job.

“I know a few of my colleagues havesaid that and they’ll have their reasonsfor doing that. But I don’t think that’s thesituation we’re in. The Prime Ministerhas my full support,” he told the BBC.

Asked whether he would run to be thenext Tory leader and Prime Minister,should there be a vacancy, Sunak said“No, that’s not what I’m focused on.”Officers from the Met Police areinvestigating a total of 12 DowningStreet parties. (PTI)

WORLD THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 27IRAN UNVEIL NEW

MISSILE WITH REPORTEDREGION-WIDE RANGE

TEHRAN (TIP): Iran unveiled anew missile on february 9 with areported range that would allow it toreach both US bases in the region aswell as targets inside its archfoe Israel.

State TV reported that the missilehas solid fuel and a range of 1,450kilometers, or 900 miles. It is called theKhaibar-buster, a reference to a Jewishcastle overrun by Muslim warriors inthe early days of Islam.

It said the missile has high accuracy,is manufactured completelydomestically, and can defeat missileshield systems. The information hasnot been independently verified.

Israel’s closest point to Iran is some1,000 kilometers, or 620 miles, away.

The report comes as negotiationscontinue in Vienna to revive Tehran’stattered nuclear deal with worldpowers. Iran, which has long said itdoes not seek nuclear weapons, insistsits missile program is only a deterrent.

Iran has missiles that can travel upto 2,000 kilometers, 1250 miles.

Earlier in January Iran tested anengine for a solid-fuel rocket designedto launch satellites. AP

AUSTRALIA TO REOPENBORDERS TO VACCINATED

TOURISTS FROM FEB 21

CANBERRA (TIP): Australia willopen its borders to all vaccinatedtourists and business travellers fromFebruary 21 in a further relaxation ofpandemic restrictions announcedFebruary 7 .

Australia imposed some of theworld’s toughest travel restrictions onits citizens and permanent residents inMarch 2020 to prevent them frombringing Covid-19 home.

When the border restrictions wererelaxed in November in response to anincreasing vaccination rate among theAustralian population, internationalstudents and skilled migrants wereprioritised over tourists in beingwelcomed back to Australia.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison saidhis senior ministers agreed on Mondaythat the border would reopen to allvaccinated visa holders from February21. He referred to Serbian tennis starNovak Djokovic being deported by theAustralian government last monthbecause he was not vaccinated againstCovid. Home Affairs Minister KarenAndrews said visitors who couldprovide proof of a medical reason whythey could not be vaccinated couldapply for a travel exemption. — AP

UK PM Johnson reshufflesCabinet; appoints Rees-Mogg asminister for Brexit OpportunitiesLONDON (TIP): Embattled British

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, underpressure to resign over parties inDowning Street during lockdown, onfebruary 8 reshuffled his Cabinet andappointed Jacob Rees-Mogg as theminister for Brexit Opportunities andGovernment Efficiency.

Rees-Mogg, 52, currently leader of theHouse of Commons, will be based in theCabinet Office.

Mark Spencer, the current ChiefWhip, will replace Rees Mogg as theLeader of Commons.

Rees-Mogg, a prominent Leavecampaigner during the 2016 EUreferendum, will be a full member of theCabinet, having previously onlyattended it. Spencer, who was previouslychief whip, will continue to attend.

Chris Heaton-Harris has become thenew Chief Whip, in charge ofdisciplining Conservative MPs.

Stuart Andrew, former Deputy ChiefWhip, will be the minister for housing.

Andrew, the MP for Pudsey since 2010,previously held the position ofTreasurer of HM Household and was aDeputy Chief Whip in the House ofCommons.

The shake-up of the ministerial teamfollows the appointment of StephenBarclay as the Prime Minister’s chief ofstaff.

It also comes as Johnson, 57, seeks torelaunch his administration followingthe ‘Partygate’ row. He is facing intensepressure to step down from theOpposition and Conservative MPs.

The Prime Minister has alreadychanged many of his advisers and otherstaff of 10 Downing Street, as heattempts to ward off calls from theOpposition and some of his own MPs, toresign.

At the sub-cabinet level, StuartAndrew has moved from being deputychief whip to housing minister.

In her report on gatherings that tookplace in 10 Downing Street duringlockdowns, published last week, seniorcivil servant Sue Gray criticised“failures of leadership and judgement”.

In response, Johnson has promised a“change” in culture and to consultConservative MPs more on settingpolicy.

Meanwhile, Johnson’s office said thatthe prime minister has no intention ofapologising after falsely claiming thatLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer hadfailed to prosecute serial sex offenderJimmy Savile when he was director ofpublic prosecutions.

The reshuffle follows severalbackbench Tory MPs criticising hisleadership.

If 54 MPs write letters to Sir GrahamBrady, chairman of the ConservativeParty’s 1922 Committee, this will prompta vote of no-confidence in the primeminister.

If he lost this, there would be a fullleadership contest, in which Johnson

could not run.At the last Cabinet reshuffle in

September last year, Nadine Dorriesbecame culture secretary and Liz Trussbecame foreign secretary, while DominicRaab was moved from the Foreign Officeto become the deputy prime minister.

Last week, Prime Minister Johnson’sfive aides, including longstanding policychief Munira Mirza, chief of staff DanRosenfield, principal private secretaryMartin Reynolds and communicationsdirector Jack Doyle, resigned from theirposts within hours of each other.

They stepped down after a damninginvestigation revealed that multipleparties took place at Downing Streetwhile the rest of the United Kingdomwas living under strict Covid-19lockdown rules.

Officers from the Met Police areinvestigating a total of 12 DowningStreet parties.

It is believed that as many as six ofthose could have been attended by thePrime Minister. (PTI)

Camilla will get Kohinoor once Prince Charlesbecomes king, says report

LONDON (TIP): Duchess of CornwallCamilla will be given the priceless Kohinoorcrown at Prince Charles’s coronation, theDaily Mail reported in an exclusive story.

On February 6, Queen Elizabeth announcedthat the Duchess of Cornwall would becomeQueen Consort when her husband, the Queen’sson Prince Charles, finally accedes to thethrone. To put this into context, the throne isinherited and those who marry into the royalfamily cannot take it. This means thatalthough Camilla will take the title “QueenConsort” she could never be made “Queen”.

The Queen’s announcement came on a day that marked the70th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

The Daily Mail report on Sunday said Camilla will have the

Queen Mother’s priceless platinum anddiamond crown placed on her head whenCharles is made king.

The Kohinoor, also spelled as Koh-i-noor orKoh-i-nur, is a precious 105.6 carat diamond ofindeterminable origins whose recordedhistory goes back to the Mughal era whenBabur mentions it in his diary. Baburmentions in his diary entry that AlauddinKhalji of the Khilji dynasty of the DelhiSultanate had acquired the diamond in one ofhis invasions of the kingdoms of southern

India in the 14th Century and that it passed to succeedingdynasties of the Sultanate. Babur received the diamond in1526as a tribute to his conquest of Delhi and Agra in the Battle ofPanipat. (TNS)

You may be surprised to learn about a super-affordable and effective DIY exfoliant that youprobably already have in your kitchen.

HoneyA healthy and sweet addition to your skin care

routine, unprocessed honey is a superb antiseptic. Thisis because it has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viralbenefits. Loaded with antioxidants, honey helps inprotecting and repairing the skin, by reducing skininflammation too. Mix it in your hydrating facial scruband it acts as a great moisturiser too.

YogurtAn excellent staple food in your kitchen and healthy

diet regimen, yogurt is full of lactic acid, which containsalpha hydroxyl acid (an acid present in prescription skincare treatments). Combine it with milk, and yogurtworks as an excellent skin-smoothening exfoliant. Allyou have to do is apply yogurt on any part of your body,let it stay for 20 minutes and then rinse.

Baking sodaA must-use in baking and odor control procedures,

baking soda is used extensively in high-end spatreatments. Now they may not leak it to you, but bakingsoda is used extensively in microdermabrasion

treatments, which contains sodium bicarbonate.However, do note that the amount of baking soda youshould be using on your skin should be quite moderate,as sensitive or mature skin can suffer from its harsheffects. Best would be to add a pinch of it to your facialcleanser in the morning and enjoy a spa-worthytreatment at home.

Ground fruit seeds and nutsGo for blackberry seeds or raspberry or ground

almonds mixture and exfoliate your skin with theseeasily available ingredients. These ingredients help inremoving dead cells, when massaged onto the skin in asmooth, circular motion. Avoid using sharp edgedingredients. Infact, make a puree of the nuts, almondsand readily available fruit seeds and then apply them toyour skin for a softer, smoother skin.

Sea saltIf you are looking for a facial scrub that really helps in

opening your pores, then mixing sea salt with water is agreat idea. Scrubbing your face with it in the morning isa great homemade exfoliation procedure. Aninexpensive and quite popular body treatment at spas,sea salt scrubs help in detoxifying the body bystimulating blood circulation through vasodilation ofblood capillaries inside the skin.

Try natural exfoliantsfrom your kitchen

FOOD CORNER

Chocolate BarbequeChicken wings

INGREDIENTS 12-15 no Chicken wings

Salt to taste, 1 tsp black pepper powder, 1 tsp garlicpowder, 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder/ paprika

Oil for frying

For Chocolate Barbeque Sauce

1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ cup gmssemisweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups ketchup, 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tbsp. honey, 2 tbsp. vinegar, 2 tbsp. unsweetenedcocoa powder, 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. dry mustard, 2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

METHOD Apply garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper

powder and salt to the chicken wings for 2 hours.

Coat marinated wings in refined flour then dip in eggwash and finally coat with breadcrumbs.

Deep fry them into hot oil until crisp and golden incolor. -To make sauce mix everything in sauce pan;cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 3minutes. Coat cooked chicken wings with the sauce andserve immediately with celery sticks

Cabbage Cutlet Ingredients

2 Cups Grated cabbage3 tbsp Chopped coriander1 tspChopped garlic1 Onion (Finely Chopped)1 tsp Chaatmasala3/4 tsp Red chilli powder3/4 tsp Cumin Seeds1tsp Salt1/4 tsp Pepper powder1 tsp Corn flour7 tbspSooji

MethodWash and strain the grated cabbage, add the choppedcoriander, onion and garlic. Mix it well.

Next, add all the masalas – chaat masala, red chillipowder, cumin seeds, salt and pepper powder.

Add the corn flour and half of the sooji at first, mix itwell. Then gradually add the rest. Combine the mixturewell and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

Make round-shaped cutlets and shallow fry them tillboth sides are golden brown.

The cabbage cutlet is ready!

WOMEN THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Get prettier feet without a pedicure Avoid all acetone products on your feet

Acetone is highly harsh on your nails, as it dries outthe natural oils from them. Say no to acetone nail polishremovers and opt for the acetone-free options forstronger and healthier nails.

Don’t soak your feetRemember all those times you soaked your feet in

water, brimming with pride as to how careful you wereabout your care regimen? The truth is, you were onlystripping the natural oils from your feet. Next time, justwash your feet with some mild soap instead.

Exfoliate all the wayExfoliation is a mandatory process when it comes to

caring for your feet. It helps in getting rid of all thosepesky dead skin, to leave your feet feeling smooth andsoft. Just use a pumice stone on your feet regularly forsofter, prettier feet.

Get a foot massageIf you’re really looking into taking proper care of

your feet, we urge you to go for regular foot massage.Massaging some moisturiser onto your feet

everydayhelps lock in moisture and keeps your feetfeeling supple for longer.

Change your dietMake sure your diet includes a lot of calcium to walk

your way to healthier feet. Foods like green leafyvegetables, fish and almonds are great for addingcalcium to your diet, and will help tremendously intaking you one step closer to the feet of your dreams.

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FFoorrmmeerr PPrreessiiddeenntt,, IInnddiiaaAAssssoocciiaattiioonn ooff LLoonngg IIssllaanndd((IIAALLII))

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New HIV variant morecontagious, doubles rate of

immune system decline

The newly-detected HIV variant from theNetherlands is more transmissible anddamaging, according to research.

The study, led by researchers from the University ofOxford’s Big Data Institute, showed that people livingwith the newly revealed subtype-B of HIV experiencedouble the rate of immune system decline (CD4count).

They have higher viral loads (amount of virus inthe blood) and are also vulnerable to developing AIDStwo to three times faster after diagnosis than if theywere living with other strains of the virus.

The study also revealed that the variant has beencirculating in the Netherlands for years and remainsreceptive to HIV treatment.

While the newly identified variant does notrepresent a major public health threat, it“underscores the urgency of speeding up efforts tohalt the HIV pandemic”, the UNAIDS said in astatement The HIV pandemic continues to take a lifeevery minute and scientists have long worried aboutthe evolution of new, more transmissible, variants ofHIV.

“Ten million people living with HIV worldwide arenot yet on treatment, fuelling the continued spread ofthe virus and potential for further variants,” saidEamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director,Programme, in the statement.

Murphy also called for urgent “need to deploycutting-edge medical innovations in ways that reachthe communities most in need”.

“Whether it’s HIV treatment or Covid-19 vaccines,inequalities in access are perpetuating pandemics inways that harm us all,” Murphy added.

With an estimated 79 million people infected, HIVremains the deadliest pandemic of our time, theUNAIDS said.

It still has no vaccine or cure. The treatment is onlyantiretroviral therapy, which keeps them alive andwell and prevents transmission of the virus.

But the Covid pandemic has affected the treatment,leading to the death of some 36 million people fromAIDS-related illnesses since the start of the pandemic.

About 1.5 million people were newly infected withHIV in 2020. Of the 38 million people living with HIVtoday, 28 million are on life-saving antiretroviraltherapy. Source: IANS

Healthy food swaps thatwill help manage blood

sugar, diabetesPeople with prediabetes or

diabetes need to be extremelycareful with her eating habits.

As such, sometimes it can get trickyto ascertain which foods and drinksmake for the best choices. But worrynot, here are 10 picks by Dr GaneshKadhe, associate director, nutritionmedical and scientific affairs,Abbott, that will ensure that yourblood sugar levels are alwaysmaintained.

Beans (of any kind)

Lentils, kidney, black or chickpeabeans are low glycemic index foods.It means that their carbohydratesare gradually released, and hencethey’re less likely to cause bloodsugar spikes. They’re so beneficialthat a recent study found that eatinga daily cup of beans for threemonths as part of a low-glycemicdiet lowered (hemoglobin A1c)HbA1c level by half a percentagepoint.

ApplesYou might think there’s no room

for fruits in a diabetic meal plan, butapples are also low glycemic. Aimingfor foods that are low or medium onthe glycemic index is one way tomanage blood sugar levels. Eating anapple a day has its benefits – they arehigh in fibre, vitamin C and fat-free!Not to mention a portable and easysnack option.

AlmondsThese crunchy nuts are rich in

magnesium, a mineral that helps thebody use its own insulin moreeffectively. Try adding more almonds

into your diet to have your daily doseof this blood sugar-balancingmineral. Plus, almonds are high inmonounsaturated fatty acids,protein, and fibre, which makesthem a great way to help manageblood glucose levels.

SpinachThis leafy green vegetable has just

21 calories per cooked cup and isfilled with blood sugar-friendlymagnesium and fibre. Additionally,you can enjoy spinach raw, sautéedwith olive oil, in your favourite palakpaneer or even blended, making it aversatile choice!

Chia seedsLosing or managing weight is one

of the best things you can do toimprove your blood sugar. Chiaseeds can help with that. In onestudy, people with diabetes who

added about an ounce of chia seedsto a calorie-controlled diet for sixmonths shed four pounds andtrimmed an inch-and-a-half fromtheir waistlines. Aside from beingpacked with fibre, these gems alsocontain protein and provide 18 percent of your recommended dailyintake of calcium.

BlueberriesBlueberries contain compounds

that have been shown to help reducethe risk of heart disease andimprove how the body uses insulin.One study showed that eating theequivalent of about 2 cups ofblueberries daily improved insulinsensitivity in overweight peoplewith insulin resistance. They’re alsoa great source of fibre and othernutrients such as vitamin C andantioxidants.

Source: The Indian Express

HEALTH THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock

Sleeping more reduces calorie intake

Fitness enthusiasts and those dealing with obesitytry out every possible weight loss method underthe Sun to get the desired results. But what if

one's sleep can do the trick just as good? Now, a newstudy on how getting sufficient sleep affects caloricintake in a real-world setting attempted to change howwe think about weight loss.

The study was published in 'JAMA InternalMedicine'.

Understanding the underlying causes of obesity andhow to prevent it is the best way to fight the obesityepidemic, according to Esra Tasali, MD, Director of theUChicago Sleep Center at the University of ChicagoMedicine. "The current obesity epidemic, according toexperts, is mostly explained by an increase in caloricintake, rather than lack of exercise," she said.

In a randomized clinical trial with 80 adults, Tasaliand her colleagues at UChicago and the University ofWisconsin-Madison found that young, overweightadults who habitually slept fewer than 6.5 hours a nightwere able to increase their sleep duration by an averageof 1.2 hours per night after a personalized sleep hygienecounselling session. The sleep intervention wasintended to extend time in bed duration to 8.5 hours --and the increased sleep duration compared to controlsalso reduced participants' overall caloric intake by an

average of 270 kcal (calories) per day."Over the years, we and others have shown that sleep

restriction has an effect on appetite regulation thatleads to increased food intake, and thus puts you at riskfor weight gain over time," said Tasali. "More recently,the question that everyone was asking was, 'Well, if thisis what happens with sleep loss, can we extend sleepand reverse some of these adverse outcomes?"

Source: ANI

How China got blue skiesin time for Olympics

The blue skies greeting Olympic athletes herethis month are a stark change from just adecade ago when the city’s choking air

pollution was dubbed an “Airpocalypse” and blamedfor scaring off tourists.

Beijing’s air still has a long way to go, but ismeasurably better than past years when smog oftenmade it difficult to see nearby buildings and peoplewore masks to protect themselves from pollution,not COVID-19. The city’s notorious pollution alsomade news in 2016, when Facebook CEO MarkZuckerberg posted a photo of himself jogging in thehaze through Tiananmen Square with a smile on hisface. Some mused on social media that he was tryingto ingratiate himself with Chinese authorities.

Yet at this month’s Beijing Games, the air is clearenough for athletes to see the mountainssurrounding the city.

WHAT CHANGED?After pollution hit record levels in 2013 and

became a source of international attention andwidespread public discontent, China launched anambitious plan to improve its air quality and said itwould fight pollution “with an iron fist,” accordingto a recent report from the Energy Policy Institute atChicago. That was also around the time the countrybid on this month’s Winter Games.

The ensuing efforts were similar to the measuresChina had previously taken to ensure clear skies forthe 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, but on a largerscale, the report notes. Tougher emissions standardswere imposed on coal-fired plants and the number ofcars on the road was curbed to cut vehicleemissions. Local officials were given environmentaltargets, and coal-fired boilers in homes werereplaced with gas or electric heaters.

The government’s reporting of air quality data

also improved.

IS BEIJING’S AIR CLEAN NOW?Despite the progress, Beijing’s annual average air

pollution last year was still more than six times thelimit laid out by the World Health Organization’sguidelines.

And the concentration of coal-burning industriesthat still surrounds the city means it remainssusceptible to bad air days, said Lauri Myllyvirta atthe Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air inHelsinki, Finland.

When those happen can depend on factors like cartraffic or how much wind there is to blow awaysmog.

Still, Chinese officials hail the country’sachievements. Last year, they say there were 288days of good air quality days in Beijing, compared to176 days in 2013. Source: AP

How to take Google’s security checkup

Google introduces smartersearch history to Chrome

browser

Google has announced a couple of updates toChrome that bring, among other things, a newway to resume your past searches in the

browser. This new feature, dubbed "Journeys," is nowrolling out to Chrome on the desktop and will smartlygroup past searches by topic. The browser willautomatically highlight this new experience whenyou start searching for a related term, or you can headdiretly to the new Chrome History Journey page onceit's enabled on your browser.

"Journeys will even take into account how muchyou’ve interacted with a site to put the most relevantinformation front and center, while also bringing youhelpful suggestions on related searches you may wantto try next," Yana Yushkina, a product manager on theChrome team, explains in today's announcement.

If you've ever started researching something andthen had to abort that to work on another project, youknow how hard it is to find your way back to the sitesyou previously visited. Any browser's history listquickly becomes unwieldy after a while and until now,no browser vendor has really given it a lot ofattention. In an increasingly competitive browsermarket, we'll likely see vendors continue to innovatein exactly these kinds of areas that were long leftuntouched.

Google stresses that users can turn this feature offcompletely if they are uncomfortable with thebrowser building these clusters for them. Google saysJourneys will only group your history on your deviceand the clusters are generated on the device. Nothingis saved to your Google account.

These topics, by the way, are completely unrelatedto Topics, Google's latest proposal to replace cookiesfor advertising purposes. Those Topics group the sitesyou visited into clusters around about 300 pre-settopics and there's clearly some overlap in basicfunctionality here, but a Google spokespersonconfirmed to me that they are not connected at all.

Step 1: Go to Google Security Checkup pageYou can find a quick shortcut to this

page right below the Google homepagesearch bar. If you don’t see it, you canalways navigate to the same options byclicking on your profile picture on thetop-right, choosing ‘Manage youraccount’ and then navigating to theSecurity tab.

Google will segregate your securitycheckup page under various sub-sections like ‘Your devices’, ‘Sign-in andrecovery’ and ‘Third-party access’. Lookfor sections that are marked with theyellow alert icon. These are areas whereGoogle suggests you take some securitymeasures.

Step 2: Remove access from older devicesRemove access of your Google account

from older devices that are no longer inuse. These may be older smartphonesand tablets.

Step 3: Add updated alternative ways ofsigning in

Google allows you to add alternativeways of signing in and recovering yourGoogle account. This is important asadding an alternative email address(which doesn’t have to be a Gmail one)can help you recover your Googleaccount if you ever forget yourpassword.

Step 4: Review recent activity

If any settings with your Googleaccount have been changed, update orif the account has been added to a newdevice recently, you will see it here. Ifyou see any unfamiliar activity, Googlewill let you quickly take action likesigning out from an unidentifieddevice and/or changing yourpassword.

Step 5: Review third-party access

If you have used your Google accountto log in into games and services, thissection is where you will find a log ofall such data. Look for services youdon’t use or games you don’t playanymore and sign out of them.

Step 6: Have a look at saved passwordsCheck out the saved passwords to

various websites if you have any. Youmay want to update or delete some ofthese listings if you don’t use themanymore. Source: The Indian Express

SCIENCE AND TECH THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Beijing’s air still has a long way to go, but is measurably betterthan past years when smog often made it difficult to breathe.

Photo: AP

Twitter testsplayback speed

options forvideos

Twitter is testing a new feature thatprovides users with differentplayback speed options for videos.

The test, being rolled out to users onAndroid and web will let them speed upor slow down a video while playing.

“In 2x, 1x, 0.5x…now testing moreoptions in playback speed for videos.Some of you on Android and web willhave different sets of playback speeds tochoose from so you can slow down orspeed up videos and voice Tweets,”Twitter wrote from its official Supportaccount.

Users will have playback speed optionsranging from 0.25x to 2x, as per the imageshared by Twitter.

Separately, the microbloggingplatform also started testing a new directmessages (DM) button on tweets to makeit easier for users can reply directly to atweet’s author. The feature is beingtested on iOS.

“As we test this with a small group,safety is always a priority. You can limitwho can DM you. That setting, plusquality filters, applies to all DMs. Moreon these features,” it said. Source: IANS

RBI MAINTAINS STATUSQUO, KEEPS KEY RATESUNCHANGED

NEW DELHI (TIP)

In its first monetary policy of thecurrent calendar year, the RBI onThursday, Feb 10, held its key lendingrates steady at record low levels for thetenth straight time. The move led to therupee sliding by 10 paise against the USdollar as the market was expecting ahike in reverse repo rate to withdrawexcess liquidity.

The RBI has projected GDP growth of7.8% in FY23 as against the EconomicSurvey’s 8-8.5% forecast and IMF’sprojection of 9%. The conservativeestimate is due to the uncertainties onaccount of pandemic and elevatedglobal commodity prices, explained RBIGovernor Shaktikanta Das. The RBIanticipated a lower inflation rate of4.5% for FY23 as against 5.3% expectedin the current year, assuming that themonsoon will be normal.

The RBI’s Monetary PolicyCommittee also decided to keep therepo rate unchanged at 4% and thereverse repo rate at 3.35%.

INDIA WEIGHING 5%STAKE SALE IN LIC'SMEGA IPO: REPORT

NEW DELHI (TIP)

India is considering selling about 5%of the shares it holds in a state insureras it prepares to file documents for thecountry's biggest initial public offering,according to people familiar with thematter.

The government plans to offer 31.6crore shares of the 632 crore shares itowns in Life Insurance Corp. of India,and no fresh stock will be issued, thepeople said, asking not to be identifieddiscussing confidential information.The draft prospectus is expected to befiled this week, they said.

The embedded value of the companyis estimated to be about ? 5.4 lakh crore($72 billion), though officials are stillfirming up the figures, the people said.The insurer's board is likely to meetFriday to ratify the decision, one of thepeople said. Deliberations are stillongoing and details could change, thepeople said. Representatives for thecompany, known as LIC, didn'timmediately respond to requests forcomment. A finance ministryspokesman in New Delhi wasunavailable for comment.

The first-time share sale by theinsurer is part of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's efforts to mop up cashand help rein in a budget deficit that'swidened in the midst of the pandemic.

Why US inflation is so high,and when it may ease

WASHINGTON (TIP)

Last year, it was a nasty surprise. And it wasn’t supposed tolast. But now, inflation has become an ongoing financial strainfor millions of Americans filling up at the gas station, lined up ata grocery checkout lane, shopping for clothes, bargaining for acar or paying monthly rent.

For the 12 months ending in January, inflation amounted to7.5% — the fastest year-over-year pace since 1982 — the LaborDepartment said Thursday. Even if you toss out volatile food andenergy prices, so-called core inflation jumped 6% over the pastyear. That was also the sharpest such jump in four decades.

Consumers felt the price squeeze in everyday routines. Overthe past year, prices rose 41% for used cars and trucks, 40% forgasoline, 18% for bacon, 14% for bedroom furniture, 11% forwomen’s dresses.

The Federal Reserve didn’t anticipate an inflation wave thissevere or this persistent. In December 2020, the Fed’spolicymakers had forecast that consumer inflation would staybelow their 2% annual target and end 2021 at around 1.8%.

But after having been an economic afterthought for decades,high inflation reasserted itself last year with brutal speed. InFebruary 2021, the government’s consumer price index wasrunning just 1.7% ahead of its level a year earlier. From there,the year-over-year price increases accelerated steadily — 2.7% inMarch, 4.2% in April, 4.9% in May, 5.3% in June.

By October, the figure was 6.2%, by November 6.8%, byDecember 7.1%.

For months, Fed Chair Jerome Powell and otherscharacterized higher consumer prices as merely a “transitory”problem — the result, mainly, of shipping delays and temporaryshortages of supplies and workers as the economy reboundedfrom the pandemic recession much faster than anyone hadanticipated.

Now, many economists expect consumer inflation to remainelevated well into this year, with demand outstripping suppliesin numerous areas of the economy. “Inflation remains the singlelargest near-term challenge to the economy,? said Jim Baird,chief investment officer at Plante Moran Financial Advisors.

“Although price pressures are expected to ease as the yearprogresses, inflation will remain above the Fed’s 2% target forsome time to come.?

So the Fed has radically changed course. Last month, thecentral bank signaled that it will begin a series of rate hikes inMarch. By doing so, the Fed is moving away from the super-lowrates that helped revive the economy from 2020's devastatingpandemic recession but that also helped fuel surging consumerprices.

Good news — mostly. When the pandemic paralyzed theeconomy in the spring of 2020 and lockdowns kicked in,businesses closed or cut hours and consumers stayed home as ahealth precaution, employers slashed a breathtaking 22 millionjobs. Economic output plunged at a record-shattering 31%annual rate in last year’s April-June quarter.

Everyone braced for more misery. Companies cut investmentand postponed restocking. A brutal recession ensued.

But instead of sinking into a prolonged downturn, theeconomy staged an unexpectedly rousing recovery, fueled by vastinfusions of government aid and emergency intervention by theFed, which slashed interest rates, among other things. By springof last year, the rollout of vaccines had emboldened consumersto return to restaurants, bars, shops and airports. Source: AP

Invest in crypto at yourown risk, cautions RBI

Governor NEW DELHI (TIP)

Reserve Bank of India (RBI)Governor Shaktikanta Das hascautioned investors oncryptocurrencies stating that theyshould invest in the same at theirown risk.

Das said it is his "duty" to cautioninvestors, and told them to keep inmind that they are investing at theirown risk.

He also added that cryptos are athreat to macroeconomic and financial stability while comparing itwith the historical 'tulip mania' which was widely considered to bethe first financial bubble. He said that the cryptocurrencies do noteven possess the value of the exotic flower

"Private cryptocurrencies or whatever name you call it are athreat to our macroeconomic stability and financial stability. Theywill undermine RBI's ability to deal with issues of financial stabilityand macroeconomic stability," Das added.

The 'tulip mania' of the 17th century is often cited as a classicexample of a financial bubble where the price of something goes up,not due to its intrinsic value but because of speculators wanting tomake a profit by selling a bulb of the exotic flower.

In the Union Budget for 2022-23 presented in Parliament onFebruary 1, the government proposed levying a 30 per cent tax ongains made on cryptocurrency trades by investors and theannouncement was welcomed by cryptocurrency industry players,saying it legitimises their trades.

$113 billion in 2021: India-US goodstrade marks new record

WASHINGTON/ NEW DELHI (TIP)

In yet another sign of the deepening economicrelationship between India and the United States (US),bilateral trade in goods between the two countries crossedthe $100 billion mark in 2021, making it the largest volume ofgoods trade in a calendar year in India-US economic history.

This also represents an almost 45% jump from 2020, andwhile US trade with its top 15 partners increased over thepast year, the single biggest jump was with India.

India retains a trade surplus in the relationship.According to figures released by the US Census Bureau,

India-US bilateral goods trade was worth $113.391 billionfrom January to December 2021. India exported goods worthover $73 billion, and imported goods worth a little over $40billion dollars. In 2020 – an unusual year because of thepandemic and subsequent economic restrictions – trade fellto a little over $78.2 billion, from the high of $92.1 billion in2019. India had then exported goods worth $57.8 billion andimported goods worth $34.2 billion.

Placing the figures in perspective, Richard M Rossow, theWadhwani chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Centre forStrategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the foremostexpert of the bilateral economic relationship in WashingtonDC, said that bilateral trade has been on an upwardtrajectory for 20 years, and shrunk year-on-year only thricesince 2002. “While we should certainly pause to celebrate themilestone of crossing $100 billion in bilateral trade, it is notfar off the overall trajectory of the trade relationship in thisperiod.” The 45% jump, he said, was due to the “deep trough”in 2020, as both India and the US dealt with the initialonslaught of the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: HT

BUSINESS THE INDIAN PANORAMA


AP Photo

ASTROLOGY THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Nastur Bejan Daruwalla is available for astrological consultations.

He can be reached at [email protected] and on phone

+91-9638770377 www.bejandaruwalla.com

WEEKLY HOROSCOPE - 14TH FEB TO 20TH FEB 2022

The Indian Panorama brings you Weekly and Birthday Horoscope by NASTUR BEJAN DARUWALLAVEDIC ASTROLOGER NASTUR

BEJAN DARUWALLA

Shree Ganeshaya Namah

Aries Ganesha says it's going to be a

productive week for you. This week,you'll emerge from your challengeswith a smile on your face. You think

positively, which will benefit you in the long term.Important family traditions are passed down to you,and this will come in handy this week. In the secondhalf of this week, you could feel worried. Deepbreathing can help you relax. This week, concentrateon meditation every day. Is this week will start with analready romantic vibe around, your relationship willimprove and your partner will try hard to overlookyour past and build better bonding with you. Yourhealth will demand just a little care this week. Try notto indulge in any unethical practices this week.

Taurus

You will improve your interpersonalinteractions this week. Your desire tomingle with strangers will eventuallybear fruit. This week, you could get a

token of gratitude. This week, you could learn aboutseveral economic strategies. In the midst of the week,setbacks might make you quite irritated. You could lashout at someone, so it's best if you avoid engaging infights with others. In the first half of the week, you willput financial issues under the rug. Your romanticfronts will thrive this week as you will start your weekcelebrating Valentine's Day with your partner. Yourrelationship will stay stable this week. your health willsuffer a minor setback by the end of the week. Overall,you will have a nice time spending this week.

Gemini

This is a great week to get early anddo anything that will keep you engagedas Sun will bless you throughout theweek. Right now, any sort of physical

exercise will benefit you greatly. You'll receive fantasticresults at the end of the week because you'll be workinga lot this week. You will feel sluggish of mind in themiddle of the week, making it hard to accomplish tasks.You must get out and engage in some physical activity.You will expect a lot from your partner this week. youmust try to lay a little low on your romantic fronts thisweek as Venus will not transit favorably for you thisweek. You might suffer from issues related to jointaches due to B12 deficiency.

Cancer

This week, you could be in a flexiblemood. This week, your consciousnesswill be reinforced. This week, you'll beviewing everything in a favorable light.

This week, you'll emphasize spending time with the

people you care about. This week will be enjoyable foryou. This week, you should be extra cautious whentraveling because there's a possibility you'll get into amishap. Don't be in a rush to be somewhere on time. Assuggested by the seventh house of your zodiac, you willmake major progress in your marital relationship. youwill also prioritize your personal life over otherobligations this week. Health will be fit and fine.

Leo

This week, you'll be focusing on yourgoals. This week, you'll be more able toconcentrate on your goals. It'ssatisfying to concentrate on your goals

when the effort is worthwhile. You may acquireknowledge that has a significant influence on your life.It's possible that just when things are going well,something may go wrong. However, despite thesetbacks, your future appears to be bright. Your partnerand you we'll spend a lot of time together in the firsthalf of the week. You will need to forgive your partner'smistakes in order to maintain stability in yourrelationship this week. your health will not go througheven minor issues. Just keep exercising every day thisweek.

Virgo

This week, you'll be in the desire tointeract. This week, socializing will bea part of your responsibilities. Thisweek, you're going to learn a lot of new

stuff and learn a lot about people's whereabouts. Thisweek, you could be asked to a social gathering. Thisweek, you'll find yourself in the midst of a significantissue, and it'll be tough to get out of it. Calm down andyou'll see what the best course of action is. Monetaryissues will affect your marital relationship. giving yourspouse some personal space throughout the week willimprove things between you both. The adverse positionof the moon will affect your mental health this week.try to keep yourself calm.

Libra

This week, you'll have plenty ofvitality and will be able to handle all ofthe tough labor. Others will be greatlyinfluenced by your attitude. This week,

you'd be ideal for leading a company and coordinatingeveryone to operate together. This week, you'll haveextra obligations at home. You may not be taking yourobligations seriously this week, and as a consequence,your work may suffer. Take your job seriously and putit into practice this week. As suggested by thetransition of Venus in your zodiac, you will enjoy theromantic feel of Valentine's festival in the first half ofthe week. do not rush into talks of marriage this week.

Avoid eating cold food this week as your immunity willbe a little weaker this week.

Scorpio

This week's subject is Commuqué.This week, you might be able to openup to your pal. This week, you'lluncover remedies to your difficulties at

the workplace. This week, there's a possibility you'llspend some time with animals. Because of youractions, you will feel more hopeful than previously. Thisis not a good week to invest income since there is a riskyou could lose wealth. Before you purchase this week,get professional advice. You are more likely to find aromantic interest in your professional circle this week.avoid getting indulged in this relationship or you mightregret it later. Venus does not motivate the base of thisrelationship. your health will be fine.

Sagittarius

You've got a lot of abilities, andyou'll place them to excellent servicethis week. You are likely to motivatethose near you to become more

active. You're brimming with creativity and ideas.This week, you will be of tremendous assistance toyour older neighbors. You could receive anopportunity in the middle of the week, but youmight blow it due to your lunacy. You must takematters properly and separate yourself from theenjoyment. You need to get serious about yourprofession this week. Your relationship will staystable this week. your partner/spouse will motivateyou a lot and their ideas will prove to be veryadvantageous for you. Your health will be fine. Donot overthink minor B.P. issues you might face.

Capricorn

This week, you'll be in anextremely forgiving mood. You willconsider the recommendations ofothers. This week, you're likely to be

busy on a few instances. By the end of the week, yourfamily will have pleasant news for you. This week,you will uncover weaknesses in the people aroundyou and make them feel bad. This week, you couldwind yourself hurting people's feelings. Considerwhat you're saying before you say it. Your partnerwill prove to be the lucky charm for you this week.Your new ideologies will improve your relationship.your health issues will need attention this week.Donations will bring you good luck this week.

CONTD ON PAGE 33

Aquarius You're probably going

to devote most of yourweek focusing onyourself. You'll improve

and spend much of your timeestablishing your objectives. You'll bemore concentrated than you've everbeen. You've learned a lot from life, andyou're an excellent student. You'velearned valuable lessons from yourblunders, and now it's time to put thoselessons into practice. It's easy to losehope. This has a significant influence onyou and may even have an influence onyour profession. This week, you muststrengthen yourself and have trust inyourself. Your partner and you will getinto an ugly fight in the first half of theweek as your partner's mental healthwill be affected by the transition of theMoon. Try to be supportive of them.Visit the temple on Wednesday andFriday this week.

Pisces

This week is going tobe an exciting one foryou. You'll get up earlyand eagerly anticipate

each day. This week, you'll be in themood to accomplish anything. Thisweek, you may host a dinner party withyour pals. You'll be brimming withenergy, and you'll have a fantastic weekas a result. Someone's intentions arelikely to cause you harm this week. Youwill ponder about issues that areunimportant to you, but you willoverlook them and go on. You willrestrain yourself from getting into arelationship this week but your need toconfide in someone will bring you closerto your friend. Make sure you takeproper care of yourself this week.

Feb 14

Ganesha says today you and your partner will bothrealize how important communication is in yourrelationships. Your partner will appreciate yourgenerosity and help a lot today and will thank youmany times. You will experience today how good it is tobe the bigger person and to let go of issues and feelingsthat no longer create a positive impact in your lifehence you will learn a lot of life lessons today whichwill play a crucial role in your feeling better withyourself today.

Feb 15

Ganesha says you will be on the correct path in termsof your career today and your love life today. You willwork very hard to impress the decision-makers at workas well as your partner today by bringing in gifts andbeing very diligent and caring. You will be given a lot oflove and appreciation from your colleagues today. Youfeel appreciated for your efforts. You will have greatconfidence from today in your work and it will onlykeep getting better and better. Do not rush and getoverwhelmed by today's events.

Feb 16

Ganesha says you will realize who your true people

are today. You will receive a lot of help from those whogenuinely care for you. Today might be a challengingday in the beginning but your well-wishers will helpyou get through today and be with you till you startfeeling better. You will have a very positive day today.you will get what you're trying to accomplish bypracticing gratitude and staying content, a feeling ofgratitude and love will be consistent throughout theday.

Feb 17

Ganesha says love is in abundance for you today asthe moon is in your sign today. This means today will gofar better than the past few days for you. You willexperience a new positive transition. You will enterinto a beautiful phase today. You will experience apositive shift in your emotions. You will receive a lot oflove and care from your family today. You will feelextremely secure regarding your connection withsomeone whom you can trust and count on to be therefor you at any time.

Feb 18

Ganesha says you will look at the world with a freshnew insight today. You will notice that if you lookoutfor the little good things that keep happeningthroughout the day. it is advised to not get into heatedarguments with them as it may negatively impact the

relationship which in turn will negatively impact yourhealth as well. You will be awarded for your proficiencyregarding a project that you have been working on for along time. This will make you and your family superproud of you today.

Feb 19

Ganesha says your hard work and dedication willprove fruitful to you in terms of business prospects aswell as love interests today. Today will leave you feelinglike the best person in the world and yourself worthand self-image will skyrocket today. You will feel a lot oflove and care coming towards you from family friendsas well as your partner. Your day will be a tough onetoday but you will feel supported and cared for in allways, at the end of the day you will feel very satisfiedwith where you are in your life currently.

Feb 20

Ganesha says luck is on your side when it comes tobusiness and finances today. You will be relaxed interms of your work to the point of being bored asthings will simply work out without requiring yourtime or effort. Your bold and confident nature willcome to your rescue in all circumstances. Today will befruitful for students and professionals, provided theystay focused and do not get involved in meaninglessrelationships.

CONTD FROM PAGE 32

BIRTHDAY HOROSCOPE : 14TH FEB TO 20TH FEB 2022

CONTD FROM PAGE 32

ASTROLOGY THE INDIAN PANORAMA


Magha Purnima is an important day for Hindusthat falls on the ‘purnima’ (full moon day) in themonth of ‘Magha’ in the traditional Hindu

calendar. This date roughly corresponds to the monthsof January-February in the Gregorian calendar. Thisyear, it falls on Wednesday, 16 February.

Magha Purnima is also popularly known as ‘MaghiPurnima’ or ‘Maha Maghi’ and is the last and mostimportant day of the Magha Maas. In the Hindu legendsPurnima is known to be an important day forperforming religious and spiritual rituals, and of thesethe Magha Purnima is one of the most auspicious.

On this day Hindu devotees in thousands perform theritualistic bath at the Triveni Sangam in Prayag. Duringthis time the famous ‘Kumbha Mela’ and ‘Magha Mela’is also held in which devotees flock from each and everycorner of the country. Even in southern states of Indialike Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, it is celebratedwith utmost enthusiasm and gaiety. In Tamil Nadu onthis day the spectacular ‘float’ festival is held whereinbeautifully decorated idols of Meenakshi and LordSundeshwara are mounted on floats. Magha Purnimaalso holds special significance for followers ofBuddhism as it is believed that Gautama Buddhapronounced his impending death on the same day.

Rituals during Magha PurnimaOn the day of Magha Purnima, devotees must getup early and take a holy dip in any water body,before sunrise. For those who cannot take a dip inthe river, can take bath at home by mixing Gangajalin water.After the ritualistic bath, devotees begin to makepreparations for the puja. On this day, they worshipLord Vishnu and Hanuman Ji. Also along with the‘Ishta Devatas’, the day of Magha Purnima is alsodedicated to worshipping Goddess Parvati andLord Brihaspati’ (as Brihaspati is the God ofMagha Nakshatram).Devotees perform the Satyanarayana Puja with fulldevotion and also recite the Satyanarayana Katha.The idol of the lord is worshipped with bananaleaves, sandalwood paste, til, supari, moli andfruits. In the most of Lord Vishnu’s temples acrossIndia, special arrangements for this puja are made.Hence people also visit the temples in the evening.Fasting on the day of Magha Purnima is alsoconsidered to be rewarding. The observer of thisvrat, fasts during the day and eats only afteroffering ‘ardhya’ to the moon in the evening. OnlySingle meal is allowed in a day.Making donations in the form of clothes, food,cereals, ghee, jaggery and fruits is highlybeneficial. Donations can be any form and shouldbe made to Brahmins and those in need. In theHindu scriptures, it is believed to be veryauspicious to donate ‘til’ (sesame seeds) in theentire month of Magha.In some regions ancestor rituals are also held onMagha Purnima. Devotees offer tarpan for the

peace f the deceased souls.

Significance of Magha PurnimaThe importance of Magha Purnima is mentioned in

Brahma Vaivarta Purana. According to the Hindumythology, on this sacred day, Lord Vishnu resides inthe River Ganga and therefore it is strongly believedthat by mere touching the holy water of River Ganga,devotees can attain salvation. Taking a holistic bath inthe sacred rivers like Ganga, Saraswati and Yamuna onMagha Purnima is very beneficial. By piously observingthe Magha Purnima vrat devotees can gain freedomfrom their sins and also acquire purity and peace ofmind. Doing charity on Magha Purnima gives samebenefits as observing Maha Yagyas.

Besides, religious significance, the day of MaghaPurnima is also holds importance in the science ofastrology. It is held that on this day Sun enters into theCapricorn Sign and Moon moves in the Cancerconstellation. Hence it is believed that taking a holy dipon Magha Purnima can put an end to all the problemscorrelated with Sun and Moon. The month of Magha isalso beneficial from scientific point of view. It isbelieved that this month helps the human body to adjustwith the changing seasons. Therefore taking a bath onMagha Purnima will provide strength and power to thebody.

Magh Purnima Vrat KathaAccording to a legend, a poor Brahman named

Dhaneshwar lived in a village called Kantika. He

sought alms and thus took care of his wife. He wasmarried for many years but remained childless. Peoplein the neighbourhood mocked Dhaneshwar's wife andtaunted her for not bearing a child. Once, a Yogi askedDhaneshwar and his wife to pray to Goddess Kali for 16consecutive days.

Dhaneshwar and his spouse worshipped the Goddessand got blessed by her on the 16th day. The Goddessappeared and asked them to light lamps and observevrat on 32 Purnima Tithis.

After thirty-two Purnima Tithis, Dhaneshwar's wife,conceived and gave birth to a son. The child wasnamed Devidas.

Dhaneshwar and his wife's happiness knew nobounds. Days, weeks, months and years passed. OnDevidas's sixteenth year, Dhaneshwar and his wifesent him to Kashi with his maternal uncle. When thetwo were on their way to Kashi, circumstancescompelled Devidas' uncle to get his nephew married toa girl. A few days later, the God of death arrived to takeDevidas along with him, but he couldn't succeed in hismission because the latter's parents had observed thePurnima Vrat.

Furthermore, Dhaneshwar and his wife reaped thebenefits of keeping the Purnima Vrat for thirty-twoconsecutive times in the past. As a result of theirdevotion, they could guard their child against deathand sufferings.

ARISH K. SAHANI SSeerrvviinngg SSiinnccee 11997722

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PPAAGGEE SSPPOONNSSOORREEDD BBYY

““IIff HHiinndduuss ddoonn’’tt mmaaiinnttaaiinn HHiinndduuiissmm,, wwhhoo sshhaallll ssaavvee iitt??””

““IIff IInnddiiaa’’ss oowwnn cchhiillddrreenn ddoonn''tt cclliinngg ttoo tthheeiirr ffaaiitthh,, wwhhoo sshhaallll

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oonnee..””

Magha PurnimaSPIRITUALITY THE INDIAN PANORAMA


CLASSIFEDS THE INDIAN PANORAMA


37HISTORY THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 37History This Week Feb 11 to Feb 17

"PEACE BY PERSUASION HAS A PLEASANT SOUND, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO WORK IT. WE SHOULDHAVE TO TAME THE HUMAN RACE FIRST, AND HISTORY SEEMS TO SHOW THAT THAT CANNOT BE DONE." - MARK TWAIN

February 11

February 11th - Celebrated in Japan asthe founding date of the Japanesenation, which occurred with theaccession to the throne of the firstEmperor, Jimmu, in 660 BC.

February 11, 1929 - Italian dictatorBenito Mussolini granted politicalindependence to Vatican City andrecognized the sovereignty of the Pope(Holy See) over the area, measuringabout 110 acres.

February 11, 1990 - In South Africa,Nelson Mandela, at age 71, was releasedfrom prison after serving 27 years of alife sentence on charges of attempting tooverthrow the apartheid government. InApril 1994, he was elected president inthe first all-race elections.

February 11, 2011 - In Egypt, PresidentHosni Mubarak resigned amid a massiveprotest calling for his ouster. Thousandsof young Egyptians and others hadprotested non-stop for 18 days in Cairo,Alexandria and elsewhere. Mubarak hadruled Egypt for nearly 30 years,functioning as a virtual dictator.

Birthday - American inventor ThomasEdison (1847-1931) was born in Milan,Ohio. Throughout his lifetime heacquired over 1,200 patents including theincandescent bulb, phonograph andmovie camera. Best known for his quote,"Genius is one percent inspiration andninety-nine percent perspiration."

February 12

February 12, 1999 - The impeachmenttrial of President Bill Clinton in the U.S.

Senate ended. With the whole worldwatching via television, Senators stoodup one by one during the final roll call tovote "guilty" or "not guilty." On Article 1(charging Clinton with perjury) 55senators, including 10 Republicans andall 45 Democrats voted not guilty. OnArticle 2 (charging Clinton withobstruction of justice) the Senate splitevenly, 50 for and 50 against thePresident. With the necessary two-thirdsmajority not having been achieved,President Clinton was thus acquitted onboth charges and served out theremainder of his term of office lastingthrough January 20, 2001.

Birthday - Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) the 16th U.S. President was born inHardin County, Kentucky. He led thenation through the tumultuous CivilWar, freed the slaves, composed theGettysburg Address, and establishedThanksgiving.

Birthday - Author and naturalistCharles Darwin (1809-1882) was born inShrewsbury, England. Best known for hiswork Origin of the Species concerningthe theory of evolution.

February 13

February 13, 1635 - Boston LatinSchool, the first taxpayer supported(public) school in America wasestablished in Boston, Massachusetts.

February 13, 1945 - During World WarII in Europe, British and Americanplanes began massive bombing raids onDresden, Germany. A four-day firestormerupted that was visible for 200 miles andengulfed the historic old city, killing anestimated 135,000 German civilians.

Birthday - American artist GrantWood (1892-1942) was born nearAnamosa, Iowa. Best known for hispainting American Gothic featuring afarm couple.

February 14

February 14th - Celebrated as (Saint)Valentine's Day around the world, nowone of the most widely observedunofficial holidays in which romanticgreeting cards and gifts are exchanged.

February 14, 1849 - PhotographerMathew Brady took the first photographof a U.S. President in office, James Polk.

February 14, 1929 - The St. Valentine'sDay massacre occurred in Chicago asseven members of the Bugs Moran gangwere gunned down by five of Al Capone'smobsters posing as police.

February 15

February 15, 1898 - In Havana, the U.S.Battleship Maine was blown up while atanchor and quickly sank with 260 crewmembers lost. The incident inflamedpublic opinion in the U.S., resulting in adeclaration of war against Spain onApril 25, 1898, amid cries of "Rememberthe Maine!"

February 15, 1933 - An assassinationattempt on newly elected U.S. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt occurred inMiami, Florida. A spectator deflected thegunman's aim. As a result, ChicagoMayor Anton Cermak was shot andkilled instead. The gunman, an Italianimmigrant, was captured and latersentenced to death.

February 15, 1989 - Soviet Russiacompleted its military withdrawal fromAfghanistan after nine years ofunsuccessful involvement in the civilwar between Muslim rebel groups andthe Russian-backed Afghan government.Over 15,000 Russian soldiers had beenkilled in the fighting.

Birthday - Astronomer and physicistGalileo Galilei (1564-1642) was born inPisa, Italy. He was the first astronomer touse a telescope and advanced the theory

that the sun, not the earth, was thecenter of the solar system.

Birthday - Inventor Cyrus McCormick(1809-1884) was born in RockbridgeCounty, Virginia. He invented the horse-drawn mechanical reaper, a machinethat freed farmers from hard labor andcontributed to the development andcultivation of vast areas of theAmerican Great Plains.

Birthday - Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) was born in Adams, Massachusetts.A pioneer in women's rights, she workedtirelessly for woman's suffrage (right tovote) and in 1872 was arrested aftervoting (illegally) in the presidentialelection. She was commemorated in 1979with the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin,thus became the first American womanto have her image on a U.S. coin.

February 16

Birthday - Entertainer and politicianSonny Bono (1935-1998) was born inDetroit, Michigan. Following a career as apopular singer, he became mayor of PalmSprings, California, then became aRepublican congressman, serving untilhis accidental death from a skiing mishap.

February 17

February 17, 1865 - During the AmericanCivil War, Fort Sumter in South Carolinawas returned to the Union after nearly ayear and a half under Confederatecontrol. The fort had been the scene of thefirst shots of the war.

February 17, 1909 - Apache ChiefGeronimo (1829-1909) died while incaptivity at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He hadled a small group of warriors on raidsthroughout Arizona and New Mexico.Caught once, he escaped. The U.S. Armythen sent 5,000 men to recapture him.

Nelson Mandela

Abraham Lincoln

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Thomas Edison

Saint Valentine

Galileo Galilei

Susan B. Anthony

Apache Chief Geronimo

TURN PAGE THE INDIAN PANORAMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2022 38contd from page 1

U.S. urges Canada to use federal...The White House said Homeland Security Secretary

Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary PeteButtigieg spoke with their Canadian counterparts andurged them to help resolve the standoff.

Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino saidRoyal Canadian Mounted Police reinforcements are beingsent to Windsor, Ottawa and Coutts, Alberta whereanother border blockade is happening.

A federal government official said they are not rulingout any options. The official spoke on condition ofanonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Mr. Trudeau met virtually with leaders of Canada'sopposition late Thursday and said he spoke withWindsor's mayor. He said it is causing real harm toworkers and economies on both sides of the border.

Conservative Ontario Premier Doug Ford, meanwhile,moved to cut off funding for the protests by successfullyasking a court to freeze millions of dollars in donations tothe convoy through crowd-funding site GiveSendGo. Fordhas called the protests an occupation.

Canadian officials previously got GoFundMe to cut offfunding after protest organizers used the site to raiseabout 10 million Canadian dollars ($7.8 million.)GoFundMe determined that the fundraising effortviolated the site's terms of service due to unlawfulactivity.

With political and economic pressure mounting,Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens announced the city willseek a court injunction to end the occupation.

"The economic harm is not sustainable, and it mustcome to an end," he said.

In the U.S., authorities braced for the possibility ofsimilar truck-borne protests inspired by the Canadians,and authorities in Paris and Belgium banned roadblockades to head off disruptions there, too.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in abulletin to local and state law enforcement agencies that ithas received reports that truckers are planning to"potentially block roads in major metropolitan cities" in aprotest against vaccine mandates and other issues.

The agency said the convoy could begin in SouthernCalifornia as early as this weekend, possibly disruptingtraffic around the Super Bowl, and reach Washington inMarch in time for the State of the Union address,according to a copy of Tuesday's bulletin obtained by TheAssociated Press.

The White House said the department is "surgingadditional staff" to the Super Bowl just in case.

The ban on road blockades in Europe and the threat ofprison and heavy fines were likewise prompted by onlinechatter from groups calling on drivers to converge onParis and Brussels over the next few days.

The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest U.S.-Canadianborder crossing, carrying 25% of all trade between thetwo countries, and the effects of the blockade there werefelt rapidly.

Ford said its Windsor engine plant reopened Thursdayafter being shut down on Wednesday because of a lack ofparts. But the factory and the company's assembly plant inOakville, Ontario, near Toronto, were operating atreduced capacity, the automaker said.

On the U.S. side, GM sent the first shift home two hoursearly Thursday at its Flint, Michigan, heavy-duty pickuptruck plant due to parts shortages.

Stellantis cut short the first shift Friday at its Jeep plantin Toledo, Ohio, due to parts shortages

Also, Honda will temporarily stop production on oneassembly line during the day shift Friday at its plant inAlliston, Ontario. It's because of border delays. U.S. Plantsare scheduled to run normally Friday.

Toyota said three of its plants in Ontario closed for therest of the week because of parts shortages, andproduction also had to be curtailed in Georgetown,Kentucky.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urged Canadianauthorities to quickly resolve the standoff, saying: "It'shitting paychecks and production lines. That isunacceptable."

Hundreds of demonstrators in trucks have alsoparalyzed the streets of downtown Ottawa for almost twoweeks now and have now closed three border crossings: atWindsor; at Coutts, Alberta, opposite Montana; and atEmerson, Manitoba, across from North Dakota.

The protesters are decrying vaccine mandates fortruckers and other COVID-19 restrictions and are railingagainst Mr. Trudeau, even though many of Canada'sprecautions, such as mask rules and vaccine passports forgetting into restaurants, theaters and other places, wereenacted by provincial authorities, not the federalgovernment, and are already rapidly being lifted as theomicron surge levels off.

Mr. Trudeau continued to stand firm against liftingvaccine mandates, including a requirement that all truckdrivers entering the country be fully vaccinated. Butbecause an estimated 90% of the nation's truckers arealready inoculated, some conservatives have called on thePrime Minister to drop the mandate.

The convoy has been promoted and cheered on by manyFox News personalities and attracted support from thelikes of former President Donald Trump and Texas Sen.Ted Cruz.

The Associated Press identified more than a dozenFacebook groups encompassing roughly a half-millionmembers that are being used to drum up support for theCanadian protests or plan similar ones in the U.S. andEurope.

To get around the blockade and into Canada, truckers inthe Detroit area have had to drive 70 miles north to PortHuron, Michigan, and cross the Blue Water Bridge, wherethere was a two-hour delay leaving the U.S.

The blockade is happening at a bad time for the U.S. autoindustry. Supplies of new vehicles already are low acrossthe nation because of the global shortage of computerchips, which has forced automakers to temporarily closefactories.

"The disruptions we are seeing at the U.S.-Canadaborder - at the Detroit-Windsor Ambassador Bridge and atother crossings - are adding to the significant supply chainstrains on manufacturers and other businesses in theUnited States," The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, NationalAssociation of Manufacturers and Business Roundtablesaid in a joint statement.

"We respectfully urge the Canadian government to actswiftly to address the disruption to the flow of trade andits impact on manufacturers and other businesses on bothsides of the border."

Supreme Court refuses to intervene...But the CJI refused to oblige him. "We are also

watching what's happening in the state... Constitutionalrights are for everybody, and this court will protect it.We will list at appropriate time," the CJI said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed Kamat'ssubmission, saying the issue shouldn't be politicized.The high court order was not available, he pointed out.

One of the advocates pointed out that examinationswere scheduled to commence from February 15 and thepetitioners had to choose between the examinationsand their faith. But the Bench wasn't impressed.

This is the second time in as many days that the topcourt has refused to intervene.

On Thursday, February 10, senior advocate KapilSibal had urged CJI Ramana to take up a petition filedby Fatima Bushra - a student of Government PUCollege, Udupi - in view of its pan-India ramifications.

"The problem is that schools and colleges areclosed…Girls are being stoned. It's spreading across thecountry," Sibal had said.

"Please wait...let the high court decide... They'rehearing it," the CJI had told Sibal, refusing an urgentlisting.

After hearing the matter on Thursday, a three-judgeBench led by Karnataka High Court Chief Justice RituRaj Awasthi had asked students not to go to educationalinstitutes in religious dress.

"It's a matter of a few days. Please cooperate, ChiefJustice Awasthi had said, posting the matter forMonday. (Read full story at

www.theindianpanorama.news)

India slams UN terror report for...India has been consistently highlighting the threat of

terrorism in its neighborhood.It has said these security fears have been further

exacerbated by the changed political situation inAfghanistan

The '14th report of the Secretary-General on thethreat posed by ISIS to international peace and securityand the range of United Nations efforts in support ofmember states in countering the threat' notes that thesecurity landscape in Afghanistan changeddramatically on August 15, following a Taliban militarycampaign that took control in the country, includingKabul. (Read full story at


Russia launches Belarus military...Columns of Russian missile systems rolled across

snow-carpeted fields on the eve of the start of the drillsin footage released by the Defense Ministry.

Russia has also sent six warships through theBosphorus for naval drills on the Black Sea and theneighboring Sea of Azov.

Kyiv denounced their presence as "unprecedented"attempt to cut off Ukraine for both seas.

Moscow and Minsk have not disclosed how manytroops are taking part in the military exercises inBelarus.

"The objective of the exercises is to practicesuppressing and repelling external aggression with adefensive operation," the Russian Defense Ministry saidin a statement.

Answering Western concerns, the Kremlin hasinsisted the Russian troops in Belarus will go homeafter the exercises.

But Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said"the accumulation of forces at the border ispsychological pressure from our neighbors".

Kyiv has launched its own military drills expected tomirror Russia's games in Belarus, but officials havesaid little about them out apparent fear of escalatingtensions.

The diplomatic crisis has spurred weeks of talksbetween Russian, Western and Ukrainian officials.

Those efforts have drawn cautious optimism fornegotiated solution, with French President EmmanuelMacron saying he had secured a pledge from Russianleader Vladimir Putin that Moscow "would not be thesource of an escalation".

Russia has put sweeping security demands to theUnited States and the Washington-led NATO militaryalliance with the aim of reducing their role in easternEurope and former Soviet states. (Read full story at


Indian-origin cop Neil Basu in...occupy the position, resigned after London Mayor

Sadiq Khan lost confidence in her.Son of an Indian doctor father from Kolkata and

Welsh mother, Anil Kanti 'Neil' Basu, 53, assistantcommissioner rank, has been a rising star at the Yard, ahighly rated officer, for some time.

An economics graduate from Nottingham University,he joined the Met Police in 1992 and was head ofcounterterrorism and specialist operations, beforebecoming director of the College of Policing.

The widely read Mail on Sunday in a profile of himsaid he is "well-liked within the force and byintelligence officials at MI5 (Britain's internalintelligence gathering body)".

The Guardian wrote: "He is widely seen as capableand is mostly well thought of.' If appointed, he will bethe first ethnic minority person to become London'spolice commissioner, one of the most coveted jobs inpolicing in the world." But the paper said he may notbe in Johnson's good books after he told this publicationas counter-terrorism chief in an August 2019 interviewthat a no-deal Brexit would mean Britain's safety andsecurity would suffer. (Read full story at


HAVE SET MYSELF AN 18-MONTH TARGET TO PLAYFOR SR INDIA, SAYS U-19WORLD CHAMPIONSKIPPER YASH DHULL

Yash Dhull has lost count of thenumber of flights he has taken inthe past 48 hours.

He had spent the previous day inAhmedabad where the entire team wasfelicitated following a tiring journey inwhich the squad had to take as many asfour flights to reach India from theCaribbean.

Having lived out of suitcase for thepast two months, which could potentiallybe life-changing, when Dhull finally methis parents, it was just a mere 30 minutesof reunion for the sleep-deprived captainof the World Cup winning India U-19team.

Dhull arrived in Delhi early morningand went straight to his alma mater BalBhavan in West Delhi to meet the peoplewho played a big role in him becomingthe cricketer he has become.

Two hours later, he had a flight to catchand next destination was Guwahati,where he is set to make his Ranji debutfor Delhi next week. So between theschool visit and ride back to the airport,Dhull got just enough time to go home fora shower.

He has no time to rest as the realjourney into the men's world startedwith the flight that he took to Guwahatito join the Delhi Ranji Trophy squad.

Having hardly slept since lifting thattrophy in Antigua last week, Dhull hasno complaints though. He knows it isonly the start of his life as a professionalcricketer.

"I have hardly slept the last few daysbut it is not something I can complainabout. What I have done till now is done,I need to focus on what lies in theimmediate future," Dhull told PTIreferring to his Ranji Trophy call-up.

Most of the World Cup winning squadmembers won't go on and play for Indiabut Dhull showed in the Caribbean thathe could move up the ladder and play atthe highest level. He has set himself an18-month target to play for India.

"That is my target but If I am not ableto do that in the 18 month time frame, Iwill keep working hard till I attain mygoal," said the soft-spoken cricketer.

The 19-year-old is third captain fromDelhi to win the title after Virat Kohliand Unmukt Chand, who both hadcontrasting career graphs post theirexploits in the U-19 Word Cup. He isinspired by Kohli and his achievementsbut there is also the story of Chand, whosuccumbed to pressure of expectationshe set with his performance in the 2012edition. Source: PTI

Ajinkya Rahane takes dig at‘someone’ for taking credit

for Aussie tour winNEW DELHI (TIP)

A central figure in India’s epicturnaround during the 2020-21 tour ofAustralia, stand-in captain of that seriesAjinkya Rahane says “someone else tookthe credit” for decisions he made toresurrect the team after the nightmarish36 all out in the first Test in Adelaide. Asregular captain Virat Kohli flew out onparental leave, leaving in his wake thedisappointment of the humiliating loss inthe series-opener in Adelaide, Rahane tookover the reins in difficult circumstances.

What followed was one of the mostincredible turnarounds in sport as Indiarebounded to win the second match inMelbourne by eight wickets, with Rahaneleading the comeback with a magnificenthundred. “I know what I’ve done there. Idon’t need to tell anyone. That’s not mynature to go and take credit. Yes, therewere some things that I took the decisionson the field or in the dressing room butsomeone else took the credit for it,”Rahane said in a TV interview.

Rahane did not take any names but hiscomments could well be a veiled attack onthen head coach Ravi Shastri, who waswidely acclaimed for the team’sperformance and dominated the mediaspace for being the architect of theturnaround, given that the dressing roomresembled a hospital ward at one point. Infact, Shastri became the voice of the teamafter that brilliant victory, and the one inBrisbane.

India missed three frontline players inMelbourne and continued to lose keyplayers but still emerged triumphant atthe end. “After that, the reactions frompeople or those who took credit or whatwas said on the media, ‘I did this’ or ‘thiswas my decision’, or ‘this was my call’, it

was for them to talk about,” Rahane said.

Shikhar Dhawan returns to add to firepower

Ahmedabad: The returning ShikharDhawan will add more firepower to aruthless India, who are faced with theproblem of plenty as they eye a cleansweep of West Indies in aninconsequential third ODI.

The hosts head into the final match ofthe ODI series after having ticked almostall the boxes in the first two, which theywon comfortably.

Senior opener Dhawan was among thefour players, including a reserve bowler,

who had tested positive for Covid just fourdays before the start of the ODI series. Butnow that the southpaw is back, India couldbe forced to make a few changes to theirwinning combination.

In his absence, the team managementhad opened with Ishan Kishan in the firstgame and the flamboyant Rishabh Pant inthe second. This means that vice-captainKL Rahul would continue to bat in themiddle-order along with Virat Kohli,whose search for his 71st internationalhundred continues. Pant will go back tothe middle-order with Suryakumar Yadav,who is likely to retain his place afteremerging as the team’s highest scorer inthe second match. Source: PTI

SPORTS THE INDIAN PANORAMA


US sprint great Justin Gatlin retiresUS sprinting great Justin Gatlin on Thursday, Feb 10, announced

his retirement, hence drawing curtains to what was a career tingedby doping controversies.

The 40-year-old sprinter, who had clinched the Olympic gold in2004 Athens Games in 100m, announced his retirement in a post onInstagram titled "Dear Track."

"I have loved you track. You gave me tears of sadness and of joy,lessons learned that will never be forgotten," Gatlin wrote.

"The torch is passed but the love will never fade. On your mark,get set ... Gone!"

Gatlin's retirement was on the cards after his failure to make theTokyo Olympics last summer following a hamstring injury at theUS trials.

Gatlin's career triumphs include, a 100m and 200m sprint doubleat the Worlds in Helsinki in 2005, and a 100m gold at the 2017 Worldsin London, where he had managed a rare victory over Jamaicanlegend Usain Bolt, en route.

He was also part of the USA's gold-medal winning 4x100m relayteam at the Doha World Championships in 2019.

However, the veteran sprinter has twice been suspended fordoping offenses, the first one happening back in 2001 following theuse of Adderall, which contains amphetamine. Gatlin claimed thathe had been using the same since childhood to treat attentiondeficit disorder and the US arbitration panel ruled him a "certainlynot a doper."

Rahane did not take any names but his comments could well be a veiled attack on then headcoach Ravi Shastri, who was widely acclaimed for the team’s performance and dominated the

media space for being the architect of the turnaround.

A treasure trove of natural wondersand historical edifices, Kollam is anenchanting town with backwaters andpicturesque landscapes. Located 70kmsaway from Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala, Kollam is a commercial centreand home to India’s cashew producingindustry. Popularly known as Quilon, itis often regarded as the gateway to thebackwaters of Kerala.

It sits on the bank of the AshtamudiLake, hence, cruising along theAlappuzha route is one of the mainhighlights of the region. With a historydating back to the 9th century, Kollamwas a prominent spice trading centre. Itis one of the oldest ports in the ArabianSea that lies on the southwest coastwhich was frequented by iconicmerchants, missionaries and explorersincluding Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Vascoda Gama, Henrique Henriques and manymore. Venture the lesser-known path,and this beautiful city on India’s MalabarCoast is sure to enchant you.

Places To VisitThevalli Palace

A place of great historic importance,Thevally Palace is situated on the banksof Ashtamude Lake. Once served as thehome of Maharaja of Travancore, it wasconstructed under the rule of GauriParvathi Bai between 1800 and 1819. Thestriking feature about the palace is that itpresents an intriguing fusion of Dutch,English and Portuguese style ofarchitecture.

AmritapuriAshram of Amritapuri has been

constructed at the same place where SriMata Amritanandamayi Devi was born.People from all over the world, flock in toseek the blessings of Amma. The peopleresiding in the ashram and all thedisciplines of Amma have given up theirlife in the salvation of God and makingthe world a better place to live in. Ammamakes sure to listen to each and everychild who comes to her 'darshan' andsolve each of their problems with aneffective solution.

Looking at Amritapuri, one can relivethe ancient saying of 'the entire world isone family'. It is a collection of peoplefrom different cultures, speakingdifferent languages and followingdifferent religions. Diverse people fromdifferent environments live togetherunder a single roof in search of ameaningful life.

Amritapuri Ashram is a small villageremotely located on a small island whichis surrounded by the backwaters and theArabian Sea. It has now become a famouslocation for people seeking spiritualityand inner peace. The Ashram is home tothe international disciplines as well,almost 3000 of them.

Mahatma Gandhi Beach and ParkLying at a distance of just 2 km from

kollam town is Mahatma Gandhi Beachand Park which is quite popular as a

picnic spot among locals and tourists.The park was introduced in year 1961 andoffers an ideal location for mindless

strolling along the shore.

Jatayu Earth's Centre

Jatayu Nature Park is a rock-themedpark which got opened on November 25,2017. Built to promote mythology andadventure tourism, the tourism centreboasts of 6D theatre, a digital audio-visual room, cable car and ayurvediccave resort. It is also home to umpteenadventure activities including paintball,laser tag, archery, bouldering, rockclimbing, air-rifle shooting etc. Theprimary attraction of the park, however,is the world's largest stone-cut birdsculpture replicating Jatayu, themythical bird from Ramayana.

PunalurPunalur, lying along the border of

Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the district ofKollam, derives its name from two wordsone Tamil and one Malayalam. Tamilword 'punal' means water and Malayalamword 'ooru' means place together makingPunalur the place of water. IndeedKallada flows right through the heart ofthe city with the famous suspensionbridge hanging over it, stretching for 400metres across its width. Panalur isknown as "Pepper Village of Kerala" andis also houses a major Paper Millestablished in 1850's.

Palaruvi WaterfallsPalaruvi Falls, cascading downstream

from the height of 300 ft, is one of theprime attractions in Kutrallam or assome call it Courtallam, Tamil Nadu.Owing to its height; it is the 32nd highestfall in our country. The name Palaruvimeans 'Stream of Milk' in the regionallanguage.

Ironically it seems to be a glitteringstream of milk as it flows down. Hence,the beauty of this fall standsunimaginable till witnessed with owneyes. The roaring sounds of the fall standin stark contrast to the silence of theforests and mist-kissed mountainsaround it.

MayyanadA hub of many popular shrines for

Hindus and Muslims, Mayyanad issituated about 10 km from Kollam town.The major attraction of the place beingLord Subramaniam Temple, one can alsovisit an old mosque and several oldchurches in the area. However, thetemple is said to be blessed by ShriShankaracharya of Kalladi.

Ashtamudi LakeThe second largest lake in Kerala,

Ashtamudi Lake is situated in theKollam district. The lake runs over alength of 16 kilometres and coversalmost 30% of the town of Kollam. Itsname, Ashtamudi has been derived fromtwo words 'Ashta' meaning eight and'Mudi' meaning branch, thereby statingthe fact that lake has eight branches. Allthe eight branches converge into a singlechannel that meets with the Arabian Sea.The lake is fed by the major river,Kallada. Coconut trees and palmssurround the entire vicinity of the lakeadding to its beauty.

Kollam: Gateway to thebackwaters of Kerala

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U.S. urges Canada to use federal powers to end bridge blockade

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