Editorial & Analyses

Narvijay Yadav*When I bought a packet of sandwich bread in the morning, the vendor said that the ‘price has increased’. Then I saw news in my newspaper that wheat is in short supply in many countries of the world.&nbsp;India&nbsp;has already banned the export of wheat.&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;and&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;have been two leading exporters of wheat in the past, who are locking horns for the time being affecting global affairs. In such a situation, there has been a shortage of wheat everywhere. This shortfall will go on in the coming days. People are criticizing&nbsp;Russia's stubborn leader Putin for aggravating troubles. After&nbsp;Corona, the absurd and protracted war between&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;and&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;has increased problems in the world. Prices of packaged ‘namkeens’, bread, chips and biscuits are increasing due to shortage of wheat and edible oils, but clever brands are playing a trick. Instead of increasing the printed price, they are reducing the size of the packets. The customer does not doubt due to the same price, although there is some confusion after getting the smaller packets. It is also happening that some products are being sold expensive in the cities, but the weight has been reduced in rural markets instead of increasing price.Summer is in full swing. Banda - a small town in UP, is melting. The temperature there reached 49 degrees the other day, highest in the world. If not for anything else, it flashed on the international weather map at least for scorching heat. Who grabs the headlines and for what, nobody knows exactly. So one should always be ready for every situation. As actor Anupam Kher says in one of his shows – ‘Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’! Monsoon is expected to reach Kerala on May 27, slightly ahead of its scheduled time. Although the state is getting rains daily, even though it’s not monsoon rain. When the tempreture goes up, people travel to higher places. If the element of religion is added to the mountains, things get better. Perhaps that’s why there is a rush to go for Chardham Yatra. Over 34 pilgrims died on the way. From May 3 to May 16, more than 1.3 million pilgrims have registered for the Yatra. Most of those who died on the way had got Covid infection affecting their lungs. There is a lack of Oxygen at high altitudes and weak lungs do not support, hence death occurs. Those whose lungs have weakened due to Covid should avoid going to high places like Chardham or Ladakh, or they should go only after getting a medical consultation. The mantras of worship are often in Sanskrit and there is good news for Sanskrit lovers. Google has included Sanskrit in the list of 133 languages in its translation app. Apart from Sanskrit, 23 other languages of&nbsp;India&nbsp;including Bhojpuri, Dogri are part of Google Translate. Translation is of great importance in the exchange of knowledge and culture in the world. It is only after translation that the literature of one language is read among those who know the other language. If there is no translation, then the literature of different languages of&nbsp;India&nbsp;and languages of other countries of the world could not see the light.—The Hawk Features*The writer is a senior journalist &amp; columnist.

When I bought a packet of sandwich bread in the morning, the vendor said that the ‘price has increased’. Then I saw news in my newspaper that wheat is in short supply in many countries of the world.

Growing heat, vanishing wheat, shrinking size

Feature Post

The silent shores of the french riviera are all set to host the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. As the focus country at the Opening Night of ‘Marche Du Films’ this year, India intends to give the global audience a flavour of the country’s cinematic excellence, technological prowess, rich culture and illustrious heritage of storytelling.

India: Content Hub of the World is ‘Country of Honour’ at Cannes

Narvijay Yadav*The 15th Census of India was held in 2011. This process is repeated every ten years, hence the 16th census was scheduled in 2021, which was postponed due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced that the next census of the country will be done digitally, and no citizen will be left out. Be it this year or next, the e-Census may be final. It is quite possible that after this the census will never be conducted again. All the data from the birth of infants to the death of adults will continue to be collected in digital form and the government will automatically send the information to the eligible citizens for various public welfare schemes, which will remove all the discrepancies. For this, the central government is going to amend the Birth-Death Registration Act. The draft of the amended law is in its final stages. It is estimated that the new law may come into force in the country before the start of the census in 2022. To make e-Census more scientific, modern technologies will be added to it.&nbsp;After the amendment of the law, the account of birth and death of citizens will reach the central government. Every birth and death will be registered by 2024. The birth and death register will also be linked to the census. This means that the census will be updated automatically after every birth and death in the country. This step of the government will actually reinforce the concept of 'One Nation One Data'. At present, this data reaches the center after a long wait through the states. At present, many cards are being used like Aadhar, Driving License, Voter ID, Passport and Ration Card, which people get made, but often these cards are not closed after their death. Because of this, unnecessary data keeps getting collected and there is a risk of misuse of these documents, while the benefits of facilities are not accessible to the eligible persons. After the amendment of the law, the wait of ten years for the census will end. The complete picture of the country's population will continue to reach the center every month, which will help in making new schemes.&nbsp;The next census will be the e-Census and based on this, the development plan of the country for the next 25 years will be prepared. After birth, the details will be added to the census register and after s/he turns 18, the name will be included in the voter list and after death, the name will be deleted. This will make it easier to change the name and address. Earlier this year, the central government had talked about some amendments in the rules to allow online self-counting in the upcoming census and the National Population Register (NPR). The announcement was made in 2020, but was postponed in view of the pandemic. The Center recently extended the deadline for change of jurisdiction for all states to June 30, 2022. Earlier this deadline was December 31, 2021. For the first time in the 140-year history of Census in&nbsp;India, it is proposed to collect data through a mobile app. Census provides invaluable socio-economic data, which form a reliable basis for policy making.—The Hawk Features*The writer is a senior journalist &amp; columnist.

The 15th Census of India was held in 2011. This process is repeated every ten years, hence the 16th census was scheduled in 2021, which was postponed due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced that the next census of the country will be done digitally, and no citizen will be left out. Be it this year or next, the e-Census may be final.

The next Census will be Digital and the final

Vijay Garg* A team of scientists has mapped a&nbsp;huge, actively circulating ground-water system in deep sediments&nbsp;in West Antarctica. The team at&nbsp;Columbia University estimated&nbsp;that if all of it were extracted, it&nbsp;would form a water column from&nbsp;220 to 820 metres high -- at least&nbsp;10 times more than in the shallow&nbsp;hydrologic systems within and at&nbsp;the base of the ice -- maybe much&nbsp;more even than that. However, they noted that said such systems, prob-ably common in Antarctica, may&nbsp;have as-yet unknown implications&nbsp;for how the frozen continent reacts&nbsp;to, or possibly even contributes to,&nbsp;climate change.“People have hypothesised that&nbsp;there could be deep groundwa-ter in these sediments, but up to&nbsp;now, no one has done any detailed&nbsp;imaging,” said lead author Chloe&nbsp;Gustafson, who did the research&nbsp;as a graduate student at Columbia&nbsp;University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth&nbsp;Observatory. Scientists have, for&nbsp;decades, flown radars and other&nbsp;instruments over the Antarctic ice&nbsp;sheet to image subsurface features.&nbsp;Among many other things, these&nbsp;missions have revealed sedimen-tary basins sandwiched between&nbsp;ice and bedrock.But airborne&nbsp;geophysics can generally reveal&nbsp;only the rough outlines of such&nbsp;features, not water content or&nbsp;other characteristics. In the re-search appearing in the journal&nbsp;Science, the team concentrated&nbsp;on the 60-mile-wide Whillans Ice&nbsp;Stream, one of a half-dozen fast-moving streams feeding the Ross&nbsp;Ice Shelf, the world’s largest.To&nbsp;better map the sediments and their&nbsp;properties, they used geophysical&nbsp;instruments placed directly on&nbsp;the surface.Their analysis showed that, de-pending on location, the sediments&nbsp;extend below the base of the ice&nbsp;from a half kilometre to nearly two&nbsp;kilometres before hitting bedrock.&nbsp;And they confirmed that the sedi-ments are loaded with liquid water&nbsp;all the way down. They were also&nbsp;able to show that the groundwater&nbsp;becomes more saline with depth.However, the researchers said,&nbsp;if the ice surface were to thin --&nbsp;a distinct possibility as climate&nbsp;warms -- the direction of water flow&nbsp;could be reversed. Overlying pres-sures would decrease, and deeper&nbsp;groundwater could begin welling&nbsp;up toward the ice base. This could&nbsp;further lubricate the base of the ice&nbsp;and increase its forward motion.—The Hawk Features*Retired Principal, Malout, Punjab

A team of scientists has mapped a huge, actively circulating ground-water system in deep sediments in West Antarctica.

Groundwater below Antarctica

&nbsp;Vijay Garg* &nbsp;It is a matter of childhood days.&nbsp;She studied in first grade.&nbsp;Father was in Kannauj in those days.&nbsp;Nearby was Unnao, through which the Ganges flowed.&nbsp;One day the parents thought that bathing in the Ganges should be done.&nbsp;Went early in the morning.&nbsp;Get off the station and walk.&nbsp;There were brothers as well.&nbsp;long road.&nbsp;Trees laden with mangoes on both sides.&nbsp;Just brothers would pick up the pebbles from the road and toss them towards the trees and many mangoes would fall down.&nbsp;Thus by the time they reached the banks of the Ganges, the whole bag was filled with mangoes.&nbsp;Father immersed the bag full of mangoes in the cold water of the Ganges, so that the mangoes become cold.&nbsp;Later fresh aromatic indigenous mangoes were eaten with great taste.&nbsp;Then even in the villages, the fruits lying on the ground seemed like a boon to the children.&nbsp;While passing by the fruit trees, picking Amiya, Jamun, Tamarind etc. was his favorite hobby.&nbsp;He used to collect a lot of such fruits on his way to and from school.&nbsp;The children who did not get the fortune of getting the fruits were disappointed.&nbsp;Sometimes the children who got fruits, shared them with other children and ate them too.&nbsp;Then there was no sense how to eat the fruit lying on the ground.&nbsp;This is seen a lot in cities.&nbsp;There are many Jamun trees on Tolstoy Road in Connaught Place.&nbsp;During the rainy season so many berries fall there that after being crushed by the feet of passers-by, the road turns purple.&nbsp;But it is fun that someone can be seen picking them up.&nbsp;To do so people may feel against their pride.&nbsp;Nowadays, fruit trees are not visible on the side of the roads.&nbsp;In the olden days, those shady trees were planted on the side of the road, where when the passers-by walked, the shade of the trees could protect them from the sun and heat.&nbsp;Not only this, people can also eat fruits when needed.&nbsp;Trees were usually planted along the roads, which have a long life.&nbsp;But these days when roads are being constructed, there is no thought of planting trees on their sides.&nbsp;Even if some trees and plants are planted, they are for decoration.&nbsp;If you look at the highways running for hundreds of kilometers, then there is no tree anywhere.&nbsp;Unfortunately, if a bus, car or two wheeler breaks down on the way, then there is no place where you can stand peacefully for two moments.&nbsp;After all, how was the relationship between the road and the trees, that too shady and fruit trees, broken.&nbsp;Even today, tamarind, jamun trees are seen in abundance in New Delhi, which were planted by an Englishman, not us, but these days like no one cares.&nbsp;What's more, no care is taken for the convenience of the pedestrians.&nbsp;Many years ago I saw an old man on the banks of Yamuna Expressway.&nbsp;They tried to cross the road again and again, but at the sight of the swaying vehicles, they turned away in fear.&nbsp;Who were they, where they had to go, why were they there alone at this age, it is also a matter to think about.&nbsp;But he must not have been the only one who wanted to cross the road.&nbsp;Do not know how many women, children, even animals would be in such trouble.&nbsp;And if the road cannot be crossed, then there is no tree to wait, nor anything else to breathe for two moments.&nbsp;Was reading recently that the Delhi government has announced that trees will be planted on the roads where there are no trees.&nbsp;If so, that would be a good start.&nbsp;Big highway builders and governments will pay attention that the roads are not made treeless.&nbsp;Such trees should be planted, which give shade and fruits to the passers-by.&nbsp;At the same time, they should be such, which are compatible with the Indian ecology.&nbsp;Not only this, planting these trees should not be considered as the end of the responsibility.&nbsp;Until they flourish, they should also be taken care of, so that they can help people for decades.&nbsp;Don't destroy them even if they pass by.&nbsp;This will also increase greenery.&nbsp;There will also be protection from sun and rain.&nbsp;It is said that when Sher Shah Suri had built the road from Peshawar to Calcutta, which is called GT Road these days, similar trees were planted there for the convenience of the passers-by.&nbsp;When it could have happened on such a long road at that time, then why not today.&nbsp;Whereas today technology is so advanced—The Hawk Feature. * Retired Principal Malout

 It is a matter of childhood days. She studied in first grade. Father was in Kannauj in those days. Nearby was Unnao, through which the Ganges flowed. One day the parents thought that bathing in the Ganges should be done. Went early in the morning. Get off the station and walk. There were brothers as well. long road.

Paths Scorching Desolate Roads

M R Lalu*My journey to the Himalayas a few years ago as a young traveler and a yoga practitioner had been so resounding and significant at a personal level. As a yoga practitioner, my stay in one of the hermitages on the banks of the Ganges is still an enriching experience and what is vividly imprinted in my memory is the interactions that I was capable of with the foreign students among whom I met an old lady of 74 years from California. My conversations with most of the forty of them from 20 countries have given me insights on what India is and a chance that I cherished to look at India through a western prism with clarity. I wondered at the level of commitment and love that those people had about the idea of India, especially the old lady from America who preferred to smear a pinch of soil on her forehead every morning calling India the holiest land and her second home. The entire duration of my stay with those India lovers made me really delve into the depth of what, as a country, India reflected to the foreign minds. The respect India at present is gaining is due to both the spiritual and political patronage that it was capable of for years. Spiritual it is, because we, as a country could deliver spiritual solace to a large number of global seekers with our inclusive ideals. Politically we are equally influential across the globe as a peace-loving nation that advocates for universal peaceful coexistence and brotherhood. Indeed, the aspects of influence that India is known for today, give it a special stature of recognition among countries of diverse interests and geopolitical aspirations. My experience was personal and many, for that matter, must have experienced the same with little or more lucidity and serenity in the slopes of grandeur in the Himalayas.&nbsp;&nbsp;I thought to quote this at the backdrop of multiple disturbing clashes that began to rattle the country recently and India, with its global aspirations to emerge as a power, seems to be portrayed as standoffish and irresponsible when it comes to its ability to maintain equanimity as the diversity presses its nerves so hard. Agencies, foreign to the idea of India’s cultural heritage are seemingly out to project the country as the most intolerant and a hostile destination devoid of peaceful coexistence. The western world always had a disparaging mindset on everything that politically India represented. The latest stroke has been from the&nbsp;United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). It made a comment on what it feels and identifies, that India according to the agency, is a tumultuous land with the minorities being strong-armed from practicing their religious faiths peacefully either by the state or by its religious majority. It also recommends India be identified as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) which it probably tags with those countries where religious freedom is frequently offended.&nbsp;The USCIRF identifies Russia, China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan as the world’s worst offenders of religious freedom.&nbsp;The spiritual values that India stood for ages never questioned the need of being in contradiction with other faiths. It always upheld the view of assimilation and never did animosity come its way of peaceful coexistence. This is the reason why many in the west are getting attracted to the eastern spiritual wisdom especially that India offers to the world, unconditionally.This happens in real terms because the basic tenets of India’s spiritual wellbeing are based on diverse and pluralistic social engineering that it, from the ages of the sages, propagated with clarity and humility. Despite the belittling of the idea that India represents from different global platforms and some deliberate attempts from India too; there seems to be a spiritual essence emanating from the core of Indianness that keeps strengthening the country inexorably. Agencies, headquartered in America and elsewhere have been vigilant to mischaracterize the diversity that we have been successfully nourishing for long. Choosing to criticize a country based on intentionally selected issues that randomly lead to local skirmishes with a minority community at the receiving end; their intention surfaces with their studied silence on India when the majority community is persecuted by certain radicalized doctrines. We need to know the level of hypocrisy that India is rated with. Now, one example is enough to topple the argument that the USCIRF is making. The population registry of India reveals the fact that the country has been consistently witnessing an increase in the population of minorities since independence. Muslims alone, who comprised 9.8% of the country’s population in 1950, is estimated to have grown to almost 14 % or more today. This itself is evident from the fact that the main minority community has been flourishing in India while the country is blamed and debated worldwide by agencies and pseudo intellectuals painting its majority as an acrimonious sum.Pakistan and Bangladesh give us a gruesome picture of the minorities in those countries. They are being targeted, persecuted and forcefully converted and killed with their religious places desecrated and destroyed and their population dwindling rapidly every passing day. The tendency that we are comfortable with, is to call the hostility in our neighborhood as a usual affair to the radicalized Islamic states. India is the country where the planet’s largest human gathering takes place in the name of religion which indeed is the largest peaceful human gathering. The Kumbh mela is a perfect example of India’s cultural heritage being displayed in its spiritual splendor seeking peace and prosperity for the entire humanity. Politically, India’s independent stand on the Russia-Ukraine war was not disputed by the world. We could successfully convince the world the stand that we thought was right, without being judgmental and duplicitous on the pressure that the west and America put on us. This is emblematic to the sphere into which India has globally positioned itself as a responsible country. The binary that India is, in a largely polarized world is both, its spiritual and political might that it could successfully showcase in the last few decades gaining reverence. We are not to forget, the petty squabbles that we have been witnessing today and the international community took notice of, are the results of the suspicion that has gone deeper into the social psyche due to the centuries of conquests and political subjugations and misrepresentation of history. Today, what we need to have is a larger canvas of acceptance, suitable to sprinkle a variety of colors to form a beautiful pictorial symphony of cohesion. The old lady from California with her soil smeared forehead is a symbol of reverence that India deserves and represents and we need to maintain it.—The Hawk Features

My journey to the Himalayas a few years ago as a young traveler and a yoga practitioner had been so resounding and significant at a personal level. As a yoga practitioner, my stay in one of the hermitages on the banks of the Ganges is still an enriching experience and what is vividly imprinted in my memory is the interactions that I was capable of with the foreign students among whom I met an old lady of 74 years from California.

 India and the prejudiced perceptions

*&nbsp;Vijay Garg &nbsp;The old ponds, wells, stepwells, johads, tanks or lakes not only saved the rain water in their heart, but the water stored in them slowly penetrated the earth and helped in maintaining the ground water level.&nbsp;But unfortunately the modern concept of development ignored this truth and filled the lands of these ponds.&nbsp;With the onset of summer season, news of water crisis starts coming out from different parts of the country.&nbsp;The same is happening this time as well.&nbsp;Take the example of Kota city of Rajasthan.&nbsp;The city is situated on the banks of Chambal river.&nbsp;But many settlements of this city have faced water scarcity.&nbsp;The situation is that in many settlements, people have to stay awake throughout the night to meet their needs with the help of water dripping drop by drop from the taps.&nbsp;According to a report recently, groundwater has reached the Hadoti area of ​​Rajasthan.&nbsp;Western Rajasthan is desert and water crisis is not new there.&nbsp;But in the south-eastern part of Rajasthan, the Hadoti region is known as the Sarsabj region.&nbsp;Apart from rivers like Chambal, Kalisindh, Parvati, Parvan, Ahu, Takli, Ujad, a dozen small or tributaries flow in this zone.&nbsp;During the rainy season, when these rivers overflow, then the arrival of water in them is known.&nbsp;Despite this, if the groundwater level in the area has gone down to the ground and people are not getting enough water supply, it only means that we have lagged behind in water management.&nbsp;Hadoti is the only example, more or less the same story of water crisis in most parts of the country.&nbsp;At one place in the Mahabharata, it is said - 'Ati parichad avadya bhavati'.&nbsp;The same has happened with water.&nbsp;Two-thirds of the Earth's surface is covered with water.&nbsp;That's why many people feel that when there is so much water all around, then what to worry about?&nbsp;Maybe some people think so.&nbsp;But such people forget the fact that less than two percent of the total water present on the surface of the earth is usable by man.&nbsp;Even today, a large part of the world is dependent on rain or flow of rivers for drinking water.&nbsp;Science may have entrusted us with new levels of progress, but till date no laboratory in the world has been able to make water to meet the needs of human beings.&nbsp;Countries such as Israel have claimed to make seawater potable, but their technology is either too expensive or so obsolete that the practice has not become popular in the world.&nbsp;In such a situation, it was necessary that we save those resources which provide us drinking water throughout the year.&nbsp;Apart from rivers, water resources like lakes, ponds, wells, stepwells, tanks, johads can be kept in this category.&nbsp;Our ancestors knew that water is the most important need of life and any carelessness of its conservation can push the existence of generations towards crisis.&nbsp;That is why in ancient Indian beliefs, the construction of a water source was considered very virtuous.&nbsp;Kings, seths and powerful people built grand water resources to keep the memory of some important occasion of their life intact.&nbsp;One of the grandest stepwells in India, 'Rani Ji Ki Vav' is located in Anhilwara Patan, Gujarat.&nbsp;In the memory of King Bhimdev I, this stepwell was built by his queen Udayamati.&nbsp;This stepwell is now included in the world heritage.&nbsp;The famous big pond of Bhopal, located in the capital of Madhya Pradesh, was built by Parmar Raja Bhoj in the eleventh century in an undertaking to get rid of a skin disease.&nbsp;During the war, the ancient rulers used to build special reservoirs in the forts and forts to keep their subjects and army safe from the enemy.&nbsp;The world famous citadel of Chittor had eighty-four reservoirs.&nbsp;The huge lakes of Rajasthan like Jaisamand and Rajsamand were built in their own era under the scheme to provide employment to the people during the famine.&nbsp;The water stored in these lakes later encouraged the area to fight famine for a long time.&nbsp;Who can understand the value of water better than people living in desert areas?&nbsp;In western Rajasthan, not only were wells constructed to bring out water by breaking the chest of Hades, but special arrangements were also made to protect the purity of these wells.&nbsp;There is a pond in Jaisalmer - Gadsisar Talab.&nbsp;Before the rains started, the whole city used to gather for cleaning this pond.&nbsp;The king himself used to be present with the people for Shramdaan.&nbsp;It was considered a crime to pollute the water of this pond.&nbsp;Even today, there are such water bodies in some villages of the country whose water is not easily forgivable to be polluted.&nbsp;Ancient Indian beliefs also do not consider it auspicious to make water bodies dirty.&nbsp;But time changed our priorities.&nbsp;When the population of cities increased, markets and settlements were established by bridging the old ponds.&nbsp;Worshiping the well was considered an important ritual for many of our festivals.&nbsp;The core of this tradition was to acknowledge the welfare role of a well, which holds water for our needs within itself.&nbsp;But when water reached homes through taps, people left the wells neglected.&nbsp;This is the reason that today most of the ancient wells and stepwells in the country are littered with dirt.&nbsp;The old ponds, wells, stepwells, johads, tanks or lakes not only saved the rain water in their heart, but the water stored in them gradually penetrated the earth and helped in maintaining the ground water level.&nbsp;But unfortunately the modern concept of development ignored this truth.&nbsp;The modern concept of development has bridged the lands of these ponds.&nbsp;Somewhere settlements have been settled, somewhere markets have been made, then railway stations and don't know what.&nbsp;While the means of enriching groundwater were exhausted, tube wells were dug in places to provide water to the public in the late 1970s, which arbitrarily dumped underground water out.&nbsp;As a result, the level of groundwater reached the ground.&nbsp;There have been reports from some parts of the country, in which it has been told that even to fill a small pot of water, women and children are forced to risk their lives and plunge into the deep well and reach this well.&nbsp;Even for this they have to go far away from their home in the scorching sun.&nbsp;Conflicts over water are fierce and violent for similar reasons.&nbsp;In such a situation, it is necessary that we understand the importance of making good use of water and storing rainwater.&nbsp;Sensitive people are active all over the world to create the consciousness of saving water because in the absence of water all the claims of human progress will be meaningless—The Hawk Features *&nbsp;Vijay Garg Retired Principal Malout

 The old ponds, wells, stepwells, johads, tanks or lakes not only saved the rain water in their heart, but the water stored in them slowly penetrated the earth and helped in maintaining the ground water level. But unfortunately the modern concept of development ignored this truth and filled the lands of these ponds.

Water crisis in different parts of the country along with the summer season

A revised Iran nuclear deal based on the 2015 JCPOA could provide the basis for a new Biden administration strategy that would limit Iran’s nuclear program to peaceful purposes and ensure that Tehran’s public pronouncement that it is not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons becomes a de facto reality. Righting the WrongAlon Ben-Meir&nbsp;* NewYork (The Hawk): Regardless of how flawed the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of ActionJoint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA; aka Iran nuclear deal) may be, it was by far better than having no deal. Trump’s withdrawal from the deal was most unfortunate as it did nothing but bring Iran ever closer to the nuclear threshold. Despite its public pronouncements to the contrary, Tehran remains determined to acquire nuclear weapons at some point in the near future; however, it can change its position once it returns to the original deal and together with the US builds upon it. Nonetheless, to change the dynamic of the conflict and determine what it might take to modify Iran’s position, we need to better understand what is behind its nuclear ambitions. Thus, it is important to first examine the clergy’s mindset and their motivation to acquire nuclear weapons in spite of Western powers’ objections and irrespective of the weighty, if not crippling sanctions that have been imposed on the country over the years. With a long and proud history, vast natural and human resources (with a population of more than 90 million), rich culture, and geostrategic location, Iran feels that it is entitled to become the region’s hegemon where it can exert considerable influence. Since the 1979 revolution, Iran has felt threatened and isolated, living in fear of a US-orchestrated regime change. As such, Iran commits nearly $25 billion of its annual budget to the military (an increase of 11 percent from 2020, making it the 14th largest military spender in the world) and over the years it has built a powerful conventional armed forces led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Given however the limitations of Iran’s conventional military power projection, the next phase of its national defense doctrine was the development of a nuclear weapons program designed to achieve three main objectives. Why Iran seeks nuclear weaponsFirst, Iran’s determination to realize its ambition of regional hegemony would be substantially augmented by the possession of nuclear weapons. Iran has no intention of threatening or using such weapons against any of its adversaries—especially Israel, which is in possession of second-strike nuclear capability that could wipe out half the country—but the mere fact of being a nuclear power will give it the prestige and regional sway that it desires. Second, by acquiring nuclear weapons, Iran wants to establish the doctrine of mutual assured destruction (MAD) and thus deter any nuclear power, such as the US or Israel, from attacking it, knowing full well that no country with nuclear weapons has been attacked since World War II. India and Pakistan, who fought three conventional wars over Kashmir, have refrained from waging another war since they acquired nuclear weapons. The same can be said about North Korea, and if Ukraine kept its nuclear arsenals, Russia very likely would not have dared to invade it. Third, as a predominantly Shiite state, Iran seeks to be on par with Sunni Pakistan and Jewish Israel, and cannot allow itself to be overshadowed by either. Moreover, Iran would feel confident that it can shield itself from regime change orchestrated by the US in particular. Iran’s nuclear weapon strategyAlthough Iran has time and again stated that it has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons and may remain true to its public narrative, based on solid intelligence evidence, Iran is seeking to achieve nuclear latency and produce enough weapons-grade uranium to construct three to four nuclear weapons in short order. However, it may well take Iran 18 months to two years to miniaturize a nuclear head to be fitted onto a ballistic missile. Meanwhile, the clergy is prepared to sign off on a return to the original deal provided that their demands are met. This would include removing most if not all the sanctions to get the financial relief they desperately need, unfreezing tens of billions of dollars, and removing the IRGC’s militant arm, the Quds Force, from the US terrorist list, which Iran is insisting upon and should not be a deal breaker. As things stand now, once Iran returns to the original deal, it will wait for the expiration of the sunset clauses in 2031 to resume its nuclear weapon program; the Iranians are known for their patience, and they feel that time and God are on their side. For the Biden administration to address Iran’s concerns and dissuade it from taking the final leap to acquire deliverable nuclear weapons, it must develop a three-pronged strategy: a) change its public narrative and convey to the Iranian public that the US has no intention of undermining Iran’s sovereignty and national security; b) craft a renewed JCPOA, build on it, and help Iran to become a constructive member of the international community; and c) establish a regional security architecture that will include all the countries from the Gulf to the Mediterranean. Changing the public narrativeHow the Iranian government and people perceive the US’ intentions matters greatly in shaping their public opinion. Any bellicose statements and threats emanating from the US or Israel plays directly into the hand of the clergy, as they will use these adversarial pronouncements to show their public that the US is Iran’s foremost enemy. In so doing they not only justify their enmity toward the US but also blame it for the economic hardship the public is experiencing. For the Biden administration to impact Iranian public opinion, it must refrain from using acrimonious rhetoric and make it clear by every possible means that the US holds no animosity toward Iran and is open to settle any and all disputes with the government peacefully and collaboratively. It should be noted that even after 43 years of reign by the clergy, the majority of the Iranian population, especially the youth, remain Western-oriented and would like nothing more than to restore normal relations with the West, to where they can travel and study. We should also remember that before the 1979 revolution, Iran was one of the closet allies of the US, and two or three generations has not changed the public’s Western-leaning cultural foundation. Similarly, seventy years of Soviet communist domination did not alter the eastern European countries’ political orientation, which sought to join the Western democracies immediately following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Needless to say, changing public narratives in and of itself will not be sufficient – it must be accompanied by action and sincere efforts to create a new environment not only to lend credibility to the new approach but in fact change the dynamic of the conflict. Building on the renewed JCPOAFor that to happen, the Biden administration ought to make it clear to Iran that by returning to the original deal it can benefit greatly, not only from the initial phase of lifting the sanctions and unfreezing tens of billions of dollars but also by building on the new deal through: 1. Beginning a process of normalizing relations between Washington and Tehran by establishing initial diplomatic relations;2. Renouncing publicly any effort to seek regime change, which is a prerequisite for any kind of Iranian cooperation;3. Starting trade relations between the two countries and supporting Iran in joining the World Trade Organization;4. Committing to not undertaking military or cyber-attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities as long as its nuclear program remains peaceful; and finally,5. Creating a joint commission to address a host of conflicting issues to reduce tensions and build trust. In return, Iran will be required first and foremost to end its nuclear weapons program and agree to unfettered and permanent monitoring of its nuclear facilities, stop threatening other countries, especially Israel, and cease its support of extremist and terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad. Certainly, given that Israel is consistently threatened by Iran, it should be allowed to give its input regarding these issues through the US, without blowing its national security concerns out of proportion. Since Iran denies being engaged in any nefarious activity, the negotiation about these sensitive issues, including its cruise and ballistic missiles program, ought to obviously take place behind the scenes. There will be many who would argue that such an approach amounts to nothing more than a pipe dream. They maintain that the Iranian government is religiously fanatic, politically radical, militarily aggressive with grandiose strategic ambitions, illogical, and a major destabilizing force in the region. Indeed, anyone who listens to the clergy’s denunciations and condemnations of the US and Israel would concur that the Iranian regime is perhaps irredeemable and that only regime change would alter its behavior. One cannot dismiss this argument out of hand as Iran’s conduct in the region and beyond speaks for itself. That said, the people of Iran want to grow, flourish, and live in peace, and the ruling clergy knows that they cannot achieve this as long as they remain economically hamstrung by sanctions while continuing to treat the US as a mortal enemy. Culturally, the Iranians are known to be calculating and strategically savvy. To be sure, notwithstanding the leadership’s adversarial public posture and utterances against the US, they certainly prefer normal relations with America than perpetual enmity. This however, should not preclude the US from pursuing a new Middle Eastern strategy that would effectively compel Iran to choose between two options: either to become a constructive player in the region or a perpetual enemy who must always be constrained by any means necessary, including the use of force. Establishing a regional security architectureAs the Biden administration embarks on the process of reconciliation with Iran, it should concurrently begin discussions with its Middle Eastern allies—the six Arab Gulf states, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Egypt—to form a regional security alliance. Such an alliance is more likely to be established at the present than at any other time in the past, especially because of the Abraham Accords, where Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf, along with Sudan and Morocco, have normalized relations with Israel. The remaining Gulf states—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman—are already collaborating with Israel on many fronts, especially on security and intelligence-sharing. The purpose of such an alliance would be to challenge Iran’s regional ambitions and pose a veiled threat to its national security, compelling Iran to choose between two options. Iran can either gradually moderate its position and become a constructive player in and outside the region, or stick to its ambition to become a nuclear power once the new deal runs its course. If Iran chooses the latter, the Biden administration should then consider building the infrastructure that would provide a nuclear umbrella to all member states of the alliance, something that was floated by Hillary Clinton when she ran for president. This strategy may seem far-fetched and undoable simply because of the huge differences in perception and the ultimate objectives of each side. But then we have to admit that since the 1979 Iranian revolution, the enmity and distrust between the US and Iran has only deepened. Indeed, if there was an opportunity to build on the original deal and create more constructive relations between the US and Iran, it was blown away by Trump’s withdrawal from the deal. This has only further deepened Iran’s distrust of the US, which predates the 1979 revolution and is rooted in the US-backed overthrow of the democratically elected Mosaddegh government in 1953, despite the fact that they continued to maintain good relations from 1953 to 1979. After 43 years of continuing hostility, it is time for a new approach. Iran is a large and powerful country and is not going anywhere. It occupies one of the most strategic locations in the world and thus it cannot be simply ignored, or written off as an irredeemable enemy that responds only to the threat or use of force. A return to the original deal offers a perhaps rare opportunity to open a new chapter in the relations between the US and Iran and bring an end to a consuming conflict that will otherwise continue to dangerously destabilize the region. The US can now change the dynamic of the conflict by offering Iran a promising prospect for economic prosperity and growth while enhancing its national security, or be subject to constant sabotage, crippling sanctions, and potential military attacks on its nuclear facilities, as President Biden and Israel vowed to never allow Iran to become a nuclear power. The US can make this overture not only because it has nothing to lose, but also because it can demonstrate resolute leadership and be ready to change course by offering a solution from a position of strength, even if it stands only a small chance of success. Since Iran consistently denies having any ambition to acquire nuclear weapons, this strategy will allow it to forsake its nuclear weapons program without losing face, while leveraging constructively its vast potential as a major regional power. ____________*Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies for over 20 years.

Regardless of how flawed the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA; aka Iran nuclear deal) may be, it was by far better than having no deal. Trump’s withdrawal from the deal was most unfortunate as it did nothing but bring Iran ever closer to the nuclear threshold.

A New Strategy Is Needed To Address Iran’s Nuclear ProgramA revised Iran nuclear deal based on the 2015 JCPOA could provide the basis for a new Biden administration strategy that would limit Iran’s nuclear program to peaceful purposes and ensure that Tehran’s public pronouncement that it is not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons becomes a de facto reality.   Righting the Wrong  Regardless of how flawed the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA; aka Iran nuclear deal) may be, it was by far better than having no deal. Trump’s withdrawal from the deal was most unfortunate as it did nothing but bring Iran ever closer to the nuclear threshold. Despite its public pronouncements to the contrary, Tehran remains determined to acquire nuclear weapons at some point in the near future; however, it can change its position once it returns to the original deal and together with the US builds upon it. Nonetheless, to change the dynamic of the conflict and determine what it might take to modify Iran’s position, we need to better understand what is behind its nuclear ambitions. Thus, it is important to first examine the clergy’s mindset and their motivation to acquire nuclear weapons in spite of Western powers’ objections and irrespective of the weighty, if not crippling sanctions that have been imposed on the country over the years.  With a long and proud history, vast natural and human resources (with a population of more than 90 million), rich culture, and geostrategic location, Iran feels that it is entitled to become the region’s hegemon where it can exert considerable influence. Since the 1979 revolution, Iran has felt threatened and isolated, living in fear of a US-orchestrated regime change. As such, Iran commits nearly $25 billion of its annual budget to the military (an increase of 11 percent from 2020, making it the 14th largest military spender in the world) and over the years it has built a powerful conventional armed forces led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).  Given however the limitations of Iran’s conventional military power projection, the next phase of its national defense doctrine was the development of a nuclear weapons program designed to achieve three main objectives.  Why Iran seeks nuclear weapons First, Iran’s determination to realize its ambition of regional hegemony would be substantially augmented by the possession of nuclear weapons. Iran has no intention of threatening or using such weapons against any of its adversaries—especially Israel, which is in possession of second-strike nuclear capability that could wipe out half the country—but the mere fact of being a nuclear power will give it the prestige and regional sway that it desires.  Second, by acquiring nuclear weapons, Iran wants to establish the doctrine of mutual assured destruction (MAD) and thus deter any nuclear power, such as the US or Israel, from attacking it, knowing full well that no country with nuclear weapons has been attacked since World War II. India and Pakistan, who fought three conventional wars over Kashmir, have refrained from waging another war since they acquired nuclear weapons. The same can be said about North Korea, and if Ukraine kept its nuclear arsenals, Russia very likely would not have dared to invade it.  Third, as a predominantly Shiite state, Iran seeks to be on par with Sunni Pakistan and Jewish Israel, and cannot allow itself to be overshadowed by either. Moreover, Iran would feel confident that it can shield itself from regime change orchestrated by the US in particular.  Iran’s nuclear weapon strategy Although Iran has time and again stated that it has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons and may remain true to its public narrative, based on solid intelligence evidence, Iran is seeking to achieve nuclear latency and produce enough weapons-grade uranium to construct three to four nuclear weapons in short order. However, it may well take Iran 18 months to two years to miniaturize a nuclear head to be fitted onto a ballistic missile.  Meanwhile, the clergy is prepared to sign off on a return to the original deal provided that their demands are met. This would include removing most if not all the sanctions to get the financial relief they desperately need, unfreezing tens of billions of dollars, and removing the IRGC’s militant arm, the Quds Force, from the US terrorist list, which Iran is insisting upon and should not be a deal breaker. As things stand now, once Iran returns to the original deal, it will wait for the expiration of the sunset clauses in 2031 to resume its nuclear weapon program; the Iranians are known for their patience, and they feel that time and God are on their side.  For the Biden administration to address Iran’s concerns and dissuade it from taking the final leap to acquire deliverable nuclear weapons, it must develop a three-pronged strategy: a) change its public narrative and convey to the Iranian public that the US has no intention of undermining Iran’s sovereignty and national security; b) craft a renewed JCPOA, build on it, and help Iran to become a constructive member of the international community; and c) establish a regional security architecture that will include all the countries from the Gulf to the Mediterranean.  Changing the public narrative How the Iranian government and people perceive the US’ intentions matters greatly in shaping their public opinion. Any bellicose statements and threats emanating from the US or Israel plays directly into the hand of the clergy, as they will use these adversarial pronouncements to show their public that the US is Iran’s foremost enemy. In so doing they not only justify their enmity toward the US but also blame it for the economic hardship the public is experiencing. For the Biden administration to impact Iranian public opinion, it must refrain from using acrimonious rhetoric and make it clear by every possible means that the US holds no animosity toward Iran and is open to settle any and all disputes with the government peacefully and collaboratively.  It should be noted that even after 43 years of reign by the clergy, the majority of the Iranian population, especially the youth, remain Western-oriented and would like nothing more than to restore normal relations with the West, to where they can travel and study. We should also remember that before the 1979 revolution, Iran was one of the closet allies of the US, and two or three generations has not changed the public’s Western-leaning cultural foundation. Similarly, seventy years of Soviet communist domination did not alter the eastern European countries’ political orientation, which sought to join the Western democracies immediately following the collapse of the Soviet Union.  Needless to say, changing public narratives in and of itself will not be sufficient – it must be accompanied by action and sincere efforts to create a new environment not only to lend credibility to the new approach but in fact change the dynamic of the conflict.  Building on the renewed JCPOA For that to happen, the Biden administration ought to make it clear to Iran that by returning to the original deal it can benefit greatly, not only from the initial phase of lifting the sanctions and unfreezing tens of billions of dollars but also by building on the new deal through:  1. Beginning a process of normalizing relations between Washington and Tehran by establishing initial diplomatic relations; 2. Renouncing publicly any effort to seek regime change, which is a prerequisite for any kind of Iranian cooperation; 3. Starting trade relations between the two countries and supporting Iran in joining the World Trade Organization; 4. Committing to not undertaking military or cyber-attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities as long as its nuclear program remains peaceful; and finally, 5. Creating a joint commission to address a host of conflicting issues to reduce tensions and build trust.  In return, Iran will be required first and foremost to end its nuclear weapons program and agree to unfettered and permanent monitoring of its nuclear facilities, stop threatening other countries, especially Israel, and cease its support of extremist and terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad. Certainly, given that Israel is consistently threatened by Iran, it should be allowed to give its input regarding these issues through the US, without blowing its national security concerns out of proportion. Since Iran denies being engaged in any nefarious activity, the negotiation about these sensitive issues, including its cruise and ballistic missiles program, ought to obviously take place behind the scenes.  There will be many who would argue that such an approach amounts to nothing more than a pipe dream. They maintain that the Iranian government is religiously fanatic, politically radical, militarily aggressive with grandiose strategic ambitions, illogical, and a major destabilizing force in the region. Indeed, anyone who listens to the clergy’s denunciations and condemnations of the US and Israel would concur that the Iranian regime is perhaps irredeemable and that only regime change would alter its behavior. One cannot dismiss this argument out of hand as Iran’s conduct in the region and beyond speaks for itself.  That said, the people of Iran want to grow, flourish, and live in peace, and the ruling clergy knows that they cannot achieve this as long as they remain economically hamstrung by sanctions while continuing to treat the US as a mortal enemy. Culturally, the Iranians are known to be calculating and strategically savvy. To be sure, notwithstanding the leadership’s adversarial public posture and utterances against the US, they certainly prefer normal relations with America than perpetual enmity.  This however, should not preclude the US from pursuing a new Middle Eastern strategy that would effectively compel Iran to choose between two options: either to become a constructive player in the region or a perpetual enemy who must always be constrained by any means necessary, including the use of force.  Establishing a regional security architecture As the Biden administration embarks on the process of reconciliation with Iran, it should concurrently begin discussions with its Middle Eastern allies—the six Arab Gulf states, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Egypt—to form a regional security alliance. Such an alliance is more likely to be established at the present than at any other time in the past, especially because of the Abraham Accords, where Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf, along with Sudan and Morocco, have normalized relations with Israel. The remaining Gulf states—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman—are already collaborating with Israel on many fronts, especially on security and intelligence-sharing.  The purpose of such an alliance would be to challenge Iran’s regional ambitions and pose a veiled threat to its national security, compelling Iran to choose between two options. Iran can either gradually moderate its position and become a constructive player in and outside the region, or stick to its ambition to become a nuclear power once the new deal runs its course. If Iran chooses the latter, the Biden administration should then consider building the infrastructure that would provide a nuclear umbrella to all member states of the alliance, something that was floated by Hillary Clinton when she ran for president.  This strategy may seem far-fetched and undoable simply because of the huge differences in perception and the ultimate objectives of each side. But then we have to admit that since the 1979 Iranian revolution, the enmity and distrust between the US and Iran has only deepened. Indeed, if there was an opportunity to build on the original deal and create more constructive relations between the US and Iran, it was blown away by Trump’s withdrawal from the deal. This has only further deepened Iran’s distrust of the US, which predates the 1979 revolution and is rooted in the US-backed overthrow of the democratically elected Mosaddegh government in 1953, despite the fact that they continued to maintain good relations from 1953 to 1979.  After 43 years of continuing hostility, it is time for a new approach. Iran is a large and powerful country and is not going anywhere. It occupies one of the most strategic locations in the world and thus it cannot be simply ignored, or written off as an irredeemable enemy that responds only to the threat or use of force. A return to the original deal offers a perhaps rare opportunity to open a new chapter in the relations between the US and Iran and bring an end to a consuming conflict that will otherwise continue to dangerously destabilize the region.  The US can now change the dynamic of the conflict by offering Iran a promising prospect for economic prosperity and growth while enhancing its national security, or be subject to constant sabotage, crippling sanctions, and potential military attacks on its nuclear facilities, as President Biden and Israel vowed to never allow Iran to become a nuclear power. The US can make this overture not only because it has nothing to lose, but also because it can demonstrate resolute leadership and be ready to change course by offering a solution from a position of strength, even if it stands only a small chance of success.  Since Iran consistently denies having any ambition to acquire nuclear weapons, this strategy will allow it to forsake its nuclear weapons program without losing face, while leveraging constructively its vast potential as a major regional power.   ____________ Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies for over 20 years.

A New Strategy Is Needed To Address Iran’s Nuclear Program

Priyanka 'Saurabh'Fake news is news, stories, or hoaxes that are deliberately created to give false information or deceive readers. Typically, these stories are created to either influence public opinion, advance political agendas, or create confusion and are often for the benefit of online publishers. Fake video of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots fueled communal sentiments.Social media has disturbed politics and forced people to disconnect from their immediate surroundings. Our political discourse has declined because of social media, where "hot tech" and memes have replaced serious engagement. Misinformation and disinformation spread in the media is becoming a serious social challenge. This is creating a toxic environment on web portals and leading to street riots and lynchings.In the age of the Internet (WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter) this is a serious problem as rumors, morphed images, click-baits, inspiring stories, unverified information, and stories planted for different interests are easily spread among 350 million internet users in India. has been There are many examples of online rumors in which innocent people have been murdered. In some cases, ministers have deleted tweets after realizing the fake news shared earlier. Fake news has also been used to cheat illiterate people financially. Example- Chit fund schemes have created a web of frauds online through spam emails. Fake news has eroded people's confidence in social, print, and electronic media and affected the benefits of media. The current response to fake news mainly revolves around three aspects – denial, removal of fake news, and educating the public. It is rarely seen that fake news is dismissed by pointing out errors like malicious editing and misrepresentation. But now tech companies like Facebook and YouTube use algorithms to continuously remove fake news from their platforms. Also, WhatsApp has set a limit for forwarding messages, to limit the spread of fake news.In such an environment, the government should take the initiative to appraise all sections of the public about the realities of this information war and develop a consensus to fight this undeclared war. Also, strict action should be taken against those who spread fake news. Italy, for example, has experimentally added 'detection of fake news to the school curriculum. India should also give serious emphasis on cyber security, internet education, and fake news education in the educational curriculum at all levels.&nbsp;The news being spread using chatbots and other software should be automatically selected for a special screening. The government should prepare a draft on the issues of controlling fake news. The government should have an independent agency to verify the data being circulated on social and other media. The agency should be entrusted with the task of presenting actual facts and figures.An ombudsman should institute fake news complaints and initiate immediate action. Social media websites should be made accountable for such activities so that it becomes their responsibility to better control the spread of fake news. Artificial intelligence techniques, especially machine learning and natural language processing, can be leveraged to tackle the problem of fake news.Fake news affects the freedom of expression and informed choices of the citizens of the country, thereby hijacking democracy. It is therefore of utmost importance that there is a collective effort of all the stakeholders involved to tackle this menace in a comprehensive manner. The Press Council of India is a regulatory body that may warn, condemn or condemn the conduct of a newspaper, news agency, editor, or journalist or disapprove of the conduct of the editor or journalist in order to curb fake news in India. if it finds that the newspaper or news agency has violated journalistic ethics.The News Broadcasters Association represents private television news and current affairs broadcasters. This body investigates complaints against electronic media. The Indian Broadcast Foundation looks into complaints against content broadcast by channels. The Broadcasting Content Complaints Council accepts complaints of objectionable TV content and fake news against TV broadcasters. Section 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot) and section 295 (injury or profanity to a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) of the Indian Penal Code can be invoked to protect against fake news.According to section 66 of the Information Technology Act 2000, if any person, dishonestly or fraudulently, does any act referred to in section 43 (damage to the computer, computer system), he shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, Which can also be extended.&nbsp;&nbsp;—The Hawk Features

Fake news is news, stories, or hoaxes that are deliberately created to give false information or deceive readers. Typically, these stories are created to either influence public opinion, advance political agendas, or create confusion and are often for the benefit of online publishers. Fake video of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots fueled communal sentiments.

Fake News On Social Media Is Distributing Poison In Society

Fake news is news, stories, or hoaxes that are deliberately created to give false information or deceive readers. Typically, these stories are created to either influence public opinion, advance political agendas, or create confusion and are often for the benefit of online publishers. Fake video of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots fueled communal sentiments.




M R Lalu The central government’s recent push to elevate Hindi as a national language has triggered uproar once again. Multilingualism, with different cultural elements living in unison in a geographical space such as India, makes it the most exceptional social experience. Various languages and dialects that we preserved through generations make the essence of communication and they have been matchless in effect and content. Information technology’s enhanced versions underpinning the communication processes with adequate quality and clarity, it seems to be not necessary for a country like India to be battling for enforcing a particular language over the variety available. Multiplicity is the essential thread that a country such as India is intertwined into. When the globe is shrinking into a visible module accessible from anywhere, enabling people to jovially accept and appreciate the cultural variety that it offers, should there be an insistence on a linguistic enforcement growing into the level of a political compulsion. A country, which is a linguistic diversity, existing for years with a single civilizational essence has the societal ability to survive and go beyond political intimidations. The move by the government is not going to be an easy pass as reactions are streaming in from across the state borders.The pomp and gaiety with which India celebrates its hundreds of festivals attracts the entire world. Festivals celebrated with the same significance probably in the same period or with little variation in different parts of the country with different names is the beauty of Indian ethnicity. Poila Baisakh in Bengal is Bihu in Assam and Vishu in Kerala. The same is Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra and Baisakhi in Punjab. These festivals share a common significance but are celebrated with local traditional flavours. The demand for nationalising Hindi in India is not new. Amit Shah stoked controversy through his tweet in 2019 in which he demanded that Hindi should become part of the Indian identity. As Hindi is widely spoken by a large population in the country, he reiterated to recognise it as the national language now. Much before in 2014, when the Modi government came to power for the first time, it had its directives given to the officers and employees of all ministries to use Hindi in their social media interventions. Linguistic inheritance is a sensitive issue in India. Especially the southern states which do not share a linguistic heritage in line with the Devanagari script and identify themselves with different language traditions are natural to resist the move. Tamil, one of the most ancient languages is an example. The Sangam literature, rich with philosophical aphorisms came to exist as early as 3000 BC. Hindi is relatively a younger brother to many classical languages in India with little contribution to the cultural eminence of the country. The last census depicts a clear picture of the linguistic propensities of Indians. According to it, about 56 percent Indians do not recognise Hindi as their first language. Nearly 44 percent Indians either speak Hindi or find the language comfortable for communication. When Hindi is dominant in some parts of the country, the remaining languages together take an upper hand resulting in a balancing act.The influence of English in a British colony such as India must be repulsive to the cultural nationalism propagated by the BJP. Swami Vivekananda had a different opinion on this. Vivekananda, who spoke English throughout his world tour was appreciated by his foreign audience for his in-depth knowledge, vocabulary and delivery in that language. He firmly believed that language could break barriers of territory and English, for him, was a medium of communication that he effectively used, to teach the world what India’s cultural tradition was. Nehru’s opinion on the choice of a national language was in line with what Gandhi viewed. He chose to believe that no country could become great based on a foreign language.&nbsp;He firmly believed that there should be consensus while choosing Hindi as India’s national language and he aptly rejected calling the demand of imposing Hindi on India as authoritarian. Both Gandhi and Nehru were of the opinion of having one Indian language being chosen as the national lingua-franca but they were aware of the complexity with which, at least in this case, the cultural linguistic diversity behaved. Political parties in Tamil Nadu have already registered their disagreement. The Congress party, with no special subject to unleash its attack on the government has come out against the ‘Hindi move’.&nbsp;As of now Hindi is not the national language. The more the BJP harps on the elevation of the language the more complex the situation becomes. We cannot but accept the circumstance that is emerging in different states. Large numbers of workers migrating from the northeast, Bihar and West Bengal into the state of Kerala have created a sudden urgency among the malayalis to learn and speak Hindi. Interestingly, workers from northeast, including those from Assam and Bengal conveniently communicate in Hindi with the Malayalis. The state, welcoming the employee influx, is helping the migrants with boards and hoardings in Hindi.&nbsp;I personally find an openness in the state with regard to its acceptance of Hindi as a language of communication with its ‘guest workers’ and an enthusiasm in learning it. But the state may not acknowledge an imposition.The Constitution provides each state the right to choose its own official language. A particular local language, deeply engraved into the collective cultural history of a particular state, is natural to move against the national language indicator. It is interesting to note that almost everybody from the northeast is multilingual. A person from Arunachal Pradesh can speak his local dialect along with Hindi, English, Assamese and Nepali. This is real with many other states in the northeast. But in the southern states the situation changes. Except for the cities, most of the villages go solo with their mother tongue. Challenging the country’s nationalistic essence and hammering on India’s diverse linguistic ethnicities, Rahul Gandhi’s quip in the parliament calling India a conglomeration of states was an indication as to what would be the stand of the parties, if the government goes on trying to enforce anything in the direction of its dreamy cultural nationalism. History of agitations for linguistic identity in India should remind us of our national life that proclaims that there is no language that can hold us together as a nation. If there is anything that holds us one, that is the essence of Indianness. The geographical ethnicity that we have been pulsating through for years, cementing the essence of being Indian with all its plurality flourishing across linguistic borders should remain intact.&nbsp;&nbsp;—The Hawk Features

The central government’s recent push to elevate Hindi as a national language has triggered uproar once again. Multilingualism, with different cultural elements living in unison in a geographical space such as India, makes it the most exceptional social experience. 

Hindi And The National Linguistic Dilemma

Arjun Ram Meghwal* We are at Amrit Kaal's doorstep that lies ahead for the next 25 yearswhen the Nation will witness the independence century. The ongoing AmritMahotsava provides the blueprint for the trajectory of the Nation. Theforefathers laid down their concrete vision that resulted in our progress sofar. In this Mammoth exercise of Building New India, the inspirationfarsighted&amp; meticulous approach of Dr. BR Ambedkar in multiple domainswill always remain as a guiding light. His 131st Birth Anniversary is an aptmoment to recall his holistic role as a nation builder and take reaffirmationand inspiration to adhere to his ideal in our individualist &amp; collective sphere.Dr. Ambedkar greatly pioneered as an institution builder, and thepresent-day constitutional setupreverberateshiswisdom. He was the mostvaluable speaker in constitution Assembly debates with the highest share of7.5 %-of wordcount, whereas Nehru stood with only 2.14 %. The RBI foundits genesis in his thesis “The Problem of Rupee-Its Origin &amp; Solution". As alabor member of Viceroy’s Executive Council, he was instrumental inshaping the water, power &amp; Labour welfare policies. The management ofwater resources through institutions in the form of the central watercommission, Central Technical Power Board, and Integrated water resourcesManagement through establishing river valley authorities, among others, arevital interventions that shaped the will for optimally utilizing the availablepool of natural resource. He majorly contributed to developing a federalfinance system among the centre&amp; states for progressively raising theireconomic level &amp; without jeopardizing their interest.He was a reasoned voice of the depressed class and staunchedadvocates of labor rights. As a labor leader, he advocated for ‘fair conditionof life of labor’ instead of ‘Fair Condition of Work. ’Other welfare measuressuch as reduction in working hours to 48 hours per week, provisions ofovertime &amp; paid leave, Fixation &amp; protection of Minimum wage, labor welfarefund, and acknowledgment of trade unions were taken spiritedly. Theabolition of serfdom of agricultural tenants, abolition of theKhoti System inland tenure, and strong opposition tothe Industrial Dispute Bill 1938 forensuring workers’ rights to strike were prompt measures during his role as alegislator in the Bombay assembly.Dr. Ambedkar was very much conscious of the progressive role ofwomen in modern society and advocated for ensuring voting rights forwomen immediately after independence as part of universal adult suffrage.It is pertinent to note that the US, UK &amp; other western countries took morethan a century to extend voting rights to women.In Hindu Code Bill, Headvocated for conferring adoption &amp; inheritance rights to women. For facilitating their active participation inthe economic workforce, he ensuredthe provisions of ‘equal pay for equal work’ irrespective of sex&amp; intervenedin liftingthe ban on women working underground in coal mines. He remainsan instrumental figure in institutionalizing these strong fundamentals thatnow women are leaving no stone unturned and making the Nation proud onevery possible front.During the concluding speech in the constitution assembly on25th November 1949, Dr. Ambedkar felt a sense of satisfaction onobtaining political equality through one man, one vote &amp; one value.Still, he cautioned about the upcoming contradiction due to existingdifferences in values onsocial &amp; economic fronts. However, in the pasteight years, the initiative taken by the Modi government is eliminatingthose contradictions, and the Nation is moving closer to the vision of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. The Mantra of “SabkaSaath-SabkaVikas-SabkaVishwas&amp;SabkaPrayas’ ensures the inclusivity of people standing in the last mile and convergence of the government’s multi-directionalefforts for uplifting and nurturing their unbound potential.The Nehru government's delay from the one-year deadline for constituting the OBC commission &amp;indifferent attitude towards this in-action was among the four reasons that led to the Nehru Cabinet's resignation in 1951.The Modi government’s intervention to extendConstitutional status to OBC Commission in 2018 &amp; Subsequent 105thConstitutional Amendment for allowing states to identify the socially &amp;educationally backward class are steps toward building a just society.The historical records clearlyshow the difference between Ambedkar &amp;Nehru on various accounts. Ambedkar opposed foreign policy regardingtaking the J&amp;K matter to UNO, Mismanagement of affairs with Pakistan, theplight of Hindus of eastern Bengal,&amp; high military expenditure. On 26August 1954 during his speech in Rajysabha, Ambedkar criticised theFundamental flaw in Nehruvian foreign policy which was obliging othernation and putting nationalist concerns at stake. He was particularlyaggrieved by the government’s silence that lead to china’s invasion inLhasa, Tibet and atrocities against Buddhist. India had lost its buffer state &amp;china’s threat looming large on India territories Ambedkar, from PlanningStage itself, opposed the special status provision to J&amp;K. The Nation had topay a heavy toll to these mismanagements in the forms of subsequent warwith the neighbouring country and deprivation of innocent people of J&amp;Kfrom the mainstream development programs. The abrogation of article 370&amp;35A of the constitution paved the way for sharing the fruits of developmentwith the people J&amp;K. He criticized the extra-territorial loyalty of thecommunist and cautioned their duality in the cause of national progress. The idea to observe “Samajik Nayay Pakhwada” from the BJPfoundation day express symbiotic allegiance to the ideals of Ambedkar. Thegovernment programs are resulting towards bringing positive changes andfacilitating ease of lives of everyone &amp;disadvantaged and downtroddensection particularly. The development of Panch Tirtha, Dr. AmbedkarInternational Centre &amp; Implementation of pro-poor welfare schemes such asstandup, Start-up, Mudra &amp; Venture Capital Fund, Building Eklavya Modalresidential school, PM Awas Yojana, Swachh Bharat Yojana, PM Kisan,PMFBY, PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana, Ujjwala Aushmaan Bharat amongothers are increasing people's living standards. The revamped Post Metricscholarship scheme facilitates higher education for four crores SCstudents.The four labor codes - the Code on Wages, Industrial RelationsCode, Social Security Code, and the Occupational Safety, Health, andWorking Conditions Code have been formulated, focusing on the faircondition of life of workers. The National Research Laboratory forConservation of Cultural Property, Lucknow, under the Ministry of culture,is undertaking a project to preserve the personal belonging of Baba SahebDr. Ambedkar. These belonging will be showcased at the proposed Researchcentre&amp; Museum at Chincholi in Nagpur, Maharashtra.Now,the 131st Birth Anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar, let's mark thismoment by immersing ourselves in the realm of the imagination framed byour forefathers and unsung heroes. Let our action tread towards building ajust society and scale new heights for the Nation so that outcome resonatesglobally with the symphony of our beloved Nation. *Union Minister of State for Culture&amp; Parliamentary Affairs and Member ofParliament, Bikaner

We are at Amrit Kaal's doorstep that lies ahead for the next 25 years  when the Nation will witness the independence century. The ongoing Amrit  Mahotsava provides the blueprint for the trajectory of the Nation.

Caution to Convergence: Baba Saheb Dr Ambedkar

M R Lalu&nbsp; The Union Government’s push for ‘more focus’ on Hindi in the country has created much uproar as various opposition parties came out with their disagreements. The linguistic diversity that India is known for was feared to be in danger with the government’s move. The push for Hindi being used as a link language was termed as ‘Hindi imperialism’ by the opposition. This move, according to them, would create an emotional divide between the Hindi region and the non-Hindi speaking areas.&nbsp;Linguistic Diversity has the beauty and power to essentially strengthen the area of communication and education that people from different backgrounds can conveniently choose from. Languages go back to the origin of civilizations. Existing in various forms, communication came to the collective consciousness of people and languages became the attire of thoughts and flourished across the globe. Traditions and practices are preserved in every society in their originality mostly encrypted in the language or dialect that they used for communication. Existence of ethnic societies was mainly based on the existence of their languages and with the death of the language, any society for that matter, falls into a state of oblivion, totally forgetful of their past. Many languages and dialects became extinct mainly due to their unjustifiably perceived notion of incompatibility in the eye of modern discourse. Colonial onslaughts on cultures were brutal by dominating the spirit of cultural vitality of societies and dismantling their ethnic&nbsp;&nbsp;essence, invalidating and demonizing their power to fight and survive in a multilingual setup. India’s situation was not different. Though the country is witnessing a serious debate on Hindi being moved into a national framework of importance; the merit of the oldest language Sanskrit is almost a lost and forgotten affair. On a multidimensional analysis, Sanskrit is one of the languages that lost its credit and stature beyond imagination in its birthplace. Diversity being the essence of every society, multilingual and multicultural acceptance among societies strengthened them perceivably articulative on every difference that came on their way of congenial coexistence. Languages played their role to stitch differences into acceptance while finding common cause for shared interests to flourish.Sanskrit is known to be the mother of all languages. Despite its being the most communicated language of the ancient times, in India it lost its glow as a language in a post independent establishment. When languages united people across the globe, Sanskrit for various reasons could not flourish in India.&nbsp;With a large number of people choosing English as their spoken tongue, Indians have as much claim on it as any native speaker in America or England. The reach of Sanskrit as a medium of communication got limited among a handful of elite people in India, probably giving it the recognition of the language of the spiritual elite, the pundits. Away from the reach of the common man, Sanskrit is dying in India. There should not be boundaries in embracing languages as they are meant to break boundaries naturally and bring people closer. Interestingly, many books which are known to be not available in their original Sanskrit manuscripts are now available in Persian and many other European languages. Many vernaculars grew from the linguistic expression of Sanskrit and flourished gaining popularity, while Sanskrit depleted to the level of insignificance. Spirituality in India was defined and propagated in it but subsequently got sidelined as the essence of Bhakti or devotion got disseminated to the populace in local languages too. With its treasure of knowledge remained heavy and probably inaccessible to the common man, spiritual texts from Sanskrit got translated into vernaculars helping the common man to delve deeper into them without being dependent on Sanskrit.Research reveals the geographical influence of Sanskrit in various global languages. Most of the Asian languages are seen to be impacted by the influence of Sanskrit. Interestingly, countries like Germany have understood the intellectual and linguistic depth that Sanskrit holds and began to popularize the language in their universities. Iranians, Arabs and even the British found merit and power in Sanskrit and translated great classics into their languages. Governments in India kept away from initiatives to strengthen the mother of all languages for the fear that such a decision might topple India’s secular social engineering and invite the wrath of some sections. Schools adopting a three-language formula in their curriculum can teach Hindi, English and an Indian language to the students. Many universities in the U.S teach Sanskrit as an Indo-European language. Interestingly, there is no language which has a vocabulary as abundant as that of Sanskrit. To present an example, the English word ‘sun’ has 12 equivalents in Sanskrit. But English does not possess this vocabulary power and to fix this lacuna, it borrows new words from other languages including Sanskrit.&nbsp;&nbsp;An estimate says that of an approximate 6800 languages, about 200 languages in the world enjoy speakers more than a million each. Remaining languages have a meager number of speakers. With a huge number of people speaking it, Tamil enjoys a large acceptance in India and some other Asian countries.With the National Education Policy coming into force, as part of its trilingual policy, states are authorized to take Sanskrit as a language through primary and secondary education. The policy is expected to bring a revamp in the education sector. India, a cultural diversity, despite its being a geographical unity, remained a single spiritual entity for ages as the language Sanskrit could bind the landscape through the spiritual aphorisms in texts that even today are monumental evidence of references that the world is appreciative about. The laxity with which the post independent India treated Sanskrit was ruthless. To pursue Macaulayism, the idea of the English education system, we committed the biggest sin by burying the significance of the language of all languages. It was also due to the hypocritical secular track the country constitutionally decided to travel on, finding reasons to give Sanskrit a back seat. The fear of a probable backlash from the minority vote bank, if Sanskrit was favored, was the main reason for the denial.&nbsp;&nbsp;Societies with genetic, social and linguistic diversities survive and flourish to their fullest potential, making intercultural assimilation of humanity, proclaiming the essential Indian Vedic idea of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam '', which means world is one family. Indeed, Sanskrit is the only language in which we can find such thoughts of unparalleled ancient wisdom on universal brotherhood. Hypocrisy is what is the gesture of the Indian conscience these days. We carefully, in a surreptitious manner, killed a language that our ancestors cherished, nourished and flourished with for generations. All credit as to why it is going to be extinct in this large subcontinent will come to us. Boundless knowledge is confined in books, unable to be perceived in its real sense as translations fail to give the real joy of reading the original texts. Cities like Haridwar and Rishikesh are known to be the seats of Sanskrit learning and research. Aspirants from across the globe flock to these cities to learn Sanskrit. Mattur village of Shimoga in Karnataka is famous for its Sanskrit speaking families. About 5000 residents of this village communicate in Sanskrit. More conscious efforts from various corners should be taken in the direction of reviving Sanskrit. The government has reasons to justify its move to lift Hindi to an elevated platform. But does it have reasons to not support a language that housed great cultural treasures for long. India should continue to survive as a multilingual entity with Sanskrit also finding a place to progress.&nbsp;&nbsp;—The Hawk Features

The Union Government’s push for ‘more focus’ on Hindi in the country has created much uproar as various opposition parties came out with their disagreements. The linguistic diversity that India is known for was feared to be in danger with the government’s move. The push for Hindi being used as a link language was termed as ‘Hindi imperialism’ by the opposition. 

Sanskrit And Its Fading Prestige

Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit Ram Navami&nbsp;is a spring Hindu festival that celebrates the birthday of the Hindu God Lord Rama. Ramayana, as we all know, is one of the greatest Sanskrit epics of Hindu mythology. Lord Ram himself is believed to be the supreme Hindu god and has a very special place in the hearts of people across the world. No festival in India can be complete without food and Ram Navami is no different. Ram Navami, is looked upon as an important Hindu Festival, and a celebration to honor the birth of Lord Ram, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu.The festival of Ram Navami is celebrated all over India as the birthday of Lord Rama. It is one of the major festivals of India. It is believed that on this day Lord Rama was born in&nbsp;Ayodhya . On the day of Ram Navami, devotees of Shri Rama worship them and on this day people go to temples and worship Rama-Sita and Hanuman Ji. This festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and vigour in Ayodhya. Lord Rama is called Maryada Purushottam because he presented the best example of a decent life in spite of suffering many problems during his lifetime. He did not renounce his ideals even in adverse circumstances and lived his life in dignity. Therefore, he has been given the position of the best man. According to legend, Lord Rama is considered the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu as he was born to King Dashratha and Queen Kaushalya in Ayodhya in the Tretha Yug.&nbsp;According to the Hindu calendar, this festival falls in the Shukla Paksha (brighter half) of the Chaitra month. Most devotees observe a fast on this day. Not just Lord Ram, but Lord Lakshman, Lord Hanuman and Goddess Sita are worshipped, owing to their important connection with the Ramayana. Ram Navami is recorded in Rama recitals, especially in Ramayana, considered one of the two great Sanskrit epics of the Hindu religion. The story of Ram Navami is also called the Vratha Katha. The three queens to King Dashratha, Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi were unable to bear an heir to the kingdom of Ayodhya for a long period of time. The sacred ritual called Putra Kamesti Yagna was thus performed by the queens, as suggested by the great Sage Vashishth. The ceremony saw King Dashratha distribute payasam (a preparation of milk and rice) to his three wives. And, then on the ninth day of the Hindu month, Chitra, queen Kaushalya gave birth to Lord Ram, and the other queens gave birth to Lakshmana and Bharat. It is believed that all the evils in the life of a person who worships Ramnavami are eradicated. That is why Ram Navami has special significance in the Hindu religion, on this day people go to the temple and offer prayers and pray for Prosperous. On this day many people offer&nbsp;Ramcharitmanas&nbsp;in their homes. Taking bath in holy rivers on this day gives great benefits. Rama means ‘bliss’ signifying the happiness that Lord Ram bestows on all those who remember and worship him. Lord Sri Ram was said to be born on earth to instill the lost glory in humanity, annihilate the evil, and protect the innocent. Let us also learn more from history, about humanity, apply them in real life, try and follow Ram’s footsteps.—The Hawk Features

Ram Navami is a spring Hindu festival that celebrates the birthday of the Hindu God Lord Rama. Ramayana, as we all know, is one of the greatest Sanskrit epics of Hindu mythology. 

Why We Celebrate Ram Navami?

<h1> </h1><img src="https://thehawk.in/static/c1e/client/88291/uploaded/ac39166fe83d6f7f534791b2cbbff2b2.webp"><img src="https://thehawk.in/static/c1e/client/88291/uploaded/637da063661d06a0ff312fae812033e7.webp">Ramesh Chander Kapoor*Haridwar (The Hawk):&nbsp;The Kumbh Fair is the greatest human congregation on Earth in which religious faith draws the devout in millions every twelve years to a specific centre of pilgrimage. In the present times, the Kumbh is celebrated at four places, namely, Haridwar, Prayag, Nashik and Ujjain. It is believed that in the wake of the Samudra Manthan, a struggle took place among the devas and asuras over the pitcher of Amrit when it was being taken away to the heavens for safe-keeping. The struggle went on for twelve divine days (equivalent to twelve human years). In the process, a few drops fell over the above-mentioned places. However, neither Visnu Purana (275-325 CE; 1:9:108-109) nor the Bhagawata Purana (&gt; 500 CE; 5:24:1-3; 8: Ch.: 6-9) that describe the struggle among devas and the asuras for the possession of the pot of Amrit mention any of the places or the spillage.The Kumbh fair has been related to one complete revolution of the planet Jupiter through the zodiacal circle. With a period of 11.86 years, it apparently spends a year in each of the twelve zodiacs. Importantly, the concept of zodiacs is not indigenous to India. Therefore, the Kumbh fair can be as old as the induction of the zodiacs into the Indian astronomical system and their wide acceptance. Like the zodiacs and the Greek astrology that came into India via Alexandria in the Ist century or somewhat later, the Aquarius-Jupiter connection too should be as recent. One may note that astrology in India struck firm roots by the 6th century only, in the hands of Varahamihira with his work BrhatJataka (550 CE).Magh Mela as KumbhThe first historical reference to a great fair in India is about the one held at Prayag in 643 CE. It figures in the accounts of the Chinese monk Hiuen Tsang who travelled through India during 630-644 CE. He recorded that the grand fair was held every five years. In Lakshmidhar's 12th Century work KrtyaKalpataru (Vol 8; Tirthavivechana-kanda), the chapter on Prayag Tirthyatra Vidhi talks about the significance of a bath at Prayag in the month of Magh but there is no reference to Kumbh. Later in 1574, Goswami Tulsidas (d. 1623 CE) wrote in Ramacharitmanas (Balkanda, between the dohas 43-44) about the significance of holy bath at the Tribeni in the month of Magh when the Sun moves into Capricorn (the Makara Samkranti) but he too does not refer to any Kumbh.Dr. Kama Maclean has explored this mela intensively and concluded in 2003 that the Prayag Magh Mela is ancient but reference to it as a Kumbh Mela is as recent as the 19th century only. It was the Prayagwalas (the Brahmin priests – the pandas) who got the annual Magh Mela elevated to the status of Kumbh with the fair of 1870 and the people and the ascetics came to accept it so. Ever since, the fair at Allahabad has expanded in its dimension. The term Mahakumbh was coined only some years ago to refer to a Kumbh that is thirteenth in a sequence. It was applied to the Prayag Poorna Kumbh of 2013. On that count, the Prayag Kumbh of 1870 also was a Mahakumbh, a sobriquet it was not given then.The Haridwar KumbhThe Kumbh fairs at Prayaagraj, Nashik and Ujjain have actually grown out of their annual festivals after the one at Haridwar. The Haridwar Kumbh should be the original one as it is held as per the original astrological prescription with a 12-year cycle. Over the centuries, an annual fair at Haridwar held in spring attracted merchants in droves with their products from places as far as Kabul, Samarkand and Bukhara, and from Persia, China and Tartary. The Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh (1107 AH, i.e., 1695-96 CE), a chronicle of Delhi in Persian by Sujan Rai is the earliest historical text in which one comes across the term 'Kumbh Mela' in reference to a fair at Haridwar while it also acknowledged an annual fair at Allahabad. It said that every twelve years when Jupiter is stationed in Kumbh rashi (Aquarius) and the Sun enters Mesha rashi (Aries), there is a greater congregation of the devout than in other years. This work calls Haridwar as the holiest of the places on the banks of the Ganges.<img src="https://thehawk.in/static/c1e/client/88291/migrated/2960db445af717e1c008ee28df229a9c.jpg"> <img src="https://thehawk.in/static/c1e/client/88291/migrated/60dc8b9a1c2655941c9203d1380d40b1.jpg"> The Haridwar scene (source: Wikimedia Commons) showing pilgrims taking holy bath in the Ganges is of the Kumbh of 1844. It is by J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851), the well-known British landscape painter. The view of the area today is completely different where the new bridges built over the Ganges have killed its beauty completely.

The Kumbh Fair is the greatest human congregation on Earth in which religious faith draws the devout in millions every twelve years to a specific centre of pilgrimage. In the present times, the Kumbh is celebrated at four places, namely, Haridwar, Prayag, Nashik and Ujjain.

The Haridwar Kumbh Is The Real Kumbh

Guest Post

Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit Electric vehicles (EVs) are growing in popularity and certainly in mind space. Looking at the road ahead, India aspires to reach its vision of 100% Electric Vehicles by 2030. Surely, factors such as increasing government support, decreasing cost of technology, growing interest of the country in EVs, distressing pollution levels, etc would collectively fuel and accelerate India’s transition to electric vehicles and enable the government to near its vision.The pandemic has given a boost to electric vehicles across the world as commuters avoid public transport. One of the main advantages of electric vehicle is that it does not emit harmful gases compared to conventional vehicles. The government has also come forward to increase the number of EVs. By 2030 India is aspiring to reach the vision of 100% Electric Vehicles. But the government’s will to make a complete transformation to EVs will require tremendous changes from the base level onwards.Consumers in India are seeking a lower price point for EVs than consumers in other countries, with the global average tipping price point for EVs being at USD 36,000 viz. around Rs 27 lakhs.PM Modi has rightly said that “Clean mobility powered by clean energy is our most powerful weapon in our fight against climate change and also added that&nbsp;his vision for the future of mobility in India is based on 7 Cs: common, connected, convenient, congestion-free, charged, clean, cutting-edge.” The electricity source in the case of EVs is equally significant. If energy is generated by means of environmental destruction such as coal-fired power stations, as is often the case in developing countries, it essentially contradicts the environmental benefits of electric cars. As electric vehicles are free of internal combustion engines and commonly speaking, have fewer parts, they are generally silent than traditional vehicles. The newly launched ‘Switch Delhi’ Campaign has seen a great response so far which is an encouraging sign for the EV industry.The cost for an electric vehicle is therefore considerably higher than for a conventional vehicle but it makes a lot of sense to dive if you want to keep the product for a decade or more. This is due to the considerably lower operational and maintenance costs of an EV.&nbsp;EVs nowadays have become much more affordable than before. Moreover, the cost of servicing, upkeep, and maintenance of an electric car has foundered significantly. Since electricity is more economical than fuel, EVs are relatively cost-effective. Buying an EV can reduce your carbon footprint because there will be no emissions at all.EVs have overcome their erstwhile shortcomings and newer models are better than bygone counterparts. Electric car manufacturers would have to go an extra mile to get people to make the switch from regular cars to EVs. EVs hold the key to permanent solutions of a better, cleaner India for the sustainability of its populace. By promoting the EV sector’s organic growth and enhancing its popularity among the people with governmental media programmes, a substantial cut in fossil-fuel run vehicular mobility can be made possible. No doubt, EVs are expensive, primarily because of the battery. By switching over to clean-green energy run EVs, we can make skies crystal clear, allowing us to look at distant places. We must remember that “Change is the only constant in life”&nbsp;Change is a part of our life and most of the times, humans work together for a positive change that can benefit society. What our Indian market need is encouragement for indigenous technologies that are suited for India from both strategic and economic standpoint.—The Hawk Features

Electric vehicles (EVs) are growing in popularity and certainly in mind space. Looking at the road ahead, India aspires to reach its vision of 100% Electric Vehicles by 2030. Surely, factors such as increasing government support, 

Future Of EVs In India

Vijay Garg Recently the Food and Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated the model of Front of Packing Label (FOPL) of food items. With this a debate has started on whether food packages should have a Health Star Rating (HAR) about the quality of the food or a warning regarding harmful food. In this regard, FSSAI, under pressure from the ultra-processed food industry, has decided that each food should be rated from one to five stars. From the minutes of the meeting, it is evident that while taking this decision, FSSAI has chose to ignore consumer interest and has given undue importance to the opinion of large food processing industries.Why is a warning label better than health star rating?Our country has a tradition of making and eating healthy and nutritious food. Proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates and other nutrients are found in a very balanced form in our food plate, so our diet has always been very balanced. But in the recent past, the trend of processed foods has increased and especially markets are flooded with ultra-processed foods. Scientists believe that these ultra-processed foods are causing many non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including cancer. Not only this, companies use excessive amounts of sugar, salt (sodium) and saturated fats to entice customers and make children get used to, or get addictedto, their products. In our country, diabetes, blood pressure, kidney and liver diseases are becoming common due to excess of sugar, sodium and saturated fats in the food. In our country due to lack of awareness among the people about nutrition and in this case due to absence of warning on food packets, people are unknowingly consuming these harmful food items, due to which these diseases are on rise, sometimes called lifestyle diseases.If a warning is posted on such harmful foods stating that it contains sugar, salt or saturated fats beyond a threshold limit, consumers will be able to learn more about their side effects and make informed decisions about their food purchases. It is true that companies manufacturing these food items may face a decline in sales of these harmful foods. However, this will improve the health of the common man, there is no doubt about it. This is not only a theoretical conclusion, but it has also been experienced in different countries. Realizing the importance of this issue, many countries including Chile, Brazil, Israel decided to put such warnings on food packets. Chile has made a law after fixing the threshold limits of this harmful food and also made a law mandating printing of warning about the same.After Chile’s decision to put such warnings by law, there was a huge reduction in the sale of such harmful food there. We can understand how much benefit Chile must have got in the protection of public health due to this. Today, when we are in the process of deciding in our country, that how consumers should be educated in the selection of healthy foods, instead of warning the consumers about the harmful food, it wouldn’t be proper to legitimize the unhealthy food by giving star rating to them. In this regard a meeting of stakeholders was organized by FSSAI on 15th February 2022, in which amongst participants, there were 17 members from food industry and their organizations, 1 from World Health Organization&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(WHO), two members were from Indian Institute of Ahmedabad (IIM) Ahmedabad, three members were from consumer organizations, one member was from Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a premier institution; nine FSSAI officials; and 10 belonged to the experts’ category. Instead of discussing international experiences, the meeting referred to a study conducted by IIM, Ahmedabad and Dexter Consultancy Pvt Ltd and pointed out that participants in this study have given the opinion that the system of health star rating (HSR) on food packets should be adopted. Significantly, two representatives of consumer organizations and a representative of Center for Science and Environment voted against this decision. But ignoring their opinion, it was said that the opinion coming from the survey of 20 thousand people is more important, so the stakeholders will have to give their suggestions on the health star rating only.Even according to the survey by IIM Ahmedabad, the warning option was rated better in terms of reducing the intention to purchase harmful food, due to presence of excess of unwanted nutrients. But despite this, the report recommending HSR as the preferred option, which does not even give the consumer an understanding of the health risks, is raising doubts about the impartiality of the authors of the report.Not only this, that there was presence of large number of representatives of companies and their organisations, in the meeting of stakeholders, in which the decision regarding health store rating was taken; even among experts, there were many people who are associated with the companies. It is worth noting that Australia is the only country in the world where there is a system of Health Star Rating (whereas in most other countries the system of FOPL exists), and there is a provision of warning rather than Health Star rating.A logarithm or formula is used to determine the star rating of any food item. The funny thing is that the person who created this formula named Greg Gambrill was also a part of the food industry. Hence it is a clear case of conflict of interest. There is also concern among Australian food scientists that the health star rating system, adopted under the pressure from companies is putting the health of consumers at risk.According to this formula, if any nutrient such as fruit juice, is added to any harmful food product, then its star rating can reach even up to five stars. For example, if orange juice is added to a beverage with high sugar, it will get far more stars, and the consumer will inadvertently be consuming harmful foods, because they will not have the opportunity to know that it is a harmful food. But if instead, warnings about excess sugar, excess salt and excessive saturated fats are marked, then the consumer will be facilitated to make an informed choice and his health will also be better.Today, when the country’s food regulatory body is taking a decision in this regard, the health of the people of the country should be the first priority and not the profit of the companies. The presence of such a large number of food companies in this decision-making process and their long-standing partnership with FSSAI, puts a question mark on the objectivity of FSSAI’s decision. It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health that, keeping a close watch on these subjects, instead of adopting the Health Star Rating, harmful to the health of the people of the country, it should make a provision to give a clear warning regarding the food items, which are injurious to health.—The Hawk Features

Recently the Food and Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated the model of Front of Packing Label (FOPL) of food items. With this a debate has started on whether food packages should have a Health Star Rating (HAR) about the quality of the food or a warning regarding harmful food. 

Need To Save People From Packaged Food

Alon Ben-Meir*New York (The Hawk): Prime Minister Bennett’s “neutrality” in the Russian war against Ukraine is outrageous and contemptable. It runs contrary to every moral principle that Israel is supposed to stand and fight for. Bennett must join the Western alliance in opposing Putin — a merciless tyrant who is committing crimes against humanity and must pay for itRighting the Wrong One cannot help but feel outraged by the conduct of Israel’s PM Naftali Bennett. He, like millions of people around the world, is witnessing the unfolding horror of the Russian invasion of Ukraine but chooses to remain neutral. Neutral in the face of a shattered country that sought nothing but to be free, and neutral in the face of indiscriminate bombing raining death and destruction. How can a prime minister of Israel remain neutral in the face of cities being reduced to ashes and millions of refugees petrified of what tomorrow will bring? As a father, how can he maintain absurd neutrality when children are dying in the arms of weeping mothers and helpless young girls cower in fear with no place to hide? How can a devout man no less exhibit such sickening aloofness when he sees the wanton destruction of schools, hospitals, and institutions and the ruthless defiance of human rights, when ten million Ukrainians became refugees or internally displaced, and when so many innocents are on the verge of death from thirst and starvation? One might ask, what does it mean to be neutral? If you are neutral, what does this really translate to in the context of the unspeakable crimes Putin is committing against innocent Ukrainian citizens? In this case it simply means that while these crimes against humanity are happening in broad daylight, Bennett refuses to condemn the Russian butcher because of cold-blooded political calculations, which he justifies in the name of Israel’s national security. Whether Bennett’s decision to assume neutrality is because he wanted to act as a credible interlocutor between Ukraine and Russia or because he wanted Russia’s continued cooperation in Syria to bomb Iranian military installations or because he wanted to elicit Russian support against a new Iran deal or a combination of all three, Bennet has gravely betrayed Israel’s founding moral principles. Bennett’s absurd position of neutrality has profoundly disappointed Israel’s allies, especially the US, which is the only credible power that has committed itself to Israel’s national security, be that against Iran or any other foe. In light of what is happening we should examine Bennett’s reprehensible behavior from two perspectives: Israel’s moral standing, and Israel’s relations with the United States. Israel’s moral standing: Can Israel, given that its founding is intertwined with the Jews’ long and troubled history, assume a neutral posture when war crimes of such magnitude are occurring for all to see? How can Bennett abandon Israel’s basic moral tenets presumably because of national security concerns over Iran’s nuclear weapons program? By maintaining “neutrality,” Bennett is siding with a thug and a ruthless killer, who has become a pariah and war criminal who dishonors everyone who has not condemned him in the strongest terms. When the Prime Minister of Israel does not rise to the fateful cry for help and do what is morally right by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel’s democratic allies and save the lives of thousands of innocent civilians, he is dangerously compromising the country’s international standing both on moral and political grounds. With the indiscriminate bombardment, missile strikes, and drones killing thousands of people, the summary execution of civilians, and the flattening of whole cities, the invasion of Ukraine is itself a horrendous crime against a sovereign nation and a gross violation of international law. Mass graves discovered in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, confirm that Russian forces have indeed committed war crimes. Civilians were executed with their hands bound and their bodies placed in shallow graves containing hundreds of bodies. These war crimes are a further trespass against humanity, a compounding of Russia’s transgression of all that we hold dear and sacred – including the dignity of human life and the right to live free from violence, brutality, and cruelty. With all that unfolding horror, Bennett still refuses to provide air defense systems to stop these atrocities. Indeed, by refusing to offer such systems which can intercept projectiles without killing Russian soldiers, which, understandably he wants to avoid, he has become indirectly complicit in the horrifying death and destruction. Israel’s detractors rightfully raise the question: has the decades-long Israeli occupation and the harsh way the Palestinians are treated made Bennett so morally numb and apathetic to the growing tragedy of the Ukrainian people? It is no wonder; Bennett was born only five years after the occupation began; to him and many others, the oppressive and cruel occupation is simply a natural phenomenon. Bennett and his followers should recall what the philosopher and theologian Abraham Heschel once said: “Who is a Jew? A person whose integrity decays when unmoved by the knowledge of wrong done to other people.” Bennett must remember, politically or otherwise, Putin will vanish sooner or later, but Israel’s moral failure under his stewardship will haunt it for decades to come. Israel’s relations with the United States: For Bennett to openly and repeatedly express total opposition to the US’ efforts to strike a new Iran deal, and by refusing to heed President Biden’s call to aid Ukraine militarily, Bennett has effectively defied the only significant power that is unshakably committed to Israel’s national security. Although Biden made it abundantly clear that the US will never allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, Bennett asserted, like his predecessor, that Israel will act against Iran as it sees fit, as if Israel can take on Iran’s nuclear program entirely on its own, which is an illusion. This is where Bennett has demonstrated acute shortsightedness. America stood by Israel through thick and thin and never wavered. As the philosopher Cornel West observed, “We have to recognize that there cannot be relationships unless there is commitment, unless there is loyalty…” It is America, not Russia, that provided massive economic and military aid in the tens of billions of dollars over the last decade alone. It is America, not Russia, that shielded Israel politically on every international forum and vetoed scores of anti-Israel resolutions at the UNSC and neutralized any threat to its national security. Bennett seems to forget that the US, not Russia, will come to Israel’s aid on every front when needed, especially if it became necessary to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities, which Israel can never do alone with all that might imply. And finally, it is the US, not Russia, whose strategic alliance with Israel stood the test of time. Thus, when Israel does not join the US in support of Ukraine in this desperate hour of need, Israel is opening itself to the questioning of its loyalty and strategic relevance to America when nearly all the democracies in the world stood by the US and mobilized their resources against Putin’s evil design. The disaster which is being inflicted on Ukraine by Putin also raises the question as to whether Israel deserves better treatment from the US, especially now that it has rebuffed Biden’s call to aid Ukraine in a meaningful way to save lives. Although the US continues to support Israel publicly, as Secretary of State Blinken recently expressed while visiting Israel, the Biden administration hopes that Bennett will change his mind by offering to help and coming on board with NATO and the EU. Bennett must answer the desperate plea of Ukraine’s President Zelensky by providing air defense systems, such as the Iron Dome, to intercept the bombs and missiles that are turning Ukrainian cities into piles of rubble. Bennett’s betrayal of Israel’s moral foundation because of cold-blooded political calculations will haunt him and leave him morally naked in the eyes of Israel’s friends and foes alike. Bennet must also realize that Israel’s fate is tied to America’s and the closer he ties it, the better it is for Israel. There must be no daylight between them, especially in the way of dealing with Iran’s nuclear threat. That is where Israel’s ultimate security rests while still remaining strong to deter any enemy. This may well be Bennett’s last chance to redeem himself and put Israel on the right side of history. The whole world is watching. ____________Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies for over 20 years.

Prime Minister Bennett’s “neutrality” in the Russian war against Ukraine is outrageous and contemptable. It runs contrary to every moral principle that Israel is supposed to 

Bennett Is Siding With The Ruthless Killer Putin-II	

Bennett Is Siding With The Ruthless Killer Putin


Lucknow: Cities situated on the banks of River Ganga in Uttar Pradesh will now witness increased social and economic activities.Working on the central government's 'Ghat Pe Haat' scheme, the Yogi Adityanath government has decided to develop the banks of the river for tourism. Principal secretary of Uttar Pradesh Tourism, Mukesh Meshram, said: "Since this state is home to the biggest part of Ganga and a number of religiously important cities fall on this stretch, we look forward to making the most of this opportunity. A team of competent officers and experts is already working on the proposal demanded by the Namami Gange authorities." Officials at Namami Gange informed that the idea is to build or beautify about 164 ghats across all the cities, besides encouraging farmers to take up natural farming along the river. The plan also includes formation of District Ganga Committees to address all issues related to the river.Weekly markets may be allowed on these ghats which will be maintained and cleaned regularly by the committees in place. This will be done with the idea of promoting economic activity along the river. Meshram said: "In addition to its religious importance, scripted in epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, Ganga is also a repository of stories, myths and legends besides being witness to history in several ways. This makes it a natural magnet for tourism purposes. We aim to translate this energy into a carefully curated experience."Officials insist beneficiary states have started working on the idea.The scheme also covers more than two dozen cities across Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal along the 2,520 km long stretch of the Ganga river. The river conservation is promoted along with development of economic and employment opportunities along the river so that conservation becomes a way of life. --IANS

 Cities situated on the banks of River Ganga in Uttar Pradesh will now witness increased social and economic activities.

Ghats Along Ganga In UP To Witness More Social, Economic Activity