| The Ministry of Defence knew well in advance that Gen Manoj Pande would retire on 31 May 2024. He had crossed 62. And anyway, the MCC isn’t a tenable explanation because the appointment of a new Chief of Naval Staff after the code had come into effect. It was an avoidable controversy. His tenure must be judged for the professionalism with which he conducted himself, and how he guided the Army through trying times, externally as well as internally, wrote Manvendra Singh.
Khalistan terrorists aren’t the only ones hiding in the shade of Canada’s Maple Leaf, wrote Praveen Swami. Erratic law enforcement standards and political appeasement of the country’s increasingly poisonous identity politics are providing jihadist groups with a safe haven. This, coupled with murderous gang culture shows that Canadian jihadism could pose a danger not just to the country but also to the world around it.
How much should New Delhi fret over the new China-Russia bonhomie? Putin’s visit to China underscores the shifting dynamics of the international order. Power is gradually shifting away from Western nations and toward emerging economies in the East. This could actually create opportunities for India to play a more assertive role in shaping the emerging multipolar world order, leveraging its strategic location and growing economic clout, wrote Gen MM Naravane (retired). The decades-old Russia-India relationship cannot be brushed aside so easily.
Do read this delightful article on West Bengal youth’s fatigue with the Communists. Sujit Dasgupta wrote that the Left is dogged by a blunt, dogmatic refusal to change with the times, find contemporary, relevant issues that matter—and the new, local heroes who champion them. There has been no better time for the rights of the poor, the jobless, the disenfranchised, and the minorities to be defended. In India and globally. But what you hear are mostly slogans from the 1980s and 1990s, even the 1970s.
If the dark matter of the universe is in the form of tiny black holes, an IIT Bombay-led astronomical mission called Daksha has the best chance of unveiling it. Named after the mythological son of creator-god Brahma, Daksha is a pioneering project proposed by astronomers across India, wrote Nirmal Raj. This double-satellite setup would be a 10-fold improvement over the sky coverage provided by existing missions. And, at no extra cost at all, it can also settle questions about the nature and origins of our universe.
Where is the Northeast in mainstream Indian cinema? There are more faces today on the screen and names in the end credits. But acceptance and acknowledgement are still snail-paced and scriptwriters continue to fetishise the region. Northeast filmmakers are pushing against this. Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland are brimming with stories, wrote Tina Das.
Legendary Indian comic characters like Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu are changing. Chaudhury’s stick now has magical powers, he is pushing Indians to vote in elections and also carrying out Balakot-like surgical strikes. Nagraj, the first major superhero of Indian comics, now looks like a Marvel hero. His muscles are more prominent, his features are sharper than before, and he can fly. Almina Khatoon took a look at the wonderful world of Hindi comics, its new writers and scripts. |
