In My Opinion - The nuclear button, Manipur & marijuana

ThePrint Opinion Mailer
ThePrint

Saturday 1 July 2023

In My Opinion

 

By Rama Lakshmi, Editor, Opinion & Ground Reports

 
 

After the ban on instant triple talaq and the outreach to pasmandas, PM Modi invoked the Uniform Civil Code this week and made another appeal to the Muslim community. By raising the issue, his finger is reaching for the nuclear button, wrote Vir Sanghvi. The Opposition will be caricatured as third-rate, vote-hungry politicians who want only to cater to their primitive Muslim constituency at the expense of Hindus. The big question is this: will it work? Will Hindus be willing to vote for the BJP again on the basis of religious issues?

Meanwhile, more mayhem from Manipur followed. Hundreds of women turned out to stop soldiers from arresting Moirangthem Tamba who had a direct role in the 4 June 2015 attack by the ethnic-Meitei Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup. The Army turned over Moirangthem and 12 others, to a local leader. There is no word, though, on who the local leader is—and if he will hand Moirangthem over to face trial, wrote Praveen Swami.

Compare New Delhi's approach to Manipur with its aggressive, pro-active stance toward another conflict zone — Kashmir. Manvendra Singh wrote that the Kashmir Valley garners disproportionate national security focus than its current situation warrants. Manipur is India’s most important gateway to the East, but gets half the attention that Kashmir gets.

All the brouhaha over ChatGPT makes it look like America has just won the AI race with China. Aadil Brar wrote that this is far from the truth. The AI race is still wide open. And that China is evolving a range of sophisticated AI innovations. In fact, it has beaten the US to emerge as a leader in advanced data analytics, which is crucial to driving insights from vast amounts of data.

How did the Hindu god Ganesha reach South East Asia? Anirudh Kanisetti wrote that there was a thriving worship of elephant-shaped deities in Northern India for centuries before the proper emergence of Ganesha. Then quite abruptly, from 550–600 CE, Ganesha sculptures appeared in Cambodia and Thailand. In Cambodia, especially, Ganesha was treated as a major god capable of granting moksha, ultimate liberation, to his devotees—something that, in the Indian subcontinent, was mostly associated with Shiva and Vishnu.

The Ground Reports offering this week had two significant stories. From madrasas' refusal to teach English to Manish Sisodia to same sex marriages to Byjus to Bournvita — the all new NCPCR has swung into action and waded into all kinds of domains and politics in recent years. The statutory body has never had so much bite. Unnati Sharma wrote about the new mojo and mission of the child rights group under its RSS leader Priyank Kanoongo. Many are asking if it is all politics or just overactive child rights advocacy.

Three years after Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide and the draconian action by the NCB against Bollywood actors, the marijuana plant has come a long way in India. Hemp and CBD are now a booming market. Mohana Basu wrote about the science and commerce of CBD and hemp products that are fast becoming the go-to potion for pain relief — all with Ayush Ministry's blessings. The stigma and ignorance of 2020 no longer there.

 

UCC is Modi’s nuclear button—split Indian politics between Hindu-lovers, Muslim-appeasers

BJP under Vajpayee feared the damage to India's social fabric if Muslims were made to feel their religious beliefs were being targeted. Modi doesn't share this concern. Read more...

By Vir Sanghvi

 

India went to Myanmar to hunt down Manipur soldier killers. Now, it’s letting them slip away

Faced with escalating ethnic violence in Manipur—and a stalled peace process in Nagaland—New Delhi faces impossible choices. Read more...

By Praveen Swami

 

Manipur is India’s gateway to East. But doesn’t get even half the political focus as Kashmir

The figures for weapons that were declared stolen or seized by mobs in Manipur is more than a hundred times the number of militants in Jammu and Kashmir. Read more...

By Manvendra Singh

 

ChatGPT makes it look like US is ahead of China. But the AI race is still wide open

China can establish leadership in 5G, AI, quantum technology, cybersecurity, clean energy, and biotechnology despite US dominance in these areas. Read more...

By Aadil Brar

How exactly did Ganesha arrive in Indonesia & Cambodia? Quite abruptly

In Tibet and China, he would take on altogether darker tantric forms, whereas in Japan, he evolved into a unique ‘twin’ form with a male and female aspect. Read more...

By Anirudh Kanisetti

 

NCPCR has a new mojo and mission. AAP, madrasas, BYJU’s — nothing is off-limits

Opposition leaders like Owaisi have criticised the NCPCR for pushing a soft Hindutva agenda. Chief Priyank Kanoongo says it doesn't discriminate between religions. Read more...

By Unnati Sharma

 

Dope to hope—India is seeing unprecedented boom in CBD. With AYUSH blessing

Indians are turning to CBD to treat pain and anxiety. Private players like BOHECO, trade associations like PIMCHA, and shop owners are breaking cannabis stereotypes. Read more...

By Mohana Basu

 
 
 
Support ThePrint's Journalism

Read more of ThePrintOpinion here.

You are receiving this because you are a reader of ThePrint and posted a comment or signed up to receive this newsletter. We appreciate your feedback.

Follow ThePrint


Previous Post Next Post

Contact Form