India Archive

India achieved a major milestone in its vaccination programme against COVID-19 as the cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed the 100-crore mark on Thursday.

A controversy has erupted on social media over the Diwali ad of CEAT tyres. In this ad of Aamir Khan, people are accusing the actor of being anti-Hindu. In the ad, Aamir Khan is appealing this time not to burst crackers on the streets on the occasion of Diwali. Angered by this appeal of Aamir Khan, people are continuously tweeting #Boycott_Hinduphobic_CEAT on social media, calling Aamir Khan and CEAT Tire anti-Hindu.

The Police has arrested 130 attackers in connection to the attacks on Hindus by the Muslim mob in the Chowmuhani market area, Begumganj Upazila, Noakhali, on October 15. Reportedly, two people had died in the temple attacks, and several were injured. Overall, 72 cases have been registered in connection to attacks that happened at different locations. A total of 450 attackers have been arrested.

Fabindia has found itself in the thick of a controversy after its ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ collection sparked massive outrage online. People on the internet were not happy that the brand had not acknowledged Diwali in its festive collection and had come up with a bizarre Urdu name for it.

Seventy years after Jogendra Nath Mandal, a born Hindu, who later became one of the central and leading founding fathers of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, resigned from Pakistan government and decided to return to India, his prophecies regarding the future of Pakistan as a successful nation-state has become true.

Lakhbir Singh, a 35-year-old man was found hanging with a chopped left hand to an inverted police barricade at the Haryana-Delhi Singhu border outside of Delhi on Friday morning. The incident sent shockwaves across the country. Hours later, Nihang Sikhs claimed responsibility for the assault, which brought the spotlight back on the group. 

The demographic imbalance in Uttarakhand has become a cause of concern for the government and the administration of the state. Security agencies are concerned over the fact that there has been an unprecedented increase in the Muslim population in specific areas of the state bordering Nepal, which is seen as problematic.

Secularism seems to require separation between religion and State. Regarding India, itwould be better to speak of ‘equidistance’ between State and religious denominations. Nonetheless a ‘balanced treatment’ towards the religions leaves the question open as to what form that equidistance should take. This is the reason of some contradictions in today’s Indian social and political life. It is likely that without the Moghul and British domination Hinduism would not have acquired a militant identity. It was the ‘epiphany’ of well-armed, powerful ‘Others’ (Muslim, Christian or secular) which generated frustration and fear to such an extent that a religious nationalism (Hindutva) was born.

Today while running through deep searches for some specific content regarding Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi I came across mention of this author Ramchandra Guha. So, when Amazon was showing books written by him, there was this one book which caught my attention immediately "Chipko Movement". Excited to know what this movement was all about as I have never heard of any such andolan before in my life, I started going through many articles and synopsis submitted on the topic.

We have always been told that as a Sanatani, that we pray nature, but does it mean one would be ready to giver his/her life for that? Well, Chipko Movement was one such agitation where women of villages would go and hug tree tightly so that it can not be cut by contractors for commercial purposes. Their intention were very clear "let our bodies be cut, before tree can be touched".

Bollywood and controversies have a strong relation. Whether the talk is about casting couch, decadence, nepotism, bias or connections to the high and mighty, Bollywood has surely for long taken centre stage in the global media.