Just before the scheduled virtual meeting between the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, 29 antiquities have been repatriated to India by Australia.
These antiquities which are part of our glorious civilization belong to different themes such as Lord Shiva and his disciples, Worshipping Shakti, Lord Vishnu and his forms, Jain tradition, and other portraits and decorative objects and some of them date back to 9-10th century CE.
These antiquities are mainly sculptures or paintings and the sculptures are carved in sandstone, marble, bronze, and brass and were stolen from different parts of the country, including – West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Rajasthan.
PM Modi inspects the 29 antiquities which have been repatriated to India by Australia. The antiquities range in 6 broad categories as per themes – Shiva and his disciples, Worshipping Shakti, Lord Vishnu and his forms, Jain tradition, portraits & decorative objects
Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally looked at these antiquities when they returned from Australia as they are very important to preserve our heritage and there is also a video on youtube uploaded by the PM’s office.
In a historic move, 29 antiquities repatriated to India by Australia. Antiquities range in six broad categories as per themes – Shiva and his disciples, Worshipping Shakti, Lord Vishnu and his forms, Jain tradition, Portraits and decorative objects@MinOfCultureGoIpic.twitter.com/QVH0HlAupR
As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, in a show of support for India which had abstained from voting against the Russian aggression, Australia which is one of the Quad member countries on Sunday (March 21) said they, accept India’s position on the Russian attack on Ukraine.
“The Quad countries have accepted India’s position. We understand that each country has a bilateral relationship and it is clear from the comments of the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) and Prime Minister Modi himself that he has used his contacts to call for the end of the conflict and no country will be unhappy with that,” Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell told reporters.
The US and the West European countries who are part of NATO for the last few weeks have been putting a lot of pressure on India for its neutral stand even as other Quad partners — the US, Japan, and Australia has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
However, when the Australian High Commissioner was asked about India’s increasing import of discounted crude oil from Russia, they replied, “No one has ever accused India of supporting what is going on in Ukraine. What India seems to be doing is trying to operate within the policy outlined by Nehru 65 years back,”.
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Quite often we come across a sordid spectacle wherein credit for some major, magnificent achievement is surreptitiously misappropriated. While the prime personality is pushed to the postern or even purged completely, a piddling character who pitches in at the postliminary stage and performs a petty task is prominently projected as though he is the principal player of the project. For instance, we have thousands of majestic temples with magnificent architecture throughout our nation. Seldom can we find the name of the king or the patron who had conceived, created and commissioned them for the common welfare of all. Take the case of the marvellous Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur. Emperor Rajarajan has chosen to engrave the names of all the workers who toiled for its completion but has scrupulously avoided his own name. We learn from the inscription at the temple that the chief sculptor was one Kunjaramallan. Imagine a situation wherein, taking advantage of this fact, the descendants of that sculptor today start claiming that it was Kunjaramallan who built the temple, and not the emperor, how ridiculous will it be?
Now, here is the genesis of Mullai Periar dam with full details from the start. A discerning reader himself can diagnose, determine and derive his own dispassionate assessment as to how much of credit is due to each of the dramatis personae.
Prologue
Our story starts from the 17th century scenario when Velu Nachiar was defeated and Marudu brothers who were ruling Sivaganga principality. One Muthuramalinga Sethupathy was at the helm of Ramanathapuram. The Sethupathis, a native of the Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu, India, were a courageous and chivalrous clan belonging to Maravar community and were ruling Ramanathapuram since 17th century, under the suzerainty of the British through the agency of Arcot Nawab.
Muthuramalinga Sethupathy [1760-1809] was anointed when he was a child of just 27 days old. His mother acted as the regent during his infancy. They were ably assisted by one diligent and dynamic minister, Thalavai Muthu Irulappa Pillai. Muthuramalinga Sethupathy, being a strong-willed, daring leader, initially started resisting the dominance of the British and the Arcot Nawab. Sethupathy went to the extent of imposing tax on the goods of the British and of the Nawab. He was labelled as a rebel and was arrested at the early age of twelve along with his mother! Muthuramalinga Sethupathy and his mother were in prison for ten long years. Since there was public revolt against their detention which the rulers could not contain any longer, they were released.
Equipped with miniscule military resources vis-s-vis the monstrous might of the British army, Muthuramalinga Sethupathy adroitly avoided any impulsive confrontation and managed his domain admirably for some time. After keeping quiet for a while, he again attempted to impose tax on the goods of the British and the Nawab, since, as a responsible ruler, he wanted to protect his subjects during a famine and also for meeting the cost of construction of a dam which he had planned to build for the water requirement of his domain. The British got enraged and attacked him in 1795 alleging that he had a “disposition to rebel against the Government”, imprisoned him in Trichy jail and later shifted to Fort St. George, Chennai, where he died in 1809.
The Project
As regards the water resources of his kingdom, during the earlier Pandiya dynasty, the river Vaigai was flowing in full current and was providing abundant water for all their needs. Once the Pandiya dynasty declined, Nayakkars, who were deputies of Krishnadevarayar of Vijayanagaram took over while the Cheras were powerfully reigning in the south. The Cheras craftily and covertly converted the direction of the rivulets that were dispensing water to Vaigai and diverted their flow towards Kerala. As a result, Vaigai dried up and the eastern areas were experiencing a famine-like situation. Unable to endure the agony of his subjects, Muthuramalinga Sethupathy ordered his minister Muthu Irulappa Pillai to proceed to the source of water, explore the reason and take immediate remedial steps at all costs. Thus, the first seed for the dam was laid as early as 1792.
Accordingly, Muthu Irulappa Pillai travelled towards the origin of Vaigai on the mountainous region for investigation and in the process discovered many facts. A river by name Periar was flowing towards the west with five streamlets for 56 kms after which another brook by name Mullai joined the main river. Pillai conceived the idea that the direction of this Mullai can be reversed towards east by constructing a dam to ensure perennial water for Vaigai river. He submitted a detailed proposal with all technical data to the chieftain who instantly agreed and asked Pillai to proceed further for its implementation.
The Pitfall And Progress
But, there were two hurdles. First: The finance. Muthuramalinga Sethupathy insisted that the exaction levy being paid by the dominion to the British ruler should be utilised for the welfare of his people and therefore, the cost should be met from that fund. Second: As there was famine, the British ruthlessly exploited the opportunity by selling their produce to the locals at exorbitant rates. The levy being paid was also steeply enhanced to meet the expenditure for the war with Napoleon in Europe. Muthuramalinga Sethupathy objected to this and threatened that he will not pay the levy and instead, he will tax the goods being sold by the British. He was arrested and he breathed his last in prison at the age of 48. Thus the project had to be shelved temporarily thanks to the non-cooperation of the British.
The British coronated Mangaleshwari Nachiar, the elder sister of Muthuramalinga Sethupathy. A century passed. The grandson of M.R.Sethupathy, Vijayaraghunatha Bhaskara Sethupathy, ascended the throne in 1888. He was agile and assiduous, erudite and energetic. He took a resolve to realise the dream of his great grandfather and Muthu Irulappa Pillai. Since his province continued to be under the British dominion, he requested for their permission to go ahead. Initially they refused since inherently they were not interested in the welfare of the people. But, at that period, the clamour for freedom had started and the British could not resist the pressure for long. After some dilly-dallying they gave just the permission alone and not the money. Since the location of the proposed dam was in the princely state of Travancore, the British arranged for an agreement with the Travancore Samasthanam. A lease agreement for 999 years for 8000 acres of land was signed at the rate of ₹5/- per acre. While the British assisted for execution of the agreement, they did not pay a single rupee. The entire amount was paid only by Bhaskara Sethupathy. For further funds, he had to perforce mortgage all the resources of the kingdom for a sum of 20 lacs, with moneylenders, who were then functioning as benamis for the British. The construction commenced and was in progress.
As the cost of construction was colossal and as the British Government did not show any lenience, the loan of 20 lacs taken in 1893 swelled further and since Bhaskara Sethupathy could not repay, he became a bankrupt in 1894. All his properties were auctioned in 1895. With his dream of the dam decimated into dust, death devoured him at the prime age of 35.
The Completion
The distressing fact that the dam remained unbuilt reached the British Parliament. Disturbing questions were raised and to save their face, the British sent an engineer to complete the dam. His name was Pennycuick. He entered the scene in the typical fashion like the police force entering the climax scene in a film, after the hero had suffered lot of blows from the villains! His initial attempt was also not successful. He then felt that if he failed in the task, he might face insult, indignity and ignominy. Therefore he spent some of his own money, toiled on the project with total commitment and ensured its successful execution. A keen observer can notice lot of similarities between this episode and the Tamil film, ‘Linga’.
Epilogue
Now, let us look at an analogy: In a relay race all the four participants of the winning team are felicitated with the prize cup at the podium, not just the last runner of the team. In fact, the fourth runner could reach the winning post only thanks to the energetic efforts of the previous three who had ensured that the fourth fellow is provided with a comfortable lead for reaching the winning line. Let us look at another example. In cricket, when the morale of the team is at its lowest ebb, when it is losing every match and when the players are completely browbeaten, a strong captain emerges, wears the albatross of leadership, injects confidence, identifies the innate talent in each player and motivates them in such a manner that the team slowly starts performing better and winning matches. The baton of leadership now passes on to a new head when the team is on its top form and he is able to do a spectacular job nonchalantly. People start looking at the statistics alone and erroneously eulogise the new captain in extraordinary terms, completely forgetting the spade work done by the previous leader.
We hasten to add here that we do not dispute nor belittle the role played and the contribution provided by John Pennycuick in the successful culmination of the project. Not at all. Of course, he definitely deserves a part of the credit, but it can be at the most 25% and the balance, distributed among the earlier three, viz., Muthuramalinga Sethupathy, Muthu Irulappa Pillai and Muthu Vijayaraghunatha Bhaskara Sethupathy, is it not? Neglecting the earlier architects in toto, focussing on and extolling only that foreigner who came at the last stage, is deplorable and such a stance betrays our stupidity as well as our sordid and servile mentality. It is a pity that even after seven decades we have still not jettisoned our inferiority complex. Or, is it a deeper conspiracy by the communist chroniclers in camouflaging and completely concealing any credit legitimately due to local native leaders?
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Razakars of The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and workers of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) went on a rampage and violently attacked when the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was unveiled in Telangana’s Nizamabad district.
To ensure the situation did not get out of hand, Section 144 has been imposed in Bodhan town as Razakars of AIMIM and TRS workers turned violent against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue.
Local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Arvind Dharmapuri from his Twitter handle said, “The same crooked mindset..Demolish ours—Accomplish theirs! MIM & TRS goons trying to thwart the unveiling of the statue of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj & destroy the statue set up at Bodhan Ambedkar Chowrasta accepted by a municipal resolution!”.
The same crooked mindset..Demolish ours—Accomplish theirs!
MIM & TRS goons trying to thwart the unveiling of the statue of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj & destroy the statue set up at Bodhan Ambedkar Chowrasta accepted by a municipal resolution!@HMOIndia@BJP4India@BJP4Telanganapic.twitter.com/zv4fiVdCRc
The BJP MP also shared a video of the incident where one can see a large mob gathered around the statue with the intention of demolishing it.
Arvind Dharmapuri also said that a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji was planned at the Ambedkar crossroad of Bodhan town, which shares a border with Maharashtra.
Vishnu Varshan Reddy, the State General Secretary of the BJP in Andhra Pradesh said, “The sad state of secularism in Telangana. @aimim_national supporters pelted stones on the people who wanted to install a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in “their area”. Ruling party @trspartyonlineis also indirectly siding with them,”.
The sad state of secularism in Telangana.@aimim_national supporters pelted stones on the people who wanted to install a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in “their area”. Ruling party @trspartyonline is also indirectly siding with them. pic.twitter.com/zKzzZqEbvp
Arvind Dharmapuri has also alleged that those who are against the statute Shivaji Maharaj have support from the police and the state administration and said, “the police and the state administration were opposing the installation of a Shivaji Maharaj statue while allowing the construction of illegal structures called “mosques.”.
“Now, the ruling party TRS’ counsellor openly threatening to disrupt law & order of the Bodhan town, if #ShivajiMaharaj’s idol is installed!” he further said posting a video on Twitter.
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Three functionaries of Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath have been booked after a video emerged wherein one could hear Covai R. Rahmatullah, leader of the Thowheed Jamath (TNTJ) in Tamil Nadu issued death threats on open stage against Supreme Court judges in light of the Karnataka High Court verdict against the hijab.
Police on Friday (March 19) said that the Thowheed Jamath had organised a public meeting in Koripalayam in Madurai against the Karnataka court’s verdict on the hijab and the organisers allegedly made derogatory remarks on the verdict.
— Indu Makkal Katchi (off) (@Indumakalktchi) March 18, 2022
The Islamist organisations across India are very angry after the court ruled that girls wearing hijab is not necessary and banned the hijab in educational institutions.
Following the complaint, the Madurai police have booked three TNTJ functionaries under sections 153 (a) (promoting enmity between groups), 505 (1) (c) (intent to incite violence), 505(2), 506(1) (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
While speaking to his supporters where there were women and children present, Covai R. Rahmatullah said “If an accident or a murder or some other unfortunate thing happens to a Supreme Court judge, then they are responible for the same. You are watching ordinary news reports today. If you see Big Breaking news tomorrow, it is the judges themselves who are responsible for their fate and not us. Are you going to file a case against me? Am I giving death threats? Register a case if you want! We are protesting for hijab and we’ll go to jail for that! Allahu Akbar!”,
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Ever since the DMK came to power, it has been doing politics primarily on the theme of ‘discrimination’ – one day it is ‘discrimination of Tamil language’, another day it is ‘discrimination of Tamil Nadu students’, another day it is discrimination in allocation of funds for Tamil Nadu.
The DMK resorts to this ‘discimination politics’, repeating these templates over and over in different forms, to distract the people from its abject failures.
In order to peddle this ‘discrimination politics’, the DMK stages various dramas in order to buttress and boost the image of the of its government, particularly its Chief Minister MK Stalin.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise as the DMK is a party which was founded and nurtured by leaders who themselves were scriptwriters – C. N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi.
So, scripting and staging dramas isn’t a big deal for the DMK as it is in their dna. What other parties can learn from them is how the DMK has been successful in using the relevant medium for its messaging, in tune with time.
If they had captured the medium of cinema back then to shape narratives, they’re doing so now by trying to establish their dominance in social media.
To an extent, they’ve been successful in peddling their narratives.
Being a party controlled by elite non-Brahmin castes, they usually give the ‘Brahminical’ spin to all such allegations of discrimination out of their visceral hatred towards one community.
That is because ‘Dravidianazism’ is ingrained in every cell of a ‘DMK Dravidianist’ and every story needs a villain. For the DMK and its allies, it is always a minority community who have long left the political space, minding their own business and keeping to themselves.
In order to keep that ‘Dravidianazi’ flame alive, we often see the party whipping up passions under the name of ‘social justice’.
In all the episodes of DMK’s dramas so far, the crux has been the same. Only the plots are different.
Episode 1
In October 2021, a video of a Narikuravar woman released by several DMK-friendly media outlets went viral on social media in which she alleged that she was denied food in temple.
Within a few days, pictures of HR&CE Minister Sekar Babu having food with her went viral on social media.
It finally culminated in CM Stalin visiting her house and giving the community pattas and ration cards.
Tadaa! CM Stalin is now the saviour of Narikuravar community.
It is pertinent to note that there was no video evidence of the woman being denied entry into the temple or not served Annadanam. Usually, Annadanams are conducted in temples across Tamil Nadu where the poor, destitutes and the most vulnerable sections of the society are provided food free of cost. This is not provided by the government but by the temples themselves.
Hero – A Dravidianazi.
Villain – The fictional Brahmin who denied her Annadanam.
Episode 2
Zakir Hussain is an Islamist, a ‘dancer’, and card-carrying member of the DMK who had joined the party in January 2021.
He quite often posts Hindumisic posts on his social media. Just like any other DMK cadre, he also frequently takes derogates Hindus with ‘cow dung’ and ‘cow piss’ jibes.
In December 2021, he claimed that Rangarajan Narasimhan, a self-proclaimed ‘temple activist’ prevented him from entering the Srirangam Ranganathar Temple. However, he himself in an interview to a YouTube channel had claimed that he has been going to the temple for many years and was never denied entry.
Immediately, the DMK-friendly media plunged into action to take his interviews. A narrative of ‘poor Muslim minority being ill-treated by oppressive Hindus’ was created.
Again, HR&CE Minister took the matter into his cognizance and said that appropriate action would be taken immediately.
In January 2022, Zakir Hussain was appointed as an advisor for the 17 district music schools under the Tamil Nadu government.
Again, there was no video proof or eyewitness testimony of Zakir Hussain being denied entry into the temple.
But the DMK managed to spin a story coveying this message “Though he is from a minority community, he should be allowed to enter the temple. But one community is refusing to let such people in! We are here to stand by him. We are the true champions of social justice.”.
Hero – A Dravidianazi
Villain – The ‘Brahmin’ who denied entry to a Muslim.
Episode 3
In February 2022, a clip of a school kid talking about ‘humanity’ went viral on social media. The clip is part of a vox pop video released by a YouTube channel where the anchor asks the question “Whom do you hate the most?”.
The reply to this question by this school kid who was later identified as ‘Abdul Kalam’ had received social media attention. The kid said “Do not hate anyone. Many people call me as ‘palla’ (the guy with the teeth). Why should I hate them? Everybody are like friends to me. Why should we be divided?”.
The anchor when he probes further, the boy says that one should empathize with people who are of bad influence and not be judgemental about them.
This clip had gone viral on social media with DMK MLA from Mannargudi and the party’s newly inducted IT wing head TRB Rajaa, the son of DMK MP T.R Baalu.
What was a casual harmless vox pop was given a communal colour by DMK MLA TRB Rajaa who identified the boy to be the son of a Muslim studying in a Christian school. One wonders how the DMK IT Wing head knew about the background of the child just a day after the video went viral. Or was it made viral by the DMK IT wing head himself?
On the same day TRB Rajaa had shared the vox pop video clip on his profile, Galatta Voice, a YouTube channel that is considered to peddle narratives favourable to the ruling DMK released a video which shows the boy’s school – St. Lazarus Middle School located in Madha Church Road in R.A. Puram area of Chennai. The correspondent of the school seated along with the nun and the boy talk about the value system they inculcate in their school. Is this is to counter the narrative set by the BJP against the Lavanya suicide case? We don’t know.
In another video released by Behindwoods, the boy’s mother says that her family is being asked to vacate their home where they’re currently staying. She said that the boy becoming a overnight sensation could be a reason for that. Soon, other YouTube channels like IBC Tamil, India Glitz, etc., who tow the line of the DMK too jumped the bandwagon in building the narrative around this boy and his family.
Following this, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on February 24 met the boy and his family on February 24.
யாரையும் வெறுக்காமல் அன்பு செலுத்தவேண்டும் எனச் சிறுவன் அப்துல் கலாம் பேசிய காணொளி கண்டு நெகிழ்ந்தேன். நேரில் அழைத்துப் பாராட்டினேன்.
சாதி, மதப் பாகுபாடுகளைக் கற்பிக்காமல் சிறுவனின் மனதில் அன்பையும் மனிதநேயத்தையும் விதைத்த அவரது பெற்றோரும் ஆசிரியர்களும் பாராட்டுக்குரியர். pic.twitter.com/foXzlA1UeE
The next day on February 25, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi while participating at the 125th anniversary celebrations of St. Anthony’s Girls’ High School in Chennai presented a check for ₹25,000 as scholarship to Abdul Kalam.
சென்னை புனித அந்தோணியார் பெண்கள் மேல்நிலைப் பள்ளியின் 125-ஆம் ஆண்டு விழாவில் கலந்துகொண்டு விழா மலரினை வெளியிட்டு உரையாற்றினேன்.
இந்நிகழ்வில், மாணவன் அப்துல் கலாமிற்குக் கல்வி ஊக்கத் தொகையாக ரூபாய் 25,000 ஆயிரத்திற்கான காசோலையினை வழங்கினேன். 1/2 pic.twitter.com/9JtUDLCoSS
Following this, CM Stalin announced that he has issued an order allocating a house to the boy’s family at the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board in K.K. Nagar, Chennai.
இணையதள தொலைக்காட்சிக்கு மனிதநேயம், மதநல்லிணக்கம் குறித்து பேட்டியளித்த பள்ளி மாணவன் ஏ.அப்துல்கலாம் பெற்றோருக்கு தமிழ்நாடு நகர்ப்புர வாழ்விட மேம்பாட்டு வாரியத்தில் குடியிருப்பு ஒதுக்கீடு செய்து அதற்கான ஆணையினை மாண்புமிகு முதலமைச்சர் @mkstalin அவர்கள் வழங்கினார். pic.twitter.com/A9lSMFOvel
It is to be noted that the allotted house was constructed under the Pradha Matri Awas Yojana (Housing For All – Urban), a flagship initiative of Government of India to provide housing for the urban poor.
What is even more surprising is that the house had reportedly been allocated under PM Awas Yojana in the September of last year itself.
Once again, it has been established that the only saviour of minorities is CM Stalin. Many would think that there is no villain in this episode. But, the mention by the mother of the boy that they’re being asked to vacate from their current house did not come out of the blue. A ‘Muslim family’ is being asked to vacate their house by a ‘house owner’ who is implied to be a Hindu.
Hero: A Dravidianazi.
Villain: The house-owner who asked a Muslim family to vacate.
Epsisode 4
On March 5, Behindwoods YouTube channel released a video of a girl reportedly from Narikuravar community in which she makes remarks about their community being ill-treated.
This video went viral with once again the DMK IT Wing head T.R.B. Rajaa tweeting the snippet. This was again shared by DMK MP Kanimozhi.
Valla
On March 16, CM MK Stalin and School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi met her at the Secretariat and shared a clip of the meeting making her the poster girl of the ‘Dravidian Model’.
தன்னம்பிக்கை எதிரொலிக்கும் சகோதரி திவ்யாவின் பேச்சு எனக்குள் எதிரொலித்துக்கொண்டே இருக்கிறது!
திவ்யா, ப்ரியா, தர்ஷினி என நமது தகுதியும் திறமையும் யாருக்கும் சளைத்ததல்ல!
In the video, the girl mentions that she had already seen MK Stalin earlier during an event held by a ‘Bishop’ which Stalin acknowledges and asks ‘Oh, Peraayar? (Archbishop). This archbishop is believed to be Ezra Sargunam, the rabid anti-Hindu Christian bishop who had asked Hindus to be punched in ther face.
On March 17, a spectacle was made with CM Stalin doing a video call with the girl and her family.
Once again, the underlying message of is the same. ‘They’ are discriminating you. We are there for you.”
Hero – A Dravidianazi.
Villain – Those fictional ‘casteist’ students who allegedly ill-treated the girl.
By periodically peddling this narrative, the DMK is trying to get its optics right under the garb of ‘social justice’ while simultaneously appeasing its vote bank – the non-Brahminn Dravidian elite, Muslims and Christians.
Political observers note that by doing so, the DMK is managing to keep away the focus of non-fulfilment of its promises.
Key promises made in its manifesto like cancelling NEET, reduction of fuel prices, ₹1000 for women, waiving off jewel and educational loans remain as promises.
Instead of calling it a ‘Vidiyal Government’, it would be more apt to call it a ‘Vilambaram Government’.
Border Roads Organisation (BRO) opened the gateway between Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir – the Zoji La Pass – for traffic on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh road at 11,650 feet on March 19, 2022, setting up an all-time record of the pass being opened after just 73 days of its closure this year. This is the first time BRO has been able to achieve the feat, after it had kept the pass open till January 05, 2022 through relentless snow clearance operations amidst tough weather conditions.
Since February 15, 2022, the snow clearance operations were undertaken from both sides of the pass by Project Beacon and Vijayak, located in J&K and Ladakh respectively. After sustained efforts, the connectivity across Zoji La Pass was initially established on March 04, 2022. Thereafter, efforts were made to improve the road conditions to create safe passage of vehicles. First convoy of vehicles carrying essential fresh supplies moved across the Zoji La Pass and reached Kargil bringing much needed relief to the people of Ladakh. Usually, the Zoji La Pass used to remain closed for around 160-180 days during winters on account of heavy snowfall.
Various dignitaries from civil administration and the Indian Army, including Director General Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry, were present during the re-opening of the pass. Lauding the efforts of Project Beacon and Vijayak, the DGBR said, early opening of Zoji La Pass will not only bolster the defence preparedness of the country, but will also facilitate the movement of essential commodities to the people of Ladakh. He added that the opening of the pass will assist BRO to stock the material required for construction of important infrastructure projects in Ladakh. He reiterated BRO’s commitment to be in the forefront in Nation Building.
In the Government PU College in Uppinangady in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, 231 Muslim students refused to appear for preparatory exams on Friday after being asked to remove their hijab, reports Times of India.
According to the reports, the college administrators had asked the students to obey the recent Karnataka high court order that banned religious attire such as hijab or burqa in educational institutions and asked to remove the hijab before entering the college premises.
The deputy director of PU education also had issued clear instructions that whoever violates the high court order would not be allowed to appear for the exam.
However, the Hijab issue is now national and international news and the girls refused to remove their hijab which forced the college not to allow them to sit for the exam.
However, the situation got really tense when nearly 250 students, including Muslim men, began to protest, demanding permission for the girls to write the exam wearing the hijab.
It is also reported that some local Muslim leaders tried to convince the girls to remove the hijab and write exams, but many Muslim students left without appearing for the exam.
College principal Sudhir Kumar said, “As many as 231 second-year PU students, including boys, left without writing the Kannada exam.”
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As the West uses its sanction power to cripple the Russian economy, Russian envoy to India Denis Alipov said Indian pharmaceutical companies may replace Western manufacturers who are leaving the Russian market.
“The withdrawal of many Western companies from the Russian market and those niches that have been vacated may actually be occupied by Indian companies in many industries, in particular, in pharmaceuticals,” Alipov told the Rossiya 24 broadcaster, as quoted by Sputnik news agency.
Denis Alipov who is the recently appointed Russian envoy to India said that it could become a “world pharmacy” and a leading manufacturer of drug copies that are no worse than the original.
During this height of the pandemic when nations were in need of vaccines, India’s “Maitri Initiative” helped many countries and reinforced its credentials as the “pharmacy of the world”.
India’s Maitri initiative was appreciated by world leaders who commended India’s efforts in rapidly expand vaccines production and supplies at critical junctures of the pandemic.
As the sanctions from the Western countries intensify, Russia is looking to enhance its economic engagement with non-European countries and Ambassador Alipov had said that Moscow welcomes the independent foreign policy of India amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Touching upon the relations with India, Alipov said, “Prime Minister (Modi) and the Indian leadership meet the consistent independent policy of the state in international affairs. We have repeatedly stated that we have welcomed the independent foreign policy of India and strengthening its role and its influence in the international arena.”
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After the Karnataka High Court upheld its ban on hijab in educational institutes the radical Islamist organisation Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath (TNTJ) has issued death threats to Supreme Court judges in light of the verdict on hijab given by the Karnataka High Court.
The open threat to the lives of the judges who said that Hijab is not an essential practice in Islam came during an event conducted in Madurai on Thursday (March 17).
The hate speech was made by the TMTJ leader Covai R. Rahmatullah who said if judges get killed over the hijab case verdict, then they will themselves be responsible for their death.
“If an accident or a murder or some other unfortunate thing happens to a Supreme Court judge, then they are responible for the same. You are watching ordinary news reports today. If you see Big Breaking news tomorrow, it is the judges themselves who are responsible for their fate and not us. Are you going to file a case against me? Am I giving death threats? Register a case if you want! We are protesting for hijab and we’ll go to jail for that! Allahu Akbar!”, he can be heard saying.
He also said that Supreme Court judges could meet a fate similar to the Jharkhand judge if they don’t deliver a verdict in their favour.
According to Rahmatullah, the court has sold itself to the BJP, and the court’s decision is invalid and illegal.
Rahmatullah alleged that the Karnataka High Court gave the anti-hijab verdict at the behest of Home Minister Amit Shah.
A snippet of the original video was shared by Indu Makkal Katchi handle on Twitter.
— Indu Makkal Katchi (off) (@Indumakalktchi) March 18, 2022
The full hate speech is available on Youtube channel named ‘Online Dhava 24X7’ and it is over 17 minutes and in that video Covai R. Rahmatullah is heard saying that while sadhus could roam naked in India, Muslim girls were being prevented from wearing modest clothing like the hijab.
There is also another video in which women along with children who are clad with hijab of Indian flag colours say “If you attack Muslims, we will get on the ground. We are not afraid of Modi, Yogi, and Amit Shah. This is a crowd that fears only Allah. Don’t make us lose patience. If we lose patience, then, you won’t exist,”.
‘Story, Screenplay, Direction – DMK’: How DMK’s propaganda machinery is trying hard to boost Stalin’s image
Ever since the DMK came to power, it has been doing politics primarily on the theme of ‘discrimination’ – one day it is ‘discrimination of Tamil language’, another day it is ‘discrimination of Tamil Nadu students’, another day it is discrimination in allocation of funds for Tamil Nadu.
The DMK resorts to this ‘discimination politics’, repeating these templates over and over in different forms, to distract the people from its abject failures.
In order to peddle this ‘discrimination politics’, the DMK stages various dramas in order to buttress and boost the image of the of its government, particularly its Chief Minister MK Stalin.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise as the DMK is a party which was founded and nurtured by leaders who themselves were scriptwriters – C. N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi.
So, scripting and staging dramas isn’t a big deal for the DMK as it is in their dna. What other parties can learn from them is how the DMK has been successful in using the relevant medium for its messaging, in tune with time.
If they had captured the medium of cinema back then to shape narratives, they’re doing so now by trying to establish their dominance in social media.
To an extent, they’ve been successful in peddling their narratives.
Being a party controlled by elite non-Brahmin castes, they usually give the ‘Brahminical’ spin to all such allegations of discrimination out of their visceral hatred towards one community.
That is because ‘Dravidianazism’ is ingrained in every cell of a ‘DMK Dravidianist’ and every story needs a villain. For the DMK and its allies, it is always a minority community who have long left the political space, minding their own business and keeping to themselves.
In order to keep that ‘Dravidianazi’ flame alive, we often see the party whipping up passions under the name of ‘social justice’.
In all the episodes of DMK’s dramas so far, the crux has been the same. Only the plots are different.
Episode 1
In October 2021, a video of a Narikuravar woman released by several DMK-friendly media outlets went viral on social media in which she alleged that she was denied food in temple.
Within a few days, pictures of HR&CE Minister Sekar Babu having food with her went viral on social media.
It finally culminated in CM Stalin visiting her house and giving the community pattas and ration cards.
Tadaa! CM Stalin is now the saviour of Narikuravar community.
It is pertinent to note that there was no video evidence of the woman being denied entry into the temple or not served Annadanam. Usually, Annadanams are conducted in temples across Tamil Nadu where the poor, destitutes and the most vulnerable sections of the society are provided food free of cost. This is not provided by the government but by the temples themselves.
Hero – A Dravidianazi.
Villain – The fictional Brahmin who denied her Annadanam.
Episode 2
Zakir Hussain is an Islamist, a ‘dancer’, and card-carrying member of the DMK who had joined the party in January 2021.
He quite often posts Hindumisic posts on his social media. Just like any other DMK cadre, he also frequently takes derogates Hindus with ‘cow dung’ and ‘cow piss’ jibes.
In December 2021, he claimed that Rangarajan Narasimhan, a self-proclaimed ‘temple activist’ prevented him from entering the Srirangam Ranganathar Temple. However, he himself in an interview to a YouTube channel had claimed that he has been going to the temple for many years and was never denied entry.
Immediately, the DMK-friendly media plunged into action to take his interviews. A narrative of ‘poor Muslim minority being ill-treated by oppressive Hindus’ was created.
Again, HR&CE Minister took the matter into his cognizance and said that appropriate action would be taken immediately.
In January 2022, Zakir Hussain was appointed as an advisor for the 17 district music schools under the Tamil Nadu government.
Again, there was no video proof or eyewitness testimony of Zakir Hussain being denied entry into the temple.
But the DMK managed to spin a story coveying this message “Though he is from a minority community, he should be allowed to enter the temple. But one community is refusing to let such people in! We are here to stand by him. We are the true champions of social justice.”.
Hero – A Dravidianazi
Villain – The ‘Brahmin’ who denied entry to a Muslim.
Episode 3
In February 2022, a clip of a school kid talking about ‘humanity’ went viral on social media. The clip is part of a vox pop video released by a YouTube channel where the anchor asks the question “Whom do you hate the most?”.
The reply to this question by this school kid who was later identified as ‘Abdul Kalam’ had received social media attention. The kid said “Do not hate anyone. Many people call me as ‘palla’ (the guy with the teeth). Why should I hate them? Everybody are like friends to me. Why should we be divided?”.
The anchor when he probes further, the boy says that one should empathize with people who are of bad influence and not be judgemental about them.
This clip had gone viral on social media with DMK MLA from Mannargudi and the party’s newly inducted IT wing head TRB Rajaa, the son of DMK MP T.R Baalu.
What was a casual harmless vox pop was given a communal colour by DMK MLA TRB Rajaa who identified the boy to be the son of a Muslim studying in a Christian school. One wonders how the DMK IT Wing head knew about the background of the child just a day after the video went viral. Or was it made viral by the DMK IT wing head himself?
On the same day TRB Rajaa had shared the vox pop video clip on his profile, Galatta Voice, a YouTube channel that is considered to peddle narratives favourable to the ruling DMK released a video which shows the boy’s school – St. Lazarus Middle School located in Madha Church Road in R.A. Puram area of Chennai. The correspondent of the school seated along with the nun and the boy talk about the value system they inculcate in their school. Is this is to counter the narrative set by the BJP against the Lavanya suicide case? We don’t know.
In another video released by Behindwoods, the boy’s mother says that her family is being asked to vacate their home where they’re currently staying. She said that the boy becoming a overnight sensation could be a reason for that. Soon, other YouTube channels like IBC Tamil, India Glitz, etc., who tow the line of the DMK too jumped the bandwagon in building the narrative around this boy and his family.
Following this, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on February 24 met the boy and his family on February 24.
DMK IT Wing head TRB Rajaa is believed to have facilitated this visit.
The next day on February 25, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi while participating at the 125th anniversary celebrations of St. Anthony’s Girls’ High School in Chennai presented a check for ₹25,000 as scholarship to Abdul Kalam.
Following this, CM Stalin announced that he has issued an order allocating a house to the boy’s family at the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board in K.K. Nagar, Chennai.
It is to be noted that the allotted house was constructed under the Pradha Matri Awas Yojana (Housing For All – Urban), a flagship initiative of Government of India to provide housing for the urban poor.
What is even more surprising is that the house had reportedly been allocated under PM Awas Yojana in the September of last year itself.
Once again, it has been established that the only saviour of minorities is CM Stalin. Many would think that there is no villain in this episode. But, the mention by the mother of the boy that they’re being asked to vacate from their current house did not come out of the blue. A ‘Muslim family’ is being asked to vacate their house by a ‘house owner’ who is implied to be a Hindu.
Hero: A Dravidianazi.
Villain: The house-owner who asked a Muslim family to vacate.
Epsisode 4
On March 5, Behindwoods YouTube channel released a video of a girl reportedly from Narikuravar community in which she makes remarks about their community being ill-treated.
This video went viral with once again the DMK IT Wing head T.R.B. Rajaa tweeting the snippet. This was again shared by DMK MP Kanimozhi.
Valla
On March 16, CM MK Stalin and School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi met her at the Secretariat and shared a clip of the meeting making her the poster girl of the ‘Dravidian Model’.
In the video, the girl mentions that she had already seen MK Stalin earlier during an event held by a ‘Bishop’ which Stalin acknowledges and asks ‘Oh, Peraayar? (Archbishop). This archbishop is believed to be Ezra Sargunam, the rabid anti-Hindu Christian bishop who had asked Hindus to be punched in ther face.
On March 17, a spectacle was made with CM Stalin doing a video call with the girl and her family.
Once again, the underlying message of is the same. ‘They’ are discriminating you. We are there for you.”
Hero – A Dravidianazi.
Villain – Those fictional ‘casteist’ students who allegedly ill-treated the girl.
By periodically peddling this narrative, the DMK is trying to get its optics right under the garb of ‘social justice’ while simultaneously appeasing its vote bank – the non-Brahminn Dravidian elite, Muslims and Christians.
Political observers note that by doing so, the DMK is managing to keep away the focus of non-fulfilment of its promises.
Key promises made in its manifesto like cancelling NEET, reduction of fuel prices, ₹1000 for women, waiving off jewel and educational loans remain as promises.
Instead of calling it a ‘Vidiyal Government’, it would be more apt to call it a ‘Vilambaram Government’.