Yogi's Corner

               On August 5 last year, BJP fulfilled its long-pending promise of removing barriers to full integration of Jammu & Kashmir with India’s mainland. India de-operationalised Article 370 of its constitution with consummate finesse. It was indeed a masterstroke that left Kashmiri politicians dumbfounded. For them, it was a double whammy, rendering   Article 370 redundant and splitting the state into two Union Territories (UT), J&K and Ladakh. People in Ladakh were thrilled on having been ‘rescued’ from the domination of Kashmiri political masters.                Ever since the revocation of Article 370, the Valley remains locked-down, initially due to an unprecedented security clampdown and now to protect it from the deadly pandemic. It is time we analyse the post-abrogation scenario.   Internal Security Situation. Empirical evidence shows that the insurgency-related incident...

China has been pursuing expansionist designs for a long time now. Being a communist country, analysts believe expansionism is crucial to its ideology. To support their view, they cite the instance of the erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) overwhelming all its neighbours into submission. Because of its expansionists tendencies, China has border disputes with all its neighbours, be those over land or marine jurisdictions. The only exception is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan which is virtually its vassal state. China's Strategic Perspective. In pursuit of its centrality in international politics, China's primary strategic goal is the accumulation of 'comprehensive national power' defined by economic, military, technological and diplomatic global leadership. To attain this objective, it has long set itself on four-pronged converging strategic courses. Firstly, ensuring the domination of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) to retain a strict...

To a Kashmiri Pandit (KP) who refused to migrate out of the Valley at the onset of the bloody insurgency in the 1990s, the paradox is apparent whenever union ministers reiterate their commitment to safe and honourable return of KPs to the Valley. Non-Migrant KP has seen it all; his lot remains ignored. Adversity has taught him to sift sincerity from the political bluster. When Pravesh Sahib Singh Verma exhorts Delhi to vote for BJP to avoid the fate that befell KPs in Kashmir, non-migrant KP doesn't miss exploitation of his tribe in the electoral rhetoric. Having gone through the rough and tumble of hate and appeasement, the Valley-based KP finds himself to be the butt of pathetic neglect and ridicule by his own. Post-migration, a plethora of KP outfits mushroomed. While some among them genuinely worked for the welfare of the community during the humungous humanitarian crisis; most were proxies of political outfits. Unfortunately, these zealous cadres turned antagonistic ...

In the wake of the ongoing Corona Virus pandemic, images of migrant workers’ treacherous walk back home from the cities built with their sweat and blood shall continue to haunt India’s conscience for a long time. While these workers - some barefoot, some carrying sacks on head or infants on shoulders - walked in the sweltering heat, the political executive and heartless bureaucrats looked the other way from their airconditioned offices. In the backdrop of affluent Indians’ evacuation by air from abroad, works’ plight stood out as abject neglect of the poor. Bharat Mata does not live in inanimate portraits; she lives in the souls of India's working class and their toil.  (Mis)management of the migrant workers' immediate requirements created huge problems. Abandoned by their employers, turned away by their landlords and with no social security guaranteed by the governments they elected, these workers were left high and dry on the unending road home. Jean Dreze, a noted ...

Wheelchair borne Colonel Jagdeep Singh in discussion with Shri Manpreet Singh Badal, Finance Minister, Punjab. Oh! The king of Magadha! The day soldier has to demand his dues be the sad day for Magadha! On that day, you lost all moral sanction to be the king! -Chanakya. Kautilya, (also known as Chanakya, c. 350-275 BCE), advised his king thus. He was an Indian statesman and philosopher, chief advisor and Prime Minister to Indian Emperor  Chandragupta , the first ruler of the  Mauryan Empire . Soldiers make supreme sacrifices for the nation; the bravest of the brave leave behind legends of valour that inspire future generations. Sacrifices are made unmindful of the fate of their families after they are gone. In event of their martyrdom, soldiers trust their government and the society to look after their brave mothers, proud wives and their children.  Unfortunately, this trust has mostly been betrayed by the very establishment on whose call soldi...