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Good evening, Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan has found himself in linguistic hot water. At the launch of his upcoming film Thug Life, Hassan opened his remarks with "Uyire Urave Tamizhe" (My life and my family is Tamil). Sounds good so far? Well, things turned a little messy immediately thereafter. While addressing Kannada actor Shivarajkumar, who shared the stage with him, Haasan said, “Actor Shivarajkumar is my family living in another state…Your language was born out of Tamil. So, you are included in that line.” That’s when things went a little kooky, with several pro-Kannada groups such as the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) taking exception to Haasan’s comments, and accusing him of insulting the Kannada language, while also threatening to take action against him and his film. While KRV’s Praveen Shetty led the charge, he was soon joined by Karnataka BJP state president BY Vijayendra, who labelled it “the height of arrogance.” However, these developments aren’t new to the South, where, as my colleague Arun Janaradhanan writes, an “old fault line” continues to exist – language as identity. On that note, let’s dive in 👇🏽
📝 The Debrief
Why is the Trump administration cracking down on international students?
In its latest escalation on American universities, the Marco Rubio-led State Department asked its embassies and consular sections in a diplomatic cable on Tuesday to “pause scheduling new interviews for student visa applicants,” as it weighs requiring all students to undergo social media vetting as part of their application process. The cable arrives as interviews for US student visas began earlier this month, and now with this indefinite pause, it could significantly impact their processing. So, if you are a US-bound student, expect more delays and enhanced scrutiny. What did the cable say? According to Politico, which obtained the cable, it stated, “Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued septel, which we anticipate in the coming days.” Septel, the report added, is State Department parlance for “separate telegram.” What’s going on? The Trump administration has just upped the ante in its battle with US universities. What first began as a campaign pitch to “reform” elite universities, including Harvard and Columbia, has now expanded its scope. Soon after he took the oath as President in January, Donald Trump issued an executive order to “combat anti-Semitism” on American campuses, while also clamping down on Hamas and “pro-jihadist” sympathisers, including students. Most of the administration’s actions, it would appear, are grounded in these orders, besides those concerning “anti-woke” issues such as “diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI)” or “keeping women out of men’s sports.” The scale: The State Department’s actions are sure to increase anxiety among US-bound international students and complicate visa application processes, which will undoubtedly lead to further delays. For US universities, whose annual international student intake hovers around the 1 million mark (1.12 million in the 2023-24 academic year), the pause, if implemented, will be a significant blow, impacting a key source of revenue. That year, India, according to the Institute of International Education, dethroned China as the top country of origin for international students, with 331,602. An estimate by not-for-profit NAFSA: Association of International Educators pegged international students’ contribution to the US economy during 2023-24 at $43.8 billion. (Sidebar: International students pay the full tuition fee, which is often used to subsidise American students who receive aid/scholarships.)
✍️ From our newsroom All in on Ahilya: In the lead-up to Devi Ahilyabai Holkar’s 300th birth anniversary, the Madhya Pradesh government is fully committed to embracing her legacy. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has established the 18th-century Maratha queen as the state’s cultural beacon, launching a nine-month campaign that includes metro and airport inaugurations, Rs 3,876 crore in sanctioned projects, and a significant women’s conference featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Holkar, a temple restorer, administrator, and now a political icon, is being reimagined on a grand scale. As my colleague Anand Mohan J reports from Bhopal, this effort is being executed through dance dramas, exhibitions, films, and even Marathi translations of historical documents. To quote historian Deepak Tiwari, “This type of politics didn’t happen in the past.” Now, by linking Holkar’s legacy to women’s empowerment and Hindutva history – “barring Ahilyabai Holkar, the big rulers did not pay attention” to Mughal temple destruction – the BJP is attempting to create resonance beyond MP. As an RSS leader stated, “She was not just a queen based in Indore.”
🔎 Need to know
Welcome back: A month after being sacked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), T Dilip has been reinstated as India’s fielding coach for a one-year term. Dilip’s return comes after the BCCI was unable to find a suitable replacement.
Hotting up: A new report by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) indicates that there’s a 70% chance that “the average global temperature for the 2025-2029 period will exceed pre-industrial levels” by over 1.5 degrees Celsius. It also noted that there is a high probability (80%) that at least one of the next five years will exceed 2024 as the warmest on record. At last: Meta launched a dedicated iPad version of its messaging service, WhatsApp, 15 years after the app first debuted in 2009 and was later acquired by Facebook (now Meta). The iPad was released a year after WhatsApp, in 2010.
🎙️Expresso Playlist!
In today’s Playlist, I’ll recommend a must-listen episode from Vox’s Today, Explained, on the ongoing race to control mineral deposits, and how that is shaping US foreign policy and redrawing global alliances. Spotify | Apple
✋🏽 One last thing
I’ll leave you with this fantastic Wall Street Journal story on why adults are going crazy for Uno, the card game.
That’s all from me today. Thank you so much for reading this edition. If you enjoy the Evening Expresso, tell your friends to subscribe to the newsletter. You can do so by signing up for the Morning Expresso. Additionally, you can reach me via email for tips, feedback, or simply to say hello! 😀 Until tomorrow, Venkat Ananth |
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