| Greetings from India! You're reading Meanwhile, Back Home, our daily newsletter specially curated for our overseas readers. While you were asleep, it was a whirlwind of a day here in India. We've got the top highlights lined up for you. Dear readers, What a frabjous day! Our American readers must be celebrating the fourth of July with firecrackers, but bibliophiles across the world flashing Cheshire grins and tipping their hats to Lewis Carroll, the creator of Alice in Wonderland. Why, you ask. This is the very date, back in 1862, when Lewis Carroll first spun Alice’s Adventures on a “golden afternoon.” And what linguistic mayhem he unleashed! Words like chortle (snort-laugh), galumph (triumphant clomp), and snark (sass deluxe) escaped Wonderland and strolled into real-world English. Today, teens snark, gamers wield vorpal blades, and somewhere, a slithy politician gyres. So, on this curiouser July 4, tip your hat to Carroll—master of delightful nonsense. Callooh! Callay! Let the jabberwocky live on. π‘Spotlight In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, the most intense India-Pakistan conflict since 1971, Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Rahul R Singh laid it out plainly: “One border, two adversaries.” The general was pointing fingers at China who has been known to support Pakistan. Here’s why his words matter: π China’s deep footprint: An astonishing 81% of the Pakistani military’s hardware over the last five years has come from China, which is indicative of a strategic alignment. Beijing is equipping, enabling, and indirectly engaging. π Pakistan the face, China the mind: Singh described Pakistan as “the front face,” with China a menacing shadow in the background. πExperiment China, Singh suggested, is using the Indo-Pak conflict as a testbed to see how its systems perform in real combat situations—something that should deeply concern Indian defense strategists. ☕ Spill the Expresso A love letter to BTS: BTS, the anointed kings of K-pop, have promised a new album and world tour by next year.” After a nearly three-year dry spell, fans across the globe let out a collective sigh of relief. For my colleague, Anupama Yadav, BTS is a source of comfort, a safe space from the chaos of the world. She writes, “They pulled me out of one of the darkest times of my life.” As the group reunites, she reflects on how “watching them do mundane things felt strangely healing” and how, “in this fast-paced, often unkind world,” BTS still matters. π¨ Must Read India & English: English in India is full of surprises. It came with British traders and stuck around long after the British left. Today, it’s the language of courtrooms, college dreams, job interviews, and has even been elevated to the status of a Goddess, Angrezi Devi. For the elite, it’s a natural default and for the lower classes, it is a hard-won dream. I uncover how India did not just borrow English, but made it our own. πBook Nook Walking with the Sadhus India’s mystics—sadhus and aghoris—live beyond society’s margins but are rooted in deep spiritual traditions. This guide curates books that explore their world through storytelling, philosophy, and personal journeys. From visual anthologies to intense memoirs, each title offers a unique glimpse into renunciation, ritual, and the pursuit of transcendence. Have a good day, Until tomorrow, Aishwarya Khosla π Welcome to MyExpress on Indian Express! π Imagine a homepage that’s as unique as you are! With MyExpress, you get to curate your very own personalised news hub, tailored to your tastes and interests. Love sports, but can't resist a good political drama? Maybe you're into tech news, but still enjoy the occasional Bollywood buzz? No worries! Just register on the site, pick your favourite sections, and watch as your personalised MyExpress page fills up with all the news that matters most to you. It's like having your very own express lane to the stories you love—no traffic jams, no detours. So why wait? Start personalising your news journey with MyExpress, and let the headlines come to you! ππ° Check it out here and make your news truly yours! If you like this newsletter, read more Indian Express newsletters here. |
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