| Good morning! MiG-29K T-shirts, sound of metal detectors, faith in Army, and a “call from Bhole Baba” – this year’s Amarnath Yatra is unprecedented. The annual 36-day-long Yatra officially commenced on Thursday with a batch of pilgrims leaving from Pahalgam, on foot, towards the holy cave shrine. From the security arrangements, it is palpable that it is taking place under the shadow of the April 22 terror attack, wherein 26 civilians were killed in southern Kashmir. Even as the overall tourism footfall dipped, Pahalgam’s tourism department were caught by surprise with numbers of yatris seeking “darshan no matter what” picking up pace to 3,000-4,000, as against the expected 1,000 per day. Also, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta featured in the latest edition of Express Adda, a series of informal interactions with those at the centre of change. From why the Capital “has to dream bigger” to being a woman politician with no political background – here are excerpts from what she said, in conversation with National Opinion Editor, Vandita Mishra.
🚨 Big Story Easier said than done: The Election Commission’s latest — and sudden — requirement mandates all 7.8 crore registered voters in Bihar, new and existing, to provide documents that are citizenship proof. At the heart of this special revision of rolls is that any person whose name is not recorded in the 2003 Electoral Rolls needs to submit at least one of 11 documents establishing eligibility to vote. Now, the list of the 11 is indicative, not exhaustive. But, the socio-economic realities frame the challenge around the nature of the documents in the poll-bound state. Old ghosts, some new: As the EC process, which started the exercise only on June 28, picks up pace, a section of minorities ask if this is “NRC by the backdoor.” The reference is to the BJP-led Central government’s plans for a National Register of Citizens. Once linked to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act by the government, leading to protests in 2019, the NRC has since been put on the backburner.
⚡ Big Picture As the Dalai Lama turns 90 on Sunday (July 6), celebrations in McLeodganj –headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile– are tinged with anxieties. On July 2, the Dalai Lama declared that the centuries-old institution would continue and his ‘reincarnation’ will be managed solely by his Gaden Phodrang Trust according to Tibetan traditions and not Beijing’s directives. Varinder Bhatia travels to what was once known as Swarg Ashram where the air is thick with significance — over their future, the ‘reincarnation’ process, and the looming shadow of China.
📖 Express Explained Space fea(s)t: Currently at the International Space Station, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla said he had shared food from home (gajar ka halwa, moong dal ka halwa and aamras) with others on board. How? Having a meal in space is not a piece of cake. But this does not mean that astronauts don’t enjoy elaborate meals. It is just that they eat packaged food, which is stored and prepared a little differently.
✍️ Express Opinion “Besides, new hatreds can easily be created. I am an easy target for “nationalists” and paid trolls… because I feel no need to wear my love for anything, including my country, on my sleeve” Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah writes in reference to his Facebook post (which he says was taken down and not deleted) in support of Diljit Dosanjh, who is caught up in a controversy over his Punjabi film ‘Sardaar ji 3’, starring Pakistani actor-influencer Hania Amir. Drawing from his own family’s background, Shah justifies why he stands by his statement, is not discouraged by the lack of support from the film industry, and how the dream of India having a future for us “cannot be abandoned”.
🍿Movie Review This week, Shalini Langer reviews ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’, a film that keeps the heart both pounding and beating. The seventh film in the Jurassic series does capture that awe, even as the wonder of seeing dinosaurs stride across the screen has naturally worn off over the past 30 years – till it decides to go on and on, and starts repeating itself, she writes. Read the full review here! Until next time Vibha |
No comments:
Post a Comment