After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 90-minute speech from the ramparts of the 375-year-old Red Fort in Delhi, many in Indian media did stories on how long or short his speeches have been since 2014 when he made his first one (the longest, if you care to know, was 94 minutes in 2016; and the shortest, 56 minutes, was in 2017). 

That sort of trivia may count for news in some circles but in the 90 minutes that he spoke, the Prime Minister covered much ground. And as the speech progressed it could, to many listeners, resemble the unfolding of an Election campaign. The 2024 Parliamentary elections are barely eight months away and a careful listening of the Prime Minister’s speech on August 15 shows that he’s off the block already.

Early in the speech Modi referred to the communal violence in Manipur and the instances of atrocities such as the public dishonoring of women by a mob, and expressed solidarity with the people of the northeastern state that has been in turmoil for months. The Prime Minister had not publicly commented on Manipur until recently in Parliament. 

Soon, though, he moved on to his government’s achievements and initiatives in various sectors, such as health, education, infrastructure, defense, agriculture, and social welfare. He also announced the launch of the Vishwakarma Yojana for barbers and goldsmiths with an initial spending of Rs. 13,000-15,000 crore. Could that be a move to woo the backward castes and the poor, who form a significant vote bank in India? In a jab at the Opposition, chiefly the Congress party, Modi also called for uprooting the evils of “corruption and dynasty politics” to safeguard the nation’s economic development. 

The politics in Modi’s speech was unmistakable. While Modi referred to how India had achieved independence after 1000 years of rule by outsiders–a probable reference to the Mughal invasion of the subcontinent, followed by the British rule–and mentioned the names of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, B.R.Ambedkar, Jaiprakash Narayan, Sri Aurobindo, and Swami Vivekananda, as being crucial contributors to freedom and nation-building, but carefully left out any reference to India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru or the Nehru-Gandhi family of which Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, is a descendant.

Gandhi’s popularity has been getting a boost. In many circles, he is seen as a hero: he got thrown out of parliament after he was convicted in a defamation case (charged with maligning the “Modi” surname in an election speech in 2019) but was reinstated following a Supreme Court order that went in his favor.

Last year, Gandhi led a mass movement, Bharat Jodo Yatra, and walked from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, covering a distance of about 4,000 km (2,485 miles) in 146 days. It was aimed at uniting Indians against the “divisive politics” of the ruling (Modi’s) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and protesting against the economic and social problems faced by the country.

These have served to boost Gandhi’s image after people had begun doubting his leadership abilities following the Congress’ repeated poor performance in elections–the 2019 parliamentary polls and in various state elections since then. Modi and the BJP will not want that to happen. 

Modi also made lighthearted mention of his desire to deliver next year’s Independence Day speech, if he had the blessings of his countrymen, a clear indication that he was intent on winning and serving a third term as Prime Minister. 

In the next election, the Opposition strategy, although still being formed, will likely be a bit different. Most of India’s major Opposition parties have allied in a united front, known as the acronym INDIA and expanding into a mouthful, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, and propose to nominate one joint candidate in most constituencies to take on the BJP candidate. Consequently the BJP will likely tweak its own strategy to combat this. 

As always, India’s next election will be interesting to follow. And the contest began last week–from the ramparts of Delhi’s Red Fort.

India’s go-getter CJI makes a difference

Since November 2022, after he became the Chief Justice of India’s Supreme Court, Dhananjay Y. Chandrachud, 63, there has been a string of achievements that can be attributed to him. 

First, the Supreme Court has been able to dispose of cases faster under Chandrachud. For years, in any given period the Supreme Court would have more cases filed than could be disposed of by it. But, during Chandrachud’s ongoing tenure that has reversed. Since he took over, 14,209 cases have been disposed of against the 13,764 new cases filed.

Some of the measures that have contributed to the speedy disposal of cases include the introduction of virtual hearings, e-filings, live streaming of hearings, the use of AI, and other dispute resolution mechanisms; and, in addition, the process of listing petitions has been streamlined.

But it is the landmark judgments that he has presided over that have upheld the constitutional values of democracy, secularism, human rights, and social justice. Some of these include the verdicts on the validity of the Citizenship Amendment Act, the abolition of triple talaq, the protection of personal data, the regulation of hate speech and fake news, the recognition of transgender rights, and the decriminalization of euthanasia, 

Chandrachud has also been vocal in his dissenting opinions. For instance, he dissented from the majority judgment that upheld the validity of the electoral bonds scheme, which he argued was a threat to transparency and accountability in political funding. He has also advocated for increasing the judge-to-population ratio, filling up the vacancies in the judiciary, enhancing the diversity and representation of women and marginalized groups in the judicial appointments. Chandrachud is the CJI of the moment. He is the top judge the country badly needs.

Doping in the Indian sports world

Dutee Chand, 27, is an Indian sprinter and current national champion in the women’s 100 metres event. She is the first Indian to win a gold medal in 100m race in a global competition and the third Indian woman to ever qualify for the Women’s 100 metres event at the Summer Olympic Games. She is also India’s first athlete to openly come out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. But Chand has also been banned by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for four years after failing two dope tests for selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), which are non-steroidal substances often used to treat osteoporosis, anaemia, and wound healing in patients. 

Dutee recently claimed that she will challenge the ban as the consumption of the substance was unintentional and on the advice of her physiotherapist.

Doping, however, is a serious problem in Indian sport, as India is ranked third in doping, according to the latest World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report released in 2021. With 152 instances of doping across various sports disciplines, the country fares only marginally better than  Russia (167) and Italy (157). 

On the list of those who failed doping tests in India, are not only seasoned pros but also once promising junior athletes and sportspersons. On this list are not only seasoned pros but once promising Indian juniors. Doping refers to the practice of using banned chemical substances, known as performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), by athletes. The primary goal is to enhance performance, but it also poses health risks and ethical issues. 

A quick history of India’s moon mission

As Chandrayaan-3, the latest of India’s lunar exploration missions,  last week sent new images of the surface of the moon from up close as it nears its landing spot near the moon’s south pole, here’s a recap of India’s history with its moon missions.

Chandrayaan is a series of lunar exploration missions launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The first mission, Chandrayaan-1, was launched in 2008. It discovered the presence of water molecules on the moon’s surface. The second mission, Chandrayaan-2, was launched in 2019 and was scheduled to land on the moon. It consisted of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. But things went wrong and the lander-rover crashed on the moon. The orbiter continues to orbit and observe the moon even today.

The ongoing mission, Chandrayaan-3, was launched in July this year and is expected to soft land near the south pole of the moon on August 23. If successful, India will be the first country to land near the lunar south pole and the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the moon after the US, the former Soviet Union, and China. 

Why are there so many fires around the world? A roundup.

In recent months devastating fires causing harm to both lives as well as the environment have broken out in various parts of the world, including Greece, Hawaii, Tenerife, and Canada. The fires have happened all at the same time but perhaps not for the exact same reason.

Wildfires can be caused by many factors, such as many factors, such as weather, climate, vegetation, human activity, and lightning. 

The fires in Greece are mainly driven by a heatwave that swept through Europe in July, creating record-breaking temperatures and dry conditions that made the vegetation more flammable. The fires have hit several islands and regions, such as Lesbos, Evia, Attica, and Peloponnese. Some of the fires may have been started by arsonists or negligence, such as discarded cigarettes or unattended campfires.

In Hawaii, the fires were mainly caused by human activity, such as agricultural burning, fireworks, power lines, or vehicles. The fires have been worsened by strong winds, low humidity, and drought. The fires in Hawaii hit several islands and areas, such as Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and Big Island. Some of the fires have threatened homes, businesses, and natural resources, such as forests and wildlife. 

In Tenerife, the fires were mainly caused by natural factors, such as lightning strikes or volcanic activity. The fires have been worsened by high temperatures, low rainfall, and strong winds that have created a tinderbox situation on the island. The fires have affected several towns and villages, such as La Esperanza, Arafo, and Candelaria. Some of the residents have been evacuated, bringing their animals with them.  

In Canada, the fires are mainly caused by climate change, which has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, droughts, storms, and lightning. The fires have been fueled by the accumulation of deadwood and organic matter that have dried out due to the lack of precipitation and snowpack. Several Canadian provinces and territories, such as British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Yukon, have been affected by the fires, which have endangered communities and infrastructure.

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