Those who oppose openly may be considered opposition or enemy. Those who stand with you are considered favourable or friends. Those friends who ditch you when tide turns against you are betrayers whom one remembers much longer.

Esmeralda Upton’s outburst against some Indian women in Plano, Texas this past week is an indication of changing attitudes towards people from this subcontinent living in the US. While Esmeralda, a Mexican American, is herself an immigrant, her abuse towards Indians also indicates an isolation of the Indian origin people which may not be limited to North America alone.

Celebrating the 75th year of Independence and naming it Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and later the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign has been treated as a historic moment in the present times. We shall refrain from mentioning here the costs involved, that the taxpayer has to bear, for these fun and frolic of the few ‘chosen’ people. In a turbulent India where the economy is fast degrading and disparities between the rich and the poor vastly growing, this kind of a slogan in Hindi may seem lame to many sane Indians unfazed by political rhetoric.

This round seems to have gone in favor of Nitish Kumar in Bihar. The Kurmi leader is known for his ability to change sides as and when winds of impending change blows across the Northern Indian plains.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Opposition are busy trading charges against each other and scoring political brownie points in Parliament over the soaring prices and rising inflation. But, a six-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh has spoken the unvarnished truth. She has proven that the economic mismanagement is of such proportions that even children are not spared in these trying times.

Bundelkhand, in Jalaun of Uttar Pradesh, a highly impoverished area at the border of UP and Madhya Pradesh, had the privilege of seeing the Prime Minister of India as the inaugurator of the 296 km long Bundelkhand Expressway last week. PM Modi, in his speech at the function, drew attention to the freebies culture being propagated by all non BJP state governments with the sole aim to garner support from voters.

The developments in Sri Lanka should act as an eye opener for all democracies across the world. After the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution and a chain of freedom struggles by natives against foreign rulers, human intellect devised democracy as the supreme method of governance. The idea was that individuals could choose who and how they shall be administered. 

The hurriedly called Quad meeting late last week has expressed concern over the possibility of a déjà vu of the Russian type invasion of Ukraine in the Indo-Pacific region too. This is not simply an attempt by the four-nation group comprising the USA, Japan, Australia and India to use its platform to condemn Russia’s violation of the sovereignty of Ukraine. The dominant players of the group knew well India would not be on the same page with the other members on the issue for its dependence on Russia on many matters, especially the supply of arms and other defence hardware. So, they cleverly brought in the concerns for peaceful coexistence in the Indo-Pacific region to make India rethink its position on unquestioned support to Russia. For, if China emulates Russia’s example and forces its way into Taiwan or occupy Indian territories more aggressively than it has, so far, been doing, India would be in serious trouble. Should that happen, it is quite possible India may not get support from its Quad allies and the international community for its silence on Russian adventurism in Ukraine.

Russia’s Putin put his nuclear forces on alert when the war in Ukraine reached the fourth day, surprising everyone who thought the outcome of the invasion was but obvious. The non capitulation of the Ukranian leader and the common citizens would have stunned not only Putin and his commanders but also the world at large. This nuclear threat of Putin has been pooh poohed by all European leaders as everyone understands the ground realities. That is also the main reason for Moscow to be eager for talks with Ukraine. This war also proved another very important assumption that had been doing the rounds across the world. It has proven that the conventional wisdom supporting war as a means of subjugation and dominance is dying a natural death. The US administration has termed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order putting on alert the country’s nuclear deterrence as a “rhetorical exercise intended to manufacture threats that don’t exist in order to justify further aggression.”

It is unfortunate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi equated the Samajwadi Party’s poll symbol – the bicycle – with those used to plant bombs by terrorists in Ahmedabad. The reference to Ahmedabad holds special significance at this moment because a trial Court has sentenced as many as 38 Moslems to death for the bomb blasts in that city in 2008. It appears he was enthused by the fact that the judicial verdict may create the impression that his party-ruled state can bring to book terrorists with firmness.