Notes of Nagesh

MOHAN GURUSWAMY: The 73rd anniversary of the integration of Hyderabad into India is here. Six years after integration the state was dismembered and it's three linguistic regions were assimilated into the neighboring states. Today we have a new state comprising of Telangana. Independence and Republic days are celebrated with joy. Even a state formation day is celebrated. But what was truly historic is just forgotten.  On the morning of September 13, 1948 five infantry battalions and an armored regiment of the battle hardened Indian Army under the command of Maj.Gen. JN Chaudhry entered the princely state of Hyderabad, over a year after independence and after the patience of the new Indian Union was tested beyond endurance. The Nizam of Hyderabad like the Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir too entertained notions of an independent state and had so far managed to avoid accession. In the meantime the Nizam sought to widen the issue by moving the United Nations, took the advice and assista...

MOHAN GURUSWAMY: The Indian relationship with Xinjiang is an old one. The Kushans were one of five branches of the Yuezhi confederation, an Indo-European nomadic people who had migrated from the Tarim Basin, now in central Xinjiang, and settled in ancient Bactria. The Kushans spread from the Kabul River Valley to defeat other Central Asian tribes that had previously conquered parts of the northern central Iranian Plateau once ruled by the Parthians. They reached their peak under the Buddhist emperor Kanishka, whose realm stretched from Turfan in the Tarim Basin to Pataliputra on the Gangetic Plain. Kanishka was of Turushka or Turkestani origin. Kanishka later made Mathura his capital and is now celebrated as one of India’s greatest emperors.  The name "Xinjiang", which literally means "New Frontier," was given during the Qing dynasty. Xinjiang consists of two main geographically, historically, and ethnically distinct regions with different historical names, Dzungari...

V P Menon, Secretary in the Ministry of States, was the man tasked by Sardar Patel to ensure the union of Princely States with India. Menon later wrote a book on the history of how 500+ Princely States came to become part of India. He titled this definitive account "The History of the Integration of Indian States". Why this particular title? To answer this it is necessary to understand the relationship between the Government of (British) India and the Princely States as it existed in 1947. Menon recounts: "..on 20 February 1947, Prime Minister Attlee made a declaration in the House of Commons in the course of which he set a date not later than June 1948 by which Britain would transfer power to responsible Indian hands". The ball had been set rolling. Independence of India, which many had long fought for, was now within reach! The implication of Atlee's statement was that a Constituent Assembly would immediately be elected. This Assembly w...

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/07/business/india-economy.html India’s government expects the economy to grow 7 percent or more this year. That’s more than double the projections for global growth, which has slowed sharply as major economies stall. The rapid expansion partly reflects the depths to which the economy had fallen during the most devastating shocks of the pandemic, which forced an exodus of laborers from cities. It also reflects the nature of India’s economy, which is partially insulated from global trends because it is driven more by local demand than exports. Many also credit a suite of government policies — including increased public investment, relief to debtors and credit guarantees — which have helped keep inflation relatively in check and cushion the public from economic shocks. And discounted oil from Russia, against the wishes of Western allies, have helped buffer rising energy prices. * Data: * India’s economy is now the fifth largest economy in the world. It...

James Manor has been studying and researching Indian politics and parties for almost half a century. There is little he doesn’t know or understand. He has a keen appreciation of India’s political processes. MG The ruination of the BJP’s organisation in 10 steps. An interesting checklist. By James Manor Emeritus Professor, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, UK This looks like a golden era for the BJP.  It is enjoying a decade in power at the Centre, it governs numerous states, and the Opposition is fragmented.  But a close look reveals serious degeneration that casts doubt on its long-term prospects.  This has been happening since 2014, but it worsened over the last year.   Despite the energetic creation of booth-level party committees as elections approach, the Modi-Shah management style has severely disempowered BJP activists and the party organisation can no longer link citizens with the government.          Ten steps are leading to th...

Summary : This is the English translation of the Manusmriti, which is a collection of Sanskrit verses dealing with ‘Dharma’, a collective name for human purpose, their duties and the law. Various topics will be dealt with, but this volume of the series includes 12 discourses (adhyaya). The commentary on this text by Medhatithi elaborately explains various topics and argues with opponents of the text. He composes his own answers to their claims, backed up by authentic sources, such as references to Panini's work. Manu refers to the author, and Smṛti refers to ‘Law book’. This volume presents the full english translation of the Manu-smriti with the commentary (bhashya) by Medhatithi. Alternate titles: https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/manusmriti-with-the-commentary-of-medhatithi

THE RIGHT TO CONVERT _____ https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/amritsar/akal-takht-sgpc-delhi-gurdwara-panel-deplore-religious-conversion-efforts-punjab-8121852/ " Forced conversion to Christianity is on, need law in Punjab: Akal Takht Jathedar" Written by  Kamaldeep Singh Brar _____ Like all ideological activism, the main task of Christian missionaries is accretion to the fold. The RSS does it, the Maoists do it, the Islamists do it, crypto currency evangelists do it and all those concerned with the addition of adherents do it. It is their main activity. Except for Parsis who have severely depleted their numbers by insisting on racial exclusivity, all groups espousing a certain belief focus on accretion. They do this by hook or crook . The hooking is done usually by promising a better afterlife. But some do this by promising a better immediate. This is where the crooking happens.  To Christian missionaries proselytism is god’s work and it seems god doesn’t particu...