Manu Shrivastava cites with examples how films and sports have played a stellar role in triggering the ‘nationalism’ sentiment given the potential impact they have on the masses. It is one theme that hasn’t lost its sheen despite passing decades and its popularity has an enduring appeal that is guaranteed to get your heart-strings. It’s no secret that the Indian film industry is the largest producer of films in the world and also the largest in terms of ticket sales. One thing that binds Indians around the world together is Indian cinema. The other being cricket that, in India, transcends…
Author: mindworks
In the last decade, the debate over nationalism and who is a nationalist has made way into mainstream discourses in the country, observes Manu Shrivastava with the Covid sharply exposing the crevasse. She points out how it also reflects in the way Nationalism is used by media to selectively promote or support its interests. Nationalism is defined as ‘identification with one’s own nation-state and supporting its interests.’ Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, especially with…
Pune-based Aditi De is an English language trainer with an institute. She has been variously an English copywriter, feature writer and editorial assistant, freelance writer, special teacher for English in schools located in slums and also ran a reading club for them. She also conducts private (one on one and group) training sessions in spoken English, communication skills, interview skills, group discussion, presentation skills, personality development and English language enhancement, IELTS coaching, and teaching writing skills to foreign students at the International Students Centre, University of Pune. In between she also owned and ran a speciality food restaurant briefly. Here, she…
The holy town of Rishikesh offers twin pleasure of a pilgrimage and an excursion. For the visitors it is a divine communion given the meditational recess it offers and the serene tranquillity of its spiritual vibes. The entire ambience instils and summons a sense of adventure and piety as the Ganga meanders through the majestic mountains. A tough trek but very satisfying nevertheless! Soul searching is a serious preoccupation in the pilgrim town of Rishikesh in Uttarakhand. And it has always been that way, with ancient rishis and yogis meditating by the banks of the holy Ganga which winds through…
One can never have enough of Ladakh, ‘the Land of High Passes’. With its snow-capped peaks, clear blue skies, barren mountains with meandering rivers, it is heaven descended on earth. The monks, monasteries with their Buddhist backdrop invite you to its rugged terrains. One feels like suspended between earth and sky as nature reveals itself in all glory. Could the landscape unravelling way below our aircraft be the handiwork of a hyperactive mountain God or even a creative devil? Ladakh, the most geographically isolated union territory in the country, secreted between the folds of the Himalayas and the Karakoram range,…
A healer in true sense (1927-2021) Dr. Viswanathan Shanta, MD was an internationally renowned pioneering Indian oncologist and Chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai. Having seen death so often, in so many forms, she was determined to help thousands of people fight it. Cancer being a notoriously expensive disease, she initiated one of the first attempts of affordable, quality evidence-based cancer treatments for lower-income-groups in India. Despite the strides made in cancer treatment, lack of information and wrong perception made people fear it. Cancer was largely seen as fatal or ordained by fate. She vociferously advocated its early detection using…
Musician par excellence (1928-2020) Tirupunithura Narayanaiyar Krishnan, the eminent violinist was born on 6 October 1928 at Tirupunithura. He picked up the rudiments of music from his father Narayana Iyer. Later he underwent rigorous training in playing the violin under Alleppey Parthasarathy and gave his first solo concert at the age of 11. The violinist was mentored in his early years by the celebrated Carnatic vocalist Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. T N Krishnan gained great proficiency in his art soon and honed his talents by accompanying the Who’s Who of the Carnatic music world like Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Musiri…
Gallantry ran in the family (1985-2017) Major Manlun was born on 27 July 1985 in Imphal, Manipur. His father, Subedar Khamzalam served in 5 Assam Regiment and retired in 1912. While the father moved around, the mother Ms Mampi lived in Shillong to educate the children. Major David Manlun`s family is from the Zou tribe in a village called Beihang (Churachandpur district) on the India-Myanmar border. His elder brother is serving with the Army and sister is married to an Army officer Lt Col Newton. An athlete and a keen footballer, Major David Manlun took interest in sports from his…
The government machinery got its act together right in the days of the first wave by boosting its PPE kits and mask manufacturing to become self-reliant and carried the same efficiency when the second and more intense wave was upon the country. Nikita Shastri outlines the trajectory, describing how the challenges posed by the shortage of oxygen and vaccination were overcome with prudent measures and sound logistics with marked emphasis on ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. At a time when most countries were returning to normalcy after months of battle with Covid-19, India, after having recovered from the first wave successfully, had to…
In the midst of the mist created by fake news and rising Covid cases, the Central Government acted with alacrity to address the surge in oxygen demand. By second week of May 2021, it undertook a plethora of key measures to increase the availability, streamline the distribution and strengthen the oxygen storage infrastructure in the country. Kriti Kalra traces how the situation was tided over and the country could breathe easy again. The second wave of the Covid-19 infection in India was marked by the acute shortage of oxygen that became a priced commodity overnight due to the manifold rise…