The first inkling that India-Canada relations were in free fall came during the recently concluded G20 summit. India turned down Canada's request for a bilateral meeting and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had only a pullaside chat with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau instead. During their discussions, while Modi expressed his deep concerns over the continuing anti-India activities by Khalistan extremists, Trudeau talked tough about "the importance of respecting the rule of law" and concerns about "foreign interference". It was, however, Trudeau's actions that followed the meeting that signalled how ties between the two countries had gone truly downhill. When Trudeau's prime ministerial aircraft developed a technical snag before take-off in New Delhi, he refused India's offer to fly him back in another aircraft and waited two days, confined mostly to his hotel room, till his plane was fixed.
It was a week later that the Canadian premier dropped a bombshell on India when he told members of Canada's House of Commons, the equivalent of the Lok Sabha, that "Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar". A ruler of a nation, especially one belonging to the powerful Group of 7 or G-7 nations, accusing India of being involved in an extra-judicial killing of a foreign citizen in a foreign country was unprecedented-that too, without providing evidence. An angry India described Trudeau's allegations as "absurd" and, in turn, charged Canada with becoming "a safe haven for terrorists, extremists and organised crime". The exchange sparked off a diplomatic firestorm that threatens to grievously gut relations between the two nations.
WHERE'S THE SMOKING GUN?
Esta historia es de la edición October 09, 2023 de India Today.
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Esta historia es de la edición October 09, 2023 de India Today.
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He gave the beat to the world
He would pick up the rhythms of each experience of mobility and weave them into his taals. Thus it was that he reflected joy and laughter in rhythmic cycles...such was the magic of Zakir's fingersText and photographs by Raghu Rai
KERALA TOURISM CAMPAIGN, 1989 - TICKETS TO PARADISE
All it took was a catchy tagline-'God's Own Country'-for the world to discover Kerala's wealth of natural beauty. It remains among the best tourism ad campaigns, earning the state a place among top 10 international destinations
SPIRITUALITY - THE GURUS OF COOL
Among the cult Indian gurus, no one had a bigger hold on western minds than 'Osho' Rajneesh. He's also perhaps the role model for the enterprise-building gurus of today
RETAIL SHOPPING - THE MALL MANIA
Shopping malls, a 1990s innovation in India, changed the way the Indian middle class shops. Their success now lies in being 'shoppertainment' destinations, offering something for everyone
CULINARY RENAISSANCE, 1978 - TANDOORI NIGHTS
ITC's Bukhara and Dum Pukht turned the world to tandoori cuisine and had an enormous impact on the F&B industry. Decades on, they are still a pit-stop for celebrities and heads of state visiting Delhi
INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH - REVENGE OF THE NATIVE
Rushdie lit the way but Indian writing in English has taken a life of its own in the past few decades, with translated Indian fiction most recently having its moment in the sun
INDIAN ART - A BRUSH WITH GOLD DUST
The 1990s economic liberalisation came as oxygen, lighting up the Indian art scene. Today, artworks by established masters routinely go for astronomical amounts
FESTIVAL OF INDIA, 1982 - CULTURE CAPITAL
The Festival of India grew into a symbol of our 'soft power', introducing our art and aesthetics to a global audience while also helping rebrand our domestic products
THE INDIPOP TREND - DISCO GOES DESI
For ages, the film song ruled. Nothing else was audible. Then came Nazia, charioteered by Biddu, and Indian ears went into a pleasant madness. Literally, Disco Deewane. A whole genre was born
SHOLAY 1975 - THE BIRTH OF THE FANDEMIC
India had seen hits before. But Sholay seared into its collective psyche like a badland bullet. The effect was on a scale never seen before- one film creating a new mass folk culture. And a trail of monster blockbusters that still continues
