Within minutes of the Maldivian state broadcaster declaring Mohamed Muizzu as the president-elect on October 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the "first leader" to congratulate him. In his message, PM Modi said that India remains committed to strengthening the time-tested India-Maldives bilateral relationship and enhancing "our overall cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region". However, the latest development poses a problem for India-the pro-China Muizzu, from the People's National Congress party, won power in the island-nation on an 'India Out' campaign, raising fears of the Maldives emerging as a pit stop in China's 'String of Pearls' scheme of military and commercial establishments in the region. Indeed, soon after attending the national day celebrations of China at its embassy in Male on October 8, Muizzu declared, "Maldivians do not want any foreign troops to be present in the country, be it from India or any other country." However, he emphasised that military cooperation with India will continue. PM Modi was the only major head of state to attend the pro-India Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's swearing-in ceremony in November 2018. This year, with the anti-India election plank of Muizzu, India was represented by Union earth sciences minister Kiren Rijiju at the swearing-in on November 17. The downgraded representation is seen as a message to the new Maldivian regime.
When meeting Rijiju on November 18, Muizzu stuck to his guns-a formal request was made to India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives. New Delhi has said that both sides will try to find a "workable solution".
Esta historia es de la edición December 04, 2023 de India Today.
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Esta historia es de la edición December 04, 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
