"Patriot," the memoir-cum-prison diary of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who posed a credible political challenge to President Putin as an alternative candidate for the Kremlin, is a sad and melancholic book but with a luminous core—that of Navalny and his extraordinary courage in resisting authoritarianism.
The saga begins in August 2020 in a dramatic manner, akin to a thriller, with the author/protagonist realizing that he has been poisoned while on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow and recalling each detail till the point where he tells the flight attendant: "I have been poisoned and I am about to die." He adds with matter-of-fact candor: "I have just enough time to think. It's all lies, what they say about death. My whole life is not flashing before my eyes. The faces of those dearest to me do not appear. Neither do angels or a dazzling light. I am dying looking at a wall... the last words I hear are 'No, stay awake, stay awake.' Then I died."
Navalny does not die on page 15 and his cheeky line in the book is "Spoiler alert: actually I didn't." Luckily he was moved to Germany for emergency medical treatment and he recovered. But only to insist on returning to his beloved Russia in January 2021, where he was arrested on arrival. But the campaigner remained defiant and rallied his supporters with the innovative use of social media and related communication technologies. Well-wishers in Russia spoke of him as an alternative to President Putin, but this was wishful thinking.
Denne historien er fra December 08, 2024-utgaven av Financial Express Pune.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 08, 2024-utgaven av Financial Express Pune.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
IIT-Madras to offer fine arts, culture courses
A FIRST for Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), IIT-Madras on Tuesday said it would offer two supernumerary seats in each undergraduate programme to students who have achieved excellence in fine arts and culture, starting from the upcoming academic session.
Not even 2% work-linked higher education courses yet: Report
EDUCATION-INDUSTRY MISMATCH
The world's busiest airline routes in 2024 are largely in Asia
● Leisure continues to outshine corporate trips
Panel suggests LS elections template for entrance tests
DRAWING PARALLELS WITH the conduct of general elections, a high-level committee set up by the Education ministry and chaired by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan has proposed a similar framework for holding important national entrance tests to ensure transparency.
Siddique murder: Court sends accused to police custody till Dec 20
A SPECIAL COURT in Mumbai on Tuesday remanded five accused arrested in NCP leader Baba Siddique's murder case to police custody till December 20 after investigators said they need to interrogate them about an absconding accused and the weapons used in the crime.
DPIIT inks pact with HDFC Bank
THE DEPARTMENT FOR Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on Tuesday said it has inked pacts with HDFC Bank and Tally Solutions to help startups growth.
PM: Cong fanned water disputes among states
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said all homes in Rajasthan will soon have tap water, attacking the Congress party over water disputes between states.
SME IPOs fetch rich returns in Dec
THE SME IPO market continues to see heightened interest and is delivering multibagger returns despite being under the lens of the markets regulator.
Indian firms use euro, yen swaps
MOREOVER, EXPECTATIONS OF dollar strengthening further have also prompted Indian firms to opt for cross-currency pairs other than USD-INR.
KYC masking to go live on Jan 20
DEADLINE EXTENDED; BIG RELIEF TO BANKS & FINTECHS
