OPINION ON China is generally hostile in this country. War in the 1960s all but obliterated a unique friendship and a shared vision for peaceful co-existence that was enunciated in the Panchsheel Agreement between India and China in 1954. So inspiring was the set of principles announced by prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Zhou Enlai that it was incorporated in the Bandung Conference declaration a year later by 29 Afro-Asian countries for a new era of peace and development. Rajiv Gandhi's epochal visit to Beijing in 1988 managed break down the great wall of animosity between the two countries, but relations have become a lot worse in recent years.
When it comes to the economy and China's technological prowess, the Indian government and its handmaiden media, in particular, tend to be dismissive and disparaging, fuelled by barely disguised resentment and envy. This results in paradoxes. In recent years, when the Narendra Modi government banned around 250 Chinese apps citing these to be "prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state and public order", there was a frenzy of nationalist outpouring on WhatsApp exhorting patriotic Indians to boycott the apps. The irony is that the messages were, for the most part, being sent on Chinese-made mobile phones which they were unwilling to jettison!
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In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
