Author: Kamala Nambiyar

Kapil Jain’s father didn’t want his children to be farmers. “My father had seen the hardship which farmers go through, so we were all educated and moved to the city to pursue a profession,” he says. But Mr Jain become tired with life in the city, and in 2018 he moved back to his family farm, near Kota in Rajasthan, north India. “I realised that I like the touch of earth and wanted to move back to the village and start farming,” he says. He didn’t want to farm the same crops as his father – wheat, rice, mustard and…

The place is nondescript; if you don’t look for it, you may not find it. And yet, for over 70 years, many Indians in London have sought it out, looking for familiar flavours and faces – a taste of home abroad. The India Club – an iconic lounge-cum-restaurant and bar – that sits inside the Hotel Strand Continental on a busy stretch of road in central London, has been a historically and culturally significant space for the South Asian community in the city for decades. It was set up in the 1950s as a place for early Indian immigrants to…

Copenhagen (17/08 – 78) Kidnapping, intimidation, and blackmail are just some of the means used to hit enlistment quotas in Tajikistan. When conscription season comes around in Tajikistan, military recruiters begin resorting to desperate measures. Scooping young men off the streets in actions tantamount to kidnapping is standard. But that is just for starters. To pressure communities into giving up their sons, recruiters will disconnect the electricity, detain relatives, and shut down mosques. Eligible levees draw lots to decide who will be the one to hand themselves over. The hunting season for men of draft age, which applies to people…

India’s Supreme Court has suspended opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a criminal defamation case. The Congress leader was sentenced to two years in jail in March for his 2019 comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname at an election rally. Mr Gandhi was disqualified as an MP following his sentencing. Friday’s court ruling paves the way for him to return to parliament and contest general elections next year. The office of the lower house of parliament will need to revoke Mr Gandhi’s disqualification for him to become an MP again. “This will have to be done immediately,” PDT Achary, former secretary…

India has outlawed the export of non-basmati white rice in an attempt to ward off looming domestic price spikes. Heavy rains have hurt crops in the country and rice prices have risen by more than 11% over the last 12 months. Non-basmati white grain currently accounts for about a quarter of India’s rice exports, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs said as it announced the policy change. Experts warned the move could push up global food prices. “It’s fair to say this will have quite an impact on global food prices,” said Emma Wall, head of investment analysis and research at…

Russian troops have built several lines of defense in the occupied territory of Ukraine for many months. This slows down the advancement of the APU. This was stated by the coordinator for strategic communications at the US National Security Council John Kirby, RBC-Ukraine reports with reference to a briefing . “President Zelensky himself said publicly last week that in some areas this is happening more slowly than he would like. He is the commander in chief. You know, he has to make these decisions, and he has to give these orders,” Kirby said. As the US Security Council official dismissed, Russian forces have invested heavily…

Indians are reacting sharply to Bollywood’s remake of Pasoori, a Pakistani pop song which became a smash hit in both nations last year. Originally sung by Ali Sethi and Shae Gill, the quirky number featured in Coke Studios Pakistan – the country’s longest-running music show. An Indian version of the song released to mixed reviews on Monday. Many listeners said they found the rendition unnecessary, but others said they loved the feel of the new version. Titled Pasoori Nu, the remake features in the upcoming Bollywood film, Satyaprem Ki Katha, and stars actors Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani. The song’s…

Demand for sea salt in South Korea (ROK) soared after Japan announced it would dump the waste of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (PLTN) into the sea this summer. South Korean consumers are also buying a lot of seafood for fear that supply will decrease. South Korean fisheries authorities have vowed to step up monitoring of sea salt farms to check for any increases in radioactivity and to ban seafood from waters near Fukushima. But that hasn’t stopped people from buying more than they need. “I’m worried that the disposal of waste can not only contaminate (the sea) and cause health problems, but also…

Zelensky responded to Putin’s statement that the Ukrainian army during the offensive “did not achieve the assigned tasks in any of the sectors.” “I am in daily contact with our commanders. All are positive. So tell Putin,” the Ukrainian president said at a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, who arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky commented on Vladimir Putin’s statement about the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian army. He said this at a press conference after a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit, Interfax-Ukraine reports. The day before, Putin said that…

Jammu and Kashmir stalwarts Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti will be coming to the Bihar capital next week for the June 23 conclave of parties opposed to the BJP, a key political aide of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Sunday. JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’ made the disclosure at the party’s Bihar headquarters here. “Leaders of altogether 18 parties have agreed to attend the meeting. National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, both former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, have also agreed to come”, said Lalan. Earlier, Lalan had said leaders who had given their assent included Rahul Gandhi and…