Dear Reader,
We have become so used to reading and hearing everyday about negative forces, particularly of climate change, crime and terrorism, that most positive energy is forgotten.
Therefore, when a mass global scale celebration of the International Day of Yoga occurs, involving hundreds of thousands of people across the world, from the hallowed chambers of the United Nations to scores of foreign diplomats before the foreign office in New Delhi to the shores of the sea near Colombo and the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal and the edges of the Syrian desert and, literally, hundreds of other locations worldwide, it was a truly aweinspiring spectacle of the unifying power of positive energy.
In this issue of India Review & Analysis, we dwell on these positive forces that India has shared with the world in our Cover, featuring the “soft power” that has won friends and influenced people to look at India with affection and more. Yoga is a shining example, as are Indian movies, collectively described as Bollywood, which carry India to the world, even though all Indians do not really live the lives portrayed by stars on screen!
On the Back Page, we return to the aesthetics of hand movements in yogasanas, portrayed tastefully as expressions of culture greeting visitors to India.
We are also happy, in this issue, to share with you a Special Report on The State of the Education Report for India 2019: Children with Disabilities, which UNESCO has shared with us, even prior to its global launch.
Eric Falt, the UNESCO Director for South Asia has, in By Invitation outlined some recommendations on how to raise the prospects for Indian children with disabilities.
We have also featured the state of Education in India, after the just released QS rankings for universities, in our
Education & Culture segment.
The Narendra Modi government 2.0 has just got started and, as it settles down to formulating its policies on a variety of issues, including politics, where Kashmir is very high on the agenda, foreign affairs, trade, climate change and, of course, education, we highlight, across sections, some key issues which need to be dealt with.
What kind of legacy would Modi be able to leave in Kashmir, given the high number of casualties of security personnel, asks Uday Bhaskar in Periscope. Would the touch heal the troubled state, or alienate the people?
Meanwhile, Would the removal of Articles 370 and 35A resolve the situation in Jammu & Kashmir? While India appears to be concentrating on combating terrorism in Kashmir, it has lost focus on parts of Kashmir state that went out of its control in 1947, but which it claims as its own, like the Northern Areas of Gilgit Baltistan.
India and Ireland share a long history of close ties, including synergies between their freedom movements. In
Foreign Affairs, we look at some of these linkages. In an interview, outgoing Irish Ambassador Brian McElduff elaborates on some of close linkages.
Bilaterally, India and Kyrgyzstan are now strategic partners, after Modi’s visit.
We look at major issues confronting new Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, in Economy, and how he should take all stakeholders, including Corporates on board, and a road map for Indo-US trade. As trade issues threaten to come to the fore and upstage strategic linkages, as witnessed during the recent visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,
South Block Watch examines how trade is the new bugbear of foreign policy strategists.
With his massive mandate in 2019, we ask whether Modi has become synonymous with the Nation and how, the rise of the Right has seen an exponential decline of the Left and those Left of Centre in their political moorings.
Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have a chance to save the world from the disastrous consequences of climate change, we feature in the Environment, while a marvel of engineering in Telangana is featured in States.
Also featured are guidelines for strategic partnerships in manufacturing Defence hardware while, in Changing India, the drive to empower women is our focus.
A fairly full plate for your perusal.
Do let us know what you think about the edition. Your feedback is greatly valued.
Happy reading! Warmly,