#Where to stay in Delhi

[halidays]

Places to Visit in Delhi - Best Tourist Guide

Delhi is the capital city of India and one of the most vibrant and diverse destinations in the world. It is a city that has witnessed the rise and fall of many empires, the birth and death of many legends, and the fusion and evolution of many cultures. Delhi is a city that offers a glimpse into the past, present, and future of India, with its magnificent monuments, bustling markets, modern…

[noomyguts]

Waiting for future reveal that Marius took the memories Armand was able to recollect about his past in Delhi.

In The Vampire Armand it lines up with the show that due to the trauma Armand faces while kidnapped, enslaved, and abused in the brothel, he had little memory of his life in Delhi, but would still remember fragments here and there.

Armand's first memory he tells Daniel about in 1973, Armand is being run down by slavers.

I think Marius forced Armand to believe he was sold by his parents so that he'd stop longing for his past/culture/religion, and focus on cult de Romanus.

like the contrast of Arun's parents selling him to slavers in the show vs Andrei's father in The Vampire Armand chasing after the raiders that took his son while wounded by multiple arrows (and weeping and begging him to stay when they reunite later on), It'd be such a drastic thing for the show to change about his character, that instead of being taken from a family who loved him he was sold by said family instead??

I've always been like wow memory erasing what a crazy ability for them to introduce in the show...wonder where he learned that from...

Obviously from what Armand believes about his family, I don't think we'll get Armand going back to his homeland flashback scenes like in the book. I think instead Marius deliberately took that opportunity away from him by convincing him he was never loved until Marius and there is nothing for him to go back to.

Just another way for him to have full control and devotion from Amedeo.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Douglas Murray

Published: Feb 24, 2024

Like a number of ‘anti-colonialists’, William Dalrymple lives in colonial splendour on the outskirts of Delhi. The writer often opens the doors of his estate to slavering architectural magazines. A few years ago, one described his pool, pool house, vast family rooms, animals, cockatoo ‘and the usual entourage of servants that attends any successful man in India’s capital city’.

I only mention Dalrymple because he is one of a large number of people who have lost their senses by going rampaging online about the alleged genocide in Gaza. He recently tweeted at a young Jewish woman who said she was afraid to travel into London during the Palestinian protests: ‘Forget 30,000 dead in Gaza, tens of thousands more in prison without charge, five MILLION in stateless serfdom, forget 75 years of torture, rape, dispossession, humiliation and occupation, IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU.’ It is one thing when a street rabble loses their minds. But when people who had minds start to lose them, that is another thing altogether.

I find it curious. By every measure, what is happening in Gaza is not genocide. More than that – it’s not even regionally remarkable.

Hamas’s own figures – not to be relied upon – suggest that around 28,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October. Most of the international media likes to claim these people are all innocent civilians. In fact, many of the dead will have been killed by the quarter or so Hamas and Islamic Jihad rockets that fall short and land inside Gaza.

Then there are the more than 9,000 Hamas terrorists who have been killed by the Israel Defence Forces. As Lord Roberts of Belgravia recently pointed out, that means there is fewer than a two to one ratio of civilians to terrorists killed: ‘An astonishingly low ratio for modern urban warfare where the terrorists routinely use civilians as human shields.’ Most western armies would dream of such a low civilian casualty count. But because Israel is involved (‘Jews are news’) the libellous hyperbole is everywhere.

For almost 20 years since Israel withdrew from Gaza, we have heard the same allegations. Israel has been accused of committing genocide in Gaza during exchanges with Hamas in 2009, 2012 and 2014. As a claim it is demonstrably, obviously false. When Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the population of the Strip was around 1.3 million. Today it is more than two million, with a male life expectancy higher than in parts of Scotland. During the same period, the Palestinian population in the West Bank grew by a million. Either the Israelis weren’t committing genocide, or they tried to commit genocide but are uniquely bad at it. Which is it? Well, when it comes to Israel it seems people don’t have to choose. Everything and anything can be true at once.

Here is a figure I’ve never seen anyone raise. It’s an ugly little bit of maths, but stay with me. If you wish, you might add together all the people killed in every conflict involving Israel since its foundation.

In 1948, after the UN announced the state, all of Israel’s Arab neighbours invaded to try to wipe it out. They failed. But the upper estimate of the casualties on all sides came to some 20,000 people. The upper estimates of the wars of 1967 and 1973, when Israel’s neighbours once again attempted to annihilate it, are very similar (some 20,000 and 15,000 respectively). Subsequent wars in Lebanon and Gaza add several thousands more to that figure. It means that up to the present war, some 60,000 people had died on every side in all wars involving Israel.

Over the past decade of civil war in Syria, Bashar al-Assad has managed to kill more than ten times that number. Although precise figures are hard to come by, Assad is reckoned to have murdered some 600,000 Arab Muslims in his country. Meaning that every six to 12 months he manages to kill the same number as died in every war involving Israel ever.

There are lots of reasons you might give to explain this: that people don’t care when Muslims kill Muslims; that people don’t care when Arabs kill Arabs; that they only care if Israel is involved. Allow me to give another example that is suggestive.

No one knows how many people have been killed in the war in Yemen in recent years. From 2015-2021 the UN estimated perhaps 377,000 – ten times the highest estimate of the recent death toll in Gaza. The only time I’ve heard people scream on British streets about Yemen has been after the Houthis started attacking British and American ships in the Red Sea and the deadbeat idiots on the streets of London started chanting: ‘Yemen, Yemen, make us proud, turn another ship around.’ Because like all leftists and Islamists there is no terrorist group these people can’t get a pash on, so long as that terrorist group is against us.

I often wonder why this obsession arises when the war involves Israel. Why don’t people trawl along our streets and scream by their thousands about Syria, Yemen, China’s Uighurs or a hundred other terrible things? There are only two possible conclusions.

The first is a journalistic one. Ever since Marie Colvin was killed it became plain that western journalists were a target in Syria. Not eager to be the target, most journalists hotfooted it out of the country. Some who didn’t fell into the hands of Isis. Israel-Gaza wars by contrast do not have the same dynamic and on a technical level the media can applaud itself for reporting from a warzone where they are not the target.

But I suspect it is a moral explanation which explains the situation so many people find themselves in. They simply enjoy being able to accuse the world’s only Jewish state of ‘genocide’ and ��Nazi-like behaviour’. They enjoy the opportunity to wound Jews as deeply as possible. Many find it satisfies the intense fury they feel when Israel is winning.

Like being fanned on your veranda while lambasting the evils of Empire, it is a paradox, to be sure. But it is also a perversity. And it doesn’t come from nowhere.

==

"From the water to the water, Palestine is Arab."

This is the actual genocide.

[booksbluegurl]

How's my life lately? Pt. 2

28th April, 24

Just trying to finish my Organic Chemistry. I've got a 3 hour lecture on Hydrocarbons to cover. And ITS SO HOT nowadays. I really wanna visit a water park. Perhaps I should, this May. My exam is on next Sunday. And I'm definitely not as confident as I should be. I have worked hard but I'm afraid that loosing confidence in the last few weeks is gonna mess everything up. But I'm hoping my hopes are gonna stay high for the next week. I'm gonna do my best to trust myself and believe in myself, I'm gonna do the best to not stay rotting in my comfort zone. And I'm sure I'll do good. I'm sure I'll do amazing. Lets take the risk of giving my best and letting the universe decide where it wants to take me.

I'm very excited about my after exam plans though. I'm very sure my mumma is gonna put to work somehow (I've been getting a lot of my work done by my parents since it takes time) after my exams but i'll find some time for myself. I've decided to get a haircut (finally) on 6th and I'm planning on inviting my cousin over at 5th and going for a morning walk the next morning. I'm also planning on going to Delhi to meet my brother. I've got so much fun to have. I'm excited.

-Tanishka.

The pictures are mine. Use with permission. ❤️

[misalpav]

I think in light of recent events, it should come to attention for a lot more people that the western education system needs MASSIVE upheaval especially in the social sciences. "World history", as taught in the United States (because that's where I live and is the system I know best, but from what I've seen, most of the west is like this) is just a ruse at best to focus on Eurocentric history for 7 months and spend the 8th and 9th touching on literally everywhere else. Before anyone says it, no it's not because European history is more relevant to America because the parts of European history that are relevant to the USA are touched on extensively through the almost 3-4 years of US specific history classes I had. Meanwhile, real conflict that actually does affect our daily life because of internet and social media like Israel/Palestine, Russia/Ukraine, China/Taiwan, etc. were never mentioned and we were left shocked as those events transpired and rushed to learn about those histories.

I'm an Indian and a Hindu, so on that front I will also go ahead and say to America: what the absolute fuck? You had absolutely no qualms while teaching the practice of jauhar but couldn't mention that it was an act of desperation by women to salvage their dignity from the Muslim terrorists that wouldn't have wasted a second to r*pe or capture them. You went ahead and taught how Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal because he was upset his wife died but failed to mention the countless native people he killed and temples he desecrated. But you could never mention the native Hindu temples in India that stump modern architects? You could mention Aurangzeb and the Delhi Sultanate but not Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj or Rani Rudramadevi because, according to you, the only important things that happened in India were the Muslim and British imperialists right? Then you wonder why, as a society, we struggle with hinduphobia and terrorist groups like the D*tbusters were given the confidence to exist but I don't actually think it's that surprising considering the narrative taught to children as early as middle and high school. Obviously, this narrative also expands to the countless other minorities that have their histories skewed like this, enabling continued bigotry. I think it's absolutely horrendous how the president of Harvard was able to say "it depends on the context" when it came to punishing antisemitism and still stay as faculty at the university with her high 6 figure salary. That kind of bullshit so high up in our educational structures is exactly what keeps fucking us over.

No, I'm not saying you need to go into the details for everything in the world either because that would be impossible, but what I am saying is history can and should be more equitable. In the United States, you can and should teach American history in detail and I have no issues with that (except for how "American history" itself is being watered down by politics and censorship but that's a whole other conversation), but I think 3 centuries after America got independence from the British, the fact that Henry VIII created a church j so he could divorce his first wife is just so unnecessary when people can't even distinguish the fact that Jesus was a Jew and Judaism is one of the oldest surviving religions and then use false information to hurl insults at the Jew community.

Obviously, a lot of what I said was addressed to America, but that definitely does not give the rest of the West a free pass.

[ramcharantitties]

Rangrez

Chapter 3: Keen

Sita's note: Imagine lying to a police officer lol

When Akhtar brought Kainat home, the whole family stalled, thinking he got married. He already had this responsibility, how was he going to get married now? The breath of relief they exhaled upon clarification sent Akhtar in confusion and made Kainat smile to herself.

It was a sweet family of four people, the kind of family Kainat often dreamed of. A supportive mother, a loving sister and a present father. Somehow, somewhere, Kainat envied Akhtar. Kainat soon got to know that they have a mechanic shop. She promised that as much as she is welcomed home, she won't extend her stay for long.

The only person she didn't understand was Ram. He was serious, yet kind looking man. There were glimpse of hope yet burden in his eyes, and she was keen to know more. Besides, years of training has told her how to read the face of a man. Their first meeting, as she felt, was tolling on him. She didn't understand if he was an ally to the police- perhaps yes. Maybe he was an inside informer. Spies reigned the streets of Lahore- she couldn't be trusting of anyone, anywhere. Kainat felt closer to her goal of freedom after coming to Delhi. The underground and informal meetings, exchange of information and knowledge, planning revolts and revolutions- she wanted to be a part of all of it. And it wasn't possible from the back of her horse cart.

But Delhi was not as easy to fit in, just like this family. Kainat always spent most of her time alone in Shahi Mahal, and sometimes she sprawled upon Khwabgah, doing her art. She painted various murals, only for them to be covered with dust instead of praises. Kainat wondered if she could do all of that here. But this close knit family reminded her that sometimes the best moment comes from just spending time together. Rehana was occasionally kind, but never hated Kainat. Mallika for some reason, did.

The expressions that planted on Kainat's face were only readable to Ram. She felt lucky to be invited to this lunch, eating with everyone. Ram could see the gratefulness on her face. But that raised questions in his mind. Kainat sat next to Akhtar, across Ram. Picking up her spoon, she began to eat when Akhtar pulled it back. "Eat from your hands, that's more fulling" Ram stared at Kainat, who hesitated but followed Akhtar. The way she took small bites, her hands, her lips, everything was elegant about her. Ram's gaze was interrupted when he felt Akhtar tapping his knee and smiling to himself.

Kainat saw Akhtar almost everyday, but he never really asked or interrogated about her background. She often told her Lahore stories to his younger sister anyways although Kainat never saw Ram. She wanted to thank Akhtar and his family, so she took up the kitchen to make Chicken Biryani for them.

She sat away from them, watching and serving when needed. As they huddled around the huge plate, the graceful Kainat died inside. Ram and Akhtar devoured the dish twice the speed of everyone else. On one incident, Akhtar used both his hands to eat. "Akhtar bhaiya, eat from your right hand!" She remarked, when she felt Ram's hot gaze at her. "How does it matter, I'm gonna eat it anyways" Akhtar's reply took away Ram's attention. "You come and eat too" Akhtar looked at Kainat.

Everyone relaxed after the meal, and Ram saw Kainat cleaning the kitchen up, following her. "What was your name again?" Ram's velvety voice shocked Kainat, making her jump. She looked back to see Ram leaning against the door frame, his eyes fixated on her. She turned around to face him. "Kainat" she muttered. "And where do you come from, in Lahore?"

"Heer-" a realisation dawned on Kainat; what if he knew about her birthplace? "Heer?" Kainat saw Ram straining to hear more. "Near Heeramandi" she said, her breaths getting shorter. "And why did you come to Delhi?" Kainat thought hard- would it hurt to tell the truth? "My sister was going to sell me to someone, after our parents died. She wanted everything my father has written in his will for me. So I ran away" Kainat looked down, her hands fiddling. "Do you belong to any royalty or just a rich family?" The poor girl looked up at Ram again. "Rich family, my father's business boomed" she wondered if that's how children with fathers talk. "And how l-" "you ask too many questions" Kainat couldn't help but notice. "Even Akhtar bhaiya didn't ask as many" she smiled, looking at Ram's mouth agape. His expression turned to a sincere and serious one, as he moved closer to her, step by step.

"And that's why I have to." Ram's breath hit her, his voice audible to only them. Kainat's smile fell. They stared at each other for what seemed to be a long time, when they were interrupted by a voice outside. "Kainat, can you make tea for everyone?"

She moved almost immediately, turning around to pick up the pan and filled it with water. Kainat reached her hand out to pick up the steel box of tea leaves, only to find it empty. She could still feel Ram staring at her every move, but she said nothing. Ammi did say in the morning where the box of tea leaves is, but it was too up for Kainat. She tried to pick it up, but her fingers slid it back on the shelf. Kainat could feel a presence around her, closer than where Ram was. She turned around to see Ram picking up the box. He breathed down Kainat's neck, his fingers barely grazing the box. "Maybe I should move" she began to escape the close space, only to be stopped by Ram's denial. "No, I got it" he said, handing the box to her now.

Kainat muttered a small thanks, and put two spoons of leaves in the boiling water, when she felt Ram's lips almost touching her ear. "If I found that you're lying, there'd be repercussions". A chill went down her spine, but before she could turn and see him- the kitchen was empty.

______________________________________

Tagging: @jkdaddy01 @ramayantika @definitelyhim @starlight-1010 @panikk-attackkk @vijayasena @lilliebeingdelulu @multifandom-boss-bitch @yehsahihai

[solarpunks]

India’s electric rickshaws are leaving EVs in the dust

Each month, this upskilled team produces bodies and chassis for nearly 5,000 three-wheeler EVs, locally known as e-rickshaws, for the New Delhi-based YC Electric, India’s second-largest manufacturer in the segment. In 2023, YC Electric alone sold over 40,600 e-rickshaws, while 82,500 electric cars were sold in the country. Even as India awaits its first Tesla, these humble e-rickshaws made by workers like Baran are powering an EV revolution in the country.  Each month, this upskilled team produces bodies and chassis for nearly 5,000 three-wheeler EVs, locally known as e-rickshaws, for the New Delhi-based YC Electric, India’s second-largest manufacturer in the segment. In 2023, YC Electric alone sold over 40,600 e-rickshaws, while 82,500 electric cars were sold in the country. Even as India awaits its first Tesla, these humble e-rickshaws made by workers like Baran are powering an EV revolution in the country. 

The Sonipat plant where YC builds its e-rickshaws is a joint venture with the company’s former Chinese import partners Jiang Li and Xue Jian Nan, who hold a 49% stake in the facility. “The link [with the Chinese suppliers] became so good that they also believed in us, invested money with us, and shared technology with us,” Kakkar said. Chinese engineers stayed “for days” to train welders like Baran when the factory first opened, he said. His company’s ethos, according to Kakkar, is “Make in India, but technology from China.”

CHECK OUT THESE METALLIC CHROME BAD BOYS

(Via Rest of World)

[world-of-wales]

I was looking into where COP is going it be hosted because it can tie in to earthshot, and of course Brazil is next year. COP31 (2026) is likely to be in Australia which is also a strong contender for earthshot, India is bidding for COP33 in 2028….

My reasoning on a potential Indian Earthshot is below this.

India better stay away from cop33 & Earthshot, especially after their latest 'achievements' in the conservation sector. The govt is fantastic in making bold claims but in reality, can't do shit. And I for one don't want william anywhere near that dumpster fire of hypocrites.

There's so many examples of their sheer incompetence, there's a polluted river in india - yamuna. Between 2017 - 2021 (or 22) I believe more than ₹6,800 crores of taxpayer money was spent on cleaning that death trap and it still is as dirty as it was when all this first began. There's actual toxic foam of ammonia and phosphates that floats around it 24/7.

Then just this week news came out that 25 Tigers, (which are an endangered species btw and also part of a very ambitious conservation project 'Project Tiger' started in 1973) have been untraceable from a state run national park for the past year. The only reason this came out was because another tiger was found dead from that forest.

And just yesterday, it came out that 10 elephants died in another state run park last month because they were fed...fungal infected millets.

Heck, Delhi? The capital? It's consistently been one of the most polluted cities of the world for years. It's a literal gas chamber, which gets the worst around the current time coz of various issues. Now diwali falls around this time and because of the air quality, the Indian supreme court banned any sort of crackers/fireworks to be burnt in the area? Sounds amazing right? But guess what since crackers have come to be associated with Diwali which is a hindu festival. So the members of the ruling party within their agenda have turned this ban into an attack on religion and consistently provoke their supporters on this ground urging them to burn crackers and make delhi insufferable for all.

This is just 4 examples, there's so many that if I start listing them, we'll be here for a long time.

Moreover, the current ruling party will only twist the visit to fill into their own agenda of hate mongering & political capital as they have been known to do with every such visit.

Also the govt quite literally cordoned off low income neighborhoods that fell on route of the attendees in Delhi with plastic barriers and police personnel during the G20 in 2023, to make sure no world leader saw anything other than the rosy picture they were putting out.

Now imagine what would happen in case of something like COP33. Ofc they would do similar repulsive things then also and imagine how harmful being attached to something like this with a potential Earthshot will be for William and his public image!

I would love for him to come here, Earthshot is such a fabulous initiative, and there's such a booming environmental startup sector in India like Phool (I personally am aware of their situation. My mum's cousin runs a marketing firm and she's the one who handles everything for them, and she's told me so much about how Earthshot has helped them since 2022 with linking them to investors, other similar businesses, exposure etc) or Kheyti etc etc which deserve to be highlighted.

But in the past 10 years buisness and government have become so intrinsically linked in india that no matter what the ruling party will hijack the contributions of these organizations like they do.

So yeah maybe I'm being a narrow minded idiot but Earthshot in India rn? Will only lead to credibility issues.

Now let's hope I don't go to jail for putting all this here by exercising my fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a).

[coolheadofficial]

I came to my home town, thinking i would get a break from the delhi news. Just within a week, rape happened near 2 km from where i am staying in the day and someone made a video and my cousin's friend commited suicide who was a neet topper and in his third year of MBBS.

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

ArShi SS: Crossing Boundaries

Warning: 16+, heavy themes on desire

Note: I watched the kidnapping track where they're just so desperate for each other hence this is the end result. And a little gift for the enthusiastic reaction to the Sobti interview!

(Psst, please do go over and paste your comments in the website as well!)

Chapter 1 | Imagination

The mind does not differentiate between thought and reality. If an athlete simply imagined that they were running across a field track, their mind was stimulated as if it were in reality.

Thus when Arnav woke up mid sleep, drenched in sweat, heart racing as remnants of a sinful dream faded with waking, he knew he had crossed the first boundary of whatever moral decency that existed.

Khushi in a modest red saree with a daring backless blouse with no room for a bra.

He knew that it would just take a flick of a finger to undo the blouse.

What if the saree hadn't been pinned?

He had seen the sliver of skin through the gossamer fabric.

The long lashes wet in the rain, lips quivering in confusion...

Could he assume anticipation? Damn it, he was losing his mind. Playing games with Khushi Kumari Gupta was no longer fun. At first he had foolishly thought that it was a battle of wits and he had been so entertained to put her through menial tasks, watch her intelligent mind get frustrated with the redundancy. She was close to making a mistake, to not finding a creative solution for the assignments.

It had taken him one day to realize her mind, and mouth, were as sharp as a razor.

Thus having her stand motionless, mute, with a coat all day was the masterstroke. He saw the way her eyebrows shot up when Liza hugged him, then why did it piss him further when she seemed perfectly unperturbed when Liza continued to harp praises on him. Why did he need to get her attention on him?

And since when had Arnav Singh Raizada fret over a nobody.

Fret. Arnav scoffed, he was wiser than that. Obsession was the truth. There was something about her, something that frustrated him to no end.

Because having anything with Khushi Kumari Gupta would change the fundamental outlook of his life. She valued love, marriage, commitment and would see lust in the bracket of sin.

Arnav flopped back in his bed, content with being exhausted enough to catch a few more hours of sleep.

Being attracted to Khushi Kumari Gupta would challenge his formative beliefs and there's no way he would be trading his foundation for a passing fancy.

Even in a hypothetical world, Khushi wouldn't change to fit in his life. She wouldn't ever be a safe bet.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Khushi couldn't risk fancying Arnav Singh Raizada. Fancy? Khushi sighed in defeat, twisting away in bed, unable to look at Payal's sleeping face nor Devi Maiyya.

She was bothered by her relief in staying back in Delhi. Of course staying back in the same city as Buaji meant the most, but he lived in this city too.

Something bugged her about Arnav Singh Raizada. It almost felt like if she spent another minute in his presence, something might happen.

Something that might fundamentally change Khushi Kumari Gupta.

Something for which she'd trade her strict upbringing and romantic dreams.

In the romantic novels she sneaked in at library, the term fancy felt closest. Because this couldn't be love. But it bore the symptoms of it all.

Yes, she wanted to see him again, yet run away at first sight.

Yes, he made her pulse go faster, as well as her nerves.

Yes, she had dreams where he caressed her hair in her sleep, and a reality where he'd push her buttons to the extremes.

The contradictions ruled out anything that could happen between them. But when she told she couldn't, no, wouldn't see him ever again, she wanted to stay back and look at the disaster on his face.

They had nothing, but it felt like she broke something.

Khushi closed her eyes, shivering at the wind brushing her hair across her forehead.

He stared at her, brushing the hair away. Once to see her, then again to caress her. She felt his strong hands rest on her skin as he carried her, lightweight. The sheer power in his physicality - the heat emanating from his skin or the eyes that just saw right through what she wore.

Imagination was worse than reality, Khushi concluded.

Reality gave one the excuse to state that one didn't anticipate crossing the boundary. But imagination revealed that one was yearning to cross it all along.

A/N: Let me know in the comments how you liked it. And yes this is prewritten and will be posted pretty soon unlike my other stories *cry* - Jalebi Tagging: @butaneandthebeast @shiyaravi @shaonsim @thenainitaldisaster @maansiloves @muttonthings @sapnokiduniyaisalwaysbetter @bengudill @myloveforstuff @laad-governess @laadgovernorandsankadevi @leila1 @lostafpanda @magicfeltmybloop @honeybellexox x @featheredclover @goals1024 @bigfatreader @simplycurlz @persephone-with-a-cat@sankititaliya @ijustchangedmyname @noor1025 @bitchy-bi-trash @thecharlesboyle @minpdnim @starzin8s @zaphbeeblebrox @white-thebeauty @bunnypassionsworld @scorpio-smiles @exosexosekai @whateverworks21 @chutkiandchotte (let me know if you want to be added or removed)

[infatuationbaby]

India and Independence- Part 1

Tomorrow, 15th of August, is when India celebrates her 77th Independence day and I'd like to rant on everything that should be brought in spotlight. Here we go:

Religion and its role in today's India: I expect we all know what's the current state of religion is in India. It has became no more than a political tool to gain votes. Nothing more. People kill, torture, rape, exploit in the name of religion. The united front this country once presented in the face of the colonisers has long been collapsed. People of different faith find themselves questioning their safety and rights in our country. Have we all forgotten? That in the struggle of independence, we didn't see eachother as hindu, muslims or Sikh, we were just Indians. That during the Jallian wala bagh shootings, the Britishers didn't discriminate between Hindus and muslims, they open fired at all. So why today we point fingers at eachother? Why does extremist parties still thrive in this country who spread religious hatred and entice communal violence? They put on a facade that 'blah blah religion is under threat' and naively everyone agrees. The higher ups plays with the religious beliefs so that they can remain in that position of power. We must remind ourselves this independence day that as long as we foster religious hate, we are never going to develop.

Deep rooted patriarchy and it's cruel effects on the women of this country: Oh I can never run out of words when speaking on this topic. Whether you're a man who has been told since childhood that "boys don't cry" or a woman who has experienced all the atrocities committed by people around you just because you're a woman. We all have experienced the toxic effects of Patriarchy in our daily lives. The mindset that men are superior, more logical, more capable, owner of the house, women are emotional, weak, should stay at home, lower their voices while talking to men, each and every one of this point mixes the poison of Patriarchy deeper into the rivers of this country. It is so deeply engraved that people don't even bat an eyelash when a husband treats his wife like shit. Domestic abuse is common in India. Violence against women is justified. "Husbands have a right to beat their wives", I heard this from the mouth of my own grandmother 2 days ago. This country got independence 77 years ago, but women don't have any in this country. From the second we step out of their homes, men eye us lecherously, we step into our workplace, the manager gives us a creepy smile, we go to schools and colleges, the principal teaches us "don't dress provocatively." Where are the morals? Rape has became so common that we don't understand how horrific it is. And how do the rapists get punished? Bilkis bano's rapists were bailed out and were felicitated with garlands and bouquets as if they did some great thing for the country. THEY GANG RAPED HER. Nirbhaya's case (Delhi 2012), changed nothing! The convicts were hanged yes, but what did the government do to lessen the chances of another nirbhaya? What did they do to protect the women of our country? Nothing. Prajjwal Revanna, a renowned politician, whose rally our honourable pm😍 himself attended, had raped women and had recorded sex tapes of him doing the act. What was the action taken against him? Nothing. The recent news that cut deeply through the medical community, The kolkata doctor's horrific rape and brutal murder. She had completed her 36 HOUR shift and had dinner with her juniors at 2 am. Then went to rest in the seminar hall. What are they doing to bring justice? Nothing, just false assurances. All this country does is sits back and wait for another Bilkis bano, another nirbhaya, another female doctor. When is this going to change?

I wanted to delve even deeper into the issues but the post is getting too long. So, wait for part 2 ig?

[arshisrabbaves]

3 Am Rant: Biggest WTF moment in IPK (for me)

When Khushi said something like “Maybe Shyam has had a change of heart after loosing his child” I seriously lost my cool-

Little context: After losing her baby Anjali is very vulnerable and no one or nothing can make her feel better. Well except for her Shyam ji (the most loving person in the world lol!) So when Khushi sees that how Anjali felt better only when Shyam is around her she brings him back. Arnav on the other hand gets upset at Khushi and asks her why she did that (as he should tbh!) to which she replies saying “If I didn’t bring Shyam back then who knows what might happen to Anjali and I think Shyam has changed now for better”

WTF! Like- are you serious? You got to be kidding right? This is the worst line said by KKGSR in entire Ipk. I have looked past most of Khushi’s mistakes and naive behaviour because I’m like- okay! I understand that Khushi doesn’t really have real insights of the world, she viewed everyone from the same lens and it’s probably because she had to live in the shadows of Guptas for years where she nodded her head and agreed with everything that they said. Not that I blame her for it, poor girl was probably reminded of the fact that she was adopted every now and then.

That man! Stalked her, followed her from Lucknow to Delhi

But her assuming that Shyam has changed for better was the worst thing ever imo. In that moment she was no longer a pure hearted innocent girl or someone who’s naive. She was straight up Dumb and stupid, I’m sorry if I sound harsh! I love Khushi I really do- but I can’t understand how can she be ready to forgive Shyam and think he has changed after everything he put her through.

That man! He stalked her, followed her from Lucknow to Delhi. Deceived her and her family and stayed with them, manipulated buaji for his and Khushi’s marriage, even though he was already married. Tried to kill her father, indirectly blackmailed her family and restrained them from telling Raizadas the truth. Physically and verbally abused Khushi during Payash wedding track, created misunderstandings between Arnav and her, kidnapped Arnav and tried to kill him, left her in the middle of the road to die. Assassinated her character in front of everyone.

You see it’s a huge list-

Khushi was the first person (after Shashi) to find out the truth about Shyam. She’s the one who has seen the disgusting side of him more than any other characters, even she knows what he put her through. And then her saying something like this- totally baffling.

Like! Were what was script writer thinking!!

And the fact that Arnav said that he’ll never trust Shyam again! That’s how you do it!

This is that one thing I wish I could change in Ipk!

[lboogie1906]

Martin Luther King III (October 23, 1957) is a human rights activist, philanthropist & advocate. The oldest living child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, he served as the 4th President of the SCLC (1997-2004).

After he attended The Galloway School, he attended Morehouse College, the same school where his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather attended. He is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, as was his father. He received his BA in political science from Morehouse College.

On June 9, 1986, he announced his candidacy for the Fulton County Commission, becoming the first of his father’s immediate family to become directly involved in politics. He won the election and was re-elected in 1990, serving (1987-93). He was defeated in a special election for the Chairmanship in 1993.

He opposed the death penalty in 1989, stating “If we believed in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, most of us would be without eyes and without teeth”. In 1993, he helped found the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc., the company that manages the license of Martin Luther King Jr.’s image and intellectual property. He remains a commissioner in the company as of 2008. During his service as a commissioner in Fulton County, he expressed appreciation to an officer who potentially saved his mother from harm from a crazed man. In February 2009, he and his wife traveled to India, fifty years after his father and mother made the trip. During his stay in India, he led a delegation, which included John Lewis and Andrew Young. In New Delhi, he visited museums on Mahatma Gandhi’s life and answered questions from students. He denounced the war in Iraq and the Mumbai attacks during a lecture at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

He urged Texas to grant a reprieve to death row inmate Rodney Reed in 2019 and urged Alabama to stop the execution of Nathaniel Woods in 2020.

He was among the co-founders of Bounce TV. He serves on the Board of Advisors of Let America Vote, an organization that aims to end voter suppression. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphaphialpha

[mariacallous]

As the northern Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir heads to the polls for its first regional-level elections in nearly a decade, voters and candidates alike are still feeling the political hangover from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2019 decision to revoke the region’s special autonomous status.

In August 2019, the Indian government scrapped Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, reducing the former state of Jammu and Kashmir to two union territories—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh—and bringing them under the direct control of New Delhi. The decision, a watershed in the region’s troubled history, sparked outrage. It also marked a shift in how India intended to govern Kashmir, which remains disputed territory with Pakistan.

Even as Jammu and Kashmir gears up to announce the winner of its legislative elections on Oct. 8, the local government will wield limited powers, constrained by a series of laws passed since 2019 that have reinforced the central government’s control over the region. Though the newly formed Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly will have power to make some laws, the region will be headed still by a New Delhi-appointed governor, who wields substantial authority over public order, police, bureaucracy, anti-corruption measures, and financial matters.

The region, particularly the Kashmir Valley, has witnessed decades of violence since the 1988 insurgency that drew India and Pakistan into three wars. Since it came to power in 2014, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asserted that its policies have brought development and democracy to Kashmir. However, people in the region have generally expressed anger over Modi’s revocation of Article 370, which consolidated power in the hands of nonlocals.

Meanwhile, other regional parties in Kashmir—including separatist groups such as Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir (JeI), Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, and the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front—have been banned or marginalized and many of their leaders imprisoned. The remaining dissidents in Kashmir have either changed their stance or stayed quiet out of fear of repression. Kashmiris are thus using this election season as an outlet for expressing frustration and anger by supporting local political parties or non-BJP candidates.

To New Delhi, the elections represent a chance to signal that Kashmir has moved on from its long-standing demands for azadi, or freedom, and has instead flourished in the post-2019 environment. However, many separatist groups or individuals who previously boycotted elections, including some backed by the banned JeI, are now participating. Meanwhile, mainstream Kashmiri politicians are positioning themselves as the last line of defense against what they perceive as the BJP’s attempts to reshape the region’s political dynamics, urging voters to reject Modi’s narrative and promising to restore Kashmir’s autonomy.

Kashmir kick-started its phased elections on Sept. 18, with the second round of voting taking place on Sept. 25. The third and final round of voting will take place on Oct. 1, before results are announced a week later.

There are a total of 90 seats up for grabs, but with more than 300 independent candidates out of 873 in the race, it has become one of the most unpredictable elections in Kashmir’s history. The BJP has set a goal of winning at least 30-35 of 43 seats in Jammu, while it is contesting 19 of the 47 seats in the Kashmir Valley, a Muslim-majority region where it has traditionally struggled to gain traction.

Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, has emerged as another key figure. Rashid represents the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) and is a two-time lawmaker from northern Kashmir who contested and won a seat in India’s parliament in June, defeating prominent figures such as former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of the National Conference party and Sajad Lone, the leader of the People’s Conference party.

Rashid’s victory by a margin of more than 200,000 votes marked a shift in the region’s politics—signaling anger toward the politicians who had failed to safeguard Kashmir’s autonomy or bring about meaningful changes in their decades of rule. In the last year, Rashid’s AIP has gained traction and positioned itself as a formidable player in the regional elections. While campaigning on behalf of AIP candidates, Rashid has vehemently targeted Abdullah’s and Lone’s parties, accusing them of ganging up against him.

Rashid, who was arrested in 2019 on terrorism funding charges under India’s draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, was recently released on interim bail. At a campaign rally in Baramulla, a town in northern Kashmir, on Sept. 13, he spoke to an energized crowd.

“[Modi’s] naya [new] Kashmir was [meant] to kill, arrest, harass, and humiliate people,” he told the gathering. “Kashmiris don’t like to throw stones, but that doesn’t mean we will surrender before your power,” he added, while his supporters cheered him on.

Rashid has promised the reinstatement of Kashmir’s autonomy, the release of all political prisoners, and the repeal of controversial laws such as the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act. The campaign offers a platform that appeals to people, especially the youth, who feel that their voices have been stifled since 2019. But many of Rashid’s opponents—including Abdullah and Lone, as well as Mehbooba Mufti, another former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir—have accused him of being an agent of the BJP.

The BJP has also been accused of supporting other political parties and independent candidates, further complicating the region’s political landscape. Another such example is JeI—which remains banned under the country’s anti-terrorism law. Though most of its leaders remain imprisoned and its assets seized, it is trying to make a comeback in this year’s elections and has demanded the suspension of its ban.

Abdullah, who was Jammu and Kashmir’s chief minister from 2009 to 2015, has voiced concerns over the proliferation of independent candidates and accused the BJP of using them to dilute the opposition’s vote. “Independent candidates are being deliberately fielded to create confusion and divide votes in critical constituencies,” he said at a recent rally. “The BJP is leaving its options open. … Voters need to be cautious. Fragmented votes will only serve to help those who do not have Jammu and Kashmir’s best interests at heart.”

To bolster its chances and stave off a BJP victory in Kashmir, the National Conference has formed an alliance with Rahul Gandhi, India’s opposition leader from the Indian National Congress party. Yet the Gandhi-Abdullah alliance’s promises to restore the region’s autonomy are viewed skeptically, even by their own supporters. New Delhi has made it abundantly clear that Article 370 will never be reinstated.

Mufti, the leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and who was chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 2016 to 2018, has also thrown her hat in the ring. After the 2014 elections, the PDP formed an alliance with the BJP—which has cost it support—but since 2019, the PDP has been the strongest opponent of the BJP and its policies in Kashmir. On Sept. 25, Mufti told a gathering: “Jammu and Kashmir will never have a BJP government. There will be a secular government. … PDP will be an important factor.”

Mufti’s party has also pledged to bring back statehood, revoke detention laws, and release prisoners, among other promises. Meanwhile, the BJP has continued to target both Abdullah and Mufti as “dynasts” who have kept Kashmir mired in conflict.

Though the debate over Kashmir’s autonomy has taken center stage among candidates, voters across polling stations in Kashmir are also concerned about their daily cost of living and issues such as high unemployment, increased electricity costs, limited infrastructure, and continuous detentions and police verifications.

The current political climate in Kashmir harks back to the 1970s, when Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, then the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, pledged to safeguard the region’s autonomy while New Delhi’s Janata Party—a precursor to today’s BJP—led by Morarji Desai, tried to block his return to power.

Similar to the 1977 regional elections, today’s promises of autonomy now ring hollow to many residents, as successive governments have failed to preserve Kashmir’s special status. Kashmiris feel that elections have historically served as a tool to dilute their aspirations rather than fulfilling them. Manzoor Ahmad, a 49-year-old from Srinagar, voted for the first time this year. “I voted for a greater good,” he said. “We are facing lots of problems as we have been crushed. We want a local party to win to stop this.”

No matter who wins the elections, however, the new government is likely to be weak with limited powers, overshadowed by the New Delhi-appointed governor. The elections have thus become a ballot on the region’s lack of autonomy—and by extension, a test of how voters view Modi’s government.

“These election rallies have the same nomenclature as that of protest rallies in the past,” said Waheed Parra, a PDP candidate from southern Kashmir. “I see people, mostly youth, in campaigns, and it is visible they are angry. They want space to be expressed and be heard. Nobody has listened to them in the past five years.” Parra warned that if the mandate of these elections is not respected by New Delhi, the situation on the ground could turn dangerous.

The undercurrents may already exist. It appears not everyone in Kashmir is excited about the elections. Compared with the 2014 regional elections, some parts of the valley have either witnessed low voter turnout or only a slight increment. In Srinagar, for example, which is the summer capital, turnout in the second phase of voting was low, at just under 30 percent.

New Delhi has invited a delegation of 15 diplomats from foreign countries, including the United States, to observe the local elections, though many of the BJP’s opponents, including Abdullah, have questioned the visit.

Kashmir’s political future may still be fragile, but its path is being steadily reshaped by forces both old and new. As the elections progress, one thing is evident: New Delhi’s attempts to suppress dissent and tighten its grip on Kashmir over the last five years have inadvertently reignited the region’s political landscape, bringing back to the stage individuals and groups who once led mass protests and called for election boycotts. Simultaneously, the fear of continued repression has prompted many to vote, in a bid to see some change—even as the region’s underlying tensions remain unresolved.

[beardedmrbean]

Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Bangladesh's embattled prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, resigned Monday and fled the country after protesters stormed her official residence in the capital amid a growing revolt that began over quotas for government jobs in which hundreds of mostly protesters have died.

The announcement from the head of the army, Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman, came after security forces were overwhelmed by thousands of people incensed by a violent government crackdown descending on the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area of Dhaka, setting cars and offices ablaze.

Footage circulating online shows protesters celebrating inside Hasina's residence, removing furniture and elsewhere in the city trying to tear down a statue of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, former prime minister and leader of the country's independence movement, who was assassinated in 1975.

Promising the formation of an interim government, Zaman pleaded with demonstrators to call off their protests.

"Whatever demands you have, we will fulfil and bring back peace to the nation, please help us in this, stay away from violence," said Zaman who promised the military would also back off.

"The military will not fire at anyone, the police will not fire at anyone, I have given orders."

Hasina arrived by helicopter in India at a military airbase 17 miles east of Delhi on Monday evening with the BBC reporting that she may be en route to London, citing unconfirmed reports.

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday that he wanted to see urgent action to "ensure democracy" won out -- but made no mention of Hasina coming to Britain or any discussions regarding where she might go into exile.

"The right to peaceful protest must be protected and never subjected to violence, and we call on the authorities to release all peaceful protesters and ensure due process is followed for those charged and prosecuted," he added.

"I hope that swift action is taken to ensure that democracy prevails and accelerate the process towards peace and security to people in Bangladesh."

Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, said she had been considering resigning for the past 24 hours and had left the country for her own safety at the insistence of her family.

He rejected the accusations leveled at the 76-year-old of outstaying her welcome after four terms totaling more than two decades during which she gradually morphed from the democratic icon catapulted into office in a people power uprising into an authoritarian leader amid crackdowns on dissent and allegations of graft.

"She has turned Bangladesh around. When she took over power it was considered a failing state. It was a poor country. Until today it was considered one of the rising tigers of Asia. She's very disappointed."

In Dhaka, demonstrators ignored an evening curfew as unrest and looting continued into the night with demonstrators breaching the gates and damaging the residence of Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan in the Dhanmondi area of the capital where smoke was seen coming from the building.

Protesters torched the city's Mujibur museum.

Northeast of Dhaka, 150 miles away in Sylhet, the offices of the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police and the homes of several councilors were attacked.

Hasina's resignation came a day after more than 90 people were killed Sunday during clashes between anti-government protesters and police -- 13 of whom were among those killed after thousands of people attacked a police station in the northwestern district of Sirajganj.

Sunday's casualties brought the death toll to 280 since early July when student protests over the partial reinstatement by the courts of civil service recruitment quotas -- where sought-after government jobs were reserved for supporters of Hasina's ruling Awami League -- erupted into wider, and violent, anti-government unrest.

Government crackdown efforts escalated from tear gas and rubber bullets to live fire, curfews and Internet blackouts bringing hundreds of thousands more people onto the streets demanding change and ultimately Hasina's resignation.

Student organizers had called Sunday for a national non-cooperation government boycott under which people would refuse to pay taxes and utility bills.

[bollywoodirect]

Celebrating 43 years of #ChashmeBuddoor (08/05/1981), a classic romantic comedy about friendship and love, starring Farooq Shaikh, Deepti Naval, Rakesh Bedi, Ravi Baswani, and Saeed Jaffrey. Directed by Sai Paranjpye and produced by Gul Anand and Jayshree Anand — Makhija, this film captures the essence of youth and camaraderie.

The story revolves around three Delhi University students—Siddharth, Omi, and Jai—who stay in the city during their summer vacation. Their routine life takes a turn with the arrival of Neha, a charming young woman.

After directing the poignant drama "Sparsh," Sai Paranjpye switched gears dramatically to craft "Chashme Buddoor," a lighthearted comedy that explores male friendship with witty and sharp insights, avoiding clichéd slapstick humor.

The film shines with its realistic dialogue and natural interactions, especially in scenes like when Siddharth, trying to play it cool, offers Neha a ride, only to admit he'd been waiting for her. Neha, far from a typical damsel, reveals she hoped he would appear. This genuine exchange underscores their mutual attraction and understanding.

Another memorable moment is when Neha demonstrates a detergent’s effectiveness by washing a towel, which Siddharth sheepishly admits was already clean. The simplicity and honesty of their interactions make "Chashme Buddoor" feel as refreshing as a sudden rain shower.

The film also features a delightful proposal scene where Siddharth's nervousness meets Neha's playful challenge, showing the depth of their bond and the light-hearted nature of their relationship.

"Chashme Buddoor" remains a beloved example of how humor and heart can create a timeless story about the joys and surprises of everyday life.