#agency Life India

[levyconindia001]

Web designing agency in Gurgaon

Our web designing agency in Gurgaon offers top-notch services to help businesses establish a strong online presence. With a team of experienced designers and developers, we create custom websites that are not only visually appealing but also highly functional and user-friendly. From responsive design to e-commerce solutions, we cater to a wide range of needs to ensure that our clients have a website that truly represents their brand and helps them achieve their business goals.

[seo-ex]

GHT is a leading Germany Nurses Recruitment Agency in India, owing to its unwavering commitment to excellence, comprehensive services.

[townpostin]

Baharagora Youth Trapped in Dubai, Seeks Help for Safe Return

Ishtiyaq Ahmed, a youth from Bahargora’s Chingra Panchayat, stranded in Dubai after being misled by an agency, seeks help for a safe return to India. Ishtiyaq Ahmed, the son of Abdul Kayyum from Chingra Panchayat in Baharagora, who went to Dubai in search of a better future, has found himself trapped in difficult circumstances. JAMSHEDPUR – Ishtiyaq Ahmed, a resident of Chingra Panchayat in…

[nando161mando]

"Sanatan Dharma is the bedrock on which untouchability, caste violence, misogyny and rape culture get religious sanction in India."

— Meena Kandasamy

[mediaheights]

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[rhsoftech2024]

Benefits of Digital marketing course in today‘s world

Digital marketing has revolutionized the way businesses promote their products and services, offering a myriad of benefits and advantages over traditional marketing methods. From enhanced targeting capabilities to cost-effectiveness, here are some of the key benefits of digital marketing:

: One of the primary advantages of digital marketing is its ability to precisely target specific demographics. Through data analytics and tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Insights, marketers can gather detailed information about their audience's preferences, behaviors, and demographics. This allows for highly targeted campaigns that are more likely to resonate with the intended audience.

Cost-Effectiveness: Digital marketing typically offers a higher return on investment (ROI) compared to traditional marketing channels. With digital advertising platforms such as Google Ads and social media advertising, businesses can set precise budgets and only pay when their ads are clicked or seen by users. This level of control over spending ensures that marketing efforts are cost-effective and efficient.

: Unlike traditional marketing methods, digital marketing allows for real-time tracking and analysis of campaign performance. Marketers can easily monitor key metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, and engagement levels. This data-driven approach enables businesses to make informed decisions and optimize their marketing strategies for better results you can digital marketing near you , with in your budget

Global Reach: With the internet connecting people across the globe, digital marketing offers businesses the opportunity to reach a vast and diverse audience. Through channels such as social media, email, and search engines, companies can expand their reach beyond geographical boundaries and target customers worldwide.

Flexibility and Adaptability: Digital marketing channels are highly flexible and can be easily adjusted to accommodate changing market trends and consumer preferences. Whether it's updating ad creatives, refining targeting parameters, or experimenting with new tactics, digital marketers have the agility to adapt their strategies in real-time.

In conclusion, digital marketing offers a wide range of benefits, including enhanced targeting, cost-effectiveness, measurable results, global reach, flexibility, engagement, accessibility, and opportunities for continuous improvement. Whether you're a digital marketing expert or a business owner looking to expand your online presence, embracing digital marketing strategies can help you achieve your goals effectively and efficiently.

[ambition-finserve]

Unlocking Financial Success: Finding the Best Mutual Fund Distributor in Beawar

In the dynamic landscape of financial markets, making informed investment decisions is crucial for achieving long-term financial goals. For residents of Beawar, a key concern is often finding the right financial partner to guide them through the complex world of mutual funds. In this pursuit, identifying the best mutual fund distributor becomes paramount.

Navigating the Financial Maze: The Need for Expert Guidance

Beawar, like any other city, is home to a diverse population with varying financial aspirations. Many individuals face a common challenge: the lack of financial expertise to make sound investment decisions. This gap often leads to missed opportunities and suboptimal investment choices. Enter mutual funds – a popular and accessible investment avenue for those seeking to grow their wealth.

Why Do You Need a Mutual Fund Distributor in Beawar?

Choosing the right mutual fund distributor is akin to having a financial guide by your side. Here's why you need one:

Expertise Matters: Mutual funds can be complex, with various schemes catering to different risk appetites. An experienced mutual fund distributor in Beawar possesses the knowledge to align your investment goals with the most suitable funds.

Customized Solutions: A skilled distributor understands that one size does not fit all. Every individual has a unique financial situation, so he/she customizes the investment strategy and the portfolio according to the needs. It can be a short-term or long-term objective.

Risk Mitigation: Investing always involves an element of risk. A proficient mutual fund sip advisor in Beawar helps you navigate these risks by providing insights into market trends and adjusting your portfolio accordingly.

Benefits of Choosing the Best Mutual Fund Distributor

Optimized Returns: With a deep understanding of market dynamics, the best mutual distributor can identify opportunities that maximize returns while minimizing risks.

Portfolio Diversification: It is a key investment strategy to help individuals minimize the risk and improve returns. A skilled distributor helps you diversify across different asset classes, ensuring a well-balanced and resilient portfolio.

Regular Monitoring: Financial markets are dynamic, and staying updated is essential. Your chosen distributor keeps a vigilant eye on your investments, making timely adjustments to capitalize on emerging opportunities or mitigate potential losses.

Conclusion: Partnering for Financial Success

Choosing the best mutual fund distributor is not just a prudent decision; it's a step toward financial empowerment. At Ambition Finserve, we understand the unique financial landscape of Beawar and are committed to guiding you toward your financial aspirations. Explore the world of mutual funds with confidence, knowing that you have a trusted partner by your side.

Embark on your financial journey with Ambition Finserve – Your Gateway to Financial Excellence.

[travelvanindia]

make dreams comes true..... travel van is your best choice in travel partner..........

https://travelvanindia.000webhostapp.com/

[chic-beyond-the-wall-oc-acct]

So, project 2025 has been deleting their PDFs but a few lovely people have posted the list of books they want to ban and other than the fact that the entire list is stupid, here's some that stuck out to me + the reasons listed next to them. Most of the books on the list are lgbtq+ books which one would expect to find there, so I just did ones I didn't expect.

The Holy Bible - Challenged for religious beliefs and graphic content.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin - Sexual violence, political intrigue.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson - Death and religious content.

Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey - Toilet humor and "disobedience."

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak - Critique of the Russian Revolution.

Deadly Deceits by Ralph McGehee - Former CIA agent's critiques of the agency.

Emma by Jane Austen - Complex gender themes, social critique.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - Censorship and media manipulation by the government.

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - Accusations of promoting witchcraft.

Howl by Allen Ginsberg - Explicit sexual content, anti-establishment themes

Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss - Concerns over violence against parents.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez - Mental health, sexual content.

It's Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris - Sex education content.

It's So Amazing! by Robie H. Harris - Sex education content.

None Dare Call It Conspiracy by Gary Allen - Discusses alleged hidden global power structure.

None Dare Call It Treason by John A. Stormer - Anti-communist and conspiracy-focused.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - Critique of Soviet labor camps.

Operation Paperclip by Annie Jacobsen - Exposes secret U.S. program involving former Nazis.

My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier - Violence, anti-war themes.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt vonnegut- Anti-war themes.

Spycatcher by Peter Wright - Ex-MI5 agent's account of intelligence operations.

The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama - Criticism of religion, perceived political messages.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin - Female independence, sexuality.

The Book of Night Women by Marlon James - Slavery, graphic violence.

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede - Magic, feminism.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein - Themes of selfishness, parenting.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy - Examines class and caste issues in India.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - Critique of religious extremism and patriarchy.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - Examines police violence and racial injustice

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins - Depicts oppressive government and rebellion.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster - Political subtext, wordplay.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - Critique of colonialism and missionary work.

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene - Critique of religion and political oppression

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle - Religious critique.

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli - Seen as a critique of political ethics.

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare - Often challenged for themes of submission of women in marriage.

Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer - Themes of violence, supernatural elements.

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore - Political rebellion, violence.

War is a Racket by Smedley D. Butler - Critique of war profiteering.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein - Dark humor, "rebellious" themes.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak - Themes of rebellion, dark imagery.

Where's Waldo? by Martin Handford - Alleged inappropriate illustrations.

White Noise by Don DeLillo - Critique of consumerism and modern society.

Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes - Feminist themes.

Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss - Seen as political allegory.

Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis - Critique of authority and societal norms.

[doberbutts]

I’m wondering if you have thoughts on James Baldwin’s “open letter to the born again”? I’m struggling a bit with what his point is in that piece; it feels kinda dismissive on Jewish zionists agency in creation of Israel? But I may be missing parts or not getting things

The text in question.

And the segment I think anon is struggling with:

I know what I am talking about: my grandfather never got the promised “forty acres, and a mule,” the Indians who survived that holocaust are either on reservations or dying in the streets, and not a single treaty between the United States and the Indian was ever honored. That is quite a record.

Jews and Palestinians know of broken promises. From the time of the Balfour Declaration (during World War I) Palestine was under five British mandates, and England promised the land back and forth to the Arabs or the Jews, depending on which horse seemed to be in the lead. The Zionists—as distinguished from the people known as Jews—using, as someone put it, the “available political machinery,’’ i.e., colonialism, e.g., the British Empire—promised the British that, if the territory were given to them, the British Empire would be safe forever.

But absolutely no one cared about the Jews, and it is worth observing that non-Jewish Zionists are very frequently anti-Semitic. The white Americans responsible for sending black slaves to Liberia (where they are still slaving for the Firestone Rubber Plantation) did not do this to set them free. They despised them, and they wanted to get rid of them. Lincoln’s intention was not to “free” the slaves but to “destabilize” the Confederate Government by giving their slaves reason to “defect.” The Emancipation Proclamation freed, precisely, those slaves who were not under the authority of the President of what could not yet be insured as a Union.

It has always astounded me that no one appears to be able to make the connection between Franco’s Spain, for example, and the Spanish Inquisition; the role of the Christian church or—to be brutally precise, the Catholic Church—in the history of Europe, and the fate of the Jews; and the role of the Jews in Christendom and the discovery of America. For the discovery of America coincided with the Inquisition, and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. Does no one see the connection between The Merchant of Venice and The Pawnbroker? In both of these works, as though no time had passed, the Jew is portrayed as doing the Christian’s usurious dirty work. The first white man I ever saw was the Jewish manager who arrived to collect the rent, and he collected the rent because he did not own the building. I never, in fact, saw any of the people who owned any of the buildings in which we scrubbed and suffered for so long, until I was a grown man and famous. None of them were Jews.

And I was not stupid: the grocer and the druggist were Jews, for example, and they were very very nice to me, and to us. The cops were white. The city was white. The threat was white, and God was white, Not for even a single split second in my life did the despicable, utterly cowardly accusation that “the Jews killed Christ’’ reverberate. I knew a murderer when I saw one, and the people who were trying to kilI me were not Jews.

But the state of Israel was not created for the salvation of the Jews; it was created for the salvation of the Western interests. This is what is becoming clear (I must say that it was always clear to me). The Palestinians have been paying for the British colonial policy of “divide and rule” and for Europe’s guilty Christian conscience for more than thirty years.

Finally: there is absolutely—repeat: absolutely—no hope of establishing peace in what Europe so arrogantly calls the Middle East (how in the world would Europe know? having so dismally failed to find a passage to India) without dealing with the Palestinians. The collapse of the Shah of Iran not only revealed the depth of the pious Carter’s concern for “human rights,” it also revealed who supplied oil to Israel, and to whom Israel supplied arms. It happened to be, to spell it out, white South Africa.

Well. The Jew, in America, is a white man. He has to be, since I am a black man, and, as he supposes, his only protection against the fate which drove him to America. But he is still doing the Christian’s dirty work, and black men know it.

My friend, Mr. Andrew Young, out of tremendous love and courage, and with a silent, irreproachable, indescribable nobility, has attempted to ward off a holocaust, and I proclaim him a hero, betrayed by cowards.

For context: Andrew Young, considered the right hand of MLK Jr, had a longstanding and occasionally fraught relationship with the Jewish community. He stepped down from Congress shortly after being forced to choose between voicing support for Palestine and continuing to work towards black-jewish interests by his constituents and fellow politicians, as he felt very strongly about supporting both. This was a fairly unpopular move. While I don't believe he ever called himself Jewish by the strictest sense, he was actively involved in Jewish communities and the known "white" ancestry within him is a Polish Jew in his great grandparents.

To be honest, I don't really see much a problem with this as I think it fairly closely matches up not only with my understanding of the history of this problem but also my own country's part in it as well as my personal feelings on it decades later. It pretty blatantly says that Zionism is utilizing a machination of white supremist colonism due to the extensive history of antisemitism and having had the ancestral land dangled in front of them like bait on a hook from the British Empire, which owned Palestine at the time. It also goes on to say that many Zionists aren't even Jewish and are antisemitic in nature, but are Christians happy to get rid of as many Jews as possible and how that tracks due to the Christian church's millennia-deep history of antisemitism.

I don't think it lets anyone off the hook. I think it pretty much flat out says this is a problem caused first and foremost by white Christians who hate Jews and Arabs alike and have a vested interest in getting the two populations to fight because it'll be easier to kill off just the one group instead of both of them, if one ends up eradicating the other. It even talks about the friction between the black community and the Jewish community, what caused it, what drives it, how that friction in itself is a tool of white supremacy to hurt us both.

[kunosoura]

I became a chemist because I wanted (still want) to spend my life making medicine production more accessible but honestly the main thing I've learned is that the average chemist like at a baseline level doesn't care about the environment. Their concern is doing whatever is needed to keep the regulatory agencies off their backs. dichloromethane gets banned in most industrial uses because of its crazy bad environmental profile, time to switch to using the even worse chloroform. talking excitedly about how the deep ocean nodule mining will reduce the market price for elements even as the few people who do care publish papers saying "these are vital in performing hydrolysis and produce oxygen deep in the sea; mining them up may cause unforseen damage to ocean ecosystems beyond what having tons of industrial machinery down there will do". joking about how you have to be careful not to put halogenated solvents down the drain because the waste channels are monitored and you might get in trouble (and not idk because they're horrible for the environment).

green chemistry. what a joke. imperial core countries ban production/use of the dangerous chemicals which does somewhat dampen the problem but mostly that just means industrialized countries outside the core get stuck with the environmental bill. "only one firm in india produces it nowadays" is a common refrain spoken as if it's normal and not horrifying that a single region is dealing with the sacrifice zone politics that the global chemical market demands. same shit as recycling where really the regions with less global shoving power get stuck with the bill.

[levyconindia001]

Best Social Media Agency in India

Our social media agency in India is renowned for providing the best services in the industry. With a team of highly skilled professionals, we offer comprehensive social media management solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of businesses. From creating engaging content to managing social media accounts, we ensure that your brand gets maximum visibility and engagement on popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

[rideboomindia]

RideBoom has implemented several sustainability measures to reduce its environmental impact compared to Uber and Ola. Some of these measures include:

Electric and Hybrid Vehicles: RideBoom has introduced electric and hybrid vehicles into its fleet, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and noise pollution. This is a unique feature among ride-sharing apps, as most companies rely on traditional fossil-fuel powered vehicles.

Carpooling: RideBoom offers carpooling services, which allow multiple passengers to share rides and reduce the number of vehicles on the road. This not only reduces emissions but also helps to alleviate traffic congestion.

Route Optimization: RideBoom uses advanced route optimization technology to reduce the distance traveled by its vehicles. This helps to reduce fuel consumption, emissions, and wear and tear on the vehicles.

Sustainable Fleet Management: RideBoom has implemented a sustainable fleet management system that ensures all vehicles are properly maintained, which reduces emissions and extends the life of the vehicles.

Carbon Offset: RideBoom has partnered with carbon offset providers to offset the carbon emissions from its operations. This means that for every ton of CO2 emitted, RideBoom invests in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as reforestation or renewable energy generation.

Vehicle Scrappage: RideBoom has implemented a vehicle scrappage program, which encourages drivers to retire older, polluting vehicles and replace them with newer, cleaner ones. This helps to reduce emissions and improve air quality.

Driver Training: RideBoom provides training to its drivers on eco-friendly driving practices, such as reducing speed, accelerating smoothly, and avoiding idling. This helps to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

Partnerships: RideBoom has partnered with local organizations and government agencies to promote sustainable transportation options and reduce emissions in urban areas.

In comparison, Uber and Ola have also implemented some sustainability measures, but they are not as comprehensive as RideBoom's. For example:

Uber has introduced electric and hybrid vehicles into its fleet, but it has not set a target for transitioning to 100% electric vehicles.

Ola has also introduced electric and hybrid vehicles, but its sustainability efforts are more focused on promoting electric vehicles in India.

Both Uber and Ola have implemented carpooling services, but they are not as widespread as RideBoom's carpooling program.

Overall, RideBoom's sustainability efforts are more comprehensive and targeted toward reducing emissions and promoting eco-friendly practices in the ride-sharing industry.

[halfagonyandhope]

ignite the stars │ch. 19

first chapter (x); previous chapter (x)

Satine Kryze is an internationally-recognized scholar in genocide studies who recently resigned from the Department of State over her concerns regarding the agency's ethics. Ben Kenobi is a tenured professor at Georgetown University studying the use of religion to justify military conflicts. Once high school sweethearts, the two haven't spoken since parting ways for university. That is, until Satine accepts a research fellowship - at Georgetown.

---

The next day, Satine drops the shrug and gown off at the dry cleaners. When she picks them up a week later, the cherry blossom petals have begun to fall in earnest, and they are replaced by dense green foliage and muggy afternoons.

Ben is still wary to let her wander too far alone, and if Satine is being honest, she’s glad for his company. He insists on paying as they pick up the garments at the cleaners - as they leave, he murmurs “Your exertion in those pieces was initiated by me, after all” in her ear, causing her to blush deeply - and he walks with her to Embassy Row to return the gown to Breha.

Bail is the one who greets them this time, opening the door with the same enthusiasm that Breha did a few weeks prior. He shows them inside, and as he catches up with Ben, whom he hasn’t seen since his campaign, Breha says, “Padma mentioned she instructed you to get pictures at the fundraiser. I hope you haven’t disappointed her.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” says Satine, and she pulls out her phone to show her friend.

Ben had sent her the pictures he’d taken of her, of course, but her favorite is one of the two of them taken by the event’s photographer that had been posted to the department’s social media page, an album celebrating the success of the event. They’re dancing, him holding her close against him, his hand on her lower back. Satine thinks she remembers the exact joke he’d been telling because she’d already etched that particular smile of his into her memory - she’s tilting her head back in laughter and his eyes are bright with amusement and mischief as he watches her.

Breha squeals. “Like a fairytale,” she says dreamily. “You could be a duchess with her duke consort.”

“Ben would loathe such a life,” Satine says immediately.

Breha quirks a brow at her. “That is not the face of a man who would loathe a lifetime attached to your arm.”

Satine just looks at her, exasperated.

Breha shrugs. “It’s the truth. Regardless, you looked gorgeous.”

“Thanks,” says Satine, genuinely this time. “And thanks again for lending me the dress.”

“It probably will be a while until I would be able to wear it again anyway, if my appointment coming up goes well,” says Breha under her breath. “So I’m glad it got some use. Let’s catch up again soon, okay? Sometime without any Y chromosomes in the room. I sense there have been developments, and I want the details.”

Satine laughs. “Deal.”

---

The following week, Padma invites Satine to tour her office on Capitol Hill. Congress, of course, has long outgrown the main building at the far east side of the National Mall, so most of its members do the majority of their work in various office buildings adjacent to the Mall. Padma’s office is located in one of the buildings to the south, and one of her interns is at the entrance to meet Satine and guide her through security and then to Padma’s office.

Satine has been in the building before to listen to committee hearings and testimonies, but she’s yet to visit any of the offices. The New Jersey flag hangs alongside that of the United States just outside of Padma’s office door, and the intern brings Satine inside, guiding her through the common area and toward Padma’s private office.

It’s a typical junior politician’s office, with a large desk and wood paneling lining the walls. But it’s warmer, perhaps, than Satine had expected: Padma has found ways to incorporate fabric from India, where she was born, on table runners and decorative pillows.

“Satine!” says Padma, standing up to greet her and embracing her tightly, her body language making it clear that Anakin has filled her in on how Satine’s professional life has begun to bleed into her personal one. Padma closes the door behind her, gesturing for Satine to sit in the chair in front of her desk. “Anakin had something he wanted you to know, and given what Ben found in your office, Ani and I agreed it would be best to tell you away from campus. The security here is a tad better.”

Satine laughs at this. “As it very well should be.”

Padma sits down at her desk and rests her hands over the papers strewn across it. “Ani may have gone a bit overboard looking into this,” she warns. “But you’re Ben’s person, and Ani adores Ben. So…”

Padma looks slightly embarrassed as she continues.

“He found two different receivers in the Intercultural Center. One was hidden in the office belonging to the person who bugged your office - Malek. It was deep in a filing cabinet and must have been missed when the room was being cleared out by whichever underpaid employee had to get rid of his stuff.”

Satine nods. “And the second receiver?”

“He doesn’t know for sure because he didn’t break into the office to search, but he thinks the signal is being transmitted to the department chair’s office.”

Satine’s heart drops.

“Dooku Serenno’s office?”

Padma leans forward. “I have the resources of the Library of Congress and the Congressional Research Service on my side. I was able to make a discreet request to look into Serenno. His CV is lengthy, but it turns out that he omits one interesting accomplishment.” Padma takes a breath. “On the CV published on your department’s webpage, Serenno is listed as having obtained one master’s degree and one doctoral degree. He actually has two master’s degrees, though, one of which appears to be scrubbed from the internet.”

Satine thinks she knows where this is going.

“Who was on his master’s committee?” she asks. “For the degree he’s hiding?”

“One Secretary of State Sheev Palpatine,” says Padma. “I’m sure you know he was an academic before going into politics.”

Satine nods.

“Is there anything else I can look into for you?” Padma asks. “Anything else I can help with?”

Satine leans back in the chair, wishing this piece of news weren’t so easy to digest. She thinks back to Asajj’s words about hitting the dark academia jackpot.

She gives Padma a strained smile. “No,” she says. “I mean, if there is, I’ll reach out. I mean it. And thank you. I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate what you and Anakin have done for me.”

Padma’s gaze is knowing. “I can tell you’re tired of thanking people for helping you,” Padma says gently. “It’s a valid feeling.” She takes a deep breath. “But you should know…Ani and I, like Ben - we’d help you even if you didn’t ask. And we don’t care about gratitude, or thanks. We just want to keep you safe. It’s the reason I went into politics, really. I’m tired of government making people less safe. That’s not what it’s here to do.”

Satine nods, and they both stand. 

“Can I call you a cab?” asks Padma, stepping toward her.

Satine shakes her head. “Ben is waiting outside,” she says. “But thank you.”

And this time, Satine is the one to initiate the hug.

---

Moments pass, and then minutes, and then a month.

Satine submits her grant application. When she tells Breha, Breha shares news of her own - miraculously, against all odds, the first round of IVF has taken, and she is pregnant. Satine is sworn to secrecy, but by now she can keep a secret.

On Ben’s birthday at the beginning of May, Satine manages to bake him a cake without setting anything on fire. The icing is sloppy and ridiculous - who knew you were supposed to let the cake cool before applying the frosting? Certainly not Satine - but it tastes just fine, and Ben is clearly overjoyed.

That evening, she straddles his hips in bed, pushing him back against a mound of pillows.

“I’d like to propose another thought experiment,” she says, “this one more…prurient in nature.”

She immediately has his attention, his hands on her hips. “Propose your terms,” he says. “Though I can’t imagine I wouldn’t agree to them with you looking like that.”

Satine grins, beginning to unbutton her blouse. When she reaches the final button, she shrugs out of the shirt, letting it fall over his legs behind her.

She shifts slightly, purposefully creating some friction between them. “I’ve noticed you enjoy foreplay,” she says. “And, in particular, banter. But something I'm wondering about - something I'd like to learn is...what do you like? Physically, that is. I didn't know that part of you when we were teenagers."

Ben's gaze on her softens. "You want me to show you?"

She nods. "Guide me, more like."

His hands push her hips down. "I think you'll find I'm pretty easy to get off," he says. "Occupational hazard of not tending to think too much about sex. So when it's presented to me - especially so appealingly - I'm usually not fatigued."

Satine stills. "Is that you saying you don't masturbate?"

He laughs. "No, I definitely do. I think it's probably just not nearly as often as someone who doesn't identify as ace. My libido is...well, to me it's not weird, but to others it might seem strange. I can go entire months without thinking about sex, and it literally doesn't bother me."

Suddenly Satine is worried. "But you...you do enjoy it, right? You like when we're together?"

Ben takes her hand and places it on him so she can feel for herself the answer to that question. 

"Asexual doesn't necessarily mean indifferent to sex or sex-repulsed," he assures her. "Sometimes it means only interested in sex under the right conditions. And you, my dear, are absolutely the right conditions."

She nods, still a little unsure. "If there is ever a time when I initiate that you aren't receptive..."

"I'd tell you," Ben says. "But the fun part of having an ace partner - at least for you, given my particular flavor of ace - is that even if I'm not feeling particularly like receiving, I'm nearly always interested in giving."

"But if you're not - "

He cradles her jaw. "I will tell you."

Satine leans into his hand. "Are you..." she begins. "Are you feeling open to receiving now?"

Her hand is still under his, resting on top of the buckle of his belt. He moves his fingers to drag her own down his body.

"I'll take that as assent," says Satine, and she moves to unbuckle the belt, to unzip the fly.

She pushes layers of fabric out of the way and then ghosts her fingers over his skin, delighting in the way his breathing becomes uneven.

"Will you show me now?" she asks. "What you like?"

And so he does.

She follows his movements, learning how to unravel him with sure strokes of deft fingers. "I have lube in my nightstand," she says. "Do you want - "

She loses her train of thought as he lifts her hand to his lips, licking her palm, and then guides her hand back to him.

"I suppose that works just as well," Satine says, feeling faint.

And true to his word, he approaches climax fast. He shows her how to bring him there, and when he crosses the precipice, it's glorious. He spills into his hand, trying to prevent a mess, and she watches him, enthralled.

Satine lets herself fall into him as he comes down from his high.

Ben’s arm tightens around her, holding her tight to his chest, as he catches his breath. “Holy fuck,” he says.

Satine kisses his neck. “Good?”

“So fucking good,” he groans, still out of breath. He kisses her, and Satine holds him as his breaths return to normal. 

Then he whispers in her ear.

“You made quite a mess. Help me clean it up?”

She grins, pulling him toward the shower.

---

The next morning, she hears him stir. She’s not ready to wake yet, not ready to move away from him, so she feigns sleep.

Ben kisses her elbow, where the bruises have long faded but memories remain.

“I love you, Satine,” he whispers against her skin.

Satine fights to keep her breathing neutral.

She wants to cry. He’d tried to say those words when they were eighteen, when they were at the precipice of parting for the final time. She couldn’t bear to hear the words then, and she doesn’t think she’s any more ready now.

But his tone - dear God, his tone - it’s like he never stopped believing the words, like he’s been holding them in too long, like he couldn’t wait a second longer to tell her.

So why on earth isn’t she brave enough to open her eyes, to tell him she’s awake? That she’s heard him? Why can’t she be brave enough to say the words back?

Why can’t she be brave enough for him?

---

May bleeds into June.

Satine finally manages to get referred to a psychiatrist, and the doctor is able to prescribe her an as-needed medication to help with her anxiety attacks. She uses the medication for the first time about a week after she picks up the prescription, saying a silent thank you to the universe that she’d brought it along in her purse to her second attempt at taking the citizenship exam.

It’s a hellish sort of déjà vu, standing inside the USCIS federal building in Virginia, hearing the clerk tell her she’s failed the exam again.

This time, Satine expects the result, but it’s no less painful.

Now that classes are out for the summer and there are no department obligations to consider, Ben is waiting for her outside. She shakes her head at him, and he gathers her into his arms.

“I requested a hearing to contest the results,” she tells him as she pulls back. “Normally they schedule those within thirty days of the second failed test, but they told me they’re understaffed and won’t be able to get me in until October 1st.”

Ben sighs. “So much for my grand plans of trying to convince you to extend our stay in Paris. Good thing our flight back leaves immediately after your keynote address.”

There’s something off about his tone, and Satine says, “You don’t think they’re actually understaffed, do you?”

“You don’t think so, either,” he points out.

Satine exhales sharply. “No,” she admits. “I think it’s very convenient that my hearing can’t be scheduled until after I give my speech, a speech which I’ve been warned must go well. A warning given by two unsavory individuals.”

She’d shared Padma’s information on Serenno with Ben almost immediately after Padma had given it to her, and of course Ben already knows of the threats from Malek.

Ben pulls her toward the bus stop. “Let’s go back to my place,” he says, clearly uncomfortable with saying more in public. “We’ve much to discuss.”

---

Once back in the privacy of his home, Ben grabs a pint of ice cream and two spoons and meets Satine on the couch. She leans back against his chest without a word and reaches for a spoon, aggressively digging into the tiramisu-flavored ice cream.

“So - to recap,” Satine begins. “Palpatine is influencing the results of my citizenship application. He might intend to deny my appeal at the hearing regardless of how I give my speech, or he might be using the hearing as incentive for me to give the speech he wants to hear.”

Ben nods. “Seems like it. And any good that came from Malek being ousted was essentially negated with the knowledge we got from Anakin tracing the bug’s transmission back to Serenno. It seems increasingly unlikely that Serenno’s comments at the fundraiser were sincere. Or, rather - they were sincere. But a sincere threat.”

He scoops some ice cream with his spoon, but before he can bring it to his lips, Satine grabs his wrist and steers the spoon to her mouth instead.

Ben chuckles. “I’ll allow it given the shit day you’ve had.”

She kisses his jaw. “So what are our options?”

His arm tightens around her waist. “I think I should start looking into the process of immigration to Norway. Just to be safe.”

She turns to look at him. “Ben - ”

“I know you want to stay here,” he says, “but we need to be prepared for every eventuality. I proposed this a while back as a new backup plan. I think it’s time we greenlit it.”

He takes in her devastated expression.

“This doesn’t mean I think it will come to that,” he adds. “It just means we’re being careful.”

“Your parents…your brother - they’ll all hate me if you move to Norway.”

Ben moves some wayward strands of hair out of her eyes. “They could never hate you, Satine. You’ve met them; you know they love you.”

“They got along well with teenage Satine,” she points out. “They don’t know thirty-six year old Satine, the woman with cPTSD and the wrath of the State Department out to get her.”

“Details,” says Ben. “Is it okay with you if I begin the process?”

She burrows into him, resting her head in the crook of his neck, and then she nods.

“Backup plan is officially in motion, then,” he says, kissing her temple. “And now - how are you feeling about options for your speech?”

“There are two. The first is to give the speech that Palpatine wants me to give.”

This speech, in fact, is already written. She’d woken up in a panic a couple weeks prior and hadn’t been able to fall back asleep, so she’d gotten to work. She’d printed out speaker notes along with the presentation slides and had wanted to vomit; it had felt as though the Secretary had attached strings to her fingers as she typed, manipulating her from above like some sick sort of marionette.

She continues. “All I need to do is get the speech to Serenno ahead of time, at least I assume. He’ll be able to make sure Palpatine receives it. Then I give the speech as written. And et voilà - problem solved. Probably.”

“And the second option?” Ben murmurs.

“I stand up in Paris and give all but a literal fuck you to Palpatine, Malek, and Serenno by giving the speech I’d originally intended to give. And then Palpatine refuses to let me back in the country after the conference.”

The pint of ice cream is almost empty now, and Ben scoops up the last of it, offering it to Satine. She doesn’t refuse. Then Ben sets the empty container on the coffee table along with the spoons, pulling Satine more firmly against him.

“There is,” Satine whispers, “a potential third approach. I play along for now; I send the script to Serenno. This gives me more time to decide my course of action. It gives me more time to decide whether I’m brave enough to give the version of the speech I want to give.” She shrugs. “Who knows? Something may happen that implodes American politics before September - maybe Palpatine will die of a stroke or something.”

Ben gives her a sad smile. “Satine, you know you’ve already been brave enough for multiple lifetimes.”

She ghosts her fingers over his jaw, his lips, his nose. “But not brave enough for this lifetime. And this is the one that counts.”

His look is pensive. “Being brave - it’s not about being fearless,” Ben points out gently. “It’s about being afraid but pushing forward regardless of the fear.” He falls silent for a moment, and then he says, “Can I tell you something?”

“Always,” she murmurs.

Ben stills for a moment, his eyes unfocused, looking past her. 

“Ben?” Satine asks.

Ben seems to steel himself. “After I graduated from West Point,” he begins, “I commissioned. That process meant attending basic training, what we call the Basic Officer Leader Course. After that, I went immediately to Ranger School.”

His eyes are still unfocused, but Satine knows he’s seeing something - even if it’s just memories.

“When I told you I did a tour in Afghanistan…that wasn’t completely accurate. It was just easier than explaining. Most Rangers live in the US on base, and we get deployed on various missions. The goal is for us to serve a few years as a Ranger and then take what we learn with us to other areas of the military. Or at least,” he says, grimacing slightly, “that’s the official story. I suspect a lot of it is to disguise the high turnover. Those kind of missions…it takes a special kind of person to be able to do them more than three years or so. And I wasn’t cut out for that.”

Satine rests her hand on his arm.

“My deployments abroad were mostly recon assignments. Gathering intelligence - missions where I could use my Arabic. There were some deployments where we engaged combatants. And some were a mix of both.” He swallows. “In early 2013, we’d gotten some intel from an informant, a civilian. It was good intel, and it helped us save a lot of Afghani lives. We were on our way back to extract our source - because we’d promised to get him and his family out of the country in exchange for more information. But the Taliban got to him first.”

His voice breaks on the last sentence, and Satine bites her lip. Nothing she can say will make this easier for him.

“His home was rigged to blow when I showed up to extract him. He died instantly. But his wife, and his daughter…I could hear them inside still. I couldn’t really see, my team was still stunned from the explosion, and everything was on fire, but I could hear his family inside. I got the woman out and went back for the daughter. And then one of the structural beams collapsed. I was able to keep her protected, but the beam pinned me down.”

He shakes out his left arm, stretching his fingers, as though he can still feel the heat, can still feel the flames.

“I was stuck long enough to suffer the burns, but my team got me out.”

“And the girl?”

“Alive,” says Ben, and he looks at her for the first time since beginning the story. “We kept our promise to our informant: we got his family to the US. As far as I know, they’re still here. The daughter will be going to college this fall, I think. I never did catch her name.”

Satine pulls his hand against her chest.

“That’s the moment that haunts me most,” he admits. “There’s something about the fire. The heat. I saw war crimes being committed by both sides that were arguably far worse than that fire, but the fire is what fucked me up. So when I said trauma isn’t rational, that it doesn’t make sense…well, I was speaking from experience.”

Satine nods. “So you left the Rangers after?”

“I couldn’t complete any missions after that. It was my time; I recognized it.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“You should feel honored.” He laughs. “I haven’t even told my therapist the full story.” 

Her tone, however, is far more serious. “I’ll guard it with my life.”

“That won’t be necessary,” he says, smiling softly. “But the sentiment is appreciated. And in case you’re wondering: I hadn’t told Ventress this. She surmised some of the details, but I never told her. You’re the first.”

Satine slides a hand down his left upper arm, tracing his elbow and then forearm, before returning her hand to cover his own.

Ben breathes out deeply. “For so long, part of me was trapped there, in that burning house. But telling you this…” he trails off, and suddenly his eyes become focused again. He holds her gaze. “It’s like dousing the fire with water. It doesn’t feel like a fire any longer, at least not one that’s out of control. It’s more like…burning embers.”

Satine squeezes his hand.

“Anyway,” he says. “The reason I bring this up is because a while back - do you remember when we were over at Quinlan and Ventress’ home? The night you told them about…well, everything? You saw me struggling to light a match, to light the fire.” He takes a breath, and then another. “And seemingly without thinking about it, your first instinct was to stand beside me and offer to help. You didn’t push; you asked if I needed help. You didn’t know exactly why I was struggling, but you knew that I was - and then you were there. Right beside me.”

Ben breathes in again.

“I guess my point is…you can let yourself be afraid, Satine. Because I’m going to be there for you if you’re scared or frightened. I’m going to be by your side, just like you were for me. Just like you are for me.”

His lips form a soft smile.

“If you’re struggling to find the sunlight,” he says, “I’ll help you ignite the stars.”

---

The next Monday, they go into campus to work at Satine’s request instead of working from hom. Ben picks the lock on the door to the lecture hall he’d used last semester, the room where they’d reunited, so that she can practice her keynote address. He sits in the first row, ready to give pointers.

Satine knows it’s a good speech. It’s not a great one; it can’t be unless she goes off script from what Palpatine and Serenno want from her. And while she hasn’t ruled out that option, for now she is undecided.

But there is one thing she’s decided on. Maybe Satine can’t quite be brave about everything else just yet, but she can be brave about Ben.

So after her last slide, before Ben can speak, she says, “There’s one more thing I wanted to practice.” 

She’s still standing on the raised platform, one hand on the lectern. She sets her PowerPoint remote on the podium and holds her hands at her sides.

“Marry me, Ben,” she says, and her voice is sure and steady.

Ben seems to freeze in place, all except for the blood that has drained from his face. Then her words appear to sink in. He stands slowly.

“Is this my girlfriend Satine asking or…” He hesitates. “Is this my Satine asking?”

She knows the difference. “Both,” she says helplessly, and now that the words are out, she can’t stop. “I know I’m doing this all out of order - and three months too early - but nothing makes sense except you being in my life, Ben. And then on Friday, you told me you’d start working on the immigration process to Norway. For me.”

And damn it all, her eyes are blurry with moisture again.

“I know we’d agreed on September, and I know this is fake, or it was fake - I’m not really sure what we are anymore - but there’s nothing fake about how important you are to me. I know I’m not ready to say the words yet, but I’m working on it, and I know this is madness but I need you to know - ”

She can’t help but ramble, but it doesn’t seem to bother Ben in the slightest - the shine of his smile is practically luminous.

“I need you to know how much I - ”

She curses at her brain’s inability to let her speak, and suddenly Ben is there beside her, one step below her. “I know,” he says, his hands resting on her elbows. “You don’t have to say the words. I know.”

Satine wipes at her eyes. “I want to marry you, Ben. I’ve wanted to since I was sixteen. And I know loving me was never easy but I - ”

“There was never anything difficult about loving you, Satine,” says Ben quickly.

“Well, we both know that’s not true, but I appreciate you lying to make me feel better,” Satine says, blinking furiously. “I…” She starts over. “I just want to be the person who stands beside you who helps you be brave,” she whispers. “And I want you to be the same for me. And I don’t want to wait any longer before looking for jobs with you, whether it’s here in America or in Norway or whichever country will take the both of us.”

Ben reaches up to wipe a tear from her cheek.

“My heart isn’t quite ready to give away,” Satine whispers. “I’m still putting the last pieces of it back together. But what I’m trying to say is - when it is ready, it will be yours.” She breathes in sharply. “That is, if you’ll have it.”

“Of course,” he says, the awe obvious in his tone, in his expression. “Of course I will.”

And he steps up onto the platform so that they are eye to eye, and he kisses her soundly. He kisses her senseless.

And then they are laughing with joy and nerves, and she throws her arms around his shoulders, and it’s like Valentine’s Day in the library or the day in her office when she’d been offered the keynote address - he spins her around and holds her tightly, and it just feels right.

Then Ben sets her back down, and he steps back. “One second,” he says, and he steps off the platform to move to where he’d been sitting, and he rummages in his crossbody bag.

He returns to the platform, revealing that he’s holding a small, velvet box in one hand. He kneels beside her.

In the box is a simple, gorgeous golden band with a single diamond.

“Lab-made,” Ben says. “In case you’re wondering. You told me back when we were seventeen that you’d never wear a blood diamond.”

“You remembered?”

“Oh, that piece of information haunted me for many years,” he admits. “I thought I’d never get to be the one who bought you that ring.”

He holds up the ring.

Satine examines it. “How long has that been in your bag?”

Ben grins. “Since approximately the weekend after Valentine’s Day.”

Her jaw drops. “You’re not being serious.”

He takes her hand and slides the ring onto her finger. “Oh, I assure you, I absolutely am.”

She pulls him to his feet.

“I left my heart with you eighteen - ”

He corrects himself.

“- now nineteen years ago, Satine,” he says as he stands.

He kisses the ring on her finger.

“Thank you for keeping it safe.”

[mariacallous]

India is in the middle of a 44-day exercise to elect its next government, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tipped to return his Bharatiya Janata Party to power for a third consecutive term. Modi, who aims to win nearly three-quarters of the country’s 543 parliamentary seats, has surprised many observers by using dehumanizing anti-Muslim language on the campaign trail—rhetoric that is more direct than that of his past speeches.

So far, the BJP campaign has focused on creating an irrational fear among India’s Hindu majority that if Modi doesn’t return as prime minister, a share of their private wealth and affirmative action job quotas will be given to Indian Muslims. Modi and his party have doubled down on this narrative at a moment when reports suggest that their quest for a supermajority is unlikely to succeed. The brazen continuation of such anti-Muslim rhetoric differentiates this campaign from the two others that have put Modi in the prime minister’s office.

Hate speech is a criminal offense in India, and it is specifically barred during an election campaign. However, Modi chose the three leaders of India’s Election Commission, the agency charged with conducting free and fair polls, and it has ignored his flagrant violations of the election code. As a result, as the campaign continues through the end of May, so too will Modi’s anti-Muslim tirades. India is expected to announce its election results on June 4.

If the BJP wins and Modi is once again crowned prime minister, his Islamophobic rhetoric will not simply disappear. Many political leaders campaign in poetry and govern in prose, but hateful rhetoric has real-life consequences. Modi’s campaign speeches have put a target on Indian Muslims’ backs, redirecting the anger of poor and marginalized Hindu communities away from crony capitalists and the privileged upper castes. It underscores an attempt to make members of the Muslim minority second-class citizens in a de facto Hindu Rashtra, or state.

These social schisms need only a small spark to burst into communal violence, which would damage India’s global status and growth. Furthermore, Modi’s campaign rhetoric is matched by the BJP’s choice to not put up candidates in Muslim-majority Kashmir, reducing its stake in ensuring robust democracy in a region that New Delhi has ruled directly since 2019. His language will also have a direct bearing on India’s fraught ties with its neighbor Pakistan. Finally, the state-backed ill treatment will likely not be limited to Indian Muslims—meaning that other religious minorities, such as Christians and Sikhs, will also be affected.

Around 200 million Muslims live in India—the second-largest Muslim population in the world, after that of Indonesia. Few mainstream Indian political leaders have plummeted to such depths in castigating these citizens. Modi’s campaign rhetoric makes clear that if he is elected to a third consecutive term, the nation’s Muslims will stand politically disempowered, economically marginalized, and deprived of their constitutional rights.

Modi’s political rise came in the wake of significant violence against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002, when he was the state’s chief minister. Due to his role in the violence, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States all temporarily barred his entry. Leading the party’s campaign to victory in the state assembly in the same year, his campaign speeches were full of crude language against Muslims. But the BJP’s electoral success in Gujarat—winning the next two assembly elections before the launch of Modi’s national campaign—ultimately gave Modi political credibility within an extreme fringe of the party.

By 2011, Modi had started reinventing himself as a business-friendly leader with an eye on a national role. By the time he became prime minister three years later, the narrative of a so-called Gujarat model of economic development concealed his anti-Muslim ideological moorings. Modi’s mask slipped occasionally, but he often spoke with a dog whistle. Mostly, the prime minister reiterated an imagination of India as a Hindu nation. In a post-9/11 world, Modi presented an alternative model of battling Islamic terrorism and consolidated a Hindu majoritarian voter base—delivering a stunning election victory in 2019 after an attempted airstrike against an alleged terrorist training camp inside Pakistan.

This year, Modi has not campaigned on his track record of the past decade or on the party manifesto for the next five years as often as he has attempted to further polarize Hindus and Muslims. In a speech given on April 21, Modi suggested that the opposition Indian National Congress party, if elected, would redistribute property to Muslims. The party would “calculate the gold with [Hindu] mothers and sisters” and transfer it “among those who are infiltrators and have more children,” he said—using terms by which his supporters regularly describe Muslims.

Elsewhere, Modi alleged that Congress was helping Muslims in a plot to take over India: “The opposition is asking Muslims to launch vote jihad,” he said in March. Speaking at a rally in Madhya Pradesh in early May, Modi said that voters would have to choose between “vote jihad” and “Ram Rajya,” the latter being a term referring to a mythical, idealized society that purportedly existed during the rule of Lord Rama, the hero of the famous Hindu epic Ramayana.

The prime minister’s economic advisory council soon released a paper that sought to stoke anxieties about a decline in the proportion of Hindus in India; during the period it covered—1950 to 2015—India’s population actually increased by five Hindus for every one Muslim citizen, but BJP leaders soon deployed the report to further demonize Indian Muslims.

The party’s official messaging has echoed Modi’s rhetoric. A now-deleted video posted on the Instagram account for the BJP’s Karnataka branch this month said, “If you are a non-Muslim, Congress will snatch your wealth and distribute it to Muslims. Narendra Modi knows of this evil plan. Only he has the strength to stop it.” It was followed by an animated clip depicting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hatching a plan to benefit Muslims at the expense of Hindu groups.

Other Indian democratic institutions have done no better. Despite formal complaints from opposition parties and civil society groups, the election commission has neither punished nor restrained Modi. A petition in the Delhi High Court seeking immediate action against Modi for his “communally divisive speeches” was dismissed, with the judges arguing that it was “without merit” because the commission was already looking into the matter. “We can’t presume that they won’t do anything,” one judge said. But as the elections near the finish line, that is precisely what has happened.

Some observers are likely to dismiss Modi’s recent language as par for the course during an election campaign, when tempers run high. However, most surveys and polls have predicted an easy victory for the prime minister and the BJP; he has no need to resort to pandering to base emotions with toxic rhetoric. In an interview, Modi denied that he had uttered a word against Indian Muslims; he was proved wrong by fact-checkers and video evidence. India’s top political scientist said that through his denials in interviews, Modi is trying to influence the naive chroniclers while he continues with his anti-Muslim speeches for the masses and his supporters. Modi’s No. 2, Amit Shah, insists that the party will continue with this anti-Muslim campaign. By persisting with hateful speech, the BJP leadership is fueling a narrative that is likely to intensify discrimination against Indian Muslims during Modi’s rule.

As prime minister, Modi has spearheaded a project for the political disempowerment of Indian Muslims. For the first time in the history of independent India, the ruling party does not have a single Muslim member of parliament. In the current election, the party has put up just one Muslim candidate—on a list of 440—who is running for an unwinnable seat in Kerala. More broadly, religious polarization has made it difficult for Muslim candidates to win seats in areas without an overwhelming Muslim majority. During recent elections, there have been complaints of authorities barring voters in Muslim-majority localities in BJP-ruled states. Modi’s message to Indian Muslims is unequivocal: You do not matter politically.

India’s Muslims are economically disadvantaged, too. A 2006 committee under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Congress government found that the Muslim community faced high levels of poverty and poor outcomes on almost all socioeconomic indicators. India’s opposition parties have promised a new socioeconomic survey that could inform future policy without a focus on religion. Modi’s government, by contrast, opted to not conduct even the regular census in 2021—the first such instance in 140 years—due to COVID-19; it has not been conducted since.

Rather than relying on data, Modi and his supporters prefer an emotional response that pitches poor and marginalized Hindus against Muslims. India is a highly unequal country: About 90 percent of the population earns less than the average income of $2,800 per year. This gap has widened under Modi, with the richest 1 percent now owning 40 percent of India’s wealth. By othering Muslims, Modi puts them at risk of becoming the object of other deprived groups’ ire, which could lead to further communal violence. A Muslim man was allegedly lynched in Gujarat during the current election campaign, without making national  headlines.

Islamophobia is at the core of the project to make India a Hindu state. Modi and the BJP frequently weaponize terrorism discourse to delegitimize critics and political opposition. In Kashmir, where the BJP is not running candidates this election, this tactic has fueled anger and hostility. The high turnout in the region seems to be an expression of rage against Modi’s 2019 decision to revoke its semi-autonomous status. When the ruling party leaders conflate Islam with terrorism, there is little chance of extending any hand of peace toward Pakistan, either. Modi and his ministers have vowed to take back Pakistan-administered Kashmir by force if necessary—no matter the grave risk of conflict between two nuclear-armed countries.

Finally, Modi’s rhetoric does not bode well for other religious minorities in India. In the border state of Manipur, the largely Christian Kuki community has suffered state-backed majoritarian violence for more than a year. In Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populated state, Christian priests and worshippers are being jailed, beaten, and threatened by both Hindu majoritarian groups and state police. Meanwhile, the BJP has demonized the Sikh farmers who led protests against agricultural laws in 2020 and 2021, labeling them as separatist Khalistani terrorists. (Last year, Modi’s government was accused of involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada as well as in an attempted assassination in New York.)

Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians are India’s biggest religious minorities; they make up nearly one-fifth of the country’s population. To disempower these groups would spell the end of the historical bond between India and ideas of universal justice, human rights, and democracy. A majoritarian Indian state—a Hindu Rashtra—would instead make a covenant with bigotry, discrimination, and violence. The bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has repeatedly asked Washington to blacklist Modi’s government for its suppression of religious freedom, but the Biden administration has refused to act so far.

However, the evidence is there for all to see—and Modi has further substantiated the charge of bigotry with his campaign speeches targeting Indian Muslims. No matter if the BJP achieves its supermajority, this rhetoric will have significant consequences for India. Modi is serving a warning. The world should take note before it is too late.

[sammygoesviral]

### Why Is ‘Modernity’ Constrained to ‘Sex’ in India?

— Samina Shaikh

#MidnightThoughts

India, a land steeped in culture and tradition, epitomizes unity within diversity. Yet, at various levels, it paradoxically contradicts its foundational beliefs. One such contradiction lies in the pervasive taboo surrounding the term ‘sex.’ This discourse transcends mere gender discrimination, which is a narrative unto itself.

In contemporary dialogues, the term ‘sex’ is often relegated to the realm of the ‘modern,’ rarely broached in everyday conversation. Despite being the cradle of the *Kamasutra* and home to a population exceeding 1.4 billion, societal perceptions frequently tether a woman's character and a man’s masculinity to their sexual lives.

It is commonplace to disparage single women for their sexual agency while simultaneously questioning a man’s masculinity if he remains a 'single virgin.' How is it that, despite the passage of centuries of civilization, a stigma persists around this fundamental aspect of human existence that affects every citizen of India?

Why is modernization, in its truest sense, not reflected in the mindset and cultural approach of our society, even as we remain connected to our roots? Why does ‘modern’ invariably connote an upbringing in an ostensibly ‘free’ environment, while we overlook that being ‘modern’ diverges from being merely ‘modest’? Should we assess an individual based on their attire or manner of speech, or, more significantly, their thought processes?

We often proclaim, “Never judge a book by its cover,” yet we routinely violate this adage. On a more profound level, do we genuinely feel an ‘urge to connect’ with someone following a few interactions based solely on their appearance, or is it their intellectual engagement and outlook on life that fosters this connection? We tend to evaluate one another based on superficial attributes; how many among us are willing to delve deeper, seeking to understand the mindset of an individual rather than merely their façade?

Before encountering someone new, we frequently inquire about their ‘character’ or ‘personality,’ yet we seldom make the effort to engage with them on a one-on-one basis, independent of external references. Is this reluctance a contributing factor to the erosion of genuine connection in our chaotic lives, as we persistently contradict our own beliefs or, simply put, judge before we know?

A person may embody a ‘modest’ demeanor while being ‘traditional’ in upbringing; however, this should not preclude us from assessing their credibility without first understanding the myriad experiences that shape them.

Returning to my initial premise, I often find that discussions surrounding the status of being ‘single’ are fraught with implications of misfortune in love or, conversely, the allure of a ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ existence. Yet, we seldom acknowledge an individual's essence as it stands, allowing it to exist without judgment. Why should discussions of ‘sex’ intrude upon the maintenance of interpersonal relationships? Does being ‘modern’ necessitate access to the intimate aspects of another's life? I implore you to reflect on this notion once more.