ThePrint Opinion Mailer  | Saturday 10 September 2022 | In My Opinion By Rama Lakshmi, Opinion Editor |  | |
| Two political yatras were launched this week – Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and Arvind Kejriwal’s Make India No. 1 Yatra. Seshadri Chari wrote that multiple yatras by a few leaders with one common theme would have probably attracted more interest. Also, the two yatras by two parties that are opposed to each other and are clamouring for the same share of the electoral pie will work at cross purposes.
A supporter of the Agnipath scheme, retd Lt Gen. HS Panag wrote that it is now evident that India did not inform or consult Nepal regarding the recruitment of Gorkhas, and this is likely to hurt the ‘special relationship’ it shares with Nepal. He suggested two solutions: Make an exception and let the existing system of recruitment continue for Gorkha soldiers, and offer them incentives for a second career in India.
Meanwhile, India’s China-watching community is thriving for the first time, wrote Aadil Brar. Beyond the veteran China watchers such as Shivshankar Menon, Nirupama Rao, Vijay Gokhale, Brahma Chellaney and Kavalam Madhava Panikkar before them, there are now China ‘gawkers’. But many need to go beyond their superficial expertise by looking at the internal drivers of change in Chinese.
When it comes to China, India repeats one mantra – relations cannot be normal until the situation at the border is normal. But even that won’t make the problems go away, wrote Rajesh Rajagopalan. Indian strategy must focus on how to counter what cannot be prevented: China’s dominance in Asia.
And yet, there was a time when South Asia held the upper hand over China in trade. Aniruddh Kanisetti wrote about the silent ceramic objects that survive from the medieval Indian Ocean trade, which contain within them incredible stories from that time.
As sanctions begin to hurt Russia, high-tech military shortages will only rise. How dependable will Moscow be as a supplier? Swasti Rao wrote it’s time India diversifies and engages with the European defence industry. But India has not been able to convince the Europeans of operating in Russia-style joint ventures.
| | | | The 3,570-km-long Bharat Jodo Yatra appears to be aimed at keeping the Gandhi scion in news. Read more... | | | | | | | India has not consulted Nepal regarding the Agnipath scheme applying to recruitment of Gorkhas, who have loyally served the Indian Army for over 200 years. Read more... | | | | By Lt Gen. HS Panag (Ret) | | | | | | | Besides civil servants and academics, there are now open-source enthusiasts, finding clues for China-related developments in satellite imagery and social media. Read more... | | | | | | | Over the last two years, Indian officials have stressed that a multipolar world requires a multipolar Asia. But chasing multipolarity is a useless diversion. Read more... | | | | | | | The silent ceramic objects that survive from medieval Indian Ocean trade carry incredible stories of a time when South Asia had the upper hand over China. Read more... | | | | | | | The Europeans have been willing to meet DAP guidelines, but what India has not been able to convince them of is operating Russian-style joint ventures. Read more... | | | | | | | | | Read more of ThePrintOpinion here. You are receiving this because you are a reader of ThePrint and posted a comment or signed up to receive this newsletter. We appreciate your feedback. | | | | |
