Capt M K Tayal

Rahul Gandhi, the spelling evokes a bag full of mixed thoughts and amusement, depending on which side of the fence you view the man from the ‘prime minister family’. He is intriguing, more so now that he claims that he is not who is. Walking long distance; perhaps, can do wonders.

And wonder, in deed it is. Bharat Jodo Yatra by Congress heir, Rahul Gandhi, is no small feat. For the record, it is the longest political march by any wannabee prime minister. You have to give it to Rahul Gandhi just for the sheer effort.

The problem is to identify to give credit to whom and for what. “Rahul Gandhi is in your head; I have killed him. He is not there. He is not in my mind. He is gone. The person you are seeing, he is not Rahul Gandhi, you can see him… Rahul Gandhi is in your head, not in my head. Rahul Gandhi is in the mind of BJP, not in my head…” This is what he said after walking nearly 3,000 kilometres with breaks and political events splintered along the way. 

It makes perfect sense for a seer to evoke philosophical reflections but for someone who dreams of changing the landscape and giving ‘happiness to the entire people of the nation’ it doesn’t fit the picture.

Has the long walk tired the young, angry-old man or is it a structural-design flaw?

For a serious politician, we ought not to restrict the idea of Rahul Gandhi to sporting a beard and a T-shirt and eventually a ‘pheron’. The wise-man look is understandably desirable but the choice of wearing weather-inappropriate clothing, may not do him good. He just barely avoided catching pneumonia, for god sake and the sake of his followers.

Rahul Gandhi says he got inspired by two poor girls who couldn’t afford warm clothing. To express solidarity with the girls, he decided to give up warm clothes. Wouldn’t it have been better to gift the girls with two sweaters? “You are scared of cold, I am not,” Rahul told a scribe who questioned his choice of dressing in the winter month. In the Valley, finally he gave that up also and covered with a pheron.

Not that he has not been flashing Burberry jacket in the Parliament and other places. But again give it Rahul for the T-shirt too. The bravado did last till the last? However, given that Rahul Gandhi is not Rahul Gandhi and thus evolving, anything could have been expected.

The Congress, on its part, left leaving no stone unturned for the success of the yatra. Ensuring constant media coverage, the party certainly created a buzz.

Though the BJP may have termed it a failure but for the wrong reasons again. Christened Bharat Jodo Yatra, it couldn’t have been called Congress Jodo Yatra. The central underlining idea of the yatra was to rejuvenate the Seva Dal cadre, keep Rahul Gandhi busy and physically fit, not necessarily in that order. It did all that without any phenomenal image makeover.

Yatra nevertheless did not lack in length but perhaps in depth and substance for the larger part. By his constant offensive against the BJP and its parent ideological organisation, the RSS, Rahul Gandhi, whoever is the new avatar, did provide enough material for the Congress Sandesh and gave ammo and hope to the left-centrists. Ironically, crowds are not an accurate barometer of support it purports to have gathered.

It has, by and large, been ineffective in getting the desired political traction. Not willing to cede any space, leaders in the North just left in the cold. Other party leaders did not particularly queue up to get a peekaboo of the prince in shining armour.

But given Rahul as it is today, is good for the BJP. As a standalone foe, he is unable to singlehandedly challenge the might of Narendra Modi and the highly energised Sangh cadre.

Had the Yatra managers made it a walk from North to South rather than vice-versa, it could have yielded in different results for uniting the party.

The yatra is the right effort but in the wrong direction. But that is being addressed in the part two, as suggested by fellow leaders in Srinagar.

Perhaps, a part two from Kutch to Tripura, would be desirable to fill in the blanks. A structurally stronger and more mature Rahul is desired for a vibrant democracy.

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World economy is now rebooting. The western world is decoupling with China. Youth unemployment in China is now stated to be 17.1 per cent. Xi Jinping, Chinese President, is staring at pressure cooker blast situation, which could take China into an unchartered territory and even a possible violent uprising.

Within the military circle, it is well-known that skirmishes across the line of actual control keep taking place, but they have largely been verbal feud or fisticuffs at the most. But the skirmishes, including the latest in the Yangtse in Arunachal Pradesh, which was on the pattern of the Galwan Valley battle in 2020 in eastern Ladakh, is being assessed in the strategic domains to take worrisome seriousness. That will be on account of Xi increasingly becoming more insecure within the Communist regime in China.

Indian polity remains divided on ways to deal with China. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has sought to pin down on the mat Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Yangtse skirmish. Congress is building the political pitch on a ‘weak PM’ theme. This is in counter to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s muscular nationalism, which gained muscles following the surgical strikes carried out against the terror launch pads in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

This political divisiveness deprives India of a consensus strategy in dealing with China. Major General (Retd) Shashi Asthana has argued, while writing for Modern Diplomacy, that India too should have a law on defence of border on the lines of the Chinese law, which will give a statutory backing to the infrastructure upgradation across the LAC and the international borders. This indeed is in the context of some of the governments in New Delhi having been cold to the idea of building a robust border infrastructure.

The November data for China was gloomy. Retail sales went down by 5.9 per cent against the estimate of negative four per cent, industrial output was just 2.2 per cent against the estimate of 3.5 per cent, fixed asset investment was abysmal at 0.7 per cent, home sales dived by a whopping 31 per cent, while property investment took a 20 per cent beating. Data tells a dreadful future of China, which when faced with the full might of the global de-coupling can bring the Chinese economy crashing to a level that could set off a popular uprising, and that could be a ground for Xi to make LAC with China a tinderbox.

“People’s republic of China (PRC) refused to ratify the Simla Agreement of 1914, signed between British India and Tibet, initialled by Chinese representative. The Indian stance on Border generally follows Johnson Line (1865) in Ladakh and McMohan Line in East,” wrote Major General (retd) Asthana.

It may be known that China has accepted the McMohan Line with Myanmar. But with India, Xi has a domestic politics to play with and an economy that is nosediving and restlessness against the oppressive regime increasing. China pushing for more could be testing its luck.

Manish Anand is a senior journalist and views express are personal.

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It is an age-old philanthropic gesture that is undertaken to distribute a refreshing rose milk to neighborhood community members.

There are several religious groups and NGOs that set up stalls to serve the sweet pink water, but when companies take up such a service, it truly reflects that corporates are connected to their roots.

Under the initiative, Impact of Kindness, team members of Impact PR served ‘sharbat’ to hundreds of travelers, homeless and downtrodden in the scorching afternoon summer in Delhi’s south west bustling market.

The company, one of India’s leading public relations and imaging building organisation, set up a stall under its initiative Impact of Kindness, and served ‘chabeel’ to hundreds of commuters, shopkeepers and pedestrians in Dwarka.

Kulpreet Freddy Vesuna, Founder & Managing Director, Impact PR said, “Living on the core purpose of our organization is going beyond corporate social responsibility. In our tradition, serving water is considered a pious act, hence between our hectic schedule of work, we thought of doing “Chabeel Seva”.  All the team members enjoyed and felt inner happiness”.

“It was a very satisfying experience. Quenching thirst of strangers is a blessing,” says Nupur Pandey working as an Executive Assistant.

“The company regularly engages in benevolent activities. We should imbibe qualities in our daily lives,” says Rajeev Dattana, Sales Head, Impact PR.

“It was so hot outside. People enjoyed drinking sharbat. The smile of satisfaction on their faces after drinking was encouraging,” says Ananya Shrivastava, PR Manager at Impact PR.

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A glass contains water till the middle. Though the quantity of water does not change, your perception determines if it is half filled or half empty. Similarly, whether you remain cheerful or stay negative in life, depends on the state of your mind.

Ordinarily, parameters to be successful are material objects like a good job, bungalow, car or enough funds with which you buy inconsequential contraptions to make your living comfortable? But well, is that all! Perhaps, not! Had it been so, the affluent and ‘rich’ would have been the happiest lot. But it is really not so?

There is more to life other than money and power and all material things associated with them. You are not what you are on the outside but who you are from the inside. What is inside your head and heart matters to the seeking mind and not the things in possession.

Being rich is not about wealth but your ability to empower yourself with inner strength to deal with temptations and desires and continuing your journey seeking greater heights.  And then maintaining your equilibrium with determination which requires tremendous grit. If you succumb, you’ve lost the battle to vices that surround your mind.  The game is to win the war. 

Gautum Buddha possessed everything possible but gave up his kingdom for one single thing he was not able to find, Truth! Looking for the whys of life, one of the greatest saints on earth found the righteous path in meditative self but by giving up all that he had.

Your satisfaction level is determined by the desires you pursue and how contended your mind is! Nature has catered for your necessities but for your luxuries, you will have to struggle. Once again, opulence is not entirely confined to the four walls surrounding you, but the sky above and what is inside you.

Nature or God has given you so much and yet a large part remains ungrateful.

There is so much in life to be thankful that it takes a life time to understand the power of positivity. Being grateful is really empowering your life happiness, peace and satisfaction. Gratitude is the one virtue that can empower you to reach greater heights. However, it is easy to espouse but difficult to follow through if you acquire it superficially.

It enables you to remain calm, blissful and gives your personality a positive aura that multiplies manyfold as it spreads. So, what is gratitude? If I tell you that just one word can change your life. What will you say? You are about to open the sluices of your revolution. Embrace it open heartedly.

Gratitude in the simplest term is a Thank You!

Saying ‘Thank you’ for being grateful for the acts people do means you appreciate their time and effort. And if you want to unravel the real power, don’t just say it but mean it.

Genuine gratefulness is found if you remain perpetually in the state of thankfulness. This can make you a true influencer and drastically transform the entire ecosystem. Sure-enough this can trigger a chain reaction in the world. The world will be one if all the people remain in a state of gratitude. It is not an utopian dream.

Remaining thankful is a mental state of being grateful for everything you have. Shouldn’t you thank your spouse, children, colleagues, peers, subordinates, or random people for their contribution and the things that they do. In fact, thank everyone you know or don’t, for just being there and all the things they do or don’t. Shouldn’t you thank the air that you breathe or the water you drink. The Corona pandemic was the challenge we faced but we should also use it as an opportunity of learning. What you take for granted is what you should be thankful for.

On a different level, you should be thankful to yourself also; for being you. But this perhaps on a metaphysical level which some may find too abstract or theoretical.

Nevertheless, let the ‘Thank you’ enter your dictionary. It’s your true and powerful weapon to fight your real enemy, ego! Knock down the wall of ego which is stopping your growth and unleash the potential of your personality. Ask yourself, if you acknowledge someone, do you become inferior? On the contrary, by embracing negativity, you become positive.

Practice thank you in your day-to-day life. Magical “Thankful for your help” with a bow and smile, can do wonders. Being grateful makes us humble and positive and less anxious and less apprehensive. Truly humble people have a natural and easy way about them.

Bow down and be the fruit tree that branches out and bends with the weight of the fruits it bears and gives shadow under which many can rest. The Eucalyptus tree stands tall but alone.

The trick to finding meaning in existence is not to worry about what you don’t have but being grateful for what you have. Remember, if you crib for a shoe, there is a man without a leg also.

However, it also doesn’t mean you give up on your dreams or worldly duties and become a hermitage by going to the Himalayas. You can be a saint in the madding crowd as well. 

Change your life, here and now. True gratitude is being meditatively calm in your journey and remaining truthfully happy. It is not a matter of keeping a record of what you receive and consequentially return in equal measure but maintaining an extraordinary minus in the book keeping entries that makes you on the credit side of the balance sheet.

Appreciate not only the finer aspects but even the mundane things. When you do so, you are giving back something more, much more to the community.

Humans are perhaps the most gifted species on earth. At a period of time, when darkness was all pervading and subjective qualities of humans had fallen to the nadir, God manifested on the earth to make human species ‘realise’. Krishna was an ordinary person. What makes him special? He lived in a state of perpetual gratitude and humility that endears Him to our hearts and makes him Lord.

Lust, greed and power surround your thoughts and cage your personality to the soiled burrow.

Appreciation will empower you to flow from narrowness into the ocean of freedom and happiness. Srila Prabhupada says, “Gratitude is the condition of the heart that enables spiritual growth to take place.” Religion guides on a certain path but spirituality allows you to seek the highest point, and beyond.

My religion is better than yours, my house is bigger than yours, my bank balance is bigger than yours will be meaningless in the end. You have delayed my cup of coffee, or have not added enough sugar or not been served properly in a pristine chinaware will be meaningless in the end. I don’t have enough money, you have cheated me or not returned what I loaned will be meaningless in the end.

End is not the end per se but the end of the moment, the day or year. Time is all that you have and when it slips, and it does very easily, it won’t come back. And neither will the glory of Time. Repenting tomorrow is not going to change your existence but gratitude today will. How much effort does it take to say thank you? How much energy does it take to appreciate your spouse, children, friend, neighbour or the man on the street?

You can start trying by just flipping the page for once. 

Remaining calm, start with a smile and keep acknowledging things and people as you go along each day. Notice the difference. And if you desire to take it to the next level, believe your body is a temple, and you will have more love, compassion and kindness.

Being a state of gratitude is a life changer. Start by starting a religion of love and gratitude. Appreciate your journey. Life is beautiful the way it is. Be grateful for everything in life and for life itself. Practice thank you every day and moment! Thank you for reading this and sharing the thought. 

By Capt M K Tayal

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The whole world endured the onslaught of the deadly corona virus for over two years. We are currently in the fourth stage of mutation of the virus that has created havoc having wide ranging ramifications besides impacting the healthy wellbeing of the people. But it’s not in the news these days. Ukraine and Gyanvapi issues seem to have killed the virus.

The virus is considered to be carrying varying degree fatality so much so that healthcare professionals tended to the needs of the patients wearing PPE kits ostensibly because of the variants of the virus and its ability to inflict harm to humans.

Though Omicron variant is not fatal but is more intense and at the same time hard to detect. The new variant may have the same symptoms of the corona virus, but may not be fatal as it just impacts the upper tracts of the lungs.

The war is not over yet and we don’t how many more battles we will have to fight till it ends. The fight is still on.

We have seen the worst in first and second wave with very sick patients in ICUs as well as wards. It is difficult to imagine how the hospitals worked day and night taking care of patients who were critically ill but were managed in wards due to scarcity of beds, oxygen as well as drugs. Well, there are reports also that hospitals made a ‘killing’ and squeezing the mullah from the patients, which is nothing short of blackmail.

Nevertheless, the silver lining during the pandemic is that the healthcare fraternity also took the blow on the chin. The doctors, nursing staff rose to the occasion and did everything humanly possible to help each and every patient. Everyone was a soldier in the warzone. 

It was a challenge right from start. While the world was yet to understand the virus and its deadly nature, doctors were attending to the patients. In the scientific world itself there was a host of information available but time available to assimilate and comprehend and implement the learning was not adequate to deliver the best. But some sincere ones also burnt the midnight oil, not only kept abreast with the knowledge and ways to tackle it but was in the forefront to explain it the patients and the media as well.

The hospital staff also faced with a challenged to segregate Covid infected patients and to take care of patient who were not infected with Covid-19 but required indoor care for other ailments.  While some hospitals were shut down due to this inability to tackle two types of patients, some managed.

Anyway, experts say it’s not over yet. Don’t be lax. Most people have got vaccinated but still we must not take it easy. We must continue wearing masks at public places (masks have been mandatory once again in Delhi). People are becoming lax with Covid appropriate behaviour.

PSRI Hospital Senior consultant, Pulmonology, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine Dr Neetu Jain says, “Though vaccination has helped tremendously in mitigating severity of Covid, it is still important to maintain necessary social distancing in public places and usage of masks is still relevant.”

Continue being cautious, follow Covid appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated, if you have not. Those who have suffered from COVID should follow a healthy diet as well as exercise routine and follow-up regularly with their doctors. These are difficult times but we can cope up with proper care and thoughtfulness.

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What is mental health?

Mental health relates to how we think, feel, and act, entertain, determining how we relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood, adolescence through adulthood. It is cognitive disease including our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

Ironically, you cannot make out if a woman is suffering from mental health issues. On the surface, it’s all calm and serene but dig deeper and you can see mothers suffer from, stress, frustration, fear, anxiety, depression or even loneliness. They are compounded but a mix of events and environs and these psychiatric disorders manifest to the surface. The joining factor however could be also compounded by economic volatility. If there is a mismatch of expectation and reality, it can add to the mental health issues particularly in women.

Perfectly normal appearing men and women, especially mothers diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, compounded by stress, frustration, fear or even loneliness should be treated by experts.

According to a study conducted by the Global Burden of Disease, nearly 20 crore people in India are estimated to have experienced a known mental disorder. Research indicates that women are twice as likely to develop common mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression, when compared to men. Ironically, for their mental health conditions, between 70 to 92 percent of affected individuals receive very little or no care and mostly go unnoticed. Since women and especially mothers are primary care givers, they should be aware and address any stress, anxiety, depression or any such mental health issue they may be experiencing personally.

What is self care?

To start off, start practicing self-care to give priority to yourself. It can drastically improve mental and physical well being. First and foremost is acknowledging to yourself that you are experiencing bouts of any mental health issue and second is to address them. But just remember not to over think about your expectations, what is going to happen, and he did this and she said that. There are a few quick tips besides eating healthy and maintaining a balanced lifestyle:  Few tips:

• Make a routine. Follow it. Fix a time to go to sleep.
• If possible add habits to your daily routine or make new ones.
• Eat healthy, at regular times. Exercise regularly.
• Living in the moment and be grateful for what you have.
• Be in a state of gratitude. Express gratitude for things and people in your life.
• Get eight hours of sleep each night.
• Say positive things about yourself and others.
• Make new friends and connections.
• Participate in activities you enjoy.
• Don’t compare.

Mental health and well-being of women is impacted by negative life experiences like infertility and prenatal loss, poverty, discrimination, violence, unemployment and isolation. Unequal economic and social conditions also contribute to women’s higher risk of depression. So deal with them by remaining positive and living in goodness of life.

Extra Tips:

• Avoid watching series after series on OTT platforms.
• Maintain personal hygiene.
• Balance time between work (looking after children/job) and entertainment and relaxation.
• Keep off from excessive intake of news.
• Avoid remaining glued to your mobile and limit your screen time.
• Go less shopping. Start looking going for a Minimalistic approach.

Bottom-line: Remember god has a design and there are things in store for you if you are positive, hopeful, creative, happy and do your bit. Karma will do the rest. The best way to deal with mental stress is to be stay happy, be contented and live in a state of gratitude. Slowdown in life! Be happy.

The post This, that, then, how – mixed up! Mind it! appeared first on The Correspondent.

With the Government of India announcing vaccination for adolescents aged 12-14, a BJP youth leader in Delhi is taking up the mantle and providing the children with the required dose without financially burdening the parents with the cost of the vaccination.

With an aim to reach out one and all, Umang Bajaj, Secretary – BJP Youth Wing, Delhi Pradesh with the support from District Magistrate Office and Udaan NGO, took up the initiative to vaccinate the children aged 12 – 14 and bear the cost through private financing and community participation.  This initiative was rolled out under the guidance of, Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta.

In Delhi’s Naraina’s Mata Mandir and adjoining areas, Umang assisted over 250 children to get the vaccinated recently.  And he is not stopping at that. “More drives are planned in the future as well,” says Umang.

The vaccination was administered to the children of Naraina for the first time in the presence of Rajesh Geol, President, Karol Bagh Distt. BJP, Ashok Goel Devra, Vice President BJP Delhi, Jai Prakash, Ex-Mayor North MCD, Suresh Sharma, Ex-President New Delhi distt, Deepali Kapoor, General Secretary and others.

“This is a small step towards accomplishing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision that every person in India is fully vaccinated”, expresses Umang.

“There is talk about the fourth wave of Covid which is expected by the middle of the year.  I thought it was the right time to reach out to the children whose parents are from economically weaker sections and provide them with vaccine dose”, he added.

A labours son, Gaurav, who goes to a Delhi Government school in the area was all smiles after getting the vaccine though was a little scared initially. “It was a very nice gesture. Who cares for the poor? But Umang helped us and I feel that other children also take the benefit,” says Gaurav’s father.

Children were also given juice, snacks and water at the venue.

The vaccination for adolescents was started by the government in March and is costing Rs 380. So far approximately 190 crore vaccinations have been administered throughout the country.

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Few days ago, a tweet critical of Iftar gathering with local population that one of the Army units organised in Doda, J&K caught my attention. At the outset, let me clarify that such activities are regularly carried out by the Army as part of its counter-insurgency campaign; more on it, later. The said critical tweet was in form of a comment, describing the event as, ‘a kind of disease that has crept in the Army too’, or words to that effect. This tweet by a journalist who seemingly has a considerable following was distasteful and insensitive, to say the least.  

Being a cantonment kid or an Army brat, as we are known as colloquially, I felt it pertinent to pen down my opinion on the matter by providing the context in terms of elucidating the nature of socio-religious fabric that prevail in the military. I very proudly, have grown up amidst the second family that Army has provided me with; my father being a serving officer from the Infantry for last three decades. My views of course are based on what I have seen, experienced and inferred from rich interactions with my father.

Given progressive family background of ours and my father being a student of history prior to his induction into the Army, his motivation to join came from the secular ethos that armed forces. And mentioning of secularism, I hint at the ‘audible secularism’ of ours wherein all religions and faith are accepted beyond merely tolerated. This is contrary to the western hue of ‘aggressive secularism’ that recognises no religion and rubs on the wrong side of community’s sentiments via bans and embargo. He opted for a honourable service, for this very secularism.

A secularism where soldiering was the prime mover and stakeholders as part of an outfit adopt each other’s religion, without any ulterior motive. 

The battalion that my father was commissioned to and I was born in, comprised ten percent muslim men. As a routine, each Monday evening was ‘mandir parade’ and each Friday noon was marked by ‘masjid parade’. During the peace postings of the unit, we too used to attend such gatherings  wherein participation was irrespective of one’s faith and a healthy turnout was taken to be an indicator of levels of morale of the unit. A muslim soldier participating in Bhajans and a hindu soldier enjoying sewaiyan after dhuhr (noon prayer) was something very natural and attracted no particular attention. It was no different for festivals like Eid, Dussera, Deepawali, Ganesh Chaturthi etc.

With muslim minority in the battalion, it was a given that non-vegetarian cooked in the cook houses (langars as referred to by soldiers) was ‘halal’ since hindus had no inhibitions in consuming the same. Most importantly, as part of the regimental practice, broader shouldered majority accepts and respects the sentiments of minority without being tutored upon to do so.

The infrastructure that is constructed as per laid down standard to house mandir, masjid, gurudwara, church etc depending upon the composition of the unit is a common building called ‘dharma-sthal’. 

A military unit cannot afford to have divisions of any sorts, be it social or religious. The uniform that the soldiers dons and the flag that they salute to, gives them the requisite commonality of purpose to enable them overcome the trying service conditions of all sorts. I am told that in combat, deepest possible bondings are mandatory, after all they cover each other in face of enemy bullets. 

In the context of Iftar that drew the unfortunate tweet, army units organise such events in conjunction with civil populace in the areas of deployment to counter insurgencies. Being a people’s army operating in such environment, local population is considered to be the centre of gravity and bonding with them is imperative for normalcy. This culture of inclusivity and sensitivity that fructifies in events like Iftars has its genesis in the intrinsic thought process vis a vis religion that the soldiers hold. 

At the cost of sounding alarmist, such insensitive comment on social media and traction that it acquired thereafter, has the potential of damaging the intra-organisational social fibre of military units with grave consequences. I hope and pray that I am wrong.              

The author is an Advocate based out of New Delhi and daughter of a serving Army Officer

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India has achieved over 80 percent vaccination with over 187 crore vaccines administered till April 20. Even adolescents too are getting vaccinated with the elderly even getting booster doses. But still Delhi started witnessing increase in Covid positive cases with daily cases crossing over 2,000 for the last three days.

In response to the increase in Covid cases in the city, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) sprang into action. It made wearing face masks mandatory in the national capital on April 13. The move raised valid doubts and if it was taken in haste and did it indicate re-infection of the virus in the people.

Though vaccination has helped tremendously in mitigating severity of Covid, it is still important to maintain necessary social distancing in public places and usage of masks is still relevant.

PSRI Hospital Senior consultant, Pulmonology, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine Dr Neetu Jain says, “Though vaccination has helped tremendously in mitigating severity of Covid, it is still important to maintain necessary social distancing in public places and usage of masks is still relevant.

“Most people have got vaccinated but still we must not take it easy. We must continue wearing masks as DDMA has made it mandatory once again. People are becoming lax with Covid appropriate behaviour, so making mask mandatory is the step in right direction.”

Becoming Lax!

Doctors and experts, nevertheless feel that the rise in cases could be not only because people are becoming lax in following the Covid protocols but due to the new XE variant surfacing in the country. This new XE variant is a combination of the sub-variants of corona virus that was discovered in South Africa. It first surfaced in Gujarat and Maharashtra in India.

The symptoms of the new XE variant are the same as Covid 19 which include fever, cough, and tiredness, say experts. It is no different from the corona virus.  

Officials state that XE variant is highly transmissible. However, there is a sense of relief also as it is considered mild. 

But regardless of it being mild or not, the case in point it is that XE variant is difficult to detect. And even normal swab test have to be specially tested for the XE variant.

The question comes to mind – Is the new XE variant responsible for the rise in cases?

A few months back, Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur had predicted we could expect the fourth Covid wave around middle of June which will last for two months and peak from August mid onwards. 

“After three waves, first in 2020 (Covid), second in April 2021 (Delta variant) and third in December/January 2022 (Omicron), is this the start of the fourth wave (XE variant)?” says Dr Manav Manchanda of Asian Hospital.

But the government is not keen to go by the IIT researchers and downplays the suggestions that the fourth wave would be hitting the country anytime soon.

However, medical authorities concur with the researchers. Doctors feel that Covid is not over and perceive that the fourth wave could be just round the corner.

Its not over

Without much debate scientific debate, we ought to take care as the threat of corona was not over.

And for those, who have not taken booster dose, you can take Booster dose. The government has reduced the cost of the booster dose which the medical healthcare fraternity was ready to absorb the cost difference. However, even vaccine manufacturers were also ready to take unused stock. There are reports that the vaccine manufactures are willing to adjust the costing in future purchases by the hospitals. Delhi even made it free on April 21.

The booster dose should ideally be given after appropriate time as the elderly are impacted more and thus they need to be cautious. The role of vaccination and the booster dose cannot be undermined, hence take a booster dose if vaccinated.

And women especially need to be extra cautious. Dr Archana Dhawan Bajaj, Gynaecologist, Obstetrician & IVF Expert, Nurture Clinic, said, “Women need to be more alert during pregnancy. There is a chance that you may not be infected and affect your new born, but why take a chance. Pregnant women need to take extra care.”

And did you know that in the age group 12-14 year old, so far, 2.57 crore adolescents have been vaccinated with first dose of vaccine in the country.

However, the government has so far not gone strict and closed schools and resorted to online classes once again and is permitting regular classes even as the cases started surfacing in schools in Noida and Delhi. Doctors in any case, advise caution. 

Remain vigilant

 “Remain vigilant especially for the sake of the children. We have to defeat Corona. The battle is long so, fight till your last mask. Maintain your healthy habits. In any case, Indians normally would wash hands before eating, so we just need to continue to broaden the selfcare base and just go on wearing masks,” says Dr Archna Dhawan Bajaj.

Wash your hand and maintain hygiene and remember to follow the social distancing norms and sanitize yourself whenever needed.

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Indian security agencies are still trying to figure out how the Taliban and other terrorists organisations are trying to sell drugs in the country and who all are involved.

Last week, heroin imported by a Vijaywada-based company from Iran’s Bandar Abbas Port was seized by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) from Gujarat’s Mundra port run by Adani Group. It may be recalled that Gautum Adani is a close friend of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Indian mainstream pro Modi media, labelled as Godi Media, is particularly silent on the heroin seizure, perhaps the biggest in the world.

Internet is abuzz with conspiracy theories linking the Adanis to the drug market. Memes and social media messages were being exchanged in hordes. The under currents were so strong that the Adani Group had to come out with a press statement.

Adani Clarifies

Media statement on the malicious social media campaign against the Adani Group on the seizure of illegal drugs at Mundra Port. pic.twitter.com/z4gutdzKyK

— Adani Group (@AdaniOnline) September 21, 2021

The Adani Group said that it has no policing authority of ports. “The law empowers the government of India’s competent authorities such as the Customs and the DRI to open, examine and seize unlawful cargo. No port operator across the country can examine a container. Their role is limited to running the port.

“We sincerely hope that this statement will put to rest the motivated, malicious and false propaganda being run on social media against the Adani Group. APSEZ is a port operator providing services to shipping lines, We have no policing authority over the containers or the millions of tonnes of cargo that pass through the terminals in Mundra or any of our ports”, said a spokesperson of Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd (APSEZ).”

But Opposition leaders and many were no buying the argument. 

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said: “The drugs sent from Afghanistan to India via Iran port were found on Mundra port of Gujarat. It is a serious issue for India when you have a look at its price and amount. It is a conspiracy to throw our youth into drug addiction. The money made through the sales of these drugs in India is used to fuel terrorism against our nation. This issue is serious and raises a lot of questions.”

Congress ATTACKS

There are several ports across the Indian coast line, yet drug smugglers only want to use Gujarat. The all important question being, do they consider it safer? #BJPGujaratDrugsModel @INCIndia

“In Modi’s India, 59 grams of Weed > 3000 kgs of Heroin. Govt used ED/CBI/NCB & leaked WhatsApp chats of Bolly Actresses. But even after World’s Biggest Heroin Seizure at Adani’s Mundra Port, there is pin-drop silence. Modi went after Rhea when Pablo Escobars are booming in India.” Tweet by Karnataka Congress member, Srivatsa Y.B.

The Chennai couple – Purna Vaishali and her husband Machavaram Sudhakar – are apparently small time drug peddlers who used their company Aashi Trading company registered in Vijaywada, to import semi-finished talc from Afghanistan. But what came was heroin hidden with talc bags.

They are not the kinds to deal in thousands of crores. The Heroin is estimated to be worth Rs 15-21000 crore worth. According to sources, the merely got Rs 10-12 lakhs for the import and using their names.  Will the country ever know who is behind these drugs. Perhaps, never.

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