India and the World | India Writes

Why Modi needs to silence ‘Hindutva’ brigade

September 14, 2015September 14, 2015 - by N Sathiya Moorthy

It’s sad that meat-ban and other original agenda-points of the ‘Hindutva brigade’ should be allowed to derail the good work seemingly being done, or continued to be promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It provides fodder for criticism of the Prime Minister in the social media circuit from the ridiculous to a very serious level, which surpasses corruption charges and jokes against the Manmohan Singh government through all those long months leading to Elections-2014.

India votes in favour of raising Palestine flag at UN

September 12, 2015September 12, 2015 - by India Writes Network

In a move that is set to impart an added traction to the Palestinian cause, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of allowing the Palestine and Vatican flag to be flown in the UN. India was among the 119 countries that voted in favour of the resolution. The issue of raising the flags of the non-member observer states who maintain permanent observer missions at the UN headquarters had been gaining momentum for a while. The US and Israel were among the eight countries that voted against the resolution, while 45 countries, including the UK and EU countries, abstained.

High expectations from Modi’s UK visit: Focus on smart cities, investments

September 11, 2015September 11, 2015 - by India Writes Network

As the euphoria builds up around India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s November trip to the United Kingdom, Britain’s Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Sajid Javid is in India to firm up the visit for the visit. This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the UK in more than a decade. The last visit was by Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2001.

World Hindi Conference kicks off in Bhopal: Modi stresses on the importance of languages

September 11, 2015September 11, 2015 - by India Writes Network

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 10th World Hindi Conference in Bhopal on September 10. He spoke about the importance and significance of the language.
Speaking at the event India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the emphasis this time is more on the possibilities of propagating Hindi in various fields rather than on just literary aspects of the language. She said that this time conference is different from the previously held summits involving literature and litterateurs.

West calling: Bengal’s Baul singers reach foreign shores

September 10, 2015September 10, 2015 - by India Writes Network

Bauls, the singing minstrels from India’s state of West Bengal, are now looking West. In a globalising world, it’s hard to say no to new opportunities, even for the tradition-bound Bauls.

Mimlu and Paban Das Baul, a couple living in France for the last three decades, write and make Baul music. “Paban is a big hit. His music is on local FM radio in France and people consider him a big star. In India this is his first album (Notun Sopon – The Sugar Mule Project) being produced,” says Mimlu.

Ahead of Modi’s Silicon Valley visit, Infosys cleared in US visa probe

September 9, 2015September 9, 2015 - by India Writes Network

In a shot in the arm for the Narendra Modi government ahead of his US visit, the US Department of Labour has cleared Indian IT giant Infosys of visa violation charges. The non-immigrant visas of H-1B and L-1 are the most sought after visas in the US by foreign workers to work in high skill technology sectors and Indians get the maximum number of these visas in the US. However, it has been a major point of contention between India and the US, with India pushing the US to liberalise the visa regime in this category.

Ahead of BSF-Rangers talks, Sartaj Aziz accuses Modi of anti-Pakistan policy

September 8, 2015September 8, 2015 - by India Writes Network

A day before India’s Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers meet for some straight talk on intensifying ceasefire violations, the atmosphere could not have been more tense, with charges and counter-charges flying thick and fast. In a calculated attempt to provoke New Delhi, Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Sartaj Aziz on September 8 accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of following an “anti-Pakistan policy” and insisted that Islamabad will participate in any future talks with India only if Kashmir is part of the agenda.

Modi plays cheerleader to India Inc: Take risks, invest

September 8, 2015September 8, 2015 - by India Writes Network

Amid emerging gloom-and-doom narratives shadowing the Indian economy and the Indian rupee sinking to a new low, Prime Minister Narendra Modi played the cheerleader as he exhorted India Inc to …

French President warns of collapse of climate talks in Paris

September 8, 2015September 8, 2015 - by India Writes Network

With barely three months to go before the Paris global climate summit, France’s President Francois Hollande has warned that the talks will fail unless the world leaders pushed harder for …

Branding SDGs: Star power blitz & glitz to tell world about UN Global Goals

September 4, 2015September 4, 2015 - by Manish Chand

Seven billion people, seven days and 17 goals. Call it Mission 7717, if you like, or simply Mission 17. Blending glamour, glitz, star shower and snappy story-telling, the staid United Nations, known for pompous well-meaning speeches, has launched an audacious path-breaking campaign to tell the world about its “Global Goals” of weeding out poverty, combating inequality and climate change by 2030.