Many major disasters could have been avoided if a whistleblower had been listened to
Gaurav Taneja is a popular YouTuber but he also happens to be a pilot with Air Asia, India. In a recent video, he alleged that the airline indulges in some practices that he believes compromises passenger safety in order to save some fuel. As a result of this, he has been suspended from his job. Now, Taneja could very well be wrong. If it is found out that he cried wolf, his career in aviation could be sunk at a very young age and few airlines would hire him. That said, it is good that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is investigating his claims. While the airline has defended itself by saying that what its pilots are doing is an approved procedure, the manufacturer of the aircraft used, Airbus Industrie, has not made any clarifications so far.
While it is not uncommon for whistleblowers to go to the public at large with their complaints, it is important that the regulators investigate each and every issue that is brought up, involving the safety of the passengers. Far too often, whistleblowers are ignored or run down by organisations for their complaints. In aviation, passenger safety is paramount. If something untoward were to happen and it was to emerge that a whistleblower did raise red flags earlier, the regulator would be on the hook. Such an investigation may or may not require massive resources. Indeed, in this case, a few clarifications from the manufacturer should suffice and it might well turn out that Taneja’s worries were unfounded. But that does not mean that they should be ignored. Rightly so, aviation is one of the most safety-conscious industries in the world. It has a strict layer of protocols. Further, to train to become a commercial pilot is an expensive and extensive undertaking. An air crash is more often than not a failure of man, not the machine. Incorrect or unsafe procedures are human errors. In order to save money on fuel and tyres, airlines should not play with people’s lives. A thorough investigation must be conducted and concluded promptly.
(Courtesy: The Pioneer)
Yet again, speculations have started over elections. They had persisted for four years — on whether or not the Lok Sabha and Assembly Elections would be held simultaneously. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh Government sent its consent to the Central Government on ‘one nation, one election’. The UP Government had formed a committee under the chairmanship of its minister, Sidharth Nath Singh, and it gave its go-ahead for simultaneous elections. The committee also recommended holding local body elections along with the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.
Now, questions are being raised over whether elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan — which are scheduled at the end of the year — will be held. Many experts say elections in these States might be postponed. Then there are some who are asking if the Lok Sabha Elections will be held earlier. Some say Narendra Modi and Amit Shah could go for the LS polls at the end of this year.
So, the Assembly Elections in three States might be held along with the Lok Sabha polls. This is a fact that no Government wants to keep its power at stake even for one day. Even if the BJP doesn’t perform well in the three States, it will have at least six months. This is not necessary that if the party doesn’t perform well in the States, it will not perform well at the Centre either. In 2003 and 2008, the BJP had fared well in the States, but had lost at the Centre.
If the Government takes a decision to defer elections in the three States, then President’s rule will have to be imposed and that will have to be ratified by both Houses of Parliament. In this process, the Government might face problems in the Rajya Sabha. Of course, the BJP can take risk if the party wins the election of Vice-Chairman of the Upper House.
Political churning in UP
The SP and BSP are going to sacrifice their interests to give a big jolt to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, where there are 80 Lok Sabha seats. Akhilesh Yadav has said that he is ready to give the ‘big brother’ status to the BSP in the Lok Sabha Elections. In one sense, he made it clear that the BSP would be fighting on more seats. It is being said that the SP will get more seats in the Assembly polls.
According to the buzz, the BSP will be fighting on half of the Lok Sabha seats ie 40 seats. This is also decided that the BSP will fight on almost all the reserved seats. The remaining 40 seats will be distributed amongst the SP, Congress, and RLD. Probably, the SP will be fighting on 30 seats, the Congress on seven, and the RLD will get only three seats. The Congress is pressing for 10 seats, but will settle for five to seven also. The SP will also not face any problem in leaving these many seats. This is a fact that the SP hasn’t fought in Amethi and Raebareli seats for years. This time, the party will not field its candidate on two or three more seats.
Ajit Singh will pose the real problem, though. If he presses for the five seats he had won in 2009, then things could get tough for other parties. He could also join hands with the BJP. On the other hand, there are rumours that the Congress will fight alone, and this strategy will be used to cut into the BJP’s votes.
Though Akhilesh has agreed to give more seats to the BSP, the SP leaders are still apprehensive. They think that Mayawati can do the same with the SP as she had done with the BJP. This must be noted that in the Nineties, Mayawati had devised a formula of six months with the BJP. But after running the Government for the first six months, she was not ready to hand over the power to the BJP. That is why the SP leaders want the seat-sharing formula for the Assembly polls to be fixed beforehand. Though it is highly unlikely that the BSP will abide by that formula even after agreeing to it in principle.
PRANAB FAMILY’S FUTURE
There are many speculations over the status of Pranab Mukherjee’s family after he visited the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. As soon as he decided to go there, social media was abuzz with the news that his daughter Sarmishtha would be joining the BJP, forcing her to issue a clarification. After that, rumours started on Pranab’s MP son Abhijit, with some saying that he would join the TMC. Now, the family is giving clarifications on Abhijit.
These two rumours, that originated on social media, were picked up by mainstream media, especially TV channels. One news channel put the future strategy of Sarmishtha on air in detail. However, sources close to the family say that neither is Sarmishtha going to the BJP nor is Abhijit headed towards the TMC. Some time ago, Sarmishtha had got an offer from the TMC. This is being said that before the last Rajya Sabha election, Mamata Banerjee had told Sarmishtha that she would be sent to the Rajya Sabha if she joins her party, but Sarmishtha denied. That is why, one of her close aides says that when she didn’t join the TMC at that time, why would she join the BJP now?
As far as Abhijit is concerned, he is an MP from Jangipur seat, which he has won twice. His seat lies in the stronghold area of State Congress President, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. After assurance from Adhir Ranjan, Pranab had fought from this seat and the former had worked hard for the latter’s victory. Abhijit’s victory is also dependent on Adhir. If he goes to the TMC, victory from this seat will be difficult. Abhijit can win from this seat even when the Congress is in a bad situation. That is why it is almost certain that Pranab’s daughter and son will remain with the Congress.
AKHILESH’S TARNISHED IMAGE
Either the family members of Akhilesh Yadav or his personal staffers have made blunders while vacating his bungalow and that will cost dear to his image. Akhilesh himself has erred, and he will have to bear the brunt along with the Opposition. When the Supreme Court had ordered former CMs of the State to vacate their bungalows, Akhilesh had gone to court and demanded two years, which elicited critical reactions from the media. The BJP supporters said Akhilesh wants two years to vacate his bungalow, and he wishes that Modi should change the country in five years!
However, while he sought two years from the court on various pretexts, he also started vacating the bungalow in the meantime. It was said that substantial damage had been done to the bungalow property, including to the tiles and water taps, the pictures of which were splashed all over the media. Now, the SP is giving clarifications over the matter.
Earlier, it was being said that this was the Government’s strategy, and the government machinery had excavated the bungalow when Akhilesh vacated it. After that, Akhilesh said he was ready to give money for all the things which had disappeared from the bungalow. But this is a fact that this news has made a dent into his image, especially among youths.
Writer: Hari shankar vyas
Courtesy: The Pioneer
Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. Seek help if you must. Help others when you can
We are living in troubled times. The Coronavirus-induced lockdown and the subsequent economic distress caused due to it has led to bank accounts being drained and previously high-flying careers falling down in the dumps. The emergence of social distancing has meant that for several people, their highly interactive and gregarious life has come to a crashing halt. It is understandable that such a sudden pause, whether it is of incomes or social life, can lead to mental health issues and, thus, suicides and other forms of self-harm. Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic death isn’t the first self-inflicted one of a celebrity during the lockdown. His passing away though is by far and away the most high-profile. It is impossible to know which demons in his head made him take such a step but one should be grateful not just for his career but also that in death, he has shone a light on mental health.
Unfortunately, in India, as a society, we have ignored the perils of poor mental health for far too long. The societal stigma associated with this disorder is overbearing. This makes it impossible for people, particularly those in high-profile industries such as the entertainment industry, to see a doctor as the rumour mill would go into overdrive. In this respect, India fares a lot worse than Western countries, where visiting psychiatrists is an accepted fact of life even though that does not stop those looking to self-harm. To top it all, in India there’s a severe shortage of mental health professionals. But as parents, siblings, friends and colleagues, it is imperative for each and every one of us to keep an eye out on others. Unfortunately, we live in times when relationships have become extremely transactional, not just in the entertainment industry but in other fields as well. Cyber-bullying, too, is rampant on social media, which often drives those, who are not as strong as others, to thoughts of self-harm. Thus, technology companies, especially Facebook and Twitter, have a responsibility towards checking the menace of bullying. If we fall as a child, our parents are there to pick us up. The problem is that we will continue to fall as adults. It is contingent on each of us to pick up those who slip. We should hope that there are those who will help us if we fall as well. Beating up those, who ask for help, is not a solution. Encourage them to seek help and talk to those you can help.
(Courtesy: EDITORIAL – The Pioneer)
Yet another savage outcome of human-elephant conflict in Kerala must propel us to get our act together. If not, animals will perish along with the environment
The murder of a pregnant elephant, which died in the Velliyar river in Kerala’s Mannarkkad forest division in Palakkad district on May 27, must rank among the cruellest killings of animals ever. According to the post-mortem report, the immediate cause of her death was drowning. Before that, she could not eat or drink for nearly 14 days following an explosion in her mouth that inflicted major, incapacitating wounds in the oral cavity. “This”, the report reads, “resulted in excruciating pain and distress in the region and prevented the animal from taking food and water for nearly two weeks. Severe debility and weakness, in turn, resulted in a final collapse in water that led to drowning.”
According to Kumar Chellappan’s report in The Pioneer of June 6, the elephant was injured as she tried to eat a coconut that had been stuffed with explosives to kill wild boars that ate up crops. The report further stated that the police had arrested P Wilson, a tapper in a rubber plantation, the previous day and were looking for the plantation’s owners, Abdul Kareem and his son Riyazuddin, and had charged all three of them under various sections of the Kerala Forest Act and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Wilson has reportedly admitted that he had filled a coconut with explosives and placed it in the plantation to kill wild boars that regularly devoured/destroyed crops. According to reports, Wilson, following interrogation, had taken police and forest department officials to a shed inside the plantation, where the explosives had been worked on, and some remnants were found. In the event, instead of a wild boar, an elephant bit into the fruit.
A word of caution. Before bursting into a round of applause for the police, one should remember that the accused are yet to be convicted and adequately sentenced. Since Indian elephants (Elephas maximus) feature in Part I (mammals), Schedule I, of the Wildlife Protection Act, their hunting “in a sanctuary or a national park” can lead to imprisonment of up to seven years and a “fine which shall not be less than ten thousand rupees.”
The award of the maximum punishment will depend on successful prosecution in courts, which, in turn, would depend on convincingly marshalling and weaving evidence into unfolding arguments. This implies thorough investigation and reflection thereon. This aspect needs to be emphasised as the Kerala Government’s and local bodies’ record in protecting animals and bringing their murderers and tormentors to book is by no means exemplary. In some cases, they are guilty of condoning or even sanctioning killing.
In fact, one wonders whether the Kerala Government would have ordered an investigation into the present case and made the kind of serious efforts it has to arrest the culprits, had the media not taken it up so strongly and waves of shock and anger not swept the country. Another female elephant had died in April in the Pathanapuram forest range area under Punalur division in Kollam district after trying to eat an explosive-laden fruit. It was, according to forest officers, treated adequately but in vain. The incident did not find any coverage in the national media until anger exploded over the pregnant elephant’s murder and was only mentioned in passing in a couple of reports even after that. An investigation has been ordered but nothing like the efforts made following the death of the pregnant elephant has been launched.
Poaching is rampant in the area. According to a report by Vinod Mathew in The Print (datelined June 5), 24 wild elephants have died of unnatural causes like poaching in the last five years in Kerala. If the Government was serious about stamping out the menace, it would have made recognisably determined efforts to bring the guilty to book in every case of elephant killing like the one in April. Besides, a telling commentary on the state of affairs in Kerala is the almost casual mention in several post-Palakkad death media reports that the explosive-laden coconut that killed the elephant was targetted at wild boars destroying crops.
Two points need to be made here. First, such savage killing of no animal can be justified. Second, the Kerala Government had permitted the killing of wild boars in May. The Print report cited above quotes Dr Asha Thomas, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest and Wildlife, Kerala Government, as saying, “There have been periodic demands from farmers that they be allowed to protect their crop and given the right to shoot wild boars. About a month ago, a Government order was issued that allowed the shooting of wild boars, subject to a number of clauses.” The clauses, according to her, included “certification by the local authorities that an area is suffering crop loss on account of sustained attack by wild boars and so on.” She added, “And once the permission is granted, only someone from an empanelled group of licenced firearm owners would be allowed to shoot. So far we have had only one such case.”
P Wilson, who allegedly stuffed explosives in the coconut that killed the pregnant elephant, as well as the two other accused in the case, Abdul Kareem and Riyazuddin, had, if the allegations against them are correct, either not heard about the conditions governing the killing of wild boars or thought these could be ignored with impunity. One needs hardly to be surprised if the latter has been the case. According to a report in the NDTV (June 5) by Sneha Mary Koshy (edited by Deepshikha Ghosh), villagers in the region often used firecrackers or explosives stuffed in food to protect their fields from wild animals like boar and the horrific practice had been widely condemned. Obviously, however, such condemnation had not led to deterrent punishments of the kind that would have halted the three accused in their tracks.
It is certainly important to protect crops. The need to do so, however, can also be cited as an excuse. A report by Adam Withnall in The Independent of the United Kingdom datelined June 5 quotes Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder of the NGO Wildlife SOS, as saying that farmers continued to use “crude and inhumane” methods like fruit bombs “on the pretext of crop protection… despite crop compensation schemes available from the forest department”. According to a report by Shaji Phillips in The Indian Express of June 6, the Mannarkkad range forest officer, Ashique Ali U, in charge of probing the Palakkad killing case, said that the accused were in the habit of hunting wild animals and selling their meat. This, if true, would junk any claim that they were trying to protect their crops.
There are multiple reasons for growing elephant-human conflict. In many cases, humans are guilty of wanton provocation. This is clear from a report, datelined May 18, 2019, by Birdie Witten in the Mirror, the United Kingdom, which was brought to the notice of this writer by Sonia Jabbar, who runs a successful elephant conservation programme in North Bengal. The report is about a mother elephant, which had given birth near the dry bed of a lake, trying to get her newborn baby to stand, while a crowd of villagers watched and took photographs. Increasingly indicating her irritation through movements, she finally charged at the crowd as the latter started throwing stones at her and killed a 27-year-old man. Ten other elephants appeared in the area shortly afterwards, causing panic.
This incident happened in West Bengal. Kerala is not the only State where elephants are maltreated. In the last couple of days, three elephants were apparently poisoned to death in Chhattisgrah. Such crimes are becoming increasingly frequent throughout the country because human encroachment into animal habitats is growing, thanks to a swelling population. It is not just new farms and human settlements but the entire range of projects — roads, rail tracks, power transmission lines, mines, industrial plants — undertaken in the name of a skewed concept of development catering to advertisement-driven compulsive consumption. Animals will perish and the environment ruined if the process continues unreformed. Finally, with their supportive linkages of life forms gone, humans will face extinction.
(Writer: Hiranmay Karlekar; Courtesy: The Pioneer)
If India’s road to economic recovery and self-reliance is predicated on widening the by lanes of the ‘local’, how do we mobilise our universities to contribute to the mission?
In April, even as the country was in the grip of the global pandemic, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) wrote to universities around the country, urging them to study India’s response to the Spanish Flu and to identify those strategies from 1918 that might be replicated in the lockdown-exit plan. Further, the MHRD exhorted universities to set up dedicated research teams to survey the neighbouring villages for their awareness of Covid-19.
In spite of being sincere and noble, these directives tend to underscore, quite unintentionally, a couple of chronic oversights that our institutions have historically suffered from. Perhaps more so now, than in 1918. However, the contemporary clamour over the imperatives of online teaching, calls for technological upgradation of academic institutions, debates about equal access to e-learning portals and the long-term feasibility of such a learning model, given the low-to-moderate success of India’s already sizable distant learning programmes, have completely drowned out these other questions of greater import.
As our economy limps back to its routine after undergoing an extended hard lock down from March 25, what precise roles and tasks should we delegate to our universities and research institutes? If India’s road to economic recovery and self-reliance is predicated on widening the by lanes of the “local”, how do we mobilise our universities to contribute to the mission? Perhaps an honest acknowledgment of our shortcomings would be a useful plank to take off from. Of the two aforementioned instructions sent by the MHRD, the first draws upon an assumption that the older city universities, such as those in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Banaras, would have archives detailing the colonial administration’s handling of the Spanish Flu epidemic.
Admittedly, as a people, we aren’t too good at record-keeping. In spite of the annual reports and the college magazines, our educational institutions haven’t really fared too well when it comes to documenting their own activities and achievements, let alone those of the Government and such. It is only in the last five or six years — thanks to the compulsion of submitting detailed reports to various accreditation bodies — that the process of meticulous documentation and archiving has come into effect.
The second directive, at least in theory, seeks to alert academic and research institutions to their own geo-cultural location. We must be candid in admitting that in a bid to have an exceedingly “national” character, Indian universities have often ignored the uniqueness of their respective locations. This oversight is more pronounced in the Central universities. An engagement with the local — its needs, its history, its practices as well as its knowledge traditions — if harnessed well, would have reaped great dividends. Unfortunately, this remains a major omission both in syllabi and institutional outlook. Before we assign responsibilities to our universities and seek to realign their priorities, we must address both of the aforementioned concerns. Further, we must begin by asking as to what it is that the “local” needs the most in these tumultuous times and in the uncertain future that we anticipate with much trepidation.
Here, the experience of Hollywood, probably one of the most spontaneous-yet-organised industries in the world, has an important lesson for us. Prior to the outbreak of the Spanish Flu, the business of movie-making in the US thrived on a partnership of sorts between film-makers and independent exhibitors. The family-run “mom-and-pop” theatres, which had mushroomed throughout the US, had propelled the small-time local exhibitors on a somewhat level playing field with the big city-based producers.
However, once the prolonged lock down threw the subsistence economy of these theatres into a spin, a man named Adolph Zukor, a Hungarian-American film producer, started preying on their vulnerability and launched a vicious acquisition drive. He bullied the theatre owners into selling off their assets at throwaway prices and established a total monopoly by extending his control over every link in the business chain. Zukor succeeded in altering forever the participative character of the American film industry and turning it into a highly centralised trade that refused to factor in spaces outside Los Angeles. This structure of production and control that was set in place during the pandemic and has produced the likes of Harvey Weinstein remains virtually untouched till date.
As India aims for economic recovery through strategies of self-reliance and power to the small and cottage businesses, it must remain vigilant of such predatory monopolising tendencies. We need to guard our at-risk local players against hawkish forces that threatened to render them inconsequential. This has to be done through a combination of financial assistance and skill up-gradation. While the Government has announced a detailed economic package, a road map for recalibrating the retreating workforce towards the needs of the rural economy remains to be thrashed out.
It is precisely in this context that the role of universities in Post-Covid India may be best framed. Universities must start by identifying problems specific to the workforce and businesses around their locations, devise contingency measures to help them survive the immediate crisis and, in the long run, find ways to enable them to contribute robustly to our economic revival. To this effect, the following suggestions may be of interest. First, the massive labour movement in the weeks following the lock down has propelled back into the limelight certain constituents of our economy that were becoming increasing invisible. After decades of focus on heavy industries, mega infrastructure projects, IT hubs and the service sector, we are once again looking at the rural economy and agriculture.
Under the circumstances, it is important that our universities, agricultural research institutes and departments of agriculture, horticulture and botany leverage their research output to the local farmers. This, in turn, would entail training a batch of individuals from the nearby villages who, by virtue of being familiar with both scientific terminologies and the local idiom, can establish a bridge between researchers at a regional centre and the farming community that thrives in its vicinity.
A successful model for such an enterprise has already been put in place by an Odisha-based organisation called Back to Village (B2V). Through its chain of Unnat Krishi Kendras, which provide scientific training to young farmers and college graduates with roots in the villages, B2V has succeeded in establishing a dialogue among universities, researchers and farmers. It will be expected of the universities to find ways to open up such knowledge traffic and further diversify the scope of their outreach to other aspects of the agricultural economy such as food processing, packaging, warehousing, transportation and so on.
Second, universities must try to read the sociology of the regional economy by extensively mapping and documenting local business trends, practices, market orientations and gaps in the production chain. Besides being of immense value to policymakers, both at times of crisis (the current one and in the future) and otherwise, such data would embolden the universities themselves to launch short-term skill enhancement courses, bearing in mind the specific needs of the local workforce. Easing age-restriction and other admission-linked eligibilities will promote learning opportunities outside the curriculum and extend them to those learners, who aren’t necessarily a part of the regular academic programmes. This will go a long way in empowering the migrant population that has swarmed backed to the villages and is now staring at joblessness and a bleak future.
Third, on the strength of the aforementioned data, each university must endeavour to establish at least one centre dedicated exclusively to local history, trends and resources. For example, universities in States like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh can establish centres for the promotion of the tribal economy, while those in Punjab and Haryana can focus on sports. By providing market linkages, devising strategies for product-promotion, organising trader-policymaker meets and continuously leveraging their in-house research findings, such centres may trigger new business trends that would be naturally sustainable and might even prevent large-scale migration to urban centres once the pandemic ends.
However, in a bid to become “vocal for local”, institutions must not end up usurping the local’s right to speak for itself. Mechanisms for routine interactions with stakeholders from the local community and factoring in their feedback while assigning research goals must be institutionalised. If we must speak for the local, it is imperative that we know its language too. Then and only then can we move towards a resurgent India that is truly self-reliant.
(Writer: Gautam Choubey; Courtesy: The Pioneer)
The number of Gir lions has gone up by 29 per cent but with a shrinking habitat, man-animal conflicts remain a challenge
If there has been one silver lining through the dark clouds of the pandemic, it has been of the resurgence and healing of nature. Now there is more good news on that front. The numbers of the majestic Asiatic Lion, which was once threatened by extinction, are up by almost 29 per cent in Gujarat’s Gir forest. Geographically, too, the distribution area is up by 36 per cent. Their numbers have now risen to an estimated 674 in protected areas and agro-pastoral landscapes of Saurashtra, over an expanse of about 30,000 sq km. Although lions have been increasing steadily from 523 in 2015, they have also fallen victim to human-animal conflict, partly due to the fragmentation of their habitat and encroachment. This had resulted in them spilling out of their ranges and almost co-habiting with villagers, letting go of their feline aggression for a tamer behaviour. More lions had been straying into human settlements in the absence of a transit corridor to an alternative home. Sometimes, they were run over by trains. Then some of them fell prey to Canine Distemper Virus (CDV), protozoa infections and territorial fights because of the shrinking forest. But since then conservation efforts have been stepped up through community participation, technological mapping, habitat management, encouraging prey base, minimising human-lion conflict and better healthcare, including import of CDV vaccines. So now there are 161 males, 260 females, 45 sub-adult males, 49 sub-adult females, 22 unidentified and 137 cubs. However, even as there is reason to celebrate every big cat birth and survival, this also makes us confront the age-old questions of the sustainability of such large carnivore populations. Since the protected area and agro-pastoral landscapes are at maximum capacity already, it is only a matter of time before the lions wander farther off in search of roaming territory. How will the community deal with a growing population of carnivores given the fact that the 2015 census clearly shows that the lion population grew by 126 per cent outside the Gir Protected Area? Till now, Gujarat has been handling this efficiently by letting the lions prey on livestock and compensating the farmers promptly. But is this a permanent solution? Because, according to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the number of villages where lions kill livestock is increasing by about 100 each year. So if the authorities don’t revise the compensation rates in keeping with the current market price of cattle, and if they fail to give the money promptly, then the farmers will lose patience and we will again be left with a major man-animal conflict on our hands. Also, wildlife experts say that increased interaction between humans and the big cats is very detrimental for the latter as they learn to live in human settlements and turn into scavengers rather than hunters.
So the Government needs to create more lion-safe areas, if not protected ones. The WII’s Lion Ecology Project has charted forest patches where lionesses can rear cubs and hunt for them. These should be legally protected against conversion into agricultural land or development zones. There is need to build overpasses or underpasses where railway tracks cut through habitats, allowing the animals the right of way safely. And some relocation sites should be planned in contiguity with neighbouring State reserves if we want to swell our pride.
(Courtesy: EDITOR,The Pioneer)
Life lessons from a person, who wears many a hat at the same time.
Vidhya Tiwari, Pageant Ambassador for SAVVY Mrs India, Director & Editor-In-Chief of TROFII, India’s only dedicated Food & Night- life Magazine, and Co-founder of ORO BLANCO (a makeover studio), is a self-proclaimed workaholic.
Her inclination was towards Law but on her father’s insistence she enrolled into Fashion Design and has never looked back since. From being a novice fashionista to becoming a professional she continued working in the fashion industry as a freelance Designer and Stylist for Femina. Working with Femina opened up avenues for her, with numerous shows and pageants, including the Citadel Extravaganza and another one that she calls as one of her favorite moments in her career, which was the show she organised for international Fashion Designer, Eva Danielle, in Pune (2013).
The year 2014 sprinkled some star- dust on her when she received a call from the Czar of the glamour world, Mr Nari Hira appointing her as the Editor of CITADEL magazine (from the stables of MAGNA Publishing)! Being her first ever job on the pay roll, as she had never worked in a corporate environment ever before, her apprehension were put to rest with the warmth and understanding be- stowed upon her, especially by her publisher Proneeta Hira! Sharing a great rap- port with the MAGNA Mumbai team she learnt the ropes of marketing under the guidance of Mr Ashok Dhamankar (Marketing Director, Magna Publishing).
Being the Editor of CITADEL a life- style magazine, she learnt a lot on the job, especially the shift from Fashion to Food. As along with fashion articles she also had to do articles on decor and food! It was an easy jump for her, as in her own words she says, “I am from the live to eat category of people.” Known for her passionate food blogging, she has a loyal following on Instagram & Facebook. A gourmet herself, she’s known to be a great judge of good food and good taste.
The fine point in food for her was when the International Chain Hyatt recognised her talent and invited her as a Judge for the Hyatt Culinary Challenge 2015, at the Hyatt Regency in Mumbai! And her position as a connoisseur was cemented with a second invitation from the Hyatt group when she was invited second year in a row as a judge for the Hyatt Culinary Challenge 2016, this time at the Hyatt, Pune. A foodie at heart this Vegetarian workaholic, says she’s still trying to reach her potential, juggling different work profiles and trying to create a unique place for herself. That’s what led her to spearhead TROFII (Food & Nightlife Magazine) as an Editor and Director.
She also is a partner with a consulting firm, from food, to fashion, to beauty to branding and publicity, you name it and they have a solution! Being a people’s person, she feels Branding & PR are an extension of her creative side. When taking up a brand or person for brand building and PR, the only vision they carry is of their client being in a happy space, that’s our ultimate reward. She says, “if we give our best, and our clients are happy they will bring us more clients in return, which is exactly what happens with us, our recommendations are so strong, that first timers always turn to retainers!”
Having worked on numerous fashion shows as a Fashion Designer and stylist, she has also, helped groom the contestants of Radio Mirchi Queen Bee, RSI May Queen, Pune Club May Queen and the CITADEL Mr & Miss Pune. Her judging skills too have often been put to test, being invited to as jury member for numerous shows, from, Miss Pune to Mrs Maharashtra to Mrs India, to Mrs India Globe! Vidhya takes her duty as a judge very seriously and encourages Men and Women from all walks of life achieve their goals, “whether it be a Fashion Show, a Beauty Pageant or a Cookery Show or the show of life! Each one needs to reach their true potential but for that you must first believe you have it,” she says!
Driven by a strong belief that “style is our most engaging narrative to the world”, style is an art and art is every- where and in everything. There is an artist locked-up in each one of us, but some never find the key, and some never find the door.” Every venture she steps in is an essential one for her and she believes in offering her best. She looks at life and feels lucky, saying, “I think I’ve always been at the right place at the right time. Also, being brutally honest, that’s always worked for me. When I talk business, I talk business, there’s no beating around the bush. your time is the most important. Respect yourself. No one is as important as you are. If you put yourself first, if you are happy with everything around you, only then will you be able to make other people happy. So, choose yourself respect, honor and happiness above all else.
In her words, “I also feel we should never complicate your life, whether personal or professional. Keep it simple and straight. Speaking your heart and being honest is the key”. A devout believer in the Almighty, she feels, and keeps the positivity alive. Be true to yourself in all that you do. The best way to live life is to be true to yourself. Never give up, never lose faith. Faith can move mountains; faith can work wonders. Have faith in yourself and above all have faith in God. God’s love is Endless, and He never fails you, NEVER. Like Hellen Keller very truly said, “A bend in the road is not the end of the road…Unless you fail to make the turn.” So, surrender to Him and all else will follow.
By Anshuman Dogra: For Opinion Express News Services.
Vadhan is a prolific reader who turned to writing a few years ago. His first published book is Shatru, a prequel to his yet unpublished fantasy Series. Shatru sets the stage for a tale based on Indian mythology in which the universe is at risk from a primordial evil leaping through time continuum’s.
His second book, Agniputr: When Agni First Spoke, is hailed as one of the best multi-genre thrillers by some of India’s leading national newspapers, literary platforms, critics and top-end bloggers. Agniputr threads through fantasy, science, law, politics and philosophy to deliver an edge-of-the-seat entertainer. Vadhan is a lawyer by qualification and Director responsible for regulatory risk practice in the world’s largest professional services firm.
Here is the Q&A’s for Vadhan’s interview.
Why do you think there is an increasing lack of faith in law? even the highest court faces a lack of trust.
Firstly, thank you for giving me the opportunity to voice my views. In my opinion this is a very sensitive question. There is no substance to establish that we have lost faith in law. In fact, there is a lot of cleaning up that has happened in the last 5 years. There is a lot of transparency introduced into the public systems that was lacking earlier.
What is law? It is best described as societal guidelines to ensure common good. There are two sides to it, implementation of law and compliance with the law. A citizen’s minimum guarantee to a democratic society is compliance with the law. When there is defiance to the law of the land it will cause unrest. Every country in the world is only as good as its laws and compliance with it. In fact, in the recent past, the highest court of the land has been proactive and has stepped in several times in interpreting as well as providing clarity on compliance with the law. The root cause really is the attitude of certain sections, be it the effluent or the politically motivated, which intends to misinterpret the law to give it a wrong color coding to suit their own ends and to mislead the gullible common man.
Secondly, it is important for people not to think they are above the law. No one is really above the law. A democratic society functions are based on strong fundamentals enforced by institutions. For instance, the last word in investigation is the CBI. The quality of work of the NHAI is another example. ISRO and the tremendous work it has done till now instills faith in it. That is known as institutionalizing the principles of democracy. It is important to restore faith in public institutions. If we don’t, the alternative is harnessing and unleashing power. While institutions follow processes, power is unfettered and functions based on the impact of backlash if it is questioned. As a democratic country, we must work towards building our institutions and running the country based on the fundamental pillars of those institutions.
Does fear of God have to play a positive or a negative role in the ability to establish order of law?
In a country that believes in a divine largess and the positive nature of divinity, Fear of God is a deterrent against misuse of power. Is it really effective? I leave the question open. There are God men and people of influence who have used the divine largess to profit and control the mind of people to do their bidding. In our own culture as also that of others, people who sinned are known to face the wrath of God. Hence, logically such sinners must have fear of God. The surmise of my book, ‘Fear of God’ is to reinstate faith in law.
Your book fear of God high- lights this aspect of growing vigilantism. Does it in some way justify it with someone taking law in their own hands to bring justice?
Let me make it clear. Fear of God does not encourage vigilantism. Vigilantism can be defined a violent reaction to societal injustice and dysfunctional law. Ours is a country abiding by the rule of law. We have a justice delivery system. Is it the best? No. Not yet. But we are getting there faster than we can imagine.
The protagonist of my book insists that one has to be obey the law to be protected by it. If one breaks the law, one must be answerable to it. If you consider yourself to be above the law then there is only fear of God. There- fore, there is attack on corruption and the corrupted. The book only encourages obedience to the law. Do we need Fear of God to ensure that obedience? Defiance to the law will destroy civil society. Cheating the public exchequer, abusing public funds for private gains, using public institutions for personal purposes, not delivering public services, corrupting democratic institutions, these are signs of defiance to the law. The purpose of ‘Fear of God’ in the book is to remove the decay. The book doesn’t set out to propagate vigilantism. In fact it implores to obey the law. First and foremost it is a book of fiction; it is a thriller and an entertainer. If there is a lesson to be learnt (which is entirely up to the reader), it is that above every- thing else is law and obedience to it is the bedrock on which democratic society rests. If you think you are above the law, then there is only Fear of God!
There is a general sense of mistrust among people, lack of trust in authority, the government, each other. what do you think is the reason behind it?
I would peg the general sense of mistrust, if at all, that the people may have on the lost years of independent India when a despotic few controlled the way in which people felt or thought. I would blame it on manipulative coalition politics that forgot its mandate (if it had any at all) and lived for itself rather than the people who delivered a fractured and confused vote. I would blame it on those square kegs that tried to plug round holes. Gaining back the trust of the people inflicted with the injury by such manipulative few is a task. In the last few years, I have only seen a growing respect for the country, a growing sense of unity and dignity for everything Indian and for India.
“The protagonist of my book insists that one has to be obey the law to be protected by it. If one breaks the law, one must be answerable to it. If you consider yourself to be above the law then there is only fear of God.”
Last many months have continued to see people taking law in their own hands. More recently with lockdown situation, there have been such episodes. what do you think is the reason?
Firstly, the average Indian, whether educated or otherwise, is a person who wants to grow in life. I believe that is the mental makeup of an Indian today. Therefore, those who are ‘taking law into their own hands’ are those few who think they are entitled to more than the average Indian. That is my honest opinion. What gives them the right to such entitlement is not something altogether clear. When a policeman stopped a crowd from entering a marketplace without proper passes during COVID- 19 lock down in Patiala, they chopped of his hand! People attack doctors who are the front line soldiers in the battle against a global pandemic. These are signs of entitlement. ‘How dare you work on a COVID patient and step into my locality?’ These are signs of people who think they are above the law. To generalise it would not only be unfair to the average Indian, it would be criminal. When successive governments in the past have given in to influential lobbyists to secure the rights of the few to the detriment of many, for such ‘entitled’ individuals to come to terms with the fact that they are not ‘entitled’ any- more is a difficult task. We can only offer them pity. Not even sympathy.
Your book is going to be made into a movie. how do you perceive this new rush or need for books to be made into series or movies?
Well, look at it this way. There is a ready made script right there, already in the public domain and appreciated by people who would love to see it adapted into a movie or a web series. There is already an established connect with the viewers that the film maker can use. So, why not? Movies were always made from adaptations of the books. As the number of readers have gone up, an author’s name and adaptation from a book renders a greater leverage to the film maker and more acceptance from the viewing public. It is a step in the right direction. Changing a book to a movie involves a lot of creative work of script writers, novelists and film makers. I see good times ahead.
In conclusion, I request all of my readers out there to be safe, stay home and stay healthy. Relaxation of lock down conditions is not a ticket to roam around freely. Use it judiciously, for your own safety and for the safety of those who love you.
Inputs from OECEL News Bureau..
China’s recent actions at the LAC have only gone to prove the long-term and diverse strategies that the nation follows
China is doing what it does best — confuse and confound. Its recent actions have only gone to prove the long-term and diverse strategies that the nation follows. It began with the sequential escalation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Naku La in Sikkim and then at Pangong Tso in Ladakh. This has been followed by a face-off at the Galwan Valley in the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector of the LAC in Ladakh. The activities, with soldiers engaged on three border points, have the potential to escalate due to the intrinsic linkages between and the changed circumstances of the present clashes from the earlier incidents. There were also some indirect actions on both sides that have been in focus like the objection by Nepal to the development and inauguration of the road from Dharchula to Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand. This is despite an agreement between India and China to have trade across the pass in the tri-junction of Nepal-India-China. Beijing accepted the pass as one of the commercial and cultural transit points with India under its 1954 Peace and Tranquility Agreement. This was reiterated when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China in 2015. The route has deep-rooted spiritual and civilisational significance for India. In contrast, the recent broadcasting of weather reports of Gilgit-Baltistan on Indian news channels and the pre-conditions set for Foreign Direct Investment in segments of the Indian economy have definitely upped the ante for the Chinese.
The three sectors where India and China have recurrence of disputes are in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Ladakh. The Arunachal sector is largely dormant despite China’s claim to the entire State. The Sikkim sector is strategic as any Chinese road and infrastructure development in its proximity can threaten the narrow Siliguri Corridor which is the gateway from India to the seven States of North-East India. The Doklam stand-off for 73 days from June to August 2017 amply demonstrated the strategic relevance of this sector.
It is in the Ladakh sector that the geo-strategic implications of the face-off and incursions assume significance. The Chinese have made an immense investment of $62 billion in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Recent assertions by India on its right to Gilgit- Baltistan through which the CPEC passes on its way to the Karakoram Pass in the Shaksgam valley (illegally conceded by Pakistan to China) have obviously rocked the boat. China does not make short-term tactical moves without a long-term plan which may unfold in the winter when terrain and weather put India at a disadvantage. Unlike Doklam, where the Chinese movement was restricted to the single track which they were trying to develop along a narrow valley, in Ladakh the LAC is open and rugged. There are various “disputed areas” and “areas of differing perceptions” from the DBO in the north to Fukche in the south (the point of entry of the Indus river from Tibet to India). The scene of the recent scuffle has been on the banks of the Pangong Tso Lake. Its centrality to the entire LAC in Ladakh and proximity to the Spanggur Gap and Chushul make the south bank of the lake a secure flank for large-scale moves by the Chinese. Hence, it holds operational importance to both armies.
The western Ladakh region of DBO provides a buffer against Chinese direct access to Shaksgam valley and the Siachen heights. India therefore, strongly holds on to DBO. Here the Galwan valley has witnessed similar stand-offs in the past with Chinese encampments detected far inside the alignment of the LAC into the valley. Strong deployments along the Line of Control (LoC) at Kargil and Drass opposite Pakistan have also to be maintained by India at all times. Reinforcements and additional forces will perforce have to be moved into Ladakh mostly from the plains and will require acclimatisation to operate in high-altitude areas of 11,000 to 16,000 feet. Logistics and sustenance of forces are a key factor, especially in Ladakh.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forces involved in the skirmishes are not their regular army but the Border Defence Regiments (BDR) backed by PLA garrisons and camps with acclimatised troops along the Chinese East-West Highway. In contrast, Indian regular troops get sucked in as reinforcements and readjustments of command and control are necessitated as the Indo-Tibetan Border Police force (ITBP) readjusts from its border posts held in peacetime.
Hence, two imperatives for the Department of Military Affairs and Ministry of Defence to resolve in the present will be in the fields of command and control of border management forces and logistic preparedness. The office of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is best suited to resolve intra-service coordination of both areas as also inter-ministerial resolution of the command and control lacunae of forces on the LAC. India’s approach must include a myriad of agencies and all elements of national power. The annual defence allocations have been shrinking regularly (experts say the percentage available for modernisation has shrunk from 40 per cent to almost 32 per cent) and cannot sustain the human and equipment inventory needed to effectively deter China. In such a situation and in the post-Corona reduced resource basket, the prioritisation of requirements rather than a dilution of weapon qualitative requirements, is recommended. There must be a push towards operationalising the Rohtang tunnel to full capacity especially in view of logistic sustenance and troop reinforcements for the road closed period starting in November.
(Writer: Amrit Pal Singh; Courtesy: The Pioneer)
The Tablighi Jamaat is often considered extremely orthodox in its interpretations of Islam, with the ability to convert Muslims into radical believers
The Tablighi Jamaat (society of preachers) was founded by a Deobandi Islamic scholar, Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi, in Mewat, India, in 1926 with the objective of establishing a group of dedicated preachers as a Muslim revivalist society, who could reclaim “true” Islam, which he felt was not being practised by many Muslims across the world. The slogan Kandhlawi coined for his new organisation captured the essence of its activities — “O Muslims, become true Muslims.” By the mid-1930s, the Tablighi Jamaat had a programme of belief, which included, beyond the five pillars of Islam and Islamic doctrinal tenets the following: Islamic education; modest Islamic dress and appearance; rejection of other religions; high regard for Muslims (yet allowed to operate in India since 1947); propagating Islam; self-financing of Tablighi trips; lawful means of earning a living and strict avoidance of divisive and sectarian issues.
The Tablighi Jamaat is often considered extremely orthodox in its interpretations of Islam, with the ability to convert Muslims into radical believers. They believe that the Prophet Mohammed has commanded all Muslims to convey the message of Allah to the world and the Tablighis take this as their solemn duty. They divide themselves into small jamaats (societies) and travel frequently across the world to spread the message of Islam to Muslim houses. During this travel, they stay in local mosques. This free spread and the access to the remotest part of the country with ease has enabled them to meet vulnerable and deprived sections of the non-Muslim population in India. Some fringe groups within the organisation are backed by the power of petro-dollars, the Inter Services Intelligence’s (ISI) dirty money machine, the vast network of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and other anti-national entities. These elements have converted a large section of the population in the last 70 years with ease and without coercion.
Radicalism and its role in acts of terror: Some Tablighi Jamaat followers have worked as allies of jihadi and sectarian organisations. However, once they joined militant organisations, they cut off their links with the Tablighis. However, over the years, the terror groups have used some of the Tablighi Jamaat congregations as recruitment camps. Some fringe elements in the Tablighi Jamaat have been sympathisers and supporters of jihadi organisations such as the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (Hum), the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), the Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
As per WikiLeaks, “Some of the 9/11 al-Qaeda suspects detained by the US in Guantanamo Bay had stayed in the Tablighi Jamaat headquarters in Nizamuddin West, New Delhi years ago.” According to Pakistani security analysts and Indian investigators, HuM members, involved in the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999, were members of the Tablighi Jamaat. The 2011 US investigation reports suggest that the Tablighi Jamaat had supported members of the Al-Qaeda to get visas and funds to travel from Pakistan.
Saad, the new Khalifa: Born on May 10, 1965, Maulana Muhammad Saad is the Amir (chief) of the Tablighi Jamaat. He is the grandson of Maulana Muhammad Ilyas, who founded the Jamaat. Maulana Saad became the chief of the Tablighi Jamaat on November 16, 2015 and claims to have 100 crore followers in 214 countries. This huge number includes almost three-four crore converts in western Uttar Pradesh (UP) that the Jamaat has successfully targetted in the last 70 years in connivance with the so-called secular political parties.
The Tablighi Jamaat has changed the religious landscape of UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala and Maharashtra extensively by targetting vulnerable and marginalised sections of the non-Muslim population allegedly aided by the secular ruling elite of India by creating a votebank for secular parties and in return, converting millions of citizens by exploiting weakness of Article 25(1). This Article guarantees to every person and not merely to the citizens of India, the freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion.
The Tablighi Jamaat used its weapon extensively for the last 70 years by inviting many radical preachers and import of petro dollars to facilitate the growth of the Muslim population from less than seven per cent in 1947 to 14.5 per cent in 2011 to likely 16.8 per cent in 2021. Furthermore, there are indeed some links between the fringe elements in the Tablighis and the world of jihad. First, there is evidence of indirect connections between the group and the wider radical/extremist Deobandi nexus composed of anti-Shiite sectarian groups, Kashmiri militants and the Taliban. As per Intelligence reports, Rohingyas residing in camps in different parts of the country have a direct link with the Tablighi Jamaat.
The Coronavirus pandemic 2019-2020: Amid the Coronavirus lockdown, patients from Nizamuddin were tested and found to be positive for the virus, which resulted in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Government registering an FIR against Kandhlawi for arranging a Tablighi Jamaat programme despite restrictions on such gatherings after March 16 at the Nizamuddin Markaz. The Tablighi Jamaat congregation took place between March 13 and15 but over 2,000 people stayed back in the Markaz. They had sought help from authorities for vacating the premises on March 25. On March 31, an FIR was filed against Kandhlawi and others by the Delhi Police Crime Branch under Section 3 (the penalty for offence) of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and Sections 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease), 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule) and 120b (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
Later the police slapped the 304 charge (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) while the Enforcement Directorate has filed a money laundering case and the IT department is scanning the bank accounts and suspicious transactions of the Tablighi Jaamat. Why Tablighi Jamaat antagonised their defence: Spitting and pelting stones have almost become weapons of war for the Tablighis. It makes one question as to what can be the reason for this kind of deplorable behavior? According to some news reports, there have been protests against medical staff and resistance against going to hospitals is not related to Covid-19. Some of the issues cited by them are the Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Register of Citizens, Triple Talaq, Babri Masjid and so on.
Unfortunately, some parts of the community are still focussing on politics and discrediting the Government at any cost while the entire nation is combatting the national health emergency. The country must take the threat of the Tablighis as an eye-opener for future planning that must include a ban and seizure of assets. We must identify ancillary units of the Tablighi Jamaat so that they can be stopped from operating under different names. We must punish the traitors of COVID-19, immediately amend Article 25(1) so that the money and preachers from outside the country can be restricted in their operations (it is a national security threat), set up an expert committee to re-examine provisions under Article 25-30 in the Indian Constitution and give additional power to the police to identity and book anti-nationals. It is important that Deoband, Barelvi, Salafi ideologies managing the network of mosques in India must be brought under Government supervision and control just as the temples of India are supervised under the Religious Endowment Act, 1873. An absolute freedom in the name of religion and at the cost of the nation must be immediately curbed.
(Writer: Prashant Tewari; Courtesy: Opinion Express)
Wildlife parks across India have been told to keep a close watch on tiger clusters and report any abnormal behaviour
As if the human dimension of the crisis was not enough, turns out the zoonotic Coronavirus is now affecting the animal world and is jumping from its human host. Sometime ago, Hong Kong had reported the case of a dog owner passing on the virus to his pet which died. But reports were contradictory, claiming that the dog could have also died of old age. Be that as it may, the virus strain, which has been traced genetically to a pangolin at a wildlife market in China, is now jumping from humans to other animals. Following reports that a tiger at Bronx Zoo in New York tested COVID-19 positive because of his asymptomatic handler, India, too, has kept its zoos, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves on the “highest” alert, asking authorities to watch the big cats on a 24x7 basis for any abnormal behaviour and take “immediate preventive measures to stop transmission and spread of the virus from human to animals and vice versa.” With 2,967 tigers, India is currently home to 75 per cent of the global tiger population. Of course, the national lockdown has meant that there is no tourist traffic at our sanctuaries but forest and zoo staff would have to be particularly careful about not spreading the virus in case one among them is remotely affected. Just two days ago, there were reports of how inmates of the Delhi zoo were feeling spirited and free without human spectators. Reports have come in of how penguins had been let loose to meet their other aquatic friends at a US water park. Perhaps, this is a reminder for us that we need to leave the animals in the wild as our proximity to them now is threatening their existence. In fact, the rapid inter-species jump of the virus in such a short time indicates how lethal it can become in threatening existence as we knew it.
This news has predictably sent alarm bells ringing across the globe, especially among pet owners, wondering if they should stay away from their furry friends in case of an infection. The standard distancing protocols hold good for animals as well. But then there is another fear of pets getting infected somehow externally and transmitting the virus to their owners, which has already resulted in a lot of pet abandonment in the US. The Bronx zoo went so far as to say that there is “no evidence that animals play a role in the transmission of COVID-19 to people other than the initial event in the Wuhan market, and no evidence that any person has been infected with COVID-19 in the US by animals, including by pet dogs or cats.” The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention has also claimed that there is no evidence of a pet anywhere in the world transmitting COVID-19 to a person, a fact corroborated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), too. The outbreaks happening now are the result of people passing the virus to one another. Also, various pets have reacted differently to an infection of their owners. Turns out it was in Hong Kong again that one pet was infected by his owner but another dog living in the same home didn’t. More pet cats have been affected though. In fact, they might be more susceptible to COVID-19 than dogs, according to one study conducted in China. As part of experiments, researchers placed infected domestic cats next to cats that were not infected. The researchers later found that one of the previously healthy cats caught the virus after being near the infected felines, most likely through respiratory droplets. Dogs in the study, on the other hand, seemed to be more resistant to the virus and did not pass it to one another. There was no evidence that the cats shed enough of the virus to give it to people. But the study has not been reviewed and had a very limited sample size. Besides, they were given high doses of the virus and all the human-transmitted cases of pets have shown a weakened strain. These are not real life scenarios, according to virologists. At the moment, it is only us who are posing a threat to the animal world. Looks like the animals we claimed and confined on our terms need to be freed from ourselves.
(Courtesy: The Pioneer)
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