Agnipath Scheme

The government unveiled its new Agnipath scheme for recruiting soldiers below the rank of commissioned officers into the three services of the armed forces on 14th June, 2022.Under the new scheme, around 45,000 to 50,000 soldiers will be recruited annually and most will leave the service in just four years. Of the total annual recruits, only 25 per cent will be allowed to continue for another 15 years under permanent commission.

Format of the Scheme :

Aspirants between the ages of 17.5 years and 21 years will be eligible to apply. The scheme is only applicable to personnel below officer ranks. Recruitment will be done twice a year through rallies.The recruitment will be done on “all India, all class” recruitment to the services (from any caste, region, class or religious background). Currently, recruitment is based on ‘regiment system’ based on region and caste bases. There will be a training period of 6 months and deployment for three and a half years. Recruits will get starting salary of Rs 30,000, along with additional benefits which will go up to Rs 40,000 by the end of the four-year service.During this period, 30 per cent of their salary will be set aside under a Seva Nidhi programme, and the government will contribute an equal amount every month, and it will also accrue interest. At the end of the four-year period, each soldier will get Rs 11.71 lakh as a lump sum amount, which will be tax-free. For 25% of soldiers, who are re-selected, the initial four-year period will not be considered for retirement benefits.

Benefits :

• Make the armed forces much leaner and younger: For India’s over 13-lakh strong armed forces, the current average age profile is 32 years. It is envisaged it will come down by about 4-5 years by implementation of this scheme
• Reduce the defence pension bill: The government has either allocated or paid more than Rs. 3.3 lakh crore in defence pension since 2020.As per Army calculations, the savings for the government in this ‘Tour of Duty model’ of recruitment from just one sepoy would be around 11.5 cr (the army initially proposed a 3-year service model).
• Create “future-ready” soldiers: A youthful armed forces will allow them to be easily trained for new technologies.
• Increased employment opportunities and higher skilled workforce: Apart from job opportunities in the army, recruits because of the skills and experience acquired during the four-year service such soldiers will get employment in various fields.The central government will likely give preference to Agniveers in regular employment after their four years stint.

Concerns regarding the scheme:

• Present benefits and security of jobs will be lost: Recruits will not get permanent jobs or promised pension and health benefits even after retirement.
• Doubt about training: 6 months of short training may not be enough to trust them with the same kind of tasks that current troops can be trusted with.
• Erosion of loyalty: “All India, all class” recruitment to the services may lead to the erosion of the loyalty that a soldier has for his regiment.

The Agnipath Scheme will be the only route for recruitment into the military. Personnel recruited under this system are to be called Agniveers , which will be a new military rank. The introduction of the scheme has been criticised for lack of consultation and public debate. The Communist Party of India stated that it strongly disapproved the ‘Agnipath’ scheme that does disservice to India’s national interests. Professional armed forces cannot be raised by recruiting ‘soldiers on contract’ for a period of four years. This scheme, to save pension money, severely compromises the quality and efficiency of our professional armed forces. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav called the scheme, “negligent” and potentially “fatal” for the country’s future. Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) chief said that the people returning after four years of service would cause gang wars in the country. The scheme is scheduled to be implemented from September 2022.This scheme will bypass many things including long tenures, pension and other benefits which were there in old system. Opposition parties in India have criticized and expressed concerns about the consequences of the new scheme. They have asked the scheme to be put on hold and that the scheme be discussed in the Parliament.On 16 June 2022, violent protests erupted in several states in India where the army aspirants angry with the new scheme called for its rollback and damaged public property. By 17 June, 12 trains were set on fire, and the movement of 300 trains were affected. 214 trains were cancelled, 11 trains were diverted and 90 were terminated short of their destination. On 18 June, protesters in Bihar called a strike against the scheme. They clashed with the police and set fire on several vehicles since morning in Bihar. Train services were stopped in Bihar till 8 PM, on 18 June. They will be stopped again from 4AM onwards on 19 June. More than 350 trains were cancelled across India as the violence continued in several states. In Kerala a large protest march was held in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, against the scheme. The protesters said their strikes would continue till the Centre rolls back its decision and ensured justice.

Sources: The Indian Express and Wikipedia

why is sandalwood and it’s oil so expensive?

Sandalwood is one of the most expensive woods in the world. But its really one portion of sandalwood log that makes it so valuable. To get it, the workers tirelessly chop away the lighter outer layer of sapwood, until they are left with the dark inner core that makes a kilogram of Indian sandalwood cost $200 today.

This is where the sandalwood uniqueness come from. And when its distilled it’s used in all kinds of products I.e., from bath soaps to luxury brand perfumes.

So, the main question is what makes sandalwood aroma so special? And why the wood is so expensive?

Native to south India, Santalum album or Indian sandalwood was used for hundreds of years before becoming a go to scent for expensive perfumes.

Today it’s also used for wood carvings and medicines and it is even considered a sacred tree in several religions. Once distilled,sandalwood’s sweet, woodsy aroma retains it’s scent for decades.

Hollow heart wood logs are classified as jajpokel I.e., one od the 28 classes of indian sandalwood. Factories can purchase pure heartwood like jajpokel or raw sandalwood logs. But If they buy the raw wood, they will need to break down each log themselves.although machine helps split the sandalwood into more manageable pieces, stripping the logs down to their heartwood core requires the effort of several employees.

In some trees, pure heartwood is easy to extract, because it forms in one circle at the center. In other trees, the heartwood mixes together with sapwood, which impacts the final value of the oil.

A machine breaks down the strips of wood into chips and these are shifted to another area to grab if there are any usable heartwood. Then the pieces are shifted into another machine which makes the wood into powder form. Now distillation can begin. The process is long and it starts injecting steam into distillation stills. After the oil is extracted, it is left with a large pile of matter which emits a mild smell of sandalwood. This leftover powder is again used in preparation of incense sticks, a dhoop or a common form of incense in india.

During the final stages, workers separate the oil from water and purify it until they are left with a totally clean tank of sandalwood oil.

For distilling one metric ton of oil it takes around one week for normal workforce.

The oil later is sent for testing in labs for the quality checks. Later after the checking is done, it is sent to factories where it will be used to make soaps and other items.

One 10gram bottle of sandalwood oil costs around 5500 rupees or about $74.

Out of 10 sandalwood species, Indian sandalwood and australian sandalwood have the largest commercial value. The difference is the Indian species has higher level of alpha and beta santalol, the components in sandalwood responsible for its lasting scent.

India used to dominate the market for sandalwood oil and oil based products. In recent days, the Indian and Australian sandalwood species has gained significant ground in the market.

Since 2018, the species are considered vulnerable- one level above endangered. Another factor that limits supply and increases the price is inherent the way the tree grows. Older trees tend to yield more oil which makes them more preferable for oil production

The Growers will wait around 20years for the tree to mature.

Caste: the historical facet peculiar to India

The caste system, the joint family system and the village system of life are often regarded as the three basic pillars of the historical Indian social system. The caste system as a form of stratification is peculiar to India. The caste system is an inseparable aspect of the Indian society. It is peculiarly Indian in origin and development. Caste is closely connected to Hindu philosophy and religion, customs and traditions, marriage and family, morals and manners, food and dress habits, occupations and hobbies. The caste system is believed to have divine origin and sanctions. The caste stratification of the Indian society has had its origin in the Chaturvarna system. According to the Chaturvana doctrine, the Hindu society was divided into four main varnas namely: the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas and the Shudras. The caste system owes its origin to the varna system.

Definition of Caste as given by some prominent sociologists:

MacIver and Page: “When status is wholly predetermined so that men are born to their lot without any hope of changing it, then the class takes the extreme form of caste.”

C. H. Cooley: “When a class is somewhat strictly hereditary, we may call it caste.”

D. N. Majumdar and T. N. Madan have said that caste is a ‘closed group’.

Perspectives on caste system in India:

The perspectives on the study of caste system include Indological or ideological, social anthropological and sociological perspectives. The Indological or ideological perspective takes its cue from the scriptures about the origin, purpose and future of the caste system, whereas the cultural perspective of the social anthropologist looks the origin and growth of caste system, its development, and the process of change in its structure or social structural arrangements as well as in the cultural system also view caste system not only as unique phenomenon found in India, but also in ancient Egypt, medieval Europe, etc. But the sociological perspective views caste system as a phenomenon of social inequality. Society, especially, Hindu social system has certain structural aspects, which distribute members in different social positions. It shows concerns with growth of the caste system. Many sociologists put forward their theory of caste with respect to Indian society. Some prominent sociologists in this regard are, G. H. Ghurye, Louis Dumont and M. N. Srinivas.

G. H. Ghurye theory of caste:

G. H. Ghurye is regarded as the father of Indian sociology. His understanding of caste in India can be considered historical, Indological as well as comparative. In his book, “Caste and race in India” he agrees with Sir Herbert Risley that “Caste is a product of race that came to India along with the Aryans”. According to him caste originated from race and occupation stabilized it. Ghurye explains caste system in India based on six distinctive characteristics:

1. Segmental division of society: Under caste system, society is divided into several small social groups called castes. Additionally, there are multiple divisions and subdivisions of caste system.

2. Hierarchy: According to Ghurye, caste is hierarchical. Theoretically, Brahmins occupy the top position ad Shudras occupy the bottom. The castes can be graded and arranged into a hierarchy on the basis of their social precedence.

3. Civil and religious disabilities and privileges: This reflects the rigidity of the caste system. In a caste system, there is an unequal distribution of disabilities and privileges among its members. While the higher castes enjoy all the privileges, the lower castes suffer from various types of disabilities.

4. Lack of unrestricted choice of occupation: The occupations in caste system are fixed by heredity and generally members are not allowed to change their traditional occupations. The higher caste members maintain their supremacy in their jobs and do not allow other caste group to join in the same occupation.

5. Restriction on food, drinks and social intercourse: Restriction on feeding and social intercourse are still prevalent in Indian society. There are two types of food I.e., Kacha (cooked) food and Pakka (raw) food upon which certain restrictions are imposed with regard to sharing.

6. Endogamy: Every caste insists that its members should marry within their own caste group.

Louis Dumont theory of caste:

Louis Dumont was a French Sociologist and Indologist. His understanding of caste lays emphasis on attributes of caste that is why; he is put in the category of those following the attributional approach to the caste system. Dumont says that caste is not a form of stratification but a special form of inequality, whose essence has to be deciphered by sociologists. Dumont identifies hierarchy as the essence of caste system. According to Dumont, Caste divides the whole Indian society into a larger number of hereditary groups, distinguished from each other and connected through three characteristics:

1. Separation on the basis of rules of caste and marriage,

2. Division of labor, and

3. Gradation of status.

He also put forward the concept of ‘pure’ and ‘impure’ which was widely seen in the Caste ridden society. The Brahmins were assigned with priestly functions, occupied the top rank in the social hierarchy and were considered “pure” as compared to other castes. The untouchables being “impure”, were segregated outside the village and were not allowed to drink water from the same wells from which the Brahmins did so. Besides this, they did not have any access to Hindu temples and suffered from various disabilities.

M. N. Srinivas theory of caste:

M. N. Srinivas was one of the first-generation Indian sociologists in post-Independence period. Srinivas approach to study of caste is attributional I.e., analyses caste through its attributes. He assigned certain attributes to the caste system. These are:

1. Hierarchy

2. Occupational differentiation

3. Pollution and Purity

4. Caste Panchayats and assemblies

5. Endogamy

Besides caste, Srinivas looks for yet another source or manifestation of tradition. He found it in the notion of ‘dominant caste’. He had defined dominant caste in terms of six attributes placed in conjunction:

• Sizeable amount of arable land,

• Strength of numbers,

• High place in the local hierarchy,

• Western education,

• Urban sources of income and

• Jobs in the administration

Of the above attributes of the dominant caste, the following two are important:

• Numerical strength, and

• Economic power through ownership of land

He also introduced the concept of “Brahmanisation” wherein the lower caste people imitate the lifestyle and habits of the Brahmins. This concept was further changed to “Sanskritisation”.

These are a few theories of caste system that prevailed before the rise of modern India owing to the revolutions undergone during the British rule.

Surtsey – The Young Volcanic Island

Most islands on Earth are older than millions of years, but Surtsey island is younger than some of the people reading this article. Surtsey is located near the southern coast of Iceland. It emerged from the Atlantic Ocean in a fiery eruption, which began 130 meters below see level in November 1963. During the next three and one-half years its volcanic core built up an island of one square mile area. Since then, wave erosion has caused the island to steadily diminish in size: as of 2012, its surface area was half a square mile. Icelandic government has made it strictly off limit to the public, with only one tiny a small prefabricated hut used as research station. Tourists can’t set a foot on the island, but anyone can admire it from afar during a boat ride. Although it doesn’t show a direct threat to life and health, casual visitors can jeopardize the purity of one of the most important experiments in the history of the mankind. Because of which the island was able to thrive naturally and organically develop its own ecosystem, consisting of plants, birds, insects and seals. Surtsey has been producing unique long-term information on the colonization process of new land by plant and animal life.

Formation of the Island

The volcanic activities started on the sea floor few days before it became visible on the surface. The eruption site is 430 feet below sea level, and at this depth volcanic emissions and explosions would be suppressed and dissipated by the water pressure and density. Gradually, as repeated flows built up a mound of material that approached sea level, the explosions could no longer be contained, and activity broke the surface.

The eruptions took place at three separate vents along a northeast by southwest trending fissure. Over the weeks, explosions were continuous, and after just a few days the new island was formed. As the eruptions continued, they became concentrated at one vent along the crack and began to build the island into a more circular shape. The violent explosions caused by lava and sea water created a loose pile of volcanic rock, which was eroded swiftly by North Atlantic storms during the winter, reducing the island size to the half.

Beginning of Life and research on the Island

It was intensively studied by volcanologists during its eruption, and afterwards by botanists and other biologists as life forms gradually colonized the originally barren island. Since they began studying the island in 1964, scientists have observed, the first bacteria colonized it in only a few hours after the onset of the volcanic pumice over the water, the arrival of seeds carried by ocean currents, the appearance of molds and fungi, followed in 1965 by the first vascular plant, of which there were 10 species by the end of the first decade. By 2004, they numbered 60 together with 75 bryophytes, 71 lichens and 24 fungi. Eighty-nine species of birds have been recorded on Surtsey, 57 of which breed elsewhere in Iceland. The island is also home to 335 species of invertebrates. Spiders, worms, flies, and various types of beetles are also, among its main inhabitants. Continuing their research, scientists expect to shed light on the theory of the origin of life on Earth, which still hides many mysteries.

Human footprints on the Island

The only substantial human interference over the island is in the form of a small hut made of natural materials, used by researchers while staying on the island. The hut has a few bunk beds and a solar power source to drive an emergency radio. There is also an abandoned lighthouse foundation. On a couple of occasions, few trespassers came in rowboats and planted potatoes and tomatoes on the island, which were immediately uprooted.

Future of the Island

Although erosion has caused it to reduce in size and might continue to do so, however, the good news is, its core is covered with harder lava, thus, this island is unlikely to disappear entirely in the near future. Additionally, because of its continuing protection, Surtsey will continue to provide invaluable data on primary succession and biological colonization long into the future.

Indian Farming – Protest Against Farmers Act

In the years of 2020 to 2021, there was a battle raging over just how free market India’s economy should become. In September 2020 the Parliament of India had passed three farm acts. India has seen largest farmer protest of the modern history, where, tens of thousands of farmers across the country were demanding, that the government should revoke this series of reforms that will change India’s agricultural sector.

Agriculture and allied sectors by far are the largest employer in India providing employment to more than 50% of the population and accounting for 17.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). India is the world’s largest producer of many fresh fruits, spices, jute, oil seeds and food staples like, rice or wheat. For decades, the government has shielded farmers from the free market by providing price supports on some crops, running wholesale markets where farmers can sell their goods on Minimum Selling Price (MSP), and rounding up buyers to guarantee sales. But when, the government planned to take a step back, with the hopes that the free market will boost an industry that has stagnated over time, farmers fear they’ll get the raw end of the deal, even if the free market helps the overall economy.

History of Agriculture in India

Agriculture has been an integral part of the Indian Economy, both in before and after Independence periods of India. In the Colonial British Era, agriculture was the only means of subsistence, as more than 85% of the Indian population was dependent on agriculture. Majority Indian peasants lived in poor conditions, due to scarcity of agricultural resources, dependency on unpredictable Monsoons for irrigation, Zamindari System and the taxes imposed by British Raj. This period is marked by several farmer protests in different parts of the country.

After independence, India adopted significant policy reforms in the National Five Year Plans, focusing on the goal of food grain self-sufficiency. It began with Several land reforms, adopting superior yielding, disease resistant crop varieties in combination with better farming knowledge and mechanization to improve productivity. A well-planned irrigation infrastructure was developed, that included a network of major and minor canals from rivers, groundwater well-based systems, tanks, and other rainwater harvesting projects for agricultural activities. This ushered in India’s Green Revolution. The states of Punjab and Haryana, led India’s green revolution and earned the distinction of being the country’s breadbasket.

The Farm Acts

Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020
1. expands the scope of trade areas of farmers’ produce from select areas to “any place of production, collection, aggregation”.
1. allows electronic trading and e-commerce of scheduled farmers’ produce.
1. prohibits state governments from levying any market fee, cess, or levy on farmers, traders, and electronic trading platforms for the trade of farmers’ produce conducted in an ‘outside trade area’.
Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020
1. provides a legal framework for farmers to enter into pre-arranged contracts with buyers including mention of pricing.
1. defines a dispute resolution mechanism.
Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020
1. removes foodstuff such as cereals, pulses, potato, onions, edible oilseeds, and oils, from the list of essential commodities, removing stockholding limits on agricultural items produced by Horticulture techniques except under “extraordinary circumstances”
1. requires that imposition of any stock limit on agricultural produce only occur if there is a steep price rise.

Farmers Protest

Soon after the acts were introduced, unions began holding local protests, mostly in Punjab and Haryana. The methods of protest were Gherao, Dharna, Raasta roko, Demonstration, Suicide. A movement named Dili Chalo began, in which tens of thousands of farming union members marched towards the nation’s capital. The Indian government ordered the police and law enforcement of various states to stop the protesters using water cannons, batons, and tear gas to prevent the farmer unions from entering into Delhi. Various domestic and international NGOs supported the protesters by providing temporary shelters, food and healthcare services. Numerous deaths and fatalities were caused during the protest. All talks between farmers and central government to agree on common grounds remain inconclusive. The Supreme Court of India put a stay on the implementation of the farm laws in January 2021. Farmer leaders cheered and welcomed the stay order

End of the Protests

In late November 2021 the Modi administrators finally repealed the All three farm bills. Hundreds of farmers danced and celebrated the victory, they began removing roadblocks and dismantling thousands of makeshift homes along major highways. The protest was finally declared to be over and the farmers started returning to their homes happily.

North Sentinel Island – The Mysterious Place on Earth

In the modern era, where technology is expanding at an unprecedented pace and people are exploring the possibility of Lunar inhabitation and leveraging Artificial Intelligence to perform tasks using machines that actually require human intelligence, it seems impossible to accept the fact that there is a place where people live in the Paleolithic era? What may seem strange to us, is the truth of the Sentinelese tribe, residing in the Bay of Bengal on the remote island of North Sentinel, is that they have not only avoided any contact with the outer world but stand as a warrior for their island if anyone tries to enter it.

A thick forest-like umbrella that prevents the world from knowing or gathering any information about this island. The funny part is that some don’t even know how many people actually call the island their home.

North Sentinel Island has many interesting facts to know about. No wonders, if you haven’t heard of North Sentinel Island, not many individuals are aware of it. North Sentinel Island is one of the largest islands amongst the cluster of islands within the Bay of Bengal and is part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India).

Geography

The North Sentinel Island is approximately the same size as New York’s Manhattan Island, about 59.6 km2. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake tilted the tectonic plate under the island, lifting it by one to two meters. Large tracts of the surrounding coral reefs were exposed and became permanently dry land or shallow lagoons, extending all the island’s boundaries—by as much as one kilometer on the west and south sides. It is surrounded by coral reefs, and lacks natural harbors. The entire island, other than the shore, is forested. There is a narrow, white-sand beach encircling the island, behind which the ground rises 20 meters.

Flora and Fauna

The island is largely covered in tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest. Due to the lack of surveys, the exact composition of the terrestrial flora and fauna remain unknown. Maurice Vidal Portman in his 1880s expedition to the island, reported an open, “park-like” jungle with numerous groves of bulletwood and Malabar silk-cotton trees.

Indian boars are apparently found on the island and serves as a major food source for the Sentinelese, with reports by Portman referring to a “huge heap” of pig skulls near a Sentinelese village. North Sentinel Island, is also considered a globally Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International, as despite the lack of surveys, the pristine habitat likely supports a diversity of birdlife.

A large coral reef is known to circle the island, and mangroves are also known to fringe its banks. Sea turtles also, occur near the island and likely to be a part of diet for the Sentinelese. Sharks and Dolphins were also sighted on a survey near the island.

Sentinelese Tribe

Sentinelese are believed to owning this tiny island for almost 60,000 years. Their language is totally unknown and it doesn’t hold any similarity with other tribes in the Andaman Island. The most interesting fact about these human beings are that they have not yet discovered how to create fire!! Which means, they are still living in Stone age, representing the past of human race. The Sentinelese are among the last of the isolated communities left in the world who live without any communication with globalized civilization. Their exact population is still unknown; it is believed to be between 50 and 500.

Fascinating facts

The Sentinelese are one among the few tribes in the entire world that have been truly isolated.
Visiting the North Sentinel Island is prohibited by the Indian government.
The Sentinelese tribe survived the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
There is no data regarding the actual population of the island.
Anthropologists and researchers consider that the Sentinelese are descendants of Africa, resulting in theories that the island was settled by vacationers from the west coast of Africa.
Sentinelese language is not known by anyone outside of their community.
The lifestyle of the tribes is very unique. They still collect food in the forest for hunting. They also use coastal water as a way of seafood.
They make boats that are too narrow and described as “too narrow to fit two feet”.
Weapons and tools used by the Sentinelese are mostly made of stone and animal bones.
The Indian navy, which repeatedly patrols the Andaman Island chain, has an official coverage known as “eyes on, hands-off.” Military members watch the island to make sure that no outsiders enterprise to its shores whereas they staying away from the Sentinelese people.
Sentinelese are known for killing any guests visiting them. On several previous expeditions and rescue operations, they have killed all the people visiting them.
Sentinelese don’t accept gifts from outsiders; however, they have developed great liking for coconuts, though, they don’t know how to grow them on their own. On several previous occasions they have accepted coconuts as gifts.

The Maratha king- Chhatrapati Shivaji

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj born on 19 February 1630 at the Shivneri Fort

He was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan.

Shivaji Maharaj carved out an enclave from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire.

In 1674, he was formally crowned the Chhatrapati of his realm at Raigad Fort.

Over the course of his life, Shivaji Maharaj engaged in both alliances and hostilities with the Mughal Empire, the Sultanate of Golkonda, Sultanate of Bijapur and the European colonial powers.

His military forces expanded the Maratha sphere of influence, capturing and building forts, and forming a Maratha navy.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is known as ‘Father of Indian Navy‘

Shivaji Maharaj established a competent and progressive civil rule with well-structured administrative organisations.He revived ancient Hindu political traditions, court conventions and promoted the usage of the Marathi and Sanskrit languages, replacing Persian in court and administration.

His legacy was to vary by observer and time, but nearly two centuries after his death, he began to take on increased importance with the emergence of the Indian independence movement, as many Indian nationalists elevated him as a proto-nationalist and hero of the Hindus

He established a competent and progressive civil rule with the help of disciplined military and well-structured administrative organisations.

He innovated military tactics, pioneering non-conventional methods(guerrilla warfare) and leveraged strategic factors like geography, speed, and surprise.

He focused on pinpoint attacks to defeat his larger and more powerful enemies.

He placed the well-being of his people above everything. A brave and genuinely secular ruler, he respected women and cared for the downtrodden and farmers.

Accession & Reign

He made his first military conquest at the age of 16 in 1645 by attacking and capturing Torna Fort in the Bijapur Sultanate, followed by conquest of other forts – Chakan, Kondana, and Rajgad.
Fearing his rising power, the Bijapur Sutlan, Mohammed Adil Shah imprisoned his father, following which he halted his conquests and built a stronger army until his father’s release in 1653 or 1655.
The Bijapur Sultan sent his general, Afzal Khan, to supress Shivaji in November 1659, who, fearing Afzal’s deceitful plans, came armed with bagh nakh (tiger claw) in one hand and a dagger in the other, and slayed him at the Pratapgar Fort.
He was attacked by the army of Adilshah’s general, Siddi Jauhar, while camping at Panhala Fort, near present-day Kolhapur, in 1660, but Shivaji escape to Vishalgad fort to regroup his large army for a battle. Backed by his Maratha sardar Baji Prabhu Deshpande, who wounded himself while holding back the army at the Battle of Pavan
Khind, he reached Vishalgad safely, resulting in a truce between him and Adilshah in July 1660.
He resumed his raids after his father’s death in 1664-65 and seized the northern parts of Konkon and forts of Purandar and Javali.
His peaceful relations with the Mughals saw conflicts in 1657 when he raided the Mughal territories in Ahmednagar and Junnar, following which Aurangzeb sent a 150,000-force under Shaista Khan, in 1660, to chastise him.
The Mughal army captured Pune. When they encamped there, Shivaji made a surprise attack killing Mughal soldiers and guards, with Shaista Khan narrowly escaping. Soon after in 1664, he raided Surat and looted its treasure.
He made a visit to Agra, along with his nine-year old son Sambhaji, upon Aurangzeb’s invitation in 1666, who planned to send him to Kandahar (now in Afghanistan) to handle the Mughal empire’s northwestern frontier.
He was ill-treated by Aurangzeb at his court and offended. He was taken into custody and put under house arrest. However, he managed to escape with his son and spent the next three years strengthening his administration.
With the end of the Treaty of Purandar in 1670, he attacked the Mughal forces in Maharashtra and re-captured the forts he had surrendered to them.
In 1670, he launched an expedition under Tanaji Malusare to capture Kondana For, which was under Mughal possession, in the Battle of Sinhagad. While the fort was seized, Malusare died and hence, the fort was renamed Sinhagad.
He raided Surat for a second time in 1670 and defeated the Mughal army under Daud Khan in the Battle of Vani-Dindori (close to present-day Nasik) while returning back.
After spending the early 1670s in capturing land and expanding his domain, he crowned himself as the king of the Marathas at Raigad in 1674, earning the title Kshatriya Kulavantas Sinhasanadheeshwar Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
He went on an extensive campaign of raiding more territories in the later half of 1674, capturing Khandesh, followed by Bijapuri Ponda, Karwar, Kolhapur and Janjira in 1675, and Ramnagar, Athani, Belgaum and Vayem Rayim in 1676.
He moved southwards at the end of 1676, seizing the forts at Vellore and Gingee (in present-day Tamil Nadu), once ruled by the Adilshahi Dynasty.
Despite being a devoted Hindu, he showed great respect to all religions, including Islam and Christianity, and was unbiased towards other castes and communities.

The History of Capital Market in India

Indian Capital Markets are one of the oldest in Asia. The earliest records of security dealings in India are ambiguous and roughly dates back to 200 years ago. Initially, in the eighteenth century, East India Company securities were traded in the country. Later in 1861 with the American Civil War began and opening of the Suez Canal, led to a tremendous increase in Exports to the United Kingdom and United States. Several companies were registered under the British Companies Act during this period and many banks came forward to handle the finances relating to these trades. An unincorporated body of a dozen of stockbrokers, which informally traded cotton in the city, under a banyan tree in front of the Town hall in Mumbai formed an association. Afterwards, in 1985 it became an incorporated body, which we know known by the name of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Until the end of the nineteenth century securities trading remained unorganized with the main trading centers in Mumbai and Kolkata. Trading activities flourished during this period, resulting in a boom in share prices. This boom, the first in the history of the Indian capital market lasted for about half a decade. However, there had been much fluctuation in the stock market on account of the American war and the battles in Europe, therefore it was more prominently known as ‘Satta Bazar’, which means a market of speculations.

Pre-Independence Era of Indian Capital Market

British government was not interested in the economic growth of the country. As a result, many foreign companies depended on the London capital market for funds rather than in the Indian capital market. Hence, the Indian capital market was not properly developed before Independence. The growth of the industrial securities market was very much hampered since, there were very few companies and the number of securities traded in the stock exchanges was still smaller. A large part of the capital market consisted of the gilt-edged marker for government and semi-government securities. Business was essentially confined to company owners and brokers, with very little interest displayed by the general public.

Post-Independence Era of Indian Capital Market

In the post-independence period also, the size the capital market remained relatively small. During the first and second five-year plans, the government’s emphasis was on the development of the agricultural sector and public sector undertakings. The public sector undertakings were healthier than the private undertakings in terms of paid-up capital but shares were not listed on the stock exchanges. Moreover, the Controller of Capital Issues (CI) closely supervised and controlled the timing, composition, interest rates pricing allotment and floatation consist of new issues. These strict regulations de-motivated many companies from going public for almost four and a half decades.

However, since 1951, the Indian capital market has been broadening significantly and the volume of saving and investment has shown steady improvements. All types of encouragement and tax relief exist in the country to promote savings. Besides, many steps have been taken to protect the interests of investors, to illustrate, the government enacted the Securities Contracts (regulation) Act and Companies Act in 1956. A very important indicator of the growth of the capital market, is the growth of joint stock companies or corporate enterprises. In 1951 there were about 28,500 companies, both public limited and private limited companies with a paid-up capital of Rs. 775 crores.

In the 1950s, Tata Steel, Bombay Dyeing, National Rayon, Kohinoor mills and Century textiles were the favorite scripts of speculators. Speculation, non-payment or defaults were prominent features of the market.

The 1960s was characterized by the wars and droughts in the country which led bearish trends. Financial institutions such as LIC and GIC helped to revive the sentiment by emerging as the most important group of investors. The first mutual fund of India, the Unit Trust of India (UTI) came into existence in 1964.

In the 1970s Badla trading was resumed under the disguised forms of hand delivery contracts. Badla trading involved buying stocks with borrowed money with the stock exchange acting as an intermediary at an interest rate determined by the demand for the underlying stock and a maturity not greater than 70 days. This revived the market. However, the capital market received another severe setback in 1974, when the government broadcasted the Dividend Restriction ordinance. An Act to provide, in the interests of national economic development, for temporary restrictions on the power of certain companies to declare dividends out of profits and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. This led to a slump in market capitalism at the BSE by about 20 per cent overnight and the stock market did not open for nearly a fortnight.

Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) was promulgated in 1973. This act enforced all non-banking foreign branches and subsidiaries with foreign equity exceeding 40 per cent had to obtain permission to establish new undertakings, to purchase shares in existing companies, or to acquire wholly or partly any other company. Several MNCs opted out of India. One hundred and twenty-three MNCs offered shares worth Rs 150 crore, creating 1.8 million shareholders within four years. The offer prices of FERA shares were lower than their intrinsic worth. Hence, for the first the FERA dilution created an equity cult in India. It was the spate of FERA issues that gave a real fillip to the Indian stock markets. For the first time, many investors got an opportunity to invest in the stocks of such MNCs as Colgate and Hindustan Liver Limited. One mass participation by retail investors came into picture, when in 1980s, entrepreneur, Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani came up with the Reliance IPO, followed by BSE introducing the BSE Sensex, providing a means to measure overall performance of the exchange to the investors.

Why saffron is so expensive????

Even in the expensive world of spices, saffron stands out and the real saffron can cost you over $10000 per kilogram. Sought after for thousands of years as a spice, a dye and a medicine.

For making just 1 gram of saffron you need over 150 flowers. Some times the product we use in name of saffron may be false. So, just what makes this spice so expensive?

Saffron is the red stigma of the Crocus Sativus. Each crocus have 3 small stigmas, that have to be picked carefully by hand.

This minuscule harvest means that the amount you get from each flower is roughly 0.006 grams. No machine can do this delicate work to harvest these thin threads and it can take 40 hours of hard manual labor to produce just 1 kilogram of high quality saffron.

Growing the plants isn’t exactly easy either. The buds are actually called corms but, they are like a bulb basically like a flower bulb. So, the more flowers per bulb you can get and bigger the flowers are and this all depends on how you look after that, like growing , climatic conditions.

So. Once the flowers started growing, harvesters have to work fast to make sure they can pick it all in time. Almost all the saffron that is planted can flower within one week of the year and to maintain the quality, the flowers are best picked during the morning. Quality is key when growing such a precise crop and the taste of the saffron depends on the rainfall, temperature and soil.

Kashmir is famed for producing some of the highest quality saffron in the world. In Kashmir, red soil is mostly found and this is fertilized and good for saffron.

The most expensive highest grade saffron is generally made up of just the very tips of the Stigma.

In Iran,where over 90% of the saffron is produced. There are 4 grades. The lowest grade is the bunch I.e., the entire strand that’s pulled from the flower, from the dark red tips to the yellow base. In higher grades, the yellow strand is removed leaving a long strand of pure red.

One kilo of saffron is made up of around 4,50,000 strands and you need 1,50,000 flowers and to grow these flowers, it needs a large space.

Over 200 metric tons of saffron threads are harvested worldwide each year. This is the result of over 30billion flowers. The demand for the threads is so high that some might produce fake saffron.Some threads are even made of corn silks, coconut fibers or even horse hair, and to made it look real- synthetic colors are used to dye the lower grade stigmas and sell them as high grade saffron.

The main reason for the increasing demand of saffron is climate change which is drastically changing. In Kashmir, production has dropped significantly and many farmers are selling their land instead.

Between 2017 and 2018, saffron production in the region fell almost 70% from 16.5 metric tonnes down to 5.2 and with continuing droughts and climate change the current harvest could become even more rare

The refusal to face reality

Living in the 21st century, life has become much easier with the advent of much advanced technology. We all are connected to each other via multiple social media platforms and no longer rely on postcards and letters to convey our message to our dear ones. These new platforms have also made it easier to communicate with new people and widen our social circle. No doubt, these platforms provide us with thousands of opportunities for our own benefit. Many people have sought to their personal small businesses owing to the ease of access to higher number of people and minimum marketing cost and labour. Unfortunately, even if we live in the world that has made life much easier, the modern generation is much more isolated than ever and is at the higher risk of facing mental health issues such as depression and anxiety more often as compared to the previous generations. In the modern world, statistics show that depression has become a common illness worldwide affecting 3.8% of the total world population, approximately 280 million people worldwide.

Mental health is often considered as a byproduct of physical health and nobody actually sees that both are equally important and are equally responsible for a person to live a longer and happier life. There are many examples where we see a physically fit person committing suicide or doing any other unacceptable actions. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in young people. Globally 800,000 people die from suicide every year. The number is quite overwhelming! But the reason behind this is something that may seem very trivial but is very deadly at times! This reason is nothing but “not facing the reality” and “not accepting the truth”. It is all about seeing the light even in the darkness.

Something that we all can agree is that the modern generation is very good at is running away from the consequences of their actions and they refuse to face the reality. Every single day we see people posting certain good moments of their lives, people being successful in their lives, people tirelessly working hard, some success gurus giving tips on how to become successful and so much more. All these posts do make us rethink our own decisions and choices. We start questioning what we are doing in our life and by what level are we able to be called successful. We start following those online success and motivational speakers who tell us to work tirelessly, forget our own needs and wishes and just jump into the marathon even if we don’t want to be a part of it. This is mostly because when we see others achieve their dream job or what they desired for, we subconsciously start getting compelled to do better than them. There is the thought of doing the exact same thing better and quicker (in some cases) than others. We too want to feel the sense of achievement. We too feel the obligation to prove ourselves to others. We want our life to hold some worth in the society by doing things that don’t even entertain us or don’t even tingle our excitement. We just jump into the race without being equipped with proper protective gears. And what comes next is the inevitable, failure. And this failure brings with it an immense mountain of disappointment, self-doubt and fear. The question here is, did we think before jumping into the race? Did we ask ourselves if we really want this? Did we care about failure or the consequences of our actions before going on the path? The simple answer is NO. We did not. We just saw someone do it and succeed and we decided to do the same without analyzing the intensity of the result.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

The most saddening part of the picture is after failing the task, the blame game starts. Self- blame, blaming others for their own failure and this process continues. We cannot accept the fact that we failed and we get stuck at that only. We prohibit ourselves from moving on and kill our own determination. This further results on nothing but self deterioration and leads us to take extreme steps. But what changes occur in the society? Nothing, absolutely nothing. The world still goes on and people still jump into the race and on the other side of the picture there exists a person who once failed, stands up again and fights for what he desires. He accepts the failure and learns from it about what his actual destination is.

Fear of failure and lack of the ability to accept failure does no good instead of bringing ourselves down to the point where we can’t get up on our feet again. Fear of facing the reality and accepting it leads to nothing but self doubt and lower self esteem. All these unnecessary thoughts leads us to nowhere other than self deterioration. Thus, it is really important to learn and accept the fact that failure is an inevitable part of life. We all know “failure is the pillar of success”, as it is taught to us at the very early age. But what we do is just forget this important fact and stress over the term “failure” only. We forget the fact that even the person whom we saw getting successful online has undergone many hardships and even in many cases faced a number of failures but still they never gave up on themselves or neither their hard work. Thus, it is very important for us to face our fears, face the challenges and face our fears in order to move forward in life. It is ok to not feel ok. It is totally fine to say that you are not fine. It is absolutely ok to fail. But it is absolutely not ok to let that failure push you down. Enjoy the little things in life. Learn to accept the reality and move on with life. Get the happiness in little things and it is never an obligation for things to work out your way.

ALLEN WHITE- ‘YES’ DRUMMER

White was born in Pelton, County Durham, England on June 14, 1949. He began piano lessons at age six, took up drums at age 12, and started performing publicly when he was 13. White and the surviving members of Yes were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Their hits include “Roundabout” and “Owner of a Lonely Heart.”

‘Yes’ are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by lead singer and frontman Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye, and drummer Bill Bruford. The band has undergone numerous line-up changes throughout its history; 19 musicians have been full-time members. Since May 2022, it has consisted of guitarist Steve Howe, keyboardist Geoff Downes, singer Jon Davison, and bassist Billy Sherwood. Yes have explored several musical styles over the years and are most notably regarded as progressive rock pioneers.

‘YES’ Drummer Alan White died at the age of 72 peacefully at his home after a ‘short illness’, the English prog-rock band announced on 26 May.

Alan is considered to be one of the greatest rock drummers of all time. He was born in 1949 in County Durham and joined YES on 30th July 1972 for the Close to the Edge Tour. He had previously worked with John Lennon’s Plastic Ono band after a phone call in 1969 to play at the Toronto Rock Festival. Alan continued working with Lennon including on the Imagine album and with George Harrison on All Things Must Pass. He also worked with several other musicians over the years, including Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Joe Cocker, Gary Wright, Doris Troy and Billy Preston to name but a few. Alan White was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of YES in 2017.

A number of health setbacks since 2016, had restricted Alan’s time on stage with YES on recent tours with Jay Schellen filling in and Alan joining the band, to great applause, towards the end of each set.

Mona Lisa-The famous painting

Some people are disappointed when they first see the most famous painting in the world.

Maybe at first glance it doesn’t give you the wow factor that other paintings give when you see. But the truth is, when you see how many people are surrounded every time just to see the masterpiece is on different level.

But the fact what we see is quite a contemplative portrait. A portrait which is the greatest psychological portrait ever painted. A portrait so ahead of its time, that centuries later we are still trying to figure it out.

In 1517, the French king, King Francis I offered Leonardo a job, court painter and engineer and architect to the king. Leonardo now in his sixties moved to the chateau of Amboise in France and never went back to Italy. He brought with him dozens of sketch books, but one painting i.e., Mona Lisa. leonardo knew how important it was. He know it was a master piece

Mona Lisa is the end product of the greatest inquisitive mind in history. A self made man with a voracious appetite for knowledge, a man who dedicated himself to the study of anatomy, geology and philosophy

For Mona Lisa he used a thin grained piece of popular tree and applied an undercoat of lead white. he painted with glazes that had a very small amount of pigment mixed with the oil. So, how dark you want your glass to be, depends on how much pigment you use. He used more like a wash, which he applied thin, layer by layer.

As we move around the painting, that light shifts around. he used tiny, almost invisible brushstrokes applied super slowly over months, or in Mona Lisa case, it’s years.

By contrast, on her skin, brush strokes were applied in an irregular way and that makes the grain of the skin, look more life like. All of these techniques pioneered by Leonardo, bring the painting to life. He made sure, we would not be distracted from the face of Mona Lisa.

Leonardo uses the classic pyramid shaped composition that was introduced during the renaissance. It is an important change from the paintings of the 15th century. The structure provides stability but more importantly it provides a clear center of focus and directs your gaze.

In Mona Lisa’s case, it is pulling us into her face. The Mona Lisa is the earliest Italian portrait to focus on the sitter in a 3 quarter length pose, rather than full length. But why? because he completely fills the frame with his subject, making the painting more intimate and cutting down on distractions.

The another thing is, portraits were usually done with an open sky as the background, a monotone background or a simple room. Mona Lisa is in front of a complicated landscape that only existed in Leonardo’s imagination. Paintings that are drawn during that period had both the subject and the background in sharp focus. Whereas the background of Mona Lisa seems to fade or become more blurred and out of focus. This is Arial perspective and Leonardo invented it

The perfect life of a student

Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom on Pexels.com

The life of a student is often seen as the “perfect life”. There is not much complexity to their life. After all, what they have to do is get up, get dressed, have their breakfast made by their mom and then rush to school without worrying about anything else. After their school, they return home, having everything prepared for them by their parents. What a perfect life, isn’t it? Nothing to worry about or to stress about! Everything they need is fulfilled by their parents. But in reality, is this what a student actually feels? Well, of course not! It’s only the point of view of everyone excluding the student himself who actually goes through the so- called “perfect life”? Let’s look more into it.

Nobody ever has a perfect life. Everybody has something that he wishes was not the way it is.
Stan Lee

The very notion of a “Perfect Life” is flawed. Nobody ever on the surface of earth has had a “perfect life”. Each and every person has been through or is going through some or the other kind of problem in their life. As in the case of students, the major issue faced by them is society’s expectations from them. As easy as it seems to have a student life, in reality it is nothing but a burden in today’s world. People, especially in many cases the parents, have high expectations from their children. They want their child to become doctor, engineer, administrative officials, etc., as per their expectations without paying any interest to what the child actually wants to do. Sometimes they force their child to take unnecessary tuitions and courses at an early age just to compete with others and to fulfill their expectations regardless of the child’s wish. This behavior, as normal and beneficial may seem, isn’t that encouraging and promising. Such behavior creates a stressful environment for the child who is subject to constant nagging and scolding if he/she defies the parents wish.

The stress of exams is an additional issue that overcrowds the mind of a student. The need to complete the syllabus in time without leaving behind any portion, the need to complete the assignments in time, the need to be the best student in front of the teacher’s eyes and above all the need to fulfill the dreams of their parents are some of the never-ending thoughts which constantly consume the mind of a student. A student has to go through many hurdles in order to satisfy the wants of the society. Career options revolving around any kind of art form, fashion designing, management courses, etc., are still seen to be inferior to that of doctor and engineer. If both parents are doctors, then the child has to become a doctor as per the social tradition cum orthodox. It is not new that children are at risk to many mental health issues due to this reason. Mental health deterioration in children is often neglected in the society which in turn, results in some severe damage to the emotional capability of a child. Failure in exams is still one of the top reasons behind suicide and depression in India. Apart from all this, a child subject to all this kind of stress, when does not get proper aid and time from the parents, becomes prey to ADHD and in some cases, turns to alcohol and drugs which results in nothing but self-destruction. Mental health of a student is as important as the physical health in order to gain prosperity. The increasing levels of competition and stress, the constant nagging by the society to win in this so-called “rat race” takes a toll on the mental health of a student. Comparison with other students, no matter how constructively be suggested, results in self-doubt within the students.

In conclusion, no matter how easy the life of a student may seem, in reality it is not a cakewalk! The burden of fulfilling the wishes of the parents and the society results in nothing more than unnecessary stress, confusion and self-doubt. Thus, the parents need to be aware of the unwanted pressure they are putting on their child’s shoulder and rather be more attentive and invested in their child’s wishes and dreams.

Children are not thing to be molded, but people to be unfolded.
-Jess Lair

CAATSA

The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) is a US federal law, enacted on 27th July, 2017 and came into effect from January 2018, that has imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia. This act prevents trade partners of the United States in entering into bilateral contracts with these three nations. The Act empowers the US President to impose at least five of the 12 listed sanctions on persons engaged in a significant transaction with Russian defence and intelligence sectors. Its ultimate goal is to prevent revenue from flowing to the Russian Government. The Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), aims at taking punitive measures against Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The Act primarily deals with sanctions on the Russian oil and gas industry, defenceand security sector, and financial institutions, in the backdrop of its military intervention in Ukraine and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections.

Background of CAATSA :

The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act came against the backdrop of three events that would have serious implications regarding geopolitics. They are as follows:
• Iran’s Nuclear Missiles Program: The United States Government believed that any progress in Iran’s nuclear missile program would further destabilize the Middle-East as Iran has repeatedly made threats against Israel, a key NATO and United States ally. The CAATSA gives authority to the President of the United States to impose sanctions against any party involved in the sale and transfer of military technology to Iran.
• Curbing Russian influence: The Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and allegations of interventions in the US polls of 2016 was the catalyst for the CAATSA against Russia. Under the act sanctions can be imposed on Russia should the state or private individuals be found involved in activities such as cybersecurity, crude oil projects, financial institutions, corruption, human rights abuses etc.
• North Korea and weapons of mass destruction: North Korea has a nuclear weapons military program and as of 2020 it’s estimated missile arsenal includes 30-40 warheads with enough fissile materials to produce 6-7 missiles per year. North Korea has made repeated threats against its South Korea repeatedly and also against the United States.

Types of Sanctions:
The CAATSA contains 12 types of sanctions. There areonly two sanctions that may impact either India-Russia relations or India-US relations.
• Prohibition of Banking transactions: It is likely to have an impact on India-Russia relations.This would mean difficulties for India in making payments in US Dollars to Russia for the purchase of the S-400 systems.
• Export Sanction: The second sanction will have greater consequences for India-US relations. It has the potential to completely derail the India-US Strategic and Defence partnership, as it will deny the license for, and export of, any items controlled by the US.

India’s Concerns :

Seventy per cent of Indian military hardware is Russian in origin. While the US has become its second-largest defence supplier, mainly of aircraft and artillery, India still relies heavily on Russian equipment, such as submarines and missiles that the US has been unwilling to provide. The USA President was given the authority in 2018 to waive CAATSA sanctions on a case by case basis. A waiver of such CAATSA for India has been under consideration since the law had come into force. In fact, India was threatened with sanctions when it decided to buy the S-400 missile launchers from Russia and buy crude oil from Iran. What is also worrying for India is the example of Turkey who, despite being a key NATO ally, was expelled from the US F-35 fighter jet programme when it purchased S-400 missile systems from Russia. Yet India went ahead with the S-400 deal in 2018 with no negative reaction from the United States government. The delivery of the S-400s is expected to finish by 2025. However, the USA has repeatedly stated that India should not assume it will get a waiver. Now India could also face USA sanctions for purchasing the S-400 Triumf missile defense system from Russia under the CAATSA. If implemented stringently, CAATSA would impact Indian defence procurement from Russia. Lately, the United States Government has stated that although a waiver is not possible at this time, a blanket application of sanctions against India for its defence contracts with Russia is also not being considered. India stopped importing oil from Iran in mid-2019 following sanctions on the Persian Gulf nation by the Trump administration.Iran in 2017-18 was its third-largest supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia and met about 10% of total needs.Iran getting closer to China is also a serious concern for India.

India needs to balance its relation with both Russia and USA, so that its national interest is not compromised. Russia always saw India as a balancer that’s why Russia facilitated India’s inclusion into Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and formation of Russia-India-China (RIC) grouping.The defence procurement for India has become significant amid deadly clashes with China on Line of Actual Control (LAC). Further, Russia is an all weather defence partner of India.India today is in a unique position to have a favourable relation with all great powers.It needs to develop closer ties with the United States, which could balance any moves towards a strategic partnership between China and Russia. Thus, India must leverage this position to help in building a peaceful world order.

Sources : The Hindu and Drishti IAS

Another COVID-19 Pill-” Paxlovid”

Pfizer announced its investigational novel COVID-19 oral antiviral medicine , Paxlovid reduced hospitalization & death. The adminstration has also arranged to purchase 20 million corses of drug. It will be manufactured & distributed to pharmacies in weeks & months.

It is orally bioavailable drug used against HIV that is active against M*pro, a viral drug that play an essential role in viral replication by leaving the 2 viral polyproteins . It has demonstrated antiviral activity against all coronavirus that are known to infect humans. It is ritonavir , a strong cytochrome P450 ( CYP) 3 A4 drug and boosting agent that has been used to boost HIV . How may tablet are needed? After it is prescribed, Paxlovid is administered as three tablets taken together orally twice daily for five days, for a total of 30 tablets. What are the side effects? Possible side effects of Paxlovid include impaired sense of taste, diarrhea, high blood pressure and muscle aches, says the FDA. Using Paxlovid at the same time as certain other drugs may result in “potentially significant drug interactions.” Consult with your doctor. Using Paxlovid in people with uncontrolled or undiagnosed HIV-1 infection may lead to HIV-1 drug resistance, the FDA said. How did Paxlovid performed in clinical studies? Paxlovid significantly reduced the number of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by 88 percent, compared to placebo among patients treated within five days of symptom onset and who did not receive COVID-19 therapeutic monoclonal antibody treatment.

It is developed by Pfizer and can be taken at home to help keep high- risk patients from getting so sick that they need to be hospitalized.

According to Kaiser health information it not always easy to find a prescription; one individuals told that RPR that it took an usual amount of knowledge and connections.

The medication company named Pfizer is taken a stepping towards vaccine named “Paxlovid” to reduce hospitalization and may offer to India at lower prices.

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Accession & Reign

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