While every Indian knows about Jallianwala Bagh massacre, few of us think about the reactions of the British public to the event. The massacre itself was blacked out by the government in India and martial law was in place. When news got out, the British tabloids referred to Jallianwala Bagh massacre as the “Amritsar affair” — in an obvious use of minimising language.
How could the “affair “ change the attitudes of British public if they were denied truth? The answer lies , as often, in the efforts one man. A man whose origins are as far away from Punjab as one can imagine.
Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair was born in an aristocratic family in 1857 in Palakkad district of Kerala. His strong sense of fairness and justice, drove him to pursue law. Nair was an iconoclast and defied the dictates of Vakil association, which said no Indian would work under a British barrister. His reason : his clients had the freedom to choose their lawyer. To him justice mattered more than the color of the lawyer’s skin. He was a vociferous advocate of social reforms.
As Madras High court judge, he ruled that those who converted to Hinduism cannot be treated as outcastes. He also supported inter-religious marriages and was clearly ahead of his time. He became the youngest leader of Indian National congress. When the Montagu Chelmsford reforms were introduced in 1908, he called out the act as being partial. Even though Sir Edwin Montagu called him an “impossible man” , the British respected his moral rectitude and knighted him in 1912. In 1915 Nair became a member of the powerful Viceroy council and was given the education portfolio. Then Jallianwala Bagh happened.
Nair resigned from the Viceroy council in protest – something unheard of , at that time. . He wrote “Gandhi and Anarchy” in which he openly accused Punjab Governor Michael O’Dwyer (the man who would be later shot by Shaheed Udham Singh). In response, O’Dwyer filed a defamation suit against Nair.
Nair faced a suit against a British man in a British court , presided over by a British judge and a British jury. All cards were stacked against him – yet he fought valiantly. The trial was the longest civil case London had seen until that time and lasted five and a half weeks. It laid threadbare the British atrocities in India and got extensive press coverage , something neither Nair nor O’Dwyer could have imagined. The British public, for the first time, understood that the call for Indian Swarajya wasn’t rebellious or seditious.
Sadly Nair lost the case 11 to 1 and had to pay a fine of 500 pounds. O’Dwyer said he would forgo that amount if Nair apologises. To which Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair said, “ I would rather pay 500 pounds than say something I don’t believe in. Besides what’s the guarantee that the next 12 shopkeepers in a British court wouldn’t side with their own? “
His fearless nature ensured that people all over the world heard about Jallianwala Bagh massacre. From New York to Paris, from Berlin to Moscow , Nair shook the image of the mighty British Empire, if only for five weeks.
Not all battles are fought for victory. Some are fought simply to tell the world that someone was there on the battlefield. The greatest tragedy such a warrior can face is being forgotten, erased from the history books of the very nation he fought for. The least we can do to correct such historic wrongs, is to tell our children about courage and conviction of our heroes.
Jai Hind !
Chinese military launches drills around Taiwan as ‘warning’ after top island official stopped in US
The Chinese military launched drills around Taiwan on Saturday as a “stern warning” over what it called collusion between “separatists and foreign forces,” its defense ministry said, days after the island’s vice president stopped over in the United States.
Taiwanese Vice President William Lai’s recent trip to Paraguay to reinforce relations with his government’s last diplomatic partner in South America included stops in San Francisco and New York City.
The mainland’s ruling Communist Party claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and says it has no right to conduct foreign relations.
A spokesperson for China’s Eastern Theater Command said in a brief statement that the military exercises involved the coordination of vessels and planes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces.
It was also testing the forces’ “actual combat capabilities,” Shi Yi said. The drills were a warning over provocations from pro-Taiwan independence forces and foreign forces, he added.
The command released footage of the drills online that showed soldiers running, as well as military boats and planes.
State media CCTV reported that missile-equipped boats and fighter jets were involved in the operation and that units worked together to simulate the surrounding of Taiwan.
Taiwan’s defense ministry strongly condemned what it called “irrational, provocative moves” in a statement. It said it would deploy appropriate forces to respond to the drills and take action to “safeguard freedom and democracy.”
It said its military would stand ready in the face of the threats posted by the Chinese army, adding that its forces have “the ability, determination and confidence to safeguard national security.”
It posted a video on Facebook that showed previous military drills and said the Chinese military exercises reflected a militaristic mentality.
Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the ruling Communist Party in control of the mainland. The self-ruled island has never been part of the People’s Republic of China, but Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province to be retaken by force if necessary.
China’s official Xinhua news agency on Saturday reported that an unnamed official in China’s Taiwan Work Office strongly condemned what it called further collusion between Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the U.S. and said it was a “new provocative move.”
The official pointed to the stopovers in the U.S., an interview Lai gave to news outlet Bloomberg and his meeting with U.S. officials in Paraguay, the report said. The official said Lai had used “Taiwan independence” rhetoric in the interview.
The official also accused Lai of using his stopovers in the U.S. to sell out the interest of Taiwan to seek gains in the island’s election and described him as a “troublemaker who will push Taiwan to the dangerous brink of war,” the report added. Lai is his party’s candidate for the 2024 presidential election in January.
Parineeti Chopra posts video singing Amrinder Gill’s Punjabi chartbuster ‘Dildariyan’, fans lap it up
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi agreed to quicken developing the Chabahar port as a symbol of bilateral cooperation, said Mohammad Jamshidi, Iranian President’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, after telephonic talks between the two leaders late on Friday.
“PM Modi hailed long-term cooperation with Iran and said the implementation of the joint project of Chabahar port and turning it into a connectivity hub would lead to the region’s development. He said India was ready to finalise the documents pertaining to the completion of the project,” said the official Iranian news agency IRNA.
“The two leaders reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, including to realise the full potential of Chabahar port as a connectivity hub,” said a brief MEA reference to the port.
Iran and India have been trying to resolve differences, with Tehran dissatisfied with the pace of work carried out by Indian companies in Shahaid Beheshti Terminal in Chabahar.
New Delhi blames the US sanctions imposed on Iran in 2018 for the slow pace of work at the port. But the Iranians point out that India has secured a waiver from the sanctions for its specific activity in Chabahar.
Experts say increased activity in Chabahar will facilitate trade between the Indian Ocean and Afghanistan, landlocked countries in Central Asia and with Russia.
India also wants the Chabahar port included in the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a sanctions-proof land-sea transportation corridor passing from Iran through over a dozen countries to Russia, Central Asia and Caucasus. In the conversation with PM Modi, Raisi underscored more interaction on the INSTC.
Both leaders are expected to meet in South Africa later next week.
Interestingly, the Iranian emphasis on Chabahar comes a week before PM Modi visits Greece where India is exploring the possibility of utilising its Piraeus port instead of the Chabahar port. India could send the goods to either the Dubai port or the Adani-owned Haifa port in Israel from where those can go to the Piraeus trans-shipment complex.
India looks at having over 55% indigenous parts in submarines
The Indian Navy’s project on making the next lot of six stealth submarines will hinge upon achieving a high ‘make in India’ content.
India is looking to produce six next-generation stealth conventional submarines at a cost of $5.8 billion (Rs 42,000 crore). The Navy is looking to have 55 to 60 per cent of local content in these six vessels, sources said.
The benchmark of local content has been arrived at seeing the progress of existing submarine construction at Mazagon Docks Limited in making six of the ‘Scorpene-class’ submarines with Naval Group of France. The first six Scorpenes have between 30-40 per cent local content.
Naval Group has promised 60 per cent indigenous content, including high-level technologies like combat systems and air-independent propulsion (AIP) for the next three vessels which were announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France last month.
The AIP that allows conventional submarines to stay underwater for longer periods is one of the critical future technologies. India aims to have own capabilities to manufacture such complex vessels.
Two Indian companies and their respective foreign technology partners have submitted bids to make six conventional diesel-electric-powered stealth submarines in India.
In July last year, the Ministry of Defence had issued a tender inviting global manufacturers to design, develop and manufacture with Indian partners.
Mazagaon Dock Shipyard Limited, a public sector entity, and private company Larsen & Tourbo have submitted their respective bid, sources said. Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is MDL’s partner and the Spanish Navantia is partner of L&T.
Whoever of the MDL and L&T wins the bid is expected to get specific transfer technology, including AIP from the foreign partner, and will absorb it in their technology teams.
MDL, in June, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate with TKMS which is a global market leader for non-nuclear submarines based on AIP technology. TKMS is expected to design the submarines as well as do consultancy support for this joint project. The MDL will take responsibility for constructing and delivering the respective submarines.
Larsen & Toubro, in July, signed a teaming agreement (TA) with Navantia. The latter will carry out the design based on its S80 class of submarines, the first of which was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials.
India, as of now, has 16 conventional and one nuclear submarine, much less than the envisaged plan drawn out in 1999 that spoke about having 24 conventional submarines by 2030.
Barring the five Scorpene submarines, rest of the 11 Indian submarines are over 30 years old and are running on extended life cycle.
Navy sub to reach Oz today for exercise
INS Vagir, an Indian Navy submarine on an extended-range deployment, will reach Fremantle, Australia, on Sunday. The extended range deployment is the maiden deployment by an Indian Navy submarine to Australia. The INS Vagir will participate in various exercises with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) units on the West Coast of Australia off the coast of Perth.
*18 AUG 2023 – ALL INDIA – FROM CDR SANTHANAM – HELPING HANDS FOR ECHS –– YOU TUBE VIDEO # 72 is now LIVE to watch – SUB TITLES FOR ECHS YOU TUBE VIDEOS – This Video contains Step By Step Procedure to enable Sub Titles for the Audio in ECHS You Tube Videos. Do not forget to HIT SUBSCRIBE button in You Tube Video. If you like this Video give a THUMBS UP ! Click the link to watch this Video https://youtu.be/vasoub6QIZg JAI HIND*
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The Khanna police yesterday registered a case against a woman and her father on the charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy after she refused to take her husband to Canada after marriage.
The accused’s father-in-law had allegedly spent around Rs 30 lakh to send the woman to Canada.The booked accused have been identified as Mandeep Kaur, who is currently residing in Canada, and her father Harbans Singh, a resident of Himanyupura in Ludhiana district.
Daudpur village resident Mewa Singh told the police that his son Bhim Singh got married to Mandeep Kaur in July 2018. He said that his son and daughter-in-law wanted to settle in Canada. So, he decided to first send Mandeep to Canada and then she would call his son there as per the procedure.
The complainant has claimed that in the process, he spent around Rs 30 lakh to send Mandeep to Canada. He said that after going abroad, Mandeep started avoiding his son. When they asked her to send documents for processing the PR application of his son, she categorically refused, he added.
“She even went on to say that she will not continue any relationship with Bhim. When we asked her to at least return Rs 30 lakh, she plainly refused to entertain our request,” the complainant alleged.
He said that Mandeep had hatched the conspiracy in connivance with her father. They had planned before the marriage that she would dump her husband after reaching Canada.
The complainant has demanded that the police should take strict action against the woman and her father for damaging the future of his son.
In an alarming revelation, 21 of the 23 hydel projects in HP have been found guilty of non-compliance with the dam safety norms, resulting in thousands of people being forced to leave their homes, inundated after the sudden discharge of water from upstream dams such as Pong.
A related presentation was made by the state Directorate of Energy before Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, who has vowed legal action, which may include criminal liability, against violators.
What Dam Safety Act regulations mandate
Foolproof warning system to alert people before release of water
System to contain tailor-made voice messages, besides siren
The setting up of warning posts and marking of danger levels
The flooding of low-lying areas in Punjab and Himachal has been attributed to the release of water from the Pong Dam in Kangra, besides Pandoh and Malana dams. Sources said despite requests by the administration of some districts, the authorities at most of the dams had failed to ensure timely release of excess water. What’s more alarming is that the violators include four government projects — Larji on the Beas in Mandi; Jateon on the Giri in Sirmaur; both operated by the HP State Electricity Board; and Sawra Kuddu on the Pabbar in Shimla; and Sainj on the Sainj (a Beas tributary) in Kullu; both under the HP Power Corporation. Data showed that only the 800-MW Kol Dam in Bilaspur and the 1,045 MW Karcham Wangtoo project in Kinnaur adhered to the norms laid down in the Dam Safety Act and the guidelines of the Central Water Commission. Besides the 23 operational projects with a total capacity of generating 9,203 MW power, six are under construction, which have a capacity of 1,916 MW.
“We will be initiating legal action against the violators. We are seeking an opinion on holding them accountable for criminal liability,” said Chief Secretary Saxena. He admitted that the “lack of monitoring” by government agencies such as the Directorate of Energy was also to be blamed for the violations. The dam authorities have been found to be erring with respect to the installation of an early warning system, which must have a provision of a broadcasting tailor-made voice to alert people. The alleged failure by the Larji dam authorities had led to the drowning of 24 students from a Hyderabad engineering college on June 8, 2014.
The Directorate of Energy, meanwhile, has been asked to inspect the dam sites to ensure all projects were getting a risk and vulnerability assessment done through expe
Special Investigation Unit conducts raid in J&K’s Pulwama in terror-related case
Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) on Saturday conducted a raid in Pulwama district in connection with a terror-related case, officials said.
The raid was conducted at the residence of Sheikh Sayurl Nisar at Wopalwan Awantipora in south Kashmir to collect more evidence of his involvement in terror-related offences, a police spokesperson said.Powered By
“During the search, bank passbooks, books on Jihad, and incriminating material were seized by the SIU,” the spokesman said.
AMERICAN MAGAZINE PUBLISHES SIKHS ARE ONE OF THE GREATEST WARRIORS IN HISTORY
