| India Divided: Communal Riots |
A decade of triumphs, a decade of upheavals, a decade of some unforgettable tragedies and a decade of making our presence felt on the global map - India's grown enormously as a nation and as a people in the last ten years.
Here's a look at some of the most noteworthy events that shaped India - stories of resilience and achievement abound in a landscape that was marred by several natural disasters , communal riots and one of the most horrific attacks of terror ever.
Text: Anirban Choudhury; Photo editor: Azhar Ali
Hindu-Muslim riots are not a new thing to have happened in India, but the Gujarat riots (Godhra riots) plunged India to new depths of horror and brutality making them the worst religious riots India has seen since the Partition.
It all started in the morning of February 27, 2002, when the ill-fated Sabarmati Express which pulled into the Godhra station, was set ablaze killing around 59 Hindu passengers, resulting in the worst ever religious genocide. The attack on the Sabarmati Express propelled retaliatory massacres against Muslims on a large scale, which resulted in the death of nearly 800 Muslims and more than 250 Hindus.
But what is more shameful is the fact that it is alleged that the government and the local police did not intervene in time to curb the riots. Human rights’ groups have alleged that the authorities watched the rioting take place without taking any actions against the attacks.
Gujarat riots will go down as a blotch in independent India's most prized possession - its democracy.
A decade of triumphs, a decade of upheavals, a decade of some unforgettable tragedies and a decade of making our presence felt on the global map - India's grown enormously as a nation and as a people in the last ten years.
Here's a look at some of the most noteworthy events that shaped India - stories of resilience and achievement abound in a landscape that was marred by several natural disasters , communal riots and one of the most horrific attacks of terror ever.
Text: Anirban Choudhury; Photo editor: Azhar Ali
- Hindu-Muslim riots are not a new thing to have happened in India, but the Gujarat riots (Godhra riots) plunged India to new depths of horror and brutality making them the worst religious riots India has seen since the Partition.
It all started in the morning of February 27, 2002, when the ill-fated Sabarmati Express which pulled into the Godhra station, was set ablaze killing around 59 Hindu passengers, resulting in the worst ever religious genocide. The attack on the Sabarmati Express propelled retaliatory massacres against Muslims on a large scale, which resulted in the death of nearly 800 Muslims and more than 250 Hindus.
But what is more shameful is the fact that it is alleged that the government and the local police did not intervene in time to curb the riots. Human rights’ groups have alleged that the authorities watched the rioting take place without taking any actions against the attacks.
Gujarat riots will go down as a blotch in independent India's most prized possession - its democracy.
related searches
ogodhra
o•godhra riots
o•gujarat riots
o•communal riots
o•2002 riots
26/11 was the terror attack that left Mumbai scarred forever. On the night of 26th November 2008, ten terrorists attacked Mumbai and went on a three-day killing spree. The Mumbai siege was one of the worst terror attacks that the country has ever seen, killing more than 173 people and wounding at least 308. Investigations revealed that the attackers travelled by sea from Karachi to Mumbai, where they split up and headed in different directions to wreak havoc in the city.
The terrorists holed up in Mumbai's iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the Oberoi Trident hotel and took hotel guests as hostage. NSG commandoes fought one of the harshest battles inside the Taj Hotel, Nariman House and other places in Mumbai.
Despite Pakistani authorities confirming that Lashkar-e-Toiba plotted and financed the attacks from LeT camps in Karachi and Thatta, very little has been done to bring the mercenaries of the Mumbai carnage to book.
Several other bomb blasts in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmadabad and other cities also rocked the nation this past decade, prompting the long-standing debate in Indian media – what is India doing to curb terrorist attacks?
And if that isn’t enough, what was once seen as a long struggle for the landless poor has today become India's biggest internal security threat. The advocates of Maoism in the process replicating Mao Zedong's principles have been on a rampage ever since the unification of two extremist factions, the People's War Group, and the Maoist Communist Centre, in 2004. The aim of the movement is to overthrow the Indian State and establish a communist society in India.
When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009 declared that the Maoists were the most serious threat to India’s internal security, he was referring to the fact that in that year, the Naxals were estimated to be active in 220 districts across 20 Indian states, controlling a stunning 92,000 square miles of territory in what is commonly known as the Red Corridor.
Even as India prides itself on its growth rate and on how it is fast becoming one of the most important economies in the world, an important facet of that development remains skewed and this is the biggest reason for the Maoist menace that looms over India.
The rejection of Vedanta's bauxite mining project in Orissa can be hailed as a victory of the common man over the powerful. The Dongria tribe of Orissa claimed a major victory when Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh blocked UK-based Vedanta Resources' controversial plan to mine bauxite on the sacred hills where the Dongria Kondh tribe lives. Jairam Ramesh said Vedanta had shown a 'shocking' and 'blatant disregard for the rights of the tribal groups' and also questioned the legality of the massive refinery Vedanta has already built below the hills.
The struggle had pitted the 8,000-strong tribe, nearly all of them illiterate, against the might of an eight-billion-dollar company and its founder Anil Agarwal, himself worth about six billion dollars.
The government’s decision to ban Vedanta Resources from mining on sacred land belonging to the Dongria tribe came after years of pressure from campaign groups, extensive media coverage and unprecedented levels of opposition from a variety of quarters.
A decade of triumphs, a decade of upheavals, a decade of some unforgettable tragedies and a decade of making our presence felt on the global map - India's grown enormously as a nation and as a people in the last ten years.
Here's a look at some of the most noteworthy events that shaped India - stories of resilience and achievement abound in a landscape that was marred by several natural disasters , communal riots and one of the most horrific attacks of terror ever.
Text: Anirban Choudhury; Photo editor: Azhar Ali
- Hindu-Muslim riots are not a new thing to have happened in India, but the Gujarat riots (Godhra riots) plunged India to new depths of horror and brutality making them the worst religious riots India has seen since the Partition.
It all started in the morning of February 27, 2002, when the ill-fated Sabarmati Express which pulled into the Godhra station, was set ablaze killing around 59 Hindu passengers, resulting in the worst ever religious genocide. The attack on the Sabarmati Express propelled retaliatory massacres against Muslims on a large scale, which resulted in the death of nearly 800 Muslims and more than 250 Hindus.
But what is more shameful is the fact that it is alleged that the government and the local police did not intervene in time to curb the riots. Human rights’ groups have alleged that the authorities watched the rioting take place without taking any actions against the attacks.
Gujarat riots will go down as a blotch in independent India's most prized possession - its democracy.
related searches
ogodhra
o•godhra riots
o•gujarat riots
o•communal riots
o•2002 riots
26/11 was the terror attack that left Mumbai scarred forever. On the night of 26th November 2008, ten terrorists attacked Mumbai and went on a three-day killing spree. The Mumbai siege was one of the worst terror attacks that the country has ever seen, killing more than 173 people and wounding at least 308. Investigations revealed that the attackers travelled by sea from Karachi to Mumbai, where they split up and headed in different directions to wreak havoc in the city.
The terrorists holed up in Mumbai's iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the Oberoi Trident hotel and took hotel guests as hostage. NSG commandoes fought one of the harshest battles inside the Taj Hotel, Nariman House and other places in Mumbai.
Despite Pakistani authorities confirming that Lashkar-e-Toiba plotted and financed the attacks from LeT camps in Karachi and Thatta, very little has been done to bring the mercenaries of the Mumbai carnage to book.
Several other bomb blasts in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and other cities also rocked the nation this past decade, prompting the long-standing debate in Indian media – what is India doing to curb terrorist attacks?
And if that isn’t enough, what was once seen as a long struggle for the landless poor has today become India's biggest internal security threat. The advocates of Maoism in the process replicating Mao Zedong's principles have been on a rampage ever since the unification of two extremist factions, the People's War Group, and the Maoist Communist Centre, in 2004. The aim of the movement is to overthrow the Indian State and establish a communist society in India.
When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009 declared that the Maoists were the most serious threat to India’s internal security, he was referring to the fact that in that year, the Naxals were estimated to be active in 220 districts across 20 Indian states, controlling a stunning 92,000 square miles of territory in what is commonly known as the Red Corridor.
Even as India prides itself on its growth rate and on how it is fast becoming one of the most important economies in the world, an important facet of that development remains skewed and this is the biggest reason for the Maoist menace that looms over India.
related searches
omumbai
o•26/11
o•mumbai attacks
o•maoists
o•maoism
o•naxal
o•naxal attacks
o•mao zedong
The rejection of Vedanta's bauxite mining project in Orissa can be hailed as a victory of the common man over the powerful. The Dongria tribe of Orissa claimed a major victory when Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh blocked UK-based Vedanta Resources' controversial plan to mine bauxite on the sacred hills where the Dongria Kondh tribe lives. Jairam Ramesh said Vedanta had shown a 'shocking' and 'blatant disregard for the rights of the tribal groups' and also questioned the legality of the massive refinery Vedanta has already built below the hills.
The struggle had pitted the 8,000-strong tribe, nearly all of them illiterate, against the might of an eight-billion-dollar company and its founder Anil Agarwal, himself worth about six billion dollars.
The government’s decision to ban Vedanta Resources from mining on sacred land belonging to the Dongria tribe came after years of pressure from campaign groups, extensive media coverage and unprecedented levels of opposition from a variety of quarters.
related searches
ovedanta
o•vedanta ban
o•dongria tribe
o•dongria
o•dongria kondh
o•anil agarwal
o•jairam ramesh
o•bauxite
o•orissa
In a landmark judgement in the Ayodhya land title case, the Allahabad High Court ruled that the site of the demolished Babri mosque in Ayodhya would be divided between Hindus and Muslims.
The Allahabad HC in the Ayodhya land title case has ordered that the disputed holy site in Ayodhya be divided into three parts: one-third for Hindu Mahasabha, one-third for Sunni Waqf Board and one-third for the Nirmohi Akhara. It also ruled that the land on which the idol of Lord Rama stood belonged to the Hindus and part of the land under the central dome of the Babri Masjid was the Ram Janamsthan which will go to the Hindus.
While the justice system might have gotten one verdict right, most others were a far cry from justice. It took over 11 years for justice to be delivered in the Jessica Lal case, with the murderer being given a life term, whereas the judgement in the case of Priyadarshini Mattoo’s was a rude surprise. The accused, Santosh Singh, had his death sentence commuted to a life term. SPS Rathore, Inspector General in the Haryana Police, main accused of the rape of teen Ruchika Girhotra in 1990, who committed suicide in 1993, will serve a mere 18 months in jail.
In the case of the Kanishka bombing, justice arrived exactly 25 years later, with the victims receiving delayed compensation from Air Canada. However, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims still await justice, even after the verdict has been delivered. As for Ajmal Kasab, looks like only time will tell which side of justice he's on.
The West finally gave Bollywood music director Allah Rakha Rahman his due. Known as the Mozart of Madras, Rahman won Oscars and Grammys for original score and original song in Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire'. This was the first time that an Indian music director has won an Oscar.
A R Rahman has sold more than 100 million records of his film scores and soundtracks worldwide, making him one of the world's all-time top selling recording artists. Post 'Slumdog Millionaire', Rahman has been busy enthralling audiences all over, from concerts in Sydney to collaborating with Mick Jagger.
Authors Aravind Adiga and Kiran Desai walked away with the prestigious Man Booker Award in 2008 and 2006, respectively.
One of the greatest sportsmen India has ever produced, Viswanathan Anand has won in every format — tournament, knockout and match and is the undisputed king of chess. Regarded as the best rapid chess player in history, Anand is a five-time winner chess's Oscar and the first Asian to win the World Chess Championship title in 2000.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Abhinav Bindra broke India's jinx at the Olympics by becoming the first Indian to win an individual gold medal in the 10 m Air Rifle event. Weight lifter Sushil Kumar bagged a bronze and continued his winning stretch to the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Boxer Vijender Singh also emerged a winner at the Olympics and is now the world’s top ranked pugilist in the 75-kg category.
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar went on to add more feathers to his cap, with the first double century in ODI history against Australia and was also adjudged the Cricketer of the Year by the ICC.
The under-celebrated Saina Nehwal won the Indonesian Badminton Open in 2009 and is now ranked third in the world. She also became the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament and went on to win three Super Series titles.
A decade of triumphs, a decade of upheavals, a decade of some unforgettable tragedies and a decade of making our presence felt on the global map - India's grown enormously as a nation and as a people in the last ten years.
Here's a look at some of the most noteworthy events that shaped India - stories of resilience and achievement abound in a landscape that was marred by several natural disasters , communal riots and one of the most horrific attacks of terror ever.
Text: Anirban Choudhury; Photo editor: Azhar Ali
- Hindu-Muslim riots are not a new thing to have happened in India, but the Gujarat riots (Godhra riots) plunged India to new depths of horror and brutality making them the worst religious riots India has seen since the Partition.
It all started in the morning of February 27, 2002, when the ill-fated Sabarmati Express which pulled into the Godhra station, was set ablaze killing around 59 Hindu passengers, resulting in the worst ever religious genocide. The attack on the Sabarmati Express propelled retaliatory massacres against Muslims on a large scale, which resulted in the death of nearly 800 Muslims and more than 250 Hindus.
But what is more shameful is the fact that it is alleged that the government and the local police did not intervene in time to curb the riots. Human rights’ groups have alleged that the authorities watched the rioting take place without taking any actions against the attacks.
Gujarat riots will go down as a blotch in independent India's most prized possession - its democracy.
related searches
ogodhra
o•godhra riots
o•gujarat riots
o•communal riots
o•2002 riots
26/11 was the terror attack that left Mumbai scarred forever. On the night of 26th November 2008, ten terrorists attacked Mumbai and went on a three-day killing spree. The Mumbai siege was one of the worst terror attacks that the country has ever seen, killing more than 173 people and wounding at least 308. Investigations revealed that the attackers travelled by sea from Karachi to Mumbai, where they split up and headed in different directions to wreak havoc in the city.
The terrorists holed up in Mumbai's iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the Oberoi Trident hotel and took hotel guests as hostage. NSG commandoes fought one of the harshest battles inside the Taj Hotel, Nariman House and other places in Mumbai.
Despite Pakistani authorities confirming that Lashkar-e-Toiba plotted and financed the attacks from LeT camps in Karachi and Thatta, very little has been done to bring the mercenaries of the Mumbai carnage to book.
Several other bomb blasts in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and other cities also rocked the nation this past decade, prompting the long-standing debate in Indian media – what is India doing to curb terrorist attacks?
And if that isn’t enough, what was once seen as a long struggle for the landless poor has today become India's biggest internal security threat. The advocates of Maoism in the process replicating Mao Zedong's principles have been on a rampage ever since the unification of two extremist factions, the People's War Group, and the Maoist Communist Centre, in 2004. The aim of the movement is to overthrow the Indian State and establish a communist society in India.
When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009 declared that the Maoists were the most serious threat to India’s internal security, he was referring to the fact that in that year, the Naxals were estimated to be active in 220 districts across 20 Indian states, controlling a stunning 92,000 square miles of territory in what is commonly known as the Red Corridor.
Even as India prides itself on its growth rate and on how it is fast becoming one of the most important economies in the world, an important facet of that development remains skewed and this is the biggest reason for the Maoist menace that looms over India.
related searches
omumbai
o•26/11
o•mumbai attacks
o•maoists
o•maoism
o•naxal
o•naxal attacks
o•mao zedong
The rejection of Vedanta's bauxite mining project in Orissa can be hailed as a victory of the common man over the powerful. The Dongria tribe of Orissa claimed a major victory when Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh blocked UK-based Vedanta Resources' controversial plan to mine bauxite on the sacred hills where the Dongria Kondh tribe lives. Jairam Ramesh said Vedanta had shown a 'shocking' and 'blatant disregard for the rights of the tribal groups' and also questioned the legality of the massive refinery Vedanta has already built below the hills.
The struggle had pitted the 8,000-strong tribe, nearly all of them illiterate, against the might of an eight-billion-dollar company and its founder Anil Agarwal, himself worth about six billion dollars.
The government’s decision to ban Vedanta Resources from mining on sacred land belonging to the Dongria tribe came after years of pressure from campaign groups, extensive media coverage and unprecedented levels of opposition from a variety of quarters.
related searches
ovedanta
o•vedanta ban
o•dongria tribe
o•dongria
o•dongria kondh
o•anil agarwal
o•jairam ramesh
o•bauxite
o•orissa
In a landmark judgement in the Ayodhya land title case, the Allahabad High Court ruled that the site of the demolished Babri mosque in Ayodhya would be divided between Hindus and Muslims.
The Allahabad HC in the Ayodhya land title case has ordered that the disputed holy site in Ayodhya be divided into three parts: one-third for Hindu Mahasabha, one-third for Sunni Waqf Board and one-third for the Nirmohi Akhara. It also ruled that the land on which the idol of Lord Rama stood belonged to the Hindus and part of the land under the central dome of the Babri Masjid was the Ram Janamsthan which will go to the Hindus.
While the justice system might have gotten one verdict right, most others were a far cry from justice. It took over 11 years for justice to be delivered in the Jessica Lal case, with the murderer being given a life term, whereas the judgement in the case of Priyadarshini Mattoo’s was a rude surprise. The accused, Santosh Singh, had his death sentence commuted to a life term. SPS Rathore, Inspector General in the Haryana Police, main accused of the rape of teen Ruchika Girhotra in 1990, who committed suicide in 1993, will serve a mere 18 months in jail.
In the case of the Kanishka bombing, justice arrived exactly 25 years later, with the victims receiving delayed compensation from Air Canada. However, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims still await justice, even after the verdict has been delivered. As for Ajmal Kasab, looks like only time will tell which side of justice he's on.
related searches
okanishka verdict
o•ayodhya verdict
o•bhopal gas verdict
o•priyadarshini verdict
o•ruchika verdict
o•26/11 verdict
The West finally gave Bollywood music director Allah Rakha Rahman his due. Known as the Mozart of Madras, Rahman won Oscars and Grammys for original score and original song in Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire'. This was the first time that an Indian music director has won an Oscar.
A R Rahman has sold more than 100 million records of his film scores and soundtracks worldwide, making him one of the world's all-time top selling recording artists. Post 'Slumdog Millionaire', Rahman has been busy enthralling audiences all over, from concerts in Sydney to collaborating with Mick Jagger.
Authors Aravind Adiga and Kiran Desai walked away with the prestigious Man Booker Award in 2008 and 2006, respectively.
One of the greatest sportsmen India has ever produced, Viswanathan Anand has won in every format — tournament, knockout and match and is the undisputed king of chess. Regarded as the best rapid chess player in history, Anand is a five-time winner chess's Oscar and the first Asian to win the World Chess Championship title in 2000.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Abhinav Bindra broke India's jinx at the Olympics by becoming the first Indian to win an individual gold medal in the 10 m Air Rifle event. Weight lifter Sushil Kumar bagged a bronze and continued his winning stretch to the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Boxer Vijender Singh also emerged a winner at the Olympics and is now the world’s top ranked pugilist in the 75-kg category.
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar went on to add more feathers to his cap, with the first double century in ODI history against Australia and was also adjudged the Cricketer of the Year by the ICC.
The under-celebrated Saina Nehwal won the Indonesian Badminton Open in 2009 and is now ranked third in the world. She also became the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament and went on to win three Super Series titles.
related searches
oa r rahman
o•arr
o•sachin
o•sachin tendulkar
o•kiran desai
o•man booker
o•aravind adiga
o•sushil kumar
o•vijender singh
o•abhinav bindra
o•saina nehwal
o•vishwanathan anand
India joined the list of 135 countries to make education a fundamental right of every child when The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act was passed by the Indian Parliament on 4 August 2009 and came into force on 1 April 2010. The landmark bill seeks to provide education to children aged between 6 to 14 years. For disabled children, the upper age limit for receiving free education has been relaxed till 18 years. The RTE bill also seeks to do away with the practice of schools taking capitation fees before admission and subjecting the child or parents to any screening procedure.
Finally, the much talked about UID project finally got some wheels, when Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi on September 29, 2010, initiated the process of distributing the Unique Identification Number to villagers in Tembhali village of Maharashtra's Nandurbar district. Established in February 2009 and headed by Nandan Nilekani, formerly with Infosys, the Unique Identification Authority of India aims at providing a unique number to all Indians which will help address the rigged state elections, widespread embezzlement that affects subsidies and poverty alleviation programs in India.
With the successful launch of Chandrayaan-1 on October 2008, India joined ranks with the world's leading nations to launch a lunar probe. Chandrayaan-I, India's first unmanned moon mission satellite vehicle, successfully blasted off at 6.22 am on October 22, 2008 in Sriharikota. In its most important lunar mark, Chandrayaan-1 has discovered that some craters near the lunar North Pole may be reservoirs of water.
Cricket’s Transformation: T20 |
After their ouster in the very first round of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, a battered and bruised Team India wanted to make amends for the debacle. And they just did exactly that by winning the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. After the team's dismal show in the Caribbean, India were not fancied to win the competition, but newly-appointed rookie skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did the unthinkable by gelling a team of newbies to clinch a humdinger by five runs against Pakistan to win the World Twenty20 in 2007.
The win saw India embracing the shortest version of the game and under the guardianship of Lalit Modi, BCCI launched the Indian Premier League, to promote Twenty20 professional cricket in India. Though the league is currently mired in controversy, Twenty20 cricket has prompted the ICC to sit up and reconsider the current formats of the game, much to the chagrin of game classicists.
A decade of triumphs, a decade of upheavals, a decade of some unforgettable tragedies and a decade of making our presence felt on the global map - India's grown enormously as a nation and as a people in the last ten years.
Here's a look at some of the most noteworthy events that shaped India - stories of resilience and achievement abound in a landscape that was marred by several natural disasters , communal riots and one of the most horrific attacks of terror ever.
Text: Anirban Choudhury; Photo editor: Azhar Ali
- Hindu-Muslim riots are not a new thing to have happened in India, but the Gujarat riots (Godhra riots) plunged India to new depths of horror and brutality making them the worst religious riots India has seen since the Partition.
It all started in the morning of February 27, 2002, when the ill-fated Sabarmati Express which pulled into the Godhra station, was set ablaze killing around 59 Hindu passengers, resulting in the worst ever religious genocide. The attack on the Sabarmati Express propelled retaliatory massacres against Muslims on a large scale, which resulted in the death of nearly 800 Muslims and more than 250 Hindus.
But what is more shameful is the fact that it is alleged that the government and the local police did not intervene in time to curb the riots. Human rights’ groups have alleged that the authorities watched the rioting take place without taking any actions against the attacks.
Gujarat riots will go down as a blotch in independent India's most prized possession - its democracy.
related searches
ogodhra
o•godhra riots
o•gujarat riots
o•communal riots
o•2002 riots
26/11 was the terror attack that left Mumbai scarred forever. On the night of 26th November 2008, ten terrorists attacked Mumbai and went on a three-day killing spree. The Mumbai siege was one of the worst terror attacks that the country has ever seen, killing more than 173 people and wounding at least 308. Investigations revealed that the attackers travelled by sea from Karachi to Mumbai, where they split up and headed in different directions to wreak havoc in the city.
The terrorists holed up in Mumbai's iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the Oberoi Trident hotel and took hotel guests as hostage. NSG commandoes fought one of the harshest battles inside the Taj Hotel, Nariman House and other places in Mumbai.
Despite Pakistani authorities confirming that Lashkar-e-Toiba plotted and financed the attacks from LeT camps in Karachi and Thatta, very little has been done to bring the mercenaries of the Mumbai carnage to book.
Several other bomb blasts in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and other cities also rocked the nation this past decade, prompting the long-standing debate in Indian media – what is India doing to curb terrorist attacks?
And if that isn’t enough, what was once seen as a long struggle for the landless poor has today become India's biggest internal security threat. The advocates of Maoism in the process replicating Mao Zedong's principles have been on a rampage ever since the unification of two extremist factions, the People's War Group, and the Maoist Communist Centre, in 2004. The aim of the movement is to overthrow the Indian State and establish a communist society in India.
When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009 declared that the Maoists were the most serious threat to India’s internal security, he was referring to the fact that in that year, the Naxals were estimated to be active in 220 districts across 20 Indian states, controlling a stunning 92,000 square miles of territory in what is commonly known as the Red Corridor.
Even as India prides itself on its growth rate and on how it is fast becoming one of the most important economies in the world, an important facet of that development remains skewed and this is the biggest reason for the Maoist menace that looms over India.
related searches
omumbai
o•26/11
o•mumbai attacks
o•maoists
o•maoism
o•naxal
o•naxal attacks
o•mao zedong
The rejection of Vedanta's bauxite mining project in Orissa can be hailed as a victory of the common man over the powerful. The Dongria tribe of Orissa claimed a major victory when Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh blocked UK-based Vedanta Resources' controversial plan to mine bauxite on the sacred hills where the Dongria Kondh tribe lives. Jairam Ramesh said Vedanta had shown a 'shocking' and 'blatant disregard for the rights of the tribal groups' and also questioned the legality of the massive refinery Vedanta has already built below the hills.
The struggle had pitted the 8,000-strong tribe, nearly all of them illiterate, against the might of an eight-billion-dollar company and its founder Anil Agarwal, himself worth about six billion dollars.
The government’s decision to ban Vedanta Resources from mining on sacred land belonging to the Dongria tribe came after years of pressure from campaign groups, extensive media coverage and unprecedented levels of opposition from a variety of quarters.
related searches
ovedanta
o•vedanta ban
o•dongria tribe
o•dongria
o•dongria kondh
o•anil agarwal
o•jairam ramesh
o•bauxite
o•orissa
In a landmark judgement in the Ayodhya land title case, the Allahabad High Court ruled that the site of the demolished Babri mosque in Ayodhya would be divided between Hindus and Muslims.
The Allahabad HC in the Ayodhya land title case has ordered that the disputed holy site in Ayodhya be divided into three parts: one-third for Hindu Mahasabha, one-third for Sunni Waqf Board and one-third for the Nirmohi Akhara. It also ruled that the land on which the idol of Lord Rama stood belonged to the Hindus and part of the land under the central dome of the Babri Masjid was the Ram Janamsthan which will go to the Hindus.
While the justice system might have gotten one verdict right, most others were a far cry from justice. It took over 11 years for justice to be delivered in the Jessica Lal case, with the murderer being given a life term, whereas the judgement in the case of Priyadarshini Mattoo’s was a rude surprise. The accused, Santosh Singh, had his death sentence commuted to a life term. SPS Rathore, Inspector General in the Haryana Police, main accused of the rape of teen Ruchika Girhotra in 1990, who committed suicide in 1993, will serve a mere 18 months in jail.
In the case of the Kanishka bombing, justice arrived exactly 25 years later, with the victims receiving delayed compensation from Air Canada. However, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims still await justice, even after the verdict has been delivered. As for Ajmal Kasab, looks like only time will tell which side of justice he's on.
related searches
okanishka verdict
o•ayodhya verdict
o•bhopal gas verdict
o•priyadarshini verdict
o•ruchika verdict
o•26/11 verdict
The West finally gave Bollywood music director Allah Rakha Rahman his due. Known as the Mozart of Madras, Rahman won Oscars and Grammys for original score and original song in Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire'. This was the first time that an Indian music director has won an Oscar.
A R Rahman has sold more than 100 million records of his film scores and soundtracks worldwide, making him one of the world's all-time top selling recording artists. Post 'Slumdog Millionaire', Rahman has been busy enthralling audiences all over, from concerts in Sydney to collaborating with Mick Jagger.
Authors Aravind Adiga and Kiran Desai walked away with the prestigious Man Booker Award in 2008 and 2006, respectively.
One of the greatest sportsmen India has ever produced, Viswanathan Anand has won in every format — tournament, knockout and match and is the undisputed king of chess. Regarded as the best rapid chess player in history, Anand is a five-time winner chess's Oscar and the first Asian to win the World Chess Championship title in 2000.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Abhinav Bindra broke India's jinx at the Olympics by becoming the first Indian to win an individual gold medal in the 10 m Air Rifle event. Weight lifter Sushil Kumar bagged a bronze and continued his winning stretch to the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Boxer Vijender Singh also emerged a winner at the Olympics and is now the world’s top ranked pugilist in the 75-kg category.
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar went on to add more feathers to his cap, with the first double century in ODI history against Australia and was also adjudged the Cricketer of the Year by the ICC.
The under-celebrated Saina Nehwal won the Indonesian Badminton Open in 2009 and is now ranked third in the world. She also became the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament and went on to win three Super Series titles.
related searches
oa r rahman
o•arr
o•sachin
o•sachin tendulkar
o•kiran desai
o•man booker
o•aravind adiga
o•sushil kumar
o•vijender singh
o•abhinav bindra
o•saina nehwal
o•vishwanathan anand
India joined the list of 135 countries to make education a fundamental right of every child when The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act was passed by the Indian Parliament on 4 August 2009 and came into force on 1 April 2010. The landmark bill seeks to provide education to children aged between 6 to 14 years. For disabled children, the upper age limit for receiving free education has been relaxed till 18 years. The RTE bill also seeks to do away with the practice of schools taking capitation fees before admission and subjecting the child or parents to any screening procedure.
Finally, the much talked about UID project finally got some wheels, when Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi on September 29, 2010, initiated the process of distributing the Unique Identification Number to villagers in Tembhali village of Maharashtra's Nandurbar district. Established in February 2009 and headed by Nandan Nilekani, formerly with Infosys, the Unique Identification Authority of India aims at providing a unique number to all Indians which will help address the rigged state elections, widespread embezzlement that affects subsidies and poverty alleviation programs in India.
With the successful launch of Chandrayaan-1 on October 2008, India joined ranks with the world's leading nations to launch a lunar probe. Chandrayaan-I, India's first unmanned moon mission satellite vehicle, successfully blasted off at 6.22 am on October 22, 2008 in Sriharikota. In its most important lunar mark, Chandrayaan-1 has discovered that some craters near the lunar North Pole may be reservoirs of water.
related searches
ouid
o•rte
o•right to education
o•kapil sibal
o•nandan nilekani
o•chandrayaan
o•chandrayaan 1
After their ouster in the very first round of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, a battered and bruised Team India wanted to make amends for the debacle. And they just did exactly that by winning the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. After the team's dismal show in the Caribbean, India were not fancied to win the competition, but newly-appointed rookie skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did the unthinkable by gelling a team of newbies to clinch a humdinger by five runs against Pakistan to win the World Twenty20 in 2007.
The win saw India embracing the shortest version of the game and under the guardianship of Lalit Modi, BCCI launched the Indian Premier League, to promote Twenty20 professional cricket in India. Though the league is currently mired in controversy, Twenty20 cricket has prompted the ICC to sit up and reconsider the current formats of the game, much to the chagrin of game classicists.
related searches
oms dhoni
o•t20
o•ipl
o•twenty20
o•cricket
o•dhoni
o•t20 world cup 2007
Manmohan Singh
Even though his adversaries have called him "the weakest Prime Minister" the country has ever had, this April, Manmohan Singh added yet another feather to his cap by overtaking Atal Behari Vajpayee to become the third longest-serving Prime Minister of India as he completed 2,273 days.
From pulling up the drooping fortunes of the Congress party to playing a pivotal role in India's rise to a global power, Manmohan Singh can be credited in propelling the United Progressive Alliance to power for its second term making him the first Indian Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term.
When the world was reeling under the worst financial crisis, the UPA, under the able guidance of our PM, ensured that the tremors of the economic crunch were least felt in India. From the Indo-US civilian Nuclear Agreement to inflation, the UPA coalition and Manmohan Singh have managed to survive many political minefields. But in its second term, the UPA has achieved and delivered less than what they promised, with the Opposition calling the Coalition “directionless”.
Pratibha Patil
In yet another first for India, Pratibha Patil became India's first female President, after a vitriolic campaign which undermined the symbolism of the appointment and raised doubts about Pratibha Patil's suitability for the ceremonial role.
On July 2007, India elected Pratibha Patil as the country’s first female President in a vote seen as a victory for the hundreds of millions of Indian women who contend with widespread discrimination. Patil received 65.82 percent of the votes cast by national lawmakers and state legislators. Though well in her seventies and needing physical support constantly, Pratibha Patil seems determined to make her mark in our country's history.
Tata Nano: World’s Cheapest Car |
A decade of triumphs, a decade of upheavals, a decade of some unforgettable tragedies and a decade of making our presence felt on the global map - India's grown enormously as a nation and as a people in the last ten years.
Here's a look at some of the most noteworthy events that shaped India - stories of resilience and achievement abound in a landscape that was marred by several natural disasters , communal riots and one of the most horrific attacks of terror ever.
Text: Anirban Choudhury; Photo editor: Azhar Ali
- Hindu-Muslim riots are not a new thing to have happened in India, but the Gujarat riots (Godhra riots) plunged India to new depths of horror and brutality making them the worst religious riots India has seen since the Partition.
It all started in the morning of February 27, 2002, when the ill-fated Sabarmati Express which pulled into the Godhra station, was set ablaze killing around 59 Hindu passengers, resulting in the worst ever religious genocide. The attack on the Sabarmati Express propelled retaliatory massacres against Muslims on a large scale, which resulted in the death of nearly 800 Muslims and more than 250 Hindus.
But what is more shameful is the fact that it is alleged that the government and the local police did not intervene in time to curb the riots. Human rights’ groups have alleged that the authorities watched the rioting take place without taking any actions against the attacks.
Gujarat riots will go down as a blotch in independent India's most prized possession - its democracy.
related searches
ogodhra
o•godhra riots
o•gujarat riots
o•communal riots
o•2002 riots
26/11 was the terror attack that left Mumbai scarred forever. On the night of 26th November 2008, ten terrorists attacked Mumbai and went on a three-day killing spree. The Mumbai siege was one of the worst terror attacks that the country has ever seen, killing more than 173 people and wounding at least 308. Investigations revealed that the attackers travelled by sea from Karachi to Mumbai, where they split up and headed in different directions to wreak havoc in the city.
The terrorists holed up in Mumbai's iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the Oberoi Trident hotel and took hotel guests as hostage. NSG commandoes fought one of the harshest battles inside the Taj Hotel, Nariman House and other places in Mumbai.
Despite Pakistani authorities confirming that Lashkar-e-Toiba plotted and financed the attacks from LeT camps in Karachi and Thatta, very little has been done to bring the mercenaries of the Mumbai carnage to book.
Several other bomb blasts in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and other cities also rocked the nation this past decade, prompting the long-standing debate in Indian media – what is India doing to curb terrorist attacks?
And if that isn’t enough, what was once seen as a long struggle for the landless poor has today become India's biggest internal security threat. The advocates of Maoism in the process replicating Mao Zedong's principles have been on a rampage ever since the unification of two extremist factions, the People's War Group, and the Maoist Communist Centre, in 2004. The aim of the movement is to overthrow the Indian State and establish a communist society in India.
When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009 declared that the Maoists were the most serious threat to India’s internal security, he was referring to the fact that in that year, the Naxals were estimated to be active in 220 districts across 20 Indian states, controlling a stunning 92,000 square miles of territory in what is commonly known as the Red Corridor.
Even as India prides itself on its growth rate and on how it is fast becoming one of the most important economies in the world, an important facet of that development remains skewed and this is the biggest reason for the Maoist menace that looms over India.
related searches
omumbai
o•26/11
o•mumbai attacks
o•maoists
o•maoism
o•naxal
o•naxal attacks
o•mao zedong
The rejection of Vedanta's bauxite mining project in Orissa can be hailed as a victory of the common man over the powerful. The Dongria tribe of Orissa claimed a major victory when Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh blocked UK-based Vedanta Resources' controversial plan to mine bauxite on the sacred hills where the Dongria Kondh tribe lives. Jairam Ramesh said Vedanta had shown a 'shocking' and 'blatant disregard for the rights of the tribal groups' and also questioned the legality of the massive refinery Vedanta has already built below the hills.
The struggle had pitted the 8,000-strong tribe, nearly all of them illiterate, against the might of an eight-billion-dollar company and its founder Anil Agarwal, himself worth about six billion dollars.
The government’s decision to ban Vedanta Resources from mining on sacred land belonging to the Dongria tribe came after years of pressure from campaign groups, extensive media coverage and unprecedented levels of opposition from a variety of quarters.
related searches
ovedanta
o•vedanta ban
o•dongria tribe
o•dongria
o•dongria kondh
o•anil agarwal
o•jairam ramesh
o•bauxite
o•orissa
In a landmark judgement in the Ayodhya land title case, the Allahabad High Court ruled that the site of the demolished Babri mosque in Ayodhya would be divided between Hindus and Muslims.
The Allahabad HC in the Ayodhya land title case has ordered that the disputed holy site in Ayodhya be divided into three parts: one-third for Hindu Mahasabha, one-third for Sunni Waqf Board and one-third for the Nirmohi Akhara. It also ruled that the land on which the idol of Lord Rama stood belonged to the Hindus and part of the land under the central dome of the Babri Masjid was the Ram Janamsthan which will go to the Hindus.
While the justice system might have gotten one verdict right, most others were a far cry from justice. It took over 11 years for justice to be delivered in the Jessica Lal case, with the murderer being given a life term, whereas the judgement in the case of Priyadarshini Mattoo’s was a rude surprise. The accused, Santosh Singh, had his death sentence commuted to a life term. SPS Rathore, Inspector General in the Haryana Police, main accused of the rape of teen Ruchika Girhotra in 1990, who committed suicide in 1993, will serve a mere 18 months in jail.
In the case of the Kanishka bombing, justice arrived exactly 25 years later, with the victims receiving delayed compensation from Air Canada. However, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims still await justice, even after the verdict has been delivered. As for Ajmal Kasab, looks like only time will tell which side of justice he's on.
related searches
okanishka verdict
o•ayodhya verdict
o•bhopal gas verdict
o•priyadarshini verdict
o•ruchika verdict
o•26/11 verdict
The West finally gave Bollywood music director Allah Rakha Rahman his due. Known as the Mozart of Madras, Rahman won Oscars and Grammys for original score and original song in Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire'. This was the first time that an Indian music director has won an Oscar.
A R Rahman has sold more than 100 million records of his film scores and soundtracks worldwide, making him one of the world's all-time top selling recording artists. Post 'Slumdog Millionaire', Rahman has been busy enthralling audiences all over, from concerts in Sydney to collaborating with Mick Jagger.
Authors Aravind Adiga and Kiran Desai walked away with the prestigious Man Booker Award in 2008 and 2006, respectively.
One of the greatest sportsmen India has ever produced, Viswanathan Anand has won in every format — tournament, knockout and match and is the undisputed king of chess. Regarded as the best rapid chess player in history, Anand is a five-time winner chess's Oscar and the first Asian to win the World Chess Championship title in 2000.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Abhinav Bindra broke India's jinx at the Olympics by becoming the first Indian to win an individual gold medal in the 10 m Air Rifle event. Weight lifter Sushil Kumar bagged a bronze and continued his winning stretch to the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Boxer Vijender Singh also emerged a winner at the Olympics and is now the world’s top ranked pugilist in the 75-kg category.
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar went on to add more feathers to his cap, with the first double century in ODI history against Australia and was also adjudged the Cricketer of the Year by the ICC.
The under-celebrated Saina Nehwal won the Indonesian Badminton Open in 2009 and is now ranked third in the world. She also became the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament and went on to win three Super Series titles.
related searches
oa r rahman
o•arr
o•sachin
o•sachin tendulkar
o•kiran desai
o•man booker
o•aravind adiga
o•sushil kumar
o•vijender singh
o•abhinav bindra
o•saina nehwal
o•vishwanathan anand
India joined the list of 135 countries to make education a fundamental right of every child when The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act was passed by the Indian Parliament on 4 August 2009 and came into force on 1 April 2010. The landmark bill seeks to provide education to children aged between 6 to 14 years. For disabled children, the upper age limit for receiving free education has been relaxed till 18 years. The RTE bill also seeks to do away with the practice of schools taking capitation fees before admission and subjecting the child or parents to any screening procedure.
Finally, the much talked about UID project finally got some wheels, when Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi on September 29, 2010, initiated the process of distributing the Unique Identification Number to villagers in Tembhali village of Maharashtra's Nandurbar district. Established in February 2009 and headed by Nandan Nilekani, formerly with Infosys, the Unique Identification Authority of India aims at providing a unique number to all Indians which will help address the rigged state elections, widespread embezzlement that affects subsidies and poverty alleviation programs in India.
With the successful launch of Chandrayaan-1 on October 2008, India joined ranks with the world's leading nations to launch a lunar probe. Chandrayaan-I, India's first unmanned moon mission satellite vehicle, successfully blasted off at 6.22 am on October 22, 2008 in Sriharikota. In its most important lunar mark, Chandrayaan-1 has discovered that some craters near the lunar North Pole may be reservoirs of water.
related searches
ouid
o•rte
o•right to education
o•kapil sibal
o•nandan nilekani
o•chandrayaan
o•chandrayaan 1
After their ouster in the very first round of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, a battered and bruised Team India wanted to make amends for the debacle. And they just did exactly that by winning the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. After the team's dismal show in the Caribbean, India were not fancied to win the competition, but newly-appointed rookie skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did the unthinkable by gelling a team of newbies to clinch a humdinger by five runs against Pakistan to win the World Twenty20 in 2007.
The win saw India embracing the shortest version of the game and under the guardianship of Lalit Modi, BCCI launched the Indian Premier League, to promote Twenty20 professional cricket in India. Though the league is currently mired in controversy, Twenty20 cricket has prompted the ICC to sit up and reconsider the current formats of the game, much to the chagrin of game classicists.
related searches
oms dhoni
o•t20
o•ipl
o•twenty20
o•cricket
o•dhoni
o•t20 world cup 2007
Manmohan Singh
Even though his adversaries have called him "the weakest Prime Minister" the country has ever had, this April, Manmohan Singh added yet another feather to his cap by overtaking Atal Behari Vajpayee to become the third longest-serving Prime Minister of India as he completed 2,273 days.
From pulling up the drooping fortunes of the Congress party to playing a pivotal role in India's rise to a global power, Manmohan Singh can be credited in propelling the United Progressive Alliance to power for its second term making him the first Indian Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term.
When the world was reeling under the worst financial crisis, the UPA, under the able guidance of our PM, ensured that the tremors of the economic crunch were least felt in India. From the Indo-US civilian Nuclear Agreement to inflation, the UPA coalition and Manmohan Singh have managed to survive many political minefields. But in its second term, the UPA has achieved and delivered less than what they promised, with the Opposition calling the Coalition “directionless”.
Pratibha Patil
In yet another first for India, Pratibha Patil became India's first female President, after a vitriolic campaign which undermined the symbolism of the appointment and raised doubts about Pratibha Patil's suitability for the ceremonial role.
On July 2007, India elected Pratibha Patil as the country’s first female President in a vote seen as a victory for the hundreds of millions of Indian women who contend with widespread discrimination. Patil received 65.82 percent of the votes cast by national lawmakers and state legislators. Though well in her seventies and needing physical support constantly, Pratibha Patil seems determined to make her mark in our country's history.
related searches
osonia gandhi
o•upa
o•united progressive alliance
o•congress party
o•pratibha patil
o•manmohan singh
For a long time, the Tatas had been building hype for a car that would cost Rs 1 lakh, touted to be the common man's car, and in January 2008, Tata kept its date with history and unveiled the world's cheapest car - the Nano. Tata through the Nano aimed to revolutionise the way people travel in India and bring automotive transportation to millions of Indians. A team of 500 engineers worked on the car. What started as a mere doodle by Ratan Tata at board meetings turned out to be first seed in the ideation of the world's cheapest car. The Nano went on to change the rules of motoring business and show India's innovative capability to the world.
Even though current rates of a fully equipped model is double the promised 1 lakh figure, the asking rate for the Nano hasn’t come down. And despite instances of Nanos spontaneously combusting in the middle of nowhere, and recent callbacks of over 70,000 cars owing to "faulty engines", Tata will always be associated with making what seemed to be an impossible dream for India turn to reality - that of a middle-class family travelling in a car that is their own.
When Nature Wreaked Havoc |
A decade of triumphs, a decade of upheavals, a decade of some unforgettable tragedies and a decade of making our presence felt on the global map - India's grown enormously as a nation and as a people in the last ten years.
Here's a look at some of the most noteworthy events that shaped India - stories of resilience and achievement abound in a landscape that was marred by several natural disasters , communal riots and one of the most horrific attacks of terror ever.
Text: Anirban Choudhury; Photo editor: Azhar Ali
- Hindu-Muslim riots are not a new thing to have happened in India, but the Gujarat riots (Godhra riots) plunged India to new depths of horror and brutality making them the worst religious riots India has seen since the Partition.
It all started in the morning of February 27, 2002, when the ill-fated Sabarmati Express which pulled into the Godhra station, was set ablaze killing around 59 Hindu passengers, resulting in the worst ever religious genocide. The attack on the Sabarmati Express propelled retaliatory massacres against Muslims on a large scale, which resulted in the death of nearly 800 Muslims and more than 250 Hindus.
But what is more shameful is the fact that it is alleged that the government and the local police did not intervene in time to curb the riots. Human rights’ groups have alleged that the authorities watched the rioting take place without taking any actions against the attacks.
Gujarat riots will go down as a blotch in independent India's most prized possession - its democracy.
related searches
ogodhra
o•godhra riots
o•gujarat riots
o•communal riots
o•2002 riots
26/11 was the terror attack that left Mumbai scarred forever. On the night of 26th November 2008, ten terrorists attacked Mumbai and went on a three-day killing spree. The Mumbai siege was one of the worst terror attacks that the country has ever seen, killing more than 173 people and wounding at least 308. Investigations revealed that the attackers travelled by sea from Karachi to Mumbai, where they split up and headed in different directions to wreak havoc in the city.
The terrorists holed up in Mumbai's iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the Oberoi Trident hotel and took hotel guests as hostage. NSG commandoes fought one of the harshest battles inside the Taj Hotel, Nariman House and other places in Mumbai.
Despite Pakistani authorities confirming that Lashkar-e-Toiba plotted and financed the attacks from LeT camps in Karachi and Thatta, very little has been done to bring the mercenaries of the Mumbai carnage to book.
Several other bomb blasts in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and other cities also rocked the nation this past decade, prompting the long-standing debate in Indian media – what is India doing to curb terrorist attacks?
And if that isn’t enough, what was once seen as a long struggle for the landless poor has today become India's biggest internal security threat. The advocates of Maoism in the process replicating Mao Zedong's principles have been on a rampage ever since the unification of two extremist factions, the People's War Group, and the Maoist Communist Centre, in 2004. The aim of the movement is to overthrow the Indian State and establish a communist society in India.
When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009 declared that the Maoists were the most serious threat to India’s internal security, he was referring to the fact that in that year, the Naxals were estimated to be active in 220 districts across 20 Indian states, controlling a stunning 92,000 square miles of territory in what is commonly known as the Red Corridor.
Even as India prides itself on its growth rate and on how it is fast becoming one of the most important economies in the world, an important facet of that development remains skewed and this is the biggest reason for the Maoist menace that looms over India.
related searches
omumbai
o•26/11
o•mumbai attacks
o•maoists
o•maoism
o•naxal
o•naxal attacks
o•mao zedong
The rejection of Vedanta's bauxite mining project in Orissa can be hailed as a victory of the common man over the powerful. The Dongria tribe of Orissa claimed a major victory when Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh blocked UK-based Vedanta Resources' controversial plan to mine bauxite on the sacred hills where the Dongria Kondh tribe lives. Jairam Ramesh said Vedanta had shown a 'shocking' and 'blatant disregard for the rights of the tribal groups' and also questioned the legality of the massive refinery Vedanta has already built below the hills.
The struggle had pitted the 8,000-strong tribe, nearly all of them illiterate, against the might of an eight-billion-dollar company and its founder Anil Agarwal, himself worth about six billion dollars.
The government’s decision to ban Vedanta Resources from mining on sacred land belonging to the Dongria tribe came after years of pressure from campaign groups, extensive media coverage and unprecedented levels of opposition from a variety of quarters.
related searches
ovedanta
o•vedanta ban
o•dongria tribe
o•dongria
o•dongria kondh
o•anil agarwal
o•jairam ramesh
o•bauxite
o•orissa
In a landmark judgement in the Ayodhya land title case, the Allahabad High Court ruled that the site of the demolished Babri mosque in Ayodhya would be divided between Hindus and Muslims.
The Allahabad HC in the Ayodhya land title case has ordered that the disputed holy site in Ayodhya be divided into three parts: one-third for Hindu Mahasabha, one-third for Sunni Waqf Board and one-third for the Nirmohi Akhara. It also ruled that the land on which the idol of Lord Rama stood belonged to the Hindus and part of the land under the central dome of the Babri Masjid was the Ram Janamsthan which will go to the Hindus.
While the justice system might have gotten one verdict right, most others were a far cry from justice. It took over 11 years for justice to be delivered in the Jessica Lal case, with the murderer being given a life term, whereas the judgement in the case of Priyadarshini Mattoo’s was a rude surprise. The accused, Santosh Singh, had his death sentence commuted to a life term. SPS Rathore, Inspector General in the Haryana Police, main accused of the rape of teen Ruchika Girhotra in 1990, who committed suicide in 1993, will serve a mere 18 months in jail.
In the case of the Kanishka bombing, justice arrived exactly 25 years later, with the victims receiving delayed compensation from Air Canada. However, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims still await justice, even after the verdict has been delivered. As for Ajmal Kasab, looks like only time will tell which side of justice he's on.
related searches
okanishka verdict
o•ayodhya verdict
o•bhopal gas verdict
o•priyadarshini verdict
o•ruchika verdict
o•26/11 verdict
The West finally gave Bollywood music director Allah Rakha Rahman his due. Known as the Mozart of Madras, Rahman won Oscars and Grammys for original score and original song in Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire'. This was the first time that an Indian music director has won an Oscar.
A R Rahman has sold more than 100 million records of his film scores and soundtracks worldwide, making him one of the world's all-time top selling recording artists. Post 'Slumdog Millionaire', Rahman has been busy enthralling audiences all over, from concerts in Sydney to collaborating with Mick Jagger.
Authors Aravind Adiga and Kiran Desai walked away with the prestigious Man Booker Award in 2008 and 2006, respectively.
One of the greatest sportsmen India has ever produced, Viswanathan Anand has won in every format — tournament, knockout and match and is the undisputed king of chess. Regarded as the best rapid chess player in history, Anand is a five-time winner chess's Oscar and the first Asian to win the World Chess Championship title in 2000.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Abhinav Bindra broke India's jinx at the Olympics by becoming the first Indian to win an individual gold medal in the 10 m Air Rifle event. Weight lifter Sushil Kumar bagged a bronze and continued his winning stretch to the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Boxer Vijender Singh also emerged a winner at the Olympics and is now the world’s top ranked pugilist in the 75-kg category.
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar went on to add more feathers to his cap, with the first double century in ODI history against Australia and was also adjudged the Cricketer of the Year by the ICC.
The under-celebrated Saina Nehwal won the Indonesian Badminton Open in 2009 and is now ranked third in the world. She also became the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament and went on to win three Super Series titles.
related searches
oa r rahman
o•arr
o•sachin
o•sachin tendulkar
o•kiran desai
o•man booker
o•aravind adiga
o•sushil kumar
o•vijender singh
o•abhinav bindra
o•saina nehwal
o•vishwanathan anand
India joined the list of 135 countries to make education a fundamental right of every child when The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act was passed by the Indian Parliament on 4 August 2009 and came into force on 1 April 2010. The landmark bill seeks to provide education to children aged between 6 to 14 years. For disabled children, the upper age limit for receiving free education has been relaxed till 18 years. The RTE bill also seeks to do away with the practice of schools taking capitation fees before admission and subjecting the child or parents to any screening procedure.
Finally, the much talked about UID project finally got some wheels, when Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi on September 29, 2010, initiated the process of distributing the Unique Identification Number to villagers in Tembhali village of Maharashtra's Nandurbar district. Established in February 2009 and headed by Nandan Nilekani, formerly with Infosys, the Unique Identification Authority of India aims at providing a unique number to all Indians which will help address the rigged state elections, widespread embezzlement that affects subsidies and poverty alleviation programs in India.
With the successful launch of Chandrayaan-1 on October 2008, India joined ranks with the world's leading nations to launch a lunar probe. Chandrayaan-I, India's first unmanned moon mission satellite vehicle, successfully blasted off at 6.22 am on October 22, 2008 in Sriharikota. In its most important lunar mark, Chandrayaan-1 has discovered that some craters near the lunar North Pole may be reservoirs of water.
related searches
ouid
o•rte
o•right to education
o•kapil sibal
o•nandan nilekani
o•chandrayaan
o•chandrayaan 1
After their ouster in the very first round of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, a battered and bruised Team India wanted to make amends for the debacle. And they just did exactly that by winning the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. After the team's dismal show in the Caribbean, India were not fancied to win the competition, but newly-appointed rookie skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did the unthinkable by gelling a team of newbies to clinch a humdinger by five runs against Pakistan to win the World Twenty20 in 2007.
The win saw India embracing the shortest version of the game and under the guardianship of Lalit Modi, BCCI launched the Indian Premier League, to promote Twenty20 professional cricket in India. Though the league is currently mired in controversy, Twenty20 cricket has prompted the ICC to sit up and reconsider the current formats of the game, much to the chagrin of game classicists.
related searches
oms dhoni
o•t20
o•ipl
o•twenty20
o•cricket
o•dhoni
o•t20 world cup 2007
Manmohan Singh
Even though his adversaries have called him "the weakest Prime Minister" the country has ever had, this April, Manmohan Singh added yet another feather to his cap by overtaking Atal Behari Vajpayee to become the third longest-serving Prime Minister of India as he completed 2,273 days.
From pulling up the drooping fortunes of the Congress party to playing a pivotal role in India's rise to a global power, Manmohan Singh can be credited in propelling the United Progressive Alliance to power for its second term making him the first Indian Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term.
When the world was reeling under the worst financial crisis, the UPA, under the able guidance of our PM, ensured that the tremors of the economic crunch were least felt in India. From the Indo-US civilian Nuclear Agreement to inflation, the UPA coalition and Manmohan Singh have managed to survive many political minefields. But in its second term, the UPA has achieved and delivered less than what they promised, with the Opposition calling the Coalition “directionless”.
Pratibha Patil
In yet another first for India, Pratibha Patil became India's first female President, after a vitriolic campaign which undermined the symbolism of the appointment and raised doubts about Pratibha Patil's suitability for the ceremonial role.
On July 2007, India elected Pratibha Patil as the country’s first female President in a vote seen as a victory for the hundreds of millions of Indian women who contend with widespread discrimination. Patil received 65.82 percent of the votes cast by national lawmakers and state legislators. Though well in her seventies and needing physical support constantly, Pratibha Patil seems determined to make her mark in our country's history.
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For a long time, the Tatas had been building hype for a car that would cost Rs 1 lakh, touted to be the common man's car, and in January 2008, Tata kept its date with history and unveiled the world's cheapest car - the Nano. Tata through the Nano aimed to revolutionise the way people travel in India and bring automotive transportation to millions of Indians. A team of 500 engineers worked on the car. What started as a mere doodle by Ratan Tata at board meetings turned out to be first seed in the ideation of the world's cheapest car. The Nano went on to change the rules of motoring business and show India's innovative capability to the world.
Even though current rates of a fully equipped model is double the promised 1 lakh figure, the asking rate for the Nano hasn’t come down. And despite instances of Nanos spontaneously combusting in the middle of nowhere, and recent callbacks of over 70,000 cars owing to "faulty engines", Tata will always be associated with making what seemed to be an impossible dream for India turn to reality - that of a middle-class family travelling in a car that is their own.
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Gujarat Earthquake
On the 51st anniversary of our Republic Day, Jan 26, 2001, India was hit by the sad news of a huge earthquake devastating Gujarat. Measuring between 7.6 and 8.1 on the Richter scale, the quake struck one of India's most prosperous states around 9:00 am, killing over 20,000, injuring 166,000, leaving more than 600,000 people homeless and razing over a million buildings, including a number of culturally and historically important sites, which date back several hundreds of years.
The most tragic moment in the carnage was the news of 183 school children losing their lives while saluting the Indian tricolour when the quake struck.
Indian Ocean Tsunami
On 26 December 2004, a tsunami triggered by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake near the Indonesian island of Sumatra caused widespread destruction killing over 226,000 and displacing 1.8 million people in 14 countries, and inundating coastal communities. The earthquake which triggered the giant waves measured 9.15 in magnitude and lasted eight minutes. The tsunami killed 12,405 in India but the worst hit was Indonesia where 128,858 people were killed.
Kashmir Earthquake
The Kashmir earthquake of Oct 8, 2005 was one of the deadliest earthquakes ever to hit the sub-continent, with deaths being reported from Kashmir, Afghanistan and Pakistan, which was the worst-hit, with more than 75,000 people losing their lives. Measuring 7.6 in magnitude, and receiving international aid to the tune of billions, it caused destruction of such huge magnitude that the basic infrastructure is still being developed.
