On Monday, the White House witnessed a reception to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which was marked by the rhythms of bhangra music mixed by the effervescent DJ Rekha (Malhotra).In his welcoming remarks, President Obama said to loud applause and to peals of laughter, "I want to thank DJ Rekha who's been spinning a little East Room Bhangra for everybody -- mixing a hip-hop beat with the sounds of her heritage; making a uniquely American sound."
'Extravagant new promises can buy him time, but far from solving the problem, they compound the risk.' 'His main alternative is to stress not aspirations, but resentments.' 'He has already de-emphasised aspirational appeals: Nothing has been heard for over two years of the coming of achhe din,' points out James Manor.
Thomas Blom Hansen, director of Centre for South Asia and Reliance-Dhirubhai Ambani Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University, believes that Modi wants to make India a dominant power in South Asia and that well not give concessions to Pakistan or anyone.
The National Democratic Alliance government is weeding out independent directors on the boards of public-sector undertakings (PSUs).
A group of students carrying placards and raising slogans protested in the tense University campus on Wednesday morning.
'Genuine secularism cannot be built on the backs of Hindus alone.' 'In a pluralistic society every religion is duty bound to respect the rights and sentiments of the others.' 'Vande Mataram was a casualty of minorityism. Bharat Mata Ki Jai cannot be allowed to go the same way,' says Vivek Gumaste.
'"Life-changing" clearly denotes an exceptionally high level of regard for Narendra D Modi.' 'One has to find out if the UGC used such an adulatory term for any other speaker, whether from politics or from academe,' says Amulya Ganguli.
'The Elgar Parishad turned out to be the first rallying cry against the BJP and RSS in Maharashtra.' 'The speakers took a vow not to vote for the BJP.'
'It smells like a case to silence my voice at this important time in the #metoo movement but in the larger context it could be a ploy to muddy the waters and sabotage the entire movement altogether.'
While the row over allowing women into the AMU library has been wrongly portrayed, it does not mean gender biases are non-existent in AMU. The campus does have its own shares of all kinds of cultural and ideological prejudices prevalent in the world outside. The AMU campus is not a segregated island, says Mohammad Sajjad.
Vowing not to give an 'inch of land belonging to Lord Jagannath of Puri' for the proposed Vedanta University in Orissa, Vishwa Hindu Parishad international secretary General Pravin Bhai Togadia on Wednesday said his outfit would fight tooth and nail to protect the 'land of the Lord'. "We vehemently oppose the move of the Naveen Patnaik-led government to hand over thousands of acres of land belonging to Lord Jagannath and the VHP," he said.
'You tell me without support, can the ABVP do these things? They are only doing these things because the central government is supporting them.'
'Should the Congress take Jyotiraditya's departure as good riddance?', asks Mohammad Sajjad.
A 7-hr debate was held over the contentious bill. Oppn amendments rejected.
Rabindranath Tagore's ancestral home in Shahzadpur holds not only historical value but the potential to provide for the region's educational needs.
'They are saying my petition is an attack on Hindu religion.' 'You pray in your home, there is no problem, but the school is a public institution run by government funds.'
'If Modi were to be elected, he would be part of a coalition government, and within that he would have to take this minority into account. Muslims cannot relate to the idea of Hindu nationalism. Although it is presented as a pan-Indian idea, it appears to them to be exclusive.'
Dr Behera speaks about how the nationwide positive reaction to the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir indicates that the very idea of India is changing. From a diverse, multicultural entity, could India be becoming a place where assimilation is more important than accommodation?
'If we encourage such forces, then tomorrow they will try to intimidate every teacher who doesn't teach their idea of what is right and wrong.'
Greetings from all quarters, including his political rivals, poured in on Monday for Prime Minister Narendra Modi who celebrated his 68th birthday in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi.
'Log kehte hai desh to humne Modi ko diya hua hai, par pradesh nahi diya hai (we have given Modi the mandate to run the nation, not the state).'
