the pied piper

Second innings ☕️. 🇺🇸 🇮🇳

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

The Lament for Ur, written after the mesopotamian city-state was destroyed in 2000 BCE by the invading kingdom of elam.

one of the most poignant and somber literary works of the ancient world.

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

lol aircraft carriers are sitting ducks in this day and age. and tanks?? 🧐

[Shekhar Gupta @ShekharGupta]

Aircraft carriers necessary for deterrence, tanks must evolve fundamentally—ex-CDS on future of warfare

Keshav Padmanabhan @Keshav_Paddu reports

#ThePrintDefence #ThePrintOTC

https://t.co/R7Ha8A4t5s

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

i’ve been sensing that 1971-wala feeling for the last several months now.

how do you say mukti bahini in sindhi?

[Veengas @VeengasJ]

Editorial
The Old Mantras: From One Unit to New Provinces
If government officials argue that the existing system has “collapsed,” are they suggesting that the federation itself is no longer workable? Even if the administrative system requires reform, that alone does not justify dividing Sindh, Balochistan, or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Among these provinces, Sindh has long occupied a central place in Islamabad’s proposals for territorial reorganization.

Is this the first time such an idea has been advanced? No. Far from it.

To understand why proposals to separate parts of Sindh have repeatedly resurfaced, it is essential to examine the historical record. Viewed through that lens, it becomes clear that efforts to alter Sindh’s territorial boundaries have remained on the Pakistani establishment’s agenda since the country’s creation.

Read full editorial: https://t.co/MS5ah2Y9Yg

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

this isn’t to say that democracy is irrelevant. india needs more democracy, more accountability, more institutional transparency, more individual freedom. not less. but these are important for governing india, not so much for its relations with the outside world. 3/3

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

i find it odd that someone like @Barugaru1 would make such an argument.

the “world” is not just the west.

it is a western-centric view that fully accepts the facade of the “rules based” “democracy”-loving order that the west itself is today rejecting. 1/3

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

india needs to be singleminded in its pursuit to augment national power by any & all means necessary. that’s the only currency that matters. the world, including the west & global south will engage with you when that happens. 2/3

[manasataramgini @blog_supplement]

Scribes in the old Indian manuscript tradition had a proclivity for creating decorative symbols to mark blank spaces and section divisions in their manuscript. Here is a collection of those from the famous Nepalian "ur-skandapurANa" manuscript ("aka Bhattarai edition", now the incomplete Dutch edition) by Bhattarai. I feel I share their tendency to create such in TikZ these days.

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

ajanta, cave 17.

i had gemini reimagine what the original artwork might have looked like to its artist and its 6th century patrons.

[Yadu @Yaduvam]

This was painted 1,500 years ago

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

AOTA - all of the above is the name of the game.

countries will engage, cooperate and aggressively compete simultaneously with others based on their interests. india should do likewise to be successful in this age of turbulence.

[Happymon Jacob @HappymonJacob]

China-India relations appear to be on the mend.

But India's China challenge is not going to disappear.

So Delhi appears to have decided to engage & balance China, simultenously.

But is doing an act of doublespeak or lack of strategic clarity?

In my column in HT today, I make an argument from "political simultaneity".

[Indian Journal Of Archaeology @ijarchaeo]

Two Mahishāsuramarddinī sealings from Nalanda Archaeological Museum reveal that Śākta worship thrived alongside Buddhism. Dating to the 7th and 9th centuries CE, they reflect the evolution of Durga’s iconography and Nalanda’s diverse religious heritage.

https://t.co/MjJxQDXUHp

[Jamal Jafri @JAJafri]

...durātman ("evil-minded")—rather than explicit sexual or scatological language, which is comparatively uncommon in mainstream Sanskrit literature.

Source: https://t.co/Nq9ScF5MOm
7/7

[Jamal Jafri @JAJafri]

Common insulting phrases in classical #Sanskrit

हे मूढ! (Hay Mūḍha, O fool!)
हे दुष्ट! (Hay Duṣṭa, You wicked man!)

अनार्यजुष्टम् (Anārya-juṣṭam, Practised by the ignoble),
spoken by Krishna to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gītā 2.2

नराधम (Narādhama, Lowest among men)
1/7

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

@suhasinih PSA to journalists: do NOT click on links anyone sends you, even when it’s from a trusted source. google it yourself if you know what the purported source is.

and anyone not using 2FA in this day and age is just inviting trouble.

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

For sale: this bridge in brooklyn. one-time only special offer.

[The White House @WhiteHouse]

Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza.

A monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY.

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

incredible.

[Sātavāhana. @SatavahanasIN]

Alexander the Great depicted as Vajrapāṇi, the protector of Śākyamuni Buddha, standing behind two of his disciples.

From Tapa-e-Shotor ("Camel Hill"), a Buddhist monastery in Afghanistan, ca. 2nd century CE.

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

@e_munti @omarali50 that misses the point though. it’s not a question of whether persians or indo-persians considered all of india hindustan, but whether those regions outside the gangetic core did. and the answer to that is no (at least in the south indian context. bharata yes, hindustan no.)

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

@DanielBordmanOG sure, but contextually, the PR of any indian government is targeted at domestic indian audiences, not the west, because citizens make or break their political fortunes.

you can contrast this vs pakistan where the army doesn’t give a hoot about domestic sentiment.

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

gulf arab monarchies haven’t yet learned that there is no substitute to competence and self-sufficiency in defending yourself.

spending 100s or billions of $$ on shiny gadgets & securing alliances with foreign powers cannot guarantee your security. only you can do that.

[Amena Bakr @Amena__Bakr]

From the wire reports: Saudi Arabia is working to assemble an international coalition to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks; discussions are ongoing with dozens of countries and the structure is not yet finalized #OOTT

[Yadu @Yaduvam]

This was painted 1,500 years ago

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

rahane & pujara were forced out of the team prematurely. kohli too.

but even they found it impossible to replicate the success of the generation of that came before: dravid, tendulkar, laxman & ganguly.

and today’s test batters don’t even know which end of the bat to hold.

[Harsha Bhogle @bhogleharsha]

A tough, loyal cricketer, a person of great character and fairness and an extraordinary team player moves on in life. Ajinkya Rahane will be remembered for many things but more than for anything else, his outstanding leadership that produced India's greatest away series win in Australia in 2021. Indian cricket must continue to use Rahane because he has the right qualities. Well played Rahane, always enjoyed the way you played and what you brought to the game.

[the pied piper @arejay_c]

blumental received a “friend of india” award by an indian community organization in the US in 2015. https://t.co/U8Z9y8QnrP

how things change.

[Sidhant Sibal @sidhant]

US Senator Sen Richard Blumenthal on bill that imposes yp to 100 % tariffs for importing energy from Russia.

"We are hitting China, India, they are the main culprits. They are fueling Russia's war machine"

"We are not hitting our allies"

Vdo csty: Fox News