chandana bawa

poetry, history, art, music, books, bridge, scrabble, foodie, never bored, fiercely proudly secular, atheist, dreamer hoper, ex proud Indian! Now stateless!

[The Caravan @thecaravanindia]

Within the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau itself, there was less certainty about the cause of the crash of Air India 171 in Ahmedabad on 13 June 2025. @rachelchitra spoke to a subject-matter expert at the AAIB, who wished to remain anonymous. (Days after the crash, the civil-aviation ministry had issued an unofficial gag order on its officials speaking to the media, even banning journalists from entering the ministry building.) They told me that the independence of the investigation had been compromised very early by the companies leading the aviation industry.

“The preliminary report was a negotiated deal between Air India, Tata, GE and Boeing—GE to a lesser extent,” the expert said. “But the slew of emails being exchanged in the days running up to the 12 July 2025 deadline was primarily between the airline and the manufacturer. The Indian and US regulators were on standby.” Tata owns a majority stake in Air India and General Electric manufactured the crashed flight’s engine. The companies, the expert added, were negotiating which parts of the findings should be released until moments before publication. “The document was released a little past midnight, and I suspect it largely had to do with Boeing’s desire to influence public perception by targeting Western audiences first.”

Read the entire report on Boeing and Air India’s role in India’s deadliest aviation disaster and how it is being covered up, in our June 2026 cover story: https://t.co/WdkPLHMQ24

[Zubair @Zubair99778]

यूँ ही कांग्रेस ने दिग्गज नेता कमलनाथ को इग्नोर करके 👇इनको चुना है!
इनका नाम है मिनाक्षी नटराजन, कांग्रेस ने राज्यसभा भेजने के लिये मध्यप्रदेश से इन्हे ही चुना है, यह तो सबको पता होगा,

लेकिन जो आपको नहीं पता है वो मै आपको बताता हूँ, यह इतनी पक्की ईमानदार और गांधीवादी नेता हैं, 2024 लोकसभा में कांग्रेस ने इन्हे लगभग 5 करोड़ रुपए चुनाव लड़ने के लिये दिये थे

( जो लोग कांग्रेस को जानते हैं उन्हें पता है कांग्रेस में हैसियत के हिसाब से चुनाव के लिये पैसे दिये जाते हैं ) तो चुनाव के बाद इन्होने 4 करोड़ से ज़्यादा रूपये वापस पार्टी फण्ड में जमा करवा दिये थे, ऐसे ही विधानसभा चुनाव में भी इन्होने चुनाव के बाद लगभग 75% वापस पार्टी फण्ड में जमा करवा दिये थे।
रहन सहन से लेकर खाना पीना एकदम गाँधीवादी हैं।
आप कह सकते हो सच्ची कांग्रेस की सिपाही हैं।
राहुल गाँधी जी को मुबारकबाद देनी चाहिये उनके इस फैसले के लिये। RT

[Nehr_who? @Nher_who]

A Boy intentionally touched the ceiling of the staircase in a temple as an experiment to show how Superstitious Indian are

What follows is a shame,everyone starts giving respect to the ceiling of the staircase as if it were some God

No wonder BJP wins election invoking religion

[S lrfan Habib एस इरफान हबीब عرفان حبئب @irfhabib]

Shame on all those who took this despicable decision. Can't you find a new institution to name after VAG DEVI? Is it essential to insult a freedom fighter? Barkatullah, one of our early revolutionaries, did enough to earn our respect but his religion failed him after more than 100 years.

[Yashovardhan Jha Azad @yashoazad]

No praise is good enough for this hero duo Riyazuddin and son who emptied their shop of mattresses to spread them on ground - to cushion the fall of people jumping off from the burning hotel in Malvia Nagar. What an act of humanity and quick thinking. In that chaos to think straight and save lives - this hero deserves full compensation by MCD and commendation by the govt and also a public felicitation at a prominent place in Delhi @LtGovDelhi @gupta_rekha

[Anuj Gurwara @AnujGurwara]

Just thinking aloud. No claims made.

This is a Time Magazine Cover from 2011. I reposted @RahulSeeker's tweet yesterday.

I have not been able to stop thinking about this cover.

15 years ago, the world was watching two countries and genuinely could not decide which one would lead the future.

One of them does now. The other has spent the last decade and a half fighting over whose god is bigger.

I am writing this as a common citizen who grew up in this country, who continues to believe in what it is capable of, and who finds it genuinely dificult to explain the drastic economic downturn in these past years through poor governance alone.

India in 2011 was a country that had grown at consistently high rates for two decades, had a young demographic profile, and was positioned as a genuine superpower in the making.

We were leading the IT revolution at a time when the world had just figured out that technology was the new currency of power. An Indian spotted abroad was asked one common question: "Do you work in IT?"

It wasn't a stereotype so much as a signal. The world had noticed. It had clocked which direction we were moving in, and it had started to take us seriously. We weren't just a large country anymore. We were a country with momentum. And momentum, in geopolitics, is the most threatening thing of all.

And then there was the one thing that makes powerful nations genuinely nervous. India is an independent nuclear power. Not a dependent state. Not a country whose arsenal exists because someone else permitted it. Ours. On our terms. Answering to nobody.

A large, young, fast-growing, technologically ambitious, independently nuclear nation with a democratic mandate and a civilisational confidence. That is not a country you want going fully unchecked.

Putting on my tin foil hat, here is the thought I cannot entirely shake: that what has happened to India over the last many years is not simply the consequence of bad governance, corruption, or misfortune. (That of course, is a very real issue laughing in our faces every single day)

That some portion of it has been engineered, or at minimum exploited, by actors with a strategic interest in ensuring that India never becomes what it was projected to become.

There are powers that have done this before. They don't need to invade a country. They just need to find a wound in it and not let it heal - through tools of debt, dependency, tariffs, and narratives shaped by controlled media or manipulated social media algorithms. And then stay out of the way while it consumes itself.

"Just keep the wound open", as they say.

Mismanagement of a population's growth trajectory, and its basic needs which is this consistent and directional, feels almost scripted.

Let me also say - the fractures in Indian society are not new. Religious tension, caste hierarchy, linguistic division: these have existed for centuries. No government manufactured them from scratch.

A country whose population has been allowed to be preoccupied with questions of communal identity, whose minorities are economically anxious and politically marginalised, and whose civil society is increasingly reluctant to speak plainly, is a country whose productive capacity is diminished.

A nation fighting itself cannot look outward with coherence.

They couldn't tame the dragon. So they slowly fed the elephant poisoned food. Enough to keep it from breaking its own shackles. Enough for it to be grateful to be fed. The elephant didn't die. That was never the plan. A dead elephant attracts attention. It is still standing - tall above others, swaying, looking busy, occasionally making noise, hoping to get better, some day.

Someone needed only one new superpower to emerge. Not two. Someone did not want a second China.

And someone got exactly what they needed.

[Soutik Biswas @soutikBBC]

Raghu Rai's unforgettable 1989 picture of Kurrkutt, a rescued sarus crane living with its adopted family in Khajuraho, India. #photography

[Brigadier Hardeep Singh Sohi,Shaurya Chakra (R) @Hardisohi]

Wasim Raza, Hero of India who went way beyond the call of his duty.
Deserve gallantry awards.
Jai Hind 🇮🇳
#MalviyaNagarFire

[Rana Safvi رعنا राना @iamrana]

Maulana Barkatullah lived and died for the freedom of his country, carrying the hopes of millions across oceans and borders.
That is why a university was named after him in Bhopal.
A scholar, journalist, and tireless campaigner, he joined hands with fellow exiles to form a Provisional Government of Free India in 1915, asserting Indian self-determination at a time when the prospect of independence seemed distant. As Prime Minister in that government-in-exile and as a close collaborator of leaders such as Raja Mahendra Pratap and Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi, Barkatullah took the struggle beyond India’s frontiers lobbying foreign governments, publishing fearless critiques of imperial rule, and inspiring young activists with the conviction that liberty must be pursued even from exile.
His final years in the United States did not dim his devotion. When he passed away in Sacramento on 20 September 1927, he was far from home but not from the work to which he had devoted his life.
Those who laid him to rest there recorded a hope shared by many: that his remains and his legacy would find their rightful place in a free India. That hope speaks to the deep bond between personal sacrifice and national aspiration.
Today, remembering Maulana Barkatullah is more than an act of historical recall; it is a reminder that freedom was achieved through the courage of those who organized beyond easy sight, who built networks across continents, and who kept faith when return seemed uncertain.
May his memory inspire continued commitment to justice, learning, and the dignity of all who strive for liberty.
reciting a fatiha at his grave in Sacramento some years ago.

[Manisha Pande @MnshaP]

The story of the mattress shop that turned its stock into a safety net for Delhi fire victims: Riyazuddin & family are from Amroha. They’ve made Delhi their home for nearly half a century. Now, they may have made it a home worth returning to for several others ♥️
https://t.co/n1h7nNiPUM

[Yusuf A Ahmad Ansari یوسف انصاری @yusufpore]

“It should be obvious that India’s Muslims cannot possibly be held responsible for 12 years of maladministration and incompetence in our national endeavors. This is because, as has been so well-documented, the BJP has excluded Muslims from its ranks. There is no Muslim member in the cabinet; the top echelons of administration (especially the so-called sensitive areas) are practically devoid of any Muslim officers of the All India Services like the IAS, the IPS and the Foreign Service. The corporate manors are lorded over by non-Muslims. There is no area of national activity where the Hindus do not dominate or do not dictate. The Muslims are no longer “appeased.” There are no official iftar parties at Hyderabad House. The Muslims have been air-brushed out of the national picture-postcard.
So, the buck cannot be passed on to the “enemies of the Hindus”. The mess is entirely that of the saffron camp, with its distinct Hindutva characteristics...”
✍🏼 #HarishKhare: @thewire_in
https://t.co/1T5Rp1VZQu

[S lrfan Habib एस इरफान हबीब عرفان حبئب @irfhabib]

Such a terribly bigoted decision. But wait, these people in power have no respect for freedom fighters. Maulana Barakatullah Khan was just a Muslim for these bigots, whom they hate. He fought from outside India, with fiery speeches and revolutionary writings in leading newspapers, for the independence of India. He did not live to see India's independence. He died in San Francisco in 1927 and was buried in the Old City Cemetery in Sacramento, California. In 1988, Bhopal University was renamed Barkatullah University in his honour. He was also Prime Minister of the first Provisional Government of India established in Afghanistan in 1915. Raja Mahendra Pratap was its President.

[هارون خان @iamharunkhan]

This is Armaan, Owner of mattress shop in Malviya Nagar. He laid out all his mattresses so that people trapped in the burning hotel could jump onto them and save their lives. in this way, several lives were saved too.

Armaan is a real life Hero❤️

[sunetra choudhury @sunetrac]

When systems fail, individual heroes rise. These are people who rescued people and administered CPR in the hauz rani fire . (L to R) Amir Khan, Mohd Shoaib, Wasim Raja and Mohd Afzal

[Mid Day @mid_day]

Hundreds of devotees gather outside the Sunni Masjid near Bandra West railway station, transforming one of Mumbai's busiest transit hubs into a serene canvas of collective devotion. Vivid blue prayer mats stretch across the road in perfect geometric rows as the city pauses for Eid al-Adha.

In a city that rarely stands still, this is a rare and moving sight, thousands united in quiet faith, shoulder to shoulder, embodying the discipline and communal warmth that define Mumbai's spirit. Eid Mubarak to all those celebrating.

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb @nntaleb]

Finito.
I used to hold those who support Israel in moral disgust, eliciting a deep visceral revulsion.
Today I hold ALL those not disgusted by Israel in moral disgust.
Life is too short to tolerate evil & abettors of evil.

[sushant sareen @sushantsareen]

By all means run a bulldozer over Delhi Gymkhana. But don’t give the bullshit of exclusivity or privilege or tax payer money. If thats the standard we are living by then shut down Constitution Club; demolish the CSOI where govt land was given at throw away price to babus; shut down DSOI; take back all newspaper properties on BSZ Marg; Take back all lands given to NGOs which are profit centres; demolish IIC and Habitat Centre; stop subsidised food in parliament. MPs get paid so why should their food be subsidised? if they cant afford it, step down from parliament and do something that pays you enough. Shut down the Air Force and Army Golf Clubs, Santushti Centre, Race Club, and the Delhi Flying Club where no one flies anything. The DGC is being targeted because someone has an axe to grind and didnt get membership. Now its being made an elite vs non-elite fight which it isn't. But since we all want to play Bolshevik commies or are inspired by CCP and Khmer Rouge to demolish everything nice, decent, genteel, lets do a comprehensive job of it. Make it all a animal shelter which would warm the cockles of Pol Pot's heart. But please don’t give the BS of security because that is total hogwash. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

[Parth MN @parthpunter]

Hilarious

[Vipin Saroha @vipinsarohayt]

No Indian Prime Minister had visited Norway in the last 43 years. But Modi ji went. Do you know why?

On February 27, 2026, Norway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund blacklisted Adani's company, Adani Green Energy.

A massive oil reserve was discovered in Norway's seas in 1990. By selling this oil, Norway started generating a vast amount of money. However, Norway knew that oil would not last forever, so they created a fund and began depositing the oil revenue into it.

Norway invests the money from this fund exclusively outside Norway so that its economy remains unaffected under any circumstances. This fund primarily invests money in the stock market, in lending to other countries, in purchasing properties abroad, and in renewable energy projects like solar and wind energy.

It holds 1.5% of the shares of listed companies worldwide. This Norwegian fund owns shares in 7,200 companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Nvidia. The fund has so much money that if it were distributed among every citizen of Norway, each person would receive more than 3 crore rupees.

This fund maintains high ethical standards. It does not invest in companies that manufacture tobacco, produce nuclear weapons, violate human rights, or engage in corruption. It blacklists them. It was precisely due to serious allegations of corruption against Adani that it blacklisted his company.

Now understand the chronology:
No Prime Minister had visited Norway for 43 years. Norway blacklisted Adani Green on February 26, and on May 18, Modi ji arrived in Norway. He got delayed only because the Bengal elections came up in between, otherwise, our beloved Modi ji would not have waited even a single moment for his friend. Is there really anything left to explain?

Over in America, when a case was filed against Adani for allegedly giving a bribe of 2,000 crore rupees, a trade deal was struck with America. Under this deal, the doors of India were opened for American agricultural companies, tariffs were imposed on Indian companies in America, and India received absolutely nothing in return.

A few days later, the American court closed Adani's case permanently. And now, Adani will invest 1 billion dollars in America.

Do you people still have any doubt that the honor of this country is being sold to save Adani?

You people think that the Prime Minister is yours, but Adani has kept the Prime Minister for his own work...

Narendra Modi is compromised.

[Sony Thăng @nxt888]

Syria became a state in 1946.

Lebanon became a state in 1943.

Jordan became a state in 1946.

Iraq became a state in 1932.

All of them carved from the same Ottoman collapse.

All of them without prior independent statehood in the modern sense.

All of them recognized as legitimate states with legitimate populations whose rights no serious person disputes.

Palestine was on the same map.

The same Ottoman province system.

The same League of Nations mandate architecture.

The same post-war decolonization moment.

The only difference between Palestine and every neighboring state that successfully achieved independence is that Palestine's territory was committed to a different political project before its population could exercise self-determination.

"There was never a Palestinian state" describes the outcome of that commitment.

It does not justify it.