Harshal P. Patankar

trying to be a true explorer. #Acoustics #Mathematics #Engineering #Science #Chess #Music #Python #PennState #NCState #UBuffalo #MITPune #VazeKelkar #UESChiplun

[Harshal P. Patankar @pharshalp]

v3.1 of @matplotlib a #plotting #library for #Python is out! includes minor contributions from me #aDropinTheOcean. #Thanks to core developers for help & #guidance! Links to my contributions https://t.co/Zlwb5tUD5I https://t.co/17MmFa5PyV https://t.co/iu2OuHbiGT #openscience

[Erik Solheim @ErikSolheim]

In defense of Indian 🇮🇳 democracy!

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi most successful visit to Norway a minor incident happened. A Norwegian journalist demanded that the prime minister starts holding press conferences. She claimed that Indian democracy is in bad shape.

May be its time to pause? May be its time to be a bit curious to the world’s largest democracy?

Two weeks ago five Indian states and territories held elections. The turn out in the battlefield state of West Bengal was 94%. In the last local election in Norway it was 62%, in many European local elections turn out is below 50%. Can voting in massive numbers be a signal Indians trust their democratic process?

In the same election BJP won big in Assam and West Bengal. It lost even bigger in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Can this diversity be a signal that Indian democracy is reflecting the will of the people?

The journalist referred to a democracy ranking putting India at 157 in the world, behind many dictatorships and deeply troubled states. When a ranking is so obviously contrary to common sense, why not ask critical questions to those making the ranking rather than demand that leaders shall comment on nonsense? I recommend Salvatore Babones book “Dharma democracy”. The book debunks convincingly the flawed methodology of these rankings.

It was referred to a ranking claiming it’s very dangerous to be a journalist in India. Reality is that it is more dangerous to be journalist in the US and far more dangerous in the vast majority of other nations in the world.

Let’s be real. India is not perfect. Of course there are incidents. India has a population the size of North America, South America and Europe combined. But India is much more peaceful than Europe or the Americas. That’s remarkable - given the ethnic, language and religious diversity of India and the many development challenges.

Unless we consider democracy a form of government only suited for some very small, peaceful and homogeneous Western European nations, may be we should commend Indian democracy?

India is the only major former UK colony which became and has remained a democracy. Its sometimes claimed that the Brits taught India democracy. If that was the case why isn’t Myanmar or Pakistan or the Gulf kingdoms democracies??? Reality is that Indian democracy is both homegrown and extraordinary successful.

[Abhishek @AbhishBanerj]

Young people have no idea how UPA used to run Parliament

Here is how Telangana bill was passed in 2014

-- Lok Sabha doors closed

-- Live broadcast stopped

This is how a bill as important as creating a new state was passed

[HindolSengupta @HindolSengupta]

Did you know that the globally recognised yoga teacher certification is from the US? Now Indian yoga teachers are rushing to get 'globally recognised yoga teacher certification from America'! Amazing. If there is one foolish and self-defeating people in history, it is us Indians.

[Abhishek @AbhishBanerj]

So the sudden export genius of Vietnam in last few years was just a fake

Chinese goods being routed through Vietnam

Meanwhile, an entire social media campaign was mounted to mock India by showcasing Vietnam's quick rise

India has many faults, but know that there is a psychological war against us too!

[Abhishek @AbhishBanerj]

Who imposed Hindi in National Education Policy?

NEP 1968: Cong

NEP 1986: Cong

NEP 1992: Cong

Does Modi govt's NEP 2020 impose Hindi?

NO

But BJP is getting blame and Cong is getting praise

That is power of narrative

[Rishi Bagree @rishibagree]

DMK goons are ruthlessly eradicating and tarnishing the image of a language spoken by 60% of the Indian population while happily allowing English, a symbol of colonial slavery, to continue.

[Sanjeev Sanyal @sanjeevsanyal]

Those concerned about USAID's interference in Indian elections should be equally concerned about USAID's tentacles in India's medical system and social policies. USAID effectively ran India's National Family Health Survey (NFHS) from the 1990s till it was stopped two years ago. This is the most important medical dataset in India and drives a lot of health policy. Not only were we allowing a foreign agency to harvest our medical data but, by allowing them to design surveys and direct analysis, we were letting them influence our national health responses.

Equally worryingly, much of the NFHS questionnaire was deliberately skewed to support certain social narratives. The questionnaire for men, for instance, is only 29 pages but that for women is 94 pages. A lot of the additional questions are deliberately worded to elicit a narrative of intra-family violence against Indian women. Must say, very slyly done.

Readers will recall that late Bibek Debroy and I strongly pushed back against this (including publicly in newspaper columns). Fortunately, GoI took up the matter and the latest NFHS is being done by Health Ministry on its own. Note that readers can verify what I am saying easily as it was all done in plain sight. See link below for an overview :

https://t.co/bojGimwjNA

[Sanjeev Sanyal @sanjeevsanyal]

Would love to find out who received the US$21mn spent to improve "voter turnout in India" and the US$29mn to "strengthening political landscape in Bangladesh"; not to mention the US$29mn spend to improve "fiscal federalism" in Nepal. USAID is the biggest scam in human history.

[Abhishek @AbhishBanerj]

Where are the fans of Hindenburg?

I am still laughing at the fact that there was a time when people took a shady short seller from Wall Street as an agent of justice.

[Abhishek @AbhishBanerj]

Remember Akash Banerjee from 2 months ago?

He was taking potshots at India and saying that in South Korea they don't have "jumlebaazi" and dirty politics

Now, South Korea has changed 3 presidents in 1 month and military attacked their parliament!

No dirty politics?

[Virrender Sehwag @virendersehwag]

One of the great heroes of 26/11 and one of the greatest son of our soil- Shaheed Tukaram Omble. What he did is beyond words- the courage, the presence of mind and the selflessness demonstrated at that time- no words, no awards can do justice. Garv hai bahut aise mahaan insaan par 🙏🏼

[Shambhav Sharma @shambhav15]

Never forget. Om Shanti Tukaram Ji

[Dr Poornima 🇮🇳 @PoornimaNimo]

US prosecutors failed to prosecute Warren Anderson, k*ller of 30,000 Indians from 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, but remembered to bring an Indictment against Indian businessman Gautam Adani !!

Rahul Gandhi's Father Rajiv Gandhi was the PM when Anderson was given free access to flee India even though arrested.

[Arun Krishnan 🇮🇳 @ArunKrishnan_]

Interesting isn't it? Adani cuts power to Bangladesh over non-payment of dues.

US deepstate releases a report of alleged bribery.

Congress ecosystem amplifies US talking points.

Kenya cancels contract with Adani.

Adani shares fall.

Parliament session begins in 3 days time.

Connect the dots.

[Abhishek @AbhishBanerj]

Young people don't know the level of venomous media bias that BJP faced for decades

Listen to the absolutely insulting, humiliating way in which Prannoy Roy speaks to BJP on the day they won 2019

These people ruled media for decades

[Sameer @BesuraTaansane]

Adani 3.0 chronology perfectly summarised by @ArunKrishnan_ 👏🎯

[Abhishek @AbhishBanerj]

Now that USA is deeply involved in our politics, Indians need to understand the US system better

Their judges are not "judges" like we understand them

Their judges are more like party karyakartas

Here you can see Democrats rushing to appoint as many of their party workers as judges before they officially lose power on Jan 20.

[Cultural Chronicler @CultChron]

India sent over 2.5 million soldiers to fight under British command against the Axis Powers, with over 87,000 of them perishing in the war effort.

Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck once admitted, “Britain couldn’t have made it through both World Wars without the Indian Army.”

[Sameer @BesuraTaansane]

The real target is not Adani, it is not even Modi, it is Bharat and its growing influence in geopolitics thanks to @narendramodi ji putting #IndiaFirst

This thread nails it 🎯

@Sputnik_India

[Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 @RajeevRC_X]

So @RahulGandhi wants a businessman arrested, on basis of an indictment seeking a trial by a US Distt Attorney .

A little bit of schooling for the constitution waver is in order.

If country went by his definition of rule of law, that every accused shd be arrested only on basis of indictment without a trial, THEN first people who wud hv been arrested and in jail long ago, would hv been his family indicted in National Herald scam, Agusta Westland scam, DLF Scam etc and most of the Cong/UPA govt for so many scams 😅

AND

Those in Cong , DMK, BJD, YSRCP who allegedly took the bribes from Adani, wud be first to be arrested in this case 👍🏻 😁

#TruthAboutCorruptCong