Umesh Kumar Umapathy

[Civil Learning @CivilLearning1]

Japan remembers, but India has forgotten!

It was that day... November 12, 1948...

In a large house with a sprawling garden on the outskirts of Tokyo, the Tokyo Trials were underway. Following their defeat in World War II, fifty-five Japanese war prisoners, including Japan's then Prime Minister Tojo, were on trial...

Twenty-eight of them had been identified as Class-A (crimes against peace) war criminals. If found guilty, the only punishment was "death."

Eleven international judges from around the world... were declaring "Guilty"...

"Guilty"... "Guilty"... Suddenly, a resounding voice, "Not Guilty!"

Silence fell over the courtroom. Who was this lone dissenter?

His name was Radha Binod Pal, a judge from India!

He was born in 1886 in Kumilla, East Bengal. His mother earned a living by taking care of their home and the cow. Young Radha Binod would take the cow to graze near the village primary school.

While the teachers taught in the school, Radha would listen from outside. One day, a school inspector came from the city to visit the school. After entering the classroom, he asked the students some questions. All the children were silent. Radha, from outside the classroom window, said... "I know the answers to all your questions." And he answered all the questions one by one.

The inspector said... "Amazing!... Which class are you in?"

The reply came, "...I don't study... I graze a cow here."

Everyone was astonished. The headmaster was called, and the school inspector instructed him to admit the boy to the school and provide him with a scholarship.

This is how Radha Binod Pal's education began. After passing his school final exams with the highest marks in the district, he was admitted to Presidency College.

After completing his MSc in Mathematics, he returned to Calcutta University to study law and earned his doctorate. In the context of choosing between two subjects, he once said, "Law and mathematics are not so different after all."

Coming back again... International Court of Justice, Tokyo....

In his compelling argument to the other judges, he argued that the Allied powers (the victors of WWII) had also violated the principles of international law on restraint and neutrality.

Besides ignoring Japan's signals of surrender, they killed millions of innocent people by using atomic bombs.

After reviewing Radha Binod Pal's argument across 1,232 pages, the judges were forced to acquit several defendants from Class A to Class B.

These Class B war criminals were saved from specific death sentences.

His judgment at the International Court earned him and India worldwide recognition.

Japan respects this great man. In 1966, Emperor Hirohito awarded him the country's highest civilian honour, the 'Kokko Kunsho'.

Two busy streets in Tokyo and Kyoto are named after him.

His judgment has also been included in legal curricula. His statue has been erected in front of the Supreme Court of Tokyo.

In 2007, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his desire to meet his family members in Delhi, and he met his son.

Dr Radha Binod Pal (January 27, 1886 – January 10, 1967) is remembered in the history of Japan. There is a museum named after him in Tokyo, Japan, and a statue at the Yasukuni Shrine.

There is a research centre at a Japanese university named after him. Because of his judgment on Japanese war criminals, the Chinese people hate him.

He is the author of several law-related books. Almost no one in India knows him, and perhaps not even his neighbours do!

A Hindi film about the Tokyo Trials, starring Irrfan Khan, never gained much attention.

[Roman Giertych @GiertychRoman]

Dear Mr. Ambassador,

Your position that you will not maintain relations with Włodzimierz Czarzasty, who was elected by a parliamentary majority representing the majority of Poles, is simply outrageous. The times when ambassadors dictated to Poles who should hold what office in Poland are over and will never return. We want good relations with the United States, but your representatives will not choose the authorities of the Republic of Poland for us.

I have never been a fan of Włodzimierz Czarzasty, but in this matter, as a Member of Parliament, I stand firmly behind him. Your President first insulted Polish soldiers and then demands support for his dreams of receiving the Nobel Prize. The times when Nero, under threat of punishment, demanded recognition for his musical talents have been regarded as the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire. From the Polish perspective, Donald Trump’s efforts to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, while at the same time hanging a photograph of himself with the greatest criminal of our times—Putin—are similar to Nero’s demands for awards and praise.

If you do not like the Polish authorities, please change your job. In Poland, Poles will democratically decide who holds the highest offices. Please come to terms with that. And please tell your President to apologize to Polish soldiers, and especially to the families of those of our heroes who fell while carrying out a NATO defense mission.

Yours sincerely,
Roman Giertych

[Yasmina @yasminalombaert]

Poland won't applaud Trump’s vanity project, the Nobel Peace Prize.

Today a major diplomatic row broke out between the U.S. and Poland because Włodzimierz Czarzasty (the Speaker of the Sejm) took a very public stand against Donald Trump.

The catalyst was a formal request from U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, asking international leaders to co-sign a nomination for Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Czarzasty flatly refused.

U.S. Ambassador Tom Rose responded by blacklisting Czarzasty, declaring that the U.S. Embassy would have "no further dealings, contacts, or communications" with him effective immediately.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk joined the fray, telling the U.S. Ambassador that "allies should respect, not lecture, each other.

Roman Giertych then wrote a letter (see in the comments), escalating the rhetoric by comparing the demand for the Nobel Prize to the vanity of the Emperor Nero.

Here is what Włodzimierz Czarzasty said:

Włodzimierz Czarzasty: “Building new platforms like the 'Peace Council' by the United States is, in my opinion, deceptive. We must strengthen the European Union, NATO, the UN, and the WHO. Our security lies there.
President Trump, in my opinion, destabilises these organisations by representing a policy of force and conducting transactional politics. This often breaks principles, values, and international law.
His interpretation of history—for example, regarding the participation of Polish soldiers on missions—and his instrumental treatment of other territories, like Greenland, means I will not support the Nobel request for President Trump. He does not deserve it."

[Black Media Hub ✊🏿 @BlackMediaHub]

At 20 years old, Sidney Poitier was a dishwasher in New York City. He had come from the Bahamas and could barely read beyond a 3rd-grade level. Three-syllable words stopped him cold.

After losing his dishwashing job, he scanned the want ads and was about to throw the paper away when he saw: Actors Wanted. The word wanted felt like an invitation.

He went to the address, was handed a two-page scene, and slowly read it aloud in his Caribbean accent. The man listening grabbed him by the collar and belt and shoved him toward the door:
“Stop wasting people’s time. You can’t speak and you can’t read. Go back to dishwashing.”

Walking to the bus stop, Poitier thought, How did he know I was a dishwasher? Then it hit him: that was how the world saw him — useful only for his hands, not his mind. Right there on the street, he decided he would become an actor to change that perception.

He returned to dishwashing, but began working on himself. He auditioned at the American Negro Theatre in Harlem. Not knowing plays came in books, he memorized a magazine article instead. He wasn’t accepted — but offered to work as a janitor for free if they’d let him study. They agreed.

Months later, he was told he had no talent and asked to leave. Unknown to him, fellow students intervened and he became an understudy. When the lead couldn’t perform one night, Poitier went onstage — terrified, scrambling lines — but the audience loved him. Critics noticed.

Later, he turned down a film role paying money he desperately needed because it portrayed a Black father with no dignity or agency. He pawned his furniture instead.

That commitment to humanity changed cinema.

Sidney Poitier didn’t just break barriers — he refused to step through doors that required him to leave his dignity behind.

[Really American 🇺🇸 @ReallyAmerican1]

BRUTAL: Jimmy Kimmel thrashes Trump's capture of Venezuelan dictator Maduro: "Yes, he's a criminal and a dictator who's driven his country into financial ruin, while he and his family have lined their own pockets, but Maduro is no saint either."

BOOM!

[Umesh Kumar Umapathy @umeshumapathy]

I have used all the premium Cab services in Bangalore. And #Shofr is by far the most consistent in their service. @Uber_India Black is a bit of a hit or miss depending on the driver. @Olacabs prime plus is still stuck in solving the problem of cash or credit/ prepaid rides.

[India Awakened @IndiaAwakened_]

This is how Nazis operated!

​A deeply painful true story of a jungle rule in the country that defies democracy, freedom, and the constitution...
​These are Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy! They have been known for establishing and successfully running the professional TV channel NDTV while living as civilized citizens in India! They tried to set benchmarks for quality and decency! Seven years ago, in the era of "good days," the CBI manufactured/registered a case against them.
​Social media and the state-aligned media (Godi Media) consistently presented numerous related "leaks" as sensational revelations in the public discourse to portray this couple as villains.
​They pleaded for justice at every door of the judiciary, but the CBI continued to raid their home and office, and the ED also brandished its sword! The CBI ran a tiring/intimidating farce of twenty-two days of interrogation with them.
​A promissory note of their institutional loan was mortgaged with a trader, which was acquired by the "Nation's Chief Banker," Adani. The couple understood that if they were to survive in the New India, they had to... and they surrendered their company, including the integrity of their journalism, to this blackmail and repented.
​The Sangh-affiliated establishment celebrated. They had succeeded in strangling a dissenting voice!
​Now, the CBI has closed the case and, in the final report submitted to the Court, stated that the couple had done nothing wrong.
​Prannoy Roy is the brother-in-law of Prakash Karat, the General Secretary of the CPM, and Radhika is the biological sister of his wife, Brinda Karat. Instead of having their own children, these two couples have raised five orphaned children and built a bright future for them. The assets they have diligently earned in their lifetime will not be dedicated to any private inheritance after them but to a public trust.
​Such a new India has been built for such people! You may clap if you wish!
(Courtesy: Sheetal P Singh)
​Let me remind you, until his last effort, the warrior Prannoy Roy supported Ravish Kumar, the guardian of the freedom of the press, but...
​Shouldn't the Supreme Court take cognizance and punish the subordinate courts, the ED/CBI, for the inhuman suffering inflicted upon this couple for their honesty?

[Umesh Kumar Umapathy @umeshumapathy]

@Motorsport It's ridiculous to consider that the record is broken.

[CA Vivek Khatri @CaVivekkhatri]

Singapore PM statement on Tariff!!

Must Listen Till End 💯

[Venugopal AV @VenugopalAV]

The winds have started shifting in Indian cities compared to a decade ago towards creating streets for people. But it is not strong enough and there is a long way ahead! Sharing data points of impacts and this article incase it comes handy for those championing the cause.

[Umesh Kumar Umapathy @umeshumapathy]

https://t.co/ktlJE5N4RT

[Androidheadline @Androidheadline]

Nuclear battery aims to make smartphone charging obsolete https://t.co/kvhxkt6xmv #android #tech

[Umesh Kumar Umapathy @umeshumapathy]

Shopping and delivery experience on other apps like @AJIOLife tells you how great @amazonIN really is.

[Muthi-ur-Rahman Siddiqui @ever_pessimist]

Starting Nov 16, #BengaluruMetro will allow up to 6 ppl to travel on a single QR ticket at a 5% discount.
The QR ticket will be encrypted with the No of passengers.
It has to be scanned once for each passenger during entry/exit.

@WF_Watcher
@NammaBengaluroo @WFRising @KARailway

[Waseem ವಸೀಮ್ وسیم @WazBLR]

A landlord in #Bengaluru just returned the advance money to a friend after realising she is a Muslim and refused to rent her the place. She's devastated. She's looking for a 1BHK in Richmond town, Indiranagar or surrounding areas. Please RT for goodwill & DM if you've good leads.

[ವಿನಯ್ ಕೂರಗಾಯಲ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ Vinay K S @vinaysreeni]

Dear Bengalureans,

A thread of how our city moved in reverse gear under this government. Read before you vote.

1/n

1. Previous govt, Mayor listened to civil society, deepened democracy by ensuring ward committees.

2. This govt worsened democracy by delaying BBMP elections

[Aptiv @Aptiv]

How do you design a sustainable auto part while also cleaning the ocean? Aptiv subsidiary, @HellermannTyton, worked with @Ford to develop the first-ever auto part made from 100% recycled ocean plastic! Learn more: https://t.co/bauQraAtjn

[Dhanya Rajendran @dhanyarajendran]

BJP MLA's son caught taking bribes, days after Amit Shah's 'corruption free Karnataka' claim. Rs 40 lakh recovered first, then Rs 1.2 cr and 6 cr. https://t.co/hERRLiTGYm

[The Wire @thewire_in]

The government allowed Adani Enterprises Limited to mine from a block holding over 450 million tonnes of coal in one of India’s densest forest patches but disallowed other companies by changing the law. https://t.co/sepzoLgsma