Jallianwala Bagh Massacre or Massacre of Amritsar happened on 13^th April 1919. The Government of India erected a memorial at Jallianwala Bagh in 1951 to commemorate the spirit of Indian revolutionaries and the people who lost their lives in the bloody massacre. It was on this day that the British troops fired ruthlessly on a mass of unarmed Indians who gathered in Jallianwala Bagh for a peaceful agitation. The firing killed hundreds of people and injured much more. This event changed the course of India’s struggle for independence.

History:

On this day, exactly 103 years ago, a large group of people gathered at Jallianwala Bagh. Some were gathered to protest the arrest of two prominent nationalist leaders of Punjab – Dr. Satya Pal and Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew, and others were assembled to celebrate the festival of Baisakhi. The British government had banned on all kind of public gatherings but did not make the public aware about it. When the news of public gathering reached Colonel Reginald Dyer, he reached the place with his troops and ordered mass firing on the crowd of at least 10000 people including men, women and children. The firing continued for 10-15 minutes and ended only on exhaustion of ammunition. About 500 people were killed, including elderly people and children. More hundreds were fatally wounded. However, General Dyer estimated the figure to be 291.

This massacre was not a secluded incident. It was an incident with multiple backgrounds.

Background:

On 10^th March 1919, the British government passed the Rowlatt Act to increase their power over the Indian public. This act allowed the government to arrest any person without trial.  Mahatma Gandhi and the other leaders called for Rowlatt Satyagraha in opposition to this act.

Dr. Satya Pal and Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew, two eminent nationalists, were arrested without any trial on 10^th April 1919. Both of them were invited to The Deputy Commissioner Mr. Irving’s residence. From there they were arrested and deported under police escort. This led to wide range protests among the masses. The protestors gathered before the residence of Mr. Irving where they were fired without any provocation.

The Punjab government used all their efforts to crush the opposition against the Rowlatt Act.

On the day of massacre:

General Dyer’s government had imposed a martial law in Punjab under which all types of gathering were prohibited. Unaware of this fact, people gathered peacefully at the Jallianwala Bagh on 13^th April 1919 to celebrate Baisakhi festival and to oppose the arrest of their leaders – Dr. Pal and Dr. Kitchlew. After getting this information, General Dyer reached the place with his battalion.

Dyer ordered his troops to open fire at everyone – including children. The garden was surrounded by houses and walls on three sides. There was no chance of escape as the only route was blocked by the troops so that no one could leave once the firing starts.

The firing continued mercilessly for 10-15 minutes and 1650 rounds were fired.

This event led to death of hundreds of people and left many more wounded.

Investigation:

On 14^th October 1919, Hunter Commission was formed to inquire about the incident. General Dyer and Mr. Irving, along with other British officials involved were investigated. According to British government figures, more than 350 people were killed and thousands were injured. But the Congress estimated that more than 1,000 people lost their lives. Dyer confessed his involvement in firing. But he did not feel guilty of his act. He justified his actions. The commission criticized his actions and asked him to resign following which he would not be further employed in India.

Aftermath:

The Amritsar massacre shook the world. Many eminent people of India renounced their titles honored to them by the government. Rabindranath Tagore refused to accept his knighthood. Mahatma Gandhi returned his title Kaiser-I-Hind.

Assassination of Dyer:

On 13^th March 1940, Regianld Dyer was shot by Sardar Udham Singh, a member of the revolutionist Ghadar Party, at Caxton Hall in London. Udham Singh was convicted and on 31^st July 1940, he was hanged at Pentonville Prison.

A spark was lit in Jallianwala Bagh massacre that ignited India’s independence struggle. It ultimately forced them to leave the land they had hoped to govern for centuries.

Without curbing inflation, the RBI will not be able to promote sustainable growth

The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee has rather belatedly acknowledged that it’s primary remit is, after all, to ensure price stability. Addressing the media on Friday after announcing the MPC’s first Monetary Policy review of the new fiscal year, RVI governor Shaktikanta Das was emphatic in stating that ” in the sequence of priorities, we have now put inflation before growth”. More than 3 years after it prioritised growth over price stability —in February 2019, and well before the onset of the COVID -19 pandemic -the RBI has pivoted back to putting the horse before the cart , best reflected in the Central bank’s own words on monetary policy goals :” Price stability is a necessary pre condition to sustainable growth”. That it has taken the outbreak of war in Europe, with its accompanying commodity price shocks to remind the RBI of the imperative centrality of price stability is a salutary reminder that monetary policy makers can ill afford to be complacent when it comes to inflation.

Less than two months after it rather sanguinely projected inflation to average 4.5% in the fiscal year to March 2023, the MPC has raised the forecast by a substantial 120 basis points to 5.7% . And this even as it cut it’s earlier projection for real GDP growth in the current fiscal by 60 basis points to 7.2% . The RBI also made it clear that while it has left benchmark interest rates and it’s accomodative policy stance unchanged for now , the time had come to commence the ” withdrawal of accomodation”.

To be sure , Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was still two weeks in the future the last time the RBI’s rate setting panel finalised its policy review. And yet, the price of crude oil, which Mr. Das cited as the key factor that had neccessitated the revision of the inflation projection and the pivot , had already been on the boil since December. In fact, the lone dissenter on the MPC on the issue of the policy stance in February, Jayanth Varma , had stressed the need to look ahead at the likely state of the economy at least three to four quarters later and shift to a neutral stance given that monetary policy acts with a lag. The RBI ‘s deputy governor overseeing Monetary Policy, Michael Patra , had on the other hand at the last MPC meeting starkly warned that, “Central banks have a choice :either accept higher inflation for some time or be prepared to be accountable for destroying demand “. With the RBI’s own quarterly projections for inflation now presaging the possibility of a policy failure by way of three consecutive quarters of inflation above the 6% upper bound, policymakers have clearly realised any further delay in changing tack would risk leaving the economy with neither growth nor price stability.

“When you have to give the lead in action, in ideas – a lead which does not fit in with the very climate of opinion – that is true courage, physical or mental or spiritual, call it what you like, and it is this type of courage and vision that Jamsedji Tata showed. It is right that we should honour his memory and remember him as one of the big founders of modern India.”

Jawaharlal Nehru

Jamsedji Nusserwanji Tata (3^rd March 1839 – 19^th May 1904) was the founder of TATA group, India’s leading conglomerate company. He was a pioneer figure in the world of industry. He was such an influential personality that even Jawaharlal Nehru referred him as a “One – man Planning Commission”.  He has also established the city of Jamshedpur. Tata started his journey as a merchant and went on to become one of the most important builders of the modern Indian economy. Among his many achievements, the most notable one is Tata Iron and Steel Works Company in Jamshedpur.

Tata was ranked first in “Hurun Philanthropists of the Century” (2021) due to his total donations of about $102.4 billion from the start of his establishments way back in 1892.

Jamsedji Tata was born on 3^rd March 1839 to Nusserwanji and Jeevanbai Tata in Navsari, Gujarat. He came from a family of minority group of Parsees. His father was the first businessman in their family. Nusserwanji ran an export trading firm in Mumbai.

Career:  After graduating from Elphinstone college, Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1858, Jamsedji joined his father’s firm. He expanded its branches in Japan, China, Europe and United States.

• He started a trading company in 1868.
• In 1869, he bought a bankrupt oil mill in 1869 at Chinchpokli, Maharashtra and converted it into an oil mill – named as Alexandra Mill. In 1871, he sold the mill at a profit.
• In 1874, Tata started the Central India Spinning, Weaving, and Manufacturing Company in Nagpur, an unusual place to choose from for industrialists. During that era, Bombay being the “Cottonpolis of India” was the most preferred place for textile entrepreneurs. But his far-sightedness paid off. In Nagpur, the abundance of farm produce, the ease of distribution, and the cheap land later led to the converging of railway lines, which further developed the city.
• In 1877, Tata set up a new cotton mill – called Empress Mill.
• He formed another company in 1885 in Pondicherry solely to distribute Indian textiles to nearby French colonies without having to pay duties; however, the venture failed due to an insufficient demand for the fabrics. He then purchased the Dharamsi Mills at Kurla in Bombay, resold it, and acquired the Advance Mills in Ahmedabad. It was named as Advance Mills because it was one of the highest technology mills at that time. This set up provided an economic boost to Ahmedabad.
• Through such contributions, Jamsedji Tata shaped the cotton and textile industry in India.
• Being a supporter of Swadeshism, he renamed his new cotton mill in Bombay as Swadeshi Mill. The objective was to provide finer cloth similar to that of imported from Manchester. During that time, India produced coarse fabric which was no longer preferred by Indians.

He envisioned India to be the sole maker of fine clothes for which the ancient Indian weavers were famous.

Throughout his life, he had 4 goals:

• Setting up an iron and steel company
• Establishing a world-class learning institution
• Setting up a unique hotel
• Setting up a hydroelectric plant

With the inauguration of the Taj Mahal Hotel at Colaba waterfront in Mumbai on 3^rd December 1903, his dream of setting up a unique hotel became reality. His other 3 ideas were achieved by his successors:

• Tata Steel
• Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
• Tata Power Company Limited

10^th April is celebrated as World Homeopathy Day. It is a weeklong event commencing from 10^th April to 16^th April. This day is observed to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Samuel Hanhemann (1755-1843). The primary objective of this day is to create awareness about homeopathy and to make homeopathy accessible. Apart from these, it also focuses on developing homeopathy on a larger scale, adopting strategies to overcome challenges and improve the quality of education to improve the success rate of homeopaths.

The theme of World Homeopathy Day 2022 is “Homeopathy: People’s choice for wellness”.

The Homeopathy awareness week is celebrated all over the world; there are free public events throughout the week, including lectures, volunteer first-aid events, media interviews and free and reduced-price clinics. The use of homeopathy is reported on mainstream media and on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

History:

Homeopathy comes from the Greek words homeo meaning similar and pathos means disease. Homeopathy is a system of alternative medicine and works on the doctrine of similia similibus curentur or like cures like. It means when a substance is taken in small amount, it will cure the same symptoms it causes if taken in large amounts.

Homeopathy is based on the belief that every individual is different and everyone’s body reacts and heals differently.

Hippocrates “Father of Medicine” founded homeopathy in 5^th century BC. He advocated the need for understanding each individual’s body and their healing power for diagnosing and treating their illness. It was he who laid the foundation for homeopathy. However its prominence rose in the 19th century, thanks to the pioneering work of the German physician and chemist Samuel Hahnemann.

During the 19^th century, medical practitioners used ineffective and brutal practices. Hanhemann opposed the harsh medical practices and usage of strong medicines that had side effects. Homeopathy medicines had rare side effects. People started opting for homeopathy and were getting better outcomes as compared to medicine practitioners. In the 19th century, homeopathy led to the abandonment of bloodletting and purging treatments, which were ineffective and harmful, and to the advance of more effective and scientifically-based medicine.

Homeopathy preparations include animal, plants, minerals and synthetic substances, which are referred as Latin names such as arsenicum album (arsenic oxide), thyodinium (thyroid hormone). The pills are made from a lactose substance (mostly sugar). Drops of liquid are placed and evaporated.

On World Homeopathy Day, India:

In India, this day is observed in patronage of the ministry of AYUSH, Government of India.

In spite of several criticisms faced by homeopathy, A growing body of evidence corroborating homeopathic medicines ability to manage and prevent a wide range of diseases is emerging.

Putin should take note of the views of the global community and end the war

The suspension of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council has turned the global spotlight on the civilian killings in Ukraine. The U.S. sponsored resolution in the UN General Assembly was approved by 93 votes against 24, with 58 abstentions that included India. Russia has faced immense criticism after bodies were found, from where Russian troops withdrew following the Istanbul talks . Russia claims it to be ” staged events and fakes ” . While the truth should be established in an independent UN-monitored probe, there is no doubt that civilians were targeted . According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 1,611 civilians have been killed and 2,227 injured in Ukraine since the war began. Russia cannot evade it’s responsibility for these losses. When Russia began the invasion, President Vladimir Putin had said the main objectives of what he called the ” special military operation” were the ” demilitarisation and denazification” of Ukraine. Considering the three front war Rissia launched , it was evident that Moscow wanted to meet its real objectives -whatever they were –quickly.

But Ukraine’s fierce resistance, especially in the north, has changed the course of the conflict, which now looks like a war of attrition, focusing on Ukraine’s east.

Now, both Ukraine and Russia are in difficult situations. The Ukrainians, with military and financial aid from West, have pushed back in the north, but lost territories in the east and the south. Given the power imbalance ,it is unlikely that Ukraine can regain the lost territories. Russia now seems to have been bogged Down in the battlefield, with international criticism mounting on its war conduct. What is in the best interest of all parties is a cessation of hostilities and a diplomatic solution.

The Istanbul talks had opened a path towards peace . According to the Ukrainian proposals , President Zelensky has agreed to accept neutrality in return for multilateral security assurances. He is also ready for a consultation period of 15 years for Crimea, which russia annexed in 2014 , and discuss the status of the self declared Donetsk and Luhansk republics in a summit with Mr. Putin. It was after these proposals that the Russians announced their pull back from the north. But the Bucha killings appear to have clouded the peace process . The investigation into the civilian killings should go in parallel and not derail the diplomatic process . Russia should follow up on its words with more demonstrable actions to end the hostilities.

The war has damaged it’s economy and it’s reputation as a great power , while causing unspeakable losses and destruction in Ukraine. The most important message from the UN body to Moscow is that it should cease the fire and take the path of diplomacy immediately.

13-year-old Jiya Rai becomes the youngest and fastest female swimmer in the world to swim across the Palk Strait. The autistic swimmer began her swim from Palk Strait, Talaimannar in Sri Lanka at 4.22 AM on 20^th March and reached Arichalmunai in Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu at 5.32PM on the same day. She covered 28.5 kms in just 13 hours and 10 minutes.  Although Jiya holds a world record in open water swimming, this achievement has added a feather in her cap. She now joins the elite group of swimmers such as Kutraleeswaran (1994), R Jai Jaswanth (2019), Edi Hu of the US (2020) and Shyamala Koli (2021), who swam from Sri Lanka to Dhanushkodi.

Jiya has broken the world record of Bula Choudhary who swam this distance in 13 hours and 52 minutes in the year 2004.

At Dhanushkodi, she was welcomed by the Director General of Tamil Nadu Police, C Sylendra Babu and a huge crowd gathered to congratulate her. The DGP said that the stretch is filled with water snakes, jellyfish, and rapidly changing currents, which can make it difficult to swim even a kilometre in 3 to 4 hours.

She was honoured by Ramanathapuram SP E Karthik and Municipal vice-chairman Dhakshinamoorthy.

The Indian Navy also congratulated her by sharing a laudatory note on its Facebook page.

The event was conducted by Para-Swimming Federation of India (PSFI). Sri Lanka’s Navy provided search and rescue services in Lankan waters, while the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard provided these services along its maritime borders.

Jiya Rai lives in Mumbai. Her father Madan Rai is an officer in the Indian Navy. She is studying in a Navy children school. She was diagnosed with autism when she was a little over 2 years old. Later, her doctor noticed that her repetitive knocking could be useful as a therapy in water sports. As a result, Jiya seemed comfortable in water and developed a lifelong love for swimming.

The journey was not easy for her as well as her parents. Being an autistic, initially it was difficult for her to grasp the technicalities of swimming. Her understanding of the sea current and simple things like replacing a start line by a whistle required a lot of conditioning. But her never ending attitude and her parents’ determination made her win laurels.

This is not the first time when Jiya has achieved such accolade. She was awarded the “Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP)” – 2022; it is the highest honour given to citizens of India below 18 years of age. In February 2021, she became the youngest and the first autistic girl to swim from Worli Sea Link to Gateway of India. She took 8 hours and 4 minutes to cover this distance of 36 kms. She has also received appreciation from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his show “Mann Ki Baat”.

Her other achievements include:

• As the first autistic girl in the world to swim 14 km in three hours and 27 minutes from Elephanta Island to the Gateway of India, Jiya succeeded in setting a world record in February 2020. She entered Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records.
• She became the first para-swimmer to swim from Arnala Fort to Vasai Fort in January 2021. She covered a distance of 22 km in 7 hours and 4 minutes.
• In March 2021, she won 3 Gold Medals in the Twentieth National Para-Swimming Championship 2020.
• She was also the winner of 24 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal in the National and State Swimming/Open Water Sea Swimming Championship.

The young swimmer dreams to become the first and youngest para-swimmer in the world to swim seven oceans.

Periodic reappraisal of the economic gains from the trade pact with Australia is pragmatic

The India – Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) signed last week is a key step in enhancing bilateral economic ties between the two major Indian Ocean littoral states and reflects the growing strategic alignment between New Delhi and Canberra . While India’s strongest ties with Australia had hitherto largely centred around their common colonial legacy of cricket,best exemplified in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a more contemporary shared vision has emerged around the mutual need to strengthen their strategic and Trade engagement. This was manifested in the June 2020 virtual summit when Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Scott Morrison decided to elevate the relationship to the level of a comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Defence and strategic ties have gained significant traction and the latest ECTA has been hammered out in just six months since negotiations restarted in end – September. Envisaged as an ‘early -harvest’ agreement, the ECTA covers the gamut of economic and commercial relations including trade in goods and services, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade , dispute settlement and customs procedures . Targeting a goal of doubling bilateral trade to about $50 billion in five years , from the $ 27.5 billion logged in 2021, the partners have set about dismantling or lowering tariff barriers . While Australia has agreed to eliminate tariffs on more than 96% of Indian exports , including several labour – intensive industries, India will allow the duty free entry of 85% of Australian goods exports by value from day one and within the next 10 years cut tariffs to zero on another 5% of Australian merchandise.

That the negotiators adopted a pragmatic tack is evident in the way contentious issues such as the dairy sector, a politically significant export industry in Australia, were set aside for separate resolution at later talks . A key area that has been included is the movement of ‘natural persons ‘, which is inextricably linked to fostering closer people -to-people links and is an imperative in efforts to promote bilateral trade in services . The agreement aims to support access for a range of Australian and Indian skilled service providers , investors , and business visitors and also , crucially seeks to address an area linked to another major Australian export –education .

Canberra has now agreed, on a reciprocal basis , to ease visa restrictions, enabling students at varied levels of higher education to stay on for periods ranging from 18 months to four years to pursue work opportunities on a temporary basis. Arguably the best feature of the ECTA though is the incorporation of a compulsory review mechanism at the end of 15 years . With past FTAs having proved less than beneficial to domestic industry, India’s negotiators have set a meaningful precedent in including the feature to periodically reappraise the economic gains from such trade pacts.

The Dam safety Authority might be able to monitor safety aspects of Mullaperiyar dam

The Central Water Commission (CWC)’s proposal to let the Mullaperiyar dam’s Supervisory Committee continue for a year essentially means status quo continues. The proposal makes the chief Secretaries of Tamil Nadu and Kerala accountable and provides for the participation of technical experts as panel members. The proposed arrangement , presented before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, has become necessary as the CWC is of the view that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) , the regulatory body envisaged under the recently enacted Dam Safety Act, will require one year to become fully functional. On Thursday, the two states are expected to inform the court of their response. Given the features of the 126 -year old Mullaperiyar dam and the conroversies surrounding it’s lime and mortar structure, both states would have nothing much to complain about regarding sticking to the existing arrangement for some more time although they differ in the way they approach the dam. Located in Kerala , it is used by TN for multiple purposes.

While TN is keen on getting the strengthening work completed to raise the water level to 152 ft from 142 ft, Kerala wants a new dam built . In the backdrop of landslides in Kerala after heavy rain , fears , though misplaced , have arisen over the dam’s structural stability. Regardless of these apprehensions being addressed through technical and scientific bodies,the issue of safety crops up time and again. What this underlines is that there should be no room for complacency about the dam’s Safety. It is for this purpose that the apex court too has been addressing the issue of having a stronger institutional mechanism that the existing supervisory committee which has been rendered almost toothless.

Ideally speaking, the authority would have been well suited to handle issues concerning the Mullaperiyar, as the Act empowers the body to perform the role of the State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO) in this context because the NDSA assumes the role of SDSO for a dam located in one state and owned by another . But , as more time is required to have the authority fully in place , the Centre has chosen to rely on existing structure, with the respective Chief Secretaries being made accountable. With a sub- committee functioning under the supervisory committee and one more panel under the National Disaster Management Authority,the oversight mechanism appears to be fine . Still, however well- designed the scheme might be , it is for the authorities to make sure their actions instil public confidence during the monsoon, when the issue of safety in Kerala acquires precedence . It is also their duty to ensure there is no panic and to deal with scaremongers .

Your little one has started taking baby steps towards learning process and you are already freaking out. This is the age when the parents should start inculcating good habits in their children. Developing good habits like taking part in healthy morning meeting activities is a process and takes time. Don’t rush yourself.

Follow these 11 tips shared below:

• Start with basics: You should start with the basic things like brushing teeth, washing hands before and after a meal, eating food by themselves, taking a shower, hygiene etc. It’s never too early to begin these habits.
• Set yourself as a role model: Children always learn from their parents. They try to imitate their elders. Before teaching your children, you should implement what you are going to teach your child.
• Imbibe Good manners: Teach your child how to be polite and gentle, how to behave properly in front of guests and how to behave with elders as well as peers. Teach him the meaning and usage of phrases like thank you, sorry, welcome and like.
• Create a positive environment: Your child should feel happy and positive around you. It may happen that your youngster has made some mistake for which you feel like yelling. This creates a negative reinforcement in the child. Instead of shouting and scolding, you can make him understand his mistake and why he should not repeat it in future. Don’t use abusive language before your children.
• Have family dinners: Having dinner with family on the same table creates a sense of family attachment in the child. While eating with the family, your child is less likely to consume unhealthy food.
• Physical activity: Physical activity not only includes outdoor games or sports but also household chores like arranging book shelf, keeping toys at proper place, walking the dog and like. This not only imbibes a feeling of bonding within the child but also develops a sense of responsibility.
• Reward your child: You can reward your children on completion of certain task or for some behavior. He will be motivated to maintain his good behavior. But mind it that never reward your child with materialistic things like video games or chocolates. Try to come up with other ways to celebrate his good behavior. Take him to a long drive, go for a swimming together, play some games or even some simple words of appreciation will do.
• Read out stories to your kid: You may have a hectic schedule but do take some time out to read stories to him. Choose stories like good over bad or fables. In this way your child will get to know the morals. His vocabulary will also improve. Also encourage him to read the books by himself.
• Value his opinions: Many people do not seem to realize that kids have their say and opinion. Ask them about what they think of a particular situation. You can also ask his opinion about any family function. The child will feel valuable.
• Set a time table: Once he starts going school, prepare a time table for him and specify his time for every activity including, playing, watching TV or studying. Be flexible. Let him skip some activities or do them later when he asks.
• Be realistic with your expectations:  Each child’s learning capability is different. Don’t force him to hurry. It’s okay to let him progress at his own pace. Don’t compare him with other children. Like adults, children too do not like being compared.