Newsletters
@Evening: 😔Took Two Jain Monks' Lives To Protect Sacred Hill Site Ultimately
1. What's new: 📰 Catch-up
The National Health Authority is introducing a new system to measure and grade hospital performance under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
The Tamil Nadu Governor walked out of the state assembly after M K Stalin moved a resolution against him.
The Indian Navy will get autonomous armed swarm boats under a special programme to promote domestic defence technologies.
A Benguluru-based aerospace company has tested an engine that could bring down rocket launch costs.
Three new standards in electronics released by the Bureau of Indian Standards for the good of devices in India.
2. Tweet for thought: 😟Two Jain monks died to protect the sacred
Jain monks Sugyeysagar Maharaj (aged 72) and Samarth Sagar (aged 74) died by fasting this past week.
They were fasting in protest against the Jharkhand government's decision to declare Shri Sammed Shikharji a tourist place.
Both the monks had sat on the fast at the Sanghiji temple in Sanganer area of Jaipur.
While Maharaj had not eaten anything since 25 December, Sagar had been on a fast for five days.
They were both committed to protecting the sanctity of their holy site.
Shri Sammed Shikharji is a Jain pilgrimage centre on the Parasnath hill of Jharkhand.
The hill derives its name from Lord Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara.
The significance of Sammed Shikharji can be deduced from the fact that 20 of the 24 Tirthankaras attained moksha on this hill.
The state government had decided to turn it into a tourist attraction, but the community spoke up to preserve the sacredness of the site.
In response, the Centre stayed all tourism activities on the Parasnath hill and directed the Jharkhand government to take the steps necessary to protect its sanctity.
Meanwhile... Tribal bodies have stepped up their demand to “free” the Parasnath hill from the "clutches" of the Jain community and said thousands will assemble there on 10 January in protest.
Further reading: Why the Jain community protested
3. Word-watching: 📚Anand Ranganathan's new novel out now
Soufflé is, in the words of the author, "a finely whipped tale of murder & deceit."
The book: "...a rich, layered thriller that explores life, love and the passions that motivate people to do unexpected and impossible things."
Published by Penguin Ebury Press, the novel is 192 pages long.
Anand Ranganathan is the author of three other books, all novels as well — The Land of the Wilted Rose (Rupa, 2012), For Love and Honour (Bloomsbury, 2015), and The Rat Eater (Juggernaut, 2017; co-authored with Chitra Subramaniam).
Ranganathan is a consulting editor and columnist for Swarajya, with writings also in Newslaundry, DNA, and The News Minute.
In his scientist avatar, he works as an associate professor at the Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Ranganathan's forthcoming book is on India's forgotten scientists (Penguin, 2023; co-authored).
4. Caught our eye: ⛴️The world's longest river cruise begins boarding tomorrow
Ganga Vilas — all set for a journey from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh — boards tomorrow, on 10 January.
It will be flagged off by PM Narendra Modi on 13 January.
From Ganga to Brahmaputra, crossing 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh along the way, the 51-day, 3,200-km journey will end on 1 March.
The cruise will sail along three major waterways on the sub-continent — National Waterway 1 over the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River system, the Indo-Bangla Protocol Route from Kolkata to Dhubri, and National Waterway 2 over Brahmaputra.
Ganga Vilas will pass through Patna, Kolkata, Dhaka, Dhubri, Guwahati, and Majuli Island.
Significance: The launch of the cruise service is expected to provide a huge impetus to inland waterways development in India.
5. Culture cutlet: ✍️India's poets assemble in the capital city tomorrow
Sarvbhasha Kavi Sammelan, or the National Symposium of Poets, 2023 kicks off tomorrow, 10 January.
It's a mega event for poets and poetry, organised by the national public radio broadcaster Akashvani.
"Poets from the length and breadth of India, with poems in 22 Indian Languages and their translation...all under one roof,..." All India Radio said in a tweet about the event.
The programme will begin at 2.30 pm at Rang Bhavan, Broadcasting House, New Delhi.
It will be broadcast on the eve of the Republic Day — at 10 pm, 25 January — on the All India Radio national network.
Want to know more? It began in 1956, according to Prasar Bharti, as "an endeavor to provide a creative platform to national integration and linguistic harmony through mutual interaction and coordinated presentation of the best in contemporary poetry of all Indian languages."
The symposium featured 18 languages until 2005, when the addition of Dogri, Mathili, Santhali, and Bodo took the tally to 22 languages.
The programme is a reflection of India's rich, shared literary heritage.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
