It was a year that began with whispers of concern about India and ended with loud criticism. The awe felt around world capitals for Narendra Modi’s massive electoral mandate vanished quickly in the face of his many domestic moves.

From bisecting Kashmir to enacting new citizenship laws, the world watched Modi’s relentless drive to alter the nature of things. When students and civil society rose in protest, they were branded as opposition stooges and thugs to be subdued.

The economy, meanwhile, kept sinking – it was as if the numbers weren’t reaching Modi. Delusions were the currency. The shine was rapidly coming off but nothing a rally of the faithful couldn’t fix or flat out denials couldn’t counter.

Diplomats from friendly countries asked worriedly, “Is India changing from a secular, pluralistic country to something else?” They were afraid to use the word “majoritarian” and still are.

This week Ken Juster, the US ambassador to India, pointedly changed background pictures on his Twitter profile which now catalog his visits to important sites of all India’s major faiths. It was one way of sending a message.

As questions multiply, Indian diplomats have few real answers. And no one should blame them – they have the toughest job. Who can credibly answer why the UP police arrested minors or a chief minister called for “revenge” against protesters?

That’s where we are. It’s hard to deny that 2019 was the year when Modi’s domestic adventures robbed the bank of goodwill accumulated over time, including in the early years of his own tenure when many foreign governments saw him as an agent of India’s rise.

But today it’s a very different scenario. From India’s neighborhood to the “far” abroad, governments are wondering what the end game in Kashmir is, where India is really headed and whether it can rise and shine anytime soon. Because at this time, the Modi government seems mired in the pursuit of aims that won’t create jobs or modernize the military for real “chowkidaari” against real enemies. How long can the young be deployed in pointless “dadagiri” about the culture of cows and nostalgia about a distant past filled with miracles?

The claim that everything – Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens, continued detention of Kashmir’s former chief ministers, crackdown on protestors, Internet shutdowns, police excesses — is a “domestic” issue and therefore of no concern to the outside world is simply not credible.

In the end the BJP does and must care about its image abroad or it wouldn’t deploy scores of Internet troops to denounce and denigrate critics with alacrity. The prime minister certainly seems to embrace his carefully cultivated image of a “world statesman” who is engaged from Africa to

Asia, hobnobbing with leaders.

But India’s image took a beating this year. The willingness to believe New Delhi’s version of events diminished in direct proportion to the ineptness and heavy handedness on display across the country. Official versions simply don’t stand up after a point.

It actually began quietly earlier in the year when independent experts questioned the success of the Balakot operation while US officials twisted themselves into pretzels in order not to embarrass New Delhi. But it doesn’t mean they weren’t assessing Indian capabilities for real.

Official America even worked to deliver a big gift during Modi’s campaign – the timing of Masood Azhar’s terrorist designation was not a coincidence. The Trump Administration calculated Modi was the strongman needed for the times as the Americans challenged China on the seas and on trade. Helping Modi was a good move.

The Trump Administration’s steady support for the Modi government, however, hides a big wart – trade disputes — and it’s not something that can be papered over too long. Things will come to a head in 2020 as Trump prepares for his re-election campaign and wants to list trade successes.

The question the Americans ask is if India finds China formidable and deceptive on trade, why doesn’t it resolve its trade problems with the US? They see themselves as the obvious choice and can’t understand why even a small trade deal has proved elusive after years of negotiations.

Tougher questions are in the offing. Here’s one: Was India pulling out of RCEP an anti-China move or an anti-trade move? Down the line, problems in the trade relationship could begin to affect the strategic partnership. Even on defense, Washington can see that there is little money in India’s budget to take spectacular initiatives or buy new systems.

Add to that, the idea that India will be friends with everyone based on issues in this era of multi-alignment. But it can work only up to a point – the idea of being a free-floating balancer in the world will not work. Some choices have to be made at some time because India can’t keep everyone “half happy or half unhappy” and maximize its gains.

Yes, the Trump Administration is committed to India and future administrations might be too, but India is not making it easy by letting the economy slide by refusing to make the hard decisions because one constituency or the other might be unhappy. Global downturn is not the complete answer for India’s slowdown and everyone knows it.

Then there’s the question of a change in the White House in 2020 – what if a Democrat wins? India’s troubles with the Democrats are well known and it would be foolhardy to believe things would be easy.

The larger compulsions of the strategic partnership will likely prevail in the end but cracks in the bipartisan support for India will take time to heal.

This is India’s problem as it prepares for 2020 vis-à-vis the US – rebuilding bridges with the Democrats that were burnt in haste during “Howdy Modi” and remembering that the US Congress is a co-equal branch of government. The irony – New Delhi always believed bipartisan Congressional support was a given and it got cavalier.

Democracies must honor the opposition, not tarnish it. It doesn’t come naturally to some but in the larger interest, it’s the only way.

The views expressed above belong to the author(s).

Source of the Story – https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/the-question-for-2020-can-india-recover-59705/?amp&__twitter_impression=true

Quotes by Shawn Vij 

“Courage only comes with an open heart.”

“Compassion with Capitalism will raise the human condition.”

“Trust yourself, trust your intuition, trust your heart and doors will open.”

“What if companies just had a simple underlying mission, which was making people’s lives better around the world.”

“I am a staunch believer in people being the soul of a company. Their values define the company’s values. And if these employees have surrendered to excessive greed, anger or ignorance, then yes, a company has no soul left.”

   Top Ten Things    

Shawn Vij was born on August 6^th, 1969.  He has raised in the US Midwest, metro Detroit area and currently resides in Seattle enjoying the Pacific Northwest.  

Vij is a Global Business Leader who has worked in various industries from Automotive, Financial Services, Management Consulting to High Tech.  He has held executive positions at Ford Motor Company, Ernst & Young, VISA, Deloitte, Microsoft and Intel Corporation.  

Vij’s father, Yash Paul Vij is a retired engineer and college professor.  His mother, Aruna Vij is a retired housewife having raised three children.  

Vij received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University.  He later received a Masters in Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Krannert School of Management – Purdue University where he was Student Body President.  

Shawn Vij first met the Dalia Lama in February 2014 where he became inspired to write his book, Moral Fiber.  The foreword of the book is written by the Dalai Lama.  

Vij is one of the inventors of a ‘System for Personal Authorization Control for Card Transactions.’ In short, the concept is the ability for users to set spending limits online which is used frequently today.  The invention is protected by a patent.  

Shawn loves shopping at Whole Foods.  Co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods endorsed Vij and his book for its outlook on capitalism and human values.  

Vij was nominated to the US Military Academy, West Point as well as the US Air Force Academy.  

Vij’s great uncle is a famous Bollywood Actor, Rajendra Kumar.  

Vij enjoys his free time cooking and trying out new restaurants.  He likes playing chess and watching old movies.  His current iTunes playlist includes Post Malone, Khalid, and Shakira.

When it comes to the opulent weddings, a bride has to ace perfection in everything right from the outfits to the venue. When it comes to having the best looks, they need to zero down the best makeup artists who can bring out their best version by creating the best looks. When we say bridal makeup, one name that pops in our mind is Simran Kaur. A Delhi-based makeup artist and hairstylist who is widely every bride’s top choice during the weddings in Delhi. With proper knowledge about makeup, beauty and, hairstyling, she understands the needs of her clients and creates a personalized look according to their choice. That’s what makes Kaur a notable name among other makeup artists.

Her magical touch has created wonders and to date, she has styled more than 350 brides who have been a fan of Simran’s work. When asked about her styling, she said, “My makeup and hairstyling artistry is very modern and contemporary. When I look at a face, I notice the bare features and I understand what I can do to make the face prettier. Experimenting with looks is something which I love to do and I am glad that all the new looks I have tried on my clients have been appreciated by one and all.” Her experience of 7 years in the industry has truly been enriching giving her some of the trusted clients in her list.

Besides this, she is the owner of ‘Simran Kaur Studio’ which not only offers the best makeup services but also has several beauty courses one can learn. The studio offers professional makeup courses, Personal makeup workshops, and other hairstyling courses. She aims to expand her business in the coming year with several other beauty services. Currently, the makeup artist offers the best services for party makeup, engagement makeup, and reception makeup. Her works have also helped her bag several awards and the latest feather in her cap was the best makeup artist award at the Ravishing Wedding Awards 2018. Giving a royal touch with her bridal makeup, she is widely looked upon as the most trusted name among all the brides in New Delhi.

Northeastern states of India Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura – and Andaman and Nicobar Islands was demanding different time zone as theses face difficulty in managing their routine work schedule. But this long-standing demand of dual times zones in India is not possible because of strategic reasons said Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minster of Science & Technology, Health and Family Welfare and Earth Sciences while replying to a parliamentary question. 

He has been asked is there any plan of considering a dual time zone in the country in view of the time gap between Eastern States and Western States. In the reply he said “Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) – National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has published certain reports in science journals on this issue, referring to saving of electricity. The matter was examined by a High Level Committee (HLC). This committee comprising Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Director, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL) and Chief Secretary, government of Tripura. The HLC after considering the issue recommended not to have two time zones for India for strategic reasons.”

In Northeastern states the sun rises and sets earlier than the official working hours. This natural phenomenon gives birth to some practical problems like it affects the productivity and makes electric consumption much higher. Early sunrise leads to loss of daylight hours by the time offices or educational institutions open. In winter, this problem gets even more severe as the sun sets much early and therefore, more consumption of electricity is required. To deal with this tea gardens of Assam have been following ‘Chaibagaan time’ which is one hour ahead of India Standard Time (IST).

Recently, a study done by team of researchers from CSIR-NPL has been published in the journal Current Science that supported the demand of dual time zones for these states and said it is feasible to have dual time zones for them. The study said that technically it is feasible to have two time zones and two ISTs in India. It recommended that IST-I for most of India and IST- II for the Northeastern region, this would be separated by difference of one hour. At present, the country observes a single time zone based on the longitude passing through 82°33’E. 

Interestingly, before independence, the country was following three major time zones- Bombay, Calcutta and Madras Time. India had no official time zone till 1906 there were three presidencies: Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, and three local times for the three cities, depending on where they fell on the longitude. The three-time zones, thus created, were followed by all the states or cities around and near it. Calcutta was set at UTC+05.54, making it +00:24 of the current IST. Madras was set at UTC+05:21 making it -00:09 of the current IST. Bombay was at UTC+04:51, making it -01:19 of the current IST. Bagan Time was at around UTC+06:30, making it +1:00 of the current IST. (India Science Wire)

Indian Railways on Tuesday announced a hike in ticket price across its network from 01 January 2020. The increased fare will not be applicable in the suburban train services of the national transporter. The fare hike will be implemented in various categories of the services provided by Indian Railways.

The last fare revision over Indian Railways was done in 2014-15

The railways also announced a two paise/km hike in fares of mail/express non-AC trains and four paise/km hike in the fares of AC classes.

Ticket prices for AC chair car, AC 3-tier/3E, AC 2-tier and AC First Class/EC/EA will increase by 4 paise per passenger kilometre. This includes premium trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto

As the new fare for passengers was notified, the ministry stressed that the last fare revision was carried out five years ago in 2014-15. It may be noted that while passenger’s revenue earnings witnessed a dip of Rs 155 crore, freight fares saw the loss of Rs 3,901 crore in the second quarter of the current fiscal, compared to the corresponding one in the previous fiscal.

“Subsequently, there has been a steady up-gradation and expansion of amenities, both off-board, and on-board. Indian Railways has continuously endeavored to augment passenger experience through modernization of coaches and provision of improved facilities over stations,” the railway ministry said.

In case of tickets already issued at pre-revised rates, the difference of fare on or after 1 January 2020 will not be collected from the passengers. However, any new tickets made by the ticket examiner or ticket checking staff in trains or stations shall be charged on the revised fare, the railway ministry added.

The year 2019 is going to end and there will be another chance to begin crisp when January 1, 2020, sees the light of the day.

Ringing in the New Year is cause for festivity, for investing energy with loved ones, and for thinking back. A ton can occur in a year and between the great, the awful, and the revolting, this may appear to be putting it mildly for most. As glasses are raised and firecrackers detonate into the sky, it’s critical to perceive the extraordinary imagery this occasion carries with it. A period of fresh starts and new beginnings likewise accompanies a period of reflection. Regardless of whether your goals comprise of keeping your hands out of the treat container or giving your genuine word to chip away at associations with friends and family, it can take work. What’s more, it can have a significant effect to articulate these expectations and warm wishes. Truth can be stranger than fiction.

Here are some Happy New Year Wishes for your Loved Ones

May this new year bring you much joy and fun. May you find peace, love, and success. Sending my heartiest new year wishes for you!

I hope that the new year will be the best year of your life. May all your dreams come true and all your hopes are fulfilled!

I hope your life will be full of surprise and joy in the new year that’s about to begin. May You be blessed with everything you want in life.

May the New Year start with fresh joys and a life filled with peace. May you get warmth and togetherness and prosperity too. Happy New Year!

Wish Joys And Happiness On This New Year Balloon In Your Life As Flowers In A Garden.

Let The Coming Year To Be Glorious One That Rewards All Your Future Endeavours With Success.

May the New Year bring you joy, harmony, and success. Wishing you a cheerful 2020! 

May this year bring new joy, new objectives, new accomplishments and a lot of new motivations in your life. Wishing you a year completely stacked with joy. 

I need to have another year as splendid as your eyes, as sweet as your grin and as upbeat as our relations seems to be. Glad new year! Wishing you an incredible new year! 

I wish you a Happy New Year. Expectation you make some incredible memories ahead. 

My desire for this New Year is that I need to adore you like never before, deal with you like never before and make you more joyful like never before. Glad new year! 

Your adoration topped off my heart with satisfaction that I have never felt. You gave me a real existence that I never knew existed. Wishing my affection, an extraordinary new year! 

I wish to have a year loaded up with joy and solidarity to defeat all the dim hours. You are a genuine gift. Upbeat New Year, love.

Shubham Teotia a small-town boy who came to the city of dreams Mumbai, having a vision in mind to become the top actor of the country. Thus Shubham took up the acting school to enhance his acting abilities and polish his skills.

Leaving no stone unturned Shubham always worked hard and took up the theater.

Practicing voice modulations and being a theatre artist Shubham soon got noticed for his work and started getting offers for commercials.

Shubham has been a part of various commercials and finally got a break in Bollywood with Bagpat ka Dulha.

A live-action drama movie where Shubham played a vital role and caught the eyes of the audience.

Shubham thereafter is flooded with offers and there is no looking back ever since. He has achieved a commendable name in the Bollywood industry.

Apart from acting Shubham also is a fan of traveling. The small town boys dreaming big would love to travel the world.  When asked on his Bollywood debut Shubham says “Struggle does pay off well. It was my struggle and my family’s support that I finally made it. My debut in Bollywood. Oh! What a great feeling it is. Everyone has been absolutely welcoming and kind. The love that the audience showered on me is immense and I am so grateful for it. Thank you so much and love you all always.”

Shubham’s Bagpat ka Dulha made good business at the box office and the star soon will be seen in an upcoming Netflix web series which will get on board sooner, releasing in June 2020.

Blogging is a way of connecting with people and exploring new horizons in the realm of online articles, where one can share one’s life experiences with his/her readers and help them to explore and try new things, in the most cost-effective manner.

Shubhi Garg – a name in the blogging industry, has touched new heights with Picker At Pace – an online space where Shubhi shares her fashion ideas, reveals her secret food recipes, gives brief reviews on restaurants, tries out beauty products for her online entourage to help them understand the products before they end up investing their hard-earned money on what they aren’t even aware of. Along with that, Shubhi also suggests books to read, showcases major travel goals, and talks at length about the places she visits to help her readers plan their next vacation without hassle.

Shubhi, now 26, says “My taste in fashion has always been experimental. I am more like the girl-next-door who chooses to showcase styles that people can easily follow, and I visit places that are affordable. Even with my pictures – I hate over-editing. I like to keep it natural. I am a highly practical human and I believe in keeping everything as realistic as possible.”

With more than 5 years now into blogging, Shubhi still dedicates a good amount of time to her blog and works tirelessly to make it better every day. To make it a one-stop read she writes all the enlisted categories all by herself, leaving no scope of inaccuracy.

Interestingly, the blog ‘Picker At Pace’ was launched on May 28th, 2014 by a very young blogger Shubhi, who wasn’t even aware of the term ‘blog’ back then. All she wanted to do was to dedicate a poetry post to her beloved sister on her birthday, for which she won lots of praises and accolades. This feedback gave her confidence and helped her realise that she could use her talent of writing to interact with the world. After exploring her hidden potential she never looked back!

To chisel her craft, Shubhi started to read senior bloggers like Chiara Ferragni, Bombay Bubble, Styledrive, and to name a few others. Reading them not only fine-tuned her writing skill but also inspired her to a point that she also wanted to do what they did, if not better then at least somewhat good to her potential. And today, she’s not behind them! She says, “I believe in hard work and dedication. I’ve had my ups & downs in the field, but one thing I knew was that I’m never quitting. That’s not me!”

Speaking of family support, her father initially was hesitant of this career. But like every father, Shubhi’s family started to pump her up when they heard it from others how well their daughter is doing in the city, and is being recognised by everyone! Shubhi also comforted her father that that blogging might not be a full-time career opportunity, but she will not let it go! It’s still her hobby, but a very passionate one!

Now with her family’s support Shubhi was flying high to achieve what she had only imagined.

In this journey of hers, Shubhi’s friends also helped her a lot and voluntarily managed her social media management in different cities to make her blog grow widely. Her team consists of various professional photographers, makeup artists, video creators, who affectionally and responsibly look after her work and help her to be more consistent with her blog posts. But loving what she does, Shubhi is the sole writer on her blog and constructs each post all by herself.

The name ‘Picker at Pace’, was also a perfect shot of chance. During her college exams, Shubhi was tumbling on her bed, deprived of sleep, she was trying to give a name to her blog. Surprisingly, she thought of naming it ‘Picker at Pace’ and she instantly grabbed her laptop to search what it means. But with no such Google search results, she decided to use it. Shubhi gave her own meaning to the phrase – Picker at Pace means “Catching with the speed of the running time”. Going by the meaning of her blog, Shubhi finds her inspiration from anywhere and everywhere that evolves, and she uses it in her posts. 

Well, unlike all other bloggers, Shubhi also started receiving freebies from brands to review on her blog. She recalls, her first freebie came to her in April 2015, almost a year later of starting her blog, by a giant skincare brand – PONDS. She was jumping with excitement as she had got her first chance to showcase her talent. Since then her association with various big brands have earned her a reputation among famous bloggers and when brands think of Lucknow to get associated with bloggers, ‘Picker at Pace’ by Shubhi Garg tops their list! 

Her brand collaborations and page features have taken ‘Picker at Pace’ to new heights with monthly views of more than 70 thousand audiences with her blog button over 2,80,000 followers and an entourage of more than 50,000 followers on social media. 

Shubhi Garg has been an inspiration to little girls and boys who have wanted to do something creative out of their lives. Not just with her blogs but her inner bravery, and independent nature, she has become a role model for every aspiring blogger / influencer.

Shubhi organised Lucknow’s first BLOG TALK and managed to gather 150 aspiring Bloggers & Youtubers under one roof sharing her knowledge about the growing influencer industry. Coming out in public with her talk show – ‘Lucknow’s Most Favourite with Picker At Pace’ in May 28th, 2019 (on the 5th anniversary of her blog), was anther achievement of hers. She made it a hit with more than 80,000 views on the trailer and more than 15k on each of the episodes. The show featured some recognised faces of Lucknow. Along with that, to inspire the potential bloggers of the future, Shubhi has given lectures at colleges like SRMS business school, and has hosted a lot of workshops about the art of blogging & social media marketing!

Shubhi, today is a successful blogger and a digital media marketer and has worked with some renowned restaurant chains as their marketing specialist. Shubhi says, “It’s because of blogging, that I entered the field of F&B, and it helped me understand the dynamics and prospects for media marketing in the industry.”

Shubhi funnily recalls, when she had started her blog in 2014, it had only 10 followers including Shubhi herself but today it is quite successful with followers pan India. Her major growth has been witnessed when Shubhi started doing a meet & greet sessions with her readers and received tons of hugs and thank-you notes,. She loves meeting people and interact with them, and has been a problem solver for so many of them personally & professionally both! People love this hard-working, dedicated lady today and reach out to her for anything and everything, as she’s out there trying her bit to make this world a kinder place to live in.

To end, for Shubhi, Blogging is a 24X7 job. She believes that if you want to keep excelling in this field, you have to keep playing with and innovating ideas that are unique, catchy and interest everyone! There’s no scope for going MIA (missing in action).

For those who can’t publicly show their talent either because of family restrictions, lack of confidence or fear of failure, AMIZAN is an inspiration. He’s the one who brings “secret superstar” to reality. A 23yrs young guy from Mumbai who marked his presence in the nation, not by his identity but by his work.

After randomly posting simple videos of him singing for a few months, today he’s one of the rising stars of the nation. Without any support, without any special or professional gears, he made his content eye-catching. It’s just there’s some magic in his voice so can’t resist to watch him.

AMIZAN performs covers of Indian songs with guitar or ukulele in his own version on social media. In a few months his Youtube Channel and Instagram Page has grown to 10,000+ Followers and his videos have got 1million+ views in total. People all over the nation are loving him so much. His journey is an inspiration for those who want to win hearts by their talent irrespective of their identity.

AMIZAN brings out short covers of Bollywood songs in his raw voice which are already being loved by many on social media. People say he is one of the best singers right now and deserves to be in Bollywood.

Secret Superstar is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language musical drama film under Aamir Khan productions in which an ambitious young girl, dreams of becoming a singer, but faces opposition from her father. Undeterred, she strives to follow her passion by anonymously posting her songs on the Internet. 

Likewise, AMIZAN, a rising social media sensation, hiding his face behind a cute pink mask and anonymously posting covers of hit bollywood songs reaching millions of hearts across the Nation.

Arijit Singh, Jubin Nautiyal, B Praak, Darshan Raval are delivering hit tracks and are top of their game in bollywood. Their latest tracks like Raanjhana, Tum hi Aana, Filhaal and Hawa Banke are conquering hearts all across the globe.

Meanwhile, AMIZAN is slaying covers of hit Bollywood songs on Youtube and Instagram. This so-called secret superstar is becoming an online sensation as his acoustic/unplugged covers are going viral. He started his Youtube Channel, Instagram Page and other social media channels a few months ago and now his covers of songs like “Bepannah Title” crossed 3,00,000+ views on youtube, “Tum Hi aana” and “Thodi jagah” crossed 1,00,000+ views on youtube and Instagram.

While chilly wave has seized entire North India, a six-lane highway at the outskirt of North East Delhi, Shaheen Bagh, is simmering slowly on the flame of anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019) and proposed NRC (National Register of Citizens) protest. A makeshift since fortnight, when Jamia Milia Islamia’s library faced violent clashes between the protestors and Delhi police, is the temporary installation for thousands of women, men and children lodging their protest against the CAA and the NRC. Under a tarpaulin tent, all day and night, women sit on the floor over a thin layer of the mattress. Wearing shawl and scarf, they are beating the cold with their bold voices. The protest so far has been peaceful and the credit goes to the volunteers of Shaheen Bagh, Jamia Nagar, and the neighborhood. 

Two young research scholars from IIT Delhi, Aasif Mujtaba, and Sharjeel are the architects behind the peaceful protest at Shaheen Bagh. Volunteers sometimes appear complaining Aasif about the unverified news of stone pelting on the police near the protest site. Calm and composed, Aasif tells them not to react and fall prey to such rumors. 

There are posters of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi jotted with slogans like ‘No CAA, No NRC.’ While intense cold wave has gripped the national capital, women protestors get an education on the new contentious citizenship amendment law and NRC. The women volunteers are cheerful when they serve tea and snacks to the protestors who join it. The girls and the children are curious to know about the supporters who come from different parts of Delhi and India. They cheer up and applause the orators on the stage. No hate speech is allowed. Aasif makes sure nothing derogatory comes out. The fear of possible crackdown does not bother the protestors as the women protestors are not giving up anytime soon. Aasif Mujtaba believes that the women at Shaheen Bagh are the driving force.

Aasif tells, “From day one, our objective was multi-dimensional and holistic. We wanted to sensitize the masses about the wrongdoings of the legislation. This government is going to cross any limit of morality and constitutionalism. CAA is anti-constitutional and we are not going to give it up. The theme of our protest is, ‘we won’t be violent but we won’t be silent either’. We have long been silent on a number of issues. The government says it criminalizes Triple Talaq to give justice to the Muslim women but the same women are locked up in a virtual prison after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.”

Aasif says that the students at Jamia were peacefully protesting when police entered the library, switched off the lights and launched an assault on the innocent students. A nominee for Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold medal, Aasif has been actively participating and leading the agitation against NRC and CAA in Delhi and other parts. He says, “Gandhi gave a clarion call for ‘Do or Die’ in 1942 that turned was violent but our protest won’t be violent. The police might open lathi-charge and tear gases on us but they cannot break our spirit. For us, it’s like ‘now or never’.”

Citing the trigger point behind protest at Shaheen Bagh, he elaborates, “How this happened at Shaheen Bagh there is quite a story to tell. The day when Jamia’s students and our friends were beaten and harassed, most of us from Shaheen Bagh never saw smoke grenades or tear gases in our life yet we had the first-hand experience of police brutality. We were aghast. A peaceful march towards the parliament was turned violent when police brutally lathi-charged the students. It was like a war zone.”

Besides a well-operated and peacefully settled demonstration, the motto of, ‘no one goes hungry’ is also a major takeaway. Volunteers have raised funds from local residents and traders to feed the protestors all day and night. Giant aluminum dishes kept on a makeshift charcoal-burner simmers with meat and biryani with endless cups of teas, biscuits, and snacks.