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25573573″” alt=””25573573″” />The Gurkhas of Nepal have always been held in awe for their bravery. It is the dream of virtually every young person of this martial race to join the British Army. Colour Sergeant Kailash Limbu’s ambition was no different egged on as he was by his father and grandfather. For the first time in its two-hundred-year history, a soldier of the Brigade of Gurkhas has been given permission to tell his story. Written in a simple, straightforward manner, Kailash, named after the holy mountain in Tibet recalls his childhood in the remote village of Khebang. 

When he was just a few days old his maternal grandfather measured baby Kailash with his hand and said he was going to be tall and strong as a mountain. His last name Limbu is his caste. The other castes and tribes include Chetris, Gurungs, Mahars, Rais, Sunwars and Thakurs plus a few other smaller groups. Broadly they are divided into highlanders and lowlanders. The Limbus are highlanders and it is from the hill dwelling castes that the Gurkhas have been recruited. 
It is an absorbing story of an ordinary hill boy serving in the British Army. He is quick to point out that he has won no major gallantry awards nor is he one of those heroes who fought with Kukri in hand, after all their ammunition had run out. He has never been the last man standing given the legion of awards won by the Gurkhas for their acts of valour against tremendous odds. He feels privileged for having been chosen as the first serving Gurkha soldier to write his memoirs.  He was lucky to serve with the allied forces during the recent war in Afghanistan and  survived as many did not. He vividly recalls action about which not much has been written about — the siege of Now Zad in Helmand province.

He has given a first had account of what it is like being a soldier in the situation that confronted them. He was told to prepare for a 48-hour operation. In the end he and his men were under siege for 31 days, one of the longest in the whole Afghan campaign. During that period they killed an estimated 100 Taliban fighters.
Kailash recalls what they went through was something like an old fashioned siege that brought the British Army and the Nepal’s Gurkhas face to face for the first time. On their part, the Gurkhas drove off the British and their attempted invasion of Nepal failed. The story has it that a small band of Gurkhas captured a British officer who had been deserted by the  Indian soldiers he was leading. But their commander Lieutenant Frederick Young stood his ground.

When the Gurkhas took him prisoner, they were astonished with the reply he gave when they asked him why he had not fled: “”I did not come this far just to run away.”” The Gurkhas said in return “”we could serve under an officer like you!”” And that according to legend is how the Gurkhas and British came together. 
It was real baptism by fire for Limbu in Afghanistan when they were already under attack. “”I saw something that really frightened me. In a split second I registered a smoke trail and a loud pshhhhhhhhhhh as it approached. What was it? It was death hurtling towards me at a hundred and twenty metres per second.”” It was an RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade). That was indeed close when he flung himself back and watched the fireball flash over the top of the sangar or small fortified positions. 
The Limbus originally came to Nepal from Tibet. Besides the Eastern part of Nepal, Limbus are also in Sikkim and the Darjeeling area of West Bengal as well as Bhutan. Collectively this is known as Limbuwan and there are three quarters of a million. The Limbus are quite a large group but not as numerous as the Gurungs. The special Khukri to which everyone used to pray on special occasions, was only taken down from the wall once a year for the purpose of sacrificing an animal, usually a goat. “”Once the blade was drawn, we believed it could not be returned to its scabbard until it has tasted blood. The practice of worshipping the Khukri among the Limbus is very strong. It is considered very unlucky if the person doing the sacrifice cannot do so with a single stroke. 
Kailash had a happy childhood and lived the typical life of a hill boy. It was little different from his ancestors for hundreds of years. “”When we face hardship, we do not face it just as one person, but as a member of a group — a section, a platoon, a company, a battalion and finally a whole brigade. You are never alone. To be a Gurkha is to be a member of one very big family of which your section is the closest part.”” 

Finally the time came for Kailash’s Platoon to be airlifted by helicopter to battle station Now Zad. He had to be sure that his bhais (brothers) and gurujis (mentors) were fully focused and not thinking about the possibility of going back in a box. On the helicopter were a great bunch, a great team. The younger ones would need some looking after, but, as one officer once said the Gurkha “”is a pack animal. We work together, fight together as a team. Everyone helps everyone else; that’s how we operate. No Gurkha is ever without his khukri.”” 
He provides a peep into the horrors of modern warfare and relives the stark bravery required to stave off the Taliban. Most importantly he brings to the fore what it means to be a Gurkha. He describes the rigorous three stage selection process.
He was elated having been selected for the British Army. There was a final parade when their gurujis announced which unit they would join. “”I desperately wanted to be an infantryman even as there were Gurkha Engineers, Signallers and Logistics people too. I did not want any of these things and prayed they would make me an ordinary rifleman.”” At last the announcement came: ‘21170101, Rifleman Kailash Limbu, Second Battalion.’ He felt relieved he had made it.

Kailash and his Gurkha colleagues scrupulously followed the brief handed down to them to install confidence in the people of Now Zad even though the Taliban tried every trick to eliminate them. The Gurkhas stuck to their task manly and Kailash’s Officer Commanding informed him that he had been mentioned in despatches. What pleased him was that he received a letter warmly congratulating him signed by the Colonel in Chief of the regiment Prince Charles himself. Looking back, a humble Kailash recalls “”there are moments when I am amazed we survived — let alone that we took no sigfinicant losses. He particularly remembers the sahibs, the gurujis and the bhais who fought the Taliban insurgency alongside. Each of them was a hero and a warrior in the true Gurkha tradition.””

TR

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator.)
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A new survey has shown cruel, barren and unsanitary conditions in which animals in local dairies in India are often kept.  

The survey commissioned by world Animal Protection says almost half of those surveyed were unaware that millions of dairy animals are being kept in illegal, unregulated local dairies in their cities and suburbs – in cruel, barren and unsanitary conditions, often deprived of their basic needs, such as access to clean water and food and being tethered their whole lives.

With almost 300 million dairy cows and buffalo, India is by far the largest dairy producer in the world. People care strongly about the welfare of animals, with 90% of respondents stating they want to see better lives for dairy animals that provide milk for them and their families, it says.

The survey also reveals almost 90% of people surveyed strongly agree dairies should be closed if they do not consider the welfare needs of dairy animals; almost 87% think the government should intervene and bring in better welfare standards and practices to protect dairy animals; nearly 90% are more likely to buy products from a company that sources from dairies adopting better animal welfare practices and 3 out of 4 who regularly buy dairy brands would be willing to pay 5-10% more for products that come from dairies offering better animal welfare.

The survey was conducted in the month of October 2016. 3000 people were interviewed across six cities in India viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. 

India is home to the world’s largest dairy herd, with numbers continuing to grow. An ever increasing demand for milk, is pushing productivity, with dairy cattle being forced to produce milk in unnatural and highly stressful situations. Up to 50 million dairy animals are suffering every day in unacceptable conditions on dairy farms; with millions kept in illegal local dairies located in our cities and suburbs (known as urban and peri-urban dairies), the survey says.

These animals are living in in overcrowded, barren conditions, causing them immense suffering and stress. They suffer malnutrition, have inadequate sheltering and don’t have access to proper breeding and healthcare facilities.

Without intervention, millions more dairy animals will be kept cramped indoors, spending their whole lives tied up, unable to interact as herd animals and denied their basic freedoms. Dairy animals, like all animals have a right to live a life where they can express natural behaviour and be free from pain, stress, suffering, hunger and thirst.

The survey is part of World Animal Protection’s campaign to improve the lives of dairy cows and buffaloes used for milk production in dairies across India. We are working with corporates, milk cooperatives, retailers and industry associations to create better lives for dairy cattle; and are moving the government to improve welfare of dairy animals.

According to Gajendra Sharma, Country Director of World Animal Protection, India: It is unacceptable that animals are living in appalling conditions, not meeting their basic needs. These results show that people wasn’t better welfare for our dairy cattle, and it matters to them where their milk comes from.

“”Illegal local dairies that disregard the welfare needs of animals need to end. These dairies keep animals in conditions most people find unacceptable and also cause environmental and health concerns in our cities. We have made great progress since 2014 with the introduction of the first National Dairy Code of Practice for the Management of dairy Animals in India which offers guidance on humane and sustainable practices in our dairies. We now need to see this code implemented and enforced without delay,’’ he added.

According to Major General (Dr) R.M.Kharb, Chairman, Animal Welfare Board of India, the Board strongly supports adoption of better welfare practices for dairy animals in India by implementing the guidelines of National Code of Practices for Management of Dairy Animals which will help dairy animals live happier, healthier and more productive lives. The Board has in 2015 issued an advisory to all State Governments to implement these guidelines, he added.

World Animal Protection is calling the Department of Animal Husbandry, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India to end the suffering of dairy animals, by phasing out local dairies and implementing welfare standards that protect all dairy animals across India, the survey said.”

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In a robust analysis of internationalism, Shyam Saran, Chairman Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and former Foreign Secretary of India on Monday said that the world needs to ‘nurture a political discourse which refrains from rejecting or disparaging nationalism and patriotism, even while upholding internationalism’.

He was delivering the 7th YB Chavan lecture on ‘Decline of Internationalism’ at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA). 

Insisting that India with its ‘accommodative and self-confident culture’ has the attributes of what the new order requires, Mr. Saran said that ‘India could, if it is so resolves, lead the way in shaping a new world order, which is aligned with the challenges we confront as humanity’.

Reflecting on the current global scenario, he pointed out that countries can no longer cocoon themselves and survive, nor can pursuit of perceived domestic interests prevail over external engagement. He said that external engagement may well be indispensable to achieving domestic ends, since the salience of issues cutting across national and regional borders and with an intrinsically global dimension has increased phenomenally. 

“”The yearning for national control, the harking back to an imagined historical, social and cultural identity, such as we have seen in the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom and the more recent elections in the United States, will inevitably end in frustrated expectations,” he noted. 

Observing that the concept of national sovereignty, which is integral to the concept of a nation-state, is constrained by the blurring of lines between domestic and external factors, Mr. Saran said ‘the world is more densely inter-connected, our destinies as countries and peoples are more intertwined and the challenges we confront cut across regional and national boundaries than at any other time in human history’.

Warning that ‘Nationalism without internationalism is the road to a dead-end’, the former Foreign Secretary said that issues like climate change and contemporary challenges such as international terrorism, drug trafficking or international crime can only be addressed through global and collaborative measures. National governance structures are no longer adequate to deal with their consequences, he added.

Speaking on the impact of accelerated technological change and the irreversible globalisation of economies, he observed  that the inter-connectedness of the globe through digital technology, the instantaneousness of communication and its increasingly visual character, and the expanding reach and influence of social media beyond the control of states, have vastly expanded the scale of unregulated domains.

Arguing that the ecological, economic and strategic challenges of the new millennium can only be tackled through governance at the international scale, he concluded that the drivers of cross-border challenges are technological and economic, and are now so deeply embedded in our lives as individuals and communities that they cannot be unravelled. “

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On November 17, at the ongoing 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly on the third committee India has voted against a UN resolution to establish a moratorium on death penalty on the ground that it contravened statutory law in India.

Following an ‘intense discussion’ on this issue, the UN committee approved an amended draft resolution calling for a moratorium on death penalty, by a recorded 115 votes in favour to 38 against, with 31 abstentions.

The United Nation’s office put out a press statement on the decision of the third committee approving six draft resolutions amid competing views on sovereignty, customary norms in use of Death Penalty.

It had said that an intense discussion on the international legal standing of the death penalty and national sovereign rights to determine domestic judicial systems dominated Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural) proceedings today, as delegates approved an amended draft resolution calling for a moratorium on that practice, by a recorded 115 votes in favour to 38 against, with 31 abstentions.

The text was one of six covering a range of issues relating to the promotion and protection of human rights. Before the vote, the Committee approved an amendment reaffirming the sovereign right of all countries to develop their own legal systems, which passed by 76 votes in favour, 72 against and 26 abstentions.

On India it said, “The representative of India said every State had a sovereign right to determine its own legal system, which was why he had voted for the amendment. He had voted against the resolution because it contravened statutory law in India.”

However, India voted for the amendment in the resolution, which “reaffirms the sovereign right of all countries to develop their own legal systems, including determining appropriate legal penalties, in accordance with their international law obligations”.

The amendment reaffirms the sovereign right of all countries to develop their own legal systems. The representatives of the United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, and some other countries regretted that the amendment was passed.

The representative of the United States of America said that capital punishment was legal under international law, but added that methods of execution designed to inflict undue pain should be prohibited. The representative of Singapore, in explanation of a vote before the vote, said the amendment expressed the strong will of the membership and reaffirmed States’ rights, regardless of the content of the resolution. He expressed regret that it had been viewed as hostile, as it was unfair that the reaffirmation of a fundamental principle was seen as such.

About the author: The author is a practicing hack, a cynic to core.”

“West Asia is awaiting with a considerable anxiety the US President elect Donald Trump’s policy for the region mainly because of his divisive and hateful utterances against  Muslims,  anti-immigration rhetoric  and use of force  in the run up to his election campaign.
His election as the 45thPresident of theUnited Stateshas created a sense of uncertainty and fear in theWest Asiaregion because of his statements like surveillance of mosques and tracking of Muslims, restrictions on the entry of Muslims into the US, removal of Syrian migrants from the country, and the harshest possible reprisals against terrorists and their family members.There is anxiety in the Arab World about what the new US policies would be with regard to conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Generally people feel that Trump has treated the Arab World with astonishing contempt.His naming of retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as national security adviser; Sen. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, R-Alabama, as attorney general; and Rep. Michael Pompeo, R-Kansas, as director of the Central Intelligence Agency has heightened the fear as all three have hardline views that support Trump’s agenda on the Muslim community, immigration as also use of force.Although official reactions to Trump’s election was expectedly diplomatic, with all countries in the West Asia region hoping of have good ties with his regime , but there is frenetic  deliberations in the corridors of power to understand what his presidency portents for the region, given his unclear, varied and often contradictory statements on theMiddle East.Given Trump’s statement in the run up to the presidential election that “there is nobody more pro-Israeli than I am”,  and his promise to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem , which Arabs say has been occupied by Israel, apparently to win Jewish votes, Arab anxiety is understandable.  He even showed support for continuing Israeli expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank.Trump appeared to be hard onIranas he had called theUSnegotiated deal onTeheran’s nuclear program “a disaster” and “the worst” ever negotiated. He has promised to scrap the agreement, which according to him would lead to a “nuclear holocaust.” The deal was negotiated by US President Barack Obama to control Iran’s nuclear program.  The collapse of the deal will not only batter Iran’s economy once again but would also give the hardliners in the country opportunity to take to the streets with their “”death toAmerica”” slogan again.Trump’s pick to lead the CIA, Mike Pompeo, recently wrote on Twitter: “I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.” Most countries have overwhelmingly supported the deal and that US President Barack Obama pledged to veto Republican attempts to undo the monumental diplomatic achievement. Iran has dismantled and limited key aspects of its nuclear programme in exchange for an easing of sanctions. Any move to undo the deal may  put the US in a confrontation with Russia, China and Europe — not just on Iran, but on other issues where Trump will need their cooperation, like the Syrian war.While taking any final call Trump would definitely by watching Iran if it adheres to its commitment to stop supporting terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah.Israel, which is delighted by Trump’s victory, is obviously happy with his stand so far on Iran’s nuclear programme as its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vehemently against the nuclear agreement. While calling Trump as “a true friend of Israel” Benjamin has said he is looking forward to working with him to advance security, stability and peace in the region.Middle East observers feel that Trump would possibly not get involved into the wider regional crisis mainly in Syria and Yemen where the Gulf countries would like the US to defend their interests.  Trump has talked tough against the Jehadist group ISIS promising to “bomb the hell out of them” and but observers say that he is silent on the civil war in Syria where an estimated 400,000 people have died in the last five years.His pulling back from the ongoing interest in ending the civil war may have disastrous impact in Syria and Iraq where ISIS is very active, they said.However, Josh Kraushar, Politics Editor of the US-based National Journal,  sees the induction of Flynn, Pompeo and  Mattis as the biggest shift from US President Barack Obama to his successor  ‘’will be an increased urgency in defeating ISIS, both rhetorically and in its overseas engagement.Their appointment “also means that the new administration will be taking a much harder line with Iran, viewing very sceptically the nuclear  deal President Obama struck”,”he is quoted as saying by the journal.(M. Shakeel Ahmed is a Delhi-based freelance journalist. Earlier, he was posted in Bahrain as PTI’s West Asia and Gulf Correspondent.) “

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidelines on HIV self-testing to improve access to and uptake of HIV diagnosis. The guidelines come ahead of the World AIDS Day observed on December 1.

HIV self-testing means people can use oral fluid or blood- finger-pricks to discover their status in a private and convenient setting. Results are ready within 20 minutes or less. Those with positive results are advised to seek confirmatory tests at health clinics. WHO recommends they receive information and links to counselling as well as rapid referral to prevention, treatment and care services.

Self-testing has been shown to nearly double the frequency of HIV testing among men who have sex with men, and recent studies in Kenya found that male partners of pregnant women had twice the uptake of HIV testing when offered self-testing compared with standard testing. According to a new WHO progress report lack of an HIV diagnosis is a major obstacle to implementing the Organization’s recommendation that everyone with HIV should be offered antiretroviral therapy (ART).
 
The report reveals that more than 18 million people with HIV are currently taking ART, and a similar number is still unable to access treatment, the majority of which are unaware of their HIV positive status. Today, 40% of all people with HIV (over 14 million) remain unaware of their status. Many of these are people at higher risk of HIV infection who often find it difficult to access existing testing services.
 
“Millions of people with HIV are still missing out on life-saving treatment, which can also prevent HIV transmission to others,” said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. “HIV self-testing should open the door for many more people to know their HIV status and find out how to get treatment and access prevention services.”
 
HIV self-testing  is a way to reach more people with undiagnosed HIV and represents a step forward to empower individuals, diagnose people earlier before they become sick, bring services closer to where people live, and create demand for HIV testing. This is particularly important for those people facing barriers to accessing existing services, a statement by WHO said.
 
Between 2005 and 2015 the proportion of people with HIV learning of their status increased from 12% to 60% globally. This increase in HIV testing uptake worldwide has led to more than 80% of all people diagnosed with HIV receiving ART. HIV testing coverage remains low among various population groups. For example, global coverage rates for all HIV testing, prevention, and treatment are lower among men than women.
 
Men account for only 30% of people who have tested for HIV. As a result, men with HIV are less likely to be diagnosed and put on antiretroviral treatment and are more likely to die of HIV-related causes than women. But some women miss out too. Adolescent girls and young women in East and Southern Africa experience infection rates up to eight times higher than among their male peers. Fewer than one in every five girls (15–19 years of age) are aware of their HIV status, the statement added.

Testing also remains low among “key populations” and their partners – particularly men who have sex with men, sex workers, transgender people, people who inject drugs, and people in prisons – who comprise approximately 44% of the 1.9 million new adult HIV infections that occur each year. 
 
Up to 70 % of partners of people with HIV are also HIV positive. Many of those partners are not currently getting tested.  The new WHO guidelines recommend ways to help HIV positive people notify their partners about their status, and also encourage them to get tested. Twenty three countries currently have national policies that support HIV self-testing. Many other countries are developing policies, but wide-scale implementation of HIV self-testing remains limited. WHO supports free distribution of HIV self-test kits and other approaches that allow self-test kits to be bought at affordable prices. WHO is also working to reduce costs further to increase access. The new guidance aims to help countries scale up implementation.
 
WHO is supporting three countries in southern Africa which have started large scale implementation of self-testing through the UNITAID-funded STAR project and many more countries are considering this innovative approach to reaching those who are being left behind.”

“A group of heavily armed terrorists, donning police uniforms, stormed an Army camp in Nagrota in Jammu region on Tuesday morning. In the gun battle that followed with the soliders, seven Army personnel, including two officers, were martyred. The terror attack came two months after Pakistani terrorists had struck at an Army camp in Uri in Kashmir Valley, near the Line of Control, and killed 19 soldiers. The attack at Nagrota, headquarter of the Army’s 16 Corps, bore the same footprint as the terrorists used grenades and firing just before daybreak to gain entry into the army camp. They managed to force their way to buildings where army officers’ families were staying, leading to a hostage-like crisis.According to Defence spokesperson Lt. Col Manish Mehta, two Army officers and five security forces’ personnel lost their lives during the gun battle with terrorists while three terrorist were killed. The combing operation which has been halted will be launched in the morning on Wednesday.In another anti-terrorist operation at least 10 security personnel, including a BSF Deputy Inspector General, were wounded in Samba district. During an encounter in Ramgarh sector along the Indo-Pak international border in Samba district, the security forces there killed three heavily armed terrorist who had infiltrated. During this operation, seven security personnel including a BSF DIG were injured. The combing operation which has been halted will be launched on Wednesday  morning. The security forces suffered serious injuries when an IED blast occurred while the bodies of the slain terrorists were being searched out.”

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Women’s health tracker, Maya has launched an initiative – Project Sunshine–in India through which it aims to promote good health and hygiene among women and young girls. The project has been initiated in government schools in Naxal-affected Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.

As per the initiative, for every sign-up through a user referral, Maya will donate one month’s worth of sanitary pads to women and girls with limited access to hygiene products. So far over 1,417 sanitary pads have already been donated. 

As per a report by HEEALS, a non-profit organization, approximately 23% girls drop out of school every year in India due to lack of menstrual hygiene facilities. The percentage of girls having access to menstrual products is dramatically less in India and this is one of reasons of decline in number of girls in secondary and higher education courses, a statement issued by Maya said.

 Ã¢Â€Â˜Project Sunshine’ conceptualised as Maya believed that their work should impact the lesser privileged as well. The project will help in creating awareness both among the women who receive the products as well as the community of users on Maya who contribute to the cause. 

To drive ‘Project Sunshine’, Maya has partnered with Saral Designs and Shiksharth Trust. While Saral manufactures high quality sanitary pads at a low cost with machines designed and developed in-house at their unit, Shiksharth is a platform which operates out of Sukma region in Chattisgarh and is working towards the holistic development of tribal and rural children by bridging the gap between community and schools. Maya is working in collaboration with Saral towards procuring high quality sanitary pads that are distributed to women. It has partnered with Shiksharth to equip girls in tribal belts to overcome the limited access to menstrual hygiene products. 

Shiksharth Trust will be facilitating the process of distribution in schools with Danteshwari Mahila Mandali (Women’s Club of Sukma) and Rajiv Gandhi Shiksha Mission, Sukma Administration. Maya aims to expand the scope of donation to other geographies in India and extend partnerships with other organizations in facilitating and distributing sanitary pads. Though the project has been initiated amongst school girls, the goal is to expand to menstruating women in the country with little or no access to sanitary pads irrespective of their age. 

Project Sunshine aims to enable access to women in areas where availability of menstrual pads is an issue and inadequate sanitation is one of the major causes for reproductive health issues and has an impact on school dropout rates in developing countries, including India.

The project also aims to empower women by providing them better access to healthcare and sanitation resources which would improve women’s health. It also seeks to bring about a change in thought since menstruation is still a taboo subject in countries like India.  

“Since the inception of Maya, we have obsessed about decoding each day of the monthly cycle to help women across the world manage their health better. Project Sunshine is our way of contributing to this mission beyond the tier 1 cities in India. The project is driven by the community of users on Maya who are motivated about supporting women who are less privileged”, said John Paul, chief executive officer and founder, Maya.

Maya has recently raised an undisclosed amount in funding from Rajan Anandan, Vice-President, Google, Southeast Asia and India. The company had also raised seed funding of 5 crore from Prime Venture Partners earlier this year. Maya is building a personal health assistant that uses data, analytics and machine learning to provide women actionable insights around their health. Using the tracker, women can record vital health information and trace out patterns that help them manage their health better. 

Maya (previously LoveCycles) is the world’s most comprehensive women’s health tracker. Founded in early 2012 by John Paul, Maya logs more than 1.3 million active users every month. Maya enables women to keep track of their menstrual and physiological health via a mobile application. Led by John Paul and Raghu Mallena (CTO of Maya), the tracker has over 7 million downloads across 190 countries. 

Globally, the tracker supports 14 languages including Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French and very soon will support popular regional languages in the country. The tracker has garnered a consistent 4.5-star rating across Android and iOS based on more than over 100,000 user ratings. Maya has also been featured on the Apple iTunes Store and Google Play Store regularly, the statement added.”

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The death of the charismatic Fidel Castro at the age of 90 eight days back on November 25 signifies the end of an era. While defying the might of the US, he remained an undefatigable symbol of resistance till he breathed his last. As it turned out he lived long enough to see the rollback of Washington’s sanctions for 54 years that crippled the Cuban economy. 

Spearheading the Cuban revolution, he played a crucial role in overthrowing President Fulgencio Batista in 1959 at the age of 32. Castro was an authoritarian who violated human rights, jailed his critics and remained highly intolerant. His die hard supporters found in him a person who challenged the US domination of Latin America while bringing healthcare and education to the poor.

Castro inspired socialist movements across the globe. He is believed to have thwarted more than 600 attempts to assassinate him by none other than the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Attempts were made to even make his beard fall which made him popular along with trying poison pills and toxic cigars. 

The Island nation of only 11 million people largely backed Castro. There is more to the Cuban icon or El Comandante as the people called him. He was much more than being the flag bearer of the underdog. At the same time those who opposed and despised him as a tyrant had to leave the shores of their country with most of them choosing the US. 

Given his anti-US stance, Castro had no option but to join hands with the Soviet camp during the Cold War years. It was surprising that he overcame the Bay of Pigs invasion by the powerful US as well as the Cuban missiles crisis. 

The revolutionary had to pay a telling cost for this resulting in an extraordinarily harsh trade imbargo against the tiny Island state isolating it economically. At the same time Castro supporters vouch for Cuba’s achievements in universal education and health care despite a debilitating resource crunch. This led to Castro being hailed by the Leftist movements globally. 

What hurt Havana under Castro was that it could not become part of the international system. His defiance of the ‘Yankees’ for more than six decades while extending support to national liberation struggles in Latin America, Asia and Africa turned him into a Third World icon. He refused to give up his belief in socialism. 

The clout of Castro’s global standing emerged from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). It may be recalled Castro arrived in New Delhi in 1983 to hand over the Presidency of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to India. Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister then and the nation will never forget the bear hug the tall, bearded Cuban leader gave her spontaneously. 

His slogan of “”socialism or death”” inspired the nationalisation of natural wealth by governments across Latin America as a counter to the appropriation of oil and mineral resources by multinational corporations. 

The process of resumption of diplomatic ties between Havana and Washington under the leadership of his brother, Raul Castro, who took over in 2008 continues to be fragile. However, U S President Barrack Obama paid a historic visit to the Caribbean nation after a gap of  88 years earlier this year for a rapproachment between the two neighbours aimed at enlarging economic cooperation.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it seemed Castro’s communist rule would collapse. On the contrary Cuba’s survived thanks to financial interventions by Venezuela now facing bankruptcy. 

Cubans had to endure prolonged power cuts and shortages of food besides other basic items. Stubborn as Castro was, he asked the people to endure this “”special period”” which they did stoicly. 

While undertaking some reforms he allowed the disgruntled to leave by makeshift boats that compelled US President Bill Clinton to agree to more orderly migration. Unlike other dictators he did not use power for personal gain.

With Fidel Castro no more, the challenge is immense for his brother Raul Castro who has announced stepping down as President in 2018. The question is will Cuba be able to maintain its egalitarian legacy while ensuring political and social freedoms. Havana desperately needs to recover from the past by giving a major push for integrating with the global order.

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator. The views are personal.) ”

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Paving the way for a much-needed boost to the Army’s firepower, India on Wednesday signed the Letter of Agreement and Acceptance (LOA) with the U.S. for getting 145 M777 ultra light artillery guns. The deal, worth Rs. 5,000 crores, was given a go-ahead by the Union Cabinet on November 17. The Defence Ministry had approved the deal in October to strengthen the Army’s firepower. The air portable 155mm/39 calibre gun, with maximum range of 30 km, is manufactured by BAE Systems.

In a statement, BAE systems welcomed the signing of LOA and said: “”The company anticipates signing a contract in the coming weeks with the US Department of Defense to supply these M777 Howitzers to the Indian Army.”” According to the BAE Systems, the M777 is a highly portable gun and will prove to be a big positive in the defence arsenal. The gun is portable by land, sea and air and can be easily moved and re-deployed as per the defence forces’ needs in all theatres of war. 

 It said that India will join the U.S., Canadian and Australian forces in gaining the M777’s unmatched strategic and tactical mobility.

“We look forward to providing the Indian Army with the combat-proven M777,” said Dr. Joe Senftle, Vice President and General Manager for Weapon Systems at BAE Systems. “Our plan to establish a domestic Assembly, Integration and Test facility further demonstrates our commitment to ‘Make in India’ and remains a firm part of our strategy to work with the Indian defense sector across Air, Land, Sea and Security.”

At half the weight of other 155mm towed howitzers, the M777 provides a rapid reaction capability and a proven pedigree that delivers decisive firepower when needed most in sustained combat conditions.

With more than 1,090 M777s in service, it is the only battle-proven 155mm Ultra-lightweight howitzer in the world. It will remain at the forefront of artillery technology well into the future through the use of technical insertions, long-range precision guided munition developments, and flexible mobility options, the manufacturer said.

Earlier this year, encouraged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to “Make in India”, BAE Systems announced a plan to establish an Assembly, Integration & Testing (AIT) facility in India which will expand our global supply chain and is an integral part of the offset offer to the Government of India.

The offset offer commits to investing in, and the development of, a number of Indian defence suppliers, providing them with access to the BAE Systems group across Air, Land, Sea and Security programs. The conclusion of this procurement will enable BAE Systems to make an investment of over $200 million in those Indian defence suppliers, it said.”