Home Blog Page 13

‘You had boyfriends, are you a prostitute?’ Former judge Giribala Singh’s alleged audio, forcing to delete Instagram and more: Twisha Sharma death case reveals disturbing details

Rukma Rathore
-
0
‘You had boyfriends, are you a prostitute?’ Former judge Giribala Singh’s alleged audio, forcing to delete Instagram and more: Twisha Sharma death case reveals disturbing details

New details have surfaced in the death case of Twisha Sharma after the release of a viral audio clip linked to her mother-in-law and co-accused retired district judge Girbala Singh. Singh’s call detail records (CDR), CCTV footage documenting the deceased’s final moments and her WhatsApp conversations have already been revealed, as the case that began with allegations of dowry harassment and abuse has transformed into a legal dispute in relation to digital proof.

Twisha, a model-turned-actor from Noida, was found dead in her matrimonial residence in Bhopal on 12th May.

What’s inside the freshly released audio

Giribala Singh reportedly interrogated Twisha about her earlier relationships, inquiring whether she had been “intimate” with anyone for a “favour, financial gain, or other benefits,” in the clip, which has triggered outrage online. The alleged audio has Twisha’s brother discussing how Giribala and her son Samarth has been abusing and mentally harassing Twisha. The voice reported as Giribala’s, is heard defending her son Samarth calling his wife a R*ndi (vile slang for sex worker), when Twisha protested and tried to talk to her mother in law about it, she reportedly took the besmirchment and harassment further, insinuating that Twisha must have been like a prostitute if she had past relationships.

“Twisha protested that Samarth referred to her as R*ndi, which he refuted. I have worked with sex workers, and some engage in such activities out of necessity. Some individuals sell their brains while others sell their bodies to make a living. This is not a problem. However, some do it to ascend the social ladder,” the audio clip plays.

Singh remarked that her daughter-in-law denied the allegations. Singh further asserted that she informed Twisha that whatever transpired is now in the past, but probed whether she would be willing to “waver on these aspects?” Twisha replied that there was nothing to disclose, yet Singh insisted that she must be honest with her son, who asserted that his wife had multiple past relationships.

Singh aggressively defended her line of questioning as “relevant” because “Twisha had told them about her ties to other men” and “sometimes this becomes a habit.” Twisha reportedly explained that it was restricted to hanging out and dating them, but it was asserted that such activities “were not allowed” in their household. Singh lashed out that her daughter-in-law did not unveil these details before the wedding to her. However, she had informed Samarth.

Furthermore, according to Singh, Twisha’s father stated that she terminated the pregnancy due to her fear that Samarth was involved with drugs, which could potentially harm the child, confessing that her son was indeed held back for 2 years in college for this reason.

Twisha’s friend reveals Giribala Singh forced her to delete her Insta before the wedding

Moreover, Twisha’s friend revealed that Singh was persistently pressuring her to remove her “obscene photographs” from Instagram even before the wedding, which were taken during her modelling career. Giribala reportedly termed Twisha’s posts from her modelling days as ‘obscene’. Twisha had acquiesced to her demand and even deactivated her account to make Giribala happy. However, the mother-in-law remained unsatisfied and outlined that these pictures were accessible on other social media platforms, such as YouTube, as well. Twisha had also acted in a movie that was also available on the internet. She had tried to explain that she did not have the rights for the YouTube videos and the movie, so deleting those would not be possible. However, she was exploring options to address this “because it was important to her mother-in-law and she did not want to upset her”, the friend stated.

“Samarth and his family used to insult her in front of friends and family saying, ‘she does not know anything, what education she has, she knows nothing,” another friend revealed that they mocked Twisha as “Gawar,”(rural, uncouth) in a conversation with NDTV. “About two or three months into her marriage, the disturbances and issues in her life seemed to have escalated. During the wedding festivities (of her brother), it was evident that she was deeply distressed,” he mentioned.

The friend also added, “She spoke very little and seemed constantly anxious, always trailing behind her in-laws, listening intently to their every word, and acting as if she were terrified of doing something that might anger them or cause an incident.”

Twisha kept two cell phones for work and private use, according to a friend, but her in-laws attempted to keep the personal phone out of her family’s reach after her passing. “She kept all recordings of calls and videos safe with her so that she could use them later if needed,” she stated.

National Commission for Women (NCW) initiates action on Singh’s remarks

Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar, the chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW), has denounced Singh’s remarks and language regarding Twisha. Singh had questioned Twisha’s past, behaviour and conduct, claiming that she had an abortion “of her own choice,” had schizophrenia and was getting “psychiatric treatment.”

Rahatkar referred to the statements as “painful and heartbreaking” and voiced disappointment at the continued prevalence of these reported dowry harassment occurrences while talking to NDTV. She informed that the body has sought an Action Taken Report (ATR) from the authorities after taking suo motu cognisance of the matter.

According to her, the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police of Madhya Pradesh have already received letters asking them to guarantee an open, unbiased and prompt inquiry. She expressed her support for Twisha’s family and their legal fight.

Giribala Singh petitions magistrate’s court

On 21st May (Thursday), Twisha’s influential mother-in-law Giribala Singh petitioned a magistrate court while lawyer Samarth Singh, her son and Twisha’s spouse, who is presently absconding, approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court after his motion for anticipatory relief was denied by a local Bhopal magistrate court.

The nylon gym rope that Twisha reportedly used to hang herself was not provided by the Bhopal Police during the postmortem examination at AIIMS Bhopal. However, they handed it over later. Afterwards, information about last calls, audio converters and CCTV footage also surfaced, casting suspicion on the handling of important digital evidence.

Singh in her plea to a Bhopal magistrate claimed that the DVR (Digital Video Recorder) system featuring Twisha’s last moments had a “technical defect and displayed a date and time approximately 2 days, 2 hours and 20 minutes behind the actual time.” It further stated that although the investigating officer was informed of the disparity at the time of the seizure, it was never adequately recorded.

The petition argued that while confiscating the video, investigators neglected to do the required panchnama procedures. Singh asserted that the backup should have been played in front of witnesses. She insisted that the people shown in the video had to be officially identified and documented. It added, “No such proceedings were conducted by the police.”

The submission insisted that home features 8 cameras. On 13th May, a technician from the installation company gave the police access to the system, which was attached to a DVR before investigators retrieved it.

Trouble mounts for Giribala Singh, questions raised over the ex-Judge exploiting technicalities, influence to weaken legal case and save her family

On Thursday, Singh received a “third and final notice” from the police, asking that she record her statement concerning the case. Investigators warned that they could petition the court to have her anticipatory bail revoked if she persisted in refusing to cooperate with the investigation. Bhopal Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar warned, “The third and last notice has been issued to her (for recording of statement). If she does not cooperate, we will move the sessions court seeking cancellation of her bail.”

Moreover, the Madhya Pradesh government has opened a probe against Singh, which is the first official administrative action the state has taken against her since the FIR (First Information Report) was filed. She is the chairperson of the Bhopal district consumer commission and the government also asked whether an individual under investigation in such a case can hold the position.

“Kindly conduct an inquiry regarding the case registered against Mrs Giribala Singh, Chairperson, District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Bhopal-2, and make the inquiry report available at the earliest,” a formal notice dated 20th May read. It was released by the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department to the Registrar of the Madhya Pradesh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav recently declared that the state government would write to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) requesting a probe. It is also likely that Twisha’s family will contest Singh’s anticipatory bail before the high court, noting that the sessions court overlooked the charges of influence over the inquiry and autopsy procedure.

There are several questions being raised on Giribala Singh already securing an anticipatory bail for herself, the police delaying FIR, the possibility of evidence tampering and an ex-judge exploiting legal technicalities to save herself and her son, while displaying extreme insensitivity for her deceased daughter-in-law.

Twisha’s family makes serious allegations over evidence tempering

On the other hand, Twisha’s family petitioned the high court to immediately preserve CDRs, subscriber information and CCTV video from AIIMS Bhopal between 12th and 20th May. They charged that “influential persons connected to the accused attempted to interfere with both the police investigation and the postmortem process.” According to them, her in-laws effectively presided over the crime scene for almost two days prior to the acquisition of vital evidence.

The plea mentioned, “The entire crime scene was under the possession and control of both accused for nearly two days.” It also accused, “If investigating agency had seized the entire evidence from the crime scene timely then how come doctored CCTV footage were issued by the accused after getting anticipatory bail.”

The family highlighted that over 45 calls were reportedly made by Singh on the day of Twisha’s death. They insisted that all electronic documents related to the accused side, whether directly or indirectly, be swiftly secured and preserved by investigating agencies.

They expressed that efforts to manipulate officials might be exposed by the CDRs. The plea emphasisied that Singh made “several calls to influential persons due to which the entire investigation was influenced and AIIMS had also issued reports with several lapses.”

Meanwhile, a top cop stressed that the authorities are primarily concentrating on capturing Samarth after which the allegations regarding dubious management of evidence would be looked into. “It’s not a substantial issue, as the ligature material and DVR have been seized under proper guidelines despite the delay,” the officer stated.

Lookout Circular, cash reward for Samarth’s arrest

A Lookout Circular (LoC) has been issued against Samarth to prevent him from departing the country and the cash prize has been raised to ₹30,000 for details leading to his arrest. In his application before the high court, he maintained that although the sessions court had granted relief to his mother in the same case, it had wrongfully refused him anticipatory bail. Samarth complained that he and his mother purportedly sent over Rs 7 lakh to Twisha’s account, thereby rendering the allegations of dowry demand suspicious.

“The WhatsApp chats presented by the complainant are edited and incomplete. The same being tampered cannot be relied upon,” he contended and likewise alleged, “More than Rs 7 lakh has been transferred online to the account of Mrs Twisha by the applicant and his mother in a complaint of dowry harassment for a demand of Rs 2 lakh.”

Samarth asserted that the investigation had not yet turned up any evidence that directly linked him to Twisha’s demise and complained, “The entire prosecution story being constructed and built is based on imagination and presumptions.”

Why Giribala Singh’s conduct is disturbing and scary

Singh represents a stark contrast to the quintessential image of a mother-in-law. She is educated, held an important position and embodies modernity, yet the disparities cease there. While she pretends to be sophisticated or immaculate, the underlying decay remains, marked by an uncanny hunger to dominate every facet of her daughter-in-law’s existence resulting in her harassment, abuse and death. The NCW head is correct in questioning how such incidents persist into 2026.

Many social media users expressed shock over Singh’s overt concerns expressed for the houseplants on the terrace, with the complete lack of any sympathy for the deceased Twisha. It is notable here that Twisha had died on that terrace. Giribala Singh was seen lamenting that the police have locked the terrace (crime scene) and her house plants might die.

However, the truth is that while times have progressed, the fundamental rot in society continues to manifest itself in the harassment, humiliation and oppression of women whether for dowry or other reasons, and at times, no excuse is needed to perpetrate such acts. The daughter-in-law is always depicted as culpable, while the son is forever deemed innocent even after when she is forced to take her own life.

In fact, the character assassination will potentially escalate since she will not be alive to refute the allegations, as demonstrated by the current matter. Young people date, both boys and girls. But somehow, even among educated families, the boy’s past relationships are ignored while the girl’s past relationships are treated as some sort of crime. The cold, calculated insensitivity that the mother-in-law is displaying towards a deceased young woman, and confidently comparing her to prostitutes just because she had past relationships, has triggered an online discussion, especially among women, on how primitive society still is.

Singh’s statements and actions are not just scary but serve as a reminder that even educated and empowered societies are suffering from his affliction, which seems to lack a remedy at this time and might require drastic solutions for effective treatment.

Amid West Asia crisis, PM Modi holds 4-hour long meeting with his Council of Ministers: From ease of doing business to ease of living, here are the issues that were discussed

Shraddha Pandey
-
0
Amid West Asia crisis, PM Modi holds 4-hour long meeting with his Council of Ministers: From ease of doing business to ease of living, here are the issues that were discussed

On 21st May 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a full Council of Ministers meeting at the Seva Teerth. The meeting, which lasted for nearly 4.5 hours, came right after PM Modi returned from a five-nation tour, boosting energy, defence, and strategic relations amidst the West Asia crisis.

The meeting, headed by PM Modi, served as a midterm review of the government’s performance as NDA completes two years into the third term. The core agenda of the meeting was accelerating reforms to achieve the goal of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, improving Ease of Living, Ease of Doing Business, and addressing the fallout of the ongoing West Asia crisis.

In an X post published on 22nd May morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi informed about the agenda of the Council of Ministers meeting held on Thursday.

“Had a fruitful meeting of the Council of Ministers yesterday. We exchanged perspectives and best practices relating to boosting ‘Ease of Living, ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and how to further reforms in order to realise our shared dream of a Viksit Bharat,” the Prime Minister wrote.

West Asia crisis to Viksit Bharat: What was discussed in the Council of Ministers meeting?

During the meeting, several ministers, including Labour, Commerce, Finance, Power, Agriculture, Railways, NITI Aayog, Petroleum, Shipping, Coal, etc, gave a detailed presentation on their successes, ongoing work, future plans, and targets. Various ministries classified reforms into categories like administrative, policy, legislative, etc.

Notably, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Health Minister JP Nadda did not attend the high-level meeting since Singh is on a key visit to South Korea and Nadda is in Geneva. Though unavailable for the meeting, Minister Singh is leading a high-power informal group of ministers to monitor the West Asia crisis.

The Council of Ministers meeting focused on reform push, with discussions on curbing compliance burdens, simplifying procedures, quicker file clearance, and decision-making coupled with minimising delays.

Building on the recent GST recalibration, PM Modi emphasised continuing and accelerating economic reforms and planning beyond the current fiscal year.

Reports say that the Council of Ministers meeting also reviewed the implementation and progress of various schemes and projects, in addition to interministerial coordination.

A key agenda of the meeting held on Thursday was the prevailing West Asia crisis amidst a fragile ceasefire between Iran, the US and Israel. The discussions in the Thursday meeting focused on the impact of the ongoing global crisis on energy security, oil prices since crude prices have skyrocketed over $110/barrel, fuel supplies, supply chains, inflation, agriculture, fertilisers, aviation, shipping, and logistics.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed ministries to take measures to ensure “minimum inconvenience to citizens”.

Besides, the Prime Minister conducted a broader governance review, seeking details of ministry functioning, recent policy outcomes, etc.

PM Modi was also felicitated for the successful five-nation tour and the BJP’s historic victory in West Bengal.

Pertinently, speculations were rife that the Council of Ministers meeting might result in the announcement of a cabinet reshuffle. However, no such announcement has been made.

The timing of the meeting, amidst an escalating West Asia crisis, is crucial. India imports over 85 to 90% of its crude oil, and is vulnerable to price spikes, inflation, and supply chain disruptions. While the government has taken measures to diversify import sources, the ongoing crisis has impacted fertilisers, power and the aviation sector.

PM Modi earlier held CCS meetings to address the security aspects. The Council of Ministers meeting came after the Prime Minister returned from his visit to the UAE, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Italy, securing $40 billion investment for India’s semiconductors, logistics, green energy, and other key sectors. Though explicit details are not out yet, the meeting held on Thursday focused on the diplomatic and economic outcomes of PM Modi’s five-nation tour.

Two years into the term, the Prime Minister essentially held a midterm stocktaking to review the progress and working style of his ministers, while also setting the tone for the remaining period, especially amidst global uncertainties.

The Prime Minister also urged the cabinet to avoid needless controversies and focus on expediting the completion of delayed projects. Overall, the central focus of the meeting remained on the long-term Viksit Bharat 2047 ambition, and the current West Asia crisis.

The Joseph D’Souza Files: How a global missionary network, Rs 296 crore fund diversion allegations and anti-India narratives converged

आशीष नौटियाल
-
0
The Joseph D’Souza Files: How a global missionary network, Rs 296 crore fund diversion allegations and anti-India narratives converged

Following the implementation of stringent laws in India, such as the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), several networks linked to foreign funding have come under scrutiny. As legal action intensified, some groups allegedly began portraying themselves as victims and building narratives against India on international platforms.

In this context, the name of Archbishop Joseph D’Souza has also surfaced. D’Souza compared financial investigations in India to the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany. While presenting himself as a voice for Dalits and marginalized communities, questions have repeatedly been raised regarding foreign funding, financial irregularities, and actions taken by investigative agencies against him. In this report, we will examine every layer of Joseph D’Souza’s past, including allegations surrounding family fraud, financial scandals, investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and CID, political connections, and what critics describe as his anti-India toolkit.

Joseph D’Souza’s past: Family background and the truth about conversion

Joseph D’Souza and his Western associates have frequently promoted a narrative on international platforms that they belong to oppressed, backward, or untouchable communities in India who later converted to Christianity. This portrayal is often used to establish themselves as the “natural and authentic representatives” of India’s Dalits and to attract sympathy from foreign donors. However, according to historical, genealogical, and documentary claims presented by critics, this narrative is misleading and part of a carefully constructed image.

Born into an elite Christian family and the reality of “Christian Ghettos”

Joseph D’Souza was not born into a poor, marginalized, or socially disadvantaged family. Rather, he was born into a highly affluent, economically strong, and traditionally upper-caste Christian family. On several occasions, he himself has reportedly acknowledged that he spent his childhood in “Christian ghettos”, distinct and prosperous Christian settlements surrounded by lower-caste and poor Dalit populations. In other words, from childhood he allegedly lived a privileged life separate from the oppressed communities whose image he is now accused of appropriating.

The genealogical background: Goa’s “Goud Saraswat Brahmins”

According to family histories and genealogical records cited by critics, there is no personal history of Joseph D’Souza himself converting from Hinduism to Christianity. His family has been Christian for generations. They are originally descendants of the well-known “Mudartha” family of Moodubelle in Karnataka.

Research into the family lineage reportedly suggests that they were originally connected to Goa’s upper-caste Goud Saraswat Brahmin community. During the period of Portuguese rule, it is claimed that this Brahmin family was forcibly converted to Christianity.

Educational background and family structure

Joseph earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Karnataka University. He later became fully involved in missionary activities. He obtained a Master’s degree in Communication from the Asian Theological Seminary in the Philippines. Subsequently, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by the Gospel for Asia Biblical Seminary, which critics argue is often used within such networks as a means of strengthening influence and status.

Joseph married a tribal woman named Maryam, a relationship that reportedly faced opposition in its early stages from his family and friends due to his upper social background. Today, critics claim that this family structure has evolved into what resembles a family-run corporate setup. His daughter, Beryl D’Souza, serves as the Global Director for Medical and Anti-Human Trafficking initiatives at the Dignity Freedom Network (DFN), an organization run by Joseph and supported through foreign funding, where she reportedly receives substantial compensation and benefits.

OM International, OM India, Good Shepherd, and DFN: A global triangular structure

To understand Joseph D’Souza’s network, it is important to examine the global and domestic structure of the organizations associated with him. Critics argue that this is not merely a religious institution or a conventional church setup but a multi-layered and highly sophisticated corporate missionary network.

A: From OM International to OM India

Joseph D’Souza began his career with the Indian division of Operation Mobilization (OM International), a globally influential missionary organization founded by George Verwer. OM International is a vast global network registered under the UK Charity Commission.

D’Souza rose through the ranks to become International Vice President of the global organization and later became CEO of its Indian division, OM India, in 2012.

In 2014, according to critics, OM India took a strategic step by technically and legally separating itself from its international parent organization to avoid scrutiny by Indian security agencies. This newly independent entity was rebranded as the “Good Shepherd Church of India.” Through this structure, a parallel network of churches and schools was reportedly established across India, receiving direct financial support from foreign sources.

B: Dignity Freedom Network (DFN)

To build international narratives concerning India and continue fundraising efforts without obstacles, Joseph D’Souza co-founded the Dalit Freedom Network in the United States in 2002. Later, when Indian security agencies allegedly became more attentive to activities associated with the organization, its name was changed to the Dignity Freedom Network (DFN).

Today, this network operates major branches in the United States (DFN USA), Australia (DFN Australia), Canada, and the United Kingdom. According to critics, websites and promotional material associated with these organizations present a highly negative picture of India, claiming that “Dalits and Christians in India are being killed like insects,” while portraying donations to DFN as the primary means of addressing such issues.

C: DFN’s role in the “Breaking India” ecosystem

In the well-known book Breaking India, researchers and authors Rajiv Malhotra and Aravindan Neelakandan provide a detailed investigative analysis of Joseph D’Souza’s Dalit Freedom Network (DFN).

The book argues, using academic references and supporting material, that DFN is not merely a human-rights organization but part of a broader Western geopolitical intervention framework allegedly aimed at influencing India’s internal dynamics and sovereignty. According to the authors, the network uses the language of “human rights” and “Dalit empowerment” as a vehicle for channeling foreign funds into programs and seminars that critics claim are designed to distance Indian youth, particularly socially disadvantaged communities, from their national and cultural identity, create hostility toward their own civilization, and deepen social divisions within the country.

Serious financial crimes and fraud allegations

Joseph D’Souza’s critics argue that his public image came under major scrutiny after the Telangana CID and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed charges in connection with serious allegations involving money laundering and financial misappropriation.

According to findings cited by investigative agencies, Joseph D’Souza and his son Josh Lawrence D’Souza allegedly diverted approximately Rs 296.6 crore in foreign funds, originally raised for the free education and welfare of poor Dalit children, into private bank accounts, fixed deposits, and luxury real-estate investments through fake invoices and shell companies.

To understand the broader allegations, the following examples outline the key scams and the alleged modus operandi identified by investigators:

Tsunami Relief Fund misappropriation

What was the allegation?
Following the devastating 2004 tsunami, approximately Rs 4–5 crore was reportedly raised from foreign donors for the rehabilitation of displaced fishermen and affected coastal communities.

How the alleged manipulation was carried out (Modus Operandi):
The funds were intended for constructing houses and providing boats for fishermen affected by the disaster. However, according to investigators, little or no relief work was carried out on the ground. Authorities alleged that D’Souza’s network created fake invoices in the names of companies and vendors that either did not exist or had no genuine involvement. Through these fabricated bills, investigators claim that the money was withdrawn and diverted elsewhere.

Bible Distribution Scam Allegations

What was the scam?
The network reportedly received Rs 5.9 crore in foreign funding for a specific and legally approved purpose: printing Bibles and other religious material for free distribution in rural and tribal regions across India.

How the alleged manipulation was carried out (Modus Operandi):
According to investigators and critics, charitable funds were allegedly diverted for commercial use. D’Souza reportedly established a business entity called OMBF (OM Books Foundation). Instead of distributing the Bibles free of cost as intended, the printed materials were allegedly sold through this foundation at commercial market rates.

Investigators claimed that materials financed through charitable donations for free distribution generated an unauthorized commercial profit of approximately Rs 9.7 crore. Critics argue that such practices, if proven, would constitute violations of FCRA regulations and tax laws.

Alleged international fundraising misuse through the “Jogini” narrative

What was the scam?
It is one of the most controversial allegations linked to the network that says vulnerable children were used as emotional tools to maximize international sponsorships and donations.

How the alleged manipulation was carried out (Modus Operandi):
The Jogini or Devadasi system has historically existed as a social practice and has, over time, been portrayed by many scholars and activists as involving the exploitation of women associated with temples.

According to investigators and critics, D’Souza’s network allegedly photographed ordinary economically disadvantaged students studying in Good Shepherd schools and used those images in fundraising campaigns targeting affluent Christian donors abroad.

These children were allegedly presented to donors as “Jogini children,” described as children born into families associated with religious and sexual exploitation. Foreign donors were reportedly told that these children required urgent rescue and rehabilitation support.

Through this narrative, investigators allege that an additional $27–33 per child per month was raised in sponsorship funds, with accusations that portions of these funds were redirected into trusts linked to D’Souza and his family.

Critics further argue that the international portrayal of the Jogini issue reflects broader debates surrounding colonial-era narratives, where certain traditions associated with Sanatan practices were interpreted and represented as systemic forms of exploitation, and they allege that such narratives continue to be used by some actors for fundraising purposes.

Misappropriation allegations involving school fees and government funds (Fee Siphoning)

What was the allegation?
Critics describe this as a “double-revenue model,” alleging that money was obtained both from foreign donors and from the same families whose children were being showcased as beneficiaries.

How the alleged manipulation was carried out (Modus Operandi):
On international platforms, DFN reportedly claimed that it was providing 100% free education, accommodation, and food to Dalit children in India, and raised substantial annual funding on that basis.

However, according to investigators, the situation on the ground was different. Students attending Good Shepherd schools were allegedly charged tuition fees, school uniform costs, and transportation fees.

Additionally, investigators alleged that reimbursements and subsidies received under India’s Right to Education (RTE) framework, including government support intended for educational expenses, were either omitted from school audit records or diverted into private accounts.

Alleged FCRA violations through fake invoices (post-ban siphoning)

What was the allegation?
According to investigators, even after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) suspended and later cancelled the FCRA licenses of key organizations associated with the network for alleged regulatory violations, foreign funds reportedly continued entering India through indirect channels.

How the alleged manipulation was carried out (Modus Operandi):
The cancellation of FCRA licenses meant that the organizations could no longer directly receive foreign donations. Investigators alleged that D’Souza then used his commercial entity, OMBF (OM Books Foundation), as an alternative route.

According to allegations, inflated and fabricated invoices for printing and publishing services were generated and sent to associated or allegedly affiliated organizations overseas. These transactions were presented as legitimate commercial activities, creating the appearance that foreign organizations had commissioned books and publications. Investigators claim that this mechanism was used to continue routing foreign funds into India despite restrictions on direct foreign contributions.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) action and property seizures

What was the allegation?
Investigators alleged that approximately Rs 296.6 crore generated through the above-mentioned activities was laundered through investments in real estate and other assets.

How action was taken:
While investigating under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) reportedly found that Joseph D’Souza, his son Josh Lawrence D’Souza, and close associates had acquired expensive land parcels, commercial properties, and luxury villas using funds allegedly linked to these activities.

As part of its action on what it classified as “proceeds of crime,” the ED reportedly attached and froze 12 major immovable properties whose combined market value was estimated at over Rs 15 crore.

The alleged operational model of this financial network was straightforward but sophisticated: portray India’s poverty and social problems in alarming terms to foreign audiences in order to attract donations, then allegedly divert those funds through paper transactions and fabricated invoices into private assets and an affluent lifestyle rather than using them for the intended beneficiaries.

Political connections and the Indian Left-Liberal ecosystem

Joseph D’Souza’s critics argue that his influence extends beyond religious activities and that he has maintained close links with sections of India’s political and media ecosystem. They claim that whenever legal action intensifies around financial allegations, political support systems become active in framing such actions as politically or ideologically motivated.

Ideological alignment with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi

Joseph D’Souza’s association with senior Congress leadership goes back many years.

Following the 2004 general election, when the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee was defeated and the United Progressive Alliance came to power under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, D’Souza reportedly wrote to church networks in the United States describing the outcome as “Divine Justice” and “a great miracle.”

At that time, D’Souza was serving as the global president of the All India Christian Council. According to Breaking India, these claims and related documentation are discussed in Chapter 8 of the book.

It also point to more recent developments as evidence of continued political alignment. During debates around reforms concerning Waqf administration, Rahul Gandhi echoed concerns raised by some bishops and church groups, stating that after the Waqf Bill the government might potentially target church properties.

Such political statements serve to frame ongoing ED and CID investigations involving figures like Joseph D’Souza as issues of “religious persecution,” thereby creating a protective political narrative. However, this remains a matter of political interpretation and competing viewpoints rather than an established legal conclusion.

Platforming by The Wire and Siddharth Varadarajan

Following amendments to India’s FCRA framework aimed at tightening oversight of foreign funding and addressing concerns around illegal conversions and money laundering, critics allege that the digital news platform The Wire provided a platform to Archbishop Joseph D’Souza to challenge the government’s actions.

According to critics, The Wire co-founder Siddharth Varadarajan enabled D’Souza to present his views through a special interview format.

During a lengthy video interview with The Wire, Joseph D’Souza reportedly described the financial regulations passed by India’s Parliament as a “direct government seizure of church properties.” According to critics, he also appealed to the international community, particularly the United States and European countries, to intervene regarding India’s regulatory framework and exert diplomatic or economic pressure on the Indian government. The interview on The Wirewas conducted by senior journalist Karan Thapar.

Formation of the National Federation of Churches in India (NFCI): A pressure group

Joseph D’Souza’s lobbying efforts also contributed to the formation of the National Federation of Churches in India (NFCI), a platform that brought together denominations including Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, and Pentecostal churches, despite longstanding theological differences among them.

Anthony Poola was appointed as the federation’s president.

The organization’s core objective extends beyond religious coordination and reform. According to them, the federation functions as a coordinated political and social pressure group intended to oppose anti-conversion laws enacted in several Indian states and challenge the central government’s FCRA regulations, with the broader aim of protecting institutional and financial interests. These claims, however, reflect the interpretation of critics and remain matters of political and ideological debate rather than established judicial findings.

Joseph D’Souza’s statements, videos, and blogs criticizing India

Joseph D’Souza has consistently used international media outlets, American think tanks, and digital platforms to portray India as an “intolerant,” “anti-Christian,” and “fascist” nation. According to these critics, an analysis of his public statements, video interviews, and blog posts reveals what they describe as a broader anti-India narrative strategy.

1. Statements on global media and comparisons with Nazi Germany

Remarks on CBN News
In an interview with the American Christian media outlet Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN News), Joseph D’Souza reportedly compared India’s financial regulations, particularly FCRA amendments, with the systematic persecution of Jews under Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany.

Critics view such comparisons as an attempt to portray India’s democratic institutions and legal framework in a negative light before international audiences.

Characterization of India as a Nation Built on Oppression
In appearances on the Canadian missionary television program 100 Huntley Street and in his video series Dalit Freedom Part 2, D’Souza reportedly described India’s ancient civilizational and social history as one primarily defined by oppression and social hierarchy.

Critics argue that such presentations simplify and negatively characterize India’s historical legacy for Western audiences while simultaneously portraying Christianity as the sole source of humanitarian values and reform, thereby strengthening missionary narratives.

2. Criticism of the Indian Judiciary

When the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts upheld the constitutional validity of state laws aimed at restricting conversions carried out through inducement, fraud, or coercion, D’Souza reportedly took a strongly critical position toward the judiciary.

In public video statements, he allegedly characterized elements of the Indian judicial system as being influenced by a majoritarian agenda.

Critics argue that beyond the direct criticism of judicial decisions, D’Souza attempted to introduce religious language and biblical references into discussions surrounding Indian legal processes.

According to this interpretation, the broader objective was to frame legal investigations and regulatory scrutiny involving his network not merely as legal matters, but as forms of religious persecution directed against Christian institutions. Critics contend that this creates a narrative environment in which ordinary legal proceedings involving financial allegations can be portrayed as ideological or faith-based conflicts.

3. Sharing platforms with Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd

Joseph D’Souza has frequently appeared on international forums and podcasts alongside Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd.

Critics describe Kancha Ilaiah as a controversial figure known for strong critiques of Hindu social structures and Indian cultural traditions. They also point out that he has written for NewsClick, a platform that has faced scrutiny in investigations concerning foreign funding allegations.

According to critics, D’Souza and Kancha Ilaiah use international platforms to present critical interpretations of Hinduism, India’s social structures, and Indian culture, while drawing selectively on the ideas of B. R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Karl Marx to advance broader ideological arguments concerning India.

Blog Posts and Digital Platforms

Joseph D’Souza reportedly publishes articles critical of Hindi, Indian nationalism, and anti-conversion laws enacted in various Indian states through personal blogs and international evangelical portals.

In his essays, D’Souza advocates for an unrestricted right to religious conversion and opposes limitations on missionary activity, including regulations concerning the use of foreign funding. These positions remain part of broader political and ideological debates surrounding religious freedom, conversion laws, and foreign-funded activism in India.

What is Nautapa – the 9 days of intense heat: What experts say and how to be safe during the heat wave

Shraddha Pandey
-
0
What is Nautapa – the 9 days of intense heat: What experts say and how to be safe during the heat wave

Summers in India are a survival game of their own kind. While in many European countries, heatwave alerts are declared at mere 26 degrees Celsius, in India, people are accustomed to enduring temperatures even as high as 40 degrees. North and central India are set to witness the nine days of intense heat, traditionally called the Nautapa. Literally, the term Nautapa means ‘Nau’ or nine and ‘tapa’ or heat or penance.

This year, the Nautapa or the nine hottest days of the summer season, begins on 26th May and ends on 2nd June. During this time, the temperature is expected to exceed 45 to 50 degrees Celsius and even higher in some regions. The soaring temperature will be accompanied by dry and blistering winds called loo.

Nautapa carries both scientific and astrological significance.

The Astrological importance of Nautapa

According to Hindu scriptures and astrology, Nautapa begins when the Sun, Surya, enters the Rohini Nakshatra, a lunar mansion in the Taurus zodiac. The Rohini Nakshatra is ruled by the Moon (Chandra), which is cooling; however, the fierce energy of the Sun is dominant during this transit. The Sun’s energy burns away the cooling influence, thus intensifying earthly heat. The astrological and meteorological phenomenon unfolds in the Hindu month of Jyeshtha.

Although not described by the modern colloquial term Nautapa, the phenomenon of nine days of intense heat during Surya’s transit into Rohini Nakshatra in the Jyeshtha month is mentioned in the Surya Siddhanta, Shrimad Bhagavatam, Padma Purana, Skanda Purana, and Vishnu Dharmottara Purana.

Jyotish texts define the Nautapa period and importance through this shloka:

ज्येष्ठ मासे शीत पक्षे आर्द्रादि दशतारका।
सजला निर्जला ज्ञेया निर्जला सजलास्तथा॥

This roughly translates as, in the Jyeshtha month, during Shukla Paksh, from Ardra Nakshatra onward for the next ten Nakshatras, if there is rain, there will be drought later; if there is intense heat, there will be good rainfall in the monsoon season.

For this reason, it is said that a stronger Nautapa is a pleasant omen for a good monsoon later. During the Nautapa, offering Surya Arghya holds special significance and is believed to provide divine blessings and mental peace.

The meteorological explanation behind Nautapa

During late May and early June, the Sun’s declination puts it almost directly overhead over northern India, near the Tropic of Cancer. Since solar rays fall perpendicularly on the surface of the Earth, maximum heat energy reaches us. There is also a sharp slump in humidity, causing dry and hot conditions, ideal for scorching heatwaves.

The Nautapa is a pre-monsoon period wherein the land heats up quickly before the arrival of the southwest monsoon by mid-June. This leads to low-pressure zones, triggering abrupt dust storms, thunder or pre-monsoon rains in the evenings.

As per meteorologists, temperatures during this time can increase 2 to 5 degrees Celsius above normal due to seasonal solar positioning coupled with atmospheric dynamics.

The health risks during Nautapa and how to protect yourself: Dos and don’ts

Among the most common effects of the unbearable heat during Nautapa are dehydration and heat exhaustion. In a more serious scenario, people, especially school-going children, might suffer heatstroke and seizures.

Skin dryness, chapped lips, and prickly heat. The situation becomes particularly concerning for children, heart patients, diabetics, the elderly and outdoor workers.

Urban areas may even witness increased risk due to the heat island effect, wherein cities experience exponentially higher surface and air temperatures than rural areas due to human modification of the land surface, in addition to the waste heat generated by energy usage.

To avoid falling victim to the intense heat, it is essential to hydrate oneself quite aggressively. Drink around 3 to 4 litres of water daily, and try to drink even more water if outdoors. Include electrolytes with ORS, coconut water, lemon water, chhas or buttermilk. Do not wait to get properly thirsty to drink water. Don’t overdrink in one go, but drink water at regular intervals. Most important: Don’t skip breakfast, have a light and healthy morning meal.

Try to stay indoors during peak heat time, which is 12 pm and 4 pm. Going out before 11 am and after 5 pm would be more appropriate. Schedule heavy work like farming or sports training, etc., for early morning or evening instead of daytime.

Besides drinking water and managing time for outdoor visits, dressing smart is also quite helpful in dodging the effects of the raging heatwave. Avoid body fit, synthetic clothes, and wear loose and comfortable clothes. Wearing light-coloured cotton or other breathable fabrics would be most appropriate. When going outside, cover your head with a cap, umbrella, or cotton cloth, and use sunglasses and sunscreen, particularly SPF 30+.

Some dietary tweaks can also prove helpful to beat the heat. Consume water-rich fruits like watermelon, oranges, muskmelon, cucumber, eat salads, curd, drink coconut water, mint, fennel, etc. Have small but frequent meals. Avoid oily, fried and over-spicy food, including non-veg, since they increase internal body heat.

Keeping your house and workspace cool is also essential. Use fans, air conditioners, coolers, and wet curtains, etc. It is, however, crucial to avoid using ACs without breaks. OpIndia explained earlier how continuous usage of ACs and other technical factors result in AC blasts during peak summer, as well as how such incidents can be avoided.

Avoid unnecessary visits during peak afternoon hours. Reduce alcohol, caffeine, and extremely cold carbonated beverages, as they may offer immediate relief, but they also cause faster dehydration.

Seek immediate medical help in case of dizziness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, dry skin or sudden mental cluelessness or confusion.

The Indian Meteorological Department’s weather forecast indicates that over the coming 15 days in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, New Delhi and NCR, daytime temperatures will hover between 40 and 44 degrees Celsius and even 46 degrees Celsius. In some areas, an orange alert has been issued. Scattered rain and thunderstorms can occur in isolated areas.

Notably, experts opine that even though the IMD does not endorse the astrological term Nautapa, the timing of this phenomenon usually aligns with the peak pre-monsoon heat patterns.

In an X post published on 20th May, the Indian Meteorological Department informed about the coming severe heat wave conditions and offered some safety tips.

“Heat Wave Warning. Heat wave to severe heat wave conditions likely to continue to prevail over northwest & central India during the week and over East India during next 5 days. Safety Tips: Drink plenty of water, Wear light cotton clothes & cover your head, Avoid going out during 12 PM–4 PM, Eat hydrating fruits & avoid dehydration, Stay indoors or in shaded/cool places,Take extra care of children & elderly people. Stay safe. Stay cool,” the IMD posted.

In Hindi, it is said, ‘Jitni garmi Nautapa mein, utni varsha baad mein’, which means the hotter the Nautapa, the better the monsoon. The Nautapa creates the requisite temperature gradient for monsoon winds to rush in. It is a punishing phenomenon for the living but is also nature’s way of preparing for eventual relief. Thus, be smart and beat the heat.

Bulldozer action at Bandra’s Garib Nagar slums: Read how actor-turned-Congress leader Sunil Dutt played a prominent role in the establishment of these illegal settlements

Rukma Rathore
-
0
Bulldozer action at Bandra’s Garib Nagar slums: Read how actor-turned-Congress leader Sunil Dutt played a prominent role in the establishment of these illegal settlements

On 20th May (Wednesday), violent scenes broke out in Garib Nagar, a densely populated slum and a Muslim-majority neighbourhood in the Bandra east of Mumbai, during a demolition drive. It was mandated by the Bombay High Court on 29th April after a 9-year-long legal battle. The locals threw stones at the police team and other officials conducting the anti-encroachment operation of Western Railways within the jurisdiction of Nirmal Nagar Police Station.

They also shouted slogans, hurled utensils, buckets of water, bottles and other objects at the authorities as well as railway employees. Police had to use lathi-charge and apprehend multiple people, including youth and women, to disperse the aggressive mob. 7 cops were wounded, and 10 accused were nabbed after the attack. First Information Reports (FIRs) are registered, and strict measures have been warned against the perpetrators.

Around 60% of the demolition is completed, as almost 300 houses and other constructions, including an unlawful mosque close to Bandra East station, have been successfully removed. Additionally, the number of machines is increased to ensure that the task is concluded within the designated timeframe.

The campaign was assigned to nearly 1,200 security personnel and staff comprised of 250 Railway Protection Force (RPF) and 200 Government Railway Police (GRP) officers, along with 500 from the Mumbai Police and 250 workers from different railway departments. The number stood at 1000, a day earlier. An eyewitness reported that the assault transpired after a portion of the mosque was destroyed. 50-60 people assembled to voice their objection, disregarded repeated requests to calm down and began stone pelting, after which police had to intervene.

A heavy police presence is currently established to prevent any untoward incident alongside fire brigade teams, barricading arrangements, ambulances and police vans outside the impacted part. The administration continued to raze the settlements and dispose of the debris.

The 5-day action plan to dismantle 500 illegal structures and liberate 5,300 square metres of occupied property was commenced on 19th May. According to other reports, over 700 unlicensed slum dwellings are located along the overbridge that leads to Bandra’s east side. There are even 5 or 6-story tall units along the railroads.

The people have been informed beforehand to leave their houses to prevent any issues amid the important exercise. Vineet Abhishek, the Chief Public Relations Officer for Western Railway, indicated that efforts are underway to supply basic amenities to the affected persons. Bottled drinking water and food packets are distributed as needed.

“On the first day (Tuesday), we completed 20% of the work while today (Wednesday), we completed 60% of the work. The judgment stated that seven days from the ruling, we were to take appropriate action,” he outlined.

Western Railway stated that approximately 100 individuals were found to be eligible for rehabilitation in surveys performed in August 2021. Alternative accommodation is scheduled to be provided to them. The remaining facilities are regarded as unauthorised intrusions on railway territory.

“Muslim land mafias had encroached illegal slum and now, after the direction of court and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, action has started. Land jihad will not be tolerated in Mumbai,” expressed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya.

The purpose of the long-pending decision

The critical expansion of the Western Railway, the installation of more stabling lines, the development of an integrated railway complex and other related programs are going to be initiated in the area. The 5th and 6th railway lines on the Santacruz-Mumbai Central corridor are expected to be extended via the cleared ground, which is around 500 metres long and hugs the rails. It is vital for the Rail Land Development Authority’s (RLDA) commercial advancement.

This will facilitate the functioning of 50 new trains that originate from Mumbai, alleviate acute suburban movement congestion, improve the connection between Bandra suburban station and Bandra Terminus as well as separate local and long-distance trains. It will also positively boost the commercial progress of the adjacent railway land.

Vineet Abhishek conveyed, “The demolished land will be part of the Bandra Integrated Railway Complex. This newly cleared land will help expand the Bandra Railway Station, allowing 12 additional trains to run on the new tracks. These maximum encroachments cannot hold the city hostage.”

The authorities mentioned that the step is essential for track safety as well, since incursions and trash dumping put train services at risk. The high court also took note of these concerns while approving the move. Moreover, Mumbai is simultaneously moving forward with major infrastructure upgrades, such as the setting up of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train station at the adjoining Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).

The link between Garib Nagar and actor-turned Congress MP Sunil Dutt

Interestingly, many illegal inhabitants of Garib Colony were heard remembering late actor Sunil Dutt, who later transitioned into politics and became a member of the Indian National Congress, because he had stopped a similar drive earlier. “Today if Sunil Dutt was here, no one would have been able to touch or move us from here,” Mid Day quoted a man.

Another recalled how the locality had continually relied on promises and protection from specific political parties, echoing, “We were safe only because we voted for Sunil Dutt.” Similarly, a person claimed, “When they come to us for votes, we the ‘unauthorised’ people become authorised. Every politician, MP and MLA used to come here seeking votes, but now that we are being pushed out of our homes, no one is here to help.”

“During elections, Bandra MLA Varun Sardesai told us that if residents of Garib Nagar faced any problem, we should come to him and he would solve it. We have Aadhaar cards, PAN cards and voter IDs, yet the demolition happened without any survey. Who are we supposed to go to for help now,” accused a local. Sardesi is from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) of Congress-led I.N.D.I. Alliance.

Dutt, who joined Congress in 1984, encountered severe criticism for his undue endorsement of impermissible slums. He won his Mumbai north-west parliamentary seat for the 5th time in 2004, but a strong section of his supporters in the Bandra-Khar-Juhu turned away from him, reported The Times of India. The dissenters outlined that he never tried to halt the growth of these prohibited communities, which intruded on public spaces. Their anger was also reflected in the results as his margin was cut in half from 85,500 in 1999 to 47,000 in that year.

Vidya Vaidya, a Cityspace committee member, argued that Dutt took the tax-paying citizen for granted. Trupti Patel, an activist with Agni, pointed out that he had rarely taken any steps to safeguard public lands including Bandra, Khar, Santa Cruz and Vile Parle. “There are illegal structures coming up in Bandra and Khar which his party workers know about and are doing nothing to prevent. Local people are suffering. Just look at the pavements on Linking Road, there is no space to walk,” complained Edwin Britto, social activist from Khar.

According to attorney R. Haridas, secretary of the Santa Cruz Relief Road Housing Society Association, plots in this area that were initially designated for gardens and playgrounds had been marked for slum rehabilitation.

A few years prior, in 2021, Dutt presided over a protest of slum residents at the collector’s office in Bandra. The Northwest District Congress Committee arranged the march to demand that the state government’s pre-1995 slum protection policy extend to hutments on central government property, including the premises owned by the Indian airport authority (IAA).

The IAA wanted all huts surrounding the airport to be removed because they constituted a serious security danger. However, the party insisted on a suspension to the demolition until the authorities hand out photo passes to the eligible people staying in these slums. The interference reached to such a scale that a senior Congress leader felt compelled to urge that “politics should be put on the backburner where security considerations are involved.”

The AR Antulay government (June 1980-January 1982) earlier tried to get rid of Mumbai slums, irking the residents. The state was also challenged by NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations), including Nivara Hakk Suraksha Samiti (NHSS) headed by actress Shabana Azmi, aimed to postpone the cut-off date for these settlements. Therefore, Dutt was dubbed as an antidote to reclaim the lost votes by the party. Afterwards, he was credited as the deadline was moved to 1985.

The staunch Congressman had even persuaded his party president Sonia Gandhi to tell Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to cease bulldozer action in Mumbai’s slums. He encouraged the date to be pushed back to 2000s from 1995, as vowed in the Congress election manifesto.

A slum near Bandra, Nargis Dutt Nagar, founded by Dutt in honour of his deceased wife and actress, was even asserted to be a hub for infiltrators and a ploy by politicians to create a vote bank, particularly in light of the 2014 assembly elections, which witnessed the victory of the BJP, according to The Times of India. The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority owns the plot. It is leased to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) for auxiliary work related to flyover development.

“Migrants are pouring into the city almost daily. The truth of this slum is simple. Elections are near and the slum’s occupants will serve as a vote bank. 100% of the slum’s vote will be for politicians who shut their eyes to the building of illegal shanties,” voiced Anil Joseph, Perry Road Residents Association’s chairperson.

“In 1994, Nargis Dutt Nagar started with 40 shanties, which used to be demolished by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) every now and then. But now the extent of this slum is unimaginable. It extends from the Bandra fire station right up to Rangsharda Hotel (near Lilavati Hospital),” he added.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray in 2015 attributed the city’s slum problem to Dutt, actress Shabana Azmi and late Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Baba Ziauddin Siddique.

“They were directly responsible for the mushrooming of several slums in Behrampada and Bharat Nagar. Majority of the migrants who come from Bangladesh may get involved in terrorist activities. What if that leads to something like serial bomb blasts like ones Mumbai has already experienced,” he questioned during a major rally.

Thackeray accused Congress leaders of fostering vote-bank strategies and commented that all of the shanties were being converted into pucca houses that would be hard to take down.

This discloses how illicit settlements have continuously been promoted by the grand old party leaders and its allies for political benefits, undermining the state’s progress. As a result, the implementation of even court order is being impeded by acts of violence, which stem from this excessive political endorsement of nefarious elements.

A similar story replicated in Dharavi

The present incident is similar to what has been observed in Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, for years concerning its redevelopment. Navbharat Mega Developers Private Limited (formerly Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Limited) is a joint venture between the Adani Group and Maharashtra government.

The project, which aims to transform this 2.4 square kilometre area into a modern township with residential, commercial and industrial facilities, faced constant protests from Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, which also took out a “Dharavi Nyay Yatra” in the impoverished area in 2024.

Rahul Gandhi visited Dharavi in the lead-up to the last assembly elections in the state to claim that the redevelopment is a sham and the project is gifted to the businessman by Prime Minister Modi only for his advantage. He mocked “United we are safe (Ek hain to safe hain)” slogan of the saffron party, stressing that Dharavi is unsafe and being destroyed for the sake of one man.

Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad likewise levelled allegations of land-grabbing. However, it was discovered that land parcels won’t be given to the Adani Group but rather to the housing department of the state government via the Dharavi Redevelopment Project/Slum Rehabilitation Authority (DRP/SRA).

From bogus statements of favourtism and accusations of displacing people, the parties employed similar tactics to obstruct the crucial assignment. These leaders also demonstrated at Nagpur’s Vidhan Bhavan over the matter.

Conclusion

While the locations of projects might vary, Congress politics does not, as it interprets every issue not through the perspective of national interest, but the lens of votes and political gain. This is the reason for their furious resistance to the redevelopment of slums, which have not only devolved into problems for the country’s development but also infringe upon public property and become hotspots for illegal immigrants, especially in major urban areas like Mumbai.

These illicit territories that were formed and flourished under the earlier governments and parties need to be eradicated not just for the country’s progress but also to ensure its safety and security. Furthermore, the eligible people forced to spend their lives in such places also deserve to be offered the opportunity to experience better and superior conditions. Thus, the demolition must proceed without interruption, free from any political influence or fabricated narratives.

Strategic partnerships, Semiconductor deals and Rs 3.5 lakh crore investments: What PM Modi achieved in his five-nation tour

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Strategic partnerships, Semiconductor deals and Rs 3.5 lakh crore investments: What PM Modi achieved in his five-nation tour

Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to New Delhi on Thursday morning, 21st May, after concluding an extensive five-nation diplomatic tour that covered the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy. The 6-day tour has delivered a major investment push for India, with fresh business commitments and expansion plans worth an estimated ₹3.5 lakh crore (around USD 40 billion) emerging from meetings with global industry leaders and partner countries.

The visit, which began on 15th May in the UAE and concluded in Italy on Wednesday, 20th May, focused on strengthening India’s strategic partnerships, boosting trade and investment, securing energy cooperation, and expanding collaboration in technology, defence, innovation, education and clean energy.

PM Modi began his tour with the UAE visit

PM Modi began his tour with an official visit to the UAE on 15th May, where he was welcomed by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with a ceremonial reception. During the visit, both leaders reviewed the growing India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discussed regional security, trade, energy and defence cooperation.

PM Modi also reiterated India’s support for safe and uninterrupted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and strongly condemned attacks on the UAE.

Major outcomes of the UAE visit included:

Massive $5 billion investment package: Emirati entities committed an immediate $5 billion into India’s growing financial and infrastructure ecosystems. This includes a major $3 billion investment by Emirates NBD in RBL Bank of India, $1 billion from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) in the National Infrastructure & Investment Fund (NIIF) for high-priority projects, and another $1 billion from the International Holding Company in Sammaan Capital.

Petroleum and Gas reserve agreement: A major collaboration agreement was signed between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). This groundbreaking deal increases the UAE’s storage participation in India’s strategic oil reserves to 30 million barrels. It also sets up a shared framework to build dedicated strategic gas reserves right inside India.

Long-term LPG supply line: To guarantee steady household fuel supplies, a binding commercial agreement was locked in between Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and ADNOC for predictable, long-term LPG shipments.

Framework for strategic defence partnership: Moving beyond simple defence sales, this newly signed framework shifts the relationship toward advanced defence industrial collaboration. It builds an active roadmap for joint training exercises, maritime security operations, shared cyber defence, secure communications, and advanced technology research.

Vadinar Ship Repair Cluster: Cochin Shipyard Limited joined forces with Drydocks World, Dubai, to sign an MoU establishing a specialised Ship Repair Cluster at Vadinar, India. Backed by India’s Maritime Development Fund Scheme, this project focuses heavily on advanced offshore fabrication.

Maritime skill development program: A tripartite MoU involving Cochin Shipyard Limited, Drydocks World, and the Centre of Excellence in Maritime & Shipbuilding (CEMS) was formalised. This agreement sets up an international training network to upskill Indian professionals, positioning India as a global hub for shipbuilding and repair talents.

Mega 8-exaflop supercomputer cluster: In a huge push for computing power, India’s CDAC partnered with the UAE’s tech giant G-42. They signed a formal term sheet to co-develop an 8-Exaflop supercomputing cluster, bringing massive data-processing capabilities to both countries.

Operationalising the MAITRI virtual trade corridor: The leaders officially launched the virtual trade corridor driven by MAITRI (Master Application for International Trade and Regulatory Interface). By digitally linking customs and port agencies on both sides, this system slashes shipping costs, removes paperwork delays, and speeds up the movement of goods.

Netherlands visit: Strategic partnership, semiconductors and return of historic Chola artefacts

PM Modi travelled to the Netherlands between 16th and 17th May at the invitation of Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten. The visit became one of the most significant stops of the tour as India and the Netherlands elevated ties to a full-fledged “Strategic Partnership”.

One of the most symbolic moments of the visit was the return of the historic 11th-century Chola-era Leiden Copper Plates to India after centuries.

The central achievement of this visit was the formal elevation of bilateral ties to a full-fledged “Strategic Partnership.” This upgrade was backed by the signing of 14 bilateral agreements that led to 17 major strategic outcomes across semiconductors, green energy, water engineering, and education.

The 17 Key Outcomes and deals signed with the Netherlands

1. Roadmap of India-Netherlands Strategic Partnership (2026-2030): This comprehensive document acts as the master blueprint for the newly upgraded relationship. It outlines clear, time-bound execution targets for defence manufacturing, semiconductor supply chains, cybersecurity frameworks, artificial intelligence research, and high-tech agriculture over the next four years.

2. Restitution of the Historical Chola Copper Plates: The return of the 11th-century Anaimangalam copper plates was a deeply symbolic moment. Weighing nearly 30 kilograms and held together by a large bronze ring with the royal seal of Rajendra Chola I, these 21 plates date back to the reigns of Emperor Rajaraja Chola I and his son. The inscriptions feature Sanskrit text tracing the divine lineage of the Chola kings, alongside Tamil text recording land grants made to a Buddhist monastery built by the Indonesian Srivijaya kingdom. This artefact provides rare, physical proof of India’s historical maritime trade networks and religious harmony.

3. Leiden University Libraries and ASI Heritage Pact: Directly linked to the restitution, an MoU was signed between Leiden University Libraries and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). This agreement sets up long-term academic access, shared restoration techniques, and digital research pipelines for ancient historical manuscripts.

4. Comprehensive MoU on Mobility and Migration: As thousands of Indian professionals, researchers, and students move to the Netherlands, both governments signed a protective migration treaty. This creates highly structured, legal, and safe pathways for skilled professionals. At the same time, it establishes strict institutional rules to stop human trafficking and irregular migration, fully protecting workers’ legal rights and keeping visa processes transparent.

5. The Tata Electronics and ASML Semiconductor deal: In a major technology win, Tata Electronics signed a highly anticipated MoU with the Dutch semiconductor giant ASML. ASML is the only company in the world capable of manufacturing the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines required to print advanced microchips. ASML will provide state-of-the-art lithography equipment, direct engineer training, and supply chain support to scale Tata’s milestone 300mm wafer fabrication plant in Dholera, Gujarat.

6. Strategic intergovernmental MoU on critical minerals: India and the Netherlands also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in critical minerals. Signed between the Ministry of Mines of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, this MoU establishes an institutional framework for securing critical mineral value chains. 

7. Letter of Intent for the Kalpasar Coastal Engineering Project: India’s Ministry of Jal Shakti joined hands with the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. The Netherlands will bring its world-class hydraulic engineering and delta management experience to Gujarat’s massive Kalpasar Project, which focuses on building a giant fresh-water reservoir across the Gulf of Khambhat by damming tidal flows and controlling salinity.

8. Launch of the Joint Green Hydrogen Roadmap: This energy blueprint combines India’s vast renewable power potential and low manufacturing costs with the Netherlands’ advanced infrastructure as Europe’s primary hydrogen entry point through the Port of Rotterdam. The roadmap sets out joint commercial rules, safety systems, and transport setups for clean energy.

9. Institutionalising the Joint Working Group on Renewable Energy: The leaders set up a permanent Joint Working Group (JWG) to move beyond basic discussions. This body will actively oversee cross-border investments, grid-scale battery storage installations, and smart solar-grid integration projects.

10. Renewal of the NITI Aayog-Netherlands Decarbonisation Accord: NITI Aayog and the Dutch government officially extended their Joint Statement of Intent. This extension focuses on sharing advanced data-modelling software and policy designs to transition traditional, heavy-emission industrial centres into modern net-zero networks.

11. Establishing the Indo-Dutch Centre of Excellence for Flowers: The two sides established the Indo-Dutch Centre of Excellence for Flowers in West Tripura. This will help farmers to adopt high-value floriculture. 

12. Opening the Indo-Dutch Centre of Excellence on Training in Dairy: The leaders further welcomed the signing of a Joint Declaration between the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature of the Netherlands. The deal also included the establishment of an Indo-Dutch Centre of Excellence on Training in Dairy at the Centre of Excellence for Animal Husbandry (CEAH), Bengaluru. 

13. Joint Declaration on Animal Husbandry and Food Processing: Both nations signed an expansive agricultural declaration to introduce automated Dutch processing technologies, cold-chain preservation systems, and livestock optimisation methods across India.

14. Public Health Research LoI between ICMR and RIVM: A Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). The partnership focuses on tracking infectious diseases, building early warning systems for climate-driven health risks, and running joint biomedical programs.

15. Customs Mutual Administrative Assistance Agreement: India and the Netherlands also signed an Agreement on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters to improve customs cooperation, information sharing and trade facilitation. 

16. National MoU on Higher Education Expansion: India and the Netherlands also signed an MoU on Higher Education to encourage collaboration between universities, student exchanges and academic research. Expands opportunities for academic exchanges, joint programmes and research collaboration. It expands opportunities for academic exchanges, joint programmes and research collaboration.  

17. Landmark Nalanda University and University of Groningen Partnership: Stepping outside the general education framework, Nalanda University and the University of Groningen signed a direct academic cooperation treaty, building a dedicated research pipeline for historical studies and international relations.

Sweden visit: AI, innovation and technology partnership

PM Modi’s visit to Sweden on 17th May marked another major diplomatic milestone as India and Sweden officially upgraded their ties to a “Strategic Partnership”.

The focus of the visit remained strongly centred on innovation, advanced technology, artificial intelligence and sustainable industrial cooperation.

Major outcomes of the Sweden visit included:

Launch of the Joint Innovation Partnership 2.0: This upgraded tech partnership focuses on joint research and development in cutting-edge areas, including 6G communication grids, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, space technologies, eco-friendly mining, and advanced life sciences.

Creation of the SITAC (India-Sweden Technology and AI Corridor): This digital corridor connects tech startups, venture capital networks, and premium labs in both countries. Designed to support India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 goals, SITAC simplifies cross-border tech testing and soft-landing pathways for emerging tech firms.

Establishing a virtual joint science and technology centre: To bridge the gap between research labs and real-world manufacturing, this virtual centre connects Indian and Swedish universities with industrial manufacturing partners to bring lab discoveries to market faster.

Bilateral trade doubling mandate: Both leaders committed to a firm economic goal: doubling total bilateral trade and investment over the next five years. The plan simplifies customs rules, ensures strong intellectual property protections, and clears regulatory hurdles for businesses.

Launch of the joint SME and startup platform: Recognising that smaller businesses drive innovation, this digital platform connects Indian and Swedish startups with global funding sources, mentorship networks, and international markets.

Introduction of the “Tagore-Sweden” lecture series: To deepen cultural and intellectual ties, both nations launched a permanent academic exchange series titled “Vikas Bhi Virasat Bhi” (Development along with Heritage), focusing on shared philosophical, historical, and social research.

Norway visit: Green partnership, maritime cooperation and digital development

PM Modi’s Norway visit marked the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Nordic country in 43 years. Modi arrived in Oslo from Sweden and met King Harald V at the Royal Palace.

During the visit, King Harald V conferred Norway’s highest civilian honour, the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, on PM Modi for strengthening India-Norway relations.

PM Modi later wrote on X, “We had an excellent conversation on the India-Norway friendship and how our nations can keep working together across sectors for the benefit of our people.”

The visit focused heavily on climate cooperation, maritime partnerships, renewable energy and digital infrastructure.

Major outcomes of the Norway visit included:

1. Elevation to a green strategic partnership: The primary outcome of the trip was upgrading bilateral ties into an official Green Strategic Partnership. Backed by a comprehensive Joint Statement, this agreement blends Norway’s advanced green tech and environmental financing with India’s massive industrial scale and manufacturing capacity to speed up clean energy transitions.

2. Norway joins the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative: In a major geopolitical development, Norway officially joined India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). 

3. Confirmed anchor at Nor Shipping 2027: India confirmed it will build a massive national pavilion at the upcoming Nor Shipping 2027 exhibition. This partnership focuses on co-developing green ships, modernising ports, and expanding blue economy frameworks.

4. Signing of the Inter-Agency Space Cooperation Agreement: Both countries signed a space treaty focused on the exploration and peaceful use of outer space. The deal simplifies joint satellite data sharing, climate observation from space, and commercial co-investments between space startups.

5. Launch of the Digital Development Partnership: This partnership creates a shared framework for building and scaling Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and open-source software tools. It supports the Digital India Mission while creating a pathway to share these digital tools with developing countries across the Global South.

6. Comprehensive Healthcare Cooperation Pact: This agreement establishes a permanent healthcare Joint Working Group. The group will coordinate research between medical institutes, share healthcare innovations, and run joint programs to study global health challenges.

7. Geotechnical Tunnel and Slope Stability Accord: India and Norway signed a specialised infrastructure agreement for technical consulting on mountain tunnels and highway slope stability.

8. Broad-Based Technology Cooperation Agreement: This overarching treaty sets up funding pools and fast-track visas for scientists and researchers working on shared projects in clean energy, marine biology, and climate science.

9. Direct CSIR and SINTEF Collaboration Agreement: India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) signed a partnership with Norway’s premier independent research organisation, SINTEF. They will focus on commercialising carbon-capture technologies, circular economy manufacturing, and eco-friendly bio-materials.

10. Ocean Energy Program Implementation Pact: This project-level agreement focuses on engineering offshore wind farms and deep-water wave energy devices. It combines Norway’s deep-water engineering experience with India’s long coastlines to build clean ocean energy networks.

11. Science and Innovation Agreement for the Green Shift: This academic mobility pact funds exchange programs for students, researchers, and university professors working on green technologies and environmental sustainability.

12. CSIR-NGRI and Emerald Geomodelling Geoscience Deal: India’s National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI) partnered with Norway’s Emerald Geomodelling AS. This commercial deal introduces advanced airborne subsurface mapping technologies to help plan and build large infrastructure projects safely.

PM’s five-nation visit concluded in Italy

PM Modi concluded his five-nation tour with an official visit to Italy on Wednesday, 20th May, where India and Italy elevated bilateral ties to a “Special Strategic Partnership”.

The Italy visit produced one of the broadest sets of agreements during the entire tour, covering defence, critical minerals, education, Ayurveda, agriculture, maritime infrastructure, climate science and healthcare mobility.

Major outcomes of the Italy visit included:

Defence Industrial Roadmap: Shifting away from a simple buyer-seller dynamic, this roadmap focuses on co-developing and co-producing military hardware within India. It aims to integrate Italian component manufacturing into India’s domestic defence supply chains, focusing on advanced electronics, naval systems, and aviation parts.

Critical Minerals Cooperation MoU: Both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in critical minerals, a sector increasingly viewed as strategically important for energy transition technologies and electronics manufacturing.

Anti-Financial Crime Pledges: To protect growing economic ties, India’s Directorate of Enforcement (ED) and Italy’s Guardia di Finanza signed a mutual assistance pact. The agreement focuses on sharing intelligence to trace tax evasion, crack down on cross-border terror financing, and cut off terror financing networks.

Higher Education and Advanced Research Roadmap: This educational framework connects major research institutes in both countries. It focuses on setting up joint postgraduate degree programs, expanding credit transfers, and sharing academic best practices to improve student employability.

IITM Pune and Italy’s CMCC Climate Research MoU: India’s Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune joined forces with Italy’s Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC). This scientific partnership focuses on advanced climate modelling, monsoon predictability research, and environmental risk tracking.

DST-Elettra synchrotron facility expansion: India’s Department of Science and Technology signed a deal with Italy’s Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste. Indian materials scientists gain direct access to Elettra’s advanced synchrotron radiation facility in Italy, opening up new opportunities for research in nanotechnology and life sciences.

Healthcare mobility pathway for Indian nurses: Addressing an immediate social need, Italy opened a legal migration pathway tailored specifically for certified Indian nurses. This agreement provides global career paths for Indian healthcare workers while helping Italy fill critical staffing shortages in its domestic healthcare system.

Bilateral MoU on Ayurveda cooperation: To bring traditional medicine to a global audience, both nations signed an Ayurveda cooperation pact. The agreement sets up research frameworks, university exchange programs, and safety testing guidelines to integrate Ayurvedic knowledge into Western health systems.

Maritime Infrastructure and Ports MoU: This shipping agreement aims to modernise port operations, increase cargo shipping volumes between the two countries, and create new jobs within the maritime logistics sector.

Lothal National Maritime Heritage Complex Collaboration: Italy signed an MoU to help build the National Maritime Heritage Complex in Lothal, Gujarat. Italian restoration experts and historians will share advanced museum technologies to showcase India’s ancient maritime history, aligning with the government’s “Vikas Bhi Virasat Bhi” vision.

Agricultural Technology and Sustainable Farming MoU: This agricultural agreement focuses on giving Indian farmers better access to precision farming machinery, automated irrigation systems, and water-saving agricultural techniques to improve crop yields.

MPEDA and ASSOITTICA ITALIA Seafood Pact: A commercial agreement was finalised between India’s Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and the association of Italian seafood companies, ASSOITTICA ITALIA. The deal streamlines food safety inspections to boost exports of Indian seafood to Italian markets.

2027 Declared as the Year of Culture and Tourism: To bring the people of both nations closer together, the leaders announced that 2027 will be celebrated as the official India-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism. This initiative will feature major art exhibitions, music festivals, and travel promotions to boost tourism and create new service-sector jobs.

A tour focused on strategic technology, energy and global partnerships

PM Modi’s five-nation visit reflected India’s broader foreign policy focus on strengthening strategic partnerships with key countries across Europe and West Asia. From energy security agreements in the UAE to semiconductor cooperation with the Netherlands, AI partnerships with Sweden, green transition initiatives with Norway and defence-industrial collaboration with Italy, the tour covered almost every sector shaping the future global economy.

The visit also highlighted India’s growing importance in global supply chains, clean energy partnerships, technology ecosystems and geopolitical cooperation. The elevation of ties with multiple countries into strategic partnerships signalled India’s effort to build deeper and more institutionalised long-term relationships with trusted global partners.

From coders to plumbers, AI cannot replace everyone: Why the future belongs to humans who upgrade

Anurag
-
0
From coders to plumbers, AI cannot replace everyone: Why the future belongs to humans who upgrade

There are a lot of reports of layoffs and slow recruitment not only in India but worldwide, which is causing anxiety among the workforce, especially young workers who are just entering their fields of expertise. Many workers, especially in software and IT services, are worried that Artificial Intelligence is shrinking the safety net that white-collar work once seemed to offer.

Their fear is not irrational. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 suggests that 41% of employers expect to reduce their workforce where AI can automate tasks. Furthermore, media reports have documented both layoffs and a visible cooling of entry-level hiring in industries where AI can be used.

However, the fear becomes misleading when it hardens into the slogan that “AI will take all jobs”. The same WEF report projects 170 million new roles and 92 million displaced globally by 2030. That means there will be a net increase of 78 million jobs. Notably, the report suggests that 39% of workers’ core skills are expected to change by 2030.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is even more explicit. There are only a handful of jobs that can be fully automated using AI, and the likeliest broad effect of generative AI is job transformation, not total replacement.

This is the key correction missing from apocalyptic narratives that have been running around in media reports and social media. The real story is not “AI destroys work”, but that AI compresses some tasks, raises the value of other tasks, and punishes workers and institutions that refuse to adapt.

Even McKinsey, while warning of major occupational transitions, says its research does not support the conclusion that generative AI simply wipes out jobs across the board. History is the proof that technological change has brought disruption first and broader employment adjustment later.

AI is built, corrected and restrained by humans

The biggest misconception in public debate is that AI somehow trains itself, corrects itself and civilises itself. It does not, rather it cannot. The InstructGPT paper lays out the basic post-training process in simple terms. Researchers collected human-written demonstrations of desired behaviour, then asked humans to rank model outputs, and used those rankings to further fine-tune the model with human feedback.

OpenAI’s GPT-4 release likewise says the company incorporated more human feedback and worked with more than 50 experts for early feedback in high-stakes domains. Anthropic says just as clearly that Claude’s constitution “plays a crucial role” in training and “directly shapes Claude’s behaviour.”

So when people ask, “Who is training these systems anyway?”, the practical answer is, humans. That too at multiple stages. First of all, people assemble or license the data. Then people write examples of good behaviour. Then people compare outputs and mark which answer is better, safer, more truthful or more useful. After that, safety teams and external testers probe the model for failures. Then policy teams write system-level rules. Then engineers retrain, tune, filter, or roll back the system. OpenAI’s Model Spec describes this as a formal framework for how models should behave, how they should resolve conflicting instructions, and how intended behaviour is updated over time through deployment and feedback.

In the simplest possible terms, it means that at every step of machine learning, humans are involved. No machine in this world can learn on its own. It is humans who are teaching them either through code or by writing what good behaviour actually means in the world of Artificial Intelligence.

OpenAI’s public postmortem on GPT-4o’s sycophancy problem is a good example of how this works in the real world. In April 2025, the company rolled back an update after the model became overly flattering and agreeable. OpenAI said it had focused too much on short-term feedback signals and was revising both how it collected feedback and how it incorporated that feedback into behaviour. In other words, the fix did not come from the model growing a conscience. It came from humans identifying a defect, adjusting the rules, and changing the system.

The most recent example is the Grok image controversy. In January 2026, xAI, the company that is developing Grok, had to restrict Grok’s image editing capabilities following the backlash over sexualised image generation, including the creation of revealing or “undressing” depictions of real people.

In March 2026, a Dutch court had ordered xAI and Grok not to create or distribute such non-consensual sexualised images in the Netherlands. The Indian government also pulled up xAI after the controversy hit India in January this year. Again, the lesson is practical, not philosophical. That is, when an AI system misbehaves, it is human pressure, human law, human policy and human engineering that impose the boundaries. It was not that the xAI team went and asked Grok not to generate such images and it obliged. Code had to be inserted by humans based on feedback from humans to restrict Grok from generating sexualised images or videos.

Even basic visual competence depends on human groundwork. ImageNet, one of the foundational computer-vision datasets, describes its images as quality-controlled and human-annotated. OpenAI’s GPT-4o system card says the model’s capabilities are trained from public datasets, web data and other sources, then subjected to safety evaluations. So, if a model can reliably distinguish brown eggs from white eggs, or a screwdriver from a wrench, that is not because the machine “figured out reality on its own.” People created the categories, curated the examples, told the machine how to distinguish between brown and white eggs by marking every single egg in the basket in an image, built the benchmarks and judged whether the system was good enough to deploy.

Notably, it does not happen in one go. Even now, there are companies that provide data tagging services where humans tag text, images and videos so that machines can learn. Such jobs are not going anywhere soon.

Let’s take an example. There is something called vibe coding, which means writing code heavily assisted by AI. If a person says a machine learned by itself how to code, it will be a lie. Hundreds of thousands of coding experts around the world are tirelessly training AI how to code so that a noob can write code like an expert.

The first jobs to change are repetitive digital ones

Where, then, is disruption most likely to hit first? The answer is not “all work.” It is work that is repetitive, screen-based, structured and heavily made of information-moving tasks. The ILO says occupations with the greatest generative-AI exposure are those with high and consistent automation potential across tasks, while also stressing that nearly all occupations still contain tasks requiring human input. The WEF expects the fastest-declining roles to include clerical and administrative jobs such as cashiers, ticket clerks, administrative assistants and other clerical workers, while the fastest-growing tech-facing roles include AI and machine learning specialists, big data specialists, fintech engineers and software developers.

That pattern also appears in real usage data. Anthropic’s 2026 research on observed exposure, based on actual Claude usage, finds top exposure among computer programmers, customer service representatives and data entry keyers. At the same time, the company says AI is still far from its theoretical reach and that 30% of workers had zero task coverage in its data. This matters because it shows what panic misses: high exposure does not automatically mean total replacement. It often means that a bigger share of the role becomes assisted, accelerated or reorganised.

Microsoft research found developers with access to GitHub Copilot completed a coding task 55.8% faster in one experiment. A later Microsoft Research paper pooling three field experiments across nearly 4,900 developers found a 26.08% increase in completed tasks among developers using an AI coding assistant, with larger gains for less experienced developers. These are strong productivity findings, but they do not prove coders vanish. They suggest routine coding, boilerplate, first drafts and repetitive sub-tasks are under the most pressure, while review, architecture, edge cases, debugging, integration, security and accountability remain crucial.

The same is true outside coding. In a large customer-support study, access to a generative AI assistant increased productivity by about 14% to 15% on average, with the largest gains for newer and lower-skilled workers. Erik Brynjolfsson in his paper “Generative AI at Work”
says the tool effectively helped newer workers move down the experience curve faster by learning from the behaviour of better workers. That is not nothing. It means AI can absorb and redistribute parts of human expertise. But that also means someone’s expertise had to exist first, had to be modelled, and still has to be supervised.

This is also why human verification becomes more valuable, not less valuable, as machine output explodes. Stack Overflow’s 2025 Developer Survey found that more developers actively distrust the accuracy of AI tools than trust it: 46% distrust versus 33% trust. In journalism, AP says the central role of the journalist will not change, that AI is not a replacement for journalists, and that any generative-AI output should be treated as “unvetted source material.” Reuters reported in October 2025 that BBC-EBU testing found significant issues in 45% of AI news answers and some kind of problem in 81% of them. This is what people mean when they talk about AI slop, which is cheap output at scale, with truth-checking pushed back onto humans.

The real world still needs human hands

The strongest counter to total-job-loss panic is the physical world. Generative AI is best at language, pattern completion, summarisation and code-like tasks on a screen. McKinsey says some lower-wage jobs involve unpredictable physical work or customer-facing work that does not lend itself well to automation.

The same research says physical work is not going away and is still expected to account for just under 31% of time spent, with transportation, construction and healthcare helping sustain it. The ILO also stresses that few jobs are fully automatable and that most occupations remain mixed bundles of human and machine-suitable tasks.

Anthropic’s labour-market research says many tasks remain beyond AI’s reach, explicitly citing physical agricultural work such as pruning trees and operating farm machinery. It also found that 30% of workers had zero AI task coverage in its data, including cooks, motorcycle mechanics, lifeguards, bartenders, dishwashers and dressing-room attendants. That is a useful reality check.

AI may write instructions for a plumber, suggest a repair sequence for an electrician, or help a mechanic look up a fault pattern. But it still cannot feel water pressure in a leaking pipe, smell a burnt wire in a live wall, judge a misaligned beam on a noisy site, or improvise safely in a messy, shifting work environment. Those are embodied, situational and local forms of judgment.

This is why the WEF’s own jobs outlook does not show a future with only coders and prompt-writers. It says building construction workers are among the largest-growing job types in the next five years, alongside farmworkers, delivery drivers and food-processing workers. In other words, AI may transform offices faster than it transforms construction sites, repair shops, kitchens, farms and maintenance work. The future economy is not “digital workers versus manual workers.” It is a mixed economy in which hands-on workers increasingly use AI as a tool, while still doing the irreplaceable physical work themselves.

India’s smartest response is skill building, not panic

For India, the practical question is not whether to fear AI, but whether to build enough skills, language infrastructure and domain expertise around it. The IndiaAI Mission itself is framed in those terms. A February 2026 PIB release says India’s AI strategy aims to create economic and employment opportunities, notes the mission’s ₹10,372 crore outlay, and says more than 38,000 GPUs have been onboarded, twelve teams shortlisted for indigenous foundation models, thirty India-specific AI applications approved, and thousands of undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students supported for talent development. The same release stresses that India’s foundation models are being built on Indian datasets and languages.

That local grounding matters. BHASHINI’s CEO said in January 2026 that AI can serve citizens effectively only when it understands Indian languages and is trained on indigenous data that reflects local contexts and usage. The platform says it supports more than 36 text languages, over 22 voice languages, more than 350 AI language models and hundreds of integrations. This is not a side issue. In a country where language, dialect, code-mixing and context shape everyday communication, local human input is not optional; it is the system.

Independent Indian-language research points in the same direction. AI4Bharat says most Indian languages lack the large quantities of training data that modern AI systems need. Its Indic LLM-Arena argues that global benchmarks are too English-centric, miss code-mixed speech like Hinglish and Tanglish, and fail to capture Indian cultural, contextual and safety needs. It explicitly calls for a human-in-the-loop model of evaluation for “language, context, and safety.” That means India’s AI future will require not just model builders, but also evaluators, language experts, domain specialists, safety reviewers and people who continuously validate whether systems actually work for Indian users.

NITI Aayog’s 2025 roadmap puts the strategic choice starkly: by 2031, India’s technology sector could lose 1.5 million jobs or create up to 4 million new opportunities, depending on the choices made now. That is exactly why a blanket “AI is eating jobs” narrative is too passive for India. The country’s own policy institutions are framing the AI transition not only as a risk, but as a contest over skilling, capability-building and local ecosystem design.

The honest conclusion

The most honest conclusion is neither complacency nor panic. AI is already eroding some repetitive digital tasks. It is clearly pressuring entry-level clerical work, routine coding, basic rewriting and other heavily standardised screen-bound jobs. At the same time, the evidence does not support the fantasy that human labour is about to disappear. What is actually happening is a revaluation of work: less reward for repetition, more reward for judgment, verification, integration, accountability, local knowledge and physical presence.

So the better framing is not “AI will eat jobs.” It is this: “AI will reward people who adapt and expose people who refuse to learn”. Coders who only produce boilerplate are more exposed than coders who can review, architect and improve AI-assisted systems. Writers who only paraphrase are more exposed than editors and fact-checkers who can verify and sharpen machine output. And plumbers, electricians, welders, mechanics, farmers, carpenters and construction workers are not obsolete relics in an AI age; they are part of the human core that the AI economy still depends on.

The future belongs to workers who know their craft and know how to use new tools without surrendering judgment to them.

What was ‘Bhaipo Tax’ in Bengal and how the BJP govt led by Suvendu Adhikari put an end to it: Explained

Shriti Sagar
-
0
What was ‘Bhaipo Tax’ in Bengal and how the BJP govt led by Suvendu Adhikari put an end to it: Explained

For decades, truck drivers transporting goods into West Bengal from neighbouring states said one issue troubled them constantly: the “Bhaipo Tax”. The term “Bhaipo”, which means nephew in Bengali, was politically used by opposition parties to refer to Trinamool Congress MP and the nephew of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee. According to truck operators and drivers, unofficial collections, roadside extortion, bamboo barricades and illegal checkpoints had become a routine experience on highways entering Bengal during the TMC era.

Truck drivers travelling through Jharkhand-Bengal border routes said highways were often filled with unauthorised “nakas” where money was collected from commercial vehicles. Drivers said that refusing to pay often led to harassment, threats, punctured tyres and damage to vehicles. Delays caused major losses, especially for trucks carrying vegetables, fish and other perishable items.

Truckers said two unofficial systems operated widely: the so-called “Bhaipo tax” and “danda tax”. Speaking about the issue, Federation of Truck Operators Association in Bengal general secretary Sajal Ghosh said, “Two types of unofficial levies were common in Bengal, Bhaipo tax and danda tax. Bhaipo tax has vanished. We want danda tax wiped out completely too.”

According to truck drivers, highways in districts such as Paschim Bardhaman and Purulia earlier had multiple bamboo barricades and illegal roadside collection points. “Every few kilometres, bamboo barricades blocked the road,” truck driver Ramesh said while speaking near Tulin in Purulia. “Ask for a receipt, and they turn hostile. Refuse payment, and they smash mirrors or puncture tyres.”

Another truck driver said, “If you refused, they stopped and harassed you for hours till you paid. That has stopped.” Drivers claimed the situation started changing after the new BJP government came to power in Bengal on May 9 and ordered action against illegal extortion checkpoints.

Amit Shah raised ‘Bhaipo tax’ issue during Bengal campaign

The issue had also become a major political talking point during the West Bengal Assembly elections. Union Home Minister Amit Shah attacked the Mamata Banerjee government over allegations of corruption and syndicate control.

Without directly naming Abhishek Banerjee, Shah had remarked during a public rally in December last year, Shah said, that under the current system, “only Bhaipo has the right to make money, not the common man.”

He also said that corruption and extortion had badly affected governance in Bengal. “Due to corruption under the Mamata Banerjee-led government in the state, development in West Bengal has stopped,” Shah said.

Talking about the syndicate system, he further stated, “After the Bharatiya Janata Party government is formed, no trader will have to pay any Bhaipo tax. We will completely end the syndicate system. The politicisation of administration and criminalisation of politics has become like a deep wound.”

Shah had also said that several central welfare schemes became victims of Bengal’s “toll syndicate” system. “Fear and corruption have become West Bengal’s identity for the last 14 years,” he had said.

Again reminding people of the promise, Shah, while addressing a public meeting in Balagarh village in Hooghly district in April this year, said, ‘Bengalis have to pay “Bhaipo Tax” to the TMC’s syndicate. Bid farewell to the Mamata government with Tata-Bye-Bye, and we will take care of straightening out the syndicate people.’

Himanta Biswa Sarma also spoke about ‘Abhishek Tax’

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had also publicly raised the issue during the election campaign in Bengal. In a video shared by India Today NE, Sarma claimed truck drivers travelling between Assam and Bengal often complained about paying what they called “Abhishek Tax”.

Speaking in Hindi, Sarma said, “When trucks travel between Assam and Bengal, I often ask truck drivers why prices are increasing. People tell me that in Siliguri, they have to pay something called ‘Abhishek Tax’ on every truck. I don’t know who Abhishek is, but they say they have to pay while entering and while returning, too.”

He further claimed, “Earlier, this was taken only from coal trucks, but later it has expanded to every truck. Thousands of rupees are taken from every truck owner. If this tax ends, prices in Assam and across the Northeast may also come down.”

BJP govt crackdown has improved highway movement

Following a regime change where the BJP assumed office in West Bengal and Suvendu Adhikari took oath on 9th May, the newly formed state government took decisive steps to address the highway extortion crisis. According to a report by The Times of India, the BJP government has now launched a crackdown against these illegal collection systems by TMC government after coming to power in Bengal.

The report said district magistrates were instructed to dismantle “extortion nakas” and prevent their return. Truck operators claimed the effect became visible quickly, especially along NH-2 and nearby state highways, where bamboo barricades and roadside collection points had reportedly disappeared.

Truckers moving goods between Jharkhand, Bengal, the Northeast, and Bangladesh said highway movement has become smoother over the past few weeks. Around 50,000 trucks reportedly move through Bengal every day, making the state one of eastern India’s most important logistics corridors.

Drivers near the Jharkhand-Bengal border said traffic movement had improved significantly after the crackdown. With this crucial step, the BJP has officially put an end to the culture of bribery involving truck drivers and fulfilled a key promise made during the election campaign.

‘Plight of poor fathers’: BBC stirs sympathy for Afghan Muslim men selling their 5-year-old daughters for money, glosses over the fate of real victims of child marriages

Rukma Rathore
-
0
‘Plight of poor fathers’: BBC stirs sympathy for Afghan Muslim men selling their 5-year-old daughters for money, glosses over the fate of real victims of child marriages

Afghanistan has been grappling with a catastrophic and multi-faceted crisis, marked by a dire humanitarian emergency that comprises egregious human rights abuses, especially against females of all ages, under the authoritarian Taliban regime. The last thing these girls and women need is an effort to downplay their suffering instead of demonstrating empathy and comprehension of their harrowing realities. Yet, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has again managed to achieve the undesirable and trivialised their pain with its overtly misdirected sympathy.

On 19th May (Tuesday), the media house released an article about the inveterate issue of child brides, titled “Selling children to survive: Afghan fathers forced to make impossible choices” by Yogita Limaye. It highlighted the tremendous hunger problem that millions of citizens are experiencing in the backdrop of rising poverty, widespread unemployment and a critically isolated economy undergoing serious depletion of its resources.

The article referenced conversations with Afghan men who claimed deep worries about their escalating financial problems and acute shortage of food. “The country is now facing record levels of hunger, with 4.7 million – more than a tenth of Afghanistan’s population – estimated to be one step away from famine. Ghor is one of the worst-affected provinces. The men here are desperate,” it stated.

The author pointed out that the men were in despair as their children and families were going to bed suffering from the pangs of hunger. This certainly illustrated a very grim and poignant image of the stark disparities in the intensity of struggles encountered by different people in separate parts of the world.

The appalling act of downplaying an atrocious practice

The piece then transitioned to an uncanny course, which intended to depict the trade of young girls and minors by their fathers as if they were mere products rather than human beings, as a necessary evil.

“I’m willing to sell my daughters. I’m poor, in debt and helpless. I come home from work with parched lips, hungry, thirsty, distressed and confused. My children come to me saying ‘Baba, give us some bread’. But what can I give? Where is the work? If I sell one daughter, I could feed the rest of my children for at least four years. It breaks my heart, but it’s the only way,” it quoted Abdul Rashid Azimi who has many kids including 7-year-old twins Roqia and Rohila.

The BBC, which often likes to paint itself as a defender of human rights, showcased an unexpected compassion for the men sentencing their own girls to a tragic existence, instead of confronting the horrific practice that is not only accepted but has been part of a tradition for decades.

The media outlet was not as understanding towards the prey of this radical tyranny, who are far more vulnerable and bear considerably worsened circumstances compounded by the oppressive infringements on their rights and the suffocating restrictions slapped by the Islamist government.

“The choice to sell daughters over sons, is because culturally sons are widely seen as future breadwinners, and here in Afghanistan, with the Taliban’s restrictions on education and work for women and girls, it is even more pronounced. Additionally, there is a tradition in which a marital gift is given to the family of the girl from the family of the boy during marriage,” Limaye wrote explaining the rationale behind these profoundly misogynistic and otherwise criminal conduct which is allowed in Sharia-bound Afghanistan.

The article featured interview with another man, Saeed Ahmad who sold his 5-year-old daughter to pay for her treatment after she developed appendicitis and a liver cyst. Now, she has to marry a relative’s son at the tender age of 10 after the agreement between the two parties. He ended her daughter’s medical issue only to thrust her into another predicament.

Limaye asserted that Ahmed confessed to be anxious to distract from the real victims who are neither mentally nor physically prepared to assume the responsibilities of marriage or a husband. However, their consent is neither acknowledged nor considered in the Islamic patriarchal society.

“The practice of underage marriage remains widespread in Afghanistan and is increasing due to the Taliban government’s bar on education for girls,” she conveyed. Interestingly, the burden of providing basic needs for a family has been placed on the shoulders of girls rather than boys as they are compelled to carry this weight at the expense of their health, future and even their lives.

According to the piece, the financial difficulties have been aggravated by the drastic reduction in United States funding and exacerbated by the devastating drought. It added that the Taliban’s policies, primarily those that discriminate against women, are also a major factor contributing to the decline in foreign donations.

Afterwards, the author explored the glaring scarcity of medical facilities and resources, such as medicines, which further contribute to the misery of women, as the mortality rate has reached as high as 10% with several child deaths reported within a single day.

The BBC clearly outlined the various issues plaguing Afghanistan, with the exception of the one that required the most sensitivity and pertained to the marginalised fairer gender. The custom targeting underage girls, who are even pushed to marry men in their 50s, 60s and sometimes even older, was only mentioned to evoke pity for the fathers who doom them to such a life.

Netizens call out BBC

Social media users promptly criticised the national public service broadcaster of the United Kingdom for their objectionable approach to the sensitive subject in relation to the sale of child brides. Community notes emphasised that the girls could be as young as 5 years old as these actions have deep cultural roots in some areas of the nation and further remarked that the platform focused on the distress of fathers concerning the fates of the girls (rape).

Tommy Robinson denounced the BBC for trying to represent Afghan fathers as “victims” for giving their girls to old men. “This is normal practice amongst these cavemen. Legacy media are the enemy of truth,” he charged.

An individual “fixed the headline for BBC,” responding that Afghan men choose to sell their daughters instead of seeking employment.

A netizen referred to the article as just another attempt by the “legacy media”to promote sympathy for people who don’t deserve it and added, “Note the father didn’t sell his boy, just the girls. BBC are disgusting. We dint hate them enough.”

The piece was awful even by the abysmal standards of the outlet’s “journalism,” according to another person who demanded, “The BBC should not be privatised, it should be shut down.”

An account highlighted BBC’s hypocrisy and stated, “Child sex slavery is okay when Muslims do it.”

A common practice rendering little girls at the mercy of hardline men in the name of satisfying “basic family needs”

Afghanistan is regarded as one of the world’s most dangerous places for women due to many factors involving gender-based violence, absence of education, low access to healthcare, restrictions on stepping outside and other prohibitions. Moreover, forced child marriage has substantially accelerated the suffering in their already bleak existence.

Economic conditions could serve as an excuse for the heinous actions, but it is noteworthy that these incidents have transpired regularly in the country in the past. Many displaced Afghan families reportedly sold their barely adolescent daughters to men 4-5 times their age after Kabul fell in 2021.

Some Afghan women have also resorted to adopt such measures. A mother did the same with her one-and-a-half-year-old for 30,000 Afghani (about INR 24,850) to treat her other 13-year-old daughter, who required urgent medical attention. “My husband said if we don’t give away our daughters, we will all die because we don’t have anything to eat,” another woman voiced after selling her 6-year-old and 18-month-old children. Moreover, same scenes unfolded in the 1990s under the Taliban government of the time.

Henrietta Fore who was UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) Executive Director at that time stated, “I am deeply concerned by reports that child marriage in Afghanistan is on the rise. We have received credible reports of families offering daughters as young as 20 days old up for future marriage in return for a dowry.”

She mentioned, “Even before the latest political instability, UNICEF’s partners registered 183 child marriages and 10 cases of selling of children over 2018 and 2019 in Herat and Baghdis provinces alone. The children were between 6 months and 17 years of age. UNICEF estimates that 28 per cent of Afghan women aged 15-49 years were married before the age of 18.”

“Traditionally, Afghanistan has a patriarchal society and child marriage is considered an internal family matter that is dictated by religious and cultural codes. Religious leaders such as mullahs and imams play a significant role in shaping community perceptions on child marriage as they are trusted members of the community and play a key role in performing the marriages,” reported international non-governmental organisation (NGO) Girls Not Brides.

According to a 2017 Human Rights Watch research, when a girl is married off, her sister frequently has to look after household chores, which causes her to drop out of school and puts her at risk for child marriage. Some girls are even ordered to drop out of school due to the prospect of marriage. Girls are regarded as an excellent source of domestic labour and financial value for their future families.

There is also a considerable economic motive as marriage is transactional, incorporating a transfer of goods and money. These are also used as an instrument to resolve conflicts and cement relationships between opposing families (baad). The NGO pointed out, “Girls have little say in this and often face serious physical and emotional abuse. When they try to escape, they are sometimes arrested for zina (running away) which is seen as a moral crime. Baadl is the exchange of daughters in marriage between families, either before birth or as young as two.”

The girls are driven into sexual exploitation, abuse and domestic slavery and even misused as a means for their families to settle disputes. It is impossible to escape and if someone dares to take the risk, then the results are even more horrifying.

Conclusion

It is indisputable that Afghanistan is beset by a multitude of problems, with the foremost being the crippled economic as people have to spend their lives in miserable conditions. However, the apparent goal of the BBC article does not seem to only report on the gravity of the ground realities but sanitise the ordeal of the little girls as ordinary while presenting the men as the actual sufferers who have to make such decisions.

However, the children who are pushed into these relationships which far exceed their physical or psychological capabilities do not receive any mention in the article. The utter disregard for consent and the adverse effects of this practice on the victims is likewise ignored. The unprecedented breach of human and child rights almost went unnoticed by the British media house.

Interestingly, the BBC, which does not hesitate to admonish other countries, especially India, on human or women’s rights over frivolous complaints, appeared to have no concern for the same in Afghanistan and instead provided a cover to the problem. The media house’s outrage seems to have a region, and more importantly, a religion bias.

One last dance on Football’s grandest stage: Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar prepare to close the greatest era the sport has ever seen

Divyansh Tiwari
-
0
One last dance on Football’s grandest stage: Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar prepare to close the greatest era the sport has ever seen

Fans gathered around television screens in cafés along the Tagus riverfront on Tuesday evening in Lisbon, and as Roberto Martínez read out the name that inevitably concludes every Portugal squad announcement, the crowd went silent for a moment. Families in Rosario, a city that has learned to map its emotions onto one man’s football calendar, leaned forward in their living rooms as Argentina’s preliminary 55 man roster was reviewed for the umpteenth time that week. Additionally, supporters erupted in Rio de Janeiro at the Museu do Amanhã, a museum of the future of all places, when Carlo Ancelotti verified that the name they had dreaded might never appear again ultimately did. One final World Cup, three cities, and three men.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is surrounded by something that even the most seasoned fans find hard to describe. It’s neither quite celebration nor nearly despair. It is the strange pain of seeing something come to an end when it is still, in some way, phenomenal.

Cristiano Ronaldo: The architects final blueprint

After being added to Portugal’s squad for the tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to make a record breaking sixth World Cup appearance, making history as the first man to do so. The number merits a little period of silence. He made his World Cup debut in 2006, when George W. Bush was president, José Mourinho was managing Chelsea, and the majority of the players who will face Portugal this summer were in primary school.

What is often ignored in the frenzy around Ronaldo’s personal achievements is what he has done for Portugal as an institution, rather than just a football team. They have qualified for six World Cups, several European Championships, and won both the UEFA Nations League and the Euro 2016 championship under his shadow, or perhaps more appropriately, his shield. ‘He has the same demands as the other players, a competitiveness to be in the national team and For me, he’s an exemplary captain,’ Martinez stressed, highlighting the fact that Ronaldo’s influence goes well beyond his fame.  

That is the subtle, significant story that uninformed viewers completely overlook. Ronaldo did more for Portugal than just score goals; he completely revitalised the country’s football culture. He transformed qualification from a wish to a must. He convinced a generation of Portuguese children that their country belonged at football’s highest table, not as lucky visitors, but as worthy occupants. In November, he told CNN that this would definitely be his final World Cup. At 41, that pronouncement carries weight, even if the man appears to be physically hostile to endings.

Lionel Messi: The cerebral coda

In his third season with Inter Miami, Lionel Messi created MLS history by becoming the fastest player in the league to earn 100 regular-season goal contributions in just 64 games. He reached the milestone just one month before the 2026 World Cup. At 38, what matters most about Messi is the quality of his presence in critical moments, not the quantity of his productivity.

Messi has been included to Argentina’s preliminary squad for the tournament, but the 38 year old has yet to confirm his availability as the country looks to defend its 2022 championship. It speaks to a different kind of Messi, one who is, for the first time, dribbling with his own body rather than with defenders, as seen by the fact that his participation was even little unclear until lately. However, Scaloni has consistently said that the remaining 25 berths are still up for grabs, with only Lionel Messi having a definite spot.

Historically, defending a World Cup has been a brutal endeavour. Since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, no country has done so again. Messi bears the psychological burden of arriving as champions, with all the expectations that come with it, the tactical familiarity that opponents will have thoroughly studied, and the reduced element of surprise. Argentina, on the other hand, has a captain who has mastered the art of running into the correct fraction of space, so he no longer needs to rush past everyone. His game has grown into something almost architectural, in that he sets himself inside the geometry of a passage of play rather than driving it, making the entire structure around him more unified.

Neymar: The gamble for redemption

Neymar, 34, is Brazil’s all time leading goal scorer with 79 goals and will be at his fourth World Cup. Since tearing his left ACL in October 2023, the Santos striker has had difficulty regaining his best form. That injury, which occurred while playing for Brazil versus Uruguay in a CONMEBOL qualification, appeared to be the end of his international career at the time. It did not.

Neymar has been named to Brazil’s World Cup roster, a decision that many local observers and former players thought was unlikely just days ago. At his Rio de Janeiro press conference, Ancelotti, who has chosen to speak in terms of experience and environment rather than pure fitness measures, stated, ‘He has improved his fitness.’ In this World Cup, he will play a significant role.The coach went on to say that for certain positions in his team, he wanted guys with more experience. ‘He has experience in this kind of competition, the love of our group, he can create a better environment in this group.’

For almost three years, Neymar has not represented Brazil. The public’s impression of his absence has been filled with a complex mix of pity and annoyance, sympathy for the injury and annoyance at the idea that his club football in Saudi Arabia had placed more emphasis on display than content. The World Cup provides him with the tidy narrative he has always sought: architect rather than showman. Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland are Brazil’s group opponents. If handled properly, this bracket offers the Seleção easy progress, but Neymar’s ability to unlock compact defensive positions in close tournament games could be crucial from the moment Ancelotti makes sure he is prepared.

What the naked eye misses

The larger tale, as always, is being revealed on the edges.

Observe Ronaldo in Portugal’s recent qualifying campaigns, not when he scores, but when he does not. You’ll see that he’s increasingly drifting to the front post or peeling to the far side of the penalty area, not with any apparent intention of finishing, but to draw a centre-back a metre out of position, creating exactly the corridor through which Bruno Fernandes or Bernardo Silva can enter. It is the motion of a man who has so thoroughly digested the penalty box’s geometry that he is essentially recreating it for his teammates. Even when Ronaldo’s name isn’t on the football scoreboard, his fingerprints are frequently seen in the layout of the final goal.

The details are even microscopic when Messi is involved. Observe him throughout big games, but pay attention to the three or four seconds prior to his clear flashes of genius. A small head tilt to peek over his shoulder. The barely noticeable shoulder-drop that indicates a direction change he hasn’t made yet. Without using words, he may signal a teammate that the pass is going to his left foot instead of his right by making a tiny alteration to his body shape. Television cameras rarely focus on these gestures since they occur before anything dramatic happens. They are, nevertheless, the source code for everything that comes after.

Neymar’s influence on the training field and in the Brazil locker room depends more on colleagues’ testimonies than on camera footage. Former teammates have often described a player who continually converses with younger attackers, modifying their spacing, pushing them into the broader positions that create the openings he subsequently takes advantage of, and encourages them not to swarm in tight spaces. After years of criticism for ball retention that bordered on arrogance, Neymar’s arrival in North America appears to have carefully reconditioned his senses. The most intriguing open question in Brazil’s tournament is whether that recalibration can withstand the heat of a knockout match. 

The last curtain

One of these three men is shown lifting a trophy in a stadium in North America as the sun sets on their period in a depiction of the 2026 World Cup that football fans will watch on screens in 2046. Another, equally plausible scenario is when all three exit the competition before their countries would like, but it still becomes theirs because of the qualities they contributed to it rather than the trophies they won.

The only player to score in five World Cups is Ronaldo. Messi is unique in that he is the only player to have won every significant trophy football has to offer, both at the club and international levels. Neymar enters bruised, cherished, and unsettled, still hunting the one title that will settle the dispute over where he belongs in the pantheon.

The feeling that you are witnessing not just players but the last living remnants of a time when three contemporaries who were born within seven years of one another redefined the boundaries of what football could look like is what unites them in this last chapter, something that only devoted fans will genuinely experience. Whether it’s a final night under stadium floodlights or a group stage farewell, when the whistle blows at the end of their final games in North America this summer, the sport won’t instantly find three substitutes to fill the void they leave behind. But not quite yet, there’s still one dance left.

1...121314...7,599Page 13 of 7,599