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Who is Rajeev Sethi? The art historian who asked Neeraj Chopra about his sex life

OpIndia Staff
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Who is Rajeev Sethi? The art historian who asked Neeraj Chopra about his sex life

‘Art historian’ Rajeev Sethi made Neeraj Chopra extremely uncomfortable during an Indian Express event by asking the Olympic Gold Medalist about his sex life. Chopra was visibly disgusted and sarcastically responded that his heart was overwhelmed by the question.

There is significant outrage against Rajeev Sethi on social media, with abuses flying over his unorthodox line of questioning.

Who is Rajeev Sethi?

According to his website, Rajeev Sethi is “South Asia’s leading designer and is noted internationally for his innovative contribution to preserving and celebrating the subcontinent’s rich cultural heritage.”

It adds, “For more than 35 years, through his work in design and architecture, performances and festivals, exhibitions and publication, policy and program, he has identified ways to bring contemporary relevance to traditional skills of vulnerable artisan communities and creative professionals. With innovative positioning and proactive interventions he has created a basis for the maintenance of time honored legacy industries in an era of industrial mass production and globalization.”

The designer spent his formative years at Paris in France and “was mentored by designers like Ray and Charles Eames and eminent Gandhians like Mrs Chottapadhya and Pupul Jayakar who encouraged him to direct his talents to India.”

He is the founder of The Asian Heritage Foundation and the Rajeev Sethi Scenographers. He is also the man behind the transformation of the Mumbai Airport’s Terminal 2.

According to transfuze, “In 2002, he was the scenographer and production partner for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival The Silk Road: Connecting Cultures, Creating Trust. He designed participatory installations for the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona (2004) and the Basic Needs Pavilion at the Hanover World EXPO (2000). His film and theater credits include art directing Joan Littlewood’s Bijou, art advising Peter Brook’s Mahabharata, and directing Ariane Mnouchkine’s L’Inde de père en fils, de mere en fille. He was the curator for installations at the Jaya He! GVK New Museum in the Mumbai International Airport, and conceived JIYO, a World Bank program to improve the livelihoods of rural Indian artisans.”

In addition to that, Sethi has worked at three exhibitions of the Smithsonian Institute, namely “India: Mela!,” “Aditi: A Celebration of Life,” and “The Golden Eye: An International Tribute to the Artisans of India.” Also, he is the first recipient of the INTACH Indira Gandhi Lifetime Achievement Award for Conservation of Cultural Heritage (2010), the Order of Merit from Germany (2001), and the Padma Bhushan under the Congress Government in 1985.

The Neeraj Chopra controversy

Rajeev Sethi exclaimed before Neeraj Chopra, “What a handsome young man you are!” Then he went on to ask, “How do you maintain a balance between your sex life and athletic training? I know this is a weird question.”

Rajeev Sethi did not stop there and proceeded to elaborate his question in further detail, expressing a great desire to know more about the Gold Medalist’s sex life.

‘I have not fled anywhere’: Afghanistan’s caretaker President Amrullah Saleh says after rumours of Panjshir falling to Taliban

OpIndia Staff
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‘I have not fled anywhere’: Afghanistan’s caretaker President Amrullah Saleh says after rumours of Panjshir falling to Taliban

Afghanistan’s caretaker President Amrullah Saleh has confirmed that he is still in Panjshir valley after reports emerged that he has fled to Tajikistan with Panjshir commanders amidst the Taliban’s onslaught against the Panjshir resistance forces.

In a video message, Saleh rejected claims by certain sections of the media that he has already fled to Tajikistan. He said that he was still in Panjshir valley discussing their future actions against the Taliban. The Afghan caretaker President also said that it is true that the situation is difficult as the battle between the Taliban and Afghan Resistance Forces has intensified lately.

“There are some media reports being circulated around that I have fled my country. This is absolutely baseless. This is my voice, I am calling you from the Panjshir valley, from my base. I am with our commanders and our political leaders,” said Saleh.

Saleh added, “We are managing the situation. Of course, it’s a difficult situation, We are under the invasion of the Taliban and Pakistanis and Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. We have held the ground, we have not lost territory.”

The confirmation had come after the Taliban had claimed that they had captured Panjshir valley held by resistance forces. The Taliban had shared a video online saying their forces had advanced in the Shutul district. Amidst this, there were rumours that both Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud – the leaders of the Afghan Resistance Forces have fled to Tajikistan.

In response, Saleh had tweeted, “The Resistance is continuing and will continue. I am here with my soil, for my soil and defending its dignity,” Saleh said in a tweet, defying claims made by Taliban that he had fled the country. 

“Resistance is the nom de guerre of everyone here. RESISTANCE,” he tweeted.

Earlier, Afghanistan’s caretaker President Amrullah Saleh had lashed out at the Taliban for blocking humanitarian access to Panjshir.

Taliban using old men as mine clearance tools, blocking humanitarian assistance

Taking to Twitter, Saleh had accused the Taliban of committing war crimes and having no regard for International Humanitarian Law.

Saleh had revealed that the Taliban is doing racial profiling and forcing the ‘military age men’ of Panjshir to be their “mine clearance tools”. They are forcing them to walk on minefields, besides cutting off phone lines, electricity and access to medicines. He called on the United Nations and other world leaders to take note of the “criminal and terrorist behaviour of Talibs.”

The Panjshir Valley is one of the last remaining territories controlled by anti-Taliban resistance forces in Afghanistan. Amrullah Saleh, accompanied by Ahmad Massoud, the son of former Afghanistan Defence Minister Ahmad Shah Massoud, has been defending against the Taliban onslaught and had urged people to unite to oust the Taliban from Afghanistan.

Joe Biden admin under the scanner over human trafficking concerns after US imports ‘child brides’ from Afghanistan, married to much older men

OpIndia Staff
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Joe Biden admin under the scanner over human trafficking concerns after US imports ‘child brides’ from Afghanistan, married to much older men

There are grave concerns regarding human trafficking after the United States Government under Joe Biden imported ‘child brides’ from Afghanistan. The Associated Press reported that there have been numerous incidents where Afghan girls have been presented to authorities in US as the “child brides” of Afghan men who are much older.

Consequently, the US State Department has sought “urgent guidance” regarding the matter from other agencies. According to one other internal documented seen by the AP, Afghan girls at a transit site in Abu Dhabi have claimed that they were forced to marry older men to escape Afghanistan who in turn raped them.

“Intake staff at Fort McCoy reported multiple cases of minor females who presented as ‘married’ to adult Afghan men, as well as polygamous families. Department of State has requested urgent guidance,” says the document seen by AP.

As per the report, the State Department has refused to confirm the veracity of the internal documents and their content. Officials, however, spoke under the condition of anonymity who said that numerous girls have been sexually assaulted by the older men who are their “husbands” and have sough appropriate guidance on how to proceed regarding the matter.

Fort McCoy is in the state of Wisconsin. The report has sparked an outrage on social media. Accusing the Joe Biden administration of importing an “acute human rights crisis” into the USA, Senator Ted Cruz said, “There have been multiple cases of child brides and polygamous families from Afghanistan arriving at military bases here in America as part of their botched evacuation.”

Ted Cruz also said, “How is this not literally child trafficking, conducted by the United States government?” Former Trump advisor Steve Cortes said that the US had imported “elderly Afghan creeps and their child brides”.

Filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza also lashed out at the Joe Biden administration.

There were others who expressed outrage over the matter and accused the US Government of encouraging sex trafficking of children.

Joe Biden has come under severe criticism over the botched US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Chaotic scenes were observed in Kabul as US forces ran helter-skelter to complete the withdrawal. Numerous Americans have been stranded in Afghanistan and the US forces failed to evacuate contract working dogs as well.

Watch: ‘Art Historian’ asks ‘sundar’ Neeraj Chopra about ‘sex life’ and training balance, makes Gold medalist very uncomfortable

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: ‘Art Historian’ asks ‘sundar’ Neeraj Chopra about ‘sex life’ and training balance, makes Gold medalist very uncomfortable

Neeraj Chopra is going through tough times lately. Navigating through Indian media appear to be proving certainly as tough for him as winning the Olympic Gold Medal. After managing to get away from dancing radio jockeys without too much damage, he landed at an event hosted by Indian Express where art historian Rajeev Sethi asks him about his sex life, thereby making him very uncomfortable.

Before asking the question, Rajeev Sethi exclaimed, “What a handsome young man you are!” Then he goes on to say that crores of Indians want to ask him something but are hesitant. Then he proceeds to ask, “How do you maintain a balance between your sex life and athletic training? I know this is a weird question.”

Uncomfortable with the question, Neeraj Chopra responded, “Sorry, sir. I have said sorry, you can know my answer from that.” Rajeev Sethi did not stop there and proceeded to elaborate his question in further detail, expressing a great desire to know more about the Gold Medalist’s sex life.

When the art historian attempted to apologise for the question, a disgusted Neeraj Chopra replied, “My heart is overwhelmed by your question.”

This is not the first time that the Tokyo Olympic Gold Medalist had to fend off uncomfortable overtures during interviews. A couple of weeks ago, RJ Malishka along with her Radio FM staff broke out into an impromptu jig to the tunes of ‘Ude Jab jab zulfein teri.’

Towards the end of the interview, Mendonsa tried to hug Neeraj Chopra ‘virtually’ on behalf of the entire nation. An uncomfortable Chopra responded with the gesture of ‘Namaste’ and said, “Namaste aisa door se hi.“

Chhattisgarh: Teacher thrashes students for fasting on Janmashtami, suspended after complaint by villagers

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh: Teacher thrashes students for fasting on Janmashtami, suspended after complaint by villagers

An incident of a Government school teacher in Chhattisgarh making obscene remarks on Shri Krishna and abusing students who fasted on Krishna Janmashtami has come to light. The incident took place in Bundapara Village Middle School, in the Kondagaon district, 200 kilometres away from the capital city of Raipur. According to media reports, the accused teacher Charan Markam has been suspended after preliminary investigation.

As per the reports, the police said that the incident occurred on Tuesday 31 August 2021 and that the villagers and the Gram Panchayat complained about the abuse of class 7 and class 8 students. Authorities said that the teacher Markam had specifically asked about those students who were fasting on the eve of Janmashtami and observing the rituals, and then allegedly picked out those students who raised their hands, and beat them.

A video had emerged on social media where the students punished by the teacher are seen narrating the incident. The video went viral on social media which caused an uproar. The students said that they were thrashed for keeping fast on the Janmashtami, and had asked them to not believe in any gods like Krishna and Saraswati.

The Collector of Kondagaon, Pushpendra Kumar Meena, said the suspension order of the accused teacher posted in the Government Middle school under the Girola Panchayat was issued after a preliminary investigation based on the complaint lodged on September 1, 2021. The Collector revealed that the Gram Panchayat and local villagers had complained about the alleged incident on Tuesday and also about the obscene remarks the teacher allegedly made on Shri Krishna. According to reports, the teacher also spread falsehood regarding Hindu Gods and Goddesses.

The Collector of Kondagaon, Pushpendra Kumar Meena also said that the villagers submitted audio as well as video evidence to prove their allegations. A government official was sent to conduct the preliminary investigation which led to the suspension of the accused teacher based on its report. The collector has asked for a report from the police for further investigation on the matter.

The suspension order made it clear that to hurt religious sentiments and spread hate is a serious offence. The authorities said that the actions of the accused teacher were in violation of the Chhattisgarh Civil Service Rules 1965 which led to his suspension. The Kondagaon police said that a case was not yet registered against the Teacher. The police said ‘We have got a report from the district administration that a case has not been registered yet but required actions would be taken after a proper investigation’.

Cambridge prof Priyamvada Gopal compares Jallianwala Bagh Memorial to ‘whale penis’: Her history of Hinduphobic comments

OpIndia Staff
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Cambridge prof Priyamvada Gopal compares Jallianwala Bagh Memorial to ‘whale penis’: Her history of Hinduphobic comments

Indian born academic Priyamvada Gopal has acquired widespread notoriety over comments she has made on social media. A quintessential liberal, she appears to harbour a morbid hatred in her heart for Hindus. She happens to be a Professor of Postcolonial Studies at the University of Cambridge.

On the 31st of August, Priyamvada Gopal compared the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial to a ‘whale penis’. She made the comparison after an individual said he did not approve of the aesthetics of the memorial. The two individuals involved in the conversation, with levels of IQ demonstrably unheard of in this universe, do not appear to know that the Narendra Modi Government has not constructed the memorial. It has existed for decades.

Source: Twitter

As it so happens, it is not the first time that the academic has made such controversial comments on social media. During the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019, Gopal had demanded that the USA block the naturalization of Hindus and “snatch their precious little H-1Bs”, referring to the H-1B Visas.

Source: Twitter

More recently, Priyamvada Gopal claimed that noted scholar Koenraad Elst was a “White adherent of Hindu Supremacism”, which she compared to “Aryan Supremacism” that has notable Nazi symbolism. Elst, of course, is nothing of that sort.

Source: Twitter

Quite evidently, Gopal is a textbook case of a Hinduphobe. The generalizations and the accusations that she hurls at the Hindu community would be considered unacceptable for any other community. Thus, unsurprisingly, she is at the forefront of denying that Hinduphobia exists.

She claims that Hindus who highlight Hinduphobia are akin to White Supremacists.

Source: Twitter

The academic is clearly on a crusade to prove somehow that there is a nexus between Hindus and White Supremacists, a laughable claim.

Source: Twitter

It is clear from her tweets that Gopal has a problem with every Hindu who has been successful in western countries. She made Hinduphobic remarks against Priti Patel, the Home Secretary in the UK Government since 2019.

Source: Twitter

Priyamvada Gopal had landed up in a controversy after declaring that “White lives don’t matter. As White lives”. After receiving severe criticism for the same, she promptly followed it up with a tweet demanding ‘abolish Brahmin-ness’.

Jharkhand Congress MLA Irfan Ansari praises Taliban for chasing away Americans, claims foreign troops committed atrocities and Afghans happy now

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand Congress MLA Irfan Ansari praises Taliban for chasing away Americans, claims foreign troops committed atrocities and Afghans happy now

While the Taliban has started imposing stringent Sharia laws in Afghanistan, Islamist leaders and politicians in India continue to defend the Jihadi group. In the latest such incident, Congress MLA from Jharkhand, Irfan Ansari has said that the USA is responsible for injustice and violation of human rights in Afghanistan and defended the Taliban. He claimed that Afghans are happy with the rule of the Taliban.

Speaking to media at the Jharkhand assembly after the first day of the monsoon session, Irfan Ansari praised the Taliban for chasing away American troops from Afghanistan. He said, “They should be lauded as they chased the Americans away from Afghanistan. We all know the kind of excesses the American forces committed in Afghanistan.”

When journalists asked whether he is supporting a terrorist organisation, Ansari said, “Yes, they are a terrorist organisation but they have acted as revolutionary in forcing the American occupation out of that country.”

Ranchi MLA Irfan Ansari further said, ‘This is my belief that It is the American administration who is responsible for all the wrongdoings and violation of rights happening in Afghanistan. The truth is something else, we all follow the media, the Taliban and Afghans are absolutely happy in Afghanistan, it is the American forces who is the bully and harassing the Afghan mothers, sisters and children. This is what all this is all about and everything else that is spread in the market/media is not correct, and I will raise my voice whenever there is injustice done against the public.”

He said that the media reports of Taliban atrocities on people are false. Ansari alleged that wherever British and American forces go, they commit atrocities on people. Ansari added that now that US troops have left and British forces have been chased away, there must be peace in Afghanistan. He commented that we don’t have to do anything with what is happening in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

The comments by the Congress leader that Afghans are happy with the Taliban regime comes after thousands of Afghans gathered outside the Kabul Airport trying to flee the country after the group captured Kabul. While the evacuation by western countries has stopped from 31st August, a large number of Afghans are still trying to escape from the country.

In the past, MLA Ansari had made similar rubbish remarks when he made a disgraceful comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He had said, ‘Jo apni maa ka nahin hua, Patni ka nahi hua, wo desh ka kya hoga’ (Someone who couldn’t belong to his mother, his wife, how will he belong to the country). He had also made empty boasts that the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC would not be implemented in Jharkhand not knowing that state governments do not have any say over matters of citizenship.

Defence study recommends including Arthashastra, Gita in Army curriculum, Congress opposes saying Muslims also fought Kargil war

OpIndia Staff
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Defence study recommends including Arthashastra, Gita in Army curriculum, Congress opposes saying Muslims also fought Kargil war

The College of Defence Management (CDM) recently conducted an internal study that suggested finding ways to include ‘relevant teachings’ from ancient Indian texts such as Kautilya’s Arthashastra and Bhagavat Gita into the current military training curriculum, a report published by News 18 said. The study also recommended establishing an ‘Indian Culture Study Forum’ and a dedicated facility to explore this possibility.

CDM, located at Secunderabad in Telangana, is a premier tri-services military training institution, where senior officers from the Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force are trained for higher defence management.

A project titled “Attributes of Ancient Indian Culture and Warfare Techniques and its incorporation in present-day strategic thinking and training” was sponsored by the Headquarter Integrated Defence Staff and which aimed to research select ancient Indian scriptures with the view of exploring the possibility of incorporating them in the context of strategic thinking and leadership in the Indian Armed Forces, the report said. The project also sought to set up a roadmap for deducing best practices and thoughts from them, which might be relevant in current times.

“This could be in the sphere of statecraft, military diplomacy, among others,” a top defence source was quoted as saying.

For instance, it calls Kautilya’s Arthashastra a “treasure trove” for the Armed Forces and states that it is relevant in the current context and contains lessons for a foot soldier to a general officer in the Armed Forces.

The three texts, it stated, is relevant in the current scenario with respect to leadership, warfare and strategic thinking.

Congress slams the proposal to include Arthshashtra and Gita in the Indian Army curriculum

The Congress party has objected to the proposal, stating that the inclusion of Bhagwat Gita and Kautilya Arthshastra’s in the Indian Army’s training amounts to the politicisation of the country’s Armed Forces. “At least the government should not do politics in military matters, we won the Kargil war with the help of Muslim soldiers,” said Congress spokesperson KK Mishra while accusing the Centre of politicising the Indian Military.

Read- UGC recommends teaching Idea of Bharat, Asaduddin Owaisi gets furious

Poet Munawwar Rana ‘falls ill’ after High Court refuses to stay his arrest for defending Taliban by comparing it to Maharishi Valmiki

OpIndia Staff
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Poet Munawwar Rana ‘falls ill’ after High Court refuses to stay his arrest for defending Taliban by comparing it to Maharishi Valmiki

The health of poet Munawwar Rana has deteriorated after the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court refused to grant him an interim protection from arrest over his remarks comparing Taliban to Maharishi Valmiki. Subsequently, he was admitted to the PGI Hospital in the city.

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Munawwar Rana had said during an interview, “Do we not have terrorists? One rickshawallah is beaten mercilessly in Kanpur, one politician says Munawwar Rana deserves to be encountered. You do not know the meaning of terrorist.”

He proceeded to add, “Valmiki became a God after he wrote the Ramayan, before that he was a dacoit. A person’s character can change. Similarly, the Taliban, for now, are terrorists but people and characters change.”

“When you speak about Valmiki you will have to talk about his past. In your religion, you make anyone the God. But he was a writer. Okay, so he wrote the Ramayan, but we are not in competition here,” the poet further stated.

Consequently, Munawwar Rana was booked for his comment by the Uttar Pradesh Police. The FIR was registered against Rana on the complaint filed by PL Bharti, a leader of the Valmiki community, who accused Rana of hurting religious feelings by comparing Valmiki with the Taliban. In his complaint, Bharti said that Rana made obnoxious comments against Dalits.

Rana had then filed a petition at the Allahabad High Court seeking a stay on his possible arrest, a request that has been denied by the Court.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram offers ‘Friday prayers’ at Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, which contains ‘hair’ of Prophet Muhammad

OpIndia Staff
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Congress MP Karti Chidambaram offers ‘Friday prayers’ at Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, which contains ‘hair’ of Prophet Muhammad

Karti P Chidambaram, son of former Union Minister of Finance, P Chidambaram, shared a picture on social media that showed him offering prayers at the Hazratbal Shrine, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

The visit of Karti P Chidambaram comes shortly after the visit of Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi to the Shrine.

The Hazratbal Shrine is a Muslim Shrine or Mosque located in Srinagar, also known as Dargah Sharif. The place is believed to be closely related to the Islamic Prophet, Muhammad because of the existence of a relic called the Moi-e-Muqqadas, which many Muslims believe to be strands of hair of the Prophet Muhammad. The shrine is a symbol of love of the Muslims for the Prophet. The construction of the Hazratbal Mosque began in 1968 and ended in the year 1979 with the completion of the white marble edifice and a dome structure.

The place also has a historical relationship with Shah Jahan, who in 1634 re-modelled Ishrat Mahal and a garden that existed before the Hazratbal and built the structure in its place with the purpose of offering prayers. Thus, the Hazratbal shrine represents culture firmly engraved in Mughal history.

The Urs of Chaar Yaar , a Muslim festival, was recently held at the Hazratbal shrine when huge crowd of people gathered to witness the display of the holy relic of prophet Muhammad.

Karti Chidambaram is Congress MP From Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu and son of former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram. He is currently facing investigation in a number of cases including money laundering and having undisclosed foreign assets. He has been charged in cases like INX Media case and Aircel Maxis case and is facing probe from the central agencies. His father P Chidambaram has also been facing an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Aircel Maxis case. He was recently released on bail after having spent 106 days in Tihar jail.

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