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New York, Jan 10 (IANS) NASA has named Indian-American aerospace industry expert A.C. Charania as its new chief technologist to serve as principal advisor on technology policy and programs at the agency's headquarters in Washington.

In his role, Charania will align NASA's agency wide technology investments with mission needs across six mission directorates and oversee technology collaboration with other federal agencies, the private sector, and external stakeholders.

The role is housed within NASA's Office for Technology, Policy, and Strategy.

"The rate of advancement we seek in the 21st century is dependent upon selecting and maturing a portfolio of technologies into systems to execute our missions," Charania said in a NASA press statement.

"With this in mind, there are incredible opportunities in partnerships within and outside of NASA. I now look forward to the opportunity to work with the entire community to increase the rate of space and aviation progress," he added.

Charania will serve as principal advisor to Administrator Bill Nelson.Prior to joining NASA, he served as vice president of product strategy at Reliable Robotics, a firm that works to bring certified autonomous vehicles to commercial aviation.

His previous experience also includes working at Blue Origin to mature its lunar permanence strategy, Blue Moon lunar lander program, and multiple technology initiatives with NASA.

"A.C. is an experienced leader in managing large, rapidly shifting technology portfolios. I am eager for him to apply his knowledge and enthusiasm at NASA," Bhavya Lal, NASA associate administrator for technology, policy, and strategy, said in a press statement.

Lal served as acting chief technologist prior to the appointment of Charania, whose first day working at NASA Headquarters was January 3.

Charania has also worked in strategy and business development for the Virgin Galactic (now Virgin Orbit) LauncherOne small satellite launch vehicle program.

He also served in multiple management and technology roles at SpaceWorks Enterprises, including helping to incubate two startups, Generation Orbit and Terminal Velocity Aerospace.

Charania led the formation of the FastForward industry group focused on high-speed point-to-point transportation, was a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts fellow, and served on the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group Commercial Advisory Board, according to the agency release.

He received a bachelor's and a master's degree in aerospace engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a bachelor's in economics from Emory University.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS) The National Science Day 2023 will be celebrated on the theme of 'Global Science for Global Wellbeing'.

The National Science Day is celebrated every year on February 28 to commemorate the discovery of the 'Raman Effect'.

The government designated February 28 as National Science Day in 1986. On this day C.V. Raman announced the discovery of the 'Raman Effect' for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930.

On this occasion, theme-based science communication activities are carried out all over the country.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Jitendra Singh on Monday released the theme and said that the theme of "Global Science for Global Wellbeing" is perfectly in sync with India assuming the Presidency of G-20, where she will become the voice of the global south that is the developing countries of Asia, Africa and South America.

The Minister said that the Global Science for Global Wellbeing theme has been chosen for the purpose of raising public appreciation of the scientific issues in global context which is having a bearing upon global wellbeing.

Singh said that India has acquired global visibility in the comity of nations under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and "we are ready for outcome oriented global collaboration to address the global challenges".

He said, when concerns, challenges and benchmarks have assumed global dimensions, the redressal should also be of the global nature.

Principal Scientific Advisor Ajay Kumar Sood explained the rationale behind the theme of "Global Science for Global Wellbeing" and said in the wake of Covid-19, the world has become closer to fight global challenges.

Sood also explained in detail that it was on February 28 in 1928 that iconic Indian physicist C.V. Raman made an important discovery, known as the Raman Effect.

The discovery was that when a beam of coloured light entered a liquid, a fraction of the light scattered by that liquid was of a different colour.

Raman showed that the nature of this scattered light was dependent on the type of sample present.

--IANS
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Chennai, Jan 5 (IANS) Companies in cement, automobile, consumers and specialty chemicals might see margin expansion in 2023, said Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company (MOAMC).

While inflation does seem to have peaked in 2022, central bankers are not letting their guard down.

While the increase in policy rates has slowed down, central bankers are now expected to keep rates high for longer and the peak rate could be a tad higher, vs earlier expectations, MOAMC said in a report.

According to the report, the equity markets which had been buoyant in November 2022, on hopes of a policy pivot, gave away some of their gains and consolidated. Covid fears resurfaced on spike in China.

"Cement, consumers, specialty chemicals, and autos might see margin expansion in 2023," said MOAMC.

The Indian cement industry could add 80-100 million tonnes of capacity by FY25, driven by increased spending on housing and infrastructure.

Citing the long term growth potential of India, MOAMC said Indian cement companies are favorably positioned to deliver building solutions for the nation on the march. The three main demand drivers for the cement industry: infrastructure upgrades, rural housing, and urbanisation.

As regards to the consumers segment, the E-commerce continued to grow with more people shopping online; consumers continued to prefer products that enhanced their health and well-being.

Traditionally, low-cost labour and readily available raw material provided an edge to Indian specialty chemical manufacturing companies.

Not being content with this advantage, the companies are now focusing on product development capabilities.

The Indian chemicals industry has increased its capital expenditure over the past decade in order to be well-equipped to capture future opportunities.

The automobiles sector will be driven by rural demand for those players with strong rural and semi-urban presence. Demand in urban regions continues to remain buoyant. Improvement in sales is to continue, driven by an expected rise in e-commerce, agriculture, infrastructure, and mining activities. Many Auto companies expect recovery to continue over the next few years, driven by improved economic activities, an affordable interest rate regime, and better financing availability, said MOAMC.

Amongst other spaces, tyre companies and auto ancillaries could see margin expansion.

During Q2FY23, banks dominated profit delivery. Now with deposit growth picking up, and with system liquidity improving, a higher growth rate can sustain for longer aided by a money multiplier. Most banks are comfortable with provisions and hence the non-performinng assets (NPA) are expected to not hurt. Government banks could see a sharper increase in net interest margin (NIM).

--IANS
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London, Dec 30 (IANS) People with perfectionist traits are more susceptible to burnout, and it is not only due to work-related stress, a new study has shown.

According to mental health expert and lead author Professor Gordon Parker, some conventional tools used to diagnose burnout focus on work-related stress, however, the impact is much more extensive.

Study findings suggest that people who tend to be perfectionists are more likely to experience burnout because of their own "unrelenting standards".

"Most people think that burnout is a work problem. Actually, we found that stress experienced at work or at home can set the wheels of burnout in motion. Our analyses indicated that burnout may also develop as a result of predisposing personality traits, especially perfectionism," said Professor Parker.

"People with perfectionistic traits are usually excellent workers, as they're extremely reliable and conscientious. However, they're also prone to burnout as they set unrealistic and unrelenting standards for their own performance, which are ultimately impossible to live up to," he added.

Burnout is widespread among high achievers in the workplace -- but is becoming increasingly more prevalent in personal lives.

Experts suggest burnout symptoms include constant exhaustion, emotional numbness and confusion at home or work, in contrast to regular tiredness.

"Most people consider burnout to be extreme tiredness, but in our studies, we have found that the symptoms are much more wide-ranging," said Professor Parker.

"People struggling with burnout also suffer from cognitive dysfunction, sometimes known as 'brain fog' and disconnection from their friends and family, as well as the more typically-recognised reduced performance in work and tasks around the home," he added.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) In an effort to manage crowd on New Year's eve, commuters won't be allowed to exit from Rajiv Chowk metro station post 9 p.m. However, passengers will be allowed to enter till the departure of the last train.

A statement by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) read: "To ease overcrowding on New Year's eve (December 31, 2022), exit from Rajiv Chowk metro station will not be allowed from 9 p.m. onwards. However, entry of passengers will be allowed till the departure of the last train."

The DMRC has also asked commuters to plan their journey accordingly.

The Rajiv Chowk metro station -located on the Blue Line- is the nearest station to Connaught Place area, a hub for party-goers. On occasions like New Year's eve, people gather in huge numbers to celebrate.

The DMRC took to Twitter to share the news 'New Year's Eve update'.

--IANS
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By Praveen Dwivedi
Bhopal, Dec 30 (IANS) With Madhya Pradesh readying for polls in 2023, political parties have started their preparations. The states law and order situation, controversies regarding Bollywood, religious issues, Uniform Civil Code have often been in the headlines from Bhopal to New Delhi.


The Bharatiya Janata Party has been in power in the state since 2003 (barring 15 months of the Kamal Nath-led Congress government). Senior BJP leader and state Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who often made headlines with his statements and became the most popular political face in the BJP after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, answered questions from IANS in an exclusive interview.

IANS: Last year, a much needed police commissionerate system was introduced in two big cities -- Bhopal and Indore. How have things changed since then and will the system be introduced in some other districts?

Mishra: The police commissionerate system is a big step, and of course it is needed. We will review the outcome with the Chief Minister in January, and then we will be able to make further announcements in this regard.

IANS: With the fast changes in the society, the police have multiple roles to play. A ‘modern policing' system is on demand. What are the steps taken in the last few years and what are the new steps the home department is going to introduce?

Mishra: The police have always played multiple roles but with the arrival of cybercrime, methods of police action have changed because the crime perpretators are operating the nexus from a distance.

The responsibilities of the police towards the society have increased and to ensure better service, they need the best equipment and infrastructure. We have established several cyber cells across the state. We are following the Centre's guidelines and modern systems are being introduced.

IANS: The BJP has been in power for nearly two decades in Madhya Pradesh, what has improved in this period especially in public security issues and what challenges are ahead?

Mishra: See, it is on record that when the BJP formed the government in 2003, Madhya Pradesh was in full control of mafia gangs, dacoits and naxals.

People had no faith even in the police. So the first big achievement is that the perception of people towards the police has changed. Now the people trust the police and it didn't come overnight, but it could happen because of relentless efforts of the entire police system of the state.

Perceptions towards the police have changed because the nexus of organised crime has been destroyed completely. At present there is no nexus of organised crime. Growing naxalism was a big challenge before us, which we have controlled.

In the last 18 years, the MP police did not allow naxalism to grow in any part of the state. SIMI's network has been completely destroyed in Madhya Pradesh and we have also controlled the PFI. Before 2003, things were completely opposite.

IANS: But the opposition attack on the BJP and MP's Home Minister over the growing crime graph and law and order situation?

Mishra: We have controlled nexus crime. Earlier, there used to be dacoits in the Gwalior-Chambal regions, but today you will not find a single dacoit. People used to live in fear that they could be kidnapped at any time, this has changed now.

Those trying to create panic among the people are being destroyed completely. Thousands of acres of land which was encroached by land mafias, has now been given to poor people to build their homes.

If the Congress targets us on daily crime issues, they should do it but it is a different subject. Let me tell you that Naxals carrying a combined reward of over Rs 1 crore were killed by the MP police in the last one year, including one who was gunned down during an encounter.

Most of these killed were area commanders and they were well trained and equipped with AK-47s.

IANS: Your relentless attack on Bollywood in the name of ‘protecting Hinduism' and ‘sanatan culture' has sparked a controversy. How would you respond to it?

Mishra: Should I maintain a silence and let them misrepresent our rich Hindu and Sanatan culture? They will keep hurting people in the name of freedom of art and nobody will speak against them, what kind of perception are we having?

I am not against their freedom of art, but will not allow them to hurt our religious sentiments at any cost. Why is that every time they do such things on Hindu gods and goddesses, and not dare to do the same with others.

This is what I say and I will always stand to protect our sanatan dharma.

IANS: Your vocal criticism against the opposition and on religious issues created an impression that the Madhya Pradesh Home Minister is a hardliner, but you also often impress the people and even the opposition with your sarcasm using poetic lines. What would you say to this?

Mishra: I can't say what kind of perception people have about me but they also know that questions raised by me are not wrong. About the opposition, I would say that they are political opponents and not enemies. Democracy flourishes with contribution of both the ruling party and the opposition and we should always respect it.

IANS: A controversy erupted over the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The MP government has already introduced the PESA Act and announced implementation of the UCC in the state. On the other hand, the opposition accuses the BJP of playing the ‘communal card' in view of the Assembly elections. What is your view on this issue?

Mishra: If the UCC wasn't a need, then why did Dr. B. R. Ambedkar recommend it? But the Congress' politics of appeasement kept the matter in cold storage despite being in power for over 70 years. The time has come when we need to progress with Ek Vidhan, Ek Samvidhan aur Ek Rashtra (one legislation, one constitution and one nation).

Be it the decision to abrogate Article 370, criminalising triple talaq, Citizenship (Amendment) Act or any other progressive steps taken under the leadership of PM Modi, the Congress has found only politics in it because they have always done politics of appeasement.

IANS: Madhya Pradesh is gearing up for a high-voltage Assembly election at the end of 2023, how is the BJP prepared for the elections. A buzz has started in political circles that Narottam Mishra will lead the party from the back end.

Mishra: BJP will come back to power with a full majority. The people of Madhya Pradesh had 10 years of Congress rule from 1993 to 2003 and again for 15 months in 2018 to 2020. Madhya Pradesh has seen all round development under the BJP government.

We will contest elections under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and our Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The Congress is living in a daydream these days, but the people of the state are with the BJP's development agenda.

IANS: What is your message to the people of Madhya Pradesh for New Year?

Mishra: I wish all of them a very Happy New Year, but at the same time I would appeal to them to follow Covid protection guidelines and celebrate the occasion peacefully, maintaining law and order.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) With Covid infections once again surging in several countries, especially in China which saw over 250 million cases in just 20 days in December, fresh Covid wave fears linger across the world, including in India.

While the BF.7 variant of Omicron virus is a cause of concern in China and India, the Omicron subvariant XBB accounts for 18.3 per cent of the Covid-19 cases in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This marks an increase of 11.2 per cent as the XBB variant continues to drive up cases in Singapore.

Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 accounted for about 70 per cent of new cases in the US.

The total number of confirmed Covid cases in the US have surpassed 100 million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, since the pandemic broke out almost three years ago, with a total of more than 1 million deaths.

Japan is facing an ongoing eighth wave of the pandemic and the country registered 206,943 new cases.

South Korea's new Covid cases remained below 70,000 for the second straight day on Saturday, while new coronavirus-related deaths hit a three-month high.

The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that he hopes that Covid-19 will no longer be a global health emergency sometime next year.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the WHO Covid-19 Emergency Committee will discuss next month the criteria for declaring an end to the Covid-19 emergency.

"We're hopeful that at some point next year, we will be able to say that Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency," he said, adding that however, SARS-CoV-2 virus, the culprit behind the Covid-19 pandemic, will not go away.

Kirti Sabnis, Infectious Disease Specialist at Fortis Hospital in Kalyan, Mumbai, told IANS that when a pandemic becomes endemic, it means that the disease is present in a particular community or globally, and there is enough immunity among the population to control outbreaks.

"Also, the infections can continue to affect vulnerable members of the community. While an endemic may not experience large outbreaks, it also means that it will not be completely eradicated," she said.

Health experts said that it is harder to predict if Covid-19 will become endemic in 2023 because it is a respiratory virus that tends to mutate, similar to other Influenza viruses.

"If multiple mutations change the virus's protein structure or its ability to attach to cells, it could give rise to new strains. However, if the current protection of the immunity to the virus is sufficient to prevent severe disease or reduce transmission, then definitely Covid can become endemic," Sabnis said.

It is uncertain when or if Covid-19 will become endemic, but it is unlikely that we will be able to completely eliminate it.

Experts said that we may see occasional outbreaks, particularly during flu season or if new mutations emerge, as is currently happening in China.

"The transmission of the virus in India and the level of immunity acquired through previous vaccination and community transmission will also influence its potential to become endemic. However, it seems unlikely that there will be significant new outbreaks or that the virus will become endemic in the next 2-3 months," Sabnis said.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) Thousands lost jobs amid deepening funding winter in 2022 as massive layoffs by the tech companies this year alone surpassed the levels from the Great Recession the world went through in 2008-2009 that began with Lehman Brothers collapse.

In 2008, tech companies laid off about 65,000 employees, and a similar number of workers lost their livelihoods in 2009, according to data by global outplacement and career transitioning firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

By comparison, over 1,000 tech companies laid off more than 1,52,000 employees this year globally, surpassing the Great Recession levels of 2008-2009.

More than 91,000 workers in the US tech sector were laid off in mass job cuts in 2022, according to a Crunchbase tally.

Over 17,000 tech employees were shown the door in India, led by edtech companies like BYJU's, Unacademy, Vedanta and others.

The startup ecosystem's funding winter could last another 12 to 18 months and the industry may face "a lot of turmoil and volatility", Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy has warned.

The fact is that only two startups in India, Shiprocket and OneCard, attained unicorn status (valuation of $1 billion and above) in the July-September period, according to a PwC India report.

"There was a definite downturn in Q2 of this year and the quality deal flow had dried up substantially, as investors at large were wary of deploying dry powder," said Rushit Shah, CoFounder of DevX Venture Fund.

The startups which raised at astronomical valuations were given a reality check by the market and brought to sanity.

"Reducing the burn happened to be the new mantra, which led to layoffs especially in the edtech sector in a gloomy environment," Shah told IANS.

According to Shrijay Sheth, Founder, legalwiz.in, 2023 will continue to be the year of sustenance for most, and funders will continue to remain more cautious.

"Both valuation multipliers and funding opportunities will go more conservative. Startups must build better units economics as opposed to expensive acquisitions driven growth channels," said Sheth.

Geo-political issues, global supply chain crisis and other macro issues are expected to prevail.

"Mostly, the serious funding houses will prevail while we will see visitors in the VC world take a break," Sheth added.

India saw a massive 35 per cent drop in funding this year, from $37.2 billion in 2021 to $24.7 billion. Edtech startups witnessed a significant 39 per cent drop compared to the same period last year, according to Tracxn.

The late-stage investments fell by 45 per cent, from $29.3 billion in January-November 2021 to $16.1 billion for the same period this year.

According to Yash Shah, Co-founder and CEO, Clientjoy, ‘growth at all costs' is no longer a philosophy entertained by investors.

"During these times, founders must push themselves to identify and optimise their conversion funnels that directly show a reduction in their acquisition costs and push the company towards at-least unit level profitability, if not complete profitability," he said.

Ambitious projects and long term initiatives with low probability of success that employed talent at the cutting edge of technology are being put on hold and survival has become the priority.

"The market will turn eventually and disciplined founders and top talent will reap disproportionate benefits once this funding winter is over. This is the time for cockroaches and not unicorns," said Shah.

--IANS
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By Vinod Mirani
The 'Pathaan' controversy has snowballed. But, in this case, to call it a fireball would be more apt.


It all started with the depiction of a song in the film, 'Besharam Rang'. I have heard of a voluptuous song or a scene related to a certain character's portrayal in many films. Sadly, in this case, it is nothing of that sort.

The term voluptuous fits a performer, not the act. And the performer here has nothing of that voluptuousness to boast of. The number is full of suggestive moves; it is provocative and reeks of vulgarity.

Whoever thinks that exposing will lure the audience has some very wrong ideas about our moviegoers. If it were so, Sunny Leone would have been the biggest star in our cinema universe and at least she has the body to flaunt. (Now, of course, she insists on a certain dress code before she signs a film.)

'Pathaan' reminds me of a book, 'The Afghan' (2006), by Frederick Forsyth. It was a book worth remembering by all counts. But my memory was revived when Kamal Haasan copied the subject to make his own version, Vishwaroopam (2012). To say the least, Haasan's version was funny for those who had read the book.

In Haasan's version, as in the original, an Al Qaeda man, who resembles Haasan, is captured by the US and Haasan impersonates him with the aim to bring down Al Qaeda! Shah Rukh claims 'Pathaan' is a patriotic film. The public perception about a Pathan or an Afghan is that of a solidly built six-foot-plus man. Kamal Haasan did not fit that image. Don't know if Shah Rukh Khan will!

The very initial response to the song's release on YouTube was negative. If a star or a maker needs such a prop as 'Besharam Rang', it shows lack of confidence. The religious factions joined the bandwagon only later. That helped, the controversy caught on, if that is what the makers wanted.

The song shows the dancer, Deepika Padukone, in various flimsy bikinis and one of them happens to be in saffron or 'bhagwa', a colour with which the country's majority community identifies with.

Looks like thanks to the vulgarity of the choreography, coupled with the saffron and the lyrics, 'Besharam Rang' has touched some wrong nerves. On the other hand, Islamists have a problem with how a Pathan is depicted in the film.

If the makers added this song to the film only to roll it out as a promo with plans to withdraw it when the time for the film's release came, it has backfired. Yes, the makers will make a lot of money from YouTube, where all links to the songs, including the one put up by YRF, are crossing millions of hits (some 113 million at last count).

When such things happen, certain people, especially film stars, raise the issue of freedom of speech and expression. Aamir Khan, Naseeruddin Shah and Javed Akhtar, among others, have resorted to airing such thoughts while they continue to enjoy all the freedom they could ask for.

Yet, a statement by Amitabh Bachchan during the inauguration of the Kolkata Film Festival last week was most curious. He said, "Even now, questions are being raised on civil liberties and freedom of expression." Yes, they are being raised, but is he also raising it?

Bachchan's statement made no sense as to why he said it and for whom it was directed at. There was no preamble or conclusion to his comment. Also sharing the stage with him at the event was Shah Rukh Khan, whose 'Pathaan' is in the news. Was it meant to please Khan or was it directed at the West Bengal Chief Minister, who was also on the stage?

Bachchan also made a reference to the Cinematograph Act of 1952 vis-a-vis the Censor Board. Why it merited a mention also was left unsaid. He should know that the Act has been amended from time to time and efforts have often been made to appoint a film industry person in the Chair.

By the way, the Bachchan-starrer 'Sholay' was the victim of the Censor Board and so was 'Inquilaab', among other films, but there is no record of his observations on freedom of speech and expression when this happened.

After all these years in the film industry, one is expected to know that everything does not start and end with the Censor Board. There are other local authorities, down to a District Collector, who have the power to stop a film's screenings if they fear that a film may hurt people's sentiments or it may create unrest in his area.

But, most of all, India being the democracy that it is, the masses have freedom of speech and expression. Only, their way of demonstrating or expressing that freedom may not suit everybody. What a senior star should be asking is, why is there censorship for films but none for the digital media, such as YouTube, where the song 'Besharam Rang' was released.

In a country where six-and-eight-year-old girls are kidnapped, raped and killed, we can certainly do without more provocation to fuel the perversion of such people. 'Besharam Rang' is just that fuel.

'Cirkus' second preference; cinemas stay with 'Avatar'

Rohit Shetty's 'Cirkus', which released on Friday, December 23, was the major Hindi release of the Christmas week. The holiday season was expected to help it make the most of its potential at the box office. What more can a maker ask for? With such an opportune release week for a film, that too one coming from a director reputed for giving mass-oriented blockbusters, the release should have been smooth, a cakewalk.

Here, things got a bit complicated. Though riding on the film is the director Rohit Shetty's reputation and that of a sellabe star, Ranveer Singh, the makers had to face a hard time. To make the most of the Christmas holidays, the film needed an extensive release with as many screens as possible.

This should have been easy. As there is no other Hindi release to compete with, it could be considered an open week. In normal circumstances, the exhibitors should be chasing the film's distributors, but, surprisingly, it was the other way round!

'Cirkus' was not getting the prime multiplex cinemas and even the single screens equipped with 2K screening facility were out of bounds. The problem was the continuation of the Hollywood hit, 'Avatar: The Way Of Water'. All the best cinemas have been booked by the 'Avatar' distributors, Disney, who are bound by a two-week contract. Besides the contract, the cinema managements had no reason to discontinue 'Avatar' and accommodate a new film because 'Avatar' was doing exceedingly well.

Yes, luckily for 'Cirkus', the film is being distributed by PVR, who have granted more shows to the film at their cinemas by reducing the screening of 'Avatar: The Way Of Water'. The new age makers may not be aware, but asking cinemas to discontinue a screening is considered a sacrilege and has always backfired.

For the rest of the cinema chains, it looks like they trust Hollywood more than the Hindi film industry now. Last Christmas, too, there was a contest for screen time between the Hindi film, '83', and the Hollywood global hit, 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'. If the cinemas count more on Hollywood today, they cannot be blamed because the Disney banner itself has given them five hits in row, all making money for them.

And now it looks like the exhibitors who stuck with 'Avatar: Way Of Water' have made the right decision, taking into account the reports about 'Cirkus'!

--IANS
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By Gurmukh Singh
Toronto, Dec 25 (IANS) The Khalistan referendum - held in September and November - became a huge irritant in India-Canada relations in 2022 and a major point of friction in the Indo-Canadian community as pro-Khalistan and pro-India supporters clashed in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).


India called the referendum a "farcical exercise held by extremists and radical elements" and asked Canada for "action in this matter." In a rare travel advisory, New Delhi urged travellers to Canada to be cautious about the possibility of anti-India violence in Canada.

Canada said it supports India's integrity, but it won't stop the referendum as its citizens were free to protest.

Though Ottawa is trying to warm to India as outlined in its recently announced Indo-Pacific Strategy in which it calls India "a critical partner in Canada's pursuit of its objectives under this strategy," Khalistan will continue to be a major issue in India-Canada bilateral relations in 2023 and beyond.

"Though one can agree with Canada's stand that it cannot stifle free expression, the fact remains that Khalistani activities are a direct interference in India's internal affairs because most pro-Khalistani elements are now Canadian citizens with Canadian passports. For India, they are foreigners and Canada must rein in them," said a Brampton-based Indo-Canadian leader, requesting anonymity.

Top Indo-Canadian politician and former Canadian health minister Ujjal Dosanjh thinks that the Khalistan movement is virtually dead but some elements in Canada are trying to keep it alive with the support of Pakistan.

"My sense is that the Khalistan movement is almost dead. Now it is more about Pakistan keeping it alive by supporting these elements," said Dosanjh who has been a fierce critic of Khalistanis in Canada.

In this dying movement, he says, these elements will do anything to stay in the limelight.

Dosanjh is also critical of India's high-profile statements on the activities of Khalistani elements in Canada, saying that these statements provide oxygen for the Khalistani elements who are a very small segment of the diaspora.

"India is too sensitive about what happens in the diaspora. By making high-level statements, it is actually infusing life into a dying movement. This is what Khalistani elements want," said Dosanjh.

Brampton-based veteran Punjabi journalist Balraj Deol, however, notes that India must toughen its stand in dealing with Canada on this issue.

"Khalistanis have lobbies in all political parties and in the government here. Their religious parades are nothing but political muscle flexing and politicians for them. All this won't stop." The Khalistan issue will always remain an irritant between India and Canada, he said.

--IANS
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