In this issue

Highlights of India Today –26th July 2021 issue:

The cover story looks at major milestones the government has to navigate as it charts a future for Jammu and Kashmir. It also addresses the undercurrent of anger, fear and mistrust among Kashmiris of the Indian state.

ANIMAL SPIRITS

Kiran Karnik chooses his similes carefully. India’s image is that of a large, lumbering elephant, but it threatens to become a hippo, he says. Aggressive, bad-tempered and slow. Or could it become a gazelle by 2030, agile, peaceful and likable? He seeks answers through his analysis of nine areas shaping India: democracy and politics, security, health, education, economy, demography, society, jobs and livelihoods, and technology.

3 mins

What The Modi Government Must Do To Win Hearts And Bridge The Trust Deficit?

As the centre restarts the stalled political process in j&k, it needs to win the hearts and trust of its people

9 mins

“What happens after delimitation, whether polls first or statehood, is a million-dollar question”

Situated atop a hill in Srinagar, the Raj Bhavan commands a spectacular view of the Dal Lake and the surrounding mountain ranges. But given the constant state of turbulence afflicting Jammu and Kashmir, its occupants rarely get time to soak in the view. Manoj Sinha is no exception. Appointed as Lieutenant Governor last August, the second after the reorganisation of J&K into a Union territory on August 5, 2019, Sinha has had his hands full from the get-go. The appointment of the 62-year-old veteran BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh, who was a former Union minister of state for railways and telecommunication, was a signal that the Narendra Modi government was keen on restoring the political process that had been breached after the abrogation of Article 370. Since then, Sinha can take part of the credit for kickstarting the political dialogue when the prime minister invited Kashmiri leaders—many of whom had been detained and vilified by the ruling dispensation—for a heart-to-heart chat on June 24 and to involve them in what seems to be a long march towards restoration of statehood in J&K.Now comes the tough task of successfully conducting a delimitation exercise and then an assembly election. Meanwhile, J&K needs urgent development and employment for its restless youth. Despite the big promises of transforming the Union territory into an industrial hub, there is not much to show. In a detailed interview with Group Editorial Director (Publishing) Raj Chengappa, Lieutenant Governor Sinha discusses the contentious issues and his commitments to bring rapid progress and peace to the Valley. Excerpts:

8 mins

THE LONG HAUL TO PEACE

The Valley has witnessed a definite ebb in terror and violence over the past few years but security forces are bracing for newer threats, evident from the use of drones by militants and the flow of narcotics from across the border

7 mins

The Valley Of Hope And Fear

Kashmir is not just a territory but also people with feelings, aspirations and concerns. To gauge the mood of the Valley, INDIA TODAY spoke to a wide cross-section of individuals. Here’s what they had to say

3 mins

“We need handholding to resuscitate, not babus throwing the rulebook at us”

Tourism is the best baro­ meter of the situation in Kashmir: if it is troubled, the numbers plunge and if the Valley is at peace, they rise dramatically.

2 mins

“Give J&K full statehood, not a Delhi-type compromise”

Amitabh Mattoo believes that Kashmir is at a critical crossroads again.

2 mins

“I realised jihad is the wrong way to set right the issues Kashmir faces”

“OUR YOUTH HAVE REALISED THAT WHAT THEY WERE DOING IN TERMS OF MILITANCY WAS WRONG AND THAT IT WAS GETTING THEM NOWHERE”

3 mins

“We started from zero and are now determined to help women like us make an independent living”

Unlike many other girls her age, marriage isn’t top priority for Khairunnisa, 22, a resident of Hanjikhello Gangoo village in Pulwama.

2 mins

“Instead of guns, our voices speak for us. Music is our identity and nothing else”

The lyrics of an old Bollywood song that the two 22-year-olds, Shokeen Nabi from Budgam and Shah Zafar from Tang marg, sing in a hall in Baramulla are loaded with meaning not just for Kashmir but for all of India: Jo vaada kiya woh nibhana padega; roke zamaana chahe roke Khudaai (Keep your promises, whether the world or god comes in your way).

2 mins

“There is no better moment than now to build a Naya Kashmir”

Vijay Dhar is clear he doesn’t want to be the last Kashmiri Pandit in the Valley.

2 mins

FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH

Wendy Doniger writes about horses and gods with an equal joy and affection

4 mins

Read all stories from India Today

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