New Delhi Mar 30 PTI Just because Indias academic and intellectual circles have seen Left-wing intolerance for long it would be a grave mistake to substitute it with Right-wing intolerance cautions JNU professor Makarand R Paranjape in his book billed as an insiders account of the varsityIn JNU Nationalism and Indias Uncivil War Paranjape seeks to find the truth behind the controversies that have plagued the JNU especially since the last six years - from anti-nationalism to arrest of student leaders to the disappearance of a student who to date remains untracedParanjape says his book is neither merely a collection of anecdotes or personal experiences nor is an exercise in institutional historiography or hagiography but an informed insiders account of the cataclysmic changes in the JNU during 2016-2021He feels the image of the university has taken a severe beating in the last five years so much so that many parents do not wish to send their children to study thereWhile the book published by Rupa deplores the ideological hegemony and intolerance of the Left in JNU arguing that it has brought the university to such a sorry pass it also makes a case for not simply substituting the dogmatic Left with the doctrinaire RightThere should not be an attempt to merely substitute the Left with the Right but a comprehensive reform should be facilitated which will include a better administration cleaner campus and better amenities he suggestsThe book pleads for restoration of civil disagreement in place of bitter opposition dialogue rather than irreconcilable conflict It proposes remedial strategies of dealing with differences along with intermedial hermeneutics to negotiate extreme positions and bipolar oppositionsThe book begins with the outline of the wider context The national even worldwide debates on liberalism and nationalism form the core of the first chapterIn the next chapter the author narrates how he joined the JNU under somewhat unusual circumstances and also recounts his culture shock at confronting its time-warped Leftist politics which I considered a combination of delusion and opportunismThe third chapter is about the events that led to those fateful days in February 2016 Starting on February 9 the university entered a phase of turbulence when a rally was taken out against the so-called judicial murder of two convicted criminals Afzal Guru and Maqbool BhatThe chapter goes on to recount the slogans that were shouted on campus the clash between two student groups and how the JNU came for all the wrong reasons into national and international limelightParanjape also talks about the lecture on nationalism that he delivered at the Teach-in on March 3 2016In this most comprehensive and augmented version of my talk I record how I confronted the then JNU Students Union JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar he writesIn the books epilogue Paranjape mentions how for a change the JNU campus went quiet not because of political unrest or student protests but because of a global pandemicIronically the Left always endorsed and espoused what has been called JNUs anti-hygiene politics It made for an open but somewhat dirty campus But with the novel coronavirus pandemic it is hygiene - clean hands and face masks - that sees our best defence And of course vaccination he writesAccording to him this pandemic may also serve as an opportunity to be the JNUs inflexion point cleansing it so to speak of excessive Leftist and Right-wing politicsPerhaps the COVID-19 pandemic will do what the administration couldnt reboot JNU comprehensively he says PTI ZMN RDS RDS

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], March 19 (ANI): Lioness 'Bijli' gave birth to three cubs, including a stillborn on Friday at Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar.

New Delhi Nov 23 PTIA third Covid wave of a magnitude comparable to the first two is unlikely to hit India AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria said Tuesday as he underlined that absence of surge in cases at the moment suggests that vaccines are still protecting against the virus and there is no need for a booster dose for nowSpeaking at the launch of a book Going Viral Making of Covaxin - The Inside Storyauthored by ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava Guleria said the way the vaccines are holding up in terms of preventing severity and hospital admission chances of any huge wave with large admissions is declining with each passing dayIt is unlikely that a third wave of COVID-19 of a magnitude comparable to the first and second will hit India With time the pandemic will take an endemic form Well continue to get cases but the severity will be highly reduced he saidOn the need for a booster dose he said there is no surge in cases as such at the moment which suggests that vaccines are still protecting against coronavirus Therefore there is no need for a vaccine booster dose or third dose for now NITI Aayog member Health Dr V K Paul said the decision on a third dose should be based on science There are studies being done on boosters we are going through datas and research This is work in progress he said underlining the completion of second dose for Indias adult population and those who have not taken vaccine making them take it is thepriorityfor the government for nowBhargava who spoke about book published by Rupa at length said there is no scientific evidence so far to support the need for a booster vaccine dose against COVID-19Taking about Indias fight against COVID-19 he said there was clarity and sincerity in the work of scientists the government and people in the last one and half yearsThere have been learnings from the pandemic for people and government which includes strengthening health facilities and developing a robust system of surveillance he addedWe have to be watchful and careful of all the viruses in the world in this world of quick mobility Medias role was crucial in ensuring that the reporting around the virus and the vaccine was honest and diligent It ensured that people had zero hesitancy towards the vaccine Bhargava said PTI PLB ZMN

Rupa (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], October 19 (ANI): Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Manoj Pande on Tuesday said the Chinese Army's activities have increased marginally in-depth areas across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which is under tight surveillance of the Indian Army.

Rupa (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], October 18 (ANI): In a bid to counter Chinese influence, Indian army officers are studying Tibetan history, culture and language to deepen the existing bond.