Latest news with #Batra
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Harvard's activities must alarm the Indian philanthropists
Dr Jagdish Batra is a senior academic, currently working as Professor of English at O.P. Jindal Global University, India. He has nearly four decades of teaching and research experience. His area of specialization is Indian English Fiction on which he has presented papers at many international conferences in Europe and South East Asia. A Rotary Study Exchange Scholar to USA, Dr Batra has published eight books besides some sixty research papers and a number of general articles/blogs etc. LESS ... MORE The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University is in the eye of the storm over the organization of the Pakistan Conference under its aegis, in which Pro-Pakistan speakers were invited, obviously to whitewash Pakistan's image in the wake of the Pahalgam carnage of 26 tourists. To counter the media backlash in India, the Institute page has removed the detail of proceedings from its website and supplanted it with a statement claiming that the student organizers along with their faculty advisor were solely responsible for organizing the event in which the Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh participated. 'Following our principles of operation, we did not consult any benefactor of the Institute about this conference,' says the notice, alongwith a formal expression of sorrow, though without naming Pakistan in it. This is indeed a poor strategy to avoid criticism directed at the university and the benefactor concerned who were equally responsible for organizing the conference at this critical juncture. What lends credence to this conclusion is also the removal of a page from the Institute site whose rump is still available on Google. It begins with 'Previewing the inaugural Pakistan conference 2025: 14 Apr 2025 — The Mittal Institute sat down with the two conference co-chairs—Muhammad Hadi from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Sannan Pervaiz …'. So, it is not just the students and the faculty advisor of the conference, but also the benefactor and two conference co-chairs. This conference by Pakistan sympathizers on the Harvard campus only shows disdain of the Centre for human rights of which the university professes to be the world champion. It is not the first time that Harvard has been involved in anti-India and anti-Hindu projects. One recalls the Dismantling Hindutva Conference held online in 2022 in which Harvard was the key player along with many other American and European universities. It was basically directed at the pro-Hindu policies of the Modi government. Surprisingly, anything going in favour of Hindus in the world rankles these 'elite' institutions which are devoted to the DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity) philosophy. One finds a number of India-centred study centres supported by Indian billionaires in many American universities. People like Murty, Ambani, Mahindra, Piramal, et al have been contributing mammothly to them without scrutinizing the operations of these institutions. Narayan Murthy's funding of the Murty Classical Library under late Sheldon Pollock is a case in point. Now, Pollock, much like Wendy Doniger, has been instrumental in presenting a distorted and degraded interpretation of our scriptural texts. Funding for the DEI projects supposedly to bring about social justice in India for the marginalized sections seems innocuous, but actually these projects are carried out with the aim to create divisions in the Indian society. How Harvard has been aiming to create problems for India can be gauged from the Indologist Rajiv Malhotra's assertion in his recent book Snakes in the Ganga that a clandestine project undertaken by Harvard University to study the tribal Munda languages spoken in Chhattisgarh and Odisha states was not exactly for love of an obscure language but meant to promote a new theory that the Munda speakers were the original inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent which would mean that both Aryans and Dravidians were outsiders! One needs to be reminded of the Maoist movement rife in that area which might serve as part of the toolkit to dismember India. When it comes to highlighting India and its positive influence on the world, Harvard is least interested. Malhotra's attempts to get its researchers take up projects on Vivekananda's influence on America got lip service only, so did his plea to promote India-loving Transcendentalist Ralph Emerson's writings. In case of Thoreau, Harvard simply denied India's influence – something clearly indicated in his book Walden Pond – besides ignoring such request in the case of Nobel-awardee T.S. Eliot, who had studied Sanskrit texts and used Sanskrit aphorisms in his poems. Harvard has also been criticized by Malcolm Gladwell, the acclaimed author of The Tipping Point for its bias in admissions where it discriminates against Indian students and prefers other races. This attitude had been criticized by the US Supreme Court also which in its 2023 judgment mentioned race-conscious admissions programmes at Harvard and the University of North Carolina and found them violative of the Equal Protection Clause. Now that the Trump administration has withdrawn grants to Harvard and some other universities, will the Indian billionaires have a second thought about funding these universities? Why don't they divert these funds to Indian universities and provide to Indian students good education at reasonable cost? The growing strictness about visa in America and Canada provides a huge opportunity to the Indian universities, government and the philanthropists to work together and come up with an elaborate world-class education system that will save for the country billions going out on account of foreign education. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
We are bullish on India's growing affluent base: HSBC India's Sandeep Batra
Sandeep Batra, HSBC India's Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking Recently, HSBC India received Reserve Bank of India nod to open branches in 20 cities, a first in over a decade for any foreign bank in India. With this, the overall tally of the number of branches for HSBC will go up to 46. For HSBC, India is one for the priority markets and we are looking to leverage the unique growth potential the country has to offer and is committed to presence particularly in premier banking, says HSBC India Head International Wealth and Premier Banking Sandeep Batra to Times of India. In the exclusive interview, Batra discusses the unique international capabilities, unique product proposition, customer centricity and more. You have recently received approval to roll out new branches in the country, what does this signify for the bank and its customers? India is a priority market for HSBC and this milestone reinforces our long-term commitment to the market and our confidence in the wealth opportunity in the country. With this expansion, we aim to deepen our connection with customers, offering them seamless access to international financial solutions. These new branches will serve as additional touchpoints for affluent, high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients, meeting both their domestic and international wealth and banking needs. This aligns with our strategy to cater to the evolving needs of the International Indian, who seeks a trusted banking partner to meet their global aspirations. How is HSBC different than your peers, especially in a competitive market like India? HSBC's differentiation lies in our global expertise and local insights. Our focus is on the affluent segment, where we see significant opportunities to stand out with a unique value proposition that often our competition cannot match. We provide unparalleled international access, catering to aspirations like overseas education, investing in holiday homes overseas, and exploring career opportunities in other countries. They require seamless, multi-geographic banking services, and we are uniquely positioned to deliver this through our premier banking offering. This coupled with our 170-year heritage in India and a strong balance sheet, positions HSBC as a trusted partner for India's rising affluent population. Could you tell us more about your international offerings? Also how does HSBC's presence in GIFT City enhance the wealth propositions? We have significant strength in our international offering. From account opening via a digital and frictionless journey before students arrive in their destination to single view of all HSBC accounts across the globe in one place, from competitively priced payments via Global Money Transfers to portability of their existing HSBC credit history to apply for a HSBC credit card in the new country, we offer an array of products. We constantly look for opportunities to serve our customers needs. For instance, in a recent study, we found 78% of India respondents either aspire to send their child overseas for study, or already have a child studying overseas. To cater to their needs, we launched Global Education Payments enabling Indian students and customers of the bank to pay fees directly to 600+ international universities and colleges. At GIFT City, HSBC has recently expanded operations enabling clients to avail of global offerings across foreign currency banking accounts, dollar-based fixed deposits, dollar-denominated investment products, among others. HSBC credit cards have gained significant interest in the market. How are you differentiating the product basket and what kind of growth have you seen in the last one year? In 2024, we revamped the credit card portfolio to complement the lifestyles of our customers, by introducing HSBC Prive Credit Card, HSBC Taj Credit Card and HSBC Live+ credit card, along with an enhanced HSBC Premier Credit card. Our research showed our customers are looking for experiences such as hotel stay, airlines, concerts and more. We are offering significant benefits and discounts for the card holders, including early access to exclusive experiences. We are seeing a lot of interest from the market, spends on HSBC credit cards grew by 33% y-o-y in 2024, significantly outpacing industry growth of 17%. We also recently launched our rewards platform, the HSBC Rewards Marketplace, featuring 20,000 offerings, real-time redemptions and partnerships with 15 leading airlines and five global hotel chains as transfer partners, to further elevate the rewards experience for our customers. You launched your Global Private Banking in 2023. Could you share the trends you are seeing in the HNI and UHNI segment? Our Global Private banking clients are internationally minded with an investment surplus of US$2 million and above. While core portfolio staples like mutual funds, bonds, Portfolio Management Services (PMS) continue to remain popular, Alternatives have emerged as a preferred asset class over last 5 years and sophisticated investors are actively considering large portion of their fresh investments in alternates. Private equity (mid-stage, pre-IPO), private credit and real estate are preferred. Clients today are looking for a partner that brings a holistic approach to wealth and multi-generational planning, and the ability to offerbusiness banking, credit and financing. With a strong international outlook, they value international banking services and seamless access to global wealth hubs – areas where HSBC's global presence and expertise provide a distinct edge. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Assault' on Class 11 student: Rights panel directs Jhajjar SP to submit report in 4 weeks
The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has taken a suo-moto cognisance of the incident of alleged physical assault by a Jhajjar private school teacher on a Class 11 student and has directed the superintendent of police (SP) to investigate the matter. The panel has also directed the SP to submit a report within four weeks and has asked the district education officer to conduct an institutional audit of the school. As per information, the student sustained a fracture in the arm due to assault and was later admitted to the hospital run by the same educational group. When the family reached the hospital, they were also subjected to intimidation and misconduct by the staff. Right panel chairperson justice Lalit Batra and other two members— Kuldeep Jain and Deep Bhatia— observed that the facts disclosed suggests serious violations of fundamental and human rights enshrined under the Constitution of India, particularly the right to life and personal liberty under Article 2, which encompasses dignity, mental well-being, and protection from abuse. 'The commission noted that this is not an isolated incident of violence but points to a systemic failure in ensuring student safety and monitoring staff conduct. Reports of intimidation faced by the victim's family further aggravate the seriousness of the matter,' the right panel said, adding such behaviour undermines trust in educational institutions and damages the sanctity of the teacher-student relationship. The panel also expressed concern over the physical and emotional trauma suffered by the student. 'The commission observed that the incident violates Sections 75 and 82 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which prohibit cruelty and corporal punishment against children. Moreover, it contravenes Articles 19 and 28 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which call for safeguarding children from all forms of physical or mental violence and ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment. The matter demands immediate and thorough investigation to protect the rights of the victim and ensure accountability,' justice Batra said in the order. Justice Batra also directed the Jhajjar superintendent of police to investigate the matter fairly in a time-bound manner under his own supervision and submit the report within four weeks. Moreover, he also directed the Jhajjar district education officer to conduct an urgent institutional audit of the concerned school. 'The audit will find out whether the educational institute has adopted a child protection policy or not, functioning of grievance redressal mechanisms exist for students and parents or not and whether the internal disciplinary mechanisms for staff misconduct are effectively implemented or not. The next hearing is fixed on July 8,' read the order.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Indian Express
Haryana school student's hand fractured in assault by teacher, human rights panel calls it ‘systemic failure'
The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) Friday issued directions to conduct a thorough audit of a private school in the Jhajjar district in the wake of a school teacher allegedly assaulting a Class 11 student and leaving with him a fractured hand on May 15. The Jhajjar police booked the teacher, Sonu alias R S Rathor, based on the complaint of the student's father, an ex-servicemen settled in Gurgaon. The FIR was registered the same day against the teacher under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. The student was admitted to a hospital run by the same educational group. The student's family was also allegedly mistreated and intimidated by the school staff when they visited the hospital to take care of their injured child. Taking suo motu cognisance, the HHCR termed the incident 'not only physical violence but also mental trauma and institutional negligence, constituting a serious violation of the fundamental rights of children'. The full panel of the HHRC, comprising chairperson Justice Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain, and Deep Bhatia, expressed deep concern over the 'physical and emotional trauma' suffered by the student. The HHRC noted, 'This is not an isolated incident of violence but points to a systemic failure in ensuring student safety and monitoring staff conduct. Reports of intimidation faced by the victim's family further aggravate the seriousness of the matter. Such behaviour undermines trust in educational institutions and damages the sanctity of the teacher-student relationship. Therefore, the Commission deemed it necessary to implement immediate corrective, protective, and preventive measures'. Justice Batra expressed the Commission's preliminary view saying that 'the reported facts indicate a serious violation of the fundamental rights to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which encompasses dignity, mental well-being, and protection from abuse'. 'The incident also clearly violates Sections 75 and 82 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which prohibit cruelty and corporal punishment against children. Moreover, it contravenes Articles 19 and 28 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which call for safeguarding children from all forms of physical or mental violence and ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment. The matter demands immediate and thorough investigation to protect the rights of the victim and ensure accountability,' Justice Batra added. Without expressing any opinion on the merits of the investigation in the case, HHRC issued directions to the superintendent of police (Jhajjar) to ensure 'investigation is conducted fairly, transparently and in a time-bound manner under his direct supervision'. In the order pronounced on May 23 and released Monday, the HHRC sought a status report, including statements of relevant parties and medical records, within four weeks. The HHRC also directed the district education officer (Jhajjar) to 'conduct an urgent institutional audit of the concerned school to examine whether a functional child protection policy is in place, whether grievance redressal mechanisms exist for students and parents; and whether internal disciplinary mechanisms for staff misconduct are effectively implemented'. Dr Puneet Arora, protocol, information and public relations officer of the HHRC, said, 'The Commission has viewed this incident as a reflection of the deepening disorder in educational institutions. It is not merely about one student, but calls into question the accountability of the entire educational system,' adding that the next hearing is scheduled for July 8.
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
World Thyroid Day 2025: Top 5 nutrients you cannot miss out on and need to include in your diet
World Thyroid Day is observed on May 25 to promote awareness about thyroid disorders. On this occasion, it is crucial to understand the value of an appropriate diet that includes top nutrients essential for supporting healthy thyroid function and maintaining hormonal balance. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Mukesh Batra, founder and chairman Emeritus, Dr Batra's Healthcare, highlighted the crucial role of nutrition in supporting thyroid health. Dr Batra explained about thyroid function and added, 'The thyroid gland is responsible for regulating metabolism, energy, and hormonal balance. In order to ensure that it functions at its best, a diet that is high in certain nutrients that are beneficial for hormone synthesis, conversion, and overall endocrine health is crucial.' Moreover, mental health also plays a key role in supporting thyroid function, as Dr Batra elaborated, 'Just as crucial are lifestyle choices, stress, when it is ongoing, can upset hormonal balance, and the practice of mindfulness through yoga and meditation is of great value. A focus on good sleep, at least 7 to 8 hours nightly, can also dramatically affect hormone balance. Through the combination of targeted nutrition and conscious living, we can effectively make strides towards aiding thyroid function and achieving overall wellbeing.' He further emphasised the presence of vital nutrients like iodine, selenium, iron and vitamin D in a thyroid-friendly diet. Here's the nutritional guide Dr Batra shared with us: Dr Batra concluded, 'In addition to specific nutrients, general dietary balance is important. Whole foods, including fresh vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains, paired with appropriate hydration and regular exercise, create a solid foundation for thyroid health. Herbal teas such as green tea and ashwagandha can also provide supplementary benefits.' ALSO READ: Thyroid problems commonly seen in women: Know its types, symptoms and treatment Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
