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Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
We need to sprint to get across the steep hill ahead
It was 12 May 1947. Clement Atlee, the newly elected prime minister of the United Kingdom then, was meeting with military commanders at his official residence, 10 Downing Street. WW-II hero Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and some policy experts were also at the meeting, convened to discuss India's independence and its eventual partition. These men believed India as a nation had socialistic impulses and, if given independence in an undivided form, could be influenced by communism, which they saw as a mortal threat to British colonialism. So they decided to create a 'buffer state" between the Soviet Union and India that would do their bidding in the region. On 14 August 1947, Pakistan was given independence and turned into a Western puppet. India was given independence on 15 August 947 but chose the path of non-alignment. Today, 78 years later, the generals responsible for the partition of India stand defeated. Pakistan has wriggled free of the Western chokehold and is firmly in the grip of China. The Soviet Union is history, but its remnant, Russia, with the biggest nuclear stockpile in the world, is now Beijing's friend. Another undeclared nuclear power, North Korea, is already part of this axis. The world looks at the quartet with great concern. US President Donald Trump has done his bit to aggravate the global unease. His 'tariff war" tantrums have blurred the line between friends and foes. The dark days of the Cold War look sane compared with the present situation. In the age of changing equations and global 'reset", how should we position ourselves? Read more: The Reserve Bank's growth stimulus is a bold bet on price stability We can't remain smug that Pakistan, earlier a pawn of the West and now China's poker chip is digging another grave for itself. Superpowers are solely concerned about their interests. The father of modern US foreign policy, Henry Kissinger, once said, 'To be an enemy of the US is dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal." India needs to tread cautiously. The enemy is now firmly under the influence of China, with whom we have a long-standing border dispute. Russia, too, is toeing Beijing's line. Europe is in a crisis. It leaves us with just the US, whose 'friendship is fatal". The road ahead is difficult. But India is now set to become the fourth-largest economy in the world in FY26. We have done wonders through coordination and self-reliance. We have the biggest pool of graduates in the world, and we have the largest young population. Hundreds of Indian graduates from IITs, IIMs, and AIIMS are making their mark globally. This is the time when, instead of being exporters of trained manpower, we should emerge as net importers of global talent. Data from Google testifies that since Trump's policies came into force, there has been a 25% drop in searches for US universities. Today, out of the 10 best educational institutions, 9 are in China. We will have to improve our education and update our internal infrastructure so that we can attract talented students from developing countries. China is trying to do the same, but our social setup will be far more effective and attractive for global citizens. Luckily, we have a higher education infrastructure that we need to update to match emerging needs. We would need a second 'Green Revolution" to become one of the three top producers of grain. We should remember that the world stood behind Ukraine after it was attacked because it is the world's largest exporter of foodgrain. As far as military hardware is concerned, the weapon traders are politics-agnostic. They'll remain available, though that's not adequate. We need to expedite our military hardware production. Indigenous missiles proved their effectiveness in the recent clashes with Pakistan. It also brought the limitations of Western aeroplanes and equipment to the fore. We need to become an exporter rather than an importer of military hardware. We have made a beginning, but it's not enough. We shouldn't work on a war footing only when we are faced with a war. To create a great nation, we should remain alert against any slack and legacy mindset during peacetime. China did the same and is now itching to reach the top. Pakistan took a completely different path, and the results are evident. Treading a middle path, we have achieved a lot, but it's time to sprint towards a steep hill. For this, we'll have to marshal all our resources and willpower. Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal. Read more: Firm and focused leadership keeps India on course
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
India needs new goals as the global order resets
It was May 12, 1947, a day characterised by hectic parleys in hushed tones in the corridors of power in London; newly elected Prime Minister Clement Atlee was meeting military commanders at his official residence at 10, Downing Street. Along with all three chiefs of services, the legendary World War II hero, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, was also present, as were some foreign policy experts. They were there to discuss India's independence and its eventual partition. These men thought that India as a nation had socialistic impulses. If it were to be given independence in the undivided form, chances were that the storm of Communism that began in Moscow may end up on the shores of the Indian Ocean. They considered it a mortal threat to British interests. They wanted to create a buffer State between the Soviet Union and India, which could do their bidding in the region. Pakistan was created on August 14, 1947, and became a Western puppet. India, meanwhile, took the path of non-alignment on August 15, 1947. However, 78 years later, the generals responsible for the partition of India stand defeated. Pakistan has slithered away from the Western chokehold and is now firmly in the grip of China. The Soviet Union is history, but its remnant, Russia, with the biggest nuclear stockpile in the world, is now Beijing's friend. All three nations are nuclear powers. Another undeclared nuclear power, North Korea, is a part of this axis. The world looks at the quartet with a lot of concern. US President Donald Trump has done his bit to aggravate the global unease. His tariff tantrums have blurred the line between friends and foes. In the age of changing equations and global reset, what should India do? India can't remain smug that Pakistan is repeating a historical mistake. Earlier, as a pawn of the West, it destroyed its economy, and now, as China's poker chip, it's digging another grave for itself. Superpowers are solely concerned about their interests. The father of modern US foreign policy, Henry Kissinger, once said, 'It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal.' The context may have been different, but it chillingly puts the relationship between a superpower and a weak nation in perspective. This is where India needs to tread cautiously. The enemy is now firmly ensconced in China's lap, with whom we have a long-standing border dispute. Russia, too, is toeing Beijing's line and is in no position to help us as it did in 1971. Europe is in a crisis. It leaves us with just the US, whose friendship is fatal. What are the options left for us? The road ahead may be difficult, but not impossible. India is now one of largest economies in the world. We have the biggest pool of graduates in the world. Indian graduates from IITs, IIMs, and AIIMS are making their mark globally. The time has come for India to stop being an exporter of trained manpower and become a net importer of global talent. Google data suggests that since Trump's policies came into force, there has been a 25% drop in searches for US universities. Today, many of the best educational institutions in the world are in China. The US used to lead the tally not long ago. India will have to improve its education and update its internal infrastructure so that it can attract talented students from developing countries. China is trying to do the same, but our social setup will be far more effective and attractive for global citizens. We need to upgrade our higher education infrastructure, a second Green Revolution to become one of the three top producers of food grains. As far as military hardware is concerned, the weapon traders are politics-agnostic. They'll remain available, though that's not enough. India must expedite military hardware production. The indigenous missiles were effective in the recent clashes with Pakistan. It also exposed the limitations of Western aircraft and equipment. India needs to become an exporter rather than an importer of military hardware. A beginning has been made, but it's not enough. We shouldn't work on a war footing when we are faced with a war. To create a great nation, we should remain alert against any slack and legacy mindset during peacetime. China did the same and is now itching to reach the top. Pakistan took a completely different path, and the results are evident. Treading a middle path, we have achieved a lot, but it's time to sprint towards a steep hill. For this, we'll have to marshal all our resources and willpower. Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. The views expressed are personal
BBC News
26-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Cleator Kangol factory revamp plans submitted
Plans to convert a derelict hat factory into offices have been Kangol factory in Cleator, west Cumbria, once employed hundreds of people and produced four million hats a year before it closed in Cleator Mills Business Park has now submitted plans to Cumberland Council to refurbish the vacant site, now called The Flax Works, into offices. Kangol started production in the village in 1938 but left 71 years later when production was shifted overseas. The site was established in 1800 as a flax mill, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, and was acquired by Kangol founder Jacques Spreiregen, a Polish First World War became a key supplier of berets to the British armed forces during World War Two. Later the brand found favour with such disparate characters as Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, actor Samuel L Jackson, and hip-hop artists of the 1980s and hats are now manufactured in the US and Eastern Europe, while just one mill building and a tower remain on the original refurbishment project's architects said in a report that they would prioritise "preserving and enhancing its historical industrial character while meeting modern functional requirements". Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Soldiers sail across the Rhine to mark 80th anniversary of the invasion of Germany
Eight decades after American soldiers sailed across the Rhine under gunfire to break through German defenses, U.S. soldiers gathered again at the banks of the river, joining veterans and German military counterparts to commemorate the historic crossing. While an Army band played on Saturday, soldiers in vintage World War II uniforms boarded an amphibious boat from the 1940s named 'Tugboat Annie' and sailed down the Rhine, in honor of the brazen March 22, 1945 crossing that helped kick off a massive invasion of Nazi Germany by Gen. George Patton's Third Army. Along with an Army band playing, the general's granddaughter Helen Patton was in attendance for the commemoration. 80 years ago this weekend several Allied armies staged massive, different crossings of the Rhine. It was part of major pushes past the last defenses at the German border. The Battle of the Bulge had ended with the Allies able to regroup and continue their advance towards the Siegfried Line. By March 1945, all that remained was to find a way across the Rhine, as Nazis rushed to destroy any crossing they could. The Allies had scored a miraculous win a week earlier, seizing the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen before the Nazis could blow it up. The First Army moved armor and infantry across the bridge, but Patton and his rival, Bernard Montgomery were racing to get their armies across the river before the other. Montgomery was preparing a major, combined arms push for the night of March 23. On March 22, Patton had his troops just cross without wider aerial support. Late into the night, without an artillery barrage to pave the way, soldiers hurried across the river in amphibious vehicles, crossing at Oppenheim and catching the Nazis — understrength from weeks of fighting — by surprise. In a few days, several divisions of the Third Army had seized a beachhead through the German lines. At the same time as Patton's troops were crossing the Rhine, Bernard Montgomery's 21st Army Group was launching its own invasion into the German heartland. Operation Plunder was a massive endeavor, with airborne units jumping ahead of amphibious crossing while Allied bombers dropped ordnance on German positions. More than four thousand artillery pieces launched a massive bombardment of enemy positions. Combined with the aerial attack, it paved the way for ground forces to cross in amphibious vehicles and for engineers to build bridges across the river. The assault spanned more than 20 miles, and by the end of the fifth day, it was a massive Allied success. Although beaten across the river by Patton, Operation Plunder was significant not only for its own success but some of the elements within it. On March 24, 1945, Allied airborne units carried out Operation Varsity, the single largest airborne operation targeting a specific location. Two airborne divisions jumped into German-held territory, seizing it and causing chaos for the Nazis as amphibious units pushed across the Rhine. The event at Nierstein was the latest commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Europe. Since last summer, the U.S. military and its partners have been retracing the steps of the Allied victory. Active-duty service members as well as veterans and reenactors have jumped out of vintage aircraft, landed on the beaches of Normandy and marched through parts of the Netherlands to honor the troops who fought there 80 years ago. Some recent events tied to the final push into Axis territory, such as this weekend's in Germany, have been smaller affairs than the D-Day commemoration, but still mark major turning points in the war. Arlington Cemetery website drops links for Black, Hispanic, and women veterans The Army wants to get the load soldiers carry down to 55 pounds Here are the latest military units deploying to the U.S.-Mexico border Why Washington state used M60 tanks to prevent avalanches Historic 'China Marines' battalion converts into latest Littoral Combat Team
