Latest news with #IngloriousEmpire
Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Tharoor visits Russia, meets foreign minister Sergey Lavrov
New Delhi Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, currently at the centre of a row within the party, is on a private visit to Russia to promote a documentary series based on his book 'Inglorious Empire' and has had meetings with key members of the Russian leadership such as foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor during a meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, on the sidelines of the Primakov Readings, in Moscow. (PTI) Tharoor is in Russia at the invitation of Russia's state-run television network RT, which produced the 10-part series based on his 2017 book, which itself was based on a speech he made at the 2015 Oxford Union debate on the theme 'Does Britain owe reparations to its former colonies?'. He arrived in Russia on June 21 and participated in the St Petersburg Economic Forum before travelling to Moscow, where he met Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the committee on international affairs of the State Duma or lower house of Parliament, on June 23. On the same day, Tharoor also met the Indian diaspora at the Indian embassy. Tharoor met foreign minister Lavrov on the margins of the Primakov Readings, an annual international meeting focused on international relations and the world economy, on June 24. On Wednesday, Tharoor met Konstantin Kosachev, chair of the foreign affairs committee of the upper house of Parliament, and members of the Malayalee diaspora in Russia. While much of the focus has been on the documentary series, set to be aired by RT sometime in the third quarter of the year, Tharoor has briefed the senior Russian officials he met on India's fight against terrorism against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor and discussed issues such as the Iran-Isreal conflict, the situation in Gaza and India-Russia relations, people familiar with the matter said. Tharoor recently played a similar role when he led one of seven all-party delegations sent by the government to 33 countries to brief interlocutors about India's new approach to fighting terrorism as exemplified by Operation Sindoor, which was launched on May 7 to target terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack in April. The 10-part series based on Tharoor's book will cover British colonialism, its impact on India, and the way the colonialism unfolded and ended. During Tharoor's meeting with Slutsky on June 23, the two sides discussed 'pressing international issues, including ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, the crisis in Ukraine, and the recent escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan', RT said on social media. 'India is a key member of BRICS. It is essential that we begin serious discussions about developing a parliamentary dimension within BRICS in the near future,' Slutsky said. 'Good to renew my acquaintance with my Russian counterpart, Mr Slutsky, who had visited Parliament in New Delhi a few months ago with a Russian delegation. We exchanged views on regional peace, #OperationSindoor and possible avenues of future parliamentary cooperation,' Tharoor said on social media. Tharoor's visit to Russia coincided with a controversy within the Congress party triggered by his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a recent newspaper article on the lessons from the Indian government's global outreach on Operation Sindoor. The article was reposted on social media by the official handle of the Prime Minister's Office, drawing criticism from Congress circles. In his first response to the controversy, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, without directly referring to Tharoor, said for the party, it is 'country first', but for some individuals, it is 'Modi first'. Soon after, Tharoor appeared to respond to Kharge's comments with a social media post that said: 'Don't ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one…'
News18
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Shashi Tharoor Lauds Kesari 2, Jokes About A 'Certain Four-Letter Word Shankaran Nair Would Never Use'
Shashi Tharoor praised Akshay Kumar's Kesari 2 for its high-quality production and storytelling, highlighting its message about British atrocities and the need for an apology. Indian National Congress MP Shashi Tharoor recently shared his take on Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan and Ananya Panday's Kesari: Chapter 2. The politician lauded the film, emphasising that it was 'well-crafted". Speaking about the F-word used by Akshay Kumar in the film, Tharoor playfully mentioned that though Sir Chettur Shankaran Nair would never use it, the message and the intent of the makers came across loud and clear. Shashi Tharoor praised Kesari 2 and said, 'It [The makers] took some liberties with historical facts but it says in the very beginning that it's fiction. But what it did was capture the spirit of resistance, especially using the instruments of the British court system." He continued, 'But the message of the film was brilliantly done. It was a very high-quality production. The acting, direction, the way the story unfolded, everything was so compelling. There wasn't a single dull moment. I was worried that many people were seeing courtroom scenes which might not be so compelling but the way the story came out, it was impossible to turn away your eyes for one second." During a segment of Kesari: Chapter 2, Akshay as fearless lawyer C Sankaran Nair is seen in a British courtroom where a judge says, 'Don't forget you're still a slave of the British Empire." To this, Nair sharply replies, 'F* you." Tharoor mentioned this on a lighter note, and added that he has been a huge admirer of Nair. 'I am fan of Sir Chettur Shankaran Nair for a long time and I, in fact, 8 years ago, in Thiruvananthapuram, I delivered a speech where I was talking about his life and achievements. Though some of this romanticises him in a very positive way, I think the fact that he was a man of courage, principle and integrity, comes through. He would never use some of the words Akshay Kumar uses, particular a certain four-letter word, I can tell you for sure (laughs), but the spirit, the message and some of the clever ways the message was allowed to come across was extremely well-done." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) Tharoor further referenced his book and said that the film delivers a core message – the British Empire never really apologised for their barbaric act. 'We need films to remind people of some of the atrocities that were inflicted in Jallianwala Bagh in particular of the British Raj. I wrote my book about the empire, Inglorious Empire, and when I did a book tour in the UK, the point I made very strongly was the need for an apology for the massacre. And I am glad that at the end of the film, they made the point in the screen that the one thing the British have never done is say sorry," he said. The author-politician also mentioned, 'On the 100th anniversary in 2019, the Prime Minister did speak in the House of Commons but what all she said was that they regret the events they did. That's not the same as an apology and this film is a reminder to the British and to all of us that an apology is still due." He summed up by congratulating the film's team for their efforts. 'My congratulations to the film's makers, they have done a wonderful job and I certainly would not hesitate to recommend this film to audiences across the country and with sub-titles to the English as well," he concluded. Kesari Chapter 2, directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, follows the true story of nationalist-lawyer C Sankaran Nair, a prominent lawyer and former President of the Indian National Congress, who dared to legally challenge the British Raj over the brutal 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The film released on April 18. First Published:
Telegraph
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
It's time to begin forging our new post-DEI culture
Like a vampire with a fatal wound, diversity, equity and inclusion continues to pull furiously at the veins of British public life while wobbling on its feet. As an orange bullet seems lodged in its heart, we must make serious plans for the restoration of our culture. For decades, Britain has been in the grip of an elite that has sought to rewrite our values along ideological lines. We used to take for granted that pride in our history, traditions and way of life was a cherished part of our inheritance. We felt loyalty towards compatriots yet welcomed worthy newcomers, as the country would be richer for it. Toleration was reciprocal. People would stand for the national anthem before leaving cinemas. Today, Britain is unrecognisable, at least in its institutions and cultural climate. The British Museum book shop promotes David Olusoga, Inglorious Empire by Shashi Tharoor and Edward Said's Orientalism. This week, a jailed Albanian people-smuggler was allowed to remain because he had become a 'valuable member of society '. After a recent parents' evening, I had to complain about Critical Race Theory posters on the school walls. What does modern Britain have in common with the country of our parents? George Orwell responded in the Lion and the Unicorn: 'nothing, except that you happen to be the same person.' Even that is less true than it was. Well, now things may be changing. As Amazon, Disney and Google abandon DEI under the gaze of Donald Trump, British Telecom has pledged to cut similar initiatives from its bonus scheme and banks have called on the City regulator to scrap diversity targets. Speaking to the Guardian, Helena Morrissey, who chairs something called the Diversity Project, lamented that her colleagues fear that 'it's all over, there's no point in us trying any more'. But restoring Britain is no small job. For decades, our country has been subjected to a Gramscian long march through the institutions, combined with mass immigration, socialist economics and psy-ops from academia and the arts. We must prepare for a long march back. This won't happen under Labour, so we have four years to get ready. Do not underestimate the scale of the problem. The country is entirely different from just 20 years ago. In that time, the population has increased by the size of London, with a growing Muslim minority. Our schools and universities have produced generations of youngsters who know little about their history and nothing about their national religion, not to mention basic manners. Social media poses a challenge of its own. A return to liberalism is part of it. But the postwar liberal consensus, which viewed national identity, faith and tradition as the seeds of Hitlerism, has become corrupted, beckoning in an age of progressive radicalism. Enlightenment principles are also important, but in the contribution they made to the decline of religion, they are only part of the picture. We need a new direction that restores our old values and national story but allows for the challenges of today. The pursuit of reason and the separation of Church and State are vital, but our Christian inheritance must be rescued from mockery and – gently and moderately – woven back into the social fabric. Space must be made for other religions, including Islam, within an overarching Christian Britishness. We need sensible answers to questions of race, class and belonging. Institutional, legal and economic reform are required, but it begins with education. This is the work of a generation, resting both on political leadership and the little platoons of civil society. The time to start is now.
