india - The African Mirror

May

2023

From mangoes to luxury watches, Indians look to offload 2,000-rupee notes

INDIANS are stepping up purchases of daily essentials, and even premium branded goods, using the soon-to-be-withdrawn 2,000-rupee ($24.46) notes as they aim to sidestep the need to exchange or deposit them at banks. The Indian central bank announced on Friday that the country's largest denomination note will be withdrawn from circulation by the end of September. While it did not specify the reason for the move, it comes ahead of state and general elections in the country when, analysts said, cash usage typically spikes, often in unaccounted deals. The currency exchange is expected to be far less disruptive than a 2016…

May

2023

By The African Mirror

National anthems: how composers in South Africa and India are reimagining them

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE rousing notes of the British national anthem God Save The King rang loudly in London’s Westminster Abbey when King Charles III was crowned – and in official and informal celebrations in many other places, though not always to an enthusiastic reception. The song is still sung in many Commonwealth countries. But its place and the oppressive imperial legacy trailing it are increasingly questioned. Author GWEN ANSELL, Associate of the Gordon Institute for Business Science, University of Pretoria That debate can be extended beyond one song. What baggage does any music acquire when it shifts from being – in South…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

India’s population to overtake China, with 2.9 mln more people by mid-2023, UN estimates

WORLD

YP RAJESH INDIA is poised to overtake China as the world's most populous nation, with almost 3 million more people than its neighbour by the middle of this year, data released by the United Nations showed. India's population by mid-year is estimated at 1.4286 billion, against 1.4257 billion for China - 2.9 million fewer - in the United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) "State of World Population Report" for this year. The United States is a distant third, with an estimated population of 340 million as of the end of June, the data showed in a report that reflects information available…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Blinken says India, South Africa are on slow trajectory away from alignment with Russia

WORLD

KANISHKA SINGH and SIMON LEWIS U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said countries like India and South Africa, which have not joined the West in denouncing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, were likely on a trajectory away from alignment with Moscow but that process would not happen "in one fell swoop." "There are countries that have long-standing, decades-long relationships with Russia, with the Soviet Union before, that are challenging to break off in one fell swoop. It's not flipping a light switch, it’s moving an aircraft carrier," Blinken said in an interview with The Atlantic, marking the one-year anniversary of the…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Broken wires, faulty renovation caused deadly India bridge collapse, probe finds

WORLD

SUMIT KHANNA BROKEN corroded wires, improper welding and changes to the walking surface of a 145-year-old hanging bridge in India contributed to its collapse last year that killed 135 people, an investigation has found. The colonial-era suspension bridge in the town of Morbi in the western state of Gujarat was packed with sightseers when it collapsed on Oct. 30, plunging hundreds into the Machchhu river. It had reopened just days before, following months of repairs. A five-member special investigation team, formed by the state government, found that the main cables were not inspected or replaced, no load test or structural…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

South African cheetahs begin journey to new home in India

NEWS

TWELVE South African cheetahs began a voyage to India as part of an intergovernmental agreement to reintroduce the big cats to India. They will join eight cheetahs from neighbouring Namibia that were released into the Kuno National Park in central India last year. "The 12 cheetahs... have begun their journey to India," India's environment minister wrote on Twitter on Friday, adding they were expected to arrive on Saturday. They were sedated and loaded into crates and on their way to Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport, where they will be picked up by an Indian military aircraft. The cheetahs, 7 males and 5…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

India tax officers search BBC offices weeks after critical Modi documentary

WORLD

KRISHNA N. DAS and KYLIE MACLELLAN INDIAN tax officers searched the BBC's bureaus in New Delhi and Mumbai, the British broadcaster said, weeks after the government banned as propaganda a BBC documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role in the 2002 riots. The documentary focused on the Hindu nationalist politician's leadership as chief minister of the western state of Gujarat during the riots in which at least 1,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims, though activists put the toll at more than twice that number. The government last month dismissed the documentary, "India: The Modi Question", as propaganda and blocked its streaming…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

The incredible story of how East African culture shaped the music of a state in India

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE term Siddi refers to Afro-Indians – Africans who mixed with Indians through marriage and relationships. Africans crossed the Indian Ocean and arrived in India during the 1200s, 1300s and 1400s. They were transported by Islamic invaders and Portuguese colonisers as enslaved people, palace guards, army chiefs, harem keepers, spiritual leaders, Sufi singers, dancers and treasurers. Author SAYAN DEY, Postdoctoral Fellow at Wits Centre for Diversity Studies, University of the Witwatersrand Today, the majority of Siddis are found in the west and south-west of India, in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana states. As they settled, they preserved and practised their…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Egypt’s Sisi heads to India amid investment push

BUSINESS

EGYPTIAN President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi begins a visit to India where he will meet business leaders and be a guest of honour at India's January 26 Republic Day. The trip will include discussions on strengthening economic relations between the two countries and reviewing opportunities for Indian investment in Egypt, a statement from the Egyptian presidency said. Egypt is trying to drum up foreign investment as it tries to manage a dollar shortage that has led to a sharp depreciation of the Egyptian pound. Last year it sought help from energy-rich Gulf allies and the International Monetary Fund after the economic…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

India blocks BBC documentary on Modi from airing in India

WORLD

INDIA has blocked the airing of a BBC documentary which questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots, saying that even sharing of any clips via social media is barred. Directions to block the clips from being shared have been issued using emergency powers available to the government under the country's information technology rules, said Kanchan Gupta, an adviser to the government, on his Twitter handle on Saturday. While the BBC has not aired the documentary in India, the video was uploaded on some YouTube channels, Gupta said. The government has issued orders to Twitter to block…