BBC News – A ‘patchwork pandemic’

Soutik Biswas – India correspondent

New Delhi – India, as one expert told me, was a “slow burning coil” for a long time when it came to the spread of the coronavirus.

In that sense, it was different from the USA and Brazil, the two other big countries badly hit by the pandemic.

Now it has taken 20 days for the country to progress from a million to two million cases.

That is faster than the time the USA (43 days) and Brazil (27 days) took to double from a million cases.

However, India has recorded fewer fatalities than both these countries.

India is also generating the highest number of daily new cases in the world. What is making it difficult to contain the infection is the country’s size, population and heterogeneity.

In what has become a “patchwork pandemic”, infections are waxing and waning in different states at different points.

The success in containing the infection in the Dharavi slum in Mumbai and the capital, Delhi, show that India is not defenseless against the virus.

But India needs to realise that it needs a more robust federal strategy to contain a virus that is going to stay with us for a long time, experts say.

The country needs to bring together “public health, health care, social support and financial sectors together” with strong political leadership at every level to forge a national containment strategy, says epidemiologist Bhramar Mukherjee.

Also, the strategies need to be different for different parts of India.

The country simply cannot afford another grinding lockdown. But, as Dr Mukherjee says, “we cannot let our guards down and surrender to destiny”.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-53674857

The Tribune – Pakistan Sikh community wants rare 300-year-old religious scripture placed at shrine

Pakistan Sikhs want the holy scripture to be placed inside the Gurdwara Dera Sahib, a shrine situated in the heart of Lahore

Lahore – Panjab – Pakistan, 10 September 2020. The Sikh community in Pakistan said that it wants a handwritten copy of Guru Granth Sahib, which is currently on display at a museum in Lahore and estimated to be 300 years old, to be placed at the Gurdwara Dera Sahib, according to a media report.

The handwritten copy of the Sikh holy book, according to experts, is very rare, The Express Tribune said in a report on Wednesday.

“While there is no date on it, the writing and ink shows it is more than three hundred years old,” said Aliza Saba Rizvi, a researcher and in charge of the section of the Lahore Museum dedicated to Sikhism.

According to Rizvi, the manuscript, along with other artifacts were received by the museum as a donation from various individuals and organization over a long period of time.

“This is a rare copy of the Guru Granth Sahib,” Rizvi said, adding that a similar copy of the holy scripture is at the Golden Temple (Harmandr Sahib) in Amritsar, India.

Now the Sikh community in Pakistan wants the holy scripture to be placed inside the Gurdwara Dera Sahib, a shrine situated in the heart of Lahore, which stands at the spot where Guru Arjan Dev died in 1606.

“This ancient copy of Guru Granth Sahib must be kept in a Gurdwara Sahib,” The Express Tribune quoted a senior member of the community as saying.

“It cannot be kept in a closet like any ordinary book,” said Sardar Bishan Singh, former head of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC).

“It needs to be placed inside the Gurdwara with the respect it deserves,” said Singh.

The community leader said he would place the demand on the agenda for the next meeting of the PSGPC.

Singh suggested the museum should transfer the rare scripture to the Gurdwara or hire a member of the community to take care of the holy book as prescribed by Sikh customs.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/pakistan-sikh-community-wants-rare-300-year-old-religious-scripture-placed-at-shrine-139205

Gentbrugge – Gentbrugse Meersen

Gentbrugse Meersen
09 May 2020

Gravel path

A nice path

Into the jungle

In spite of drought luxurious growth

Good grazing for the cows

Tasty stuff !

More Belgian pictures to be published
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Hindustan Times – USA-based Sikh body starts restoration of Gurdwara Choa Sahib in Pakistan

The Pakistan government reopened the abandoned gurdwara and the Evacuee Trust Property Board had unveiled a plan to reopen the gurdwara after restoration.

Gagandeep Jassowal

Chandigarh – Panjab – India, 11 September 2020. A Sikh organisation based in the USA has adopted 19th century Gurdwara Choa Sahib in Jhelum district of Pakistan’s Punjab province for its restoration. The organisation, Ranjit Nagara, began the restoration work in August this year.

The Pakistan government reopened the abandoned gurdwara and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) had unveiled a plan to reopen the gurdwara after restoration.

Satpreet Singh – director of Ranjit Nagara, said they wrote to the ETPB in December 2019, seeking permission to carry forward the restoration work at the gurdwara and the approval was given in August this year.

“We have hired experts, including Amrik Pahala who worked in UAE and had restored more than 40 sites. He has a team of 70 engineers and they are voluntarily supporting us. Another Architect Rubab Farha Chisti and her team are also on the preservation job,” said Satpreet Singh, who is a businessman in California.

He said they expect the restoration work to be complete by August next year.

Was closed since the Partition

Built in 1834 under the command of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Gurdwara Choa Sahib was lying closed since the Partition. Located on the northern edge of Rohtas Fort, a UNESCO world heritage site, near Jhelum, it fell prey to neglect. The gurdwara commemorates the site where Guru Nanak is believed to have created a water spring during one of his (Udasi) journeys.

A water spring is called “choa” and the place was named Choa Sahib. Even today, residents of the Rohtas Fort use the water of the same spring.

In 2019, 500-year-old Babe-de-Ber gurdwara in Sialkot in Pakistan’s Punjab province also opened its doors for pilgrims.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/us-based-sikh-body-starts-restoration-of-gurdwara-choa-sahib-in-pakistan/story-PQbhxlrSIqcumm0kNqzqkI.html

FirstPost – ‘Excellent discussions,’ says MEA as S Jaishankar meets Russia counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow

Bilateral economic issues, cooperation in development of the Far East region of Russia, cooperation in nuclear and space sectors were also discussed, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

Moscow – Russian Federation, 11 September 2020. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov have discussed bilateral economic issues, cooperation in nuclear and space sectors during their first in person meeting here since the COVID-19 outbreak, a senior Indian official said on Thursday.

Jaishankar and Lavrov met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the meeting of foreign ministers of the eight-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the Russian capital.

Bilateral economic issues, cooperation in development of the Far East region of Russia, cooperation in nuclear and space sectors were also discussed, Spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava said in a readout of the meeting between Jaishankar and Lavrov.

The two ministers followed up on outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Vladivostok for the fifth edition of Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) which was held in September last year, he said at the online briefing.

The two ministers agreed to work closely in the UN Security Council during India’s forthcoming tenure as a Non-Permanent Member, Srivastava said in New Delhi during an online briefing.

In June, India was elected as a non-permanent member of the powerful UN Security Council for a two-year term, winning 184 votes in the 193-member General Assembly. India will sit in the most powerful UN organ, for two years beginning on 1 January.

“Pleasure to meet FM Sergey Lavrov, this time in person. Excellent talks that reflect our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Value our exchanges on the international situation,” Jaishankar tweeted on Wednesday after his talks with Lavrov.

On his part, Lavrov said, “It is a very good, and almost forgotten, feeling to meet in person.

We appreciate this opportunity to discuss prospects for developing our strategic partnership in all areas: bilateral relations and cooperation within the SCO, BRICS, the UN and via other international platforms.”

This was the first physical meeting between the two leaders after the COVID-19 situation and there was excellent discussion on bilateral matters, regional developments and international issues of concern, Srivastava said.

The SCO meeting could not be held earlier due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India and Russia have a special and privileged strategic partnership and this year marks the 20 years of their strategic partnership.

Last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu in Moscow during which he appreciated the steadfast support provided by Russia in response to the country’s defence and security needs.

Singh, who was on a three-day visit to Russia to attend a crucial meeting of the SCO, pressed for expediting supply of a number of weapons systems, ammunition and spares to India by Russia under contracts which were concluded earlier.

https://www.firstpost.com/india/excellent-discussions-says-mea-as-s-jaishankar-meets-russia-counterpart-sergey-lavrov-in-moscow-8804851.html