India. Caught In The Center, Gravitating Around Itself - PART 2

Indi... Uh... Um... In-de-Pendent 

Continued from: India. Caught In The Center, Gravitating Around Itself

Welcome back?

What took so long? As mentioned in that brief 'Overpass' update... Bob did it!

Plus, been having serious acid-reflux issues in past two weeks; stress starting to get the better of me, and some ulcers may be back. Finances... not too good at present so that I'm increasingly tormented by the thought that my efforts here are wasted and ought to have been placed on steps bringing me to a traditional corporate job several weeks ago...  coding makes me feel less guilty and more productive than writing somehow, perhaps?

That said, and as I'd previously mentioned, I've a hard time justifying making writing a priority at present given the absolute lack of return—in any form—on my efforts, nor sign of appreciation for what seems to isolate me further at a time when I can't afford to do something I love simply for the love of it, for I, too, need to eat and can only sacrifice so much in an attempt to counter the false-but-controlled narrative. 

Add research time, too, which I usually like to spend a fair bit of time on before voicing anything; certain skills may allow me to carry out wider and deeper searches within the same time than most, but that 'time' still needs to be spent.

Hence, I took advantage of being in a 'coding groove' to get much backend work done, and new devs of this type invariably offer new possibilities to explore as they introduce new bugs, too, and so on, and although I'm quite clear on the direction I wish to take the site, logic tells me I should drop some aspects to focus on a purely commercial approach and product, this facet betraying the intent behind the site's creation, however, and its hub-like approach that can be beneficial to a community. But, folks in the milieu being what they are, big or small... I absolutely hate feeling like I'm in a limbo of sorts, waiting for a sign to establish the best direction I'm to take, without looking back.

Further, once I'm fully immersed several layers deep in what I'm doing and I've slipped into the required mindset, switching between the two modes—writing  versus coding—isn't something I've managed to do with a snap of my fingers. Making it harder to pull away: I think I came up with an ingenious way of classifying relevant DataObjects and keeping computations on the low end by using spectral clustering and weighed k-NN to train a self-organising map approach, which is why I introduced "scope" as a DataType and why, on our streets, there's no "foreign" info; it's either local, national, or global, offering free-floating nodes no matter where the news is coming from, thus accounting for—without being bound to—"location" to establish 'relationships' between relevant entities.  

But, any hoot. I'm meant to be doing this post right now and not that, aren't I? 

Bob? Yeah, I agree; I should fire him; delaying your essential reading... typical Bob, but, if we're being honest: everyone needs a good Bob to lay blame on. Government people seem to be keenly aware of this. Many media folks, too.

So, that's why Washington moved past 'Charlie' and let go of 'Achmed' and chose to embrace Bob, and, as you may have guessed, this Bob has dual citizenship: Chinese and Russian.

But there's cousin's, too. When's it's Bob spelt with a "kh", that's an Iranian Bob. Bob spelt with a happy-face is the North Korean Bob.

We are told these are BBs, but those telling us as much are real BBBs. 

If you don't know what any of that means, then, as they say: you haven't been paying attention. Or your name is Bob?

And, yeah... I'm in a bad mood. Writing helps with that.

Oh! And by the way, I did put together this timeline of US troop deployments; there's 334 entries. Got another one relating to Ukraine that includes the 'Biden affair' in the works.

Doing what I can as i can to bring you good info, even when not focused on posting.

•     •     •

To make matters worse, albeit through a fault of my own, I suppose, this is the third time (for now) I've restarted this piece, having completely, irrecoverably, lost huge chunks of written material. That always hits motivation hard, no matter who one is. Then, at around 01:00, a sudden power outage hit the area where I live—not sure why, but the entire borough was out—and it did so as I'd motivated myself to tackle part 2. But I'd gotten distracted, a coding resolve came to mind and I got lost in that... and click! Oh, shit! Had I saved the text?!

I have a power backup that grants one the time to save and all that, even continue working for a bit, but, don't ask me why: I wasn't plugged into it. Went to bed. Woke up to not so bad a loss; only one paragraph was missing.

So, fingers crossed:

This and part 1 offer a look at several events and issues relating to India, these being selected for a facet that's reflected in each, establishing a clear pattern of behaviour that betrays a reality that's not in line with the one officially offered, nor are the highly-defensive and vindictive attitudes—which tend to delve into the petty end of behaviour—reflective of a constructive attitude, nor is any of that helping to assure a good and correct course for all, so that, consequently, neither is it facilitating any of the reality that should have sunk in, to sink in.

In that sense, a particular segment of India is currently doing more harm to the country, I do believe; you may have guessed that the mention of a "segment" made throughout part one identified the same segment throughout even if this hadn't been specified.

To be perfectly frank, I'm totally pissed off with India at present!

Well, less so today than I were in the previous two versions. But, still... angry. Grrr.

Of course that's a silly thing to say. I'm not even sure where to aim that anger. And some pieces—things needing to be voiced, if only to release one of the guilt of not having done so—aren't necessarily pleasant to write as I don't get a kick out of being angry at just anybody and for anything, and some people make this harder for all sorts of reasons, and India—and one Indian—are that, especially so given that India is the rare 'entity' that invariably leaves me with a question mark in any of my geopolitical models, though this has little to do with any notions of non-alignment it now claims to hold, this aspect having been perverted negatively (yes, I'm implying that there are 'positive' perversions).

That being said, should that anger target Modi? Perhaps, though I'm not really sure how fair or accurate that would be even if he's directly responsible for setting India's current course and for making those decisions that, I'm sure of it, and contrary to what the numbers will claim to demonstrate, will degrade the quality of life for the majority within the relatively short-term, and that of the rest, eventually, as society deteriorates around them, for they too will face a situation they'll then—never in the "now"—admittedly do their all to avoid.

In part 1, I'd mentioned that a form of "regress" is what seems to describe India's "progress" the best; this is sentiment I've held since mid-2021, trying to get a clear fix on which 'side' India was to sit should things eventually force such a position, this being a direction I didn't see the West doing anything to avoid whilst being aware of just how far they're willing to go to rope any nation in on their "Freedom & Democracy, rules-based order" team, even those whose governmental approaches are said to contradict all that the US purports to stand for. Who's a dictator only matters based on whether or not one is in the way of the US' plans.

In the past, I've also opined about the rise of a cosmopolitan-minded class that's most visible in New Delhi and Mumbai, this group seemingly shaping itself per the illusions of an in-and-trendy hi-life befitting their newly-gained standing that's been painted by Western mainstream culture, wondering how much veracity there was behind such an interpretation as, surely, certain similarities with Western expressions of a successful metropolitan professional's life, or of those who've cashed in on the needs and egos of said professionals, didn't spring out of nature.

This matters. Much, it turns out. As those form the same aforementioned segment. All rests on these individuals.

In regard to my interpretation of India's foreign policy attitude, the unsure conclusions I had reached in the summer of 2022—such being denied by those concerned—were on the cusp of being the right ones.

They usually are, the problem having more to do with my not wanting to trust them, but my instincts were dead on, it seems, this being confirmed a few days ago, as delaying 'part 2' proved to be a good thing, bits of info falling into my lap in the past week, the corroboration finally coming from the Indians themselves whilst Modi's behaviour surrounding BRICS and the speech he delivered there turned into 'overkill' in terms of what I needed to be entirely confident with my position. 

Presently, the 'global' India is on the wrong path. It is surprisingly ignorant on certain matters, it's become self-deluded, destructively competitive, and its turned grossly opportunistic; the selfishness embraced under the guise of neutrality has kept it from applying an easy resolve to global tensions while it's also jeopardizing the success of BRICS, this being so precisely because it is very much aligned. Also, and part of the problem while adding to it: its news landscape is 'toxic'—pure garbage—including its limited international news outlets. 

I now fervently believe these to be true, all the more so after the BRICS summit, the event being in part why I'd initially wanted to voice that rage although it then became a reason why I thought it wise to hold off.

'India' is a bit too full of itself to seize on the true purpose of BRICS' current aims or to grasp why the timeframe is key, and why swift, united and affirmative action is crucial; this facet seems to escape Modi or he would have avoided bragging about his participation in the G20 in his BRICS speech, period, never mind the fact that his speech came across as if strings of soundbites meant for a 2024 re-election stump speech.

Three weeks or so ago, I was actually of the opinion that the four other BRICS members should confront India with an ultimatum and vote it out if New Delhi failed to agree. Now, I'm not so sure given Modi's assertions regarding BRICS, though I've to wonder if his interest in its success has more to do with what he can extract, politically, than with living up to the BRICS full intentions... which rely on undermining the G20's grasp on markets.  

Due to the timing and a meeting that gave the appearance of Modi having been summoned to Washington, his sudden turn in collaborative attitude towards the BRICS in the weeks before the summit had more than myself wondering whether Modi was seeing himself forced into sabotaging BRICS. 

I don't see Modi "playing all sides" and being "in" with everyone; mostly, I now see someone setting themselves up to be the fool. 

By the way, as I'll hate myself for not asking: When are US warships going to dock at India's many ports? Has that started already? The Kattupalli port in Chennai... Last June, that five-year master shipyard repair agreement (MSRA) that was signed between the US Navy and the Larsen & Toubro shipyard... It's just for Navy civil vessels—whatever that oxymoron means—even though US Embassy’s Office of Defense Cooperation Chief, Capt. Michael L Farmer, did say that the "MSRA does allow USS commissioned vessels including those in conflict." He did reject the notion that the Kattupalli shipyard would be used as a US naval base. But, with that "threat" nextdoor...  you know how these things go, right? 

•     •     •

Recall the "Einstein, Jung, and Freud" parable I offered in part 1, which highlighted how a difference in perspectives may lead to divergent interpretations. As such, whatever that segment of India may believe and whatever arguments against my views they may put forth, scoffing at my statements as they point at numbers that contradict them, nothing they can say can now alter my view, though I'm willing to see the behaviour by this group as the product of an over-eagerness combined with a good-natured naiveté that results in bumbling incompetence and self-delusion.

And with statements such as the one that follows, made in his 10-Aug reply to the 26-Jul no-confidence motion that had been passed in an attack against Modi's inaction toward the devastation in Manipur—a purely political muscle-flexing exercise by the new I.N.D.I.A.N. coalition that stirred much but accomplished little—it's clear, from my perspective, that 'stupid' is what's in charge of the country; the statement was:

“I promise India will become among top three economies in my third term. The Opposition cannot do anything,” Modi said, then “guaranteed” that his “third term in office” would result in 'an accelerated pace of development'. 

Accelerating towards destruction is what I call it; it's a truly callous and meaningless promise, and one that sets a goal and the expectations that tend to be severely detrimental, leading to all sorts of negative behaviour, either to fool all on one's delivery or to boost an appearance of success, i.e. lying and cheating, vilifying competition, justifying aggressions, etc. This is nothing new: certain conditions and some types of competition simply bring out the worst out of people. 

And Modi, and the segment I continually refer to, are visibly obsessed with their global ranking and standing, being so, in my opinion, for all the wrong reasons, and they're starting to show very clear signs of that "bad" I was mentioning.

Sadly, I find myself having to reiterate the conclusion I'd voiced last year: India may one day rank in the top three global economies, but it's far from being on the road to becoming a 'superpower' though it is on the right one to become just another a-hole country that generates the biggest amounts of money. Whoopdeedoo.

The success of the Chandrayaan-3 south-polar lunar landing—congratulations to India; this is a terrific feat—will, unfortunately, reaffirm the attitude I see as being detrimental, modesti being one of the qualities that's on the decline among a certain segment of Indians, these being very selective of the history and facts they see as relevant.

And I say this because my perspective allows me to discern aspects that are all too familiar and which are those that had conferred that sense of regress upon me.

India is dead set on heading were the West has been and why it's now in the situation its in. And I'm not the only one who thinks so as Big Bucks Co. America recognised this, and although they paint it quite differently, this offered a major confirmation in regard to that "regress" thing. 

On top of that, it's too obsessed with its navel to adopt the type of position and attitude that's focused on world peace—it could have been a real game changer—rather than on how much the country can profit off of the times.

 •     •     •

I'm not even gonna try to be polite about it: The whole Indian news landscape is pure trash; it's among the most toxic and destructive in the world. It's all propaganda, either overtly or covertly, but all is propaganda, period. Arnab Goswami may be degrees worse than the average, but I've yet come across any commercially-geared outlet that's not manipulating some aspect of the news, while far too many outlets are just toilets with words that are being exploited for clicks, impressions, or viewer ratings and the ad space that these make available. Indian sites have to be the most chaotic and annoying, the objective of too many of them being squeezing as many ads per pixels as the Internet will allow. The load due to adverts is so huge that it's impossible to navigate some sites if you've got a few tabs open and any other demand on your available memory; those sites make me real angry.

Then, there's one particular Indian news host that still manages to upset me in a singular way, though, now, that has more to do with having to acknowledge that, perhaps, one can occasionally be thrown off and misjudge someone, and that some forces can't be so easily beaten, such as those that play on greed and those that, albeit carrying several negatives, are a positive to one's ego.

Yes, that Talki Shawarma Uppity person is back. Since late January. What's that? Am I confusing her with a verbose pita sandwich? What... why?

There are moments in life when a focus on one's career, done through certain channels, is just, well, wrong. In my opinion, anyways. That's my general opinion.

She's doing a carbon copy of her previous show, which disproves the claim of "first" in the new show's description, while other factors disprove the rest, especially in terms of "Indian perspective". Her slogan: "Vantage on the changing geopolitical landscape through the Indian lens" is truly laughable given that what one gets is an undeniably American perspective on most things geopolitical, while the one-word formulaic naming convention and theme she adheres to—"Gravitas" and, now, "Vantage"—reminds me of that hilarious Steve Martin bit in the 30 Rock appearance he did, and the scam investment opportunities advertised using such lone and grand, abstract words. Guess India is a few decades behind on such practices? Which would explain the bigger point I'll get to further down.

Sadly, I'm willing to bet that she's (indirectly) working for the CIA but doesn't even realise it. Hence why, if she wondered, I was firm regarding wanting to ask two-or-three questions before I even gave re-engaging a thought, otherwise, albeit that the surprising depth of communication that had been attained without direct communication was a hoot, it's one that's been purely to her benefit, centred around her navel, whilst she's already made good money and built her standing off of me (and others, surely), which she'd be all sorts of despicable to deny. But, nor does she owe me penny, as she simply has a knack for honing in on statements I occasionally toss out there, taking for granted that what I'm saying is common knowledge. I assume too much, it seems. She dresses it up and does the research (or her team, rather) and enjoys the "telling it like it is" reputation, but, with the 'nudges' she'd provide so I'd catch these segments, there's something very self-centred and prima donna about all that that I can do without.

And, frankly and simply. what I point to in that last paragraph. that's a big problem for me. Never mind personal aspects or confusion re facets of her behaviour when, above all, what I'd hoped for was to strike a mutually beneficial friendship based on "info" and "exchange"... I've a passion for India and aspects of its culture, so, sure, if such led to a work opportunity in India I wouldn't be sad, but, more pertinently, relating to wider issues, it's because it backs what I had initially concluded, which is an aspect that's been corroborated in recent days by an Indian working in the field.

She'll hate me for saying so, but, in terms of geopolitics, she's so very clueless and all over the place, with no coherent thread that ties the whole, leading to major contradictions while she's far too grossly biased to handle certain topics with any of the needed care or strategic overview that would allow her to adapt her approach in order to shift attitudes and behaviours positively rather than irritate matters; she provides quite the opposite, seemingly unable to 'read the times' so that, in the end, the one constant is her act as a BJP pom-pom girl that turns Vantage—like Gravitas—into a confused anti-China infomercial-type of advert for India rather than a truly informative news show.

Which isn't to say that she's without talent, quite the opposite, which made discerning that incompetence harder (for me, anyways). Geopolitics is but one area, and she appears to be a quick learner., but that move to such a corporate outlet—and one with indirect ties to the BJP to boot—is what compensates for that competence gap, as, had she a clear understanding of global events and were driven to get "her message" out, pushed by a need to inform people, she'd opt for an Indie route where, with the degree of fame she's already established, she'd come to realise that she can make even more money. But making that leap takes a certain drive that's fed by a deep conviction toward one's message. Despite the potential I see were she to adopt a certain approach, she's just a newslady that's driven by meaningless social symbols, it seems. We've got plenty of those vapid people here, and Western outlets always seem to hire sexy ones, if eye candy were my only interest.

As such. in the current climate, she does more harm than good—though less than others—is my opinion, and doing so while clearly happy to be a destructive, 'yes-sir' shill for the Modi government. But does one have much of a choice on the latter? Nonetheless, her politics are clearly pro-BJP—no matter what!—and Firstpost, the channel she's now acting as a managing editor for, is said by mediabias.org to have taken a clear rightwing and pro-BJP turn around the time when she'd accepted the offer, which I know as, in retrospect, a couple of quirky comments she'd made now make sense, as does the really intense and odd pro-USA shift in behaviour that I had commented on mid-summer 2022.

One may attempt to argue that the lack of 'thread' I pointed to relates to not endorsing a narrative, except for the fact that everything around those moments is highly-politicised and this is what establishes the interpretation viewers are sure to assign to what can otherwise be viewed as disparate 'chunks' of news.

And anyhow, informing people is just a secondary if not a tertiary goal of most Indian outlets, the primary one being boosting and embellishing India's image, this often being accomplished by crapping all over their neighbours and other nations, omissions and blatant lies being all too common.  

Have your doubts? Then explain this: 

 Out of 249 segments that comprised Vantage episodes broadcasted/published between 26-Jan and 14-Jun-2023, these focused on: 

Segment: refers to an episode fragment of any length that focuses on a single topic.
Episode: refers to the sum of segments, including any openers and closers
Margin of error: 0; each segment and "hit" was verified and confirmed, as were negative hits (done to ensure my process was accurate).
A breakdown is available upon demand.

What Are They Feeding Them?

Like I said: all's too clear now; it's a mix of pride-filled arrogance and incompetence, not malice. And I'm not talking about just Palki Sharma, hence why I discuss it; this is true as concerns that whole segment I keep referring to, and it includes Modi, as far as I'm concerned.

Channels like FirstPost, which is part of the News18 Network, which runs CNN18, which is owned by energy-giant Reliance Industries Limited, which is owned by a 'friend' of Modi, they all share a common priority, which is the same one shared by outlets like MSNBC or CNN: push a Big Money-friendly, little-people-crushing narrative. And it's because what she pushes so happens to be what's always in line with the neo-liberal-friendly, pro-Western-establishment narrative—even the lies, she repeats—is why I laugh at the "through an Indian lens" descriptor; on anything with global implications, the framing, maddeningly, couldn't possibly be more American.

As surprising as it may be, until very recently, India had absolutely no international news show; it now has two. WION, where Sharma previously worked, was the first.

As an aside: the Firstpost site is a decent one and not the advert-laden mess typically seen, even from many Western sites that constantly push their POS video content while one is trying to read a piece; too many sites make me want to punch site creators. I'm guessing the Firstpost site was built using Typo3. Top choice, if so.

 •     •     •

Last week, Indian viewers of Abhijit Chavda's show were deeply frustrated and asked him why, on anything relating to geopolitics, Indian news outlets always adopt a US framing, which isn't always accurate or beneficial to Indians? He laid out his answer—it's because they're all incompetent on the topic—in a manner that sparked a deep understanding of aspects I long wrestled with, though I had, until then, refused to accept such a facile answer, not having seized on a certain element of 'pride' made evident by Chavda, who relayed the how and why all Indian news anchors who touch on geopolitics get all their cues from US news.

Modelling themselves on the West, there's a great deal of that within that segment, it turns out, which is why that's exactly the impression I was left with. The parallels are there; I'm not imposing them on my outlook.

This explains the ambivalence I see among this segment, as these Indians revere the USA, the awe and desire to have 'that' invariably betrayed by their commentary and expressions, even as they simultaneously complain about some aspect of the USA, often for having made a comment about India.

And that also explains why Sharma would say something as boneheaded as "One country wants something from you and you want something from them, that's all that geopolitics is" to justify a trade deal India had made while not discussing the geopolitical implications.

What's funny is that Abhijit Chavda is an Indian geopolitical analyst; I've often found him to be just plain incompetent on many geopolitical matters, exhibiting the same deficiency that plagues that segment, as he also seems to live in some sphere of India that's disconnected from reality. Some of the things he's put forth.... ouch! But, because he belongs to that segment, as do nearly all of his guests, the majority being Indian, there's plenty of insights to be had regarding the mindset that this group shares, making him one among a few Indians whose comments I like to keep up to date with, though mostly for the elements provided through his comments, which allow me to piece a meaningful view, rather than for the commentary itself given that, well, he said it himself: Indians are incompetent when it comes to geopolitics. He's Indian.

In the days prior to the Chandrayaan-3 landing, Chavda took the opportunity to push one of his own theories regarding the Chandrayaan-1 attempt, which resulted in a crash. Per Chavda, it's China's fault. Obviously. Because there was some hacking by the North Koreans and because there was such a thing as Stuxnet, and because the Chinese are jealous of any progress made by Indians and because North Korea is China's bitch, he's not saying it's so, just implying it very loudly, but it could very well be that China is responsible for that crash and India's failure on their first attempt.

Hey, numbnuts! It's very clearly documented that the first one was a planned crash that was very clearly planned for: that was the mission, you fucking moron. Couldn't be more clear. The data gathered there is what enabled a soft landing with the third.

I'm so fed up of idiots spreading hatred with nothing but lies, and Indian news folks and pundits are damn big on that! Lies & hate; that's the culture they export through their info outlets.

After that, he blamed the whole J&K situation on Jawaharlal Nehru, this being an opinion that was also voiced, though less directly, on the WION website; this conclusion also seems to be shared among that segment.

With that, what comes through, if one is somewhat familiar with events and Nehru's significance, is a ardent but closeted nationalism.

They can keep that stuff, is the general opinion, perhaps explaining why Indian international news hasn't gained more attention. And if it's gained some now, per all I've been able to assess, as far as the West goes, it's the openly-'racist' anti-China venom that attracts viewers, most of them hate-filled and very-rightwing folks. Yet, as far as the US goes, conservatives are less favourable of India than Democrats, per a Pew Research poll released yesterday that I'll discuss briefly below.  

•     •     •

On some things, especially as concerns the Chinese, I've a hard time distinguishing between how much is a willing spread of BS versus the spread of lies held as truths.

No matter how well disproven certain claims made against China are, these form, and inform, a steady part of the recurring news stories that make up the Indian info diet; some of these appear to have been absorbed as truths and now shape opinions about the Chinese, both inside India and beyond, acting as a rightwing source of anti-China material for many Westerners.

Sure, the border thing must be infuriating, and this week's new map affair is all kinds of maddening, but Indians have a very one-sided view of such things—Kashmir being a perfect example—and none of that can possibly justify the deep hatred expressed by some, who see it justified to lie and to vilify the Chinese with any opportunity provided, creating them when needed. Hatred is self looping, breeds hatred. And finds a justification in anything.

With that: doesn't the Chinese standards map printing division put out that sort of thing at least twice a year, this going back to decades ago? Saying such a thing, as Rahul Gandhi, the main opposition leader, found out, having stated that the BJP was making a big deal over nothing. 'That's a very Chinese thing to say,' was the reply. "Once the government has made a pronouncement, Gandhi should publicly support it or not say anything." 

Gandhi was arrested last spring for having insulted Modi in the manner by which he'd referred to him. But there's nothing authoritarian there, folks, and censorship issues are Western propaganda...

The worst is the mention of "Chinese debt trap". The expression thought up and pushed by pro-IMF lobbyists being the one that's on this entire segment's lips.

And that segment will never, ever criticize institutions like the IMF or World Bank. Despite mentioning the IMF several times, Sharma only ever offered one segment that criticized it, and she had focused on some asinine aspect that had nothing to do with the 'evil' practices that are a part of the very reasons that have turned the BRICS endeavour into a very attractive opportunity. The very real and all-controlling debt trap apparatus is the one she won't disparage whilst attacking the one that's helping many. India deserves respect, why?

When Sri Lanka's financial situation exploded last year, India actually did more harm to the country with its idiocy. It hampered Sri Lanka's negotiations with China, who, by the way, wiped the debt of all other countries who'd found themselves in a similar situation; China has never seized the assets of any nation; this is pure BS pushed by the same lobbyists and repeated loudly by Indians and Western elitists. On the other hand, the loans made to Sri Lanka by India, following the Western model, have placed a far greater burden on Sri Lanka for smaller loans, which also imposed an Indian military base, too. 

Taking advantage of that to push an anti-China narrative, that's all sorts of despicable and it sent me on the path toward resenting that segment. Thanks to India, I now have a better opinion of China and Pakistan. No joke.

The 'killer' for me was hearing an Indian minister—someone from the government—open up a discussion on China by asserting that China had clear expansionist intentions, wanting to rule the world and that "it's doing so through its Chinese debt trap."

Emphasis was placed on the last part as if to highlight naughty acts good folks didn't discuss in public. I had expected that type of thing from news outlets, not a cabinet minister.

The host and the other guest, an Indian diplomat who'd spent some years in Pakistan, both hummed in acknowledgement. Nothing more needs to be said—Chinese debt trap—we all know the evils this points to! And India doesn't do that, it's better than China, and it respects everyone, and blah, blah, blah... Everything is an opportunity for these to boast how much better India is. Not sure they realize how off putting that quickly becomes.    

Is India so desperate to rank better than China that it's willing to be a country of lying a-holes to accomplish it. Like I said: no superpower to be seen there. First off, as I'll show further down, you're not even on the same playing field, and, unlike China, there's one major part of the population that this segment seems to forget about, i.e. the rest of the country. 

That had been said on an Indian talk show on ANI TV that's hosted by Smitas Prakash; she's an Indian Christiane Amanpour, which I certainly don't mean as any type of compliment. Prakash is an awfully bigoted snob who speaks for a tiny group of elites only. I became aware of her and her channel in early February of this year, but instantly saw the value of adding ANI to my diet, if only to gauge which aspects of an event this segment considers of importance (blindly cheering for India is top).

•     •     • 

It's all too clear: It's fear. Reverence and fear. India is so very afraid of sanctions. It could slow down Modi's insane growth plan, and just imagine how bad a scratch in the US' official sanction book make you look. Plus, there's those sanctions from the past that are still looming over India's head, the one's that the US imposed then made a gift of holding back, the whole being triggered by India having decided—on its own—to buy weapons from whomever it wanted. Bad Indians!

What this signifies, this is why I, and parts of the world, are pissed off with India. I'll clarify further on if unclear what I mean.

India may bark loudly, but it does so while on its knees. 

There are moments in life when hedging one's bets with 'both sides' is just plain stupid, as one not only fails to see the opportunity that would make feeling such a need to hedge one's bet no longer a relevant reality, it lets such an opportunity slip by and helps that entity that enforces such a need to keep the feeling for such a need alive.  

As I said last summer, the neutrality and non-alignment intended by Nehru and the league of nations he was as part of  is shades different than what I'm witnessing.

•     •     •

If one knows they're lying, one would have to be a complete, puss-filled moron to continue delivering those lies and helping the West to vilify one's neighbour while these are beating the drums of war for all the wrong reasons. 

Unfortunately, I'm starting to think that that competitive drive that's being fueled has managed to turn many into callous, mean-spirited a-holes. 

That entire segment does seem to be of the same opinion on most issues, these even adopting the same vocabulary and framing.

Chavda actually described geopolitics in a similar way, as did others, but the really striking thing is how all advanced their 'definition' after mentioning trade goals set by India, doing so as if hearing themselves and seizing on the "opportunist" interpretation that was made evident in what they forwarded. All of them—every single one—placing heavy emphasis on India's global ranking and making a clear mention along the lines of: 'Every country has to focus on their own needs and not those of others."

So much wrong with that, in my opinion. And it's the reason why India is slowly digging a hole for itself.

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India is obsessed with how others see it, and a major role of its outwardly-facing outlets is to present a positive image of India and to attack anyone that doesn't. 

Which leads to all sorts of hypocrisy, the attempts probably leaving more with a negative view of India in the long run, as the propaganda comes across as being far too governmentally controlled at times...  

And, in terms of hypocrisy, too many examples, but here's a recent one: the treatment given to the Human Rights Watch report regarding Saudi Arabia and claims made about slaughters occurring at its borders. Sharma and others discussed the subject, mentioning the fact that Saudi Arabia denied such claims as being totally absurd, then voiced some quip to let all know that the opposite was obviously true.

Funny, for, if one looks at the when the allegations were first made and what was claimed and what was offered as proof, then anyone who cares about geopolitical matters and who wants to educate their viewers on such issues—not just do governmental PR—would offer a far more nuanced view that questions several aspects of the report. 

Nope. She just repeated the press release lines and presented her condemnation, yet two months or so prior, Human Rights Watch had put out a report detailing serious human rights issues taking place in India. Immediately, the whole thing had been pinned as being nothing but lies and part of a Western ploy to undermine India. Why the hell should we believe that as regards India, then? 

Sharma hadn't discussed the events at Manipur once, doing so only immediately after I mentioned it in part one, and only did so to assure all that what was happening there wasn't related to religion. It's so goddamn important to maintain that image of a secular India where all religions are embraced, yet, behind all that PAK hatred spewed by that segment lies a clear disdain for Muslims, which is a stick in the wheels of nationalism. 

Yet, I had discussed minorities, which are what the violence in Manipur revolved around.

The same attitude is the one that dominates any talk that involves Jammu and Kashmir, oft leading me to wonder just how much of being "one's own worst enemy" is at play.   

Take this claim made in the chyron. 

In 2021, before that WION segment aired on the channel's regular news service, the US Bureau of Counterterrorism reported:

During the year, there were 153 terrorist attacks in J&K, causing 274 deaths that included 45 security personnel, 36 civilians, and 193 terrorists.  Other notable attacks included an attack on November 1 in Manipur, in which the People’s Liberation Army of Manipur and Naga People’s Front killed seven persons in an ambush, including an Indian Army officer and with his wife and minor son.

News articles substantiate many of those deaths.

Taking into account some of the comments made regarding Chinese media by some Indian media folks, I'd review my own efforts first before making such accusations.

•     •     •

Channels like WION and outlets like Firstpost are the exact type of vehicles that the CIA likes to get its hooks into, usually posing as investors or business folks with money to offer or a trade-off, if not opting to do it through bribes and payoffs or threats, the latter usually thrown in for good measure no matter the situation, just to let all know who's in control.

It turns out that the link between WION and Voice of America (VOA) I had noticed last summer goes back further, co-productions being made staring in 2019, I believe. VOA is but one of the many US government tools used to spread its propaganda; this can't be argued against.

As far as Firstpost's parent company, Network18, and its parent company, Reliance Industries, and its billionaire owner, Mukesh Ambani, the ties with the US run far wider and deeper, not to mention that Network18's focus is on licensed Indian versions of US outlets, such as CNN, CNBC, Forbes, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, VH1, MTV. etc. In the mix, being co-owners of some outlets, are giants like Times Warner Discovery and Paramount. Then, there's the recent 50-50 deal with Blackrock that Ambani's Jio Financial Services division embarked on, awaiting regulatory approval (Source).

The whole smacks of American-wannabism, but only the greed and an attitude that justifies having an obsession for profit over people are what they truly aim to emulate. 

And, well, when it's the profit motive that matters above all else, the recent catastrophe in Hawaii provides a perfect example of just how deadly things can get, and, though India doesn't like it when such stuff becomes public, there's been a clear and steady increase in Indian stories that reflect that type of reality, for it's this, an idealized and romanticized libertarian interpretation of the US that currently fuels Modi's economic plan, and it has that segment swooning at the thought of America rubbing elbows with 'little ol' them'... The USA, talking to India about world affairs, imagine that!

Although these realize that the US' interest in India is entirely set by the hostile attitude toward China's growth that these two countries share—this letting Indians know what to expect should they abide but one day wish to outgrow the master—the equally-shared prevailing attitude on this matter is that India simply wishes to do business with everybody, and they know better than everyone else, and won't get caught in any trap.

You so sure about that? That's not what I see.

Yep. Stopping here. I know... a part 3. How do I always manage to stretch two-paragraphs like that??? But the next one will be up soon as most of it is written but in block form and not unified, and I want to get something out asap...

Edits made: Typos and grammatical corrections; no content was altered.

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