Tamil Nadu's fight against the Modi model, caste in Indian dance and more – Southasia Weekly #16
This week at Himal
This week, as the Indian election approaches a close, Himal published the final two stories in our special series ‘Modi’s India from the Edges’, examining the impact and meaning of Narendra Modi’s decade in power as seen from India’s neighbouring countries as well as Indian territories beyond the BJP’s power base.
While the world’s eyes have been firmly on India as the country votes, we at Himal have insisted on offering a distinctly Southasian view of the Indian election – centering the many regional implications of the rise of Hindu nationalism, and also giving space to clear-eyed, independent analysis of Indian domestic politics of the kind lacking in the county’s own compromised mainstream media. We need your support to continue our in-depth, independent journalism on India and all of Southasia, and to keep it paywall-free and open-access for all regardless of borders or economic means.
Beyond the series, we also published Ranjana Dave’s review essay discussing three recent books that draw attention to how dancers’ gender and sexuality is controlled by the caste mechanisms embedded in modern Indian society.
As temperatures continue to soar across the Subcontinent, it’s a good time to revisit and listen to a recent episode of Himal’s State of Southasia podcast, where we spoke to the environmental social scientist Chandni Singh on the real threats of record-breaking heatwaves for the region.
This week in Southasia
Cyclone Remal underscores impact of climate change in the Bay of Bengal
At least 39 people were killed and more than one million people evacuated after cyclone Remal made landfall in coastal India and southern Bangladesh. Northeast India was impacted by landslides, with the collapse of a stone quarry in Mizoram claiming 14 lives. Power-cuts impacted nearly 3 million people in Bangladesh and thousands in West Bengal as heavy rain and winds hit power-lines. Across the border in Bangladesh, the cylone damaged 150,000 houses. The Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar, displaced by violence in Myanmar and recently impacted by a devastating fire that left 4000 refugees without shelter, are particularly vulnerable to landslides.
Meteorologists pointed out that cyclone Remal was one of the longest lasting storms in Bangladesh, with its impacts being felt for at least 45 hours. Studies have shown that this is due to climate change, with warmer water in the Bay of Bengal leading to more extreme weather events. As these events increase in intensity, policymakers will have to do more in terms of disaster preparedness and climate adaptation, to protect the lives and livelihoods of millions across Southasia.
Elsewhere in Southasia 📡
Hundreds treated for heatstroke in Pakistan, schools closed as temperatures soar to 52 degrees, while Delhi sees temperatures of 49 degrees, with 15 heat-related deaths reported in the space of 24 hours in eastern India
Across India, several sexual harassment and assault cases make the news. Absconding Indian Janata Dal (Secular) MP claims he will face sexual abuse charges. Central Bureau of Investigation files chargesheet in land grab, sexual harassment case involving former Trinamool Congress leader. Woman who filed sexual assault case against BJP leader B S Yediyurappa dies
Dhaka court orders seizure of former inspector general of police’s assets due to corruption probe, revealing politicisation of law enforcement
Myanmar’s military junta blocks escape routes in Thandwe township, preventing civilians from fleeing as fighting escalates in southern Rakhine
China releases manual naming 20 ‘illegal activities’ relating to independence of Tibet in continued clampdown on Tibetan culture
Maldives collects biometric data of 705 migrant workers in effort to curtail illegal migration
6.5 million children in Afghanistan to experience crisis levels of hunger in 2024, according to Save the Children, as the country grapples with impacts of flooding and drought
Sikkim High Court introduces menstrual leave policy for women employees in the registry, becoming first high court in India to do so
Nepal presents NPR 1.86 trillion (USD 13.9 billion) budget for 2024-2025, economists say growth targets are ambitious, raise concerns about inflation
UNP General Secretary proposes postponing Sri Lanka's elections, President Ranil Wickremesinghe says Presidential elections to go ahead after backlash
Only in Southasia
Over the past few days, a single, artificially generated image emblazoned with the text ‘All eyes on Rafah’ has been shared more than 46 million times on Instagram stories. Something about this image, with its sanitised, orderly rows of tents and clear blue skies made it appealing to millions (it helped that the image easily bypassed graphic content filters on Instagram). Among those who shared the image were Bollywood celebrities who normally steer clear of politics, or who have pandered to Hindu nationalist rhetoric in the past; including Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. While Bollywood couldn’t resist jumping on the latest social media trend to showcase their social consciousness, Southasia had different ideas. Within days, similarly artificial images were being circulated in India, with the phrase ‘All eyes on Hindus in Pakistan’, and #BoycottBollywood was trending on X (formerly known as Twitter) as Hindu nationalists lashed out at their favourite actors for condemning the bombing of displaced Palestinians. As one social media user pointed out, that takes a special kind of inferiority complex.
From the archive
A requiem for the Jaffna library (January 2014)
As 31 May marks the burning of the Jaffna public library in Sri Lanka, Sundar Ganesan's article is worth revisiting. Ganesan writes about the library's collection of 16,000 books, magazines and manuscripts, including rare historical material. He notes that the government at the time, headed by J R Jayewardene, showed no interest in holding an inquiry. Ganesan writes that the rise and fall of the Jaffna Public Library is a reminder of the history of Tamil's achievements in Sri Lanka, and of the ethnic tensions that form part of that history.