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Deepa Malik: The making of a National Icon and Leader

Deepa Malik, India’s first and only woman para-athlete to ever win a Paralympic medal across any sport, took the political plunge on 25th March 2019. She joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a simple ceremony and was duly welcomed by BJP President Amit Shah in the presence of party’s Haryana unit chief, Subhash Barala, and general secretary Anil Jain.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in his Mann ki Baat, and during the inauguration of TransStadia at Ahmedabad that every Indian youth should meet Deepa Malik and hear her motivational talks to get a correct outlook towards life, and also to understand how the youth could contribute towards nation building.

Amit Shah, President of Bharatiya Janata Party, welcoming Para-athlete Deepa Malik into BJP.

Deepa Malik attributed her decision to join BJP to the assistance provided by the NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to para-athletes that resulted in a vast improvement in their performance at the international level. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and his government has been very supportive towards differently abled people, Modi ji’s attention is commendable. Policies for Divyangs, which has also impacted sports policies have been put in place. I prepared for Rio 2016 Games without any discrimination and I have not seen such empowerment of Divyangs before. Even the Disability Bill has been upgraded. Earlier this bill had 7 disabilities, but it now includes 21 disabilities, which effectively means that more disabled persons have been brought under its ambit. This is a commendable move indeed,” said Malik. She also expressed her desire to work for the nation in concert with the ideological base being provided by the BJP.

That Malik was gravitating towards the BJP was noticed in October last year when she credited Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) –both initiatives of the NDA government— for her achievements in the third edition of Para-Asian Games, in which she won two Bronze Medals for Discus and Javelin Throws respectively. “I would like to thanks TOPS Scheme and Paralympics Committee of India who trained us for such a big platform,” she said.

Deepa Malik’s life is a saga of grit and determination against all odds. She has an Army background. Her husband, Colonel (retd.) Bikram Singh Malik, served the Armoured Corps in one of the oldest regiments of the corps, The Scinde Horse. Her father-in-law, Major General (retd.) Balbir Singh Malik commanded the same regiment as her husband. Her husband’s grandfather Late Major Asaram Malik was a gallantry war hero from the Poona Horse in World War II. Her father, Late Colonel BK Nagpal, served with the Grenadiers, a reputed Infantry Regiment. Her brother Brigadier Vikram Nagpal is presently in service.

Deepa was born as a normal healthy child in 1970, but in 1977, she suffered from tumours along the spine and recovered after surgery and extensive physiotherapy. She got married in 1989 but her condition worsened once again at the age of 29. She underwent two surgeries in the Army Research and Referral Hospital, rated amongst the best in the country, but could not recover and was paralysed from the chest and below. Deepa was brave in the face of adversity, showing the true qualities of an Army family member while she underwent life threatening surgeries for chest below paralysis. During these times Deepa Malik’s husband was posted in the Kargil war sectors and she looked after their very young daughters while recuperating from her surgeries. Deepa braved these tough times alone for the first three years of her paralysis as her husband could not be with her due to exigencies of Operation Vijay and Operation Parakram of the Indian Army.

Deepa has a very severe international disability category termed as F-53, which results in chest below paralysis. Her condition translates into complete paralysis below the chest with zero sensation in the afflicted areas, no bladder and bowel control, half the lungs inflated, poor body temperature control and blood circulation with no torso balance. Only her arms and shoulders are functional. The three spinal surgeries, about 180 stitches between her shoulder blades in upper spinal region makes long sitting, training and driving with arms extremely challenging.

However, right from the word go Deepa was not ready to allow her disability to come in her way of leading a normal life. Her favourite quote from her own motivational talks is, “…the only disease I suffer from is happiness.” You always see her with a smiling face and she is often caught saying that her body may be paralysed but her soul is not. Deepa says that she has learnt that life is the only festival that can be celebrated every day. She doesn’t lives a mundane life, rather she feels alive! And her actions in such severe disability is testimony to her spirits, which speak louder than her words.

She also created a successful catering business at Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, where her husband was posted. Her effort to establish the business meant that she was financially self-reliant and not a liability.

At the age of 36, Deepa felt that she had to do something more with her body to prove her mission — ‘Ability beyond Disability’ and change the stereotypical mindset of the society towards the limitations of a woman in disability. And true to her grit and determination, in less than six years, she became an international sportsperson. So, her journey towards sports began at the age of 36, as a swimmer creating world records in river swimming. At the age of 39, she became an athlete and learnt Javelin Throw creating new Asian records, and for the past seven years Deepa has held the Asian record for Javelin Throw in the F-53 category. However, she was faced with a new challenge when at the age of 45 she took to Shot Put to represent India at the Rio Games 2016.

Para-athlete Deepa Malik in action for Javelin Throw.

Deepa is India’s first female Para-athlete to win a medal at the Paralympics. She made her country proud by winning a Silver Medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in the Shot Put category. She has more than 50 National Gold Medals in Swimming, Shot Put, Javelin and Discuss Throw and 23 International Medals to her credit having the unique feat of winning three consecutive Asian Games medals with three consecutive Asian records thereby bettering her own previous ones. But what makes Deepa smile more about her sports journey is that she was able to contribute to the policies for the differently abled sportsmen as a working group member.

Deepa is also an adventure sports enthusiast and she has created world record by becoming the first paraplegic biker and a car rallyist. In March 2010, she successfully completed the very difficult Desert Storm Motor Vehicle Rally; a journey of almost 3000 km through breath taking desert landscapes and the toughest terrain, an unprecedented feat of endurance and courage. She is a Limca Book Record holder for her remarkable feats in swimming, biking and driving.

Her feats have been acknowledged with many awards at the national, state and social level. Prominent among these are the Arjuna Award in 2012, Padma Shri in 2017 and Haryana Karambhoomi Award in 2008. The Government of Maharashtra has also awarded her with the Chatrapati Award (Sports) in 2009. The list of her awards is very long and meritorious.

Who can be better than Deepa as a role model and inspiration for incentive, drive, enthusiasm and celebration of life to the hilt? She shares her experiences through motivational workshops across the globe in various educational institutes and women empowerment and diversity platforms. For this contribution she was chosen by the All India Council of Human Rights, Liberties & Social Justice for Globe’s Most Exceptional Speaker Award in 2015. Also, for completing over 300 lectures she has been conferred with two honorary doctorate degrees.

Deepa Malik is a national icon and a role model for the young as well as the differently-abled to pursue life with determination. It is this message that she gives in all her addresses where the audience listens to her in rapt attention. “There was a time when people and the society were confused as to how and what I will be able to give to my daughters due to the social stigma, taboos and stereotypes attached around my physical condition. I am happy that my motherhood and womanhood became my strength to recover and reclaim my life as an abled person with a lot of passion to impact the society in the right direction. And today I stand tall as a proud mother of two educated and accomplished daughters, where my elder daughter Devika has already won international and national accolades for her social work in the disability sector and younger daughter Ambika is an MBA graduate working in the corporate world,” she says in her motivation talks.

Deepa Malik is the kind of leader that India requires, a person who will stimulate and encourage the people more by her actions than her words. She associates with the ideology of BJP and will be in a position to give her best to the country as a part of the party. Her decision to play a leadership role will benefit the party of her choice as well as the country in a great measure. She has not only become a role model for divyangs and women but also for the youth. Deepa’s resilience and her never say die attitude is an inspiration for all Indians across any age or gender.

By Golly Ms. Molly, Gone, Mrs. Lawrence

Famed actress, Jennifer Lawrence, famously stated when she was 25 that she simply could see herself getting married at that point in her life. Although, she could see herself as someone who could become a mother.

This was in a prominent interview with none other than Diane Sawyer. Given the context of Ms. Lawrence’s relational life at that time, in intimate life, she had split with the British actor Nicholas Hoult, which was after a 5-year relationship. A significant period of time for someone in this age bracket.

Lawrence, at the time, opined, “I was also in a relationship with somebody for five years and that was my life… Being 24 was this whole year of…‘who am I without this man?’”

At that time, at 25, she never saw herself as someone who would ever need to walk down as the aisle, saying, “I don’t know if I ever will get married and I’m OK with that… I don’t feel that I need anything to complete me. I love meeting people, men, women, whatever, I love people coming into your life and bringing something.”

It was a time in her life when she, probably, felt a need to rediscover herself and assert her identity, which, for someone with a life in the public eye, is all the more difficult, of course. To state, that she does not need a relationship to feel complete.

It is in this sense that public statements like those can provide emotional support for women who feel questioning themselves and where the larger culture may, in fact, be pushing a false image and so message; one that women need to speak out about, and, in the case of Lawrence, even in the midst of the pain provides a supportive statement of not needing a partner while still wanting to be a mother.

But, of course, this can also leave room for change. Now, Lawrence is engaged after dating for 6 months, or more, and will be working towards a marriage with her new fiance named Cooke Maroney.

Photo by John Fowler on Unsplash

UPSC uploads scores of non-recommended candidates for employment in other departments

 The Union Public Service Commission has issued a Disclosure Scheme for disclosing the scores and other details of the non-recommended candidates. This Scheme covers only willing candidates who appeared at the Interview Stage of Commission’s Examination. Such details include Name of the candidate, Father’s/ Husband’s name, Date of Birth, Category, Gender, Educational Qualifications, Total marks etc. These details are arranged in Roll Number order. The objective of the Scheme is to provide a useful database to other employers to enable them to identify good employable candidates.

These details are uploaded on the Website of the Commission, which is linked to the National Career Service (NCS) Portal of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. This information of an Examination remains available for one year from the date of disclosure.

The Scheme has come into force with the Combined Medical Services Examination, 2017. Other Examinations so far covered are Combined Defence Services Examination (Il), 2017; Indian Economic Service Examination, 2018; Indian Statistical Service Examination, 2018; Indian Forest Service Examination, 2018 and Combined Geo-Scientist & Geologist Examination, 2018 and Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2018.

Details of 4,338 candidates including professionals in the field of medicine, economics, statistics, geophysics, hydrogeology etc. are available for employment to different employers. These details may  be seen   at https://upsc.gov.in/examination/public-disclosure-of-scoresthrough-portal.

WhatsApp comes with new feature to control adding in random groups

WhatsApp, the cross-platform messaging and Voice over IP service owned by Facebook, has announced a new privacy feature that lets you control who can add you to a group. This feature is rolling out to the users on the latest version of WhatsApp, and it will reach everyone around the globe in the coming weeks.

Users need to go to the Settings to manage this feature Settings > Account > Privacy > Groups menu. The app has provided three more options there- ‘Everyone’, ‘My contacts’, and ‘Nobody’. Selecting ‘Everyone’ will let everyone with your WhatsApp number add you to a group. The ‘My contacts’ option will limit the option to people whose numbers are already saved in your contacts. And, choosing the ‘Nobody’ option will prevent everyone from adding you to a group.

While unknown people cannot add you in any group, but they will be able to send the user a private invitation to join a group. User will then have 72 hours to accept the invitation after which the invite will expire.

Banning Religious Modesty Dress is Liberal

Many liberals today believe that a ban on Muslim veiling would be inconsistent with liberalism. However, the chief architect of liberal political philosophy, John Stuart Mill, who was also one of the nineteenth century’s greatest feminists, probably would have accepted a ban in principle. Mill’s 19th century England presented a different set of religious issues to those of multicultural Britain today, but Mill considered three cases contemporaneous to his writing that offer a prism through which we can discern how liberalism’s founding father might have responded to the question of a state ban on Muslim veiling.

First, he considers whether a ban on eating pork would be acceptable in a Muslim minority country like his own. He concludes that the ban on pork-eating would be unacceptable since many would want to resist the ban because they do not accept Muslim disgust as legitimate grounds for preventing other people from eating pork.

Next, Mill looked at the Christian Puritans’ ban on various forms of recreation, such as music and dance. Mill remarked that the moral and religious sentiments of Puritans were inadequate grounds to restrict other peoples’ leisure activities.

Finally, he considered the Mormon minority in the United States, who practiced (male only) polygamy and were persecuted for it. Mill’s response was that interference in the Mormon way of life would be unjustified on the condition that the practice is undertaken with the full consent of all participants. He also stipulated that it should be permitted only if people living in Mormon communities were free to leave.

The Mormon example can be extended to any case in which a host society seeks to change the practices of a minority when those practices are not enforced on people against their will. If we accept – as most people do – that religious dress codes are sometimes forced on people against their will, then, to that extent, according to Mill’s reasoning, the state would bejustified in interfering with the practice, just as it would be in cases where the practice of male polygamy did not have the full consent of those impacted by it.  This conclusion is consistent with the rationale of Mill’s conditional ban on male polygamy, since the only condition that he thought would make state interference in the practice acceptable was if women had not fully consented to the practice and were not fully free to leave the practicing community. If these conditions are met in the case of the veil, for instance, then it is consistent with liberal political philosophy to ban it.

No one should be made, by legal or political force, to conform to ideological values that are not his or her own. So, while well-meaning British or American citizens may argue that it is not OK to tell people what to wear (or not to wear), the same goes for Salafi-Wahhabists and fundamentalists as well as for the state and government officials.

A legal restriction on veiling, because it would ensure that we are consistent when we say that “nobody should tell women what they can wear (or not wear)” is more principled and starts with the existing situation, which is that a subset of women are currently being told what to wear. Many women wear the veil because someone has told them that they cannot wear Western dress, or that not to veil themselves would be in contravention of religious values. If these women dissent, some of them would face violence, abuse and homelessness. If we really want women to be free to “wear whatever they want,” then we must (a) argue against religious authoritarians who tell women exactly what they must wear (b) stop allowing the state to prosecute as “hate speech” every attempt to do so, and (c) possibly erect a legal ban on religious modesty dress to protect those who are currently coerced to wear it.

Mill’s various responses to the cases above illustrate that mere offence is not a good reason for society to constrain what people do. Liberals have never favoured state interference with self-regarding behaviours that others merely find distasteful. Liberals have only accepted state interference when the behaviour in question is ‘other-regarding’ (i.e. when it impacts others in a significant way) and is also harmful.

While it is debatable as to what is or is not harmful, liberals have interpreted harm in a narrow sense, such that merely insulting the feelings or offending other people’s tastes or beliefs is not ‘harmful’ in any significant way, since it does not harm anyone’s permanent interests as a progressive being. On the other hand, denying people access to education or information, limiting their freedom of movement or their liberty to assemble with people, or to pursue their own goals, are acts that do harm other people’s permanent interests as progressive beings.  It limits the individual’s ability to have genuine options and a variety of sources of information. This prevents informed decision, constrains ‘education’ within very narrow limits, and ultimately stunts intellectual and personal growth and development – all of which is seriously harmful

Offence, far from injuring my development and growth, may actually stimulate my thought, provoke new ideas, or challenge me to question my own assumptions or to defend existing ones with better reasons. On the other hand, customs, when they are coerced or enforced through family and community pressure (sometimes violent pressure) do harm peoples’ permanent interests as progressive and free human agents, capable of exploring their own physical, emotional and intellectual growth. 

For this reason, liberalism has been the best form of government for allowing individuals to pursue their own good in their own way. The state does not presume to enforce any moral or ideological code, but rather is treated as a neutral referee. The state’s sole purpose is to enforce a set of principled and fair rules so that all ideologies can compete on the same level playing field and follow the same rules of engagement. When governments act paternalistically by granting special protections to a particular subculture in society, they are not protecting individuals within those cultures but lifting the protections that would otherwise grant them the same rights as other (more powerful) individuals within their culture.  Liberalism protects all members of a minority subculture, whereas the kind of faith-based multiculturalism that liberal states have pursued in the past decade allows only dominant community leaders to pursue their own values and goals, while protecting their “right” to impose these values on everyone else in the community.   This is not liberal.  It is conservative communitarianism that can quickly become religious fascism. 

Rajkummar Rao wins rule-breaker of the year award

GQ recently hosted GQ style and culture Awards in Mumbai. During the event actor Rajkummar Rao won the GQ rule breaker of the year award. He was seen in head-to-toe all-white Dior outfit during the award function.

Rao also shared the news on social media. He took to Twitter to show his excitement. He tweeted, “Rule breaker of the year, thank you for this honor.”

A host of Bollywood celebrities were also spotted at the GQ Style and Culture Award including Ranveer Singh, Taapsee Pannu, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Anushka Sharma, who marked their presence in their quirky ensemble.

Rajkummar Rao will be next seen in films like Mental Hai Kya, starring opposite Kangana and Made in China.

Yesteryear Bond girl Tania Mallet passes away

Tania Mallet, best known for her role in the 1964 James Bond film “Goldfinger”, has died at the age of 77.

The official James Bond Twitter account shared the news of Mallet’s demise. “We are very sorry to hear that Tania Mallet who played Tilly Masterson in ‘Goldfinger’ has passed away. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time,” the post read.

Model-actor Mallet was born in Blackpool on May 19, 1941. She is the cousin of Academy Award-winning actress Helen Mirren. Mallet made her foray into films with an audition for the Bond girl Tatiana Romanova in “From Russia with Love”. She did not get the role of Tatiana, but later appeared as Tilly Masterson opposite Sean Connery in the third James Bond film “Goldfinger.” In 1976, she also appeared in TV’s “The New Avengers”.

India and Bahrain to enhance cooperation in outer space research

Bahrain National Space Science Agency & ISRO – Indian Space Research Organisation have signed an MoU on Cooperation in Exploration & Uses of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes, including cooperation in space technology viz. Remote Sensing, Space Science&Planetary exploration among others.

The Minister of Transportation and Communications Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed said, ” The purpose of this MoU is to support the efforts of NSSA in the field of space and its technical applications, through the exchange of experiences and knowledge with ISRO to contribute to building national capacities in this field, in addition to supporting scientific research efforts and the implementation of joint projects.

 “This MoU on Cooperation in the exploration and uses of outer space for peaceful purposes between India and Bahrain provides scope for cooperation in various areas of space technology viz. Remote Sensing, Space Science & Planetary exploration, application of space technology etc. A Joint Working Group would be set up for implementation of MoU soon which would implement arrangement on specific areas of cooperation,” Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain Alok K Sinha said.

NGT comes hard on DDA, questions its attitude of shifting responsibility

The National Green Tribunal while hearing a plea filed by Delhi resident R K Gupta seeking restoration of the Tikri Khurd Lake, commented that DDA doesn’t show any commitment towards conserving water body. The tribunal rapped the Delhi Development Authority over its submission that the Tikri Khurd Lake did not exist in the records and said,” We may only comment that stand of the DDA does not show commitment for conserving water body and merely focusses on technicalities and shifting responsibility which attitude is not consistent with Articles 48A and 51-A (g) of the Constitution, expected from a public body.”

NGT has directed the Wetlands Authority of Delhi to hold a meeting and decide within a month whether the Tikri Khurd lake in Narela here is a wetland.  A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said the Wetland Authority constituted under Rule 5 (2) of the Wetlands (Conservation & Management) Rules, 2017 for the NCT Delhi must look into the matter.

“Wetlands Authority may co-opt DDA as a member of the Wetland Authority under Rule 5 (3) of the rules so that the effective joint decision can be taken to resolve the dispute whether the area falls within the jurisdiction of DDA or Delhi government,” the bench said.

ISRO successfully launches military satellite EMISAT

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has achieved yet another milestone by successfully launching EMISAT, a military satellite, and 28 foreign nano satellites on-board its polar rocket from Shriharikota on Monday. ISRO chief K Sivan said at the Mission Control Centre, “Today, PSLV C45 has successfuly injected ISRO made EMISAT in 748 kms orbit as well as 28 customer satellites in 504 kms orbit.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO scientists on the successful launch of EMISAT satellite on board polar rocket PSLV-C45 from Sriharikota.

The mission marked several firsts to the credit of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as it manoeuvred satellites in various orbits and orbital experiments including on maritime satellite applications. The rocket, PSLV-C45, in its 47th mission, injected the 436 kg EMISAT, aimed at electromagnetic measurement, and 28 co-passenger satellites belonging to Lithuania, Spain, Switzerland and the US, into their designated orbits, ISRO said.

In the mission, ISRO scientists placed the satellites and payloads in three different orbits. After injecting the primary satellite EMISAT at around 17 minutes from lift off in a 748 km orbit, they restarted the fourth stage twice. During this initiative, all the other 28 customer satellites, totally weighing about 220 kgs, were released one-by-one by lowering the fourth stage to around 504 kms orbit. “This process took about 160 minutes for ISRO from lift off at 9.27 am,” an official said.