Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar
A brewing battle over Nehru’s letters
The backstory: During the UPA era, the Gandhi family acted as self-appointed custodians of the history of Jawaharlal Nehru—and the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) in New Delhi. For example, Sonia Gandhi appointed a lackey of Bipan Chandra—a long-standing Congress Party loyalist—as NMML director. Ramachandra Guha writes:
The [then] new director, instead of encouraging historical research, paid back her dues by involving the Congress Party in the NMML’s programmes and events. Sonia Gandhi’s son Rahul was even allowed to hold Youth Congress meetings in a place that had hitherto focused on scholarship and been kept free of partisan political influence. Rather than using the funds of the institution to upgrade its research facilities — getting new microfilm readers, for example — they were splurged on such things as parties for schoolchildren on Jawaharlal Nehru’s birth anniversary.
Scholarly requests were routinely rebuffed—and the staff was demoralised.
What happened now: New information confirms that the Gandhis also treated items of historical record as their own personal property. Historian Rizwan Kadri recently wrote to Rahul Gandhi asking for his help—to retrieve 51 cartons of Nehru documents. These were given to a “designated representative” of Sonia Gandhi back in 2008. According to Kadri, they include Nehru’s correspondence with Edwina Mountbatten, Albert Einstein, Aruna Asaf Ali and Jayaprakash Narayan, among others,
Point to note: There have been repeated efforts to recover these papers in the past.
But, but, but: NewsLaundry offers a totally different spin on what others are describing as a heist:
His personal documents were segregated from his official papers and removed from the museum in 2008 — by a representative of his legal heir Sonia Gandhi — with official sanction. They can be accessed only with Gandhi’s permission.
The Gandhi defence is that these papers were given to the museum “for safekeeping rather than outright gift.” To be fair, the Culture Ministry took the same view back in 2016—when approached for the papers. Also this: There is no law governing ownership of personal papers—as opposed to sarkaari documents. Indian Express has the story on Kadri’s request—while NewsLaundry looks at the nerdy legal details. We also recommend this excerpt from Guha’s ‘The Cooking of Books’ published in the Advisory.
Germany heads for elections!
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition has lost the confidence vote in Parliament. It spells the demise of his government—and perhaps the liberal coalition. Europe’s biggest economy will hold elections on February 23—soon after Donald Trump enters the White House. Germany too seems to be swinging to the right. Conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz—who heads the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of ex-chancellor Angela Merkel—is way ahead in the polls.
Far more worrying: The rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)—in a country where fascism has long been a taboo: “The AfD has grown in the past decade from a eurosceptic fringe party into a major political force when it protested against Merkel's open-door policy to migrants, and now has around 18% voter support.”
Why this election matters: The German economy—built on cheap Russian gas and US military protection—is teetering—even as Chinese exports kick Berlin’s ass. A pissed-off Vladimir Putin is winning—and his buddy Trump has no great love for NATO. These are perilous times. Chatham House offers an excellent big-picture analysis of the end of Germany’s old economic model. (AFP via MSN)
A report on horrific abuse in adult content industry
A new report by Human Rights Watch has exposed appalling working conditions in one of the main hubs of the adult webcam industry—Colombia. The models work for hours on end in filthy spaces—without breaks to even drink water. Worse—given this is sex work—they have to pay for essentials like soap, sanitizer, and tissues. Also this:
[W]ebcam models are often making pennies on the dollar in deplorable conditions where they face bedbugs and cockroaches, filth, and shared streaming equipment often covered in semen, blood, vomit, or feces.
FYI: sex work is decriminalised in Colombia—but the webcam industry is “largely unregulated”—leaving the owners of these platforms unchecked. Check out the Human Rights Watch report here. (Wired).
It’s a drone, it’s a plane…. nope, just a star!
For over a month, residents on the East Coast have been mystified—and somewhat worried—about mysterious drones flying in the night sky:
The sightings began on November 18 near Morris County, New Jersey, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. There had been drone sightings every night since then, Republican New Jersey Assemblyman Paul Kanitra told CNN’s Sara Sidner on Friday. Unnerved residents have frequently reported seeing drones hovering overhead, sometimes traveling in clusters.
As this clip shows, the drones ain’t tiny (lots more clips here):
Wtf is going on? All the big guys—FBI and Department of Homeland Security—say there’s “no evidence” to suggest these drones pose a risk to national security or public safety. Officials suggest that the ‘sightings’ are no more than a case of mass hysteria: “Most were fixed-wing, piloted aircraft that were taking off or landing at major airports, officials said. Others were smaller planes, and some were hobbyist drones.” What made us laugh the hardest: Some reported even stars as drones (which is remarkable considering they’re stationary).
To be fair: Last year, Americans were terrorised by sneaky Chinese spy balloons—which caused a massive diplomatic ruckus. (see: this Big Story). And a Chinese man was recently arrested for flying a drone over the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. CNN has a good explainer on the drones.
Get ready to grow new teeth!
Japanese scientists are testing a groundbreaking drug that could help people regrow missing teeth. Sounds a bit nuts but here’s how it works. All mammals—including humans—grow two sets of teeth. Your baby teeth—and the adult kind.
But, but, but: Did you know that we’re hiding a “third generation” of teeth beneath our gums? That’s exactly what the new drug targets. By blocking the production of a protein called USAG-1, it encourages these hidden teeth to emerge. Voila! You have a new tooth—in the exact site of the injection.
Why this matters: Many doctors are excited: "The assertion that humans possess latent tooth buds capable of producing a third set of teeth is both revolutionary and controversial." Such a drug will definitely be a game changer for kids born without teeth. But the tests have only proved successful on mice. The first human trials are kicking off now. (Science Alert)
what caught our eye
business & tech
- Bloomberg’s $100 billion club for 2024 is out and…hamaare Ambani and Adani are no longer on the list. But, but, but: the rest of India’s top 20 got even richer this year.
- TechCrunch looks at Trump’s inner circle of Silicon Valley advisors—and their obsession with censorship of AI by liberals.
- India needs a capex of Rs 16,000 crore (Rs 160 billion) in order to meet charging station demand for EVs by 2030, according to a new report.
- SoftBank will invest $100 million in US projects during the Donald’s second term.
as for the rest
- A US judge upheld the former and future president’s felony conviction for falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal.
- As per an Amnesty report, Israeli mobile forensics tech and spyware are being used by Serbian authorities to illegally surveil journalists and activists.
- India will be receiving its first mpox vaccine soon, courtesy of the deal struck by Serum Institute of India with Bavarian Nordic.
- Bengaluru's December nights are expected to hit a record low of 12.4°C.
- NASA says that rising sea levels and declining rainfall could cause saltwater to contaminate freshwater supplies in 75% of coastal areas by 2100.
- Marking 10 years since the deadly attack, Charlie Hebdo in typical provocative fashion is holding a cartoon contest calling for the “funniest and meanest” drawings mocking—you guessed it—God.
- Hollywood Reporter has an adorable read on life aboard Bark Air, the world’s first dedicated dog airlines—note the menu items.
- The James Webb Telescope has confirmed the universe is expanding faster than expected, challenging current cosmology models.
- A new Harvard study found that people who eat an ounce (28.3 grams) of dark chocolate—at least five times a week—are 10% less likely to develop diabetes.
Four things to see
One: High off of her Wayanad by-election win, Priyanka Gandhi was spotted with a Palestine solidarity bag on her way to the parliament—leading BJP types to accuse her of being “communal”?! Umm, the government of India officially supports the Palestine cause. Some people can’t keep their categories straight. Bhaiyya, there is good (overseas) and bad (domestic) in everyone, including Muslims. (The Hindu)
Two: Celeb look-alike contests are officially in town. The latest is this Abhay Deol-themed event in Delhi—where the contestants seemed to misunderstand the meaning of ‘look-alike’:
This is the guy who won. Abhay silently slits wrists in a corner. (Hindustan Times)
Three: Shyam Benegal's 90th birthday on December 14 had a truly A-list guest list—all the fab actors who starred in his films. (India Today)
Four: Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren are back in action for a second season of ‘1923’—the spin-off of the neo-Western ‘Yellowstone’. The new season drops on JioCinema from February 23. (Entertainment Weekly)
feel good place
One: Senior citizen’s guide to skating through life.
Two: Every NRI singer ever.
Three: When humans channel their inner ChatGPT.
