April 07, 2025

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WEAPONISING HISTORY

The success of a film is measured not only by its boxoffice earnings, but also by the emotions it can rouse in its audiences. Chhaava (meaning `lion cub'), based on a popular Marathi novel on the 17th-century figure of Sambhaji, son of the iconic founder of the Maratha empire, Chhatrapati Shivaji, delivered on both scores. It had already raked in upwards of Rs 541 crore by the sixth week of its February 14 release. But what really propelled the drama to the headlines was an extended and graphic sequence of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (played by Akshaye Khanna) torturing and killing Sambhaji (Vicky Kaushal) in 1689. The scenes had people breaking down in tears and shouting patriotic slogans in theatres--dutifully recorded on videos and circulated widely on social media. Its stature was confirmed when, amid cheers for Sambhaji and Shivaji, a special screening was held on March 27, at the GMC Balayogi auditorium in Parliament, where the audience included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP president J.P. Nadda and their NDA colleaguesThe plot had already moved off-stage before that. So convincing was the portrayal by the chief protagonists in the Maddock Films' production that the emotions spilled out of the cinema halls into the streets. Especially after Samajwadi Party's Mumbai MLA Abu Asim Azmi put up a defence of Aurangzeb on March 3, saying, "Wrong history is being shown. Aurangzeb built many temples. I do not consider him a cruel ruler. Also, the battle between Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and Aurangzeb was for state administration, not between Hindus and Muslims." Whatever the results of actual conflicts, in the long view of popular history, Maratha warriors are the clear winners and Aurangzeb a universally reviled figure. Incensed at Abu Azmi's statement, Sangh parivar affiliates such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal called for the razing of Aurangzeb's grave at Khultabad near Aurangabad (renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar a couple of years ago). They found ready support from the BJP and the Shiv Sena, members of the ruling Mahayuti coalition in the state. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath weighed in, too, declaring that glorifying `invaders' was an act of `treason' that `new India' would not tolerate. Azmi has been suspended from the Maharashtra legislature for the ongoing budget sessionAn uneasy calm returned to Maharashtra after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis skilfully pleaded helplessness at being unable to disturb Aurangzeb's grave as it was a protected structure under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). He did assert, though, that his government will not allow the glorification of the Mughal. "Why do we want the grave of Aurangya (Aurangzeb)?" he asked. "But as you know, the ASI declared it a protected site 50 years ago and hence the state and Union governments are vested with protecting it. It is unfortunate that we are forced to protect the tomb of Aurangya, who had killed thousands of our people." Meanwhile, rumours of a chaadar (sheet) with Quranic inscriptions being burnt during statewide protests against Aurangzeb by Hindu right-wing groups

A HIMALAYAN RIVER THREAT

Originating from the icy grip of the Angsi Glacier, near the northern slopes of the Himalayas, close to Lake Manasarovar in western Tibet, the Yarlung Tsangpo--known as Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and the Brahmaputra in Assam--embarks on a long and winding 2,900 km journey. It flows eastward across the Tibetan Plateau, a seemingly calm giant, until it reaches the easternmost edge of the Himalayas. And then, it encounters an obstacle--a towering 7,782-metre peak called the Namcha Barwa. But the river does not stop. In one of nature's most breathtaking feats, it takes a dramatic U-turn around the mountain-- the Great Bend, one of the sharpest and most spectacular river bends on Earth. What follows is pure fury. The river plunges into the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, a monstrous 500km-long chasm with depths exceeding 5,000 metres--nearly five times the height of Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure in the world. It is one of the deepest and most treacherous canyons on the planet, where the river transforms into a roaring beast, its waters churning with an unstoppable force. This is where China wants to step in. The steep gradient at the Great Bend holds unparalleled hydroelectric potential that Beijing is determined to exploit. The plan? A colossal hydropower project embedded deep into the unforgiving terrain of Medog County, Tibet--one of the last unexplored and most geologically unstable regions on Earth. It is a project of staggering proportions, a testament to human ambition and engineering audacityWith an estimated cost of $137 billion (Rs 11.9 lakh crore), this is poised to become the most powerful hydropower facility ever attempted, generating a jaw-dropping 60 GW of electricity annually--three times the output of China's own Three Gorges Dam, the current world record-holder, and surpassing the UK's entire annual energy consumption. Expected to be completed by 2033, the scale of the project is mind-boggling. To divert nearly half of the river's flow, Chinese engineers plan to drill tunnels up to 12.5 miles long through the Namcha Barwa mountain, rerouting 2,000 cubic metres of water per second--enough to fill three Olympic-sized swimming pools every secondIndia's Great Worry While China presents the project as a step toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, for India and Bangladesh, it signals a looming disaster. The dam's location, barely 30 km from Arunachal Pradesh, places it alarmingly close to India's border, raising security concerns in New Delhi. Worst-case scenarios throw up a nightmarish picture: if the dam were to fail--due to engineering flaws, an earthquake or even sabotage--the consequences would be catastrophic. A towering surge of water could rip through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, wiping out entire towns within minutes. "This Chinese project isn't just a tease," says Michael Kugelman, director of the Washington-based South Asia Institute. "China has the capacity to mobilise capital quickly and build out large-scale infrastructure projects without delays, thanks to its centralised economy and undemocratic politics. This means New Delhi needs to start thinking now about how to mitigate the possible deleterious implications--especially for water security, the environment and geopolitics." The Brahmaputra is a vital artery that sustains millions across four countries--China (50.5 per cent), India (33.6), Bangladesh (8.1) and Bhutan (7.8). More than just a waterway, it sustains agriculture, drinking water and energy needs, making any disruption to its flow a serious concern. For India, the primary worry is China's ability to control the Brahmaputra's flow. If Beijing releases excess water during monsoons, devastating floods could ravage India's northeastern states, particularly Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, where nearly 40 per cent of the land is already flood-prone. The fallout--mass displacement, infrastructure collapse and economic devastation--would be severeConversely, restricting water flow during dry months could cripple agriculture, hydropower generation and drinking water supplies. Given that the Brahmaputra accounts for nearly 30