Sayani Chakraborty, Author at Alive

An internal investigation into the suicide of IIT Bombay Dalit student Darshan Solanki last month concluded that he was depressed about his poor academic performance. This conclusion is not accepted by his family. The causes of suicide are nuanced and multifaceted, making it impossible to assign a single explanation. Furthermore, societal prejudice can be a factor in mental health, therefore the topic is not limited to what happens in an individual's head. Two studies conducted at IIT Bombay just months before to this murder detailed the experiences of Dalit and Adivasi students as they faced bias and discrimination at the institute. In India's top universities, many talented and intelligent Dalit and Adivasi students have been driven to depression and suicide. The admissions tes...

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From Hindenburg Report To Stock Rout: A Critical Analysis Of Adani Catastrophe

Sayani ChakrabortyMarch 8, 20230

The enormous fluctuations in the market value and fortunes of the Adani Group are almost unreal, like something out of a fairy tale. Since a short seller agency, Hindenburg Research, made serious accusations regarding the use of widespread illegalities by the group, I believe history will view this as a singular event, at least for India, due to the magnitude and speed with which the changes occurred, both during the spectacular ascent and the subsequent decline. Adani's route to success began in 1999, when it joined with Singapore's Wilmar to become an importer of palm oil. In a short amount of time, seven corporations affiliated with the Adani group accumulated control of practically all of India's infrastructure, including seaports, highways, airports, data storage facilities, defe...

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Decreased Private Demand Slows Economic Growth, Suggesting Policy Changes

Sayani ChakrabortyMarch 7, 20230

In line with RBI's projection but below the mainstream opinion of experts, GDP for the third quarter (October-December) of 2022-23 was Rs 40.19 lakh crore, up by 4.4%. Even if GDP revisions for the prior quarter and fiscal year are ignored, data from the third quarter still offers alarming signals about the rate at which the economy is losing steam. In the face of rising interest rates, the positive effects of a return to normalcy in the economy have had a chilling effect on private consumption. In addition, against the backdrop of a worldwide economic recession, manufacturing has decreased for the second consecutive quarter. In the third quarter, private consumption spending increased by 2.1% to Rs 24.77 lakh crore. When compared to the prior quarter (July-September), this one saw ...

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Is Rahul Gandhi Simply Following In Footsteps Of PM Modi?

Sayani ChakrabortyMarch 7, 20230

On January 30, Congress president Rahul Gandhi completed his Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY) in Srinagar. He was satisfied after five months. After walking nearly 4,000 kilometres, the final ceremony in Srinagar had to go smoothly despite the bitter cold and snow. He was happy to play snowballs or sheen mubarak with his sister Priyanka. He originally planned to end his Ekta Yatra at Raj Ghat, but the day before he decided to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk, like Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi and PM Narendra Modi did in 1992. Rahul Gandhi waved the flag at Lal Chowk after dismissing it as a BJP-RSS stronghold, resembling Modi twenty years earlier. In December 1991, during the height of J&K terrorism, Modi organised Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi's Ekta Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. After...

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Tamil Nadu, Bihar Demonstrate How Quickly Hazardous Social Media Rumours Can Be Dispelled

Sayani ChakrabortyMarch 7, 20230

How to mitigate the harmful effects of disinformation spread via social media. Learn from Tamil Nadu's example. The state apparatus lost no time in responding to the rumor-mongering that migrants from north India in TN had endured "attacks" when the video message initially surfaced in Bihar streams. In direct contacts with migrants and also on social media, the CM, ministers, police, and governor, and industry staged a rapid and strong reaction to quash the rumours and ensure Hindi-speaking migrants of their safety in TN. In response to a tweet from the Bihar chief minister expressing worry about news coverage of the incident, TN police said unequivocally that both video messages were staged (one was an earlier grab of two locals fighting, the other, also dated, was of two migrant g...

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The Rationale Behind Naming India’s Public Parks After Its Diverse Flora And Fauna Instead Of Historical Figures

Sayani ChakrabortyMarch 3, 20230

What if, instead of naming our public areas after kings, netas, and nobles of varying types, we looked to India's incredibly rich flora and fauna, its magnificent rivers, and its majestic mountains? A public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a renaming commission focused on "ancient India" was properly dismissed by the Supreme Court. India, however, need a fresh approach to naming that is not constrained by any one particular interpretation of the country's troubled past. The urban population share is projected to rise to 50% by 2050, with an increase of 416 million people to urban areas. That calls for a massive investment in new facilities. Whenever anything new is built or a new street or plaza is created, it naturally requires a new name. Without a new approach to names, this pr...

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J&K’s Elections On Hold: Politics Is An Integral Component Of The Solution To Targeted Killings

Sayani ChakrabortyMarch 3, 20230

Assaults on civilians have begun in Jammu and Kashmir, and another Kashmiri Pandit has been murdered. Those seen as government allies, including Kashmiri Pandits, non-Kashmiri migrant workers, and locals, were killed in a terrorist rampage last year. Targeted assassinations are a disturbing reminder of what still haunts Kashmir, even if the J&K police had termed 2022 a successful year of anti-terror operations (172 terrorists were neutralized). Tragically, due to the frustration of terrorists and their Pakistani sponsors with the success of the combined security system and the government of India's (GoI) focus on the relocation and jobs project for the community, Kashmiri Pandits are once again prominent terror targets. After Article 370's repeal in 2019, it helped maintain a re...

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Recent Online Ruckus Between IAS And IPS Officers Reveals A Bigger, Alarming Trend; Read Here

Sayani ChakrabortyFebruary 27, 20230

Since hostile online interactions are the norm these days, it takes something extraordinary to catch our attention—and what IPS officer D Roopa and IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri have served up is something truly shocking. The conflict between the two senior women bureaucrats in Karnataka has been so public, ugly, and embarrassing that it has even affected the state administration. Opponents have sought to portray this disorderly brawl as evidence of a weak government in the midst of an intense election season. Both cops were swapped out yesterday in a move that appears to be a counter. What this shocking conflict has shown, however, is a bigger, troubling shift in the culture of civil service brought about by engagement in social media. There are 22% less IAS officers in the countr...

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Congress’ 2024 Alliance-Building Will Be Shaped By Nine Assembly Elections This Year

Sayani ChakrabortyFebruary 27, 20230

The Congress party's likely strategy for the Lok Sabha election of 2024 was made clearer at the party's plenary session held in Raipur. For the year 2024 in particular, its strategy for establishing partnerships has become crystal clear. By stating that a third front would help the NDA, Congress effectively conceded the lead to the BJP. Concern about a third front can be understood as a metaphor for the current state of politics. South and east Indian regional parties are extremely powerful in state politics. As an example, all of Andhra Pradesh's 25 seats in the 2019 LS election were won by regional parties. Most importantly, no political faction will give up ground voluntarily. On a national scale, alliances may also be forged after the election. Because defending their state's...

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In India, Anarchy Is Inevitable When Armed Civilians Are Given Police Powers

Sayani ChakrabortyFebruary 24, 20230

After the bodies of two Muslim men were found inside an SUV that had been set on fire in Bhiwani, Haryana, the previous week, their families have made serious allegations against the local police force. The two men were beaten up by members of the Bajrang Dal because they were suspected of smuggling cows, but it is alleged that police in Haryana witnessed the incident and assisted the men in getting across the border from Bharatpur, which is located in the state of Rajasthan. It is not the question of whether or whether the law was breached that is at issue in this instance; rather, it is about how much latitude police allowed non-state actors to engage in cruel vigilante action in the name of the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, which was passed in 2015. Mohit ...

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As Financial Market Panic Grows, Sebi And RBI Must Move Quickly To Help Adani Group

Sayani ChakrabortyFebruary 11, 20230

After Adani Enterprises cancelled its fully subscribed follow-on public offering (FPO), the price of its stock dropped by 27% to Rs 1,565.30 the next day. Currently, it's at a price that's around 50% lower than the FPO floor. Since January 24th, the market value of the seven Adani listed firms has dropped by more over $100 billion. As a result of these changes, authorities and politicians in India took swift action. The problem was sufficiently pressing that Parliament had to adjourn. Banks have been questioned about their exposure to Adani companies by the Reserve Bank of India, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), and the National Stock Exchange (NSE). There are now commercial and financial ties between international markets and Indian businesses. The global finan...

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Bharat Jodo Yatra Rebrands Rahul Gandhi, But Congress Still Needs An Electorally Viable Face

Sayani ChakrabortyJanuary 31, 20230

Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra came to an end with the raising of the Tricolor at Srinagar's Lal Chowk, but it is difficult to determine how much political traction he earned by visiting 14 states over the course of five months. Along the way, he gained a lot of attention, whether it was because of his white T-shirt and new beard, the fact that he walked more than 20 kilometres per day, the fact that he spoke with thousands of men, women, and children, the fact that he hugged and kissed many of them, the fact that he gave numerous interviews to the media, or the fact that he delivered his trademark fiery anti-BJP and "mohabbat ki dukan" speeches But at this time, the Congress party shrank shamefully in Gujarat, and its 18-vote victory margin in Himachal was too tight for comfort. ...