Reality and movies?

There are moments when the realism on screen is so wonderfully complex yet simply presented that you laugh , cry , move and grow with the charachters. There is however an important question to ask oneself on what comprises as a story and the process of creating movies based on real life . Real life inspired movies evoke emotions and heighten human feelings but is there overcompensation for creativity by picking up anecdotes from lives , war ,and battles ? Is the idea of a biopic or a movie like Uri so appealing that there is hardly any space for other films left . The brutal way in which filmmakers today takeover someone's loss, tragedy or shock and create a business around it is heartbreaking more often than less. Yes some biopics are truly moving and a absolutely beautiful but is it truly a celebration of life or a success formula. With recent events in the lives of the army at Galwan where more than 20 soldiers were martyred in a court somewhere filmmakers were getting copyright patents finalised. Is this commodification of lives truly what viewers intend to see, most wouldn't. It doesn't mean that real life incidents shouldn't be displayed, they deserve the attention and representation but they have to remain to be art .It is extremely essential for the things around us to be portrayed, reflected and represented but it in no way means that every incidents as soon as it happens need to be processed into a film before those who have suffered have even processed that grief. It is a voluntary act to be comfortable with letting the world see you through your biopic but shouldn't creative realism transcend the over use of people's lives and move towards a more content generated wave of cinema that we see today. Today more and more filmmakers want to let content drive their films and not the larger than life fantasy. So its it's an act of introspection that a film enthusiast has to do , towards the kind of stories that they seem important and want to see while at the same time being sensitive to what those films represent .

Withdrawal of Chinese troops in Hot Springs complete

Indian and Chinese armies continued with the troop withdrawal process on Wednesday clearing patrol point-15 – another friction zone in eastern Ladakh that was on the knife-edge during the nine-week long stand-off in India’s northernmost union territory.

The disengagement has been completed at PP-15 (Gogra Post/Hot Spring areas) where the troops have moved back by nearly two km from the line of actual control, government sources said. At PP-17 and PP-17A in the same area, it would take another day or two to finish the task.

The Chinese military removed all temporary structures and completed withdrawal of its troops from the face-off site in Hot Springs in eastern Ladakh on Wednesday even as the Indian Army kept a close watch on the pull back and maintained a high-level of combat readiness in the region, PTI reported quoting sources.  The news report said the two armies are expected to carry out a joint verification in the next few days to assess the implementation of the disengagement process once the dismantling of the temporary infrastructure and withdrawal of troops by China are completed at the friction points along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. There has been thinning out of troops from Finger areas in Pangong Tso as well, they report said. Pangong Tso has been a major face-off site between the two sides. 

Amidst reports of withdrawal of Indian and Chiese soldiers from the contested Galwan Valley, a statement was issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. China has said that both countries are working to reduce border tension but did not clarify whether its army had retreated or not.
News agency Reuters asked Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian “According to Indian media reports, China has retreated with tents and equipment from the Galwan Valley, where there was a clash between the two countries.” Can you confirm it has happened?

In response, Zhao Lijian said – “there is progress made on front-line troops taking effective measures to disengage and ease the tensions.” He said the Chinese and Indian troops held commander-level talks on June 30 as the two sides continued to work to implement the consensus reached at the two previous rounds of talks.
Anti-China sentiment has been growing in India since the high-altitude clash, with the government banning Chinese mobile apps including the wildly popular TikTok.

The symbolic disengagement of Indian and Chinese armies from few areas in eastern Ladakh has shown their intent to resolve the border standoff peacefully ahead of another round of military talks on Wednesday. The gesture explains that the dialogue between the two countries was successful and China too understood that bullying tactics will not work against India.

•During the ongoing de-escalation process, a violent face-off took place between Indian and Chinese troops leading to the demise of three Army personnel, including an officer and two soldiers, in Galwan Valley, Ladakh.

•According to the Indian Army personnel, the face-off took place on Monday night, leading to “casualties on both sides.”

•First violent incident with casualties on the India-China Border, after 1975

Border- dispute between India and China has always been a hotly debated topic. Uncertainties flare on a fairly regular purpose between India and China over their 3,500-kilometre periphery and so the standoffs between the world’s most populous nations are crafting promptly. 

Indian and Chinese military commanders had been in dialogues in Galwan Valley area and Hot Springs, to work out the border-dispute but there has not been any substantial build-up activity by both sides. 

When the world is scrambling to find life-saving vaccines, there has been a loss of 3 brave beings due to violence. During the ongoing de-escalation process, a violent face-off took place last night between India and China, leading to the death of three Army personnel, including an officer and two soldiers, in Galwan Valley, Ladakh. There was no shootout or gunshot wounds but violent hand-to-hand brawls. 

Beijing, in an aggressive statement, accused India of crossing the border, “attacking Chinese personnel”, reported AFP. China’s Foreign Ministry was quoted by Reuters as saying India should not take unilateral actions or stir up trouble. 

Army sources had said there has been disengagement between Indian and Chinese battalions at more locations where they have been in standoff positions for the last many weeks now. 

Well, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, the three service chiefs and External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar over the recent developments in Eastern Ladakh on Tuesday. 

Till 2019, plopping the border dispute in a box was the great success of the Indian – Chinese relationship. But the violent face-off can deepen differences between the two Asian countries during the pandemic. Both nations need to act wisely to slim the likelihood of escalation.

•In past 24 hours, the Israeli army has shot a Palestinian with autism to death, bulldozed Palestinian homes. Jenin is on fire.

•A Tanker truck drove into protesters on Minneapolis highway.

•A driver in Denver, ran over pedestrians with his SUV during a peaceful protest for George Floyd

#blacklivesmatters 

•The Protest against police brutality reached to Amsterdam as well

•The Same Hacker Group that hacked governmental organisations threatened to expose the other crimes from the Minneapolis police.

“To me, there is only two stans – Hindustan and Foujistan.”

       -Field Marshal K.M Cariappa

Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa who was the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. KM Cariappa was born in a family of farmers, on January 28, in 1899, in Coorg. The man who made Leh part of India.  Cariapppa’s life has been a fascinating combination of character, luck, and circumstances. He had a little hand in speaking Hindi, so people often called him ‘brown Saab’.

In 1942, when he was promoted as the acting lieutenant colonel and the commanding officer of 7th Rajput Machine Gun Battalion, KM Cariappa became the first Indian to do so, in the Indian Army. KM Cariappa was the officer-in-charge of the division of Army and its assets during the time of India’s independence in 1947.

The Indian Army celebrates the formal appointment of Cariappa into their domain on the 15th of January, 1949 as Army Day which is commemorated all over India annually.

‘Jai Hind’, which was the slogan of Subash Chandra Bose-led Indian National Army (INA), was adopted by KM Cariappa, and has since then been the formal phrase to greet each other in the armed forces.

KM Cariappa was also honoured with the Legion of Merit by American President Harry S Truman – one of the rare feats. In 1986, the government conferred the rank of Field Marshal on KM Cariappa as a mark of honour and recognition of his illustrious career spanning over three decades. He, along with Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, are the only people who have been accorded this honour, till date.

There’s a story that when his son, KC Cariappa was captured as a prisoner-of-war (POW) in the Indo-Pakistani War 1965, KM Cariappa was contacted by Pakistani General Ayub Khan informing him about his son’s safety, and even offered his release. However, KM Cariappa proudly replied, “He is my son no longer. He is the child of this country, a soldier fighting for his motherland like a true patriot. My many thanks for your kind gesture, but I request you to release all or release none. Give him no special treatment.”

During the Indo Pak war, he was successful in capturing the areas of Naushera, Jhangar, Poonch, Zoji La, Dras, and Kargil. But orders from the US prohibited him from removing the Pakistani Forces out of the entire area. This led to a troublesome situation in the areas of Leh, Kargil which would subsequently put India’s security at stake. He disobeyed the Army HQ’s orders and continued with his offensive in Ladakh  and gained control to the entire region. The important thing to mention here is that any lapse in the operation would just pose a severe threat to the Indian forces and territory. For this move, he was appointed to the post of the commander in chief of the Indian Army post-independence, which was the highest post in the Armed Forces.

After the end of the India-Pakistan war, Cariappa went to the Indo-Pakistan border to boost Indian soldiers. During this time, he crossed the border and entered ‘No Man’s Land.’ Nandu Kariyappa writes in his father’s biography, ‘On seeing him, the Pakistani Commander ordered that he stays there. Otherwise, he would be shot. Someone shouted from the Indian border, saying he is General Cariappa. Pakistani soldiers lowered their arms on hearing this. His officer came and saluted General Cariappa.

Apart from his exemplary services in the Indian Army, Cariappa also had a formidable reputation as one of the boldest, revolutionary, principled and bravest officers in the Indian Army. He strongly advocated for better conditions of the Indian soldiers during the Indianisation of the British Army. He also made special provisions to ensure better living conditions for the prisoners of the Indian National Army and even spearheaded a campaign for the release of innocent prisoners who were a part of the INA.

KM Cariappa breathed his last on May 15, 1993. After suffering from arthritis and heart problems, he died in his sleep at Bangalore Command Hospital. As India observes today the 27th death anniversary of the decorated soldier of the Indian Army, lets be inspired by his patriotism and valour.

Rest in Peace, Sir! India Remembers you.