Earlier quoted context omitted.
I read the article. And, unlike the blatantly biased article, I used my brain cells too. "India has chosen to increase imports of Russian oil ten-fold,..." These numbers mean nothing if we don't know the absolute numbers. So, for example, if India was buying In any case: India has slowed down purchases from Russia now: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Why-India-Is-Suddenly-... They have always maintained that th…
India now gets about 12-18% of its oil from Russia (depends on how you count "indirect" purchases). The problem with embargoing Russian oil is that they are the no. 2 exporter (about 11% of Global exports). Basically Russia produces about 10-11 million barrels per day (mbd) but only uses about 3 mbd domestically, allowing them to export the remaining 7-8 million. The US produces more, but it consumes most of what it…
Indian Air Force inducts natively developed light combat helicopter ‘Prachanda’
161–170 of 174 posts
Re: Indian Air Force inducts natively developed light combat helicopter ‘Prachanda’
#162As a thai whose nation adopted lots of Pali/Sanskrit words, I have to look up the word origin https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/pracanda because I suddenly understand the meaning of "Prachan", in thai it means "confront". Indian naming always gives sci-fi kind of vibe.
>> Indian naming always gives sci-fi kind of vibe. In an ironic twist of linguistic history, most US combat helicopters were given American "indian" names (Apache, Comanche, Black Hawk etc). I like such conventions. I wish that more nations adopted and stuck to them when introducing new equipment.
The US Navy has some well-understood conventions, including leading-class warships (one battleships, now nuclear submarines) named after states, aircraft carriers named after earlier warships (Enterprise, Wasp) or battles (Yorktown, Saratoga).
Re: Indian Air Force inducts natively developed light combat helicopter ‘Prachanda’
#163Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is 'hostile' today also to a whole bunch of other freedoms. It isn't realistic to expect that India will automatically have the same values as the West, and while it is at that to also anticipate & go ahead of the West on that same yardstick, because only the West can define the values of the West. What India does need to do is to define its own response to the question of how society views LGBTQ. In some cases, i…
That isn't really responsive to my question? I don't care whether something is culturally "authentic" or not. I care about whether people can live the life they want to live or not.
What I'm trying to say is that there need not be just one way to deliver on this value -- there can be more than one valid approach to making LGBT folks have freedom & respect.
Re: Indian Air Force inducts natively developed light combat helicopter ‘Prachanda’
#164Big warning here: India is silently on Russia's side wrt the invasion in Ukraine, and Russia badly needs both allies and new weapons. Not sure however if India want to risk sanctions for jumping from a silent alliance to a de facto support by supplying Russia with combat helicopters and/or spare parts. They probably already received lots of calls from the Kremlin.
See the videos of Indian Minister of External Affairs, S.Jaishankar on Youtube for edification.
Re: Indian Air Force inducts natively developed light combat helicopter ‘Prachanda’
#165India could benefit greatly from restricting the emmigration of her top talented people. Right now the smartest Indians work abroad. The increasingly anti-west foreign policy might be early indications of steps towards that.
Speech by Indian External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar on this very topic : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUtbsPOE944
Re: Indian Air Force inducts natively developed light combat helicopter ‘Prachanda’
#166Earlier quoted context omitted.
India is not anti west. The west has this binary/absolute way of looking at things, "either somebody is with them or against them". India recognises the world is a much more complicated place and sees the world through its own perspective rather than whatever self serving agenda driven perspective the west deems as the only valid one. India has a long track record of being a non-aligned power. If anything india has b…
But even that perspective that you ascribe to India is reductive. It seems in your view, India are the only ones who understand complexity, the West are just arrogant morons. In reality, everyone's equally just looking out for themselves. In the West we don't care about Kashmir, in India people don't care about Ukraine. It's the same, until one day India will discover that Russia is useless against China and the US a…
In a sense, Yes; because of its unique History and Geography.
There is no other place on Earth with the same degree of diversity in various aspects like Religion, Philosophies, Social structure, Cultural diversity, Languages, Food, Ethnic groups, Economic strata, Education etc. which exists as a single Nation, thriving and moving forward.
The rest of the World and in particular; "The West" can learn a lot from India on how to live together in spite of differences.
Re: Indian Air Force inducts natively developed light combat helicopter ‘Prachanda’
#167As a thai whose nation adopted lots of Pali/Sanskrit words, I have to look up the word origin https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/pracanda because I suddenly understand the meaning of "Prachan", in thai it means "confront". Indian naming always gives sci-fi kind of vibe.
>> Indian naming always gives sci-fi kind of vibe. In an ironic twist of linguistic history, most US combat helicopters were given American "indian" names (Apache, Comanche, Black Hawk etc). I like such conventions. I wish that more nations adopted and stuck to them when introducing new equipment.
Re: Indian Air Force inducts natively developed light combat helicopter ‘Prachanda’
#168Earlier quoted context omitted.
That isn't really responsive to my question? I don't care whether something is culturally "authentic" or not. I care about whether people can live the life they want to live or not.
"whether people can live the life they want" is itself influenced by culture, i.e. it is one thing to say that LGBTQ+ should not be ostracized but another to come up with specific models of how to deliver on this value. What I'm trying to say is that there need not be just one way to deliver on this value -- there can be more than one valid approach to making LGBT folks have freedom & respect.
Re: Indian Air Force inducts natively developed light combat helicopter ‘Prachanda’
#169Tanks and aircraft have become extremely vulnerable due to smart munitions with shaped charge warheads and anti-aircraft missiles (both SAM and MANPADS). This means that breaking through enemy lines becomes all but impossible or only at enormous human cost.
It wouldn't surprise me if chemical warfare is once again used to break the stalemate. Other options are autonomous killing machines and drone swarms (which we're already seeing to some extent).
Re: Indian Air Force inducts natively developed light combat helicopter ‘Prachanda’
#170Earlier quoted context omitted.
"whether people can live the life they want" is itself influenced by culture, i.e. it is one thing to say that LGBTQ+ should not be ostracized but another to come up with specific models of how to deliver on this value. What I'm trying to say is that there need not be just one way to deliver on this value -- there can be more than one valid approach to making LGBT folks have freedom & respect.
Yes and even if it is (which it isn't today), if someone prefers one model why should they be forced to move to a country with another?
India has historically been pluralistic and a one-size-fits-all approach would actually be an unwelcome deviation. With regards to women, for example, even one of Manu's commentators (Medhatithi iirc) states that women used to follow one of two lifestyles: (1) being the traditional housewife, patriarchy & all or (2) having a career (academic) and being independent, implying that those 2 options were not available at the time the commentator lived. Indians today do have the freedom to look back at this past and rework & innovate -- rather than simply saying the West is the best.