Neither side gave details of the meeting between India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and China’s General Wei Fenghe – the first high-level contact between the two sides since the standoff erupted months ago in the Himalayan region, where a clash in June killed 20 Indian soldiers.

The ministers met on the sidelines of a gathering of the defence chiefs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which comprises China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

“Peace and security in the region demands a climate of trust, non-aggression, peaceful resolution of differences and respect for international rules,” Singh said at the meeting.

Wei told Singh the two nations should “cool down” the situation and “maintain peace and tranquility,” the Chinese defence ministry said on its website.

However, it said responsibility for the tension “lies completely with India”. “Not one inch of Chinese territory can be lost,” the Chinese ministry said.

The disputed 3,500-km (2,175-mile) border between the world’s two most populous countries stretches from the Ladakh region in the north to the eastern Indian state of Sikkim.

The latest standoff is over portions of a pristine landscape that boasts the world’s highest landing strip and a glacier that feeds one of the largest irrigation systems in the world.

Tens of thousands of troops from the two nations have been squaring off in difficult terrain above 4,300 meters (14,000 feet) since border skirmishes erupted in April.

However, the Chinese government claimed on September 5 that India was “entirely” responsible for the border stand-off in Ladakh and China will not lose “an inch of its territory”, blaming India for escalating tension along the LAC (Line of Actual Control), which serves as the de factor border between the two countries.

India responded shortly after, with the Defence Ministry noting that China’s actions, including the “amassing of large number of troops… aggressive behaviour and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo”, were in violation of bilateral agreements.

“Causes and truth of the current tension on the China-India border are clear, and the responsibility entirely lies with India. China cannot lose an inch of its territory, and its armed forces are fully determined, capable and confident in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Chinese said in their statement.

China also called on India to “earnestly implement important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and insist on resolving the issue through dialogue and consultation”

The Defence Ministry responded saying that India too was “determined to protect (its) sovereignty and territorial integrity”, but urged China against further escalation and said it was keen for China to “work with the Indian side for complete disengagement at the earliest…”

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India has tightened visa rules to keep a check on the entry of people associated with China’s “growing outreach network” comprising think-tanks, cultural and trade organisations, public policy groups and academics. A list of such organisations has been drafted on the basis of reports by intelligence agencies.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been asked to inform missions abroad that visas sponsored by some of the organisations under the intelligence radar will only be issued after security clearance.

“In order to closely monitor activities in India, visas sponsored by entities of concern shall require a prior security clearance. MEA may therefore appropriately sensitise mission abroad regarding requirements of prior security clearance granting a visa,” communication in this regard says. The note goes on to add that the Chinese government has developed an outreach system comprising think tanks all over the world with an objective to influence sections in countries on strategic interest.

Many of these organisations are based in India but backed by China and regularly sponsor visas for policymakers, think tanks, political parties, upcoming leaders, corporate firms, academics and research entities, etc. Sources say it that some of these individuals have been suspected of indulging in espionage.

The communication was circulated in July amid the India-China border tussle in eastern Ladakh. This move concerning visas comes in the wake of the Government of India banning Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok.
Some of these think tanks are an important component of China’s soft power and claim to have activists, scholars and representatives from all walks of life as members. Their goal is to influence policy decisions in targeted countries.

Meanwhile, India and China continue to remain in a military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh where the status quo was changed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in May of this year. While tensions have de-escalated at friction points, complete disengagement is yet to be achieved despite continuous military and diplomatic dialogue.

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India’s 74th Independence Day celebrations were carried out with adherence to COVID-19 protocol.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurled the national flag and delivered his seventh consecutive Independence Day speech from the iconic Red Fort.
The Prime Minister also received the Guard of Honour contingent, consisting of one officer and 24 men each from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Delhi Police. Major Shweta Pandey assisted the Prime Minister in unfurling the National Flag, following which Modi addressed the nation.

Dressed in his customary ‘kurta pyjama’ and safa, the Prime Minister in his nearly 90-minute address, dwelt at length on his Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign and gave a call for reducing imports and pushing exports of finished products in place in place raw material, saying the country will have to move forward with the mantra of ‘Make in India’ as well as ‘Make for World’.

“Recently, we have seen an 18% increase in FDI, a record. This confidence wasn’t born all of a sudden. For this, India has initiated reforms and made policy changes.
Today, along with ‘Make in India’, we must talk of Make For World’.

“The first condition for aatmanirbhar Bharat is aatmavishwas — self-confident India. Economic progress must be coupled with humanity and human concerns. Today the world is interconnected and interdependent. Thus, in keeping with the demand of the times, India too must contribute its bit. For that we must be prosperous and strong. Only then can we contribute meaningfully to the world.”

“The calm displayed by our people at this time has been unprecedented. This calm and harmony is the guarantee of our development. This journey calls for sacrifice. Being ordinary will not do. We have to be the best.

Therefore we must aim at best products, in terms of both human resources and governance. Only then can we achieve our dream of “Ek Bharat Shresht Bharat”.

“We have to resolve to do this for 130 million Indians, our future generations, and for aatmanirbhar Bharat. We will try and reduce imports, go vocal for local, empower our young, women, adivasis, Dalits, and divyaang. 2022, the 75th year of our independence, is upon us. Coronavirus crisis is a big crisis, but is not big enough to stop us in building aatmanirbhar Bharat. Once again, best wishes to all of you on our Independence Day.”

“We value our security as much as harmony. We also connect it to aatmanirbhar India, and has therefore created a negative list of over 100 defence products for import. We have a long coastline and more than 1,300 islands, and we are prioritising the development of certain islands. We have launched optical fibre connectivity in Andaman & Nicobar islands. In the next 1,000 days, we have decided to connect Lakshadweep too in this manner.”

As many as 173 districts are either on the coast or share a border with another country. We will prepare nearly 1 lakh National Cadet Corp youth in these areas, half of whom will be our daughters. The Indian Army and Navy will be involved in their training.
Those who challenge India’s sovereignty, be it LOC or LAC, have been given a befitting reply in their own language: PM Modi
Referring to the Ladakh face-off, Modi said: “Attempts have been made to undermine our territorial integrity from LAC to the LoC, says PM Modi. Whenever that happened, our jawans have replied in the language of the enemy. The whole country is inspired and resolute. What the country and our jawans can do has been seen in Ladakh by the world. I bow to all those jawans from the ramparts of the Red Fort.”

“India has been resolutely dealing with terrorism. The world acknowledges that. 184 of 192 countries voted for India to be part of a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

“India values our partnership with our neighbours with whom we are connected via land and sea. We are committed to deepening our relationships. South Asia has a quarter of the world’s population, and is a repository of possibilities. I call on all intellectuals and people of South Asia to work together for the prosperity of the region.

Today, neighbours are not just those with whom our borders meet but also with those with whom we connect with our hearts. We have worked on the idea of an extended neighbourhood. With West Asia for example, we have increased cooperation especially in the field of energy security. Many of our brothers and sisters live and work in such countries, and the way these countries took care of our people during the coronavirus pandemic is deserving of thanks from us. The ASEAN countries too have much in common in terms of culture and Buddhist practices.
National Digital Health Mission

“Coronavirus has made us think about being self-reliant with regard to health as well.

“When the pandemic hit, we could only do 300 tests a day in the one lab we had. Now we can test nearly 7 lakh cases a day. We are launching a big programme on health today: National Digital Health Mission. This will revolutionise our health systems. Every Indian will be given a health ID which will contain all your information. What disease you suffer from, which doctor has been consulted, what medicines you are on will all be included in your health ID.”

“The major question on everyone’s mind these days is regarding the coronavirus vaccine, “he said.

“Our scientists are labouring in our three vaccine candidates that are at various stages of testing, he says, adding that once the vaccine is ready, they will be produced and distributed to all Indians in the shortest possible time.”

Whenever the women in the country got opportunities, they have taken forward the name of India, “From working in coal mines to flying fighter planes, our daughters are everywhere. India is one of the few countries where women are in combat roles in military. Nearly 70% of mudra loan holders are women.

We are also mindful of their health. In 6,000 Jan Aushadhi kendras, we have distributed 5 crore sanitary pads at ₹1. We will also be reconsidering the marriageable age of women soon.

After three decades, we have brought in the New Education Policy, said Modi, adding that it will connect India’s students to our roots, but will also help them be a global citizen.
“The National Research Foundation too has been set up as research is important for innovation. During coronavirus pandemic, online classes have become common and online transactions have gone up exponentially.

For integrating villages into Digital India, we have decided to accelerate our optical fibre programme, and to extend it to all 6 lakh villages in India. We have decided to do this within the next 1,000 days. In the coming days, our dependence on cyberspace is only likely to grow. There are dangers in this too, and India is mindful of these dangers. As new systems are being put in place, a draft Cyber Security Policy will be put forward.

“Whether it be agriculture, small industry or salaried class, our middle class have taken full advantage of even the smallest of opportunities. Our middle class can create miracles,” Modi said.

If there is ease of living that has to be brought in, it should benefit our middle class. Home loans have become cheaper. GoI made a corpus of ₹25,000 crore fund for completing housing projects that were stuck in a limbo.

GST has rationalised taxation, reforms in MSME sector will also benefit the middle class. Connecting cooperative banks to RBI is also a step in that direction.
The big priority of aatmanirbhar Bharat is aatmanirbhar Krishi, he said.

“We have initiated many reforms with regards to agriculture. Many of you may not know that unlike other manufacturers, the farmers were not free to sell their produce to who they wanted and on their terms. We have freed the farmer to seek his/her own markets,” he said.

“₹1 lakh crore has been allotted for agriculture infrastructure. Additionally, we will be building village-based clusters for agricultural and non-agricultural clusters.”

“Last year, I had announced the Jal Jeevan mission. I can say with pride today that every day we are adding tap-pipe connections to one lakh families. In the last year, we added 2 crore connections.”

“In the last six years, we have initiated many programmes for the welfare of those who labour,” the Prime Minister said.

““DBT, subsidised gas connections, Ayushman Bharat, aawaas Yojana — these have been initiated to help our people in a transparent manner.”

“During the coronavirus pandemic, these measures have helped distribute free rations to 80 crore Indians, and ₹90,000 crores have been transferred to bank accounts of the beneficiaries.”

“Even as we battle the coronavirus pandemic, we have had cyclones, locust attacks, earthquakes, floods etc. But despite this, India did not lose its confidence. To lift the economy from the effect of coronavirus, we have launched the national infrastructure fund and set aside more than one lakh crore to this end.”

“When Atalji [A.B, Vajpayee] was the Prime Minister, he had launched the far-sighted Golden Quadrilateral project. We have to take this forward. We can’t look at infrastructure in silos. It has to be looked at in an integrated manner. Multi-modal infrastructure is the way forward.”

“Even in the space sector, we have made changes for moving ahead. Our progress on space, health, power sector and so benefits our neighbours and the rest of the world. We have to find ways where goods made in India attract praise,” says the Prime Minister in his speech, adding that India has to leverage our human resource to achieve this.
“India’s progress is remarkable. Who thought that one day, welfare funds would be directly sent into bank accounts of the poor, space sector would be opened, Essential Services act would be amended, that there would be ‘One Nation One Tax’ or ‘One Nation, One Ration-card’.”

The Prime Minister wound up his speech with chants of Bharat Mata ki jai, Vande Mataram, Jai Hind!
Earlier, the Prime Minsiter arrived at the Lahore Gate of the Red Fort, where he was received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar.

The defence secretary introduced the General Officer Commanding (GoC), Delhi Area, Lt Gen Vijay Kumar Mishra to the Prime Minister.

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Ladakh, the glorious crown adorning the majestic form of Mother India, is very much in the news these days. It brought back vivid memories of a magical time spent in this mesmerising place where the landscape, climate and culture is markedly different from the rest of India. It was in March 2004 that my husband (an Army Officer, now retired) and I boarded the Air India flight from Delhi to Leh, the capital of Ladakh where we were to spend the next tenure. I would like to share some of the jottings from my diary of that time to bring out the flow of seasons and how the land is transformed each time, revealing a totally different face of its beauty.

Arriving in Leh

The journey itself was truly memorable. Looking out from my window seat, I could barely contain my excitement as a magnificent vista unfolded before us. Row upon row of peaks as far as one could see. The green gradually changed to chocolate brown with a sprinkling of icing sugar on top. It then gave way to egg-white peaks that seemed dusted down with cocoa powder. And then suddenly the Leh valley opened out underneath. A patchwork quilt in variegated shades of brown, with the blue sheen of the Indus at one end and a scattering of toy houses, cars and buses.
Once off the plane, the icy blast hits you in the face; but of course once inside a vehicle, it is all warm and cosy. We drove immediately to Karu, which was to be our main base for the duration of the tenure. Within a few hours I started feeling the effects of altitude and lesser oxygen. My husband seemed none the worse, though both of us were given the mandatory courses of medicines. They say it takes nearly a month or so for all systems to get to normal efficiency. In the summer, when greenery comes up, oxygen levels are higher and acclimatisation is faster.

My first glimpse of snow (Mid March 2004)

One morning, later that March, I looked out of the bedroom window into a world transformed. It had snowed during the night and now everything around was covered by a light powdering of snow. The normally clear blue sky was a mass of grey and white clouds. Beyond the glittering mountain range on the east, the sun was fighting its way out of this stifling grey and white mass. The bare brown mountain ranges, the pebbly banks of the river — everything wore a furry white cloak of snow.
The bare branches of the trees and bushes, which had been blushing a pretty pink in the unseasonal warmth of the past few days, once again presented a stark contrast to the white landscape – a tracery of harsh black lines, their bulging buds hidden in the light, powdery snow. The lawn, with its fuzz of yellow green stalks; the flower beds being readied for the spring thaw – all were blanketed in these soft white flakes. But all too soon the blazing rays of the sun melted the crystal flakes. The parched earth greedily drank up the melting snow; within an hour, all trace of the white mantle was gone except in the high reaches of the faraway mountain peaks. The land was back to its “brown study”….. quietly awaiting the greening of spring.

Spring thaw (April/May, 2004)

There is a sea change in the land with the coming of the spring thaw. This was very noticeable when we travelled right up to Zingral on a bright, sunny day. The weather has turned balmier on the whole. Many of the fields at Chemrey were actually showing a covering of green grass! And the willow trees at Chemrey and Shakti were looking colourful – yellow green till a little way beyond halfway up and then a rosy, russet red till the tip. As we climbed up above Shakti village, we saw the incongruous sight of fairly big patches of snow on the ground below poplars and willow plantations that were already showing the green and russet colours of spring. Everywhere we saw the land awakening to the spring thaw – people were working in their fields, getting them ready for the planting season. Herds of cattle could be seen, grazing on the freshly sprouting grass. There was hustle and bustle everywhere after the relative inactivity of winter.

Summer is here! (July/August, 2004)
There is a sea change in the land with the coming of Spring. Every where people are busy working in their fields. Leh town is overcrowded with tourists, both foreign and Indian. Suddenly, there is green everywhere; villages which had hitherto been unnoticed, seem to have sprung into existence overnight – the green of the trees and fields catching the eye from a distance because of the stark contrast to the barren mountain which remains unchanged. There is hectic activity everywhere as road works, building construction and maintenance are all undertaken at great speed as all these have to be completed before winter sets in.

What a joy to behold the landscape now… Wild flowers are everywhere – from the wild rose bush in full bloom all over the country side to the clumps of wild lilies growing in profusion on rocky ledges. Even the lawns in the garden appear magical – because all over the velvety green carpets are myriads of tiny flowers – yellow and purple; though actually growing on the ground, they look as if they have shaken loose from some invisible tree. (The grass tufts have originally been brought from the mountain sides, so these small wild plants which have also been mixed up with the grass roots are blooming now – thus this unexpected bonus of a “magic carpet” in the garden, worthy of the Master craftsman). Everything is in full bloom! The flowers, for that matter even the vegetables and fruits, are all a larger size than in the plains. The colours too are more intense and vivid. The scientific explanation is that the increased quantum of sunshine and direct ultraviolet radiation (there are on an average 345 sunny days in a year here!) vis-a- vis the plains results in rapid cell division. Anyhow, the end result is the astounding size of all vegetables and fruits and their more intense colours. The leafy ones in particular, like spinach or radish or coriander, are a shade of green never seen in the plains. An interesting aside here – once, we were admiring the huge size of some turnips in the vegetable market when the old lady who owned the stall apologized for the “small size” saying that the larger ones were still in the green-house at home!
When we returned to Karu in the first week of August, after three weeks holidaying in the plains, the garden was in its full glory….one had to burst into poetry.

The Garden in Spring

The garden is a riot of colour
With flowers in full bloom
The trees are cloaked in leaves
And lush green are the lawns.

The flower beds are a riot of blooms
Their colours glinting in the strong sunlight.
Flowers, flowers everywhere… swaying in the balmy breeze
Sprouting wildly, even on the velvety lawns!

The gurgling river waters below
The wheeling birds in the sky
And the butterflies flitting by
Add a breath of life to the scene

In stark contrast is the frame all around-
The barren brown peaks peering down.
Are they turning mottled green with envy
At this picture of Mother Nature’s bounty?

What bliss to stroll in the garden
Enjoying the rich tapestry of spring.
How long before the icy winds of winter
Reclaims this land for its own?

But till then – make merry while the sun shines…
Let the cheery spring colors lift up your spirit.
What though the flowers wither away tomorrow
Today they are blushing in full bloom and glory!

Autumn colours (October 2004)

The short span of summer is fast drawing to a close and Ladakh is treating us to another facet of its beauty. The country side, especially in Pratappur and Sasoma areas (which have more trees and greenery) is very colorful now in the final stages of autumn. Most of the foliage is golden yellow to russet brown. Most appealing are the apple trees, whose leaves turn a bright red. These colourful medleys are all the more eye catching since the mountains continue to be barren, many ice- capped with the weather turning cold.

At Karu, Nature seems to be fast-forwarding into winter mode – all colour is quickly draining from the scene. Sakti village is a patchwork quilt of only brown shades – quite a change from the lush green fields of the past three months.
In the end of October, we went to Thangtse and Sachikul in Eastern Ladakh. During the drive one had time to observe the scenery – and how much it had changed in the short span of less than a month. Now, almost all trees have shed their foliage and the landscape is predominantly brown. The streams are mostly frozen at the sides, with a narrow channel of running water in the middle; but the small irrigation ditches are completely frozen. One can still see the domestic animals grazing outside – and still a lot of wild birds. The migrating ones will be leaving within weeks and the yaks, cows, horses and other domestic creatures too will be moved indoors to their stables soon, I think.

The drying garden (October 2004)

The garden is a dismal picture nowadays! Gone is the multicolored glory of the spring days – when the lush green lawns provided a bright background for the brilliant hues of the flowers ….variegated gems carelessly strewn on the Great Jeweller’s green velvet table. Now the petals have all fallen off or withered; leaves have shriveled into dry black appendages. The plants themselves are drying up and dying in the fierce rays of the autumn/winter sun. But great flocks of sparrows descend on the garden to feast on the ripe seeds of all the plants.

With the harvesting done in the fields and the grain all dried and stored away for the winter, the birds are making the most of the plant seeds. One great feast to boost up their energy levels before they migrate to warmer climes for the winter. Their fluttering and chirping may be the last vestiges of liveliness the garden will see before the winter cold forces a slowdown, almost a stoppage of all activities. Already, there is frost on the ground in the morning; it is just a matter of days before the ground and water freeze solid. But I like to think that deep within the bowels of the earth, the life-force remains dormant…..asleep till kissed awake by the warm rays of the spring sunshine…..to burst forth anew in all of its colourful splendor when thawed by the balmy winds of spring….To prove once again Shelley’s famous words “when winter comes can spring be far behind?”

Snow bound in Karu (February 2005)
Winter this year was one of the most severe in over a decade. Though delayed, there was much more snowfall than the previous year. While the national media, especially television, made much of the unprecedented snowfall and resultant hardships in the Kashmir Valley, nothing much was known about the far worse condition of Ladakh, may be because of its comparative inaccessibility. From the last week of January onwards, the frequency and duration of “snowy” days increased –culminating in mid-February when we were literally cut off from the rest of India and the world for over 10 days at a stretch! No flights (neither commercial airlines nor Air Force ones) landed during this period and the Transit Camps started getting overcrowded. Returning officers and families had to “double up” at Chandigarh Transit Camp. And ladies later on narrated horrific tales of the one or two flights – packed to capacity – which came all the way to the airports at Leh and Thoise but had to return without landing because of bad weather! (Not only were the skies cloudy when not actually snowing, but the runways too were dangerous with sleet.)

We had no newspaper or magazines during this period – were it not for TV, we would have been really “cut off” from all news of the outside world. Fresh vegetables and fruits became scarce (carrots could not be had for love or money). Luckily, there was no shortage of kerosene – the lifeline here – otherwise we would all have frozen to death. The authorities, of course, were constantly under tension because conditions in the Posts were turning critical with the prolonged spell of bad weather – maintenance, casualty evacuation, everything was a problem. But if one could somehow “switch off” these practical problems, the snow was truly magical! One watched enthralled as the landscape was transformed into a symphony in white; like Charity, the snow too hid a multitude of ‘’sins”… and all eyesores in the landscape were airbrushed by the pristine whiteness of freshly fallen snow.
Every day, one would excitedly look out of the window to see how much snow had fallen in the night, whether the sun was going to make an appearance or not, and to judge how windy the day would be. Most days the sun was a dim orb weakly shining through layers of grey clouds. The surrounding mountains were cloaked in a white mantle. The Indus river froze over completely (especially beneath our house, the ice looked thick enough to walk on, though of course I didn’t actually attempt to do so) and the ground around our house had at least six to eight inches of snow. The black and white magpies alone have not left the land even in this severe winter though most of the other birds seem to have migrated.

Each morning one could see teams of men busy shoveling snow off the roads to clear it; also clambering onto the roofs to clear away the snow there, to prevent the melting snow dripping into the rooms below. It was “snow, snow” everywhere, as far as the eye could see … and then more snowflakes would come drifting down to add another layer to the fleecy blanket on the ground. Nature was indeed a fussy painter, constantly ‘touching up’ its painting! The bare black branches of the willows, poplars and apple trees rose starkly from the sea of white, like twigs randomly stuck in the snow by a playful child. One afternoon, the winds also started blowing, causing the snow to lift up and whirl around like a blizzard – depositing a fine layer on the just cleared road, which soon hardened into a very slippery sleet. Just walking on that road became an adventure sport. One risked life and limb as it was well-nigh impossible to avoid a fall!
At long last, after almost a fortnight, the sun finally reasserted its strength… and slowly, steadily, the snow melted away, until it was reduced to gleaming icecaps on the distant mountain ranges. Winter had loosened its grip … and the land lay quiescent, patient. A Sleeping Beauty awaiting the rejuvenating breath of Spring!
Nature’s kaleidoscope shifts again…. And the seasonal cycle starts anew… moving inexorably, day after day, year after year, …. each season, a benediction unique to this special land!

Radhika Rajagopal is a proud Army wife. A post graduate in English Literature, she gave up her job as a bank officer to follow her husband across the length and breadth of India.

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