In light of the ongoing skirmishes in Ladakh region the Indian subcontinent, I came across an interesting essay by Peter Worthington, who co-founded Toronto Sun (and who was its editor-in-chief for 12 years), on his first-hand observations in India-China conflict of 1962.
It is an informative essay despite its brevity, with many highlights including a searing description of the valor of Sikh units despite the loss, an interview with sorrowful Nehru is visited by a large rat running across the carpet (Worthington feels sorry for him), and an interlude with Dalai Lama where he reminisces about Heinrich Harrer (played by Brad Pitt in Seven Years in Tibet).
Both India and China seemed embarrassed – one because was defeated so easily, the other because it had won so decisively.
It is fair to say that the conflict still remains an episode that casts a long shadow on the modern Indian political psyche and is often held up as an instance of Nehru’s naïveté. I still remember neighbors in Madras in the eighties talking about how Nehru “lost” the war with China. Many politicians still speculate that Nehru died disheartened in the aftermath, 18 months after the war.
Curiously enough, the event delves in Indian memories, but so tumultuous is the history of Modern China, that it barely merits a line in Spence’s Search for Modern China. Recall the war coincided with the Great Leap Forward, which saw millions of Chinese citizens perish from famine, estimates ranging from 30-40 million people.
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The Gospel According to Peter Thiel by Tara Isabella Burton explores the Girardian themes in Peter Thiel’s religious views, his utopian-libertarian ideas, and his railing about the educational system in the United States. Peter Thiel is by no means the richest person in Silicon Valley, but his views are definitely influential, and he is almost “gleefully contrarian”. From Thiel Fellowship to the 2016 elections, his influence is everywhere.
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The essay by Paul Elie in New Yorker tackles a difficult and often neglected issue about Flannery O’Connor: How Racist was Flannery O’Connor? I have always enjoyed Flannery O’Connor’s short stories and consider her an icon of American Writing, so reading this essay was difficult. But, as O’Connor herself wrote, “The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” A great essay should question our most fervent beliefs. This is definitely one such essay.
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Every Place is the same now writes Ian Bogost. The offline-online interaction of our world is something we are figuring out. I don’t know if there are saddle points wherein we will eventually settle, but it is an interesting conversation to have.