India is renowned as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and is even considered to be at the forefront of development. But what we see when we walk through the streets between the tall shiny buildings, or even when we are waiting for the traffic light to change to green in our cars, seems to contradict this statement in many ways. Our country is moving one step forward but it forgets to look at what it is leaving behind. The most logical solution that has been agreed upon by a number of intellectuals is the generation of employment, which would help poverty-stricken people to earn a wage that would help accommodate their basic needs. But this method has created another pressing problem: governments wish to introduce more opportunities for employment but fall short due to lack of funds. The Indian budget has always been a victim to a considerable fiscal deficit, which often serves as an adversary to a number of realistically beneficial the government plans in order to help the public. The 2019 Union Budget announced a whooping sum of INR 11,586 crore (USD 1.6 billion) to be allocated to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Over the years, ISRO has taken Indian space exploration forward and has every Indian pride over it, but if such a significant amount of the budget was not allocated to journeying beyond the stars, there could be a further success in reducing poverty. In economics, we learn that the most inherent problem faced by an economy is the problem of choice, which arises due to the fact that resources have alternative uses; a producer needs to choose what he/she will use the present resource to produce. In this case, the producer is the government, and the government has been presented with an opportunity cost of human development when they choose to invest their funds in space exploration. The government should finish its prevalent priorities before they form new ones. This greed for development is proving very costly. These funds allocated to space research can be utilized for feeding the considerable part of the Indian population that starves for fortnights. The funds can help build homes and shelters for those who sleep under bridges and even go to the lengths of getting arrested so that they can sleep with a roof protecting their heads. We relish the wonders that lie among the twinkling stars that cover the expanse of this universe. But the suffering we witness outside the walls of a planetarium and the bubble that is space should coax us to reject space travel.. Discovering the texture of the soil on the moon will not level up to the infertility of the soil in some regions that lead the farmers of those regions to starve for fortnights. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of my nation, said, “Means are ends in the making”; the resources that are present at our disposal are limited, and the instances where we are using them, it all comes down to a matter of waste. Space travel has also failed much more than it has been successful, and these failed attempts have cost a significant amount of funds that could be spent on other efforts. We should lead expeditions to the world beyond when the world around us is prospering. Finding a way to live on Mars is a tertiary goal when people are not being able to live on Earth itself. We know that humans exist, so why are we pondering over the existence of the supposed creatures that live in space? Image Source: Getty Images

1. Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) Blue Is the Warmest Color is centered on French teenager Adele, whose life changes when she meets Emma, a young Art student with blue hair. Emma will allow a naïve Adele to discover passion and to assert herself as a woman and as an adult, and in front of many others, Adele grows, seeks herself, loses herself, and ultimately finds herself through love and loss. Through this film, director Abdellatif Kechiche brings an emotional journey which is beautiful and honest, portraying the reality that lies within every human being. It shows what happens when an identity entwines with another’s, when balance and union is built, and when one looses oneself in other, into young love and later on, deep love. Moreover, the film, like many other movies on this list, explores a crucial question which the world is not ready to answer: what does it mean to be gay without participating in gay culture? 2. Call Me By Your Name (2017) Call Me By Your Name involves Elio Perlman, a teenager, give into his yearnings and realize his sexual orientation over the course of a summer. Set in 1980s Italy, a romance blossoms between the seventeen year old and his father’s research assistant, Oliver. Adapted from the book written by Andre Aciman, this heartbreaking tale leaves you rushing to grab a tissue box to wipe away the tears of joy and the tears of sadness. Although the plot rolls in slowly, the beauty of the film comes with its simple message: we rip out so much of ourselves in order to be cured of things faster. You get absorbed into this bittersweet love that sprouts between the two main characters, stunningly played by Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer; a love filled with desire, compassion, misconceptions, and “later”. The cinematic masterpiece is not about the forbidden relationship that came to be between the two main characters, it is purely about love and all the pain it brings along with it. 3. Brokeback Mountain (2005) Brokeback Mountain is the story of Ennis and Jack, two cowboys who develop an emotional bond, which becomes complicated when they marry their respective girlfriends. It is a beautiful Western love story that is imbued with heartbreaking universality, with moving performances from the late Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. This film is painfully hopeful and has beautifully captured the essence of frustrated, compressed passion that comes with most closeted relationships. Most of its teary moments come when Ennis and John make their trips to Brokeback Mountain, when they are caught in a passionate embrace by Ennis’ wife, and when Jack requests for his ashes to be spread across the mountain. The film’s remarkable cinematography adds to the aesthetic emotion it brings about, and it won many accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Director for Ang Lee. Ennis and Jack’s relationship may not end in a happily ever after, but they would always have Brokeback Mountain. 4. Aligarh (2015) Aligarh tells the true story of Dr Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, a professor on whom a sting operation was carried out to determine his sexual orientation. He forms a special bond with Deepu Sebastian, the journalist who covers his story. The film is directed by Hansal Mehta, with stellar lead performances from Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkumar Rao. Aligarh is a film sparked with controversy, with its trailer and its release receiving an "A" certificate from the censor board, as then censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani reasoning that homosexuality was a subject unfit to be shown to children. There are no moving dialogues in the film, just moments of silence that speak volumes more than words. The film stresses incredibly on the message that everyone is entitled their own sexual preference and should have the freedom to love whoever they wish. Aligarh deals with the violation of the right to privacy of the quiet professor by members of the press, a crime that is forgotten by the public because the press catches Siras engaging in homosexual acts. You might find the film to be paced slowly, but Aligarh is a film that is necessary for every Indian to watch. 5. Boys Don’t Cry (1999) Boys Don’t Cry focuses on Brandon Teena a young transgender person, who becomes romantically involved with Lana, a single mother. However, he lies to her about his troubled past and gender identity. Sadly, he falls victim to a brutal hate crime perpetrated by two male acquaintances. The executive producer of the film, Christine Vachon, said, “It’s not just about two stupid thugs who killed somebody. It’s about these guys whose world is so tenuous and so fragile that they can’t stand to have their beliefs shattered”. Hillary Swank’s award-winning performance in the lead role pays a fitting tribute to the heroic Brandon Teena. Despite the tragic biographical story the film tells, the most touching element it contains is the fact that it sheds light on the possibility of there being hope. The tear jerker is seeing Chloe Sevigny’s Lana crumple down on Brandon’s corpse, which is when you know that when Brandon died, a part of Lana dies too. Boys Don’t Cry is meant to chill your bones, and it does exactly that. --- Bibliography 1. IMDb 2. Rotten Tomatoes

Are we ready? Are we ready to see the drums beat and the trumpets blow? Are we ready to watch more Saffron posters unveil? Are we ready to learn about yet another corruption scandal? Are we ready to be victimized by sob stories? Perhaps we are, perhaps we are not. But we are ready to whisper about unthoughtful speeches. We are ready to witness more allegations against our “beloved” leaders. We are ready to enjoy rivals battle each other on a telly screen. We are ready to accept SoP stories. After all, this is our time; We relish the controversies that sprawl across the news. Our merciless hearts do not forgive any mistake. We are the largest democracy; A democracy that is off the people, buys the people, And is moving far from the people. We belong to that place which is “saare jahan se accha”; We are Hindustan.

My dearest Jawaan, You never asked for this; You never asked to be the pawn in the hands of a political war; You never questioned why you had to fight a person who looked just like you. You were only guilty of loving your country too passionately. But who will account for your supreme sacrifice? Is it the cowards who hide away in camps, waiting for the right time to strike? Is it the minister who was too shocked to react to your descent? Or is it “we the people” who watch your face flash on a screen, from the comforts of our heated homes? But fear not, my dear jawaan, We see you and we realise; We realise and we empathise. We swear that we won’t shed tears, but we cannot control the blood that boils within us. and yet, amongst all this, we promise; We will not forgive, much less forget, This attack on the soul of our motherland; We will never let go of this assault on our fathers, brothers, sons – you; And we sincerely promise that we will not let this pass, for we will avenge you and make you proud. --- For the Indians who make us proud every day.

“Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They are people who say: This is my community, and it’s my responsibility to make it better.” –Tom McCall Located on the islet Sandhu Bet, on the bed of the river Narmada, the Statue of Unity which commemorates the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel is primarily a Statue of Controversy. Sardar Patel is often seen as the ‘unsung hero’ who consolidated India in its period of turmoil during his term as India’s first Minister of Home Affairs. While the idea of celebrating Sardar Patel’s efforts is commendable, the execution of the whole project is entirely against the values and principles Sardar Patel stood for. The Modi government advocated for the construction of this approximately Rs. 2989 Crore statue with the promise of employment for the locals and generation of mass revenue for the tourism industry to push forth “sustainable development”. Yet when the figures are actually estimated, the return of this massive investment through tourism can only happen over the gestation period of 3 centuries. Furthermore, the United Nations says that “sustainable tourism increases environmental outcomes and promotes local cultures”. But given the statue’s lack of environmental checks and its displacement of local populations, it is hard to see how this project fulfils these goals. Evidently the purpose of constructing this statue is to make a statement to the Opposition parties, particularly the Nehru-Gandhi led Congress, and the International Community. The statue of the Iron Man of India is actually made of bronze imported from China, providing employment to 1500 Chinese workers leading to loss of job opportunities for some locals. The bronze cladding work was contracted out by Larsen & Toubro, the engineering firm that has built the statue and surrounding complex, to Chinese foundry Jiangxi Tongqing Metal Handicrafts. Besides this, United States based Turner Construction Company, which previously built the Burj Khalifa, was hired to work on the project. Evidently, the government does not wholly cater to its “Make in India” policy. Another major impact the tallest statue in the world has is on its surrounding environment, particularly the Narmada River and its inhabitants. The government has proposed to convert a pond surrounding the statue into a seaplane, endangering the pond’s many crocodiles. In fact, efforts have already been made by the forest department to remove these crocodiles, which is in violation of the principles enlisted in the Wildlife Protection Act. This huge project which is situated at the center of the river would require certain environmental clearances due to the obvious impact on the course of the river. No such clearance was sought or given, clearly showing that the government will go to any lengths in order to be mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records. Sardar Patel stood for good governance but the Statue is displacing thousands of people. Sardar Patel pushed for the development of the Agricultural sector, yet the main source of irrigation for many farmers has been taken away. The Statue of Unity is another attempt of the Modi government at repackaging the designated brand ambassador of Indian Nationalism. Bibliography The Wire, "Reconfiguring India's Nationalism, One Grand Statue at a Time." Quartz, "India now has the world's tallest statue, burnished by China." This article has been coedited by Nandika Jhunjhunwala.