Indian Mandala

The University of Oxford has approved the repatriation to Nagaland of ancestral remains held at the Pitt Rivers Museum, which were brought to England between 1910 and 1940. The repatriation follows six years of dialogue with representatives of the Naga communities, who plan to mark the return with traditional rituals and a burial in Kohima.

"4 Rivers 6 Ranges" hits theatres today. The work of a director born to Tibetan exiles in Darjeeling, the film relates the story of the Dalai Lama’s flight to India in the 1950s, seeking to link the theme of the diaspora to the evolution of India's policies. Chinese state television has accused the film of being separatist propaganda.

Just four months after taking office, the BJP-run state government announced a plan for a massive expansion of educational facilities linked to the Hindutva movement, in open competition with Christian and Islamic schools. Even the patriotic song "Vande Mataram" is becoming a source of controversy.

The report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) highlights the critical issues surrounding the initiative launched in 2014 by the Modi government. Poor planning, shortcomings in implementation and a lack of monitoring are among the main causes of the failure. The strategy centred on ‘green cover’ appears to be insufficient.

Mohan Bhagwat – the head of the RSS, which has been accused of violence against Christians in India – is due to appear at Madison Square Garden on 29 August for an event on ‘universal unity’. The Congressional Commission on Religious Freedom is calling for his visa to be refused. Indo-American NGOs denounce the infiltration of radicalism even within the diaspora.

The violence that broke out in late July has spread to Madhesh. In the lowland bordering India, symbols and the language of Indian nationalism are increasingly visible, while the secularism enshrined in the 2015 Constitution is being challenged by movements calling for the return to a Hindu state.

For the first time, a Dalit candidate wins top place in entrance examination to the country's most prestigious medical schools. Meanwhile, the government promises to reform the controversial admissions system following student protests. In the background, the debate rages on over reserved quotas and meritocracy in India.

The government reports that the number of taxpayers with incomes above Rs 100 crore has jumped from 142 to 576. Independent studies show that the richest 1 per cent hold approximately 40 per cent of the nation’s wealth, favoured, among other things, by the abolition of the wealth tax in 2016.

The police have cleared the protest camp set up by tribal communities who had been protesting for weeks against India’s first major river interconnection project. Whilst the government defends the project, which is intended to provide irrigation and energy to arid areas, environmentalists and local residents are denouncing forced evictions and environmental risks.

In Kashmir and Punjab, two films bring some controversial moments in Indian history back into the spotlight. The Modi government is struggling to come to terms with the past and the still open wounds of domestic conflicts.

With the passing of the Women Farmers’ Empowerment Bill, Maharashtra has introduced legislation guaranteeing equal access to financial support and public services for millions of women workers. Until now, they had been excluded because they did not own the land and were considered labourers.

The Indian government has ordered the removal of three apps that can be used with smartphones to shut down moving vehicles. Now more than 60 per cent of new three-wheelers registered in the country are electric, while the battery-powered car market continues to register record sales.