EK DUM BASIC
5_6077685543418725654.pdf
💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 23rd MAY
Boxing days: On Nikhat Zareen
For a country that sought boxing inspiration from six-time World boxing champion M.C. Mary Kom and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain, Nikhat Zareen’s World title in the women’s 52 kg class in Istanbul is a fresh source of optimism. The Nizamabad-born Nikhat’s story of struggle is vastly different from those emerging from Haryana or the North East. The widespread celebration of her success in India should further amplify the spread of boxing within the country. As the fifth World champion Indian woman boxer, who is the only one after Mary to win a gold in the last 16 years, Nikhat has joined an exclusive club of Mary, Sarita Devi, R.L. Jenny and K.C. Lekha. Her gold was the first by an Indian woman after Mary’s sixth World title in 2018. For boxing fans, who were disheartened after India’s below-par showing in the Tokyo Olympics, where Lovlina landed a lone bronze, Nikhat has provided cheer. Nikhat’s journey was packed with challenges and she was determined to break barriers. When, as a teenager, she got to know that girls were not encouraged to take up boxing in her area as the combat sport was considered tailor-made for boys, Nikhat switched from sprinting to boxing to prove a point. Hailing from a Muslim family, she overcame hurdles posed by conservatives in society.
When Nikhat, a 2011 World junior champion, tried to graduate to the elite level, a career-threatening shoulder injury in 2017 stole a year away from her. Two years later, she was embroiled in a controversy, when she got on to the wrong side of her idol Mary in the run-up to the trials for the Olympics qualifier. She lost the trials and it stirred a debate and left a trail of bad blood. But nothing could dent Nikhat’s steely resolve. Her parents remained her pillars of strength through thick and thin. The 25-year-old, who personifies the rise of women’s power in sport, worked hard with different coaches and imbibed the best lessons from them to emerge as a polished boxer. Nikhat’s new status will boost her confidence and make her a force to reckon with in events such as the upcoming Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics. An ample supply of talented boxers will only benefit the country in its quest for a better performance in Paris. As a World champion, Nikhat could inspire many Indian girls who suppress their desire to take up boxing, wary as they are about an orthodox society. Nikhat’s tale may strike a chord with talented boxers and motivate them to follow in the footsteps of the new poster girl of Indian sport.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Amplify (V)- increase in size, volume or significance.
2. Embroil (V)- involve (someone) deeply in an argument, conflict, or difficult situation.
3. Run-Up To (Phrase)- the period of time just before an important event.
4. Steely (Adj)- coldly determined; hard.
5. Ample (Adj)- enough or more than enough; plentiful. पर्याप्त
6. Quest (N)- a long or arduous search for something. खोज
7. Orthodox (Adj)- (of beliefs, ideas, or activities) considered traditional, normal, and acceptable by most people. रूढ़िवादी
8. Strike A Chord (Phrase)- cause someone to feel sympathy, emotion, or enthusiasm.
Boxing days: On Nikhat Zareen
For a country that sought boxing inspiration from six-time World boxing champion M.C. Mary Kom and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain, Nikhat Zareen’s World title in the women’s 52 kg class in Istanbul is a fresh source of optimism. The Nizamabad-born Nikhat’s story of struggle is vastly different from those emerging from Haryana or the North East. The widespread celebration of her success in India should further amplify the spread of boxing within the country. As the fifth World champion Indian woman boxer, who is the only one after Mary to win a gold in the last 16 years, Nikhat has joined an exclusive club of Mary, Sarita Devi, R.L. Jenny and K.C. Lekha. Her gold was the first by an Indian woman after Mary’s sixth World title in 2018. For boxing fans, who were disheartened after India’s below-par showing in the Tokyo Olympics, where Lovlina landed a lone bronze, Nikhat has provided cheer. Nikhat’s journey was packed with challenges and she was determined to break barriers. When, as a teenager, she got to know that girls were not encouraged to take up boxing in her area as the combat sport was considered tailor-made for boys, Nikhat switched from sprinting to boxing to prove a point. Hailing from a Muslim family, she overcame hurdles posed by conservatives in society.
When Nikhat, a 2011 World junior champion, tried to graduate to the elite level, a career-threatening shoulder injury in 2017 stole a year away from her. Two years later, she was embroiled in a controversy, when she got on to the wrong side of her idol Mary in the run-up to the trials for the Olympics qualifier. She lost the trials and it stirred a debate and left a trail of bad blood. But nothing could dent Nikhat’s steely resolve. Her parents remained her pillars of strength through thick and thin. The 25-year-old, who personifies the rise of women’s power in sport, worked hard with different coaches and imbibed the best lessons from them to emerge as a polished boxer. Nikhat’s new status will boost her confidence and make her a force to reckon with in events such as the upcoming Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics. An ample supply of talented boxers will only benefit the country in its quest for a better performance in Paris. As a World champion, Nikhat could inspire many Indian girls who suppress their desire to take up boxing, wary as they are about an orthodox society. Nikhat’s tale may strike a chord with talented boxers and motivate them to follow in the footsteps of the new poster girl of Indian sport.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Amplify (V)- increase in size, volume or significance.
2. Embroil (V)- involve (someone) deeply in an argument, conflict, or difficult situation.
3. Run-Up To (Phrase)- the period of time just before an important event.
4. Steely (Adj)- coldly determined; hard.
5. Ample (Adj)- enough or more than enough; plentiful. पर्याप्त
6. Quest (N)- a long or arduous search for something. खोज
7. Orthodox (Adj)- (of beliefs, ideas, or activities) considered traditional, normal, and acceptable by most people. रूढ़िवादी
8. Strike A Chord (Phrase)- cause someone to feel sympathy, emotion, or enthusiasm.
🤔1
EK DUM BASIC
5_6082139415914743577.pdf
💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 25th MAY
Serving those who serve: On WHO honour for ASHA workers
Recognition very often goes to those at the top of the pecking order, and stays there. Credit seldom trickles down to the worker at the bottom. The World Health Organization’s act of recognising India’s ASHA (accredited social health activists) and the polio workers of Afghanistan is an attempt to right that wrong. It is a rare, and commendable doffing of the hat for workers at the very bottom of the rung, and gives credit where it is due. When WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the names of six Global Health Leader awardees at the opening session of the World Health Assembly, over one million ASHAs and eight volunteer polio workers found themselves being counted amidst people leading from the front. The other awardees are Paul Farmer, co-founder of the NGO Partners in Health, Ahmed Hankir, a British-Lebanese psychiatrist, Ludmila Sofia Oliveira Varela, a youth sports advocate, and Yōhei Sasakawa, WHO’s Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination. Dr. Tedros who picks the awardees himself, said that the award recognises those who have made an outstanding contribution to protecting and promoting health around the world, at a time when the world is facing an unprecedented convergence of inequity, conflict, food insecurity, climate crisis and a pandemic.
The ASHAs were honoured for their “crucial role in linking the community with the health system, to ensure those living in rural poverty can access primary health care services....” These workers, all women, faced harassment and violence for their work during the pandemic, well documented in the media. While the pandemic rewrote the rules, creating danger where mere routine existed, it must be stressed that in general, their job, which takes them into difficult-to-reach places and hostile communities, confers a measure of privations. Even as they contribute to better health outcomes, this workforce continues to protest across the country, for better remuneration, health benefits and permanent posts. The eight volunteer polio workers of Afghanistan (four of them women) were shot and killed by gunmen in Takhar and Kunduz provinces in February 2022. Their work was crucial in a country where wild polio virus type 1 is still circulating, WHO recorded. Clearly, certain kinds of basic public health work are fraught with perils in several continents across the world. It is the duty of the governmental agencies that employ them to ensure their welfare, safety and security. While cheerleading about the award is rightfully reaching a crescendo, what matters is how the Indian government serves its last mile health workers who are its feet on the ground, once the dust raised by their unexpected recognition has settled down.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Trickle Down (Phrasal Verb)- to have an effect gradually or after a long time.
2. Doff Of The Hat (Phrase)- to show respect to someone or something.
3. Unprecedented (Adj)- never having happened or existed before. अभूतपूर्व
4. Hostile (Adj)- showing or feeling opposition or dislike; unfriendly. विरोधी
5. Remuneration (N)- money paid for work or a service. पारिश्रमिक
6. Peril (N)- serious and immediate danger. खतरों
7. Crescendo (N)- a gradual increase in something.
Serving those who serve: On WHO honour for ASHA workers
Recognition very often goes to those at the top of the pecking order, and stays there. Credit seldom trickles down to the worker at the bottom. The World Health Organization’s act of recognising India’s ASHA (accredited social health activists) and the polio workers of Afghanistan is an attempt to right that wrong. It is a rare, and commendable doffing of the hat for workers at the very bottom of the rung, and gives credit where it is due. When WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the names of six Global Health Leader awardees at the opening session of the World Health Assembly, over one million ASHAs and eight volunteer polio workers found themselves being counted amidst people leading from the front. The other awardees are Paul Farmer, co-founder of the NGO Partners in Health, Ahmed Hankir, a British-Lebanese psychiatrist, Ludmila Sofia Oliveira Varela, a youth sports advocate, and Yōhei Sasakawa, WHO’s Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination. Dr. Tedros who picks the awardees himself, said that the award recognises those who have made an outstanding contribution to protecting and promoting health around the world, at a time when the world is facing an unprecedented convergence of inequity, conflict, food insecurity, climate crisis and a pandemic.
The ASHAs were honoured for their “crucial role in linking the community with the health system, to ensure those living in rural poverty can access primary health care services....” These workers, all women, faced harassment and violence for their work during the pandemic, well documented in the media. While the pandemic rewrote the rules, creating danger where mere routine existed, it must be stressed that in general, their job, which takes them into difficult-to-reach places and hostile communities, confers a measure of privations. Even as they contribute to better health outcomes, this workforce continues to protest across the country, for better remuneration, health benefits and permanent posts. The eight volunteer polio workers of Afghanistan (four of them women) were shot and killed by gunmen in Takhar and Kunduz provinces in February 2022. Their work was crucial in a country where wild polio virus type 1 is still circulating, WHO recorded. Clearly, certain kinds of basic public health work are fraught with perils in several continents across the world. It is the duty of the governmental agencies that employ them to ensure their welfare, safety and security. While cheerleading about the award is rightfully reaching a crescendo, what matters is how the Indian government serves its last mile health workers who are its feet on the ground, once the dust raised by their unexpected recognition has settled down.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Trickle Down (Phrasal Verb)- to have an effect gradually or after a long time.
2. Doff Of The Hat (Phrase)- to show respect to someone or something.
3. Unprecedented (Adj)- never having happened or existed before. अभूतपूर्व
4. Hostile (Adj)- showing or feeling opposition or dislike; unfriendly. विरोधी
5. Remuneration (N)- money paid for work or a service. पारिश्रमिक
6. Peril (N)- serious and immediate danger. खतरों
7. Crescendo (N)- a gradual increase in something.
👍1
EK DUM BASIC
5_6086643015542113572.pdf
💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 26th MAY
Communal clouds in Kerala: The Hindu Editorial on hate slogans in SDPI rally
The slogans raised by a child at a rally in Kerala’s Alappuzha on May 21 were chilling not merely for the death threats that they make. The fact that an innocent child could be indoctrinated and tutored such that he could call for violence portends a communal storm that is making landfall in the State. Organisers of the rally, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), disowned the slogans, but not in any reassuring manner. The Islamist group’s claim that its rally was to save the Republic does not cut ice, considering its track record and the threatening posturing that it has engaged in, in recent years. It is merely using the democratic space and the prevailing environment of Hindutva upsurge to advance its dangerous, nihilistic communal agenda. At least five people have been killed in Kerala in SDPI-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) rivalry in the State in recent months. In April, in Palakkad, an SDPI worker and an RSS worker were killed within a span of one day; in December 2021, a State Secretary of the SDPI and a Bharatiya Janata Party OBC Morcha State Secretary were killed in Alappuzha in a similar pattern. This was preceded by the murder of an RSS worked in Palakkad, in November. All these killings were brutal in nature, and added an unmistakable communal hue to violence in Kerala unlike the occasional clashes between the RSS and the CPI(M).
The latest incident is not an isolated one. Muslim angst is being harnessed by extremist organisations that dismiss the Indian Union Muslim League, a constituent of the Congress-led United Democratic Front, as a futile political platform for the community. The BJP and the RSS are pushing hard to expand their presence in the State. A toxic cloud of communalism is enveloping the State, as Hindu, Christian, and Islamic groups, and devious politicians are trying to profit from disharmony. The Opposition Congress and the BJP have condemned the Alappuzha incident and criticised the ruling CPI(M) for its disturbing ambiguity on the issue. The Kerala police have filed an FIR in connection with the provocative slogans, but what is missing is a political message. Both in words and action, the Kerala government and the ruling Left Democratic Front led by the CPI(M) must make it clear that any call or mobilisation for violence is unacceptable in the State. Political expediency must not be a determinant in responses to communalism. Along with strong administrative measures, Kerala must shore up all its inherent strengths through popular mobilisation against communalism of all hues — Hindu, Christian or Muslim. The government must take the lead.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Nihilistic (Adj)- rejecting all religious and moral principles in the belief that life is meaningless. नाशवाद संबंधी
2. Hue (N)- a different type or group.
3. Angst (N)- a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity.
4.Futile (Adj)- incapable of producing any useful result; pointless. निरर्थक
5. Devious (Adj)- showing a skilful use of underhand tactics to achieve goals.
6. Disharmony (N)- lack of harmony or agreement. असामंजस्य
7. Ambiguity (N)- the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness. अस्पष्टता
8. Provocative (Adj)- causing anger or another strong reaction, especially deliberately. उत्तेजक
Communal clouds in Kerala: The Hindu Editorial on hate slogans in SDPI rally
The slogans raised by a child at a rally in Kerala’s Alappuzha on May 21 were chilling not merely for the death threats that they make. The fact that an innocent child could be indoctrinated and tutored such that he could call for violence portends a communal storm that is making landfall in the State. Organisers of the rally, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), disowned the slogans, but not in any reassuring manner. The Islamist group’s claim that its rally was to save the Republic does not cut ice, considering its track record and the threatening posturing that it has engaged in, in recent years. It is merely using the democratic space and the prevailing environment of Hindutva upsurge to advance its dangerous, nihilistic communal agenda. At least five people have been killed in Kerala in SDPI-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) rivalry in the State in recent months. In April, in Palakkad, an SDPI worker and an RSS worker were killed within a span of one day; in December 2021, a State Secretary of the SDPI and a Bharatiya Janata Party OBC Morcha State Secretary were killed in Alappuzha in a similar pattern. This was preceded by the murder of an RSS worked in Palakkad, in November. All these killings were brutal in nature, and added an unmistakable communal hue to violence in Kerala unlike the occasional clashes between the RSS and the CPI(M).
The latest incident is not an isolated one. Muslim angst is being harnessed by extremist organisations that dismiss the Indian Union Muslim League, a constituent of the Congress-led United Democratic Front, as a futile political platform for the community. The BJP and the RSS are pushing hard to expand their presence in the State. A toxic cloud of communalism is enveloping the State, as Hindu, Christian, and Islamic groups, and devious politicians are trying to profit from disharmony. The Opposition Congress and the BJP have condemned the Alappuzha incident and criticised the ruling CPI(M) for its disturbing ambiguity on the issue. The Kerala police have filed an FIR in connection with the provocative slogans, but what is missing is a political message. Both in words and action, the Kerala government and the ruling Left Democratic Front led by the CPI(M) must make it clear that any call or mobilisation for violence is unacceptable in the State. Political expediency must not be a determinant in responses to communalism. Along with strong administrative measures, Kerala must shore up all its inherent strengths through popular mobilisation against communalism of all hues — Hindu, Christian or Muslim. The government must take the lead.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Nihilistic (Adj)- rejecting all religious and moral principles in the belief that life is meaningless. नाशवाद संबंधी
2. Hue (N)- a different type or group.
3. Angst (N)- a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity.
4.Futile (Adj)- incapable of producing any useful result; pointless. निरर्थक
5. Devious (Adj)- showing a skilful use of underhand tactics to achieve goals.
6. Disharmony (N)- lack of harmony or agreement. असामंजस्य
7. Ambiguity (N)- the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness. अस्पष्टता
8. Provocative (Adj)- causing anger or another strong reaction, especially deliberately. उत्तेजक