Indraneel Majumdar

@Plebeian42 @karishmau @WestlandBooks @ContextIndia @KumarXclusive @VBierschwale I hope it arrives in time. Already bought.

It’s here, it’s here, it’s here! My dream, my obsession, my madness. My first book :) Wild Wild East, a work of narrative nonfiction, exposes how the systemic abuse of the H-1B visa programme ‘enslaves’ Indian IT workers and exiles American techies. It unfolds through the stories of two H-1B workers and an American professional, covering their lives from the late ’90s to 2025. Based on eight years of reporting and research, it unearths a story too bad to be true, where the villains are many, the heroes are few. Most corporate crimes hinge on a few perpetrators (an individual, a group, a company), but the H-1B scam makes an entire society—nay, societies—complicit. If your perceptions of high-skilled immigration are shaped by the American and Indian mainstream media, then Wild Wild East will stir you awake: about our ignorance, apathy, indoctrination. Because, besides unveiling mind-bending scams, it also spotlights how they’ve been suppressed by fabled institutions and individuals for … decades. I hope you’ll give my book—and me—a chance. Because the right time to squash this scam, which has ravaged millions of lives, was yesterday. You can pre-order it on Amazon here: amzn.in/d/08LC5HRF

@viprabuddhi @mujifren But food is a good business anywhere in the world. That the Bengali boys aren't able to do much of anything else is not due to the government. It's due to their own lack of development in science and technology. And it's their parental ideas about hard work.

> Not many people may know but Bengal govt counts telebhaja snack shops under MSMEs > This makes the state's employment stats look better > In reality, educated youth are selling pakodas for ₹30/plate to make a living

@YudhisthirYc @nikster007 He should just have dated Priya

Before breakup after breakup💀

@_amitbehere A - Aakhri Baazi M - Muqabla A - Aag A - Achanak S - Shikari His actions and thriller turns were well above average.

I am the only 90s kid I know of who fucking hated Govinda & David Dhawan movies. I never saw a single one in the theaters. David Dhawan ruined Govinda's legacy. 10 years of absolute shit movies. Successful movies, but shit movies. Raja Babu, BMCM, aak thoo ...!!! 🤮🤮🤮Only Hero Number 1 was semi tolerable. Always thought Govinda was a genius who deserved better. Far better. His best movies were non David Dhawan movies. Hatya, Dulhe Raja etc.

@Its_Nova1012 34 lakhs in Chennai. There's a thing called conservatism.

My friend got 3 offers 👇 Apple 38 LPA — Bangalore Google 42 LPA — Hyderabad Microsoft 34 LPA — Chennai Which one should he choose?

@joybhattacharj It applies to so many things in life, but yes, the teams behind the champs have lighter worlds of their own. And I believe RR and PBKS are the lightest among them.

I was wondering why MI, with probably the most awesome assemblage of talent is playing tentative cricket compared to teams like RR and Punjab. And I feel some part of it is definitely because they are carrying the weight of 5 titles and a proud lineage, huge personal reputations and the expectations of a huge fan base. Punjab and RR are still having fun and building reputations and franchise history, their players are like Head and Abhishek were a couple of years ago, playing free and fearless cricket. One of my favourite authors, GK Chesterton, said "Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly." I think it applies to cricketers as well! Picture: Courtesy BCCI

Under this leader’s reign: 1: His close industrialist friend rose to be richest thru cronyism 2: He brought in electoral system changes to ensure all corporate funding only for his party & controlled the Election body 3. He helped his crony to take over the country’s leading media firm 4: Doubled capital expenditure share of spending to give contracts to favoured few 5: Packed the Courts with his judges 6: Invested in a huge social media troll army 7: Trump endorsed his election campaign & he did a rally for Trump 8: Triggered social divisions & ‘divided & conquered’ 9: Ruled by instilling fear across all sections of society He, Viktor Orban of Hungary, just lost power after 16 years of such rule (any parallel with other leaders is neither coincidental nor unintentional)

Asha Bhosle first sung a song professionally in 1943. her last song was two months ago. that’s an 83-year career. it’s kind mindboggling to imagine

Tells us about Bishop in the most apt way.

Probably the most outstanding set of numbers a captain has thrown up in #ipl . What a gem @ShreyasIyer15 is.

Difficult to find another period in Indian history when it was led by men of poorer intellectual and moral calibre

মৃত্যুর সময় তাঁর সম্পত্তি বলতে ছিল মাত্র চার জোড়া ধুতি-পাঞ্জাবি ও এক আলমারি ভর্তি বই । শেষ জীবনে থাকতেন এক কামরার একটি ছোট্ট ফ্ল্যাটে। চিকিৎসার খরচ বহন করতে না পেরে ১৯৯০ সালে নীরবেই পৃথিবী ছেড়ে চলে যান প্রফুল্লচন্দ্র সেন । অথচ তিনি ছিলেন পশ্চিমবঙ্গের তৃতীয় মুখ্যমন্ত্রী। সাদা খদ্দরের ধুতি-পাঞ্জাবি, মিতভাষী স্বভাব, অনাড়ম্বর জীবন, সব মিলিয়ে তিনি ছিলেন একজন সৎ রাজনীতিবীদ। প্রশাসনে কড়াকড়ি ছিল, আপসের জায়গা কম। অনেকেই বলতেন, 'প্রফুল্লবাবু নিয়ম মানেন, আর নিয়ম মানাতেও জানেন।' অথচ একসময় বিরোধীরা তাঁর বিরুদ্ধে রটিয়ে দেয়, তিনি নাকি স্টিফেন হাউস-ই কিনে নিয়েছেন । ১৯৬২ সালে বিধানচন্দ্র রায়ের প্রয়াণের পর প্রফুল্লচন্দ্র সেন পশ্চিমবঙ্গের মুখ্যমন্ত্রী হন। সে সময় বাংলাজুড়ে তীব্র খাদ্য সংকট। অসাধু ব্যবসায়ীরা খাদ্যশস্য মজুত করে বাজারে ব্ল্যাক শুরু করেছিল। খাদ্য সংকট মেটাতে প্রফুল্লচন্দ্র সেন চালু করেছিলেন রেশন ব্যবস্থা এবং লেভি সিস্টেম। যার নির্যাস, সত্‍ প্রফুল্লের উপরে ক্ষেপে গেল মজুতদাররা। তারা বিরোধী রাজনৈতিক দলগুলোকে সরকারের বিরুদ্ধে উস্কে দিতে লাগল। বামদলগুলি প্রচার করা শুরু করল, জোতদারদের কাছ থেকে টাকা নিয়ে প্রফুল্ল সেন নাকি স্টিফেন হাউস কিনে নিয়েছেন। খাদ্য সংকটের সময় প্রফুল্লচন্দ্র সেন মানুষকে ভাতের পরিমাণ কম করে রুটি, শাকসবজি, কাঁচকলা খাওয়ার পরামর্শ দিয়েছিলেন। বিধানসভায় দাঁড়িয়ে বলেছিলেন—'আপনারা ভাতের সঙ্গে কাঁচকলা, পটল, কুমড়ো সিদ্ধ খেয়ে পেট ভরাতে পারেন।' এ বক্তব্য ঘিরেই তুমুল আলোড়ন শুরু হয়ে যায় । সেই থেকে লোকমুখে তাঁর নাম হয়ে যায়......কাঁচকলা সেন ! ১৮৯৭ সালের ১০ এপ্রিল খুলনা জেলার সেনহাটি গ্রামে জন্ম প্রফুল্লচন্দ্র সেনের। ছোটবেলায় চলে আসেন দেওঘরে, পরে কলকাতায় পড়াশোনা। স্কটিশ চার্চ কলেজ থেকে ফিজিক্স অনার্স নিয়ে স্নাতক হন। উচ্চশিক্ষার জন্য বিলেতে যাওয়ার প্রস্তুতি নিচ্ছিলেন, কিন্তু জীবনের মোড় ঘুরিয়ে দেয় মহাত্মা গান্ধীর কলকাতার ভাষণ। গান্ধীবাদের আদর্শে অনুপ্রাণিত হয়ে প্রফুল্ল সেন সত্যাগ্রহ ও স্বদেশি আন্দোলনে ঝাঁপিয়ে পড়েন। কর্মক্ষেত্র বেছে নেন আরামবাগকে । আরামবাগে সে সময়ে ম্যালেরিয়ার প্রবল প্রকোপ। তবু সেখানেই জীবনের দীর্ঘ ৬০ বছর কাটান প্রফুল্লচন্দ্র সেন। জনসাধারণের কাছে পরিচিত হয়ে ওঠেন ‘আরামবাগের গান্ধী’ নামে। শিক্ষকতা করেছেন হুগলির স্কুলে। কাঁথি ও তমলুকে হওয়া ‘লবণ আইন অমান্য আন্দোলন’, ১৯৪০ সালের ‘সত্যাগ্রহ আন্দোলন’ এবং ১৯৪২ সালের ‘ভারত ছাড়ো’ আন্দোলনে অংশগ্রহণ করেন প্রফুল্লচন্দ্র সেন । স্বদেশী কাজের পাশাপাশি ছাত্রদের সঙ্গে নিয়ে বন্যা বিধ্বস্ত আরামবাগের বিস্তীর্ণ এলাকায় ত্রাণ বিলি করেন। ১৯৪৮ সালে ড. বিধানচন্দ্র রায়ের মন্ত্রিসভায় তিনি যোগ দেন অসামরিক সরবরাহ দফতরের মন্ত্রী হিসেবে। বিধানচন্দ্র রায়ের মৃত্যুর পর, ২ জুলাই, ১৯৬২ সালে পশ্চিমবঙ্গের মুখ্যমন্ত্রী হিসেবে নির্বাচিত হন তিনি। ১৯৬৭ সালের নির্বাচন বাংলার রাজনীতিতে পালাবদলের সূচনা করে। কংগ্রেস পরাজিত হয়, যুক্তফ্রন্ট ক্ষমতায় আসে। দীর্ঘদিনের কংগ্রেস শাসনের ইতি ঘটে। ১৯৬৭ সালের নির্বাচনে আরামবাগ থেকেই বাংলা কংগ্রেস সভাপতি অজয় কুমার মুখোপাধ্যায়ের কাছে প্রফুল্ল সেন পরাজিত হন। বলা হয়, সেদিন কলকাতার বাজারে কাঁচকলার দাম দ্বিগুণ হয়েছিল ! এরপর পড়াশোনা আর লেখালেখি নিয়েই থাকতেন অকৃতদার মানুষটি। ১৯৯০ সালে প্রয়াত হন প্রফুল্ল সেন । আজকের দিনে এইরকম সৎ, নির্লোভ কোনও রাজনীতিবিদের কথা আমরা কল্পনাও করতে পারি না। প্রণাম প্রফুল্লচন্দ্র সেন © অহর্নিশ

The plane touched down at Nur Khan under a pitch-black Islamabad sky where not a single star dared to show its face. A long red carpet unrolled slowly across the tarmac like a ribbon of fresh blood catching the faint airport lights. Iranian men descended the stairs one by one with no ties around their necks and no unnecessary show of wealth or power, only those same resolute faces that had stared down fifty years of harsh sanctions without ever flinching even once. They never begged for mercy from anyone and they never broke under pressure. Instead they built their own engines with their own hands, created their own Internet infrastructure, moved their own oil through clever routes, and fed their own people despite every attempt by the world to starve them into complete submission. Even when other nations bled in distant conflicts they still sent their blood and their treasure without hesitation to places like Bosnia, Armenia, Palestine, Lebanon, to three million Afghan souls in need, and even during the long white night of struggle in South Africa. In doing so they kept the ancient measure of human dignity alive at a time when the powerful wanted the very meaning of good and evil to change whenever it suited the strong and the dominant. Some of their own people still ask the honest question why they should spend so much on strangers when their own tables at home remain thin and their own needs stay pressing. The answer lies in a deeper truth that without such actions the scale of the world would stay tipped forever in favor of the mighty. The earth itself still draws breath today because of exactly this kind of quiet and stubborn defiance that refuses to bow. Watch that video with full attention and let the pride rise fiercely and warmly in your chest for all of Iran’s hard-won victories over the decades. Feel that pride deeply and without any shame. These men turned decades of isolation into true sovereignty, turned every blockade into an unbreakable inner strength, and transformed fifty long years of chains into the patient labor that first freed their own nation and then reached out with helping hands to free and support others in their times of need. And we who sit here comfortably in our air-conditioned rooms while scrolling endlessly through our screens, constantly fed on every comfort that modern life can offer with our ethics long faded into the background, we suddenly see ourselves for exactly what we truly are in that moment. We appear as slaves to luxury who have lost our spine somewhere along the way. We know the sweet taste of an easy and comfortable life all too well and we also know the constant underlying fear of losing that ease one day. These men on the tarmac never tasted that kind of ease and they never even wanted it for themselves. That is precisely why they stand tall tonight with quiet confidence while we feel strangely small in comparison. They came for talks and nothing more. If the talks give them everything they want then it is good and welcome. If the talks do not give them what they seek then still it remains good in its own way. This is the ancient game of love, right vs wrong and honor played at the highest level. Put in whatever you wish because what is there left to fear in the end. If you win then what is there left to say afterward. And if you lose even then the game is not truly lost because the spirit behind it endures. Faiz Ahmad Faiz had already signed his name to this very idea fifty years ago when he welcomed the Iranian Revolution with open poetic arms. The dignity with which one walks calmly toward the gallows that unmatched grace remains untouched no matter what the outcome may be. If you win then what is there left to say. And if you lose even then the game is not lost at all.

Remarkable

@WG_RumblePants Value for money cricketers who aren't famous otherwise but would definitely excel in T20: Derek Randall Chris Old Lawrence Rowe Greg Chappell Vanburn Holder Abid Ali ML Jaisimha Salim Durrani Ajit Agarkar Roy Dias Sanath Jaisurya Chaminda Vaas Aravinda de Silva Abdul Qadir

I’ve been trying to think of 80s and 90s cricketers who missed out on the franchise revolution, but who may have been big money players (if they’d had the chance). So far I’ve got: Sir Viv Richards Sir Curtly Ambrose Courtney Walsh Sir Ian Botham Darren Gough Graham Gooch Robin Smith Kapil Dev Anil Kumble Mohammad Azharuddin Allan Donald Lance Klusener Javed Miandad Saeed Anwar Imran Khan Wasim Akram Waqar Younis Who have I missed out?

The night was quiet. But something inside ISRO was not. India’s eyes were going blind. One by one. August 31, 2017. PSLV-C39. NavIC. Lost. May 18, 2025. PSLV-C61. EOS-09. Lost. Jan 12, 2026. PSLV-C62. EOS-N1. Lost. Three missions. Same stage. I called it sabotage. People called it conspiracy. Then Ajit Doval went to Thiruvananthapuram. No announcement. Closed-door meetings. Inside ISRO. Then a name appeared. Praveen Kumar Maurya. Rocket scientist. VSSC. Joined 2014. Gaganyaan. Scramjets. Hypersonics. He is speaking now. Documents. Dates. Names. Late 2021. Ajikumar Surendren. Civilian. Dubai connections. Offer: Colossal money. Price: Gaganyaan secrets. Praveen said no. January 2022. Internal complaint. “Kerala lobby” working with Foreign Spy. He names Dr. Deependran B. Group Director. VSSC. No Action Taken. February 4, 2022. Writes to VSSC Director. Subject: I Would Rather Commit Suicide Than Treason. Names Deependran. Names Ajikumar. Warns of an active plot. One night later. February 5. 11:30 PM. Doorbell rings. Two policemen. Arrested. POCSO. NDPS. FIR filed next day. But No drugs. No Evidence of Minor Girl Harrassment. February 8. Got Bail. Suspended by ISRO the same day. Sub Inspector Ashok Kumar N. He called him 13 times. February 13 to April 25, 2022. “Obey Ajikumar or face consequences. Cooperate and we reinstate you. We have ISRO connections.” Praveen records every call. Then it went darker. Women start messaging. Explicit WhatsApp messages. Unknown numbers. A Kerala number calls. Claims to be IB. "Don’t go to media. Stay quiet. We are watching." April 27, 2022. Writes to PM Modi. Names the espionage. The arrest. The suspension. May 17, 2022. MP Ravindra Kushwaha. Lok Sabha. Salempur UP. Parliamentary letterhead. Writes to PM Modi. Spies approached a VSSC scientist. National security matter. PMO routes both Letter to VSSC. VSSC investigates itself. Closed as: staff grievance. Then it turns personal. Your father. Your sister. Your home address. Cooperate or they die. He fights his case Alone. 2025 Full acquittal. All charges. Zero evidence. The POCSO case collapses. The NDPS case collapses. But his career is gone. March 2026. Goes public. He Witnessed AD-1. BrahMos. Hypersonic test data, passed to the spy network. Inside VSSC. By a senior official. 1994. Nambi Narayanan. Same city. Same institution. Same method. Midnight arrest. False charges. Character assassination. 28 years for partial justice. Those officers still free. The playbook has not changed. Only the stakes have. 1994 Cryogenic engine secrets. 2022 BrahMos. Gaganyaan. AD-1 missile data. The fort is not under attack from outside. The key is being turned from inside. The enemy has a VSSC employee ID. The enemy used a child as a weapon. Doval’s visit tells you Delhi knows. Praveen speaking tells you someone is ready to act. The real question is. How deep does it go. And how many Praveens never made it out.

My observations: 1. Iran has won the WAR. Negotiations will be on Iran's 10 points framework for permanent peace. 2. Iran's terms will be accepted by Trump. Why? Will explain. 3. With this WAR, the hegemonic age is over: No followers, only partner nations. India will be the sole exception in the world. 4. Pakistan has emerged as more than a credible mediator - a geopolitical asset in the New World Order. I will explain the above in my video to be online by today (Wednesday April 8) evening! @ghazalawahab @thewire_in

Taking the ceasefire at face value, I’ll give a brief overview of what happened during these 40 days of war and how Trump won—and won so big it blew all of us away: - The war isn’t over. A ceasefire doesn’t mean peace; - Ayatollah Khamenei has been eliminated, along with a few dozen other leaders of the Revolutionary Guards—the Islamic Revolution’s terrorist group. All of them are despicable criminals. No one is mourning them or feeling sorry for them; - Iran now controls the Strait of Hormuz. It did not before February 28 (when the war began). It used this leverage in negotiations with Trump and secured acceptance of their 10-point plan (you will see these terms are very favorable to Iran) to be the basis of 2 weeks negociations; - The U.S. has used between 10 and 55% (depending on the weaponry) of its stockpiles of stand-off munitions, which are essential for deterring China, and (it is estimated) even more of the interceptor missiles that are exceptionally important for protecting civilians in Ukraine. China is laughing; - Russia benefits from the lifting of sanctions on oil transported by sea. Putin is more than happy; - Iran benefits from the lifting of sanctions on its oil transported by sea. The regime’s new leaders are delighted; - The theocratic regime of the Islamic Revolution has NOT been changed. In fact, the terrorist, criminal leaders who were removed have been replaced by others whom experts there tell us are even more radical (if that’s even possible) and even tougher and crueler; - The Iranian people are not free. Right? I want us to focus on this fact. The Iranian people, who should have been placed at the center of this conflict as the top priority, have been abandoned. Moreover, they feel betrayed by Trump; - The crisis caused by this war, which, as you can see from the points above, has brought no significant benefits, will be felt for many months to come, most likely throughout the year—and here I am referring to the IT industry, agriculture, and the energy sector. China is the long-term winner in the energy sector because it will weather this shock, because it is investing heavily in green energy, and because the IT industries in South Korea and Taiwan will be hit by the helium crisis, which gives them time to further narrow the technological gap with the West. Europe is the big loser due to its energy dependencies and the stalling of green energy investment programs in recent years. - The 400-odd kilograms of enriched uranium are exactly where they were before the war began; - NATO is going through the biggest internal crisis in its history due to the start of this war and Trump’s insults and threats. It’s also facing a crisis of confidence in its very essence, Article 5, which I don’t see how it will overcome in the near future, if ever; - The economies of the Gulf states have been disrupted and—in part—damaged over the medium and long term; ---- Don’t you feel like winners? Especially when we’re pumping 2 euro+/litre worth of diesel into the tank and we’ll see the fall announcements with inflation at 12–14% or who knows how much. If this is a Trump victory, I don’t want to know what a defeat looks like. If you’ve made it this far, I don’t want to let you forget that the war isn’t over yet.

This must be investigated. And even the government departments that kept these incidents away from the public eye must be asked questions.

Queen Genepil, The Last Queen Of Mongolia, 1920.