Under Indian law, #FreedomOfExpression is NOT absolute
On a left-leaning platform like Twitter, for Hindus, it is severely curtailed. We need to fight the bias but we also need to play it smart & avoid suspension
1 Sometimes, our Brown Sepoy paraga gives a cautionary warning. Heed it!
2 Avoid coming on the TL of Islamists. Your chances of being permanently suspended are higher if they take note of your handle
3 Use hashtags instead of tagging Islamists / LeLi
4 Use a screenshot instead of directly replying or QTing Islamist / LeLi
5 Avoid abuses & words that the algorithm will pick up
6 Don't use copyrighted material. EVER!
7 When you get a suspension or a notice from Twitter, check if it came as soon as you tweeted (algorithm at work) or after some time (reporting by an individual or group). This will help you trace the source
8 Do not tag other Nationalists' handles to Islamists. It's dog-whistling & they will get suspended
9 Have a group of Twitter friends (or friends active on Twitter) who can back you up in case of any adverse actions
10 Don't keep Twitter as your sole window to the world. If the blue bird can brutally silence a factually accurate handle like @BharadwajSpeaks with no consequences, you don't stand a chance. GoI has better things to do.
In the language debate, here's my two-bit experience:
I spent a few months in a small town called Rairangpur, a Subdivisional HQ in a district called Mayurbhanj in Odisha. If you haven't heard of Mayurbhanj or the town, don't fret. Neither did I, till I needed to go there.
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I'd spend every evening in a local eatery specialising in masala mudi (puffed rice). Apart from the mudi, they'd have sweets & spicy ginger tea. The workers were from neighbouring Bengal, the owners Rajasthani & the patrons local Odiya
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We'd have long discussions & debates over repeated rounds of ginger tea on every possible topic. Needless to add, the discussions were in Hindi with a smattering of Odiya
L&T was building the town's water supply & one evening, a hassled, young, freshly minted engineer from
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Real-life story!
There are two main characters in this story.
I'll first introduce our little hero of the day: eleven-year-old Rohit.
I have known Rohit's parents since 2009. His father is a small farmer & to help make ends meet, he doubles up as a chef.
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In the past, I have stood guarantor for loans they have taken & I have seen first-hand how unprofitable, unreliable & unforgiving agriculture can be and how repaying such loans, despite a frugal lifestyle, is a challenge.
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At this stage, let me make the second introduction: Meet the rotavator, an extension used by tractors for soil preparation before planting
Rohit was playing in the fields when a relative's tractor with a rotavator attachment worked nearby.
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Long thread alert!
Read & understand the larger game afoot!
The talk of how @vivekagnihotri uses his hard-earned, well-deserved profits from #KashmirFiles isn't about profits, or concerns for KPs, or a socialist streak or plain jealousy.
It is insidious & goes much deeper!
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For centuries, siding with the invaders & oppressors has been exceptionally rewarding. Be it Mughals or the English. Jagirs were gifted, fame & fortune were made.
Post independence, spitting on one's nation assured a newcomer entry to an entitled, privileged, dynastic elite.
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Apart from the country, it included loathing it's culture, spirituality, history & it's people. Essentially, all things Indian!
Then suddenly, from 2002,being anti-Modi became the latest sunrise industry! Funding flowed, careers built by Teesta & her ilk.
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Thread alert!
Just to show how short-lived public memory is & why there is no fear of the consequences of our actions (or inactions), let's take a quick trip down memory lane.
On January 7th 2010, Sub Inspector Vetrivel from the Alwarkuruchi Police Station in
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Tirunelveli District near the southern tip of Tamil Nadu was driving on the road on routine duty, in uniform. SI Vetrivel was a decorated cop as he had been part of the Special Task Force that hunted down Veerappan.
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Out of the blue, he was attacked by three assailants with crude country-made bomb. They knew he was a cop as he was in uniform, yet chopped his legs and left him bleeding on the road, crying out for help. The event occurred in broad daylight.
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