From Yashasvi Jaiswal’s stellar performances at the Under-19 cricket World Cup to India’s plans of reintroducing the cheetah, Lounge looks at the week’s biggest updates
Yashasvi Jaiswal shines on
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s match-winning century against Pakistan in the first semi-final of the ongoing Under-19 cricket World Cup in South Africa was a timely reminder of his exciting talent. No wonder the Rajasthan Royals paid ₹2.4 crore for him in the recent Indian Premier League auction. The left-handed batsman has been one of the standout performers at the World Cup, and heads into the final as the leading run-scorer with three half centuries and one 100 in five matches so far. India are one win away from defending the trophy they won under Prithvi Shaw in 2018. —NS
No space for dissent?
The Karnataka police continues to earn the ire of people around the country by questioning young students of the Shaheen Primary & High School in Bidar for the fifth time in connection with a play, staged in January, that was allegedly critical of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Charges of sedition were also slapped on the school head teacher and a student’s mother.
Another case of censorship came to light in the Capital when an exhibit by the Post Art Project, showcasing performances and paintings inspired by the women of Shaheen Bagh, was closed at the India Art Fair after complaints to Delhi Police. While the fair organizers claimed not all details of the activities at the booth had been shared in advance, the artists maintained they had done so, and that the work was not inflammatory in any way—it only expressed solidarity and celebrated the strength of women. —AB
Return of the big cat
Nearly 70 years after cheetahs became extinct, the government is planning to reintroduce them—by importing them from Namibia. The Supreme Court had ruled against the proposal in 2011, expressing concerns about the relocation of a foreign species in unfamiliar terrain. Last week, a new bench led by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde gave the go ahead on an “experimental basis" to gauge their adaptability. Some see it as a victory for wildlife conservation: If successful, India would have all the major big cats—tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards and cheetahs—in its forests. Others, like environment lawyer Ritwick Dutta, call it a case of misplaced priorities. Funds and efforts, he says, could be much better spent on endangered species like the Bengal florican, wild buffalo, Asiatic lions and the Great Indian Bustard. —OK
Let women be in command
While arguing for the Union government on 5 February, during a Supreme Court hearing on a petition demanding permanent commissions for women in the Indian Army, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said “male soldiers in the Indian Army were not yet ready to accept women commanders". The next day, after the apex court rebuked the government for its sexism, Mehta made things worse by saying: “In my opinion, women must not strive to be equal to men. They are in fact above men in all respects and better than men." Spare us this patronizing tone, please. Women officers in the army have proved they are equal to the task, and it’s time that they are viewed that way. —SB
