#Indian idol 2018

[ilhoonftw]

answers here ⬇️

btob members appeared on law of the jungle in: mongolia (changsub), sumatra (sungjae, peniel), mexico (hyunsik, eunkwang), indian ocean (minhyuk). law of the jungle in thailand had different idol guests

they had a cameo in heirs

took them years to appear on sketchbook (for some reason) but it happened

idol chef king was a variety special and eunkwang & sungjae chef duo did super well

antm had a season where they went to korea, btob had a whole segment in which models danced to beep on the streets of seoul

we became a family was a wreck, celebs pretended to be in relationship or related. painful

they appeared on snl two times, 2013 they small roles in g.na's episode, 2014 eunkwang was a lead in short skit

wgm ofc .....

lipstick price was...... a show. eunkwang was a fixed cast member

living among the rich was a sitcom and predebut btob were in bunch of episodes

[readyforevolution]

ANCIENT AFRICANS IN INDIA

Marco Polo wrote... "The darkest man is here, the most esteemed and considered better than the others who are not so dark. Let me add that in very truth, these people portray and depict their gods and their idols black and their devils white as snow. For they say that God and all the saints are black and the devils are all white. That is why they portray them as I described."

-(Marco Polo, after visiting the Pandiyan Kingdom in 1288 CE)

Ancient presence of Africans who had moved out from the eastern parts of the continent to Asia had influenced the life of the early people of India, to an extent that an African king, known as 'Ganges' had a river running across India named after him. This river(river Ganges), had also influenced religious worship and rites in India, a situation that stretched into the medieval era when Marco Polo visited Pandiyan.

The descendants of these Africans are left today on the lower rungs of the Indian society. A great number of them can be presently found in Andaman, with black shinny skin that is as black as tar and with fizzled hair. An example is the Jarawa people of India.

The presence of these ancient Africans in India, also influenced local architecture of groups in some parts of India, as can be seen in the image. This sort of architecture is predominantly African in origin, right from antiquity.

Image: An Indian village, 2018

[globalworship]

Old Statue of Child Jesus, India

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This fascinating small statue is mentioned briefly in a 2018 book by Dr. Istvan Perczel:

Here's the full page from the book (title not given):

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The other commentary in this post is summarized from a Reddit post (numerous writers) found at https://www.reddit.com/r/Kerala/comments/18nf0eh/native_statue_of_jesus_kerala_late_16thearly_17th/?rdt=54167

Recently saw this in a work published by Dr. Istvan Perczel, a leading scholar on the Kerala Syrian Christian community. This is an extremely rare find, as much of native Kerala Christian art was either altered/destroyed or later highly influenced by the arrival of the Portuguese. This work seems to date to a unique transitional period: The Portuguese had only been in Kerala for a few decades, so elements of Native Kerala Syrian Christian culture is still present.

Dr. Perczel noted that the work shows heavy influence from Buddhism and Hinduism, as Christ is modeled off of Buddha and is standing on a lotus flower similar to Hindu Gods and Goddesses. At the same time, he uniquely stated that the statue shows elements of Egyptian culture as well, as the belt of Jesus is tied like the hieroglyphic Ankh sign. According to Dr. Perczel, several local statues around this era or before show similar Egyptian influence, suggesting a relic from Kerala’s ancient trade with the Red Sea.

This Jesus is "child jesus" and hence no beard. Popularly known in malayalam as "unni eesho". The globe in hand denotes infant Jesus. A flaming nimbus is behind his head.

This was made during the late 16th/early 17th century. The Portuguese had began to Latinize the Nasrani Community but not fully so. For the first time the community began making statues (a Latin Catholic custom) as before this era, they did not believe in the creation of idols (due to being East Syriac Christians).

The artist who made this, is very clearly trying to recreate Infant Jesus (a historic and extremely common European statue of Jesus in his youth). The Syrian Christian artist or patrons, had no idea how to depict a Christian statue, because they had never done so up to this point. For that reason they mimicked the statues of Hindu Gods and traditional Kerala artistry while incorporating a very clear reference the famous “Infant Jesus” statue.

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Dr. Istvan Perczel is a renowned scholar from Hungary. Read about part of his research on Indian Syrian Christians at https://people.ceu.edu/istvan_perczel and https://www.mgu.ac.in/istvan-perczel-appointed-as-mar-chrysostom-chair-at-m-g-university/

[konmarkimageswords]

How to Go To the Tao Temple K. Satchidanandan Translated from Malayalam by the poet

Don’t lock the door. Go lightly like the leaf in the breeze along the dawn’s valley. If you are too fair, cover yourself with ash. If too clever, go half-asleep. That which is fast will tire fast: be slow, slow as stillness. Be formless like water. Lie low, don’t even try to go up. Don’t go round the deity: nothingness has no directions, no front nor back. Don’t call it by name, its name has no name. No offerings: empty pots are easier to carry than full ones. No prayers too: desires have no place here. Speak silently, if speak you must: like the rock speaking to the trees and leaves to flowers. Silence is the sweetest of voices and Nothingness has the fairest of colours. Let none see you coming and none, going. Cross the threshold shrunken like one crossing a river in winter. You have only a moment here like the melting snow. No pride: you are not even formed. No anger: not even dust is at your command. No sorrow: it doesn’t alter anything. Renounce greatness: there is no other way to be great. Don’t ever use your hands: They are contemplating not love, but violence. Let the fish lie in its water and the fruit, on its bough. The soft one shall survive the hard, like the tongue that survives teeth. Only the one who does nothing can do everything. Go, the unmade idol awaits you.

How to go to the Tao Temple Πώς να πας στον ναό του Τάο K. Satchidanandan Μετάφραση από Μαλαγιάλαμ από τον ποιητή

Mην κλειδώσεις την πόρτα. Kινήσου ελαφρά σαν φύλλο στην αύρα πέρα στην κοιλάδα της αυγής. Αν είσαι πολύ όμορφος, καλύψου με στάχτη. Αν έξυπνος πολύ, πήγαινε μισοκοιμισμένος. Αυτό που είναι γρήγορο θα κουραστεί γρήγορα: να είσαι αργός, αργός σαν τη γαλήνη.

Σαν το νερό να είσαι, χωρίς σχήμα. Μείνε χαμηλά, μην προσπαθήσεις καν να ανέβεις. Μην περικυκλώνεις τη θεότητα: το κενό δεν έχει κατευθύνσεις, μπροστά ή πίσω. Μην την καλείς με όνομα, το όνομά της δεν έχει όνομα. Καμία προσφορά: τα άδεια δοχεία πιο εύκολα τα μεταφέρεις από τα γεμάτα. Καμία προσευχή επίσης: oι επιθυμίες δεν έχουν θέση εδώ.

Μίλα σιγά, αν πρέπει να μιλήσεις: όπως η πέτρα ομιλεί στα δέντρα και τα φύλλα στα λουλούδια. Η σιωπή είναι η πιο γλυκιά φωνή και το Κενό έχει το πιο ωραίο χρώμα. Κανείς να μην σε δει να έρχεσαι κανείς να φεύγεις. Πέρνα το κατώφλι μαζεμένος όπως περνά κανείς ποτάμι τον χειμώνα. Έχεις μονάχα ένα λεπτό εδώ όπως το χιόνι που λιώνει.

Καμία υπερηφάνεια: δεν έχεις καν σχήμα. Κανένας θυμός: oύτε καν η σκόνη δεν βρίσκεται στις διαταγές σου. Καμία θλίψη: τίποτε αυτή δεν αλλάζει. Αποκήρυξε το μεγαλείο: είναι ο μόνος τρόπος να είσαι μεγάλος. Μην χρησιμοποιείς τόσο τα χέρια: Απεργάζονται όχι την αγάπη, αλλά τη βία. Άσε το ψάρι στο νερό του και τον καρπό, στο κλαδί του. Το μα��ακό θα ζήσει πιο πολύ από το σκληρό όπως η γλώσσα ζει πιο πολύ απ’ τα δόντια.

Μόνον αυτός που τίποτε δεν κάνει μπορεί να κάνει τα πάντα.

Πήγαινε, το άκτιστο είδωλο σε περιμένει.

Drawing inspiration from his Asian heritage, Abhay K. has compiled an anthology of verse entitled 100 Great Indian Poems. The anthology was translated into Greek by Sarah Thilykou (100 Μεγάλα Ινδικά Ποιήματα), serving as a literary bridge between the great cultures of India and Greece.

Abhay K. is an Indian diplomat, poet, editor, translator and the author of several poetry collections including Celestial, Stray Poems, Monsoon, The Magic of Madagascar, The Alphabets of Latin America. His poem “Earth Anthem” has been translated into over 150 languages. He received the SAARC Literary Award 2013 and was invited to record his poems at the Library of Congress, Washington DC in 2018. His translation of Kalidasa’s Meghaduta and Ritusamhara from Sanskrit have received the KLF Poetry Book of the Year Award 2020-21.

Dr Sarah Thilykou, poet, translator, essayist, critic, editor and founding member of PEN Greece, was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, where she studied theology, drama, and music, with further work in Utrecht, Paris and Athens. She has published six poetic collections, including Duet of Islands. Her poems have been translated into many languages, in international anthologies and journals. She has translated, among others, Gabriel Rosenstock (The Floating Universe, Silver Birches, Angelic Flights, Stirrings of Love), Rua Breathnach (The City Next Door) and Allen Ginsberg (Buddha Died).

[wikiuntamed]

On this day in Wikipedia: Thursday, 23rd November

Welcome, 你好, Välkommen, नमस्ते 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 23rd November through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

23rd November 2020 🗓️ : Death - Tarun Gogoi Tarun Gogoi, Indian Chief Minister of Assam (b. 1934) "Tarun Gogoi (1 April 1936 – 23 November 2020) was an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the 13th Chief Minister of Assam from 2001 to 2016. He was the longest serving Chief Minister of Assam. He was a member of the Indian National Congress. During his tenure as the chief minister, he is..."

Image licensed under CC BY 3.0? by Biswarup Ganguly

23rd November 2018 🗓️ : Event - Dolce & Gabbana Founders of Italian fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana issue an apology following a series of offensive advertisements on social media promoting a fashion show in Shanghai, China, which was canceled. "Dolce & Gabbana (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdoltʃe e ɡɡabˈbaːna]), also known by initials D&G, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, and cosmetics and..."

Image licensed under CC BY 2.0? by ajay_suresh

23rd November 2013 🗓️ : Death - Costanzo Preve Costanzo Preve, Italian philosopher and theorist (b. 1943) "Costanzo Preve (14 April 1943 – 23 November 2013) was an Italian philosopher and a political theoretician. Preve is widely considered one of the most important anti-capitalist European thinkers and a renowned expert in the history of Marxism. His thought is based on the Ancient Greek and idealistic..."

Image by Alessandro.mon at Italian Wikipedia

23rd November 1973 🗓️ : Death - Sessue Hayakawa Sessue Hayakawa, Japanese actor, director, and producer (b. 1889) "Kintarō Hayakawa (Japanese: 早川 金太郎, Hepburn: Hayakawa Kintarō, June 10, 1886 – November 23, 1973), known professionally as Sessue Hayakawa (早川 雪洲, Hayakawa Sesshū), was a Japanese-American actor and a matinée idol. He was a popular star in Hollywood during the silent film era of the 1910s and early..."

Image by Fred Hartsook

23rd November 1923 🗓️ : Event - 1923 Irish hunger strikes The 1923 Irish hunger strikes ends, four Irish Republicans die from starvation. "In October 1923 mass hunger strikes were undertaken by Irish republican prisoners protesting the continuation of their internment without trial. The Irish Civil War had ended six months earlier yet the newly formed Provisional Government of the Irish Free State was slow in releasing the thousands of..."

23rd November 1820 🗓️ : Birth - Isaac Todhunter Isaac Todhunter, English mathematician and author (d. 1884) "Isaac Todhunter FRS (23 November 1820 – 1 March 1884), was an English mathematician who is best known today for the books he wrote on mathematics and its history...."

Image by Alexander Macfarlane

23rd November 🗓️ : Holiday - Christian feast day: Alexander Nevsky (Repose, Russian Orthodox Church) "Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (Russian: Александр Ярославич Невский; IPA: [ɐlʲɪˈksandr jɪrɐˈsɫavʲɪtɕ ˈnʲɛfskʲɪj] ; monastic name: Aleksiy; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) was Prince of Novgorod (1236–1240; 1241–1256; 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1246–1263) and Grand Prince of Vladimir..."

Image by Collective of Kremlin Armory artists

[manvimetawares]

Best Copper And Brass Utensils Manufacturer And Trader In India

About Manvimetawares Co.: 

“Now it's the ideal  time for fresh and healthy start” 

Manvimetawares Company is a well-known manufacturer and supplier brand for a wide variety of metal products, including copper, brass, bronze, steel, silver-plated, idols and laddu Gopal all types of pooja and spiritual items, handicraft items, gift baskets, and corporate gifts for all occasions. We offer a wide range and variety of kitchen and home goods. The company was founded to promote health, raise awareness of the advantages of copper and brass products, and encourage consumers to avoid using plastic and aluminum cookware.

About Author: 

Since 2018, Deepak Gupta has been the company's founder. Manvimetawares specializes in items made of bronze, brass, and copper. With over 40 years of experience in this field, they specialize in copperware, brassware, bronze ware, kitchenware, home décor, pooja accessories, and corporate gifting. Deepak has devoted his life to preserving Indian culture and heritage by promoting our traditional brass and copper household items with the help of a talented team and group of diligent artists. Due to their high quality and distinctively handcrafted designs, brass and copper products are now once more gaining popularity in our nation. All copper products, including bottles, jugs, copper dispensers, and plates, are made by skilled and talented artisans using traditional techniques.

The best company in India for the manufacture of copper, brass, and bronze products is:

Mr. Deepak Gupta established the Manvimetawares company in 2018 during a period of industry growth for health and hygiene, multiple health advantages of copper and brass products, and vigorous promotion of India's ancient culture and heritage.

Every product is tailored by businesses to be easily usable in the kitchen and in daily life while providing numerous health benefits.

In India, the Manvimetawares Company manufactures, supplies, and exports a wide variety of kitchen utensils made of copper and brass.which also includes customary items like copper cookware, brassware, bronze ware, silver-plated steel, copper spiritual, and business gifts. 

Due to their ayurvedic health benefits, copper bottles have recently grown in popularity. These days, copper bottles and copper water pots are made of very high-quality materials and feature a wide range of distinctive, vibrant designs.

By maintaining a high level of quality and offering a wide selection of copper and brass products, the company has revolutionized the home and kitchen product industries. 

Collaboration with Online Platform:

We collaborate with the top businesses, including well-known names in the market like Amazon, Flipkart, etc., and offer first-rate delivery services.

Additionally, Manvimetawares supplies regular products to its wholesale suppliers.

By providing all different kinds of products like serveware, barware, drinkware, tableware, and all decorative means that we can provide with our specialized materials, we hope to establish Manvimetawares Company as a name for all household items, a preferred name for all events, hotels, catering businesses, and weddings.

We are eager to assist and meet the needs of our customers.

[thebobby1432world]

Vartika Jha Wiki, Biography, Age, Height, Weight, Family, Net Worth

Vartika Jha Wiki: Vartika Jha is an Indian dancer who is best known for her appearances on Dance Plus 4, Dance Deewane, and India's Best Dancer. Vartika was passionate about dancing from a very young age and began performing when she was just twelve years old. Vartika Jha WikiBoyfriends, Affairs Favorite Things Hailing from the small village of Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh, Vartika credits her father, Arvind Kumar Jha, for overcoming financial difficulties to provide the best education and training possible for her dreams. In 2018, she made her big break on the reality show Dance Deewane in front of her idol, Madhuri Dixit, and this only further cemented her dreams of becoming a successful dancer.

Vartika Jha Wiki Vartika went on to be a finalist on the fourth season of Dance Plus and was even featured in the 2020 Bollywood film Street Dancer. She is a force to be reckoned with in the Indian dancing scene and is determined to continue creating captivating art in the years to come.

Vartika Jha Wiki

NameVartika JhaBirth PlaceRenusagar, Sonbhadra, Uttar PradeshDate Of Birth8th April 2000Age22 years old (as of 2023)HeightIn centimeters – 163 cm In feet inches – 5’4”WeightIn Kilograms – 50 kg In Pounds – 110 lbsEye ColorBlackHair ColorBlackProfessionDancerSexual OrientationStraightSchoolThe Aditya Birla public School, RenusagarCollegeBhawanipur Education Society College, KolkataReligionHinduismNationalityIndianHome TownRenusagar, Sonbhadra, Uttar PradeshDebutTV: Dance Plus 4 (2018) Film: Street Dancer 3D (2019)Fathers NameArvind Kumar JhaMothers NameKanta JhaBrothersNot KnownSister1 (name not known) Boyfriends, Affairs BoyfriendsNot KnownMarital StatusUnmarriedHusbandNone Favorite Things Favorite ActorsShah Rukh KhanFavorite ActressKajolFavorite Musical InstrumentNot KnownFavorite Singer(s)Not KnownFavorite SportNot KnownFavorite DestinationsVaranasiFavorite Color(s)Not Known Disclaimer: The above information is for general informational purposes only. All information on the Site is provided in good faith, however, we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on the Site. Read the full article

[newssy]

Indian Idol 13 Contestant Chirag Kotwal Impresses Swami Ramdev With His Rendition Of ‘Namo Namo’ From Kedarnath

Swami Ramdev lauds ‘Indian Idol 13’ contestant’s rendition of ‘Namo Namo’ ( Photo Credit – IANS ) Yoga guru Swami Ramdev, who is coming on the singing reality show ‘Indian Idol 13’ for ‘Mahashivratri’ special episode, applauded contestant Chirag Kotwal for his rendition of ‘Namo Namo Shankara’ from the 2018 movie ‘Kedarnath’ starring late Sushant Singh Rajput and Sara Ali Khan. He said: “You…

[monicagaur-blog]

Indian Idol winner Salman Ali | Maai Teri Chunariya | Full Video Song | Indian Idol 10

[jensons-buttons]

No I don't think you guys understand how special this Shreyas Iyer century is, and it's not just because he's done it on his test debut against the defending champions of the Test Championship. It's because 7 months ago he underwent a surgery that led him to be dropped from the national team & kept him out of the game for 4 months. It's because he's finally made it to the test team, who's coach is Rahul Dravid, the man that has been his mentor & idol since day one. It's because he's the first Indian to score a century on debut since 2018. It's because he's worked hard day in and day out, ever since he's picked up the bat for the first time & the hard work has finally paid off. It's because this 26 year old, coming from a country of billions who live & breath cricket, dared to have a dream & went for it, who deserves it & so much fucking more.

[xb-squaredx]

Rise of the V-Tuber

As a platform, YouTube has gone through a variety of “eras,” wherein a particular trend catches on and defines the website for some time. In the early days, you had funny cat videos, then Let’s Plays of video games became rather popular, and now we seem to be deeply entrenched into a new era that has exploded in popularity as of late. If you’ve frequented the website at all in the past few months, it is almost inescapable. Cutesy, anime-styled avatars that play games, sing, chat with viewers, or even cook! What does it all mean? Where did they come from? Are they here to stay? Most importantly, how does one crawl out of the rabbit hole once they fall into it? All that and more will be revealed as we delve deep into the wacky, wholesome and sometimes worrying world of V-Tubers. (photo credit YuuGiJoou. Check her out on YouTube, Twitter or Twitch!) 

THE ORIGIN

To begin properly, let’s define the subject. A “V-Tuber” is a “Virtual YouTuber,” someone who streams on YouTube (or any other streaming platform) using a digital avatar as a proxy. The streamer in question typically uses face-tracking software so that the avatar can emote (or at least attempt to emote) to match their own reactions as they provide entertainment for their audience. While it may seem as if V-Tubers are rather new, in doing research on the topic, you’d be surprised how far back things go.

For starters, the concept of a virtual celebrity has been around for a while, with one of the most notable efforts being Hatsune Miku, a Vocaloid voicebank program. Hatsune Miku is every bit as famous and beloved as a flesh-and-blood singer or entertainer despite being nothing but voice synthesizer software. Vocaloid got its start back in 2000, eventually being reworked into a commercial product in 2004, though it wasn’t until the programs started receiving anthropomorphic character designs that it took off, with Hatsune Miku’s own debut in 2007, and the rest is history.

Many will consider “Virtual Idol” Kizuna Ai as the true pioneer of what we call a V-Tuber today, making her debut in 2016, however one could make an argument that Ami Yamato, a 3D-animated vlogging channel debuting in 2013, beat her to the punch. Honorable mention of course goes to Any Malu, a Brazilian animated YouTube vlogger who debuted in 2015 and eventually gained her own show on Cartoon Network Brazil. While Ai may not be the first, she is undoubtedly considered to be the codifier that many later V-Tubers would follow. Ai’s entire shtick was being an AI program that wanted to connect with humans, playing games, singing or interacting with fans. Following her explosive popularity, it was clear that other companies would follow the model established by Ai, with their own spins on it of course.

Nijisanji, established in 2018, proved that this trend could be incredibly profitable, becoming trailblazers in their own right as they established various “branches” of their company in several countries with their own unique performers that could cater to a wider range of viewers. As of this writing, Nijisanji employs over 164 “Virtual Livers,” most of which come from their Japan branch, alongside their Korean, Chinese, Indian and Indonesian branches. Similarly, there is the Hololive corporation, which saw substantial growth throughout 2020 in particular. Established in 2016 originally as Cover Corporation, at first Hololive was the name of an app meant for use in 3D motion capture, though following Nijisanji’s success, Hololive was rebranded as a V-Tuber competitor and also features a variety of colorful characters spread across many different main branches. There is of course the Japanese branch, as well as Hololive Indonesia, the relatively new (and highly successful) Hololive English, a defunct Chinese branch and an all-male Holostar branch in Japan.

Other, smaller V-Tuber groups have sprung up alongside the corporate powerhouses, such as VOMS Project, established in March of 2020, as an independent trio of streamers, and more recently at the tail-end of 2020 with V-Shojo, featuring a group of Western streamers (who ironically mostly stick to Twitch). Outside of this of course are the countless independent streamers who utilize avatars for one reason or another across many different platforms. Even prominent Twitch streamers seem to be getting in on the act, such as Pokimane, though that one has not come without some backlash. So consider that a rough history of how V-Tubers got started in Japan but how did they gain a more global fanbase? Well, in a word…”memes.”

GOING INTERNATIONAL

I won’t deny there had to be at least SOME overseas fans who enjoyed watching V-Tubers before they became more well-known, but for many Western fans their introductions to V-Tubers in general typically came from viral videos taken from various streams that spread like wildfire, eventually getting people curious enough to check them out. For Kizuna Ai, her playthrough of Resident Evil 7 gained notoriety for her mimicking the cursing of the English-speaking player character, and for Hololive, arguably the first real Western breakthrough for the company came from a now infamous moment from Sakura Miko’s stream of Grand Theft Auto 5. 

Also from Hololive, Inugami Korone in particular had a variety of memes spread about her due to playthroughs from various games that even got acknowledged by the developers themselves. Her playthrough of DOOM 2016 resulted in a short-lived Easter egg implanted into DOOM Eternal, and her video on Banjo-Kazooie (and the animated Eekum Bokum fan video that spawned from that) got the attention of Rare, Xbox and even Grant Kirkhope, the composer for the original game.

Honestly, the real unsung heroes of sorts for V-Tuber popularity might just come from foreign fans that would clip and translate various moments from streams that helped to build an international audience. There are dozens of Twitter handles and YouTube channels that specialize in spreading these clips around and if you factor in the YouTube algorithm, once you see one video your feed will be flooded with similar videos. It is no surprise fans call getting into the fandom “falling into the rabbit hole.” When you look at the more popular members of Hololive, often the ones with various viral clips have the higher subscription counts. In the case of Aki Rosenthal, one of the older members, her sub count exploded after a fan translated a section from a then-recent stream in which she talked candidly about her less-than-stellar growth as well as the difficulties of standing out in general. While at one point having the lowest amount of subscribers (well below 200,000), in the months since that video her sub count has more than doubled going past 400,000. Sometimes the talent needs a little push.

Now, within Hololive itself, I think Kiryu Coco is also partially responsible for expanding the fanbase, being one of the few employed talents with the ability to speak English (likely a native speaker), she gained a large international fanbase as she would work to translate what she or other members were talking about on the fly, and later on established an ongoing series where she would directly engage with fans over websites like Reddit and “rate” the various memes they would send in. Coco also pushed for establishing what would become Hololive English, which has proven to be a gigantic success, each member of that branch blowing past more established talent’s subscriber counts, with Gawr Gura becoming the first Hololive V-Tuber to pass one million subscribers and just recently passed the two million mark. So yeah, V-Tubers are a big deal now but…what is about them that makes people want to watch them in the first place?

THE APPEAL

So, right off the bat, if we’re going to ask why someone would want to watch a V-Tuber I think it’s fair to ask that of virtually ANY internet personality. The reason why someone would watch Game Grumps or Pokimane or Jojo Siwa or whoever else is the same reason they’d watch Kizuna Ai or Inugami Korone or Ironmouse: they’re entertaining. I guess that seems like a bit of a cop-out answer, right? There MUST be a reason why V-Tubers have blown up in popularity over the last few years, so are there things that make these particular Internet entertainers stand out from the crowd?

Undoubtedly, the fact that these streamers are playing a character is a deviation from the norm, though the dedication to staying “in character” seems to vary from person to person, and over time many V-Tubers tend to open up and are far more genuine. At any rate, even the best actor out there can’t possibly make up various daily happenings or childhood stories for their characters on the fly, day after day, stream after stream. Still, I’d imagine the decision to use a proxy as opposed to their real self can be liberating, a mask they can wear to speak more freely or a role they can play up for entertainment. For the most part, I think the persona aspect is mostly harmless fun that makes the streamer seem more distinct; ask yourself which is more eye-catching: some normal human playing a game and occasionally cracking a joke, or a one-eyed pirate girl discussing her raunchy past? Or maybe you’d rather watch the grim reaper practice her raps? Even talent that don’t really play up their character much still often have interesting character designs; we have princesses, dragons, devils, robots and more. A little something for everyone!

Speaking a bit more personally, I find it interesting to watch streamers from an entirely different culture and how they interact with fans or engage with games. I find it funny when Inugami Korone or Sakura Miko plays more Western-oriented games like the DOOM series or Grand Theft Auto V respectively. Often times they’re blown away by the culture clash, or they view these games through a different lens since it’s so different from what they’re used to. In particular, those two are just genuine goofballs that are funny all on their own. More chat-focused streams are an interesting view into daily life in Japan, such as the stories Houshou Marine tells, though obviously a given V-Tuber’s viewpoint isn’t a metric you can apply to the whole country, but she’s still interesting to listen to. Takanashi Kiara is also notable for her multilingual skills, which has helped her bridge the gap a bit more between the various Hololive members through her Holotalk segments where she interviews other V-Tubers. Outside of Hololive, Amano Pikamee from VOMS Project is just a bundle of energy that’s fun to watch as she rages in Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Sunshine. Her tea-kettle laugh is also just kinda charming. The V-Shojo group stands out for being super vulgar compared to the more corporate V-Tubers and while I don’t watch them all that much, there’s still some fun chaos to be had. Still though, I think there’s one big elephant in the room that would also help explain V-Tubers catching on at this specific point in time: the pandemic. Streaming is one of the few jobs not really affected by the pandemic, and with people stuck inside, they’re more likely to scroll through YouTube or Twitter and find a funny clip and then…well, you know… It’s one bright spot in an otherwise dark time…but I’d be lying if I said it was all sunshine and rainbows.

THE DARK UNDERBELLY

The overall idea behind V-Tubers, at least in Japan, seems to be an extension of Idol Culture…and uh…if you know anything about Idol Culture in Japan, it is all kinds of scummy. Exploitative, filled to the brim with harmful rules and regulations and largely catering to some vary unsavory “fans,” I’ll make it no mystery that I find it incredibly distasteful. Look no further than what happened to Minegishi Minami from the idol group AKB48. To keep a long story short, the obsession with “purity” and being this idealized Japanese beauty means idols are effectively locked into their work, unable to discuss or in many cases partake in romantic relationships, as that would make them less “desirable” to their audience. This unfortunately does at times extend to V-Tubers.

Take Tokoyami Towa, who was suspended for some time and forced to make an apology video for…having some male voices briefly heard over Discord during an Apex Legend stream. She even lost a lot of subscribers and support from Japanese fans following this, though once learning of this, Western fans flocked to her as a show of support. Hololive has also dealt with a variety of issues coming from Chinese fans; though that’s a particular hornet’s nest I don’t want to delve into here too much. To sum it up, fans can get obsessive and toxic, which can lead to the talent being harassed. It is for this reason, it is generally agreed upon by fans to not delve too deep into the personal lives of the V-Tubers, for fear of being doxxed and the illusion being broken. These kinds of issues certainly bring up some interesting questions regarding how talent should be treated moving forward.

Are these V-Tubers characters or just alternate sides of real people? Where does the fantasy end and reality begin? Ultimately, the lines are somewhat blurred. Talent certainly brings some of their own personality into the performance, but they are forced to remain anonymous and as can be seen in the case of Kizuna Ai, they are not always in control of the character they’ve been given. Kizuna Ai’s initial actress was for a time replaced, and “clones” of the character with different voices and personalities started to spring up, likely as an attempt to compete with the likes of Nijisanji and Hololive. In cases where V-Tubers retire from the industry, or “graduate” as some call it, all of their hard work cultivating a fanbase might end up being for nothing as they were forced behind a proxy that isn’t truly themselves and I imagine it can be hard to start over again from square one. Never mind the attempts to step out of the shadow of your older work. Man, Perfect Blue was downright prophetic at times, huh?

I don’t want to dwell on the negatives too much though. It’s worth noting for one thing that Nijisanji seems relatively lax regarding how their talent operates, whereas it seems Hololive is the standout for adhering to the idol ideal, though considering how some of the talent acts (in particular Kiryu Coco), one has to wonder if they’re softening their stances a bit. Many V-Tubers generally talk about the positive aspects of the industry and being given the opportunity to reach people from all over the world. Shortly after Ina’s debut in Hololive English, she was actually brought to tears when told her art streams convinced people to get into (or back into) the hobby, which had been one of her goals for becoming a V-Tuber in the first place. Ironmouse, now a member of V-Shojo, has an immune system disorder that keeps her bedridden and forced to stay inside, so the opportunities afforded by this particular type of streaming has allowed her to reach out to others and as per her own words, has changed her life for the better. While there are definitely “fans” that go too far, corporate practices that are outdated, or harmful and a slew of potential unfortunate implications, ultimately I think most people out there are just looking for quality entertainment, and these digital proxies give these entertainers an outlet to connect with fans in a way that they might not have otherwise.

CONCLUSION

V-Tubers are in a bit of a boom at the moment, though I can’t imagine it’ll last forever. We’re quickly approaching market saturation and after a point, people can only follow so many streamers at once. Hell, as I was editing this up, it seems as if prominent YouTuber Pewdiepie is about to step into the ring, so who knows what kind of shake-up that could bring. The bubble will undoubtedly burst and what becomes of V-Tubers then is still up in the air. Or who knows, maybe V-Tubers will endure and replace all entertainment and we’re just watching the beginning of a cyberpunk dystopia. Stranger things have happened! Considering the world is still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, that should largely have an impact on the popularity of V-Tubers for some time to come, though as we emerge into a “new normal” in the world, it’ll be interesting to see how these entertainers continue to evolve. Now, I suppose there is one question I never quite went over before now, isn’t there? How does one escape the V-Tuber rabbit hole? Well, I’m sorry to say but there is no escape.

Enjoy your new home!

-B

[blueprint-han]

Other people might put this better, but these are the two issues:

1. Old video (2019, I think) of Han and Lee Know making stereotypical “Indian” mudras and such for a charades question about Aladdin (I’m desi - I don’t think it’s a big deal personally, but looks like that would get me ended on Twitter lol)

2. Old video (2018) of Chan dancing to “This is America,” imitating a pose from the video that people are saying is insensitive for non-black people to do out of context (not being sassy here, that’s just how I’ve seen it put out), and (after being asked by the hosts I think??) rapped over the lyrics in Korean and changing the meaning - which people are saying is offensive for a song that’s about antiblackness and racism in America.

I’m clearly not really having this (both videos are old; Chan’s video predates the Miroh issue so I think his apology from then should cover it; I’m also an adult who, though I’m POC, is a bit over all this stuff.) Hopefully you can get input from other sources so you can form your own opinion.

Thank you for letting me know! Frankly I'm very over this too, and I didn't even realise the scandal until I saw a post made by an active twt and Tumblr user, so I decided to check it. I'm not talking over any voices here but I'd jusy like to ask — isn't idol room, the show were chan danced that offensive dance on a very public show that wad watched by many international fans too? Why is this only coming now?

As for the mudras thing... Huh. If its something severe like blackpinks disrespect to indian culture, I'd have been a bit affected, but as far as my knowledge — coming from a desi and Indian especially — weren't they only mimicking a dance from alladin? I'm not sure so you may correct me. Honestly I'm pretty over this too, and I'd rather just sit back and watch what happens rather than involve myself into anything and tear apart my mental health</3

[sinceileftyoublog]

Pitchfork Music Festival 2021 Preview: 15 Can’t-miss Acts

black midi; Photo by YIS KID

BY JORDAN MAINZER

While yours truly won’t be attending Pitchfork Music Festival this year, SILY contributor Daniel Palella will be covering the actual fest. If I was attending, though, these would be the acts I’d make sure to see. 5 from each day, no overlaps, so you could conceivably see everyone listed.

FRIDAY

Armand Hammer, 1:00 PM, Green Stage

Earlier this year, New York hip hop duo Armand Hammer released their 5th album Haram (BackwoodzStudioz) in collaboration with on-fire producer The Alchemist. It was the duo’s (ELUCID and Billy Woods) first time working with a singular producer on a record (though Earl Sweatshirt produced a track), and likewise, The Alchemist actually tailored his beats towards the two MCs. Haram is the exact kind of hip hop that succeeds early in the day at a festival, verbose and complex rhymes over languid, cloudy, sample-heavy beats, when attendees are more likely to want to sit and listen than dance. And you’re going to want to listen to Armand Hammer, whose MCs’ experiential words frame the eerie hues of the production. “Dreams is dangerous, linger like angel dust,” Woods raps on opener “Sir Benni Miles”, never looking back as he and Elucid’s stream-of-consciousness rhymes cover everything from colonization to Black bodily autonomy and the dangers of satisfaction disguised as optimism. (“We let BLM be the new FUBU,” raps Quelle Chris on “Chicharrones”; “Iridescent blackness / Is this performative or praxis?” ponders Woods on “Black Sunlight”.)  There are moments of levity on Haram, like KAYANA’s vocal turn on “Black Sunlight” and the “what the hell sound is this?” type sampling that dominates warped, looped tracks like “Peppertree” and “Indian Summer”, built around sounds of horns and twirling flute lines. For the most part, Haram is an album of empathetic realism. “Hurt people hurt people,” raps Elucid on “Falling Out of the Sky”, a stunning encapsulation of Armand Hammer’s world where humanism exists side-by-side with traumatic death and feelings of revenge.

You can also catch Armand Hammer doing a live set on the Vans Channel 66 livestream at 12 PM on Saturday.

Dogleg, 1:45 PM, Red Stage

It feels like we’ve been waiting years to see this set, and actually, we have! The four-piece punk band from Michigan was supposed to play last year’s cancelled fest in support of their searing debut Melee (Triple Crown), and a year-plus of pent up energy is sure to make songs like “Bueno”, “Fox”, and “Kawasaki Backflip” all the more raging. Remember: This is a band whose reputation was solidified live before they were signed to Triple Crown and released their breakout album. Seeing them is the closest thing to a no-brainer that this year’s lineup offers.

Revisit our interview with Dogleg from last year, and catch them at an aftershow on Saturday at Subterranean with fellow Pitchfork performer Oso Oso and Retirement Party.

Hop Along, 3:20 PM, Red Stage

Though lead singer Frances Quinlan released a very good solo album last year, it’s been three years since their incredible band Hop Along dropped an album and two years since they’ve toured. 2018′s Bark Your Head Off, Dog (Saddle Creek), one of our favorite albums of that year, should comprise the majority of their setlist, but maybe they have some new songs?

Catch them at an aftershow on Saturday at Metro with Varsity and Slow Mass.

black midi, 4:15 PM, Green Stage

The band who had the finest debut of 2019 and gave the best set of that year at Pitchfork is back. Cavalcade (Rough Trade) is black midi’s sophomore album, methodical in its approach in contrast with the improvisational absurdism of Schlagenheim. Stop-start, violin-laden lead single and album opener “John L”, a song about a cult leader whose members turn on him, is as good a summary as ever of the dark, funky eclecticism of black midi, who on Cavalcade saw band members leave and new ones enter, their ever shapeshifting sound the only consistent thing about them. A song like the jazzy “Diamond Stuff” is likely impossible to replicate live--its credits list everything from 19th century instruments to household kitchen items used for percussion--but is key to experiencing their instrumental adventurousness. On two-and-a-half-minute barn burner “Hogwash and Balderdash,” they for the first time fully lean into their fried Primus influences, telling a tale of two escaped prisoners, “two chickens from the pen.” At the same time, this band is still black midi, with moments that call back to Schlagenheim, the churning, metallic power chords via jittery, slapping funk of “Chondromalacia Patella” representative of their quintessential tempo changes. And as on songs like Schlagenheim’s “Western”, black midi find room for beauty here, too, empathizing with the pains of Marlene Dietrich on a bossa nova tune named after her, Geordie Greep’s unmistakable warble cooing sorrowful lines like, “Fills the hall tight / And pulls at our hearts / And puts in her place / The girl she once was.” Expect to hear plenty from Cavalcade but also some new songs; after all, this is a band that road tests and experiments with material before recording it.

Catch them doing a 2 PM DJ set on Vans Channel 66 on Saturday and at an aftershow on Monday at Sleeping Village.

Yaeji, 7:45 PM, Blue Stage

What We Drew (XL), the debut mixtape from Brooklyn-based DJ Yaeji, was one of many dance records that came out after lockdown that we all wished we could experience in a crowd as opposed to at home alone. Now's our chance to bask in all of its glory under a setting sun. Maybe she’ll spin her masterful remix of Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” from the Club Future Nostalgia remix album, or her 2021 single “PAC-TIVE”, her and DiAN’s collaboration with Pac-Man company Namco.

Angel Olsen; Photo by Dana Trippe

SATURDAY

Bartees Strange, 1:45 PM, Red Stage

One of our favorite albums of last year was Live Forever (Memory Music), the debut from singer-songwriter and The National fanatic Bartees Strange, one that contributor Lauren Lederman called “a declaration of an artist’s arrival.” He’s certainly past arrived when you take into account his busy 2021, releasing a new song with Lorenzo Wolff and offering his remix services to a number of artists, including illuminati hotties and fellow Pitchfork performer (and tour mate) Phoebe Bridgers. Expect to hear lots of Live Forever during his Pitchfork set, one of many sets at the fest featuring exciting young guitar-based (!) bands.

Catch him at a free (!!) aftershow on Monday at Empty Bottle with Ganser.

Faye Webster, 4:00 PM, Blue Stage

Since we previewed Faye Webster’s Noonchorus livestream in October, she’s released the long-awaited follow-up to Atlanta Millionaires Club, the cheekily titled I Know I’m Funny haha (Secretly Canadian). At that time, she had dropped “Better Distractions”, “In A Good Way”, and “Both All The Time”, and the rest of the album more than follows the promise of these three dreamy country, folk rock, and R&B-inspired tunes. Webster continues to be a master of tone and mood, lovelorn on “Sometimes”, sarcastic on the title track, and head-in-the-clouds on “A Dream with a Baseball Player”. All the while, she and her backing band provide stellar, languorous instrumentation, keys and slide guitar on the bossa nova “Kind Of”, her overdriven guitar sludge on “Cheers”, cinematic strings on the melancholic “A Stranger”, stark acoustic guitar on heartbreaking closer “Half of Me”. And the ultimate irony of Webster’s whip-smart lyricism is that a line like, “And today I get upset over this song that I heard / And I guess was just upset because why didn't I think of it first,” is that I can guarantee a million songwriters feel the same way about her music, timely in context and timeless in sound and feeling.

Catch her at an aftershow on Saturday at Sleeping Village with Danger Incorporated.

Georgia Anne Muldrow, 5:15 PM, Blue Stage

The queen of beats takes the stage during the hottest part of the day, perfect for some sweaty dancing. VWETO III (FORESEEN + Epistrophik Peach Sound), the third album in Muldrow’s beats record series, was put together with “calls to action” in mind, each single leading up to the album’s release to be paired with crowdsourced submissions via Instagram from singers, visual artists, dancers, and turntablists. Moreover, many of the album’s tracks are inspired by very specific eras of Black music, from Boom Bap and G-funk to free jazz, and through it all, Muldrow provides a platform for musical education just as much as funky earworms.

Revisit our interview with Muldrow from earlier this year.

Angel Olsen, 7:25 PM, Red Stage

It’s been a busy past two years for Angel Olsen. She revealed Whole New Mess (Jagjaguwar) in August 2020, stripped down arrangements of many of the songs on 2019′s amazing All Mirrors. In May, she came out with a box set called Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories (Jagjaguwar), which contained both All Mirrors and Whole New Mess and a bonus LP of remixes, covers, alternate takes, and bonus tracks. She shortly and out of nowhere dropped a song of the year candidate in old school country rock high and lonesome Sharon Van Etten duet “Like I Used To”. And just last month, she released Aisles, an 80′s covers EP out on her Jagjaguwar imprint somethingscosmic. She turns Laura Branigan’s disco jam “Gloria” and Men Without Hats’ “Safety Dance” into woozy, echoing, slowed-down beds of synth haze and echoing drum machine. On Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s “If You Leave”, her voice occupies different registers between the soft high notes of the bridge and autotuned solemnity of the chorus. Sure, other covers are more recognizable in their tempo and arrangement, like Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell ballad “Eyes Without a Face” and Alphaville’s “Forever Young”, but Aisles is exemplary of Olsen’s ability to not just reinvent herself but classics.

At Pitchfork, I’d bet on a set heavy on All Mirrors and Whole New Mess, but as with the unexpectedness of Aisles, you never know!

St. Vincent, 8:30 PM, Green Stage

Annie Clark again consciously shifts personas and eras with her new St. Vincent album Daddy’s Home (Loma Vista), inspired by 70′s funk rock and guitar-driven psychedelia. While much of the album’s rollout centered around its backstory--Clark’s father’s time in prison for white collar crimes--the album is a thoughtful treatise on honesty and identity, the first St. Vincent album to really stare Clark’s life in the face. 

Many of its songs saw their live debut during a Moment House stream, which we previewed last month.

The Weather Station; Photo by Jeff Bierk

SUNDAY

Tomberlin, 1:00 PM, Green Stage

While the LA-via-Louisville singer-songwriter hasn’t yet offered a proper follow-up LP to her 2018 debut At Weddings, she did last year release an EP called Projections (Saddle Creek), which expands upon At Weddings’ shadowy palate. Songs like “Hours” and “Wasted” are comparatively clattering and up-tempo. Yet, all four of the original tracks are increasingly self-reflexive, Tomberlin exploring and redefining herself on her terms, whether singing about love or queerness, all while maintaining her sense of humor. (“When you go you take the sun and all my flowers die / So I wait by the window and write some shit / And hope that you'll reply,” she shrugs over acoustic strums and wincing electric guitars.) The album ends with a stark grey cover of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone’s “Natural Light”; Tomberlin finds a kindred spirit in the maudlin musings of Owen Ashworth.

Get there early on Sunday to hear select tracks from At Weddings and Projections but also likely some new songs.

oso oso, 2:45 PM, Blue Stage

Basking in the Glow (Triple Crown), the third album from Long Beach singer-songwriter Jade Lilitri as Oso Oso, was one of our favorite records of 2019, and we’d relish the opportunity to see them performed to a crowd in the sun. Expect to hear lots of it; hopefully we’re treated to new oso oso material some time soon.

Catch them at an aftershow on Saturday at Subterranean with fellow Pitchfork performer Dogleg and Retirement Party.

The Weather Station, 4:00 PM, Blue Stage

The Toronto band led by singer-songwriter Tamara Lindeman released one of the best albums of the year back in February with Ignorance (Fat Possum), songs inspired by climate change-addled anxiety. While the record is filled with affecting, reflective lines about loss and trying to find happiness in the face of dread, in a live setting, I imagine the instrumentation will be a highlight, from the fluttering tension of “Robber” to the glistening disco of “Parking Lot”.

Revisit our preview of their Pitchfork Instagram performance from earlier this year. Catch them at an aftershow on Friday at Schubas with Ulna.

Danny Brown, 6:15 PM, Green Stage

The Detroit rapper’s last full-length record was the Q-Tip executive produced uknowhatimsayin¿ (Warp), though he’s popped up a few times since then, on remixes, a Brockhampton album, and TV62, a Bruiser Brigade Records compilation from earlier this year. (He’s also claimed in Twitch streams that his new album Quaranta is almost done.) His sets--especially Pitchfork sets--are always high-energy, as he’s got so many classic albums and tracks under his belt at this point, so expect to hear a mix of those.

Erykah Badu, 8:30 PM, Green Stage

What more can I say? This is the headliner Pitchfork has been trying to get for years, responsible for some of the greatest neo soul albums of all time. There’s not much else to say about Erykah Badu other than she’s the number one must-see at the festival.

[wikiuntamed]

On this day in Wikipedia: Thursday, 7th September

Welcome, नमस्ते, Selam, Välkommen 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 7th September through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

7th September 2021 🗓️ : Event - Bitcoin Bitcoin becomes legal tender in El Salvador. "Bitcoin (abbreviation: BTC or XBT; sign: ₿) is a decentralized digital currency. Bitcoin transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography and recorded in a public distributed ledger called a blockchain. The cryptocurrency was invented in 2008 by an unknown person or group of people..."

Image by Grayliptrot

7th September 2018 🗓️ : Death - Pedro Jirón Pedro Jirón, Nicaraguan footballer "Pedro Jose Jirón Rugama "Peche Jirón" (18 December 1939 – 7 September 2018) was a Nicaraguan professional footballer who played as a midfielder. ..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0? by Ryan Pinkham

7th September 2013 🗓️ : Death - Romesh Bhandari Romesh Bhandari, Pakistani-Indian politician and diplomat, 13th Foreign Secretary of India (b. 1928) "Romesh Bhandari (29 March 1928 – 7 September 2013) was an Indian Foreign Secretary, former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and former governor of Tripura, Goa and Uttar Pradesh...."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0? by Bubun96

7th September 1973 🗓️ : Birth - Shannon Elizabeth Shannon Elizabeth, American model and actress "Shannon Elizabeth Fadal (born September 7, 1973) is an American actress, conservationist, animal activist, model and poker player. A popular sex symbol and teen idol of the 1990s and 2000s, Elizabeth is best known for her roles in the films American Pie, Tomcats, Scary Movie, and Love Actually. She..."

Image licensed under CC BY 2.0? by Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA

7th September 1923 🗓️ : Event - Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) is formed. "The International Criminal Police Organization, commonly known as Interpol (UK: IN-tər-pol, US: -⁠pohl), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime control. It is the world's largest international police organization. It is headquartered in Lyon,..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 de? by NordNordWest

7th September 1822 🗓️ : Event - Pedro I of Brazil Pedro I declared the independence of Brazil from Portugal, establishing the Empire of Brazil. "Dom Pedro I (English: Peter I; 12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834) was the founder and first ruler of the Empire of Brazil, where he was known as "the Liberator". As King Dom Pedro IV, he reigned briefly over Portugal, where he also became known as "the Liberator" as well as "the Soldier King"...."

Image by Simplício Rodrigues de Sá

7th September 🗓️ : Holiday - Christian feast day: Gratus of Aosta "Gratus of Aosta (Italian: San Grato di Aosta, French: Saint Grat d'Aoste) (d. September 7, c. AD 470) was a bishop of Aosta and is the city's patron saint. ..."

Image

[unpopularkpop-opinions]

People were mad that Soyeon called it ‘ethnic hip’ if she was talking about African culture or whatever, but in Korea, if there is anyone of African descent, or any race that is not ethnically Korean, they are an ‘ethnic minority’, right? So that would be why Soyeon called it ‘Ethnic Hip’. I think, people are so quick to say that their idol ‘doesn’t understand’ and that ‘they need to be educated’ but they really won’t provide that lease for any other group than their faves. Though I don’t like them, I’m not trying to hate on them because I do, but J-Hope had ‘Gel twists’ in his CNS, and even if they aren’t dreadlocks, the implication is still there- I’ve seen literally no one dragging his name in the dirt. Obviously, no one deserves to be hated for this, but people really cancel everyone else but not their faves, you know? To be honest, nobody spoke about the prior mentioned thing… People really rip into (G)I-DLE… Like GDA 2018, people said they had a mosque as their background… But they might not have? I’m really strict Muslim, and if it was a mosque- Which it could’ve been- I’d be disappointed… However, the structure and architectural points of a mosque are very similar to traditional Indian buildings, like the Taj Mahal. Not only that, but there are lot of buildings that look like this throughout the Middle East. It even looked like the castle from Aladdin!! People say all their comebacks are like spin the wheel for appropriation, but Hann, Latata, Señorita and Uh-Oh literally don’t show this in terms of their initial promotions and the MV. Another thing that people claim (G)I-DLE appropriated, that is also part of my culture, is Henna. In my knowledge, Henna is usually applied for special occasions, like weddings or Eid, one of our celebrations. But we can also wear it whenever we want. I don’t have an issue if somebody wears it despite them being ‘white’ or outside of the culture, because it’s literally just ink of the hand… Yet people attack (G)I-DLE for it. There’s another group who apparently used Henna for tattoos on their hand, and nobody’s dragging them through the mud. I feel like people are bitter because (G)I-DLE’s come so much further than people would like…

[inick4u]

Tame the Dragon

It was on 9 November 1989, five days after half a million people gathered in East Berlin in a mass protest the Berlin Wall dividing communist East Germany from West Germany crumbled. It culminated in one of the most famous scenes in recent history - the fall of the Berlin Wall. An end to the Cold War was declared at the Malta Summit three weeks later, and the reunification of Germany took place in October the following year. It took US (and west) around 45 years after world war-2 to claim the triumph over mighty Soviet Union when it got dissolved in Dec 1991. The similarities between communist USSR and present day China in their hegemonic, expansionist, tyrannical, authoritarian, Orwellian regimes are not unfathomable.

Rise of China, its Military and Economical Potency

Rise of china started in 1980, due to initiation of economic reforms and trade liberalization with real annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth averaging 9.5% through 2018, a pace described by the World Bank as “the fastest sustained expansion by a major economy in history.” Such growth has enabled China, on average, to double its GDP every eight years and helped raise an estimated 800 million people out of poverty and becoming second highest GDP around 13.41 trillion USD in 2018.

In terms of Military strength, Second only to the U.S. and Russia, the Chinese military continues to grow alongside a local burgeoning Military-Industrial Complex with around 21 lakhs active personnel and around 175 billion USD budget.

Threat of China to India and stability of world at large

Chinese leadership interpreted 2008 financial crisis as decline of US supremacy & inadequacy to maintain stability in economy. First manifestation of China asserting its belligerent policies started in March 2010 with its expansive claim over South China Sea. Chinese claim over South China Sea was projected as their core interest and non-negotiable like Tibet and Taiwan. In November 2012 at 18th Party Congress of CCP ,Hu Jintao who was loathe to be seen as weak in foreign policy, especially in the context of a rapidly growing concern about social stability and regime legitimacy was succeed by Xi Jinping. After that number of steps undertook by PRC to increase their stakes in world stability. In series of that, Launching of Belt and road initiative in 2013 widely seen as agenda  to threaten sovereignty, export sub-standard norms and practices, ensnaring developing countries with debt dependence and then translating that dependence into geopolitical influence. China’s actions in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Malaysia are central to the “debt trap diplomacy” debates. This was followed by numerous controversies over dubious cyber activities, maritime and land disputes with its neighbor (such as India, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, and Philippines), ethnic atrocities on Uighur Muslims in Xinxiang, curbing anti-china protest in Hong Kong and Trade war with US.

By any parameters, one can safely conclude that china has been overtly challenging US and west domination on world affairs in all facets over a decade now and pose severe threat to regional & world stability.

On domestic front, New Delhi has been very skeptical and apprehensive about Beijing and its hawkish polices after trauma of 1962 war. The event of Doklam, raising Kashmir issue in UN, blocking India’s entry into NSG (Nuclear Supplier Group), Supporting jihadi terrorist on international forums, pact with Pakistan for CPEC with an aim to undermine India’s sovereignty and now killing of 20 Indian soldiers in Ladakh by PLA has unsurprisingly conveyed the devious plot of evil Xi-Jinping regime to destabilize India.  China is also following the strategy of containing India in maritime region by establishing bases for the forward deployment of their naval assets and to gain relative advantage and leverage Indo-pacific region.

Now, outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic allegedly originated in wet markets of Chinese city of Wuhan and its information suppressed by China has really triggered the conflict between world and China wide open. The world is now badly suffering with devastating effect of Covid-19 at all fronts and wants to hold the Chinese government responsible for hiding the information unscrupulously.

Infiltration of China in Indian Economy

We need to understand few basic facts about infiltration of China in Indian economy before going into the debate of boycott China campaign. India is running biggest single trade deficit with China comparing to any other country. The imbalance has continuously been widening year after year to reach USD 58.04 billion in 2018. Over time, our raw material-based export commodities of largely agricultural and pharmaceutical products have been overshadowed by Chinese exports of machinery, power-related equipment, telecom, organic chemicals, and fertilizers. Many Chinese electronic, IT and hardware manufacturing companies are also having operations in India. These include Huawei Technologies, ZTE, TCL, Haier etc. Chinese mobile handset companies Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo, Realme occupy nearly 75% of Indian mobile handset market.

Apart from the bilateral trade, Chinese investments in a country come through direct, routed and through corporate penetration in technology and infrastructure sectors. Officially, China's FDI in India stands at over $2.34 billion. Some observers and think tanks report a higher investment including rerouted ones. They put the Chinese investments in India at over $4 billion. Some of our shining brands having massive Chinese investment are Ola, Flipkart, Swiggy, Paytm, Snapdeal, Zomato etc.

 Can Boycotting Chinese Product help?

Any people movement of boycotting Chinese Product is not only going to be very futile engagement with very less dividend but shows our approach of banalisation of very complex international matter with united  jingoism. Almost every experts are opining to the contrary and also we don’t have any history of such successful attempt or study of consumer boycotting in attaining self-reliance or penalizing the “enemy” nation.

The range of goods that we import from China is immense: consumer durables such as electronic goods, smartphones, industrial goods, vehicles, solar cells, and essential pharmaceutical products including tuberculosis and leprosy drugs and antibiotics, among many others. It needs to be acknowledged that China has increased its export to Africa, Europe, US and its dependence on export to India is not great (2% of its total exports). So even if Indians boycott all the goods imported from China, it will not make as big an impact on China. On the other hand sudden throwing out Chinese firms may impact Indian industries and tech startups due to lack of investment, raw material and low cost capital investment. Another impact could be further worsen of unemployment rate which currently stands at alarming 24% rate.

USP of Chinese goods has been its affordability and availability. With a careful study of global society’s multi-cultural needs – some of the cheapest saris, toys, Diwali firecrackers and god idols in India come from China.  In our country where 75% of population only managed to earn Rs. 33 per day, consumer eventually prefer to go for the cheapest available option in the market. So call for boycotting anyways going to diminish sooner or later without achieving its goal.

 Ways to counter the bully

To quote great ancient Chinese General and Military Strategist Sun Tzu “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”

Conventional warfare cannot be a viable option to counter a nation which is 5 times bigger in GDP and 3 times bigger in terms of military spending. Hence opening remarks of this article about history explains why India needs a long term, stable, prudent multilateral strategy to counter china and can be classified as follows.

a) Economic Reforms, bilateral and multilateral Trade agreement – It’s not intricate to understand that reason China is able to challenge US is because of their sustained economic growth. And this is an undisputed opinion in the world that India has failed to reach its potential after forced Liberalization of 1991 (explanation needs another article).  

An efficient government is one that draws down its intervention where it is distortionary and goes big where it needs to—is a better goal. The Indian state has made the wrong call too often. We have already lost a decade for structural economic reforms and cannot be further delayed. The Clarion call of Atmanirbar Bharat should not be misconstrued to the policy of protectionism and disruption. Though it’s impossible to suggest any magic wand to overturn India’s economic woes (going on now from long time) in few paragraphs but let’s discuss some basic concepts.

India is inadequately formalized, financialised, urbanized, industrialized and skilled. There are fundamentally two different part of economy i.e. Rural and Urban economy. Rural economy is mostly based on agriculture and constitute 65% of population. Agricultural reforms should ensure easier access to inputs like seeds, technology, power, finance and insurance. They should effect greater connectivity, both virtual and through logistic networks, of the farmer to warehouses, rural industry and final consumers.

Some bold steps for Land and labor reforms need to be undertaken. Though some states like MP and UP made some labor reforms but union government’s formulation with wider consultation of industry and trade unions required.

India, with its massive domestic consumption, can hunker down and resolve to boost domestic demand in the coming months. Government must put more money in people’s hands by creating more jobs through huge public investment projects that bring about new national assets. The government also needs to go further in reforming the banking sector & financial institute, including stricter regulations over lending and enhanced supervision from regulators. Government must work on issue like Simplification of GST, elimination of red tapism, avoiding crony capitalism, low tariffs to attract foreign investment, encouragement to startups etc.

India’s Spending on R&D is very low. In the process of self-reliance, it becomes paramount that along with improvement in our education systems we must spend on R&D of technological development. Eg. India has quadrupled its imports of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. 175 million such batteries were imported in 2016, 313 million in 2017, 712 million in 2018 and 450 million in 2019. About ¾ of this import comes from China causing surge in our import bill. With Robust R&D Infrastructure, increasing import tariffs and assisting our indigenous industry, this can be easily overturned in a span of 3-4 years. Same can be applied to electronics industry, mobile handset industry and some low cost equipment’s which now heavily depending on China.

Trade agreements with like-minded countries in non-sensitive sector will also help in much needed infusion of funds and making our products competitive globally and exportable.

This is long haul process and needs stable, strong vision and may not get us the headlines but surely will help to transform our economy.

(In April, the United Nations’ World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reported that for the first time in 40 years, China had applied for more patent applications than the U.S. including artificial intelligence, brain science, dark matter, genetic engineering and quantum computing and communications. These are areas at the cutting edge of science. No wonder why China’s firm Huawei is pioneer of 5G technology.)

 Most of things mentioned here are very conceptual, subjective and aspirational. The downturn of Business friendly Chief Minister to the Prime Minister governing with heavy centralization, rhetoric, popular slogans, Communal division is tragic and still anew in our mind. But hope some sanity prevails because history won’t be as forgiving as present day electorate.

 b) Military & strategic Co-operation with World Powers & Alliance with geo-political Anti-China Forces – Well the good news is that in the post COVID era, threats of rise of hegemonic China are acknowledged by all. Many countries including US like Australia, UK, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan have started aggressive opposition of Chinese polices. Hence analogy of Cold war -2 is not mere catchphrase. And threats posed by Beijing demand a ‘more global approach’.

India should realize that higgledy-piggledy strategy against China and non-alignment wouldn’t give the desired result. Strategic military co-operation without compromising the autonomy would play the most vital part in foreign relations. The expansion of G7 is being deliberated and UK is keen to have India join the D10 alliance. India already participates in the Quad (with Australia, Japan, and the U.S.) and in the Indo-Pacific Strategy, both U.S.-led anti-China platforms. Alliances would help to promote a coordinated response between friendly states to challenges posed by the present conduct and future ambitions of the People’s Republic of China. By developing a common set of principles and frameworks (diplomatically and militarily) that transcend conservatism will be able achieve the goals.

Regional players like Taiwan, Japan and South Korea are challenging Beijing draconian approach in the region. India should join their voices and the first step would be recognizing Taiwan and setting up diplomatic relation with them. India should also raise the concerns of Chinese policy towards Uighurs , Hong Kong and Tibet on international forums more often than not.

 c) Peace on Domestic front – In pursuit of competing with a giant china and its proxies like Pakistan, the importance of peace and law & order on domestic front cannot be over emphasized. The prospects of being a democratic country is our biggest strength vis-a-vis China. However our insidious political class across the country has been indulged in sabotaging the democracy and interested in only grabbing the power.  Without really going into the narrative of our Indian ethos and ancient culture of accommodating people of all beliefs, I want to underlay that the basic principle of wealth and prosperity is peace. Dangerous religious and Caste trends could destroy the social fabric of the nation in the long run. Alienation of Minorities should be reversed. Instances of communal riots across states, violent agitation of Jats in Haryana, perpetual violence in Bengal demonstrate very grim portrait of our society. The soft power of demography, importance of communal-social harmony and the need of unity against foreign enemy cannot be overlooked. Though it seems very trivial but in my opinion this is very crucial and hardest step of all.

 Lastly it’s not a question of belling the cat, its how well world take snipe shots to kill this beast.

(Views expressed here are mine while source of most figures is google search)