A Month Of Amour Propre For India

The delectable month of August is always spesh for the Republic of India as it's the hallmark of India's much-awaited independence from the mighty United Kingdom (UK) in the tumultuous year of 1947. The calefaction of New Delhi was mantled by jouissance of liberty and self-sustenance in the climax of summer in 1947. And this year, it is extra special for a euphoric reason. India has undertaken the rotatory charge of the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the month of August 2021 (on the 1st of August). India's two-year (2021-22) incumbency as one of the ten non-permanent members of the UNSC commenced on January 1, 2021, for the 8th time since 30 October 1945, when the Crown-rule subjugated British India got inducted into the fortunate successor of the world's first intergovernmental organization, the maladroit League of Nations. Prior to the August 2021 stint, India has been the President of the pivotal UN body for 9 terms: June 1950, September 1967, December 1972, October 1977, February 1985, October 1991, December 1992, August 2011, and November 2012. India will preside over the Security Council again in December 2022, mayhap in an inoculated multilateral world that would have vanquished and vanished the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed by the despotic regime of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The working day for India kicked off on August 2, and as President of the Security Council, India has the out-and-out power to decide the agenda for the month and orchestrate and preside over signature events, summits, and forums, etcetera. India has been the international cynosure as it put forward three focal points of its Presidency, i.e., {1} Maritime Security; an all-new agenda propounded by India given the South China Sea crisis and the brazen muscle-flexing of China in the cardinal waters of Indo-Pacific; {2} Counterterrorism; given the "strategic momentum" wangled by Taliban as per General Mark Milley of Pentagon, ensuing the American & NATO withdrawal from the war-torn landlocked country by August 31 (Even now, 95% of the once-invading forces have retarcted, including from the once-epicentre of the "War on Terror" Bagram airbase, engendering a climacteric moment in Afghanistan's history; America is now all but gone and the ANDSF is unchaperoned); India will also chair the Counterterrorism Committee at the UN in January 2022; {3} Peacekeeping; it is the fulcrum of India's partaking with the UN and India is one of the whacking troop contributors to the UN missions in war-ravaged countries such as Congo, Lebanon, Somalia, and South Sudan among others. Over 170 peacekeepers of India have lost their lives in the last seven decades in these assuaging missions. The donnish T.S. Tirumurti, India's Permanent Representative to the UN affirmed on August 1 in a video message, "The Security Council will also have on its agenda several meetings including Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, and the Middle East. Security Council will also be adopting important resolutions on Somalia, Mali, and UN Interim Forces in Lebanon".

The French Republic and the Russian Federation (both constitute the P5) were among the first countries to extol India as the President of the esteemed Council. Nikolay Kudashev, Russian Ambassador to India tweeted acclaiming, "Congratulations on #India's taking over as the #UNSC presidency! Truly impressed with the agenda, which embraces pressing global issues including maritime security, peacekeeping & counter-terrorism. Expecting fruitful & effective work. Wishing many happy returns & all the success!". The soft-spoken Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain tweeted soberly, "Delighted that India is today [1 August] taking over as the #UNSC presidency from France. We are committed to working with India on strategic issues as maritime security, peacekeeping & counter-terrorism, and upholding a rules-based, multilateral system to face today's many ongoing crises". India's External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, a career diplomat-turned-timorous but adept & plain-spoken lawmaker tweeted, "As we [India] take over UNSC Presidency for August, look forward to working productively with other members. India will always be a voice of moderation, an advocate of dialogue and a proponent of international law". Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the safe haven for terror groups like JeM, LeT, TTP, and others bellyached morally policing India, "We hope that India will abide by the relevant rules and norms governing the conduct of the Security Council Presidency", Zahid Hafeez Chaudhari, the imbecile spokesperson of Pakistan's foreign office anticipated. The ingenious Syed Akbaruddin, the precursor of Ambassador Tirumurti tweeted in exuberance, "A first in the making... With India as President of @UN Security Council in August, an Indian Prime Minister may perhaps preside, albeit virtually, a Council meeting for 1st time on 9 August 2021"; he was promptly trolled by the so-called leftists, secularists, liberals, and democratists for his "specious" tweet, but the context he was referring to remains unascertained; this quirk of the Indian left of shamming to be the scholars of every sphere of the intellectual world is pesky to centrists and moderate rightists and enraging to the stauch right-wingers.

It has spun-out demand of India to have a permanent seat on the UNSC. Since India is an industrious and a keen member of the G4 (India, Japan, Brazil, and Germany; seeking a permanent seat on the UNSC), it is endorsed for its bid for a permanent seat by these countries as well as by other democratic and peace-loving ones including four of the P5 (somewhat): US, UK, France, and Russia. China has always been antipathetic to India's bid, but then it isn't shell-shocking. The rogue, undemocratic, and callous State of China puts India at jeopardy, but thanks to our democratic Western allies for standing shoulder to shoulder with India in every domain. India has proferred for a 'reformed multilateralism' within the UN and calls its set-up as 'anachronistic'. PM Modi while addressing the General Debate of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 26th September 2020 asked affirmly, "Today, people of India are concerned whether this reform-process will ever reach its logical conclusion. For how long will India be kept out of the decision-making structures of the United Nations? Reform in the responses, in the processes, and in the very character of the UN is the need of the hour. It is a fact that the faith and respect that the UN enjoys among the 1.3 billion people in India is unparalled." PM Modi's vehement diction hit the nail on the head but the stone deaf UN needs more diplomatic, political, and verbal arm-twisting to concede India's legitimate demand. Chairing the horseshoe-shaped table is a symbol of India's notability among the global community and its cognizance of being a potential liberal superpower. I can write candidly that this is a month of amour propre for India and Indians.

Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu (Let the world be happy) ~ Mangala Mantra

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The world is one family) ~ Maha Upanishad