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Shibpur Botanical Garden Crisis: Great Banyan Tree, Heritage Under Threat from Climate Change, Urban Sprawl - Frontline
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Its 273 acres face multiple threats: sewage-filled canals, illegal settlements eating into its edges, cyclone damage to its rare specimens, and a severe funding crunch that hampers basic maintenance. 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Its 273 acres face multiple threats: sewage-filled canals, illegal settlements eating into its edges, cyclone damage to its rare specimens, and a severe funding crunch that hampers basic maintenance. 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Its 273 acres face multiple threats: sewage-filled canals, illegal settlements eating into its edges, cyclone damage to its rare specimens, and a severe funding crunch that hampers basic maintenance. 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itemtype="https://schema.org/ListItem"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-culture/heritage/" itemtype="https://schema.org/Thing" itemprop="item"> Heritage </a><meta itemprop="name" content="Heritage"><meta itemprop="position" content="3"></li><li class="breadcrumb-item kicker" aria-current="page"><a class="kicker-outline">CONSERVATION</a></li></ol></nav><div class="col-xl-9 col-lg-8 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-12 storyline" data-id="68818378" data-url="https://frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-culture/heritage/heritage-kolkata-shibpur-botanical-garden-trees-conservation-environment-climate-change-biodiversity/article68818378.ece" data-title="Paradise in Peril: India’s great banyan garden fights for survival "><h1 itemprop="name" class="title"> Paradise in Peril: India’s great banyan garden fights for survival </h1><h3 class="sub-title">The Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, a living heritage site, is in desperate need of funds to sustain itself.</h3><p class="publish-time"> Published : Nov 10, 2024 22:13 IST - 8 MINS READ </p><div class="author"><div class="author-name noimg"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/profile/author/Soumitra-Das-17638/" class="person-name lnk">Soumitra Das</a></div></div><div class="comments-shares share-page"><div class="left"><p class="comments comments-article" data-ga-label="comments"> COMMents <span class="coral-count text" data-coral-url="https://frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-culture/heritage/heritage-kolkata-shibpur-botanical-garden-trees-conservation-environment-climate-change-biodiversity/article68818378.ece" data-coral-id="68818378" data-coral-notext="true"></span></p></div><div class="right" data-title="Paradise in Peril: India’s great banyan garden fights for survival " data-url="https://frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-culture/heritage/heritage-kolkata-shibpur-botanical-garden-trees-conservation-environment-climate-change-biodiversity/article68818378.ece"><p class="share share-text 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"><picture><!--[if IE 9]><video style="display: none;"><![endif]--><source media="(min-width: 1600px)" sizes="960px" srcset="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/lwihat/article68844513.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/Banyan%20Tree03.jpg" /><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1599px)" sizes="640px" srcset="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/lwihat/article68844513.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/Banyan%20Tree03.jpg" /><source media="(min-width: 321px) and (max-width: 767px)" sizes="400px" srcset="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/lwihat/article68844513.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_660/Banyan%20Tree03.jpg" /><source media="(max-width: 320px)" sizes="320px" srcset="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/lwihat/article68844513.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_320/Banyan%20Tree03.jpg" /><!--[if IE 9]></video><![endif]--><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" alt="The Great Banyan tree, spread over 1.5 hectares with more than 2,800 prop roots, is one of the biggest attractions of the Indian botanical garden in Howrah, West Bengal. " title="The Great Banyan tree, spread over 1.5 hectares with more than 2,800 prop roots, is one of the biggest attractions of the Indian botanical garden in Howrah, West Bengal. " data-original="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" class="lead-img" fetchpriority="high"/></picture></div><p class="caption"> The Great Banyan tree, spread over 1.5 hectares with more than 2,800 prop roots, is one of the biggest attractions of the Indian botanical garden in Howrah, West Bengal. | Photo Credit: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury </p></div><div id="content-body-68818378" class="articlebodycontent col-xl-9 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-12" itemprop="articleBody"><p>On October 25, the severe cyclonic storm Dana struck the eastern coast of India, bringing torrential rain and high-velocity winds that uprooted trees and electric poles in Odisha and West Bengal. It brought back memories of <a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/article31657500.ece" target="_blank" >Cyclone Amphan</a>, which caused massive damage in 2020. West Bengal’s Shibpur botanical garden, one of the largest and oldest botanical gardens in South Asia, was ravaged, with more than 2,000 trees uprooted. Amphan left two empty patches in the garden’s chief attraction, the Great Banyan tree (<i>Ficus benghalensis</i>), recorded as the largest tree specimen in the world in the book of <i>Guinness World Records </i>in 1989. Because of its wide canopy, the more than 250-year-old tree is a forest in itself.</p><p>But the banyan has weathered many such storms, including one in 1925 that caused a deadly fungal infection in its main trunk. The trunk was amputated to make the tree survive. Following the devastation caused by Amphan, “efforts are being made to fill up the bald patches by training the prop roots through bamboo stalks filled with earth”, said the present superintendent of the garden, Dr Devendra Singh, who is also Joint Director, Botanical Survey of India (BSI), which is in charge of the heritage property.</p><div class=" article-picture"><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/arts-and-culture/heritage/nb7vl6/article68844387.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/Shibpur%20map.jpg" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/arts-and-culture/heritage/nb7vl6/article68844387.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/Shibpur%20map.jpg" alt="A map showing the layout of the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden." title="A map showing the layout of the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden." class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%" /><p class="caption"> A map showing the layout of the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden. | Photo Credit: Botanical Survey of India </p></div><p>In 1907, the historian H.E.A. Cotton (1868-1939) wrote in his <i>Calcutta Old And New: A Historical and Descriptive Handbook to the City</i>: “The Royal Botanic Garden (founded in 1786 by the East India Company, by the advice of Colonel Kyd, of the Bengal Engineers, who became its first Superintendent), is situated in the suburb of Howrah on the opposite side of the river [Hooghly] from Calcutta and immediately below the Government Engineering College. The upper entrance gate of the garden… is easily reached by a good road which passes through Howrah and the village of Seebpore….”</p><p><strong>Also Read | <a class="also-read-mid-article" href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/environment/conservation/rani-bagh-at-160-celebrating-the-heritage-garden-of-mumbai/article65835097.ece">Rani Bagh at 160: Celebrating the heritage garden of Mumbai</a></strong></p><p>The “good road” is still there, but the entrance is now clogged with illegal shops, hawkers, and shacks with toilets leaning against the garden wall. Buses stop in front of the gate, making access difficult. Once the urban sprawl is left behind, the premises of the garden itself—with acres of leafy arbours, groves, and long vistas of fine trees, creepers, and coppices; exotic flowering plants; and grassy knolls by ornamental sheets of water—still feel like a paradise on earth.</p><p><strong>Also Read | <a class="also-read-mid-article" href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-culture/heritage/abanindranath-tagore-garden-house-of-the-homing-artist-restored/article66493182.ece">Abanindranath Tagore: Garden house of the homing artist restored</a></strong></p><p>Renamed the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden in 2009, the erstwhile “Company Bagan” (East India Company garden) is “a living repository of 1,377 plant species and tallying to a number of 14,122 plants, including trees, shrubs and climbers, possesses 25 divisions and 24 interconnected lakes…”, to quote from the BSI website. The garden, locally called the Shibpur garden (it is located in Shibpur of West Bengal’s Howrah district), has a rich array of curiosities and attractions. Chief among them are the Great Banyan tree; the “Large Palm House containing rich collection of palms including <i>Lodoicea maldivica</i> (the double coconut palm); …the Giant Water Lily (<i>Victoria amazonica</i>) brought from the Amazon river; …mountain rose or Venezuelan rose (<i>Brownea</i> sp.); Baobab tree…(<i>Adansonia digitata</i>) native of Africa; Rosogolla tree (<i>Chrysohyllum cainito</i>)”; and many more. The mahogany trees that form the avenues were shipped all the way from the West Indies in 1795.</p><div class=" article-picture"><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/v5nq49/article68844424.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/AJCBOSEBOTANICGARDEN14.JPG" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/v5nq49/article68844424.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/AJCBOSEBOTANICGARDEN14.JPG" alt="The empty patches left in the Great Banyan following Cyclone Amphan in 2020." title="The empty patches left in the Great Banyan following Cyclone Amphan in 2020." class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%" /><p class="caption"> The empty patches left in the Great Banyan following Cyclone Amphan in 2020. | Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI </p></div><p>Captain George King (1840-1909), who took charge as superintendent in 1871, designed the present lay of the garden, which was wrecked by a cataclysmic cyclone in 1864. To stop flooding, he devised a chain of artificial lakes by raising the ground level.</p><h3 class="sub_head">Need of a new vision</h3><p>Today, proper maintenance of the sprawling garden is hindered by a lack of funds. “There is no specific funding for the garden,” said Dr A.A. Mao, Director, BSI. The budget for the BSI is more than Rs.100 crore for 2024-25, to be divided among its 17 units all over India. The BSI has 11 gardens and 500 acres under its care. Nearly 80 per cent of the budget is spent on staff salary, leaving behind a meagre 20 per cent for the gardens and research. Mao has appealed to Kolkata-based corporate houses like ITC Ltd and CESC for help but none has been forthcoming.</p><div class=" article-picture"><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/igqj8i/article68844427.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/AJCBOSEBOTANICGARDEN7.JPG" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/igqj8i/article68844427.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/AJCBOSEBOTANICGARDEN7.JPG" alt="Dr A. A. Mao, Director, BSI, said “There is no specific funding for the garden.”" title="Dr A. A. Mao, Director, BSI, said “There is no specific funding for the garden.”" class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%" /><p class="caption"> Dr A. A. Mao, Director, BSI, said “There is no specific funding for the garden.” | Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI </p></div><p>In 2021, a survey conducted by the University of Edinburgh along with the Asia Scotland Trust (AST) and Neeta Subhrajit Das Associates (NSDA), a Kolkata-based architecture firm, concluded that the garden needed a new vision. If its orientation could be changed to environment and<a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/environment/climate-change-raghu-murtugudde-time-to-reconsider-massive-resources-invested-in-future-projections/article67507876.ece" target="_blank" > climate change</a>, as the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London has done, funds could be tapped more easily. Sandra Botterell, director of marketing and commercial enterprises at Kew Gardens, said that Kew, instead of harping on past glories, is “focused on finding nature-based solutions to end the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change”.</p><div class="info-box"><h5 class="main-title">Reviving Roxburgh House</h5><h5 class="sub-title">Plans are underway to restore and reuse the 231-year-old house of William Roxburgh, first superintendent of the Shibpur Botanical Garden in West Bengal.</h5><div class="info-element">A succession of pioneering botanists nurtured the Shibpur garden in its early years, led by the Scottish surgeon and botanist William Roxburgh (1751-1815), who was appointed its first official superintendent in 1793. He drew up a catalogue of 3,500 plants growing inside that was published as <i>Hortus Bengalensis </i>in 1814. Remembered as the “Father of Indian Botany”, Roxburgh collected plants from India, South-East Asia, and East Asia to set up a herbarium in 1795 on the ground floor of his residence inside the garden.</div><div class="info-element">Known as the Central National Herbarium and housed in a new building now, the herbarium has 2.5 million dried plant specimens, apart from various papers and monographs. A.A. Mao, Director, Botanical Survey of India (BSI), said: “It is possibly one of the largest repositories of knowledge about plant life.” Treasures include the invaluable catalogue of Nathaniel Wallich (1786-1854), who was appointed the superintendent of the garden in 1817. </div><div class="info-element">Roxburgh House, where Roxburgh lived and worked for years, now stands abandoned on the banks of the Hooghly. It is a solid three-storey structure, with a porte-cochère on the north and a curved projecting verandah on the south, facing the Hooghly. The Roxburgh International Hub Project, launched in March 2019, plans to restore and reuse the 231-year-old house along with two other buildings within the Shibpur garden’s premises, called Old Herbarium and Old Seed Store.</div><div class="info-element">Once complete, the project will have a museum, an interpretation centre, a research centre, and a gallery with family-friendly amenities. The collaborators include the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; the BSI; the architectural consortium of Simpson & Brown Architects, Edinburgh, and Alleya and Associates, Kolkata; besides charitable entities in the UK and India.</div><div class="info-element">Project director Nilina Deb Lal said that over a year, they have received funding from various sources for the preparation of a preliminary project report for the Old Herbarium. Another project, launched in 2023 by HSBC India and the Kolkata chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage in partnership with the BSI, involves rolling out a conservation and outreach programme worth Rs.6 crore.</div></div><p>The Shibpur garden could do the same, aligning itself with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes “tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests”. The fact that the Shibpur garden’s Hooghly water edge continues on to the Sundarbans could be used to boost research on the garden’s mangrove plantation. “One should look at the assets in a futuristic way and not only in a historical way. Community development could bring in funding,” said Neeta Das.</p><p>In May and June 2021, a community participation project for the regeneration of the garden held by the BSI, the AST, and Edinburgh University, identified two micro biodiversity hot spots in the garden: areas with a high overgrowth of trees, plants, weeds, and two of the lakes in the grounds. Das suggested that the garden could be turned into a biodiversity hot spot.</p><div class=" article-picture"><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/sn6aek/article68844479.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/AJCBOSEBOTANICGARDEN17.JPG" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/sn6aek/article68844479.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/AJCBOSEBOTANICGARDEN17.JPG" alt="Roxburgh House stands abandoned on the banks of the Hooghly at present." title="Roxburgh House stands abandoned on the banks of the Hooghly at present." class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%" /><p class="caption"> Roxburgh House stands abandoned on the banks of the Hooghly at present. | Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI </p></div><p>Such suggestions are not always met with enthusiasm. There have been allegations that the garden is being turned into a park for entertainment and lacks proper governance. Mao denied the allegations while asserting that conservation, experimentation, and education are the goals of the garden even if funding is scarce. “The garden’s ongoing research focusses on several critical areas like the introduction and multiplication of threatened and endemic plants; conservation and multiplication of medicinal plants; propagation of economically important plants; and hybridisation of ornamental plants,” he explained.</p><h3 class="sub_head">Niggling troubles </h3><p>Troubles are aplenty, many of them workaday but niggling nonetheless. The wall around the 273 acre grounds provides inadequate security. Local residents often climb over the wall, particularly on the Nazirgunj side, near the ferry ghat, and plugging the breaches is not a permanent solution.</p><div class=" article-picture"><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/3vo9a1/article68844430.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/AJCBOSEBOTANICGARDEN12.JPG" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/3vo9a1/article68844430.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/AJCBOSEBOTANICGARDEN12.JPG" alt="The giant water lily (Victoria amazonica) in the Shibpur botanical garden." title="The giant water lily (Victoria amazonica) in the Shibpur botanical garden." class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%" /><p class="caption"> The giant water lily (Victoria amazonica) in the Shibpur botanical garden. | Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI </p></div><p>“Trees leaning on the wall often damage it. They cannot be trimmed because environmentalists may scream murder. Even when trees which are uprooted on their own are removed, people think they have been felled,” said Mao. The groundwater level being high, roots do not go deep down. Consequently, trees can topple easily.</p><p>Complaints to the authorities about the obstructions at the garden entrance have made no difference. The staff are threatened for daring to complain. There is a plan to replace the old brick wall with a concrete boundary wall in phases, beginning with the main gate section.</p><div class=" article-picture"><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/ju05ck/article68844431.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/AJCBOSEBOTANICGARDEN3.JPG" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/ju05ck/article68844431.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/AJCBOSEBOTANICGARDEN3.JPG" alt="The canal on the north of the garden has turned into a clogged drain." title="The canal on the north of the garden has turned into a clogged drain." class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%" /><p class="caption"> The canal on the north of the garden has turned into a clogged drain. | Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI </p></div><p>The canal in the north of the garden has turned into a clogged drain as residents of the apartments on the other side of the wall freely dump garbage in it. Connected to the Hooghly, the canal used to act as a conduit for the 24 garden lakes during high tide, with two sluice gates controlling the water level. Now the canal is filled with sewage, and the sluice gate outside the garden is chock-a-block with waste.</p><p>On the north-east side of the garden is what was once the “coolie lines”: hutments meant for gardeners and other staff. Over the years, these dwellings have been appropriated either by relatives of the staff or occupied by encroachers. Close by is a small gate over and above the two main gates of the garden, and security personnel notwithstanding, access through this gate is easy enough. Close to the riverbank and the Nazirganj ferry ghat is a <i>mazar </i>(an Islamic shrine) that came up years ago on the garden’s land. While that shrine remains, an unauthorised parking lot outside it has now been removed. The “coolie line” and the <i>mazar </i>together occupy 4 acres.</p><div class=" article-picture"><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/vpqk0s/article68844434.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/AJCBOSEBOTANICGARDEN10.JPG" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/vpqk0s/article68844434.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/AJCBOSEBOTANICGARDEN10.JPG" alt="The hutments meant for gardeners and other staff have been appropriated either by relatives of the staff or occupied by encroachers." title="The hutments meant for gardeners and other staff have been appropriated either by relatives of the staff or occupied by encroachers." class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%" /><p class="caption"> The hutments meant for gardeners and other staff have been appropriated either by relatives of the staff or occupied by encroachers. | Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI </p></div><p>These encroachments aside, the Hooghly is rapidly eating into the lands. The mangrove plantation along the riverbank, meant to stabilise it and reduce erosion, already has 5,000 trees. Some drastic measures are needed to contain the river.</p><p><strong>Also Read | <a class="also-read-mid-article" href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/books/book-review-indian-botanical-art-by-martyn-rix-is-a-comprehensive-illustrated-history-of-the-subject/article38475257.ece">Book Review: Martyn Rix's 'Indian Botanical Art' is a comprehensive illustrated history of the subject</a></strong></p><p>If the Shibpur garden is to survive, it must try out alternative sources of income since gate money is evidently not enough to sustain it. Given its great historical and botanical significance, the garden can revamp itself by focussing on entertainment and education. Making provisions for family entertainment could bring in revenue. So long as the garden is not turned into an amusement park and research is not back-burnered, improved amenities can only add to the attractions of the garden.</p><p><i>Soumitra Das is a freelance journalist based in Kolkata.</i></p><div class="article-standard_piano-inline-2 articleblock-container" id="articleblockcontainer"></div><div class="comments-shares share-page article-bottom" data-artid="68818378" data-title="Paradise in Peril: India’s great banyan garden fights for survival " data-url="https://frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-culture/heritage/heritage-kolkata-shibpur-botanical-garden-trees-conservation-environment-climate-change-biodiversity/article68818378.ece" data-leadtext="The Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, a living heritage site, is in desperate need of funds to sustain itself."><div class="left"><p class="comments comments-article" data-ga-label="comments"> CONTRIBUTE YOUR COMMENTS <span class="coral-count text" 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var currentHref = anchorElement.attr('href'); if (currentHref == '#') { fetch('https://frontline.thehindu.com/s/fl/n', { method: 'GET', headers: { 'Accept': 'application/json', }, }) .then(response => response.json()) .then(data => { if (data.nextarticleDetails && data.nextarticleDetails.length > 0) { var url = data.nextarticleDetails[0].url; anchorElement.attr('href', url + '?utm_source=article&utm_medium=next_article_button&utm_campaign=next_article_piano'); } }) .catch(err => { console.error("Error fetching next article data:", err); }); } anchorElement.on('click', function() { var dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; dataLayer.push({ 'event': 'Next_Article_Click', 'data': { 'click': 'click', 'click_type': 'action', 'general_placement': 'body', 'detailed_placement': '', 'goal_type': 'Next_Article_Click' } }); }); }); }); </script><div data-ga-label="More stories from this issue"><h3 class="title-patch">More stories from this issue</h3><ul class="slide-mobile"><li><div class="read-book mb-4" data-ga-label="Current-issue"><div class="book"><div class="book-img" ><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/magazine/issue/vol41-23" ><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/khkzt9/article68859269.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/FL%20Cover_29Nov2024.jpg" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/khkzt9/article68859269.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/FL%20Cover_29Nov2024.jpg" data-device-variant="FREE~FREE~FREE~FREE" alt="FL Cover_29Nov2024.jpg" title="FL Cover_29Nov2024.jpg" class="lazy" width="100%" height="100%" /></a></div><a class="small-link" href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/magazine/issue/vol41-23" ><span class="text">Read this Issue<span class="slider"></span></span></a></div></div></li><li><div class="element smaller "><div class=" picture storyline"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/books/slight-angle-ruth-vanita-queer-historical-fiction-1920s-india-freedom-struggle/article68818370.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" ><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/wj65n0/article68927415.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/CCI_UDHindu_KSL_UR36LS3L9_R1572928020_0_475f34eb-b79d-4dd6-96b2-0b932e27fdc0.jpg" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/wj65n0/article68927415.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/CCI_UDHindu_KSL_UR36LS3L9_R1572928020_0_475f34eb-b79d-4dd6-96b2-0b932e27fdc0.jpg" data-device-variant="LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE" alt="‘A Slight Angle’ is more than just historical fiction. It is a story about the timelessness of intimacy" title="‘A Slight Angle’ is more than just historical fiction. It is a story about the timelessness of intimacy" class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%"/></a></div><div class="label books"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/books/slight-angle-ruth-vanita-queer-historical-fiction-1920s-india-freedom-struggle/article68818370.ece">Book Review</a></div><h3 class="title" ><a href=" https://frontline.thehindu.com/books/slight-angle-ruth-vanita-queer-historical-fiction-1920s-india-freedom-struggle/article68818370.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" title="Updated: November 29, 2024 18:31 IST Published: November 10, 2024 22:25 IST"> Queer love and freedom in 1920s India </a></h3><div class="by-line"><div class="author-name"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/profile/author/Vivek--Tejuja-21173/" class="person-name lnk">Vivek Tejuja</a></div></div></div></li><li><div class="element smaller "><div class=" picture storyline"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/politics/byelection-congress-priyanka-gandhi-wayanad-hindu-bjp-akhilesh-yadav-ashok-gehlot-sachin-pilot/article68839684.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" ><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/9s30wh/article68842136.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/Rahul%20Akhilesh.jpg" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/9s30wh/article68842136.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/Rahul%20Akhilesh.jpg" data-device-variant="LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE" alt="Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav in Ghaziabad on April 17. The SP’s unilateral announcement of candidates in Uttar Pradesh, just a day after Congress’s Haryana defeat where it had denied SP even a single seat, exposed the fragility of INDIA bloc’s unity." title="Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav in Ghaziabad on April 17. The SP’s unilateral announcement of candidates in Uttar Pradesh, just a day after Congress’s Haryana defeat where it had denied SP even a single seat, exposed the fragility of INDIA bloc’s unity." class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%"/></a></div><div class="label politics"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/politics/byelection-congress-priyanka-gandhi-wayanad-hindu-bjp-akhilesh-yadav-ashok-gehlot-sachin-pilot/article68839684.ece">BYELECTIONS</a></div><h3 class="title" ><a href=" https://frontline.thehindu.com/politics/byelection-congress-priyanka-gandhi-wayanad-hindu-bjp-akhilesh-yadav-ashok-gehlot-sachin-pilot/article68839684.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" title="Updated: November 23, 2024 15:31 IST Published: November 7, 2024 20:54 IST"> Congress’ inability to effectively build and maintain alliances is undermining opposition unity </a></h3><div class="by-line"><div class="author-name"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/profile/author/T-K--Rajalakshmi-12412/" class="person-name lnk">T.K. Rajalakshmi </a></div></div></div></li><li><div class="element smaller "><div class=" picture storyline"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/columns/bjp-modi-aggresive-hindutva-language-jharkhand-assembly-election-2024-hemant-soren/article68841509.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" ><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/iw7g27/article68844413.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/Prime%20Minister%20Narendra%20Modi%20at%20a%20rally%20in%20West%20Singhbhum%20" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/iw7g27/article68844413.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/Prime%20Minister%20Narendra%20Modi%20at%20a%20rally%20in%20West%20Singhbhum%20" data-device-variant="LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE" alt="Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in West Singhbhum before the Jharkhand Assembly election, on November 4. " title="Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in West Singhbhum before the Jharkhand Assembly election, on November 4. " class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%"/></a></div><div class="label columns"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/columns/bjp-modi-aggresive-hindutva-language-jharkhand-assembly-election-2024-hemant-soren/article68841509.ece">FROM THE SIDELINES </a></div><h3 class="title" ><a href=" https://frontline.thehindu.com/columns/bjp-modi-aggresive-hindutva-language-jharkhand-assembly-election-2024-hemant-soren/article68841509.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" title="Updated: November 18, 2024 19:11 IST Published: November 11, 2024 20:40 IST"> BJP is back to its favourite bogey: ‘The Other’ </a></h3><div class="by-line"><div class="author-name"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/profile/author/Saba-Naqvi-18938/" class="person-name lnk">Saba Naqvi</a></div></div></div></li><li><div class="element smaller "><div class=" picture storyline"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/waqf-amendment-bill-syed-naseer-hussain-interview-bjp-congress-muslims-religion-waqf-board/article68837364.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" ><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/j5mhhn/article68859094.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/Dr%20Syed%20Naseer%20Hussain.jpg" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/j5mhhn/article68859094.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/Dr%20Syed%20Naseer%20Hussain.jpg" data-device-variant="LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE" alt="Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dr Syed Naseer Hussain." title="Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dr Syed Naseer Hussain." class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%"/></a></div><div class="label the-nation"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/waqf-amendment-bill-syed-naseer-hussain-interview-bjp-congress-muslims-religion-waqf-board/article68837364.ece">WAQF AMENDMENT</a></div><h3 class="title" ><a href=" https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/waqf-amendment-bill-syed-naseer-hussain-interview-bjp-congress-muslims-religion-waqf-board/article68837364.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" title="Updated: November 18, 2024 19:10 IST Published: November 13, 2024 09:23 IST"> BJP’s agenda is to defame Muslims: Syed Naseer Hussain </a></h3><div class="by-line"><div class="author-name"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/profile/author/Vikhar-Ahmed-Sayeed-12455/" class="person-name lnk">Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed</a></div></div></div></li><li><div class="element smaller "><div class=" picture storyline"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/waqf-amendment-bill-waqf-board-non-muslim-nomination-islamic-law-waqif/article68814812.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" ><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/8qgbkl/article68859414.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/Bidar%20Karnataka.JPG" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/8qgbkl/article68859414.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/Bidar%20Karnataka.JPG" data-device-variant="LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE" alt="The historic Bidar fort in Karnataka. Large chunks of lands were given as grants by royal personages over the centuries, which account for a sizeable proportion of waqf properties." title="The historic Bidar fort in Karnataka. Large chunks of lands were given as grants by royal personages over the centuries, which account for a sizeable proportion of waqf properties." class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%"/></a></div><div class="label the-nation"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/waqf-amendment-bill-waqf-board-non-muslim-nomination-islamic-law-waqif/article68814812.ece">WAQF AMENDMENT</a></div><h3 class="title" ><a href=" https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/waqf-amendment-bill-waqf-board-non-muslim-nomination-islamic-law-waqif/article68814812.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" title="Updated: November 18, 2024 19:10 IST Published: November 13, 2024 08:21 IST"> Right move, wrong motive? Waqf Bill promises better management but delivers state control </a></h3><div class="by-line"><div class="author-name"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/profile/author/P-S--Munawar-Hussain-23915/" class="person-name lnk">P.S. Munawar Hussain</a></div></div></div></li><li><div class="element smaller "><div class=" picture storyline"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/books/geetanjali-shree-daisy-rockwell-babri-masjid-demolition-indian-translated-literature/article68818364.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" ><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/gh2p0f/article68856203.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/VHP%20activists%20Babri%20masjid.jpg" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/gh2p0f/article68856203.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/VHP%20activists%20Babri%20masjid.jpg" data-device-variant="LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE" alt="Vishva Hindu Parishad activists gather at the Kar Sevak Puram workshop where stone pillars, slabs are kept for the possible use in the construction of the Ram temple, while participating in ‘Dharam Sabha’, at Ayodhya on November 25, 2018. " title="Vishva Hindu Parishad activists gather at the Kar Sevak Puram workshop where stone pillars, slabs are kept for the possible use in the construction of the Ram temple, while participating in ‘Dharam Sabha’, at Ayodhya on November 25, 2018. " class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%"/></a></div><div class="label books"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/books/geetanjali-shree-daisy-rockwell-babri-masjid-demolition-indian-translated-literature/article68818364.ece">Book Review</a></div><h3 class="title" ><a href=" https://frontline.thehindu.com/books/geetanjali-shree-daisy-rockwell-babri-masjid-demolition-indian-translated-literature/article68818364.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" title="Updated: November 14, 2024 16:14 IST Published: November 11, 2024 22:45 IST"> A worthy follow-up to Tomb of Sand </a></h3><div class="by-line"><div class="author-name"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/profile/author/Tarun--K--Saint--22577/" class="person-name lnk">Tarun K. Saint </a></div></div></div></li><li><div class="element smaller "><div class=" picture storyline"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/india-economic-inequality-elite-development-model-liberalization-failure-corporate-state-nexus-public-goods-crisis/article68828054.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" ><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/3skfqb/article68836377.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/Poor%20people%20of%20India%20" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/3skfqb/article68836377.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/Poor%20people%20of%20India%20" data-device-variant="LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE" alt="The former UPA government claimed to be a champion of social justice. In August 2005, barely two months after unleashing the Salwa Judum against Adivasis, it provided a rural employment guarantee under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. " title="The former UPA government claimed to be a champion of social justice. In August 2005, barely two months after unleashing the Salwa Judum against Adivasis, it provided a rural employment guarantee under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. " class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%"/></a></div><div class="label the-nation"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/india-economic-inequality-elite-development-model-liberalization-failure-corporate-state-nexus-public-goods-crisis/article68828054.ece">ECONOMY </a></div><h3 class="title" ><a href=" https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/india-economic-inequality-elite-development-model-liberalization-failure-corporate-state-nexus-public-goods-crisis/article68828054.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" title="Updated: November 13, 2024 15:27 IST Published: November 9, 2024 19:05 IST"> The great inequality myth that rules India </a></h3><div class="by-line"><div class="author-name"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/profile/contributor/Ashoka-Mody-19465/" class="person-name lnk">Ashoka Mody </a></div></div></div></li><li><div class="element smaller "><div class=" picture storyline"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/waqf-amendment-bill-2024-pros-cons-contradicts-bjp-one-nation-one-law-principle/article68832649.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" ><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/f46dvr/article68858507.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/waqf%20amendment%20bill%202024%20protest%20ahmedabad.png" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/f46dvr/article68858507.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/waqf%20amendment%20bill%202024%20protest%20ahmedabad.png" data-device-variant="LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE" alt="A protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill outside the hotel where the parliamentary committee meeting was scheduled to be held, in Ahmedabad on September 27. " title="A protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill outside the hotel where the parliamentary committee meeting was scheduled to be held, in Ahmedabad on September 27. " class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%"/></a></div><div class="label the-nation"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/waqf-amendment-bill-2024-pros-cons-contradicts-bjp-one-nation-one-law-principle/article68832649.ece">WAQF AMENDMENT</a></div><h3 class="title" ><a href=" https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/waqf-amendment-bill-2024-pros-cons-contradicts-bjp-one-nation-one-law-principle/article68832649.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" title="Updated: November 13, 2024 13:47 IST Published: November 13, 2024 08:06 IST"> Who really benefits from the Waqf Amendment Bill? </a></h3><div class="by-line"><div class="author-name"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/profile/author/Faizan--Mustafa-24490/" class="person-name lnk">Faizan Mustafa</a></div></div></div></li><li><div class="element smaller "><div class=" picture storyline"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/waqf-amendment-bill-impact-indian-muslims-reforms-consultative-process-othering-backwardness/article68849163.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" ><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/uxiqz5/article68859371.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/jama%20masjid%20delhi.jpg" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/uxiqz5/article68859371.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/jama%20masjid%20delhi.jpg" data-device-variant="LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE" alt="People at the Jama Masjid mosque in Old Delhi, India." title="People at the Jama Masjid mosque in Old Delhi, India." class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%"/></a></div><div class="label the-nation"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/waqf-amendment-bill-impact-indian-muslims-reforms-consultative-process-othering-backwardness/article68849163.ece">WAQF AMENDMENT</a></div><h3 class="title" ><a href=" https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/waqf-amendment-bill-impact-indian-muslims-reforms-consultative-process-othering-backwardness/article68849163.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" title="Updated: November 13, 2024 13:46 IST Published: November 12, 2024 22:01 IST"> Editor’s Note: Putting Muslims in their place? </a></h3><div class="by-line"><div class="author-name"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/profile/author/Vaishna-Roy-16745/" class="person-name lnk">Vaishna Roy</a></div></div></div></li><li><div class="element smaller "><div class=" picture storyline"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/policy-waqf-amendment-bill-2024-muslim-property-rights-modi-government-reforms-minority-institutions-controversy/article68814788.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" ><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/inqkvb/article68859180.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/Muslims%20waiting%20in%20queue" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/inqkvb/article68859180.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/Muslims%20waiting%20in%20queue" data-device-variant="LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE" alt="Waiting to cast their vote in the State Waqf Board election, in Hyderabad on February 28, 2022. There are concerns in the Muslim community that the proposed changes in the Waqf law will erode their rights." title="Waiting to cast their vote in the State Waqf Board election, in Hyderabad on February 28, 2022. There are concerns in the Muslim community that the proposed changes in the Waqf law will erode their rights." class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%"/></a></div><div class="label the-nation"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/policy-waqf-amendment-bill-2024-muslim-property-rights-modi-government-reforms-minority-institutions-controversy/article68814788.ece">WAQF AMENDMENT—THE LEDE </a></div><h3 class="title" ><a href=" https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/policy-waqf-amendment-bill-2024-muslim-property-rights-modi-government-reforms-minority-institutions-controversy/article68814788.ece?utm_source=more_stories_this_issue&utm_medium=article" title="Updated: November 13, 2024 13:46 IST Published: November 13, 2024 08:46 IST"> Propriety, not just property: The Waqf debate </a></h3><div class="by-line"><div class="author-name"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/profile/author/Shaikh--Mujibur-Rehman-24443/" class="person-name lnk">Shaikh Mujibur Rehman</a></div></div></div></li></ul></div></div></div><div class=" col-xl-3 col-lg-4 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-12 hide-mobile "><div class="d-none d-sm-block d-lg-block"> <div data-ga-label="Current issue Article"> <div class="read-book mb-4"> <div class="book"> <div class="book-img" > <a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/current-issue/?utm_source=home_page_current_issue&utm_medium=current_issue_panel" > <img src="/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/nslksy/article69095788.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/FL%20Cover_3Feb2024.jpg" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/nslksy/article69095788.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/FL%20Cover_3Feb2024.jpg" data-device-variant="FREE~FREE~FREE~FREE" alt="FL Cover_3Feb2024.jpg" title="FL Cover_3Feb2024.jpg" class="lazy" width="100%" height="100%" /> </a> </div> <a class="small-link" href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/current-issue/?utm_source=home_page_current_issue&utm_medium=current_issue_panel" > <span class="text">Read the Latest Issue<span class="slider"></span> </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="element smaller"><div class="label politics"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/politics/women-voters-india-cash-transfer-schemes-electoral-impact-2024/article68954347.ece">Mahila Mandate—The Lede </a></div><h3 class="title" ><a href=" https://frontline.thehindu.com/politics/women-voters-india-cash-transfer-schemes-electoral-impact-2024/article68954347.ece" title="Updated: December 11, 2024 19:42 IST Published: December 11, 2024 10:26 IST"> Women voters: New political powerhouse? </a></h3><div class="by-line"><div class="author-name"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/profile/author/Ashish--Ranjan-23134/" class="person-name lnk">Ashish Ranjan</a></div></div></div><div class="element smaller no-border"><div class=" picture storyline"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/politics/editors-note-women-welfare-schemes-empowerment-mahila-voters-modi-revdi-mahayuti-maharashtra/article68955092.ece" ><img src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" data-src-template="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/p321wz/article68969439.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/women%20voters%20india.jpg" data-original="https://fl-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/p321wz/article68969439.ece/alternates/SQUARE_80/women%20voters%20india.jpg" data-device-variant="LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE~LANDSCAPE" alt="Women form 50 per cent of the population and persuading them to vote, if with cash, shifts the balance." title="Women form 50 per cent of the population and persuading them to vote, if with cash, shifts the balance." class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%"/></a></div><div class="label politics"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/politics/editors-note-women-welfare-schemes-empowerment-mahila-voters-modi-revdi-mahayuti-maharashtra/article68955092.ece">MAHILA MANDATE </a></div><h3 class="title" ><a href=" https://frontline.thehindu.com/politics/editors-note-women-welfare-schemes-empowerment-mahila-voters-modi-revdi-mahayuti-maharashtra/article68955092.ece" title="Updated: December 11, 2024 19:43 IST Published: December 10, 2024 22:46 IST"> Editor’s Note: The Machiavellian manipulation of mahila schemes </a></h3><div class="by-line"><div class="author-name"><a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/profile/author/Vaishna-Roy-16745/" class="person-name lnk">Vaishna Roy</a></div></div></div><a class="small-link small" href="/current-issue/">+ SEE all Stories<span class="slider"></span></a></div><div id="piano-art-top1"></div></div><script> setTimeout(function () { if (DevIdf.isMobile) { latest_news_module_Url = "current-issue/fragment/topstory?count=4&variant=current-issue"; } 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} else if(DevIdf.isMobile){ position = 3; } variant = variant.split("~")[position]; var selected = Math.max.apply(null, imageSizes); for (var i = 0; i < imageSizes.length; i++) { if (lazyImage.offsetWidth <= imageSizes[i]) { selected = imageSizes[i]; break; } } var alterRegEx = new RegExp("alternates\/[a-z0-9_]*", "ig"); imagesrc = imagesrc.replace(alterRegEx,"alternates/"+variant + "_" + selected); lazyImage.src = imagesrc; } else{ lazyImage.src = imagesrc; } } lazyImage.classList.remove("lazy"); lazyImageObserver.unobserve(lazyImage); } }); }); lazyImages.forEach(function(lazyImage) { lazyImageObserver.observe(lazyImage); }); } else { lazyImages.forEach(function(lazyImage) { let variant = lazyImage.dataset.deviceVariant; let imagesrc = lazyImage.dataset.srcTemplate; if(typeof imagesrc !="undefined" && imagesrc != ""){ if(typeof variant !="undefined" && variant != ""){ let position = 0; if(DevIdf.isDesktop){ position = 1; } else if(DevIdf.isTablet){ position = 2; } else if(DevIdf.isMobile){ position = 3; 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margin-left: auto; width: calc(100% - 420px); display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: flex-end; margin-top: 80px; } .oTO-Text-Logo img { width: 59px; height: 59px; } .oneTapOverlay-text { display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-top: 57px; max-width: 550px; } .oTO-Text { padding: 0 16px; color: #FFFFFF; } .oTO-Text-title { font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; font-family: "Merriweather", serif; font-weight: bold; margin: 15px 0; } .oTO-Text-subtitle { font-size: 20px; margin: 16px 0 8px; font-family: "Merriweather", serif; font-weight: bold; } .oTO-Text-points { padding: 0; position: absolute; } .oTO-Text-points li { font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 8px; font-family: "Faustina", serif; list-style-type: none; position: relative; display: flex; align-items: flex-start; } .oTO-Text-points li::before { content: ''; display: block; padding: 8px 7px; background: url('https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/google-signin/arrow-819.svg') no-repeat center center; 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const response_ep = "https://madhyama.thehindu.com/api/sociallogin" function logMomentNotification(v) { console.log(v); // const gsi_overlay = document.getElementById("gsi_overlay") if(v === "display") { // gsi_overlay.style.display = "block"; dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; dataLayer.push ({ 'event' : 'onetap_signin', 'data' : { 'click':'view', 'click_type' : '', 'general_placement':'body', 'detailed_placement':'', 'goal_type':'onetap_signin_view' } }); } // else gsi_overlay.style.display = "none" } function loginCallback(res) { handleGoogleSignIn() } function pushLoginEventToDataLayer() { dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; dataLayer.push ({ 'event' : 'onetap_signin', 'data' : { 'click':'sign_in', 'click_type' : 'action', 'general_placement':'body', 'detailed_placement':'', 'goal_type':'onetap_signin' } }); } function handleGoogleSignIn(user) { console.log('handleGoogleSignIn'); const clean_url = cleanArticleUrl(); const options = { method: "POST", headers: getHeaders(), body: JSON.stringify({ "token": user.credential, "article_url": clean_url, "pubId": "FL", }) }; fetch(auth_ep, options) .then(function(res) { if (!res.ok) throw new Error(res.statusText) return res.json() }) .then(function(res) { if (res.redirect_uri) { pushLoginEventToDataLayer(); setTimeout(() => { window.location.replace(res.redirect_uri); }, 0200); } else if (!res.token || res.token.trim() === "") return else if(res.token && window.tp.pianoId) tp.push(['init', function() { pushLoginEventToDataLayer(); try { let parsedToken = parseJwt(res.token) dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; dataLayer.push ({ 'event' : 'login_successful', 'data' : { 'onetap_signin': 'yes', 'email': parsedToken.email, 'uid': parsedToken.sub, 'platform': 'WEB' } }); } catch (error) { console.log("onetap-signin-err", error); } tp.pianoId.loginByToken(res.token); setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 0700); }]) else { console.log("Nothing happened...") } }) .catch(err => console.error(err)); } function cleanArticleUrl() { const params_to_remove = ["utm_source", "utm_medium", "utm_campaign", "utm_term", "utm_content"] const url_obj = new URL(`${window.location.href}`) url_obj.searchParams.forEach((v, k) => {if (params_to_remove.includes(k)) url_obj.searchParams.delete(k)} ) return url_obj.toString() } function handleResponseUrl() { const url_obj = new URL(window.location.href) const response_id = url_obj.searchParams.get("response_id") const redirect_uri = url_obj.searchParams.get("internal_redirect_uri") if (!response_id || !redirect_uri) { google?.accounts.id.prompt((d) => { logMomentNotification(d.getMomentType()); }); return } // If user is already logged in, Do nothing with response_id or redirect_uri // else if (window.tp && window.tp.pianoId.isUserValid()) return; const options = { method: 'POST', headers: getHeaders(), body: JSON.stringify({ "response_id": response_id, "pubId": "FL" }) } fetch(response_ep, options) .then(function(res) { if (!res.ok) throw new Error(res.statusText) return res.json() }) .then(function(res) { console.log(res) // return if response is not ok OR no access token is present if (!res.data.status === "ok" || !res.data.access_token) return if(window.tp.pianoId) tp.push(['init', function() { try { let parsedToken = parseJwt(res.data.access_token) dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; dataLayer.push ({ 'event' : 'login_successful', 'data' : { 'onetap_signin': 'yes', 'email': parsedToken.email, 'uid': parsedToken.sub, 'platform': 'WEB' } }); } catch (error) { console.log("onetap-signin-err", error); } tp.pianoId.loginByToken(res.data.access_token) setTimeout(function() { window.location.replace(res.data.redirect_uri) }, 1000); }]) else window.location.replace(res.data.redirect_uri) }) .catch(err => console.error("Error: ", err)); } function getHeaders() { return { "Accept": "application/json, text/plain, */*", "Authorization": "Basic dGhlaGluZHU6a251cl9DSC1BNVBZVSU4Vw==", "Content-Type": "application/json", } } </script><script> window.tp.push([ "init", function () { if (window.tp.pianoId.isUserValid()) loadScript("https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/js/vue-petite.min.js?ver=1734517173") } ]) </script><style> .link a { color: white !important; } .device-info { margin-right: 4px; } .popup-background { background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); position: fixed; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 99999; } [v-cloak] { display: none; } .popup { width: 100%; max-width: 800px; height: auto; background: #000000; padding: 50px 100px 50px 150px; color: #ffffff; position: relative; } .popup .popup-close { color: white; border: none; background: none; padding: 0; margin: 0; position: absolute; top: 10px; right: 10px; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 200; line-height: 20px; } .popup .title { font-family: "Merriweather", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; text-align: left; display: flex; align-items: center; position: relative; min-height: 50px; } .popup .title::before { content: ""; width: 50px; height: 50px; /* background: url("../../public/icons/h-circle-white.svg") no-repeat center; */ background-size: 50px 50px; display: block; position: absolute; left: -65px; } .popup .sub-text { font-family: "Merriweather", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; margin: 15px 0; } .popup .popup-btn { background-color: #ffffff !important; color: #000000 !important; font-weight: bold; width: max-content; min-width: 130px; height: 34px; text-align: center; box-sizing: border-box; border-radius: 4px; border: none; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; padding: 9px 10px 13px 20px; text-transform: uppercase; margin: 25px auto; display: block; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", sans-serif; transition: all 0.3s; } .popup .popup-btn:focus { box-shadow: none; outline: none; } .popup .popup-btn:after { content: "→"; position: relative; opacity: 0; top: -1px; right: 15%; transition: 0.3s; } .popup .popup-btn:hover { padding-right: 20px; padding-left: 10px; color: #000000; text-decoration: none; outline: none; } .popup .popup-btn:hover::after { opacity: 1; right: -8px; } .popup .device-list { list-style: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; } .popup .device-list li { width: 100%; padding: 10px 0; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; align-items: center; } .popup .device-list li > div { display: flex; justify-content: left; align-items: flex-start; } .popup .device-list li .s-no { font-family: "Merriweather Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: right; width: 10px; } .popup .device-list li .icon { content: ""; width: 20px; height: 20px; /* background: url("../../public/icons/profile-white.svg") no-repeat center; */ background-size: 20px 20px; display: block; margin: 4px 10px 0; } .popup .device-list li .device { font-family: "Merriweather Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; line-height: normal; } .popup .device-list li .device span { display: block; font-family: inherit; } .popup .device-list li .popup-btn { margin: 0; } .popup p.link { font-family: "Merriweather Sans", sans-serif; font-weight: 200; text-align: center; font-size: 14px; margin: 20px auto 0; } .popup p.link a { font-weight: inherit; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: underline; text-underline-offset: 3px; transition: all 0.3s; } .popup p.link a:hover { text-decoration: none; } .popup p.link span { color: #555555; font-size: 18px; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: 3px; } @media screen and(max-width: 700px) { .popup { padding: 40px 40px 40px 90px; } } @media screen and(max-width: 570px) { .popup { width: 100%; max-width: 100%; padding: 35px 25px; } .popup .popup-close { font-size: 17px; line-height: 17px; } .popup .title { font-size: 14px; min-height: auto; padding-left: 60px; margin-bottom: 25px; line-height: 24px; } .popup .title::before { left: 0; } .popup .sub-text { font-size: 14px; margin: 15px 0; line-height: 24px; } .popup .popup-btn { /* width: 80px; */ height: 30px; font-size: 10px; padding: 9px 0 13px 10px; margin: 15px auto; } .popup .popup-btn:hover { padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0; } .popup .device-list { list-style: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; } .popup .device-list li { padding: 7px 0; } .popup .device-list li .s-no { font-size: 13px; width: 5px; } .popup .device-list li .icon { width: 15px; height: 15px; background-size: 15px 15px; margin: 2px 7px 0; } .popup .device-list li .device { font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; } .popup p.link { font-size: 12px; margin: 15px auto 0; } .popup p.link a { text-underline-offset: 2px; } .popup p.link span { color: #555555; font-size: 18px; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: 3px; } } </style><div class="popup-background" id="user-session-popup" v-show="store.session_limit_exceeded === true" v-scope v-cloak><div class="popup" style="padding: 25px;"><button class="popup-close" onclick="window.tp.pianoId.logout()">✕</button><div class="title">Looks like you are already logged in from more than 3 devices!</div><div class="sub-text">To continue logging in, remove at least one device from the below list</div><ul class="device-list"><li v-for="device_detail, index in store.device_info" :key="index"><div class="device-info" v-scope="DeviceInfoComponent({index, ...device_detail})"></div><button class="btn popup-btn" @click="sendDeleteRequest([device_detail.payload], 'single')">Log out</button></li></ul><button class="btn popup-btn" @click="sendDeleteRequest(store.device_info.map(di => di.payload), 'all')">Log Out from all devices</button><p class="link"><a href="https://www.thehindugroup.com/privacy.html" target="_blank">Terms & conditions</a><span> | </span><a href="https://forms.office.com/r/tz7UETzxUs" target="_blank">Institutional Subscriber</a></p></div></div><template id="device-info"><span class="s-no">${ ind + 1 }</span><span class="icon"></span><span class="device"> ${ device }<span class="duration">Last active - ${ la }</span></span></template><script>const us_api_domain = "/";</script><script src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/js/user_session.min.js?ver=1734517312"></script><div class="comments-chat"><div class="comments-overlay"></div><div class="comments-box" style="padding:0 10px 0 10px"><button class="comments-close"><img class="menu-hamber lazy" data-src-template="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/menu-close-icon.svg" src="https://assetsfl.thehindu.com/theme/images/fl-online/1x1_spacer.png" width="25" height="14"></button><h3>Comments</h3><p>Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. 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