 in February, one in two respondents feels the coronavirus has impacted their plans to study abroad. 47 per cent have decided to defer their entry until next year, 13 per cent decide to enroll at a school in a different country, and 8 per cent decide to drop their plans of studying abroad altogether. The past academic year has been filled with uncertainties, worries and lockdowns. And if the coronavirus curve is not flattened any time soon, the ramifications are here to stay or maybe gets worsened.

With the onset of the hazardous pandemic, many colleges and universities shifted to teaching through online mode. Students and teachers turned to 

 to continue the process of learning. Many exchange programs and summer schools have either been cancelled or shifted to the online medium. However, for the degree courses that involve field or laboratory work, lack of physical classes has been a major blow to the learning prospects of international students. Optional Practical Training (OPT) opportunities are harder to achieve and cancelled. The accessibility to the study resources from the library is also hindered causing many problems to the students for preparing their thesis and exam notes. In some of the universities, exams and thesis submission have been postponed or held in some other formats, which may delay their degree.

As the domestic and global economies are going through a major recession because of lockdowns, scores of international students are grappling with grave financial concerns. Many scholarships and funding on which many students rely upon have been postponed thereby giving severe headache to the students. Visa restrictions in some countries like the US prevent students to work off campuses. The major concern is for the students in their final years who had dreamt of staying in the same country after completion of their degree programmes. Placement opportunities have drastically decreased and VISA support is extremely difficult when the economy is in the doldrums. Many universities and self-funded organizations have come forward to provide relief to the distressed students, however, many students feel that the help is not enough. This shatters the dreams of many students who have no choice other than returning to their home countries.

Scores of international students are apprehensive that if they go to their homes in the vacations, they might not be able to return. The visa approval is taking more time than usual, which leaves the students with further anxiety. Besides, there is a cap on international arrivals limiting the availability of tickets. Countries like the United States still has some travel restrictions in place for people coming from abroad- 14 days quarantine is mandatory while re-entry is not guaranteed. Canada has proposed some relaxations while some countries of Europe has planned to go further into the lockdown.

Mental Health Crisis Amongst International Students

Living thousands of miles away from their families and lack of strong support system, the advent of the pandemic has deteriorated mental health of the international students. The rapid changes added by the pandemic posed mental-health challenges amongst students, particularly those who are already dealing with some kind of mental illness. In the USA, students were told that if they are pursuing their education through online medium, they would have to leave the country. However, this decision was taken back after multiple lawsuits and civil society’s backlash challenged its legality. All these uncertainties leave the students with anxiety and apprehensions. Considering these mental health concerns, many universities started offering online counselling services to provide some relief to the students in these distressing times.

The upsurge in coronavirus cases has left many countries with no other option but to announce for lockdown once again. It has been around a year, but the coronavirus cases are breaking records with every passing day. Settling up for online classes proves to be less productive than the authentic traditional way of learning. Most importantly, a student’s desire to learn about a new culture or language, visit famous places of the country and make some connections from across the globe seems to be smashed with people’s faces covered with masks and social distancing measures taking the place of popular discourse and the need of the hour.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of The Jamia Review or its members.

IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS ON INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Prepared by professional chefs called Waza under the guidance of head chef called 

, Wazwan is a multi-course meal that carries the legacy, culture and hospitality of Kashmiri traditions on one plate called 

. It involves professional skills, dedication and most importantly, tons of love and is generally served on special occasions such as weddings, business events etc.

The history of this famous Kashmiri cuisine dates back to the 14th Century when a Mongol invaded Kashmir. Many historians believe that this invader was none other than the notorious Turco-Mongol conqueror 

. He brought some skilled professionals like artisans, carpet weavers, pashmina experts and cooks from 

 to Kashmir. However, some believe that Wazwan is Persian and came to the valley along with Medieval Rulers, Sufi saints, and Islamic Preachers. It is believed that 

 the eight Sultan (King) of Kashmir popularly known as “Badshah” promoted Wazwan the most and raised its stature to a royal feast. 

This traditional cuisine has freshly-slaughtered 

 as the main ingredient. Traditionally, the mutton has to be fresh for the Wazwan to taste right and delicious. If the Wazwan is required in larger quantities that is usually the case, Wazas start cooking the meat the night before. They are very specific and precise about the kind of spices, oil, rice etc to be used. 

In the cuisine of around 36 dishes, seven main dishes are famous for their 

 and lip-smacking taste. These royal 7 dishes are:

Tabakh Maaz- deep-fried crispy ribs of lamb smouldered with yoghurt.

Riste- tasty meatballs served with saffron spiced gravy.

Rogan Josh- aromatic curried meat dish spiced with Kashmiri chillies.

Goshtube- curry of spicy meatballs cooked in a yoghurt gravy

Yakhni – The savoured gravy made of cooked milk with a little bit of salt and mint making the perfect end of the exotic meal.

Aab Gosh- a big-sized meatball served with the devouring Yakhni.

Apart from these mouth-watering main dishes, some other delicacies are also a part of this grand feast but not served as frequently as the above-mentioned food items. These items are the shami kabab, nadru, dum aloo, tsok wangun (sour brinjal) etc. They are generally served on the special request. The feast usually ends with the hot 

, the conventional Kashmiri tea with cardamom and almond mixed in it.

As per the tradition, everyone enjoys the food sitting on the floor in a group of four. But before eating, everyone is supposed to wash their hands in a basin called 

. The people then eat together with their own hands and do not use any spoon or fork. Isn’t it the best way to bond over food, along with the health benefits of eating food with hands?

Even if you crave more, no need to worry! You will keep getting more, and more unless your stomach is forced to say no! The rich spices in every dish let your mouth water to the feeling of golden saffron and exotic chilly powders. And the 

– a dessert made with sooji and milk just slides down your throat leaving an unforgettable taste and memories of the hospitality of the valley.

It is not sure that the way to somebody’s heart is through his stomach but the way to experience heaven on the earth is certainly through the legendary Wazwan of Kashmir. So if you are planning to visit Kashmir, don’t betray your taste glands and find the best place to enjoy this 

KASHMIRI WAZWAN- THE SCRUMPTIOUS WAY TO THE HEAVEN

 has colonial roots, it was invoked in the 

 in 1958 because of the increasing violence in the north-eastern states. AFSPA is not uniform in nature and has been amended over the years. It is present in the whole of Nagaland, Assam, Manipur (excluding seven assembly constituencies of Imphal), parts of Arunachal Pradesh and the Kashmir Valley. The Central government revoked it from Meghalaya and Tripura in the year 2015 and 2018 respectively.

Defining it simply, AFSPA provides authority to the armed forces to prohibit a gathering of five or more persons in an area, and shoot or use force if they feel a person is violating the law. If any kind of suspicion is felt, the army can also arrest a person without a warrant; enter or search premises without a warrant; and ban the possession of any kind of weapon. When there are differences between the communities on the basis of race, religion, language, region and caste leading to some anarchic situation then the state or central government is entitled to declare that area as a 

. The power to declare a state or territory “disturbed” initially lied with the state government, but was transferred to the Centre in 1972. According to 

, an area can be declared disturbed if it is the “opinion of the Governor of the state or the central government” which “makes the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power necessary”.

Over the years, the act has received a lot of flak with human rights groups describing it as draconian and aggressive. 

Irom Sharmila also known as the Iron Lady of Manipur

, has been the staunchest opponent of this law and went on a hunger strike from November 2000 to August 2016. The 

, in 2009, also asked India to do away with the law calling it a 

 that breaches contemporary international human rights standards. It has also been questioned over its existence in the state of Jammu & Kashmir where encounters of civilians under the impunity of this law has come into light. In a landmark judgement in 2016, the Supreme Court of India stated 

“It does not matter whether the victim was a common person or a militant or a terrorist, nor does it matter whether the aggressor was a common person or the state. The law is the same for both and is equally applicable to both… This is the requirement of a democracy and the requirement of preservation of the rule of law and the preservation of individual liberties.”

Many security personnels bat for this stating that the Armed Forces are required to operate in difficult areas where the insurgents have established their training camps and support bases. Working in such hostile environments requires them some kind of legal protection that AFSPA does. However, some of them believe that some changes need to be made in the current law because of its infamous draconian nature.

“It is perhaps time for the government to look at a new legislation to replace the AFSPA. A legislation that strengthens both respect for human rights, as well as protection to our soldiers who put their lives on the line in defence of the country.”

AN EXPLAINER ON ‘ARMED FORCES SPECIAL POWERS ACT’

Remember the time when ‘Fat’ was declared a villain; it is now a perfect nutrient to get slim-and-trim-waistlines as per the latest trend called 

 where the body goes on the mode of fat burning, the Keto diet has been popularized to such an extent that even some of the Indian celebrities are endorsing it. But this diet is heavily criticized by some of the health experts as cutting on 

 and consuming such a large amount of fats may lead to various health problems that include Diarrhoea, risk of heart diseases and diabetes. This is not the only crazy one in the market- there are diets like 

 etc. The basic problem with these diets is that they focus on one component of nutrition and declare the other ones as the villain. Although these diets show some benefits in initial stages, they mess up with our digestive system, thus creating long term serious health issues. 

Most of us have had cow milk all our lives, but now the health industry has begun the trend of dairy-free. Guess why? They have come up with other alternatives to find a place in your refrigerators. The global almond milk market is expected to reach $13.3 Billion by 2025 and Soya milk market $23.2 Billion. Not only this, the health market is flooded with alternatives- Rice has been replaced by Quinoa, wheat by gluten-free products, local vegetables by kale and broccoli, and human common sense by fads and rat-race. As per nutrition science and basic common sense, one should not go for these alternatives unless one is intolerant to a particular food group or following veganism.

Low-fat, cholesterol-free, air-fried, baked-not-fried, brown-not-white, protein-rich- all these labels on so-called healthy products are fooling us. How? Here is a revelation for you- most of these packaged items are not at all healthy. Mostly, the ready-made yoghurts that are sold in the name of dairy alternatives have high-sugar content. Protein powders have ingredients that can damage kidneys in the long run. Digestive biscuits have a high amount of sugar, but still, some self-proclaimed experts recommend that even a diabetic can have them! These packaged products travel kilometres to reach your plate while you ditch your local produce. In the words of Fitness-cum-Nutrition expert 

, “diet trends don’t come and go, they go and come back. As the 2.0 versions of their earlier selves. It’s the same old wine, but in a new bottle, amplified via social media, influencers and even apps.”

Most of these diets and dietary products are not only harmful to your health but also expensive. So there is a clear class differentiation on who is following these fad diets-The upper class of the society while the middle class is trying to adopt them with some 

 modifications. But the question arises- who is endorsing and glamorizing these diet trends? Our celebrities, wellness bloggers, fitness YouTubers, advertising companies and even, people from the medical fraternity- all have a role to play in this hoax of health. They must be getting a hefty cheque per post, but where this is leading us as an individual, family, society and country at large. Isn’t it the time for us to get a reality check and start seeing health and fitness from a broader perspective? 

THE GREAT INDIAN OBSESSION WITH FAD DIETS

In our mundane conversations, the terms like 

 are used interchangeably and these conversations are the reflection of our lacking sensitivity for human diversity. Remember the time when our biology teacher told us the simple trick for determination of sex and how we used to mug up the 

Little did we know that this simple logic neglects the complex diversity of nature and is also discriminatory and despicable in every sense. Talking about the developments in science, anyone can have XXX, XXY, X, XXX or any other combination of chromosomes for that matter, and can lead to a variety of sex traits. In fact, there are some people having a combination of XX chromosomes who develop the male reproductive system, and some people with the combination of XY chromosomes who develop a female reproductive system. All these facts shatter our beliefs of discerning nature in terms of binary and categorizing people on the basis of the same.

 was barred from competing against women citing that she had high levels of testosterone in her body and that makes the game unfair for other women. Not only Chand, 

 and many others are examples of those who failed these unnatural and bogus sex determination tests by Sports Authorities. But here are the questions: How many of us can actually pass this sex test? How many of us have got our testosterone levels checked? And who declared that high testosterone levels result in good physical strength? 

“All men do not run faster than all women; all men are not stronger than all women; all men do not jump higher than all women; and this is why it has often been suggested by feminists that athletes should be categorized on the basis of physical characteristics relevant to the sport, rather than on the basis of sex.”

For years, the Biology books vilified the existence of some people based on their variant biology considered as abnormal by calling them 

. It was only the struggle of years that made the existence of intersex people valid in society to some extent. Biologically speaking, intersex people are those whose genetic variants result in a reproductive system that is typically neither male nor female. Not being fit in the biological 

, they have to face the worst kind of ostracization at the hands of the society as well as some medical luminaries who feel that this variant must be ‘corrected’. Some doctors still perform reconstructive surgeries to match the anatomy of the intersex child closely to any of the binaries. This conditioned nature of labeling a child and ‘correcting’ them can lead to severe physiological or psychological harms.

Nature has all kind of diversity and it’s also not mandatory to have a rationale for every kind of variation. What is a ‘norm’ and what is an ‘exception’ has a multi-layered explanation based on various social and historical power dynamics. And the narratives based on these power dynamics need to be challenged and the spectrum of sex must find its place in this highly dichotomous world because natural human diversity does not need fixation but some ill-informed minds surely do!

BEYOND THE TEXTBOOK BIOLOGY OF SEX: DICHOTOMY VS DIVERSITY

Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund

 that was introduced to combat the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic has been the talk of the town for its ambiguity and opaqueness. The opposition, as well as Civil Society members, have raised questions on why there is so much secrecy being kept on something that is for the good of the public.

Fund Collected from Public declared as a Private Fund

The total amount of funds collected since March 28, 2020, is approximately Rs.10, 000 crore. PMO in reply to the RTI filed by 

Relevant information in respect of PM CARES Fund may be seen on the website pmcares.gov.in.

” This statement is as vague as the website of PM CARES Fund that does not have any clear or comprehensive details of the source of funds and details of expenditure. However, it is not a recent controversy. In 2018, the ambiguity of the PMNRF Fund was also questioned in the 

 whether it should come under the ambit of the RTI act or not. The case is still pending in the court. The plea filed by 

, an advocate in the Supreme Court argued that the corpus has been developed by donations largely from the government employees and PSUs; thereby it must be available under the ambit of RTI act.

The opposition raised questions on why a separate fund was created when the 

PMNRF (Prime Minister National Relief Fund)

 already existed to deal with such crises. According to the data available as of December 2019, the PMNRF has an unused amount of Rs. 3800 crore in its corpus. 

 in a five-point letter suggested that all funds from PM CARES should be transferred to the PMNRF so that it can be made more accountable and transparent. The detailed analysis of the functioning of PM CARES Fund makes us realize that it is like a private trust run by public donations.

the Comptroller & Auditor General of India

 will inspect the fund. This raised several questions on the heightening mystery and secrecy behind this fund. The spokespersons of the ruling party argued that the same case was with the PMNRF where Independent Auditors were appointed for the process of auditing. However, there is a slight discrepancy between both the funds, as in the case of PMNRF, the government auditors could ask questions on the expenditure of the funds while for the PM CARES Fund, the government auditors require the consent of trustees. On this issue, 

Former Finance and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha

PM CARES Trust has FM, RM, and HM as members. PMNRF has Congress President and reps of FICCI and Tata Trust as members. Therefore, the second is transparent and the first is opaque. It is also in violation of the official symbols act. The two trusts are not comparable.

 issued a circular appealing all the employees and staff to contribute their 1-day’s salary to PM CARES. However, a paragraph in the circular, which stated that 

anyone having any issue with contribution, must inform DDO (Drawing and Disbursing Officer)

 clearly indicates that it is not an appeal but a mandatory order. Who would go to DDO to intimate him for refusal to this ‘optional’ contribution risking their employment and rapport with the higher officials? It was a smart move by the Central Government to bring a huge amount of money in the fund without officially making the donations mandatory.

, all corporates are mandated to expend at least 2% of their average net profit; the Central Govt. in March declared that they would accept CSR funding. However, this raises a plethora of questions. Firstly, this has caused severe harm to the NGO sector, which is actually doing the real work on the ground. As per the reports, most of the corporates have donated to either PM CARES Fund or State Relief Fund. Besides the harm to the NGOs, this raises the questions of accountability and transparency as the funding of PM CARES is not public. A corporation may declare that it has contributed this amount as CSR to the PM CARES but where are the official records of that?

PM CARES Fund has become a mockery in itself. When the 

 donated Rs.151 crore to the PM CARES but could not provide trains to the destitute migrant workers walking on foot, when 

 contributed Rs.500 crore to the fund but cut off the salaries of its own employees, it points out to the 

To put it simply, the central government must clear all the ambiguity and mystery surrounding PM CARES FUND to restore the faith that the public money (that is now in the ‘private fund’) is being used for the betterment of the public. In the words of 

there can be no faith in government if our highest offices are excused from scrutiny – they should be setting the example of transparency.

PM CARES FUND – CAN YOU SMELL A RAT?

The University students are at the forefront of the fight against 

 and have awakened the political and social souls of the countrymen. They have sparked protests all across the country and turned it into a nationwide movement. This is so obvious that mainstream 

 that acts as a PR machinery of the ruling government would try its best to somehow discredit and defame these student movements. For doing that, they have special skills which have been successful in the past.

, most of the news channels barring few, were focusing on one bus that was burnt in the protests deliberately ignoring the injuries, assault & torture done on the students allegedly by 

. Social media was flooded with video evidence proving the brutality of 

 but channels shifted the narrative and put all the blame on students. The selective coverage of the whole incident was a clear proof that how Indian mainstream media channels want to frame peaceful protesting students as “

violent mobs attacking on peaceful policemen

Label the students as ‘Brainwashed Indoctrinated Youth’

 were constantly called as brainwashed, radicalised, stone-pelters on prime time TV shows. Taking lessons from that, they did the same with the students protests in rest of 

 are polluting the young minds and persuading them to be on the streets as if the 

 had a headline for its show which said, “

Chhatron ke kando par kiski siyasi bandook

.” They wanted to frame the young and educated students as political pawns. The famous 

 made a point that why only students are protesting. Who is brainwashing them? Maybe he forgot the fact that students are protesting because they are educated. 

, students were protesting in front of the 

 selectively took one clip where there was slogan of 

. The main agenda behind this was to strengthen the toxic 

 that has already ingrained in the minds of the people. The slogans like 

‘ and even the legendary poetry of famous writer of the 20th century who was supposedly an ‘

Brand them as Anti-Nationalist and part of Tukde-Tukde Gang

This is a year old technique of these channels to simply discredit the protesters and spread jingoism and verbal violence on their TV shows. This had started with 

 because of the fact that both of them are Muslim-majority university. Though the students didn’t let them succeed by wearing secularism and reclaimed nationalism on their sleeves. 

 also suggested to shift universities like 

 or any other hill area so that students become ‘

.’ That brings us to the same old debate – 

, the anchor very claiming nano-technology in 2000-rupee note, applied the same old 

 of bringing the issue of taxpayers to discredit the students’ movement ignoring the basic maths and science of taxes in 

One may think of boycotting these channels but can’t ignore their reach. These channels have a large viewership and their weekly ratings are the proof. 

 or one or two TV channels that aim to present all sides of the story cannot wish away the poison, hatred and communalism spread on TV every day. The fourth pillar of Indian democracy is largely rotten and with its poisonous broadcast and selective coverage will rot the whole democracy too.

Articles by Aman Singh

IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS ON INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

KASHMIRI WAZWAN- THE SCRUMPTIOUS WAY TO THE HEAVEN

AN EXPLAINER ON ‘ARMED FORCES SPECIAL POWERS ACT’

THE GREAT INDIAN OBSESSION WITH FAD DIETS

BEYOND THE TEXTBOOK BIOLOGY OF SEX: DICHOTOMY VS DIVERSITY

PM CARES FUND – CAN YOU SMELL A RAT?

The Rotten Fourth Pillar – Enemy of Young India Movement

IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS ON INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

KASHMIRI WAZWAN- THE SCRUMPTIOUS WAY TO THE HEAVEN

AN EXPLAINER ON ‘ARMED FORCES SPECIAL POWERS ACT’

THE GREAT INDIAN OBSESSION WITH FAD DIETS

BEYOND THE TEXTBOOK BIOLOGY OF SEX: DICHOTOMY VS DIVERSITY

PM CARES FUND – CAN YOU SMELL A RAT?

The Rotten Fourth Pillar – Enemy of Young India Movement