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By:

Dr. V.L. Dharurkar

12 February 2025 at 2:53:17 pm

From Frost to Thaw

After years of diplomatic chill, India and Canada have attempted a strategic reset driven as much by geopolitics and trade anxieties as by a desire to repair a damaged partnership. For nearly three years relations between India and Canada resembled a prolonged winter. Yet, the visit of Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney to India at the start of the Month suggests that the thaw may finally have begun. If the past few years were marked by recrimination and mistrust, the present moment hints...

From Frost to Thaw

After years of diplomatic chill, India and Canada have attempted a strategic reset driven as much by geopolitics and trade anxieties as by a desire to repair a damaged partnership. For nearly three years relations between India and Canada resembled a prolonged winter. Yet, the visit of Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney to India at the start of the Month suggests that the thaw may finally have begun. If the past few years were marked by recrimination and mistrust, the present moment hints at a cautious but deliberate reset. Both sides have shown a keenness to replace acrimony with pragmatism. The chill began during the tenure of Justin Trudeau, whose government publicly alleged that Indian agents may have been involved in violent activities on Canadian soil. India rejected the accusations as unfounded and politically motivated. The dispute triggered tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions, the freezing of high-level dialogue and an atmosphere of mutual suspicion. For two countries that had long prided themselves on democratic affinity, shared Commonwealth ties and large diaspora links, the rapid deterioration was remarkable. Canada is home to one of the world’s largest Indian diasporas, numbering well over a million people. Trade and educational links have grown steadily since the late twentieth century. Canadian universities attract tens of thousands of Indian students each year, while Indian professionals and entrepreneurs have contributed significantly to Canada’s economic life. These human connections had long acted as ballast in the relationship. But politics, as ever, can overwhelm social ties. Symbolic Weight Carney’s New Delhi visit therefore carries symbolic weight. A former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, he has entered politics with a reputation for technocratic competence rather than ideological theatrics. His five-day visit to India, from late February to early March, was carefully choreographed to signal renewal. Beginning in Mumbai, India’s commercial capital, he met industrialists, bankers and policymakers, emphasising economic cooperation as the cornerstone of the revived relationship. India today is among the world’s fastest-growing major economies, with ambitions to expand its industrial base, modernise infrastructure and transition towards cleaner sources of energy. Canada, meanwhile, possesses abundant natural resources, technological expertise and capital. The two economies are complementary in ways that diplomacy had recently obscured. One of the most notable outcomes of the visit was a long-term agreement on uranium supply. Canada’s mining giant Cameco and India’s Department of Atomic Energy concluded a ten-year deal worth roughly $2.6bn to supply more than 20m pounds of uranium. For India, which is expanding its civil nuclear programme to meet rising energy demand while limiting carbon emissions, reliable access to uranium is strategically important. The agreement will help fuel a new generation of small and medium reactors, which India sees as crucial to its energy transition. Canada, for its part, is among the world’s leading producers of uranium. Renewed nuclear cooperation therefore reflects not only diplomatic reconciliation but also the convergence of economic interests. Previous agreements between the two countries had faltered amid political tensions. This time both governments have emphasised implementation and timely delivery. Trade Boost Trade, too, looms large in the reset. Bilateral commerce between India and Canada currently hovers around $10bn to $12bn annually, a modest figure for economies of their scale. Both governments have spoken of raising that number dramatically, potentially to $50bn by the end of the decade. Negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), long stalled, have been revived with renewed urgency. Here global geopolitics provides an additional incentive. The increasingly protectionist trade policies of the United States under Donald Trump have unsettled many of Washington’s traditional partners. Tariff threats and economic nationalism have encouraged countries to diversify their commercial relationships. India and Canada, both heavily exposed to the American market, now see advantage in strengthening bilateral trade and investment as a hedge against volatility emanating from Washington. Education and innovation are another pillar of the renewed engagement. Canadian universities are exploring the possibility of establishing campuses in India, enabling Indian students to access Canadian education without leaving the country. Joint research programmes and technological collaboration are expected to deepen intellectual ties that already run deep. Beyond economics lies a broader strategic calculation. The Indo-Pacific has become the central theatre of twenty-first-century geopolitics. As China’s influence expands across Asia, many countries are seeking new partnerships to preserve a balance of power and maintain open sea lanes. India has positioned itself as a leading voice in this effort, promoting a vision of a free, stable and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. Strategic Dynamics Canada, though geographically distant, has begun to pay greater attention to the region’s strategic dynamics. Collaboration with India could therefore form part of a wider network involving countries such as Australia, Japan and New Zealand. For Ottawa, engagement with New Delhi offers a way to remain relevant in Asia’s shifting geopolitical landscape. For India, Canadian support adds another partner to its growing Indo-Pacific coalition. Yet enthusiasm should be tempered with realism. Diplomatic resets are easier to announce than to sustain. The political sensitivities that strained relations in the past have not vanished entirely. Canada’s domestic politics, particularly debates surrounding diaspora activism, remain complex. India, meanwhile, is unlikely to tolerate external criticism on matters it considers internal. Managing these differences will require careful diplomacy and mutual restraint. Nevertheless, the symbolism of the present moment matters. The revival of high-level dialogue, the signing of concrete economic agreements and the visible warmth between leaders all suggest a shared desire to turn the page. In the grand sweep of history, relations between India and Canada have always rested on deeper foundations than temporary political quarrels. If the current reset succeeds, it could transform a once-strained partnership into one of the more promising relationships in the Indo-Pacific era. (The writer is a foreign affairs expert. Views personal.)

Mohanlal expresses regret over "Empuraan" row; Kerala CM criticises Sangh Parivar

  • PTI
  • Mar 30, 2025
  • 4 min read

Thiruvananthapuram: Malayalam superstar Mohanlal on Sunday expressed regret over the raging row surrounding his recently released film 'L2: Empuraan' and assured that the controversial portions would be removed from the movie.


The national award-winning actor posted a regret note on his Facebook account hours after state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Opposition Leader V D Satheesan extended their support to the Prithviraj-directed movie and criticised the Sangh Parivar for the social media attack against its makers.


Mohanlal's social media post, expressing the entire movie team's "sincere regret", was later shared by its actor-director Prithviraj and one of the producers Antony Perumbavoor in their respective accounts.


Amidst the intense criticism unleashed by Sangh Parivar against some portions of the movie, Mohanlal said in his Facebook post


"As an artist, it is my duty to ensure that none of my films promote hatred toward any political movement, ideology, or religious community. With that in mind, both me and the Empuraan team sincerely regret any distress that may have caused to those who love me," he said.


"We also acknowledge that the responsibility for this rests with all of us who worked on the film. With this realisation, we have collectively decided to remove such elements from the movie," the actor said.


He further said for the past four decades, he has lived his film life as one among the people. "Your love and trust are my only strength. I firmly believe that there is no Mohanlal beyond that." the actor added.


Earlier in the day, CM Vijayan, who watched the movie along with his family members the previous evening, came up with a strongly worded FB post accusing Sangh Parivar of creating an "atmosphere of fear" regarding the stand adopted by its makers against communalism.


The Left veteran said the movie has reference to one of the "most brutal genocides the country has ever witnessed". That has angered Sangh Parivar and its masterminds, he alleged.


There have even been reports that the producers are being forced to re-censor and edit the movie under this pressure. This atmosphere of fear created by the Sangh Parivar is a matter of concern," the Chief Minister said.


He further pointed out that it is not good for democracy that communalists are able to destroy a work of art and viciously attack artists simply because they have taken a stand against communalism and portrayed its horrors.


Stating that the rights to make films, watch, enjoy and evaluate them or agree or disagree with them should not be lost. The united voice of the country, which is rooted in democratic and secular values, must be raised for this, Vijayan said.


State Finance Minister K N Balagopal and veteran CPI(M) leader E P Jayarajan also came out against the social media attack against the makers of Empuraan movie.


Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan extended his whole-hearted support to the makers of Empuraan movie and accused Sangh Parivar of distorting history.


In a FB post, Satheesan alleged that the Sangh Parivar believes that freedom of expression means freedom of things being created in their favour. "Their agenda is to celebrate such flawed works," he charged.


Stating that cinema is the creation of a group of artists, he said modifying the content of a work of art by threatening, insulting and humiliating through social media is not a success.


"It is an indication of radical failure and cowardice. Don't forget that no matter how much you try to cover it up, historical truths will always remain clear," the LoP added.


He also made it clear that he would surely watch the movie.


However, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said he won't watch Mohanlal-starrer, 'L2: Empuraan'.


He also said that he was disappointed by this sort of movie-making.


"I had watched Lucifer and had liked it. I had said that I would watch the movie Empuraan when I heard it was a sequel to Lucifer," Chandrasekhar said in a FB post.


Earlier, Chandrasekhar had endorsed the stand taken by senior party leader M T Ramesh that a film should be seen as a film.


"But now I have come to know that the makers of the movie themselves have made 17 amendments in the movie which is undergoing re-censorship," he said.


He said that he understood that there were topics in the movie that disturbed Mohanlal fans and others.


"A movie should be watched as a movie. it can't be seen as history. Also, any movie that tries to build a story by distorting the truth is doomed to fail. So, will I watch this sequel to Lucifer? No. Am I disappointed by this type of moviemaking? - Yes," Chandrasekhar added.


L2: Empuraan', the second part of the 'Lucifer' movie, a trilogy planned by the Prithviraj-Mohanlal team, has become a topic of hot debate over its critique of right-wing politics and the covert mention of the Gujarat riots.


On Thursday, the day of the movie's release, the Sangh Parivar vehemently criticised the film on social media, while the Congress and Left platforms celebrated the film for portraying the right-wing politics as "villainous".


'L2: Empuraan', which had its worldwide release on Thursday, had 4,500 shows in 746 screens in Kerala alone on the opening day, sources said.

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