Illusions are created in several ways, and they influence their audience at many levels. The visual level is the most apparent. Moving images appear before us in such a manner that they appear to be nothing but real. Questioning their truthfulness then is regarded as challenging the integrity of the illusionist.
The second way of creating illusions is mental. Its effectiveness lies in the degree to which the illusionist is able to control the minds of its audience, so that it only perceives what it is asked to do. What appears in front of the eyes then no longer matters, because the illusion is in the mind. The most insidious illusionist is the one who successfully coalesces the visual and the mental to create an unending alternate reality.
While the April issue has an article on the manipulative power of Deepfakes, which have the potential of compromising internal security, the cover story itself explore the coalescence of the visual and the mental illusions creating seamlessness of delusional self-image. Of course, this is done using the example of Indian Army’s recently conducted exercise Bharat Shakti, where, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief spectator, the main audience was the people of India. The cover story separates the visual and the mental illusions of the exercise. Thereafter it tests it on the touchstone of reality, by presenting the capabilities of the PLA, as seen by its primary adversary, the US.
Ably supporting the cover story are articles on emergency procurements that the ministry of defence had sanctioned after China sauntered into Indian territory in 2020 and decided to stay put; the need for lightweight firepower; and greater investment in indigenous research and development. For good measure, there is an article on the origins of India’s border problem with China—a reminder once again of the perils of projection in the absence of actual power. Also, a pointer to the importance of innovation is the article on kamikaze sea-drones fashioned by Ukraine to hit Russian naval vessels.
The book’s section this month is bigger and includes a review of Nandita Haksar’s timely book Shooting the Sun. Among India’s conscience-keepers, Haksar not only chronicles the continuous violence in Manipur, but also puts the restive northeastern region of India in perspective, urging for magnanimous, just and humane policies.
In addition to that are our regular reports and news updates from India and the world. Read on.