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India launched 5G in October 2022, although South Korea had launched it on April 3, 2019. All those who used 4G switched to 5G immediately. Why was it so? Because it is faster than 4G, delivering up to 20 Gigabytes-per-second (Gbps) peak data rates and 100+ Megabytes-per-second (Mbps) average data rates. It created such opportunities for people and businesses that were never seen before. Inspired by the advent of this 5G network, I was motivated to pen down an article based on how every consecrated person can integrate the principles of 5G into their lives. Let this ‘5G approach’ to life play important roles, bringing blessings wherever we are.

God

“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly. He said: ‘Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: “Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s!”‘ (2 Chronicles 20:15). Dear readers, many times we find ourselves consumed by fear of the future, unexpected difficulties, illnesses, unjust judgments, or wrongful dismissal from our jobs. However, the Lord assures us that the battle belongs to Him. How many of us truly believe that God has the power to turn every circumstance for good? Every seemingly hopeless situation can be transformed into success when our focus is on the Lord. As Easter people, we are reminded of the victory of the Cross. Easter teaches us that there is no Easter Sunday without a Good Friday, and that the Lord Jesus, who was crucified by humanity, was resurrected by God. What more assurance do we need? As human beings, we may struggle with this at times, but let us echo the prayer of the Apostles: ‘Lord, increase our faith’ (Luke 17:5).

After reading this column, you will see that Josef Meyr-Nusser might have lived in a different decade but the challenge he faced remains in various forms in many countries, including ours.

Have you heard of a place called South Tyrol? Today it is Italy’s second largest province. But for a long time it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. When the Empire collapsed, borders were redrawn and territories were reorganized. Austria ceded South Tyrol to Italy in 1919.

Nine years before this happened Josef was born in Bolzano, the capital of South Tyrol. Five years after his birth, his father, who was in the army, died. So Josef was brought up by Maria, his mother, who had to look after the family farm and raise her six children all alone. With all her work, she attended Mass everyday and the entire family prayed the rosary daily.

Fr M.A. Joe Antony SJ

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Recently, I happened to see an image of a young girl holding a placard that read: “Dear Mr Modi, Manipur is burning; 100+ deaths till now; 10,000+ houses burnt down; 75,000+ people lost homes; 40+ days – no internet. Why are you SILENT?” Similarly, a few days ago, I saw a tweet of Lieutenant General L Nishikanta Singh (retired), a resident of state capital Imphal, which said: “I’m an ordinary Indian from Manipur living a retired life. The state is now ‘Stateless.’ Life and property can be destroyed anytime by anyone […]. Is anyone listening?” We are not unaware of what has been on the boil since 3^rd May, 2023, when violence broke out during a rally by Kukis in protest against the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. The Meiteis are the majority in the valley in and around Imphal, while the Kukis are a majority in the hills.

In this context, Mr Karan Thapar interviewed Ms Binalakshmi Nepram, Convenor, Northeast Women Initiative for Peace, for his YouTube channel, The WIRE. During the interview, Mr Thapar asked Ms Nepram about what her message was to both these groups. Her answer was, “Lay down your arms; brothers against brothers, please stop the fight; any issue in this world, you can negotiate […], talk out your differences, your pain, your fears, but stop killing each other, […].” The last question of Mr Thapar was, “What is your message to Mr Modi, who hasn’t said a syllable for forty-five days, […] about Manipur and what people like you […] expect from him? Ms Nepram replied, “The Prime Minister of a nation is like the parent of a nation; when your own children are dying, dead, killed, maimed, lynched, burnt alive, how dare you keep silent, Mr Prime Minister? […]? We, the women of Manipur, are crying; our cries are not of weakness, it is resolving the women of Manipur, […]; in fact, you should take moral responsibility for what is happening in Manipur and resign yourself.

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