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4 WHO | WHAT | WHY | WHEN | WHERE DELHI THE HINDU Magazine
Sunday, March 3, 2019
■WHO Queen, in Bohemian Rhapsody. It is talking to the media, Malek drew character, a hacker who felt profoundly
also the first time an actor of Arab comparisons between his and alienated with such social anxiety,
Rami Malek, playing heritage has bagged the award. Mercury’s life in coming to terms with could ever play Mercury. But then as he
their identities. Mercury was born to
began his deep research, Malek
Was it a surprise win? Parsi parents with Indian roots, who discovered that in Mercury’s
Freddie Mercury The film has done well at the box moved to the United Kingdom from “audacious, communicative powerful
human being there was a sense of
office, taking in $854 million, but
Zanzibar when he was a teenager.
to Oscar glory wasn't acclaimed critically Reflecting on his own life, Malek said, loneliness and anxiety. I could relate
unanimously. Critics, however,
the two together.”
“That kid was struggling with his
showered praise on the actor, with identity... I think to anyone struggling,
A first generation American of Egyptian Rolling Stone magazine saying that we made a film about a gay man, an How did he prepare for it?
descent playing another immigrant despite the flaws Malek’s take on the immigrant, who lived his life just In 1991, Mercury was one of the first
walked away with the Best Actor prize legendary singer “saves the day.” In the unapologetically himself. The fact that British celebrities to die of AIDS. He
at the 91st Academy Awards last runup to the Oscars, Malek had won I’m celebrating him and this story...is was 45 years old. The film is about the
Sunday. the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors proof that we’re longing for stories like origins of Queen and Mercury’s
Rami Malek, 37, won his first Oscar Guild and the British BAFTA awards. this.” personal battles and public persona,
for his depiction of flamboyant singer When Malek got a call during the the struggles with his sexuality and
Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Why did he relate to the role? third season of TV series Mr. Robot for drug abuse.
Bulsara, who fronted British rock band In his acceptance speech and later the role, he wondered how that young Malek, who could not even play the
■WHEN
February 28,
2019
On edge: Indian and Pakistani troops traded
fire along the Line of Control in Kashmir on
Thursday, a day after the neighbours
downed each other’s jets. Reuters reported
that the U.S., China and other world powers
have urged restraint as tensions escalate
following tit-for-tat air strikes in the wake
of a suicide attack that killed at least 40 Download Indian Library App
CRPF personnel in Pulwama on February 14. #70929
U.S. President Donald Trump said American
mediation was helping to defuse the crisis
between two nuclear powers. Picture
shows the red-and-white emblem being
painted on the roof of SMHS Hospital in
Srinagar on Wednesday to avoid it being
targeted. REUTERS
■WHY officials scrambled to put out the blaze, Compounding matters is the ubiquity it is Bandipur or the rainforests of the
an Indian Air Force helicopter sprayed of lantana camara, an invasive weed upper Western Ghats. Scientific
Are fires frequent at over 19,000 litres of water in seven species native to South America, that literature have shown this blanket
approach may be doing harm to dry,
sorties.
has spread through nearly twothirds
While fires are not uncommon at of the forest area. deciduous forests where trees have
Bandipur reserve? Bandipur, what has surprised officials but questions have arisen whether the evolved to coexist with fire.
Over 400 fire watchers were placed,
Jayashree Ratnam from the National
is their intensity and frequency. The
worry now is the longterm damage to precautions were enough, especially Conservation for Biological Sciences
the ecosystem, which is a part of the since Bandipur has had frequent fires. and fellow authors have noted in a
Nilgiri Biosphere that hosts the world’s recent study that the trees in this
largest tiger population, at more than How susceptible is it to fires? landscape were closer to those in a
575 (2014 census). Bandipur is a dry deciduous forest in savanna than in rainforests 100 km
the rain shadow region of the Western away. Trees have dramatically thicker
How did it start? Ghats, and is no stranger to fires. barks, implying that they had evolved
The 2018 monsoon was particularly Periods of drought invariably lead to to be fireresistant.
strong, but the yearend northeast fires. In 2017, a forest guard was killed “When fires are relatively frequent,
monsoon has failed. If the monsoon led while attempting to douse a fire in the adult tree mortality in these systems is
to dense growth, the blistering heat region. very low. Many saplings sprout shortly
since September has turned vegetation A study has shown that between after the fire from underground
brittle and dry, with vast swathes 1974 and 2014, 67% of the Nilgiri reserves, and the system returns to its
becoming tinderboxes. As with most Biosphere had seen some form of original state in a few years,” she told
forest fires, it is assumed that forest fire, with Bandipur having The Hindu.
Bandipur’s ignition was manmade. reported the most incidents. However, Conversely, when fires are
Forest Department officials believe the number of forest fires had suppressed — including by curbing the
What happened? miscreants set fire in multiple considerably come down over the tribal practices of controlled fire
A fiveday fire that raged through the locations. decades as the Forest Department burning — a greater biomass builds up
Bandipur Tiger Reserve has reportedly The suspicion stems out of a attempted to preempt them through that can lead to high intensity fires
burnt more than 15,400 acres of growing animosity between the fire control lines and fire watchers, which affect the ecosystem negatively.
forests. Between February 21 and 25, Department and forestdwellers who notes the study. Moreover, there might be a correlation
the reserve saw 127 fire counts in accuse officials of harassment through between fire suppression and growth
various ranges of the 912 sq km forest. the wildlife rules. Any investigation What is the impact? of lantana camara, which has replaced
The largest of the fires was contained into the fires is unlikely to pinpoint a The country’s forest policy the grassy undergrowth in many areas.
only on Monday. cause or culprits. Strong gusts ensured encourages a zero forest fire approach .............................................................................
While Karnataka Forest Department that the fires spread quickly. for its protected landscapes — whether R. Krishna Kumar, Mohit M. Rao
