<ul><li>The Indian Air Force<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/operation-bandar-was-iafs-code-name-for-balakot-airstrike/articleshow/69889631.cms"> code named</a> the <keyword id="7366633" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="balakot-strike">Balakot strike</keyword> as <keyword id="7784856" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="operation-bandar">Operation Bandar</keyword>. </li><li>Sri Lanka named its first ever satellite, RAAVANA-1. </li></ul>India and Sri Lanka have been inspired by <keyword id="6373819" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ramayan">Ramayan</keyword> so much that they named their important missions after their characters. Hindu gods and goddesses are often a significant part of comic books, graphic stories in South Asian countries, especially the epicenter of the mythology-- India. And, these colourful stories inspire South Asians even today. The Indian Air Force<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/operation-bandar-was-iafs-code-name-for-balakot-airstrike/articleshow/69889631.cms"> code named</a> the Balakot strike as Operation Bandar. Also island country Sri Lanka named its first ever satellite, RAAVANA-1. These two neighbouring countries’ ‘operations’ have something in common, a reference to the ancient Indian epic — Ramayana. And, opposing views! When the all-powerful Ravana who is known to be the King of Lanka abducted Lord Rama’s wife, the latter waged a war against him. And, Rama’s army consisted of thousands of monkeys, as per the ancient Sanskrit epic. Several historians suggested that Lanka referred to in Ramayana is today’s Sri Lanka,<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangaluru/Present-day-Sri-Lanka-and-Ramayanas-Lanka-not-same-Scholar/articleshow/51898318.cms"> but it is yet to be proven so.</a> Operation Bandar The Indian Airforce code name for Balakot strike is ‘Operation Bandar’. Although the logic behind naming the operation remained a mystery, news Agency ANI <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/operation-bandar-was-iafs-code-name-for-balakot-airstrike/articleshow/69889631.cms">said </a>that monkeys have “always held a special place in India’s war culture as seen in the epic Ramayana, where Lord Rama’s lieutenant Lord Hanuman (also a monkey) quietly sneaked into Lanka and destroyed the entire capital city of the demon Ravana”. Operation Bandar is modelled after the mythical Hanuman who sneaked into enemy territory. As many as 5,000 Indian Air Force personnel and 12 Mirage-2000 aircraft <a href="https://theprint.in/defence/iafs-balakot-strike-was-codenamed-operation-bandar-armys-operation-was-named-zafran/253001/">were reportedly</a> a part of Operation to cross Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and carry out strike early morning on 26 February in key training centres of the terrorist group <keyword id="119193" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jaish-e-Mohammed">Jaish-e-Mohammed</keyword> in Balakot. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi too drew a reference between Lord Hanuman and the operation in one of his TV interviews saying that India is like ‘Bajrang Bali’ (yet another name for Lord Hanuman). Raavana-1 The arch enemy of Rama, Ravana is in vogue too. Sri Lanka <a href="https://qz.com/india/1648621/sri-lankan-ravana-1-satellite-named-after-hindu-mythology-villain/">has named </a>its first ever satellite after the biggest villain of Hindu mythology. Raavan whose figurines are burnt as a part of Indian festivities, has a different place in Sri Lanka which is believed to have been ruled by him. Ravana is believed to be the direct descendant of one of Gods of the Hindu Holy Trinity’s Bramha. Ravana who is also a demon king is known to have waged and won many wars, turning his country so prosperous that some of his cities were made of gold. For the Hindu minority in this majorly Buddhist country, Ravana is no villain. The RAAVANA-1 was launched with two other BIRDS 3 satellites from Japan and Nepal. It is expected to orbit 400 km away from earth and will have a lifespan of one and a half years.

There’s an unusual connection between India’s Balakot mission and Sri Lanka’s first ever satellite — the epic Hindu Mythology, Ramayana

The government on Wednesday said that it is in the process of evacuating 1,400 Indian nationals, mostly residents of Ladakh and <keyword id="6357972" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="jammu">Jammu</keyword> &amp; Kashmir, from the coronavirus-hit <keyword id="41896" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Iran">Iran</keyword> where around 300 people have died due to the outbreak. In a statement tabled before the Rajya Sabha, Minister of External Affairs S. <keyword id="236448" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jaishankar">Jaishankar</keyword> said of the 6000 Indian nationals living in Iran, 1,100 were pilgrims mainly from Ladakh, Jammu &amp; Kashmir and Maharashtra and 300 were students mostly from J&amp;K and 1,000 were fishermen from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Around 9,000 people have been infected with the novel <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> across Iran. Due to the spike in coronavirus cases in Iran, as a precautionary measure, New Delhi temporarily suspended direct flights between India and Iran from February 27. Advisories were issued to avoid travel and returning passengers have been screened. The minister said the Indian embassy in Tehran and consulates in Bandar Abbas and Zahidan reached out immediately to Indian nationals in Iran to ascertain their welfare and are in constant touch with them. "The initial focus is on visiting pilgrims. Many of them are in Qom, where coronavirus incidence has been strong. Their age and the nature of their residency increases the risks of exposure. As their welfare is being currently addressed, we are now focusing on Indian students," Jaishankar told the House. Many of the students, he said, are studying medicine. The southern provinces of Iran, including cities of Asaalouyeh, Chiruyeh and Kish where most fishermen are located, the minister said, have not been affected so severely. "These factors will guide our approach in the coming days," he said. Given the scale of COVID -19 infection and its pressure on Iran's resources, a team of six Indian health officials has been deputed to Iran in order to set up testing and sampling facilities there. The first batch of 108 samples received in India on March 7 were tested. Fifty-eight Indian pilgrims (25 men, 31 women and 2 children), who tested negative, were repatriated in special IAF C-17 flight on March 10, the minister said. The government has got samples of another 529 Indians for testing at <keyword id="6375751" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-institute-of-virology">National Institute of Virology</keyword>, Pune. "We continue to collect more samples in Tehran and our endeavor is to ensure the earliest possible return of our nationals after appropriate testing and screening. We are working with the Iranian authorities to operate some limited commercial flights for facilitating early return of the remaining Indians after testing them," Jaishankar said.

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There’s an unusual connection between India’s Balakot mission and Sri Lanka’s first ever satellite — the epic Hindu Mythology, Ramayana

Preeti Soni

India to evaculate 1,400 students stuck in Coronavirus-hit Iran

IANS