India’s pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale draws on the country’s traditions and ties them to the modern condition—it does expertly what India’s offering at the Osaka World Expo did hamfistedly

India Responds to China’s “Cartographic Warfare”: 27 Arunachal Pradesh Locations Get Official Indian Names 🇮🇳🇨🇳 China has repeatedly tried to push its territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh by assigning Chinese names to places in the region. India has now responded in its own way. The Survey of India has officially recorded standard Indian names for 27 important locations in Arunachal Pradesh, giving formal recognition to their names in India’s official mapping system. The list includes 21 land areas, including the historically significant Longju, 4 mountain passes including Thagla Pass, which is closely associated with the events leading up to the 1962 India-China war, 1 lake named Sambho Sarovar, and the Sher Thapa Memorial, commemorating the Indian Army’s historical presence and sacrifices in the region. This isn't about discovering new places. It is about officially documenting Indian names for locations that India considers part of its territory. Why Arunachal Pradesh matters? China refers to Arunachal Pradesh as “Zangnan” or “South Tibet” and continues to reject India's position on the boundary. Tawang is particularly sensitive because of its deep connection with Tibetan Buddhism and its association with the Sixth Dalai Lama. India maintains that its boundary follows the McMahon Line, agreed upon during the 1914 Simla Convention, while China rejects the agreement and the legitimacy of the line. The bigger picture! Maps may look harmless, but they can become powerful diplomatic tools. China has repeatedly used the renaming of places to reinforce its territorial narrative. India is increasingly responding through what can broadly be described as “cartographic assertion” — reinforcing its position through official maps, administrative records and government documentation. The strategy is essentially three-fold: diplomatic assertion by rejecting Chinese territorial claims, administrative assertion through continued governance and development across Arunachal Pradesh, and cartographic assertion by officially recording Indian names and representations of the region. The message is clear: changing a name on a map does not change the situation on the ground. For India, Arunachal Pradesh remains an integral part of the country, and Beijing’s unilateral renaming of places cannot alter that position.