Freedom, enshrined in the constitution of India and safety for India's women from sexual assault at home or outside. The brutal gang-rape and eventual death of a 23-year-old girl on her way from a movie in the evening on Sunday evening in December triggered an awakening that took many by surprise. Perhaps the simplest explanation… Continue reading The Anatomy of a Protest
Category: Rights
New Hospitals and equipment, but no doctors.
In Chhattisgarh’s Sukma town, a brand new 100-bed hospital stands as a proof of the healthcare crisis in conflict-ridden Bastar region. The new building was made operational two months ago, but marred by acute shortage of doctors, even the most basic facilities are unavailable. The hospital has one X-ray machine but no radiologist. There’s no CT Scan,… Continue reading New Hospitals and equipment, but no doctors.
Doctors Chat on Phone, Baby Falls From Delivery Table into Dustbin.
I am still reeling from the implausibly stunning fact of a baby slipping out of a womb into a dustbin. Finding the words to write this was not easy. But it is important for Soni Baghel’s story to be public, so that the Maharani College in Jagdalpur- in whose care almost all of Bastar’s tribals… Continue reading Doctors Chat on Phone, Baby Falls From Delivery Table into Dustbin.
How Breastfeeding Women Are Abused In Bastar – And Other Horror Stories
"Without emotion, as though she were talking about the weather, Manju (name changed) tells us how she and six other women in her village (Kunna in Bastar’s Sukma district) were subjected to “inspection” by a police party that came through their hamlet chasing a group of Naxals. Fearing harassment, torture, arrest or death, each time forces approach,… Continue reading How Breastfeeding Women Are Abused In Bastar – And Other Horror Stories
Should India Have Voted For LGBT Rights At UN?
In a week when five gay Indians went to the Supreme Court seeking protection of their fundamental right to personal safety and liberty under the constitution, making the case that Section 377 violated them, they were referred to the Chief Justice of India to decide the validity of the petition. India has decided to once… Continue reading Should India Have Voted For LGBT Rights At UN?
A Tehran Diary (Outlook Magazine)
The change in Iran's capital, Tehran between my last visit in August 2012, and this May seemed dramatic in many ways. In a post sanctions world, the economy needs help, but Iran’s people are hungry for the comforts of our times—fast cars, fine foods, designer clothes and travel. Read here
With Sanctions Gone, Iran’s Contemporary Art Scene Takes Flight
Like everywhere else in the world, in Iran too, art is a reflection of society and politics of the times. Small new galleries are cropping up in Tehran's downtown cultural hub every day - reflecting the desires of a society governed by rigid religious constructs to push boundaries. They want to make the most of… Continue reading With Sanctions Gone, Iran’s Contemporary Art Scene Takes Flight
Uproar Over ‘Mahishasura’: From Nationalism To Culture War?
This is the excerpt for your very first post.
Survivors’ Tales: Politicising the Floods
Everyone comes back to the same concern of rehabilitating people in Kashmir. While the dismal amounts of state relief continue to trickle in, the biggest casualty of the election campaign has been the declaration of a comprehensive rehabilitation package for Jammu and Kashmir. One that pulls together housing, employment, opportunity and infrastructure in a well… Continue reading Survivors’ Tales: Politicising the Floods
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