The River’s Daughter addresses urgent contemporary concerns about environmental destruction caused by the unethical practices of developers and extractive industries – issues that are relevant not just to Pakistan but all of South Asia.
South Asia's Literary Stages Need to Give Recognition to Translators
A literary festival succeeds when readers leave with better questions about a book. Giving translators a substantive place in the program would add questions about language, interpretation and the work of bringing one readership into contact with another. South Asia's literary stages can acknowledge that work by giving its practitioners a name, a fee and a conversation worth joining.
The Political Biography of a Former Chief Minister: A Life That Mirrors Mizoram
The enduring lesson of Mizoram is not that the state won and the insurgents lost. It is that both sides eventually found a political space in which neither needed to win everything. That is the essence of accommodation and perhaps the most enduring lesson Lal Thanhawla’s life offers India.
The Empty Chair at Islamabad: When Taliban Saw Women's Rights Subordinated by Islamic Law
The Taliban, therefore, is not challenging whether Islam should shape women’s rights. Both the OIC and the Taliban begin from that premise. The disagreement is over what Islamic rights mean and, more importantly, who has the authority to define them.
Who Defines Where Home is? Confronting Partition Trauma and its Aftermath Eight Decades Later
As of January this year, at least 296 Bangladeshis have died in border areas over the past decade, as India’s Border Security Forces (BSF) pushes “illegal Bangladeshis” across the border in the dead of night.
More on Culture, Literature, Society and Gender
Will NMACC speak truth to power through the arts?
Will the cultural centre established by the Ambani’s support dissent and debate, and encourage freedom of expression, as is expected of a world-class arts and culture institute? Will it open its nine-star doors to Dalits and Adivasis, other than to put them on “display” as folk artists?
Yoga is a way of life, it should be free from commercialisation: Modi in New York
“Yoga comes from India and it has a very old tradition”, Modi said, "but like all ancient Indian traditions, it is also living, dynamic”.
All roads lead to Kabir: South Asian diaspora celebrates the mystic poet-philosopher and his vast oeuvre
The Kabir festival idea arose from the need to develop a sense of cooperation amongst the people from South Asia that call this area home, conceived as an entirely voluntary effort by community members.
Recalling Mehar Baba, India’s legendary aviator and his flying exploits
While the British conferred the DSO (Distinguished Service Order) on Meher Singh, the Indian Air Force awarded him the MVC (Maha Vir Chakra). The citation for the MVC awarded to Mehar Singh read “Throughout his tenure as overall Commander of air operations in Jammu and Kashmir, Air Commodore Mehar Singh showed great devotion to duty at great personal risk and set an example to those serving under him”.
Love in the time of division: The making of India’s first forum for interfaith arts and dialogue
The prevalent majoritarian politics necessitated the need to work towards interfaith harmony. I drew strength from the memory of the anti-CAA-NRC protest movement, when the power of the people coursed through the streets of India.
Global warming impacting Mt Everest: Is it also turning into the world's highest garbage dump?
Mount Everest’s glaciers have lost 2,000 years of ice in just the past 30 years, according to recent research. This is not only alarming for those residing in the mountainous areas but also poses a threat to everyone in the region, particularly those living downstream. Much of South Asia depends on rivers that originate in the Himalayas for agriculture and drinking water.
When artistic freedom becomes a propaganda tool: Film on Hindu rightwing icon Veer Savarkar distorts history
In response to the teaser of the film, Netaji's daughter Anita Pfaff told the Times of India, "Like Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji was opposed to the divisiveness based on religious differences. Let Sarvarkar's followers join Netaji in his vision for India and not hijack him for views that certainly were not his."
Tagore's immortal words resonate at Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad and Tobago
Dookeran pointed out that a journey for freedom, is what ignited the 'Yatra Jaaree Hai' (the journey had begun). In India in modern times, that freedom was given political expression in 1947; it was not only the freedom of India, and it soon spread to all places that was called the British Empire in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean"
Little known heroes of Indian Air Force's 44 Squadron: 50 years of crucial airlifts
During the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) operations in Sri Lanka, 44 Squadron played a crucial role in transporting men and material, including T-72 tanks and artillery guns, in the early hours of 30 July 1987, greatly contributing to the airlift effort.
The reality behind the window dressing: An Afghan perspective on the US 'war on terror' in Afghanistan and Iraq
One of the key learnings for me as a linguist and interpreter at the frontline of the Afghan war and occupation for years, that I cannot forget and forgive, was that the US politicians and policymakers did not support and establish secular institutions in Afghanistan. They deceived both the American and the Afghan people.
“Congratulations! It’s a girl!” How one crusader helped change attitudes toward daughters in an Indian state
Young women in Haryana are proving themselves in male-centric sports like wrestling, winning on national and international platforms. They include Geeta Phogat, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik, besides the pilot Priyanka; Miss World Manushi Chillar; gold medalist shooter Mannu Bhakar; and Khap Panchayat participant Ritu. These women, and many more, are defying social norms; and bring laurels to the state and the country.
Prayers and calls to find missing Indian climber, a passionate peace enthusiast, in Nepal
Anurag believed strongly in the common civilization shared by India and Pakistan. “It seems visible even today looking at the twin sister cities, Delhi - Lahore and Mumbai - Karachi,” he said.
As Nepal’s rhino population increases, protecting rhino habitat becomes a challenge
In February 2023, Chitwan National Park hosted the 3rd Asian Rhino Range Countries, which saw the adoption of the Chitwan Declaration for Asian Rhino Conservation, 2023 by delegations from Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Nepal.
Pop Art South Asia: A unique and irreverent creative collection of region's artists
It is impossible to take in the meticulously and painstakingly curated show, with more than 100 stimulating, multi-media works, spanning more than a century, in a single visit.
