Inspired by the US-based Black Lives Matter movement, this forum has a mission to eradicate inequality, injustice, discrimination and systemic racism against people of Indian origin in the Caribbean
Whither Commitment to Truth? How AI, Media, and Visuals Shape Our Sense of Threat
The social media takes advantage of the reward systems in the brain, especially the dopamine circuits within the basal ganglia and the prefrontal cortex. Using signals of micro-engagement, including the duration of time a user hovers over a video or the number of times a user rewatches a clip, algorithms develop a feedback loop that over time redirects the feed of a user to more intense or provocative content.
Mental Health in Schools and Colleges: An Ignored Chapter in Bangladesh's Education System
The loss of 403 young lives is a stark wake-up call for Bangladesh. Schools and colleges are meant to nurture dreams, not silently witness the suffering of students. A collaborative effort involving the government, educational institutions, and families is urgently needed. With empathy, awareness, and institutional support, many of these young lives can still be saved.
The Hormuz Lifeline: Why India’s Energy Security Still Runs Through A 33-Km Strait
India’s diversification strategy, often cited as a mitigating factor, provides only partial relief. The country now sources crude from over 40 countries, and in recent years has increased imports from Russia, the United States, and West Africa. In fact, about 70% of crude imports are now routed outside Hormuz, reflecting a conscious shift in sourcing strategy.
South Asia’s Cities Are Growing - But May Not Remain Livable
What is unfolding across South Asia’s cities is not just an urban crisis, it is a reflection of deeper tensions within development itself. Growth is happening, but it is not translating into stability. Opportunities exist, but they are unevenly distributed. Systems are expanding, but not fast enough to keep up with demand. Cities, which have long been seen as places where people come to improve their lives, are increasingly becoming spaces where people struggle to sustain them.
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India as a frontline producer must take a stronger role in curbing plastic waste
The study placed India (rank 12) in the list of top 20 disbursers of plastic waste into the high seas from their coastlines. China ranked first, followed by countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh among them
Dirty, depleted Kabul river is a risk to millions in Afghanistan, Pakistan
The little water that was flowing in the Kabul River in late April was dirty. Wastewater from the capital of Afghanistan flows untreated into the Kabul River. The situation is no better in downstream Pakistan. Industrial wastewater and domestic sewage from around 10 cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa flow into the river.
Where is the roadmap to restore Sri Lanka's glory?
Today, Sri Lanka needs the Singapore model of governance where the stick and carrot policy is elegantly used, with citizens living with confidence in the government about maintaining law and order and fair play
On May Day, a call for worker unity, solidarity and a visa-free South Asia
The Sapan Charter , said Gazdar, reflects “not just the experience of one country but of the entire region” which provides a political heft. “All our countries share a common history of struggle against global systems of exploitation - colonisation, racism. These power relations exist today”.
Bureaucracy is the bane of Indian security forces
It is said that Pakistan is controlled by its military while in India it is the bureaucracy that holds the politicians to ransom but has a soft corner for the police
10 states – 24 changemakers – 1 mission: A unique initiative to skill citizens in assessing a river's health
Twenty-four participants from 10 states travelled to Kerala with a common mission to invest their skills in bringing Earth’s veins and artilleries back to flowing life. Their diverse background from architecture to academicians and from heads of gram panchayat to officers from the government had a singular focus - on exploring the practical ways to transform the river restoration initiatives into a national movement
India-USA healthcare partnership: Role of Indian origin physicians
There is no instant solution for India’s myriad problems. But by collaborating with the governments both nationally and at state levels, and working with the government and NGOs, physicians of Indian origin can make a huge difference
Ending child marriages: Raising the marriage age of women is not enough
The Bill will not help in eliminating child marriages as it has merely increased the age without addressing the major factors which contribute to child marriages
How to ‘invest in our planet’
The robber barons who gave us oil and climate change want to create new markets of carbon, new property in nature’s ecological services, reducing biodiversity and nature into financial assets to be owned and traded
Reminiscing yoga in the erstwhile Soviet Union
The impact of my father’s yoga service to the people around the USSR was such that our family was always showered with immense love from the Russians (aka people of the Soviet Union) that we can still feel in our hearts when we reminisce those days
Indian Coast Guard conducts counter-pollution exercise; Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Coast Guard also participate
During the sea exercise, 13 ships and 10 aircraft from the Indian Coast Guard and one aircraft from IAF (C-131), two ships from SACEP members states -- Sri Lankan Coast Guard and Bangladesh Coast Guard -- and 1 OSV from ONGC, assets from SCI and tugs from Mormugao Port Trust demonstrated containment cum marine spill recovery by side sweeping arms, deployment of booms and skimmers, streaming of single ship operated containment cum recovery system, firefighting drill, rescue operation, and demonstration of surface and air oil spill dispersant systems
Where has my Lucknow gone?
One good change that I saw in Lucknow was the introduction of e-rickshaws. According to guestimates, there are about 5,000 such e-rickshaws plying on Lucknow roads.
Gender equity must extend to transgenders as well
Despite many favourable developments, what transgenders face is systemic oppression, phobia, fear, bias and distrust. This keeps transgenders from living their simple lives as ordinary citizens
Sports has the power to unite: Let’s teach our children about peace before someone teaches them about hate
Can we rally support around South Asia and get friends and fans to raise their #WhiteCards for peace at the ICC event even as they root for their favourite teams
