Sunset from a mountaintop in Sri Lanka. Photo by SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda.

Patriotism not About Hating Another Country: South Asia's Shared Inheritance Deserves a Future Beyond Perpetual Hostility

I claim Tagore and Iqbal. I claim the music of Lata Mangeshkar and Mehdi Hassan.I claim the shared cultural inheritance of South Asia in all its richness and contradictions. History divided states. It could not divide memory. The food we eat, the stories we tell, the languages we speak, and the melodies that move us still carry echoes of a shared past.

Vision of Shared Humanity: Path of Dharma For Peaceful and Purposeful Living in an Interconnected World

It does not ask anyone to abandon their religion. A Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jew, or secular humanist can walk the path of Dharma without contradiction. Dharma is not a replacement for religion. It is a shared ethical foundation beneath all religions — the ground on which they all, at their best, already stand.

Pakistan's Literary Festivals Inject Oxygen into Constrained Intellectual Spaces, but Cross-Border Exchanges Remain Frozen

Inspired by the Jaipur Lit Fest, Pakistan’s first literary festival took place in the country’s largest city Karachi in 2010. Subsequently replicated in Lahore and Islamabad, such festivals now take place around the country, from the agricultural and industrial hub of Faisalabad, formerly Lyallpur, to the port city of Gwadar on the Balochistan coast. 

An Unending Struggle for Justice: A Rare Insight into the Everyday Lives of Migrant Workers in India

While the overall picture is depressing, Ramaswami also describes hopeful strands within the social fabric of workers’ lives such as the mutual support and 'bhaichara' (fellowship) between men across ethnic, religious and caste boundaries that become more fluid within the city. The inter-religious and inter-caste ties forged between workers can be seen as small glimmers of hope in the context of the rising tide of Hindutva politics over the past decades. 

More on Culture and Society

Pakistan deploying shooters at Lahore airport to shoo away birds

In the first six months of this year, around three dozen incidents —eleven at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal Airport—of birds colliding with aircraft and risking their safety were recorded, an official told Express Tribune

Female health workers sans male guardians fired by Taliban in Afghanistan

Since coming to power in August last year, the Taliban regime has announced several measures—including barring women’s presence in the public without a male companion, ban on girls' education, and ban on women from driving among others—restricting the rights and freedom of women

Pani Puri, South Asia’s popular snack, banned in Nepal’s capital

For those fond of street food in the valley, the blanket ban on the sale of pani puri on the streets hasn’t gone down well, with many people taking to social media to question the move.

India’s first Mango Heritage Village comes up in Kerala

The journey to conserve these local fruit variants began almost six years ago with Shyju Mechathi, a civil police officer by profession, who along with his neighbours started documenting and marking every tree in each house with signboards based on their variants.

Cross-border literary exchange: When Indian and Pakistani teen authors met online

Pahal Wasu, 15, from Noida near New Delhi, who now lives in Sydney, and Aminah Alavi, 17, of Karachi turned teen authors after attending schools with good libraries, backed by families which enouraged them to read

Pakistani journalist who visited Israel fired by state broadcaster

The controversy grew this week soon after the opposition party PTI led by ousted prime minister Imran Khan accused the government of trying to attempt to normalize ties with Israel, which remains an extremely emotive issue in the Muslim country of 220 million people. 

No exams till 3rd grade; Bangladesh government seeks to reform primary and secondary level education

The Education Ministry after holding the meeting of the National Curriculum Coordination Committee (NCCC) approved the new education policy, officials said. The policy states no exams will be conducted till grade third and the number of books for grade fourth and grade five have also been reduced to reduce the education burden on children.

India Post delivers by drone, opens up future possibilities in a far-flung nation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Friday inaugurated what was described as the country's biggest drone festival, where he said the use of drones will rise in sectors such as agriculture, sports, defence and disaster management.

Bhutan aims to become free of stray dogs by 2030

Last year, authorities launched the Accelerated Dog Population Management and Rabies Control Programme (NADPM and RCP) with the twin aims of achieving 100 percent sterilization of stray dogs, register, and vaccinate all pet dogs, and control feral dogs.

One in four Bangladesh's health workers who treated Covid patients suffered from stress disorder

Even nurses and technologists, often working for abnormally long hours, were affected during the pandemic. The risk and fear of contracting Covid and lack of protecting gears compounded the impact.

African swine fever outbreak in Nepal; over 900 pigs have reportedly died

The virus, however, is “not a danger” to human health, but it could have a devastating impact on the pig population, according to the World Health Organization. The spread, if remains unchecked, could wipe out the entire population of pigs in the affected areas.

Separated at Partition, Sikh woman in Pakistan has emotional reunion with brothers at Kartarpur

Iqbal and his wife did not tell Mumtaz that she was not their daughter. Two years ago, when Iqbal's health suddenly turned bad he told Mumtaz that she was not his real daughter and she actually belonged to a Sikh family.

India offers seamless possibilities to filmmakers, says Modi as India is 'Country of Honor' at Cannes

Top personalities from India's entertainment business including A R Rahman, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Nayanthara Pooja Hegde, Prasoon Joshi, R Madhavan, Ricky Kej, Shekhar Kapur, Tamannaah Bhatia, Vani Tripathi and folk singer Mame Khan are part of the delegation at Cannes led by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur

Pakistan’s ex-ambassador to Italy dismissed from service for sexually harassing a colleague

The penalized diplomat retired from the service last year and is now the president of the Institute of Regional Studies, a think tank of the Pakistan Foreign Ministry

Wildlife in Pakistan under threat from climate change and government apathy

“Natural pastures are depleting which has led to many species of animals, birds, and moths becoming extinct,” Ashiq Ahmed, a Pakistani wildlife expert, was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune. “Butterflies used to be common but they are rarely seen now.”