Sri Lanka plans to increase forest cover from currently 29.3 percent to 30 percent by 2025 by cultivating rubber plants over an area of 500 hectares
Erasing Colonial Symbols Won't Feed India's Families: A Call for Economic Pragmatism
But tearing down a clubhouse will not lower a family's grocery bill or write a line of exportable code. India's chance to close the gap with the economies that outran it will not wait for a hearing date in September, and neither should the country's attention.
Taslima Nasrin’s Return and the Politics of Selective Protection
Taslima Nasrin’s homecoming deserves to be welcomed. A writer should be able to return to a city she considers home without fearing violence. The harder test will come when the symbolism fades. Will the government protect her if her criticism becomes inconvenient to the people now celebrating her return?
Jewish Footprints and Connections that Shaped Sri Lanka’s History
Today, the Chabad Houses in Colombo and on Sri Lanka's southern coast have attracted considerable attention amid a rise in anti-Semitic incidents and rhetoric. It is noteworthy that Colombo once had an active synagogue, which served as a regular place of worship for British Jewish servicemen World War II
Repositioning India as the Capital of Buddhist Tourism: A Blueprint for a Global Destination
Buddhist tourism as an important tool of India’s soft power. The shared Buddhist heritage can help develop cultural ties with Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Mongolia, South Korea, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, and several other Buddhist-majority nations through cooperation in archaeology, monk-to-monk dialogues, youth programs, academic exchanges, and cultural festivals
More on Soft Power, Culture and Society
South Asia’s first hybrid school with online classes and on-ground sports
Since the pandemic began in early 2020, much has changed in the education sector across the world
Pakistan struggles to appoint first female judge in top court amid protests by lawyers
Lawyers in Pakistan are gearing up to resist the appointment of Ayesha Malik, currently a judge in Lahore High Court, to the Supreme Court
Tourists throng snowbound Kashmir, as administration opens up more scenic places for swelling visitors
After two dismal summer seasons for tourism in Kashmir due to the pandemic, winter has brought cheer back to the valley
Church and temple share Christmas joy in Kerala
In times of social disharmony in inter-community ties, a church and a temple in Kerala are epitomising the traditional 'idea of India'
Thirty years on, prayers fill 125-year-old St Luke's Church in Kashmir
Prayers were held on Wednesday in the oldest church in Srinagar for the first time in over 30 years, with the St. Luke's Church seeing worshippers standing and praying just days ahead of Christmas
Cricketers get all the attention, rues Pakistan's title-winning boxer
Pakistan's champion pugilist Muhammad Waseem, nicknamed 'Falcon' for his speedy and sharp boxing style, has topped the World Boxing Association's (WBA) flyweight division list for the first time in four years
Yohani, Sri Lanka’s 28-year-old music sensation, to be gifted land in Colombo by the government
The Sri Lankan government is gifting a plot of land to Yohani, the 28-year old singing sensation who rose to international fame - particularly in South Asia and in the Arab world - with her super hit Manike Mange Hithe song
Kashmiri paper mache products are much in demand in Christmas
If it is Christmas, it has to be Kashmir's famed paper mache products made by Iqbal Hussain Khan. National Award winner Iqbal Khan, 60, is busy dispatching thousands of paper mache art and craft items for customers in India and Europe ahead of December 25
India overtakes China as largest source country for international students
India has overtaken China as the world's largest source country of international students
Neena Gupta of Kolkata wins Ramanujan Prize 2021: 'More women are now pursuing maths'
Neena Gupta, a mathematician and professor at the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata, has been awarded the 2021 Ramanujan Prize for young mathematicians from developing countries
Durga Puja in Kolkata now on UNESCO's Intangible Heritage List
Durga Puja festival in Kolkata was is now inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage list—a development that Prime Minister Narendra Modi said is a matter of great pride and joy for every Indian
India’s award-winning film ‘Chhichhore‘ to be shown in China
India’s National Award-winning film Chhichhore, which starred late actor Sushant Singh Rajput who had committed suicide, and Shraddha Kapoor in leading roles, is going to be shown in China where Bollywood films enjoy great popularity
Women to the fore: Over 177,000 women apply for admission into India's National Defence Academy
More than 177,000 applications from women candidates were received for entry into India's National Defence Academy (NDA), the government informed Parliament on Monday
Word of the day: Shashi Tharoor takes swipe at India's ruling BJP
India's opposition Congress party MP Shashi Tharoor, known for his mastery of the English language and his use of big words whose meanings are not commonly understood, took aim at the ruling BJP for allegedly charging people with sedition as “its leadership suffers from allodoxaphobia.”
