Articles
Aug 09 2005
Plenty on the roof
: Plenty on the roof
Rainwater harvesting isn't just to overcome shortages in piped supply, sometimes there is so much to tap overhead that no other source is needed. And some of the regular sources can even be loaned out to others! Shree Padre visits a District Panchayat Office in Kerala that has discovered this.
Aug 08 2005
CHILDREN'S VOICES
Where have all the children gone?
CHILDREN'S VOICES : Where have all the children gone?

The media today -- print and television -- reflect little active awareness of the fact that they have an important role to play in enabling children to learn about the highly complex world they live in. Children's voices are missing even in reports and articles on matters directly related and relevant to them, says Ammu Joseph.

Aug 06 2005
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Who will make hunger history?
With an estimated 24,000 people succumbing globally to hunger every day, more than 120 million people could perish by the year 2015 from this shameful scourge. In Gleneagles, however, the leaders of the world's richest economies did not even provide lip-service to the hungry and malnourished, Devinder Sharma writes.
Aug 06 2005
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Clubbing to combat HIV
In Andhra's Khammam district, awareness clubs are bringing conversations about AIDS into the open, and roping in the volunteer spirit of young people to hold the line against a potential epidemic. Usha Revelli reports that plans are afoot to expand the initiative.
Aug 05 2005
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Wake up call for HIV/AIDS in U.P.
Official statistics are putting Uttar Pradesh firmly as one of India's low prevalence states for HIV/AIDS, even though stories from village after village show the disease making its way in. Abhijit Das finds holes in surveillance and reports that state authorities are not yet taking the penetration threat of HIV/AIDS seriously.
Aug 04 2005
Caste: Don't ask, don't tell
: Caste: Don't ask, don't tell
Sometimes, caste matters only if one expects it to matter. New research suggests that affirmative policies based on caste identity may themselves be the obstacle to reform, rather than tools for achieving it. Tarun Jain reports on a study in UP that appears to confirm this thesis.
Aug 03 2005
Expanding steel maker skirting enviro-law?
: Expanding steel maker skirting enviro-law?
Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. is seeking environmental clearance for a proposed Rs 2000 crore expansion project in Chhatisgarh. A public hearing this January witnessed plenty of local opposition. The 17 July visit of a Ministry of Environment expert committee has not inspired faith in due process, writes Kanchi Kohli.
Aug 02 2005
Where have all the sparrows gone?
: Where have all the sparrows gone?
Responses to the disappearances of the common house sparrow have been muted, although the change is clearly a sign of the extent to which our urban environments have been altered. Monitoring programs would protect the birds, and also better inform us about our environment. Vasudha V reports.
Aug 01 2005
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A genuine secularism, please
Why are the more liberal practices of Muslim citizens only called upon during times of negative perception of Islam itself? Why should we then not take the liberalism of the average Khan to be real representation of Muslims at all times? The India Together editorial.
Jul 28 2005
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Good practice, bad theory
The central paradox of Indian communism is that its practice is vastly superior to its theory. Communist leaders and activists are probably more intelligent than their counterparts in other parties. This is why it is such a great pity that their often honourable practice is crippled with an archaic and outmoded theory, says Ramachandra Guha.
Jul 27 2005
A city's recipe for watery disaster
: A city's recipe for watery disaster
One month ago, on June 27, Vadodara and surrounding areas received the first monsoon rains after a 15-day delay. Citizens spent the first two days of rains in jubilation. On the third day, things went wrong. Surekha Sule assesses the recent floods that devastated one of Gujarat's leading cities.
Jul 26 2005
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The whole world's bhujia
A new study confirms that traditional production in small communities faces grave threats from globalisation. The security of employment linked to local consumption is eroded, and traditional knowledge too is being lost. This has particularly harsh consequences for women, N P Chekkutty finds.
Jul 25 2005
Remote adivasis face health care chasm
: Remote adivasis face health care chasm
Despite crores of rupees having been spent in name of tribal and other development programmes in one block of Palakkad district in Kerala, the region suffers from poor access to decent health care. 80 per cent of the adivasi population here are living in abject poverty. M Suchitra reports.
Jul 24 2005
Living in a gray zone
: Living in a gray zone

Prem Kumar travels across the country, finding disabled children living in isolation and despair, carrying nature's cruel dispensation. But he is heartened as well by inspiring work that so many organisations carry out, and hopes that a brighter future awaits the children, thanks to their efforts.

Jul 23 2005
Kashmir 'disappearances have come down'
: Kashmir 'disappearances have come down'
A senior advocate at the Srinagar High Court, Parvez Imroz helped bring together hundreds of Kashmiri families whose members have disappeared in the conflict. The media have not been forthright when reporting about Kashmir, he tells Joe Athialy in this interview, but acknowledges that the support of other people's movements is vital.
Jul 21 2005
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Combating terrorism : lessons from London
Quick identification of the London bombers of 7/7 and early success in making an arrest testifies to an excellent investigation by Scotland Yard. In contrast, getting photographs, fingerprints and other records from government departments are far more difficult for India's police detectives, says Arvind Verma.
Jul 20 2005
'Middle class' palaces
: 'Middle class' palaces

Who is buying the new homes that are mushrooming in every city? What income group does this class belong to, and how does their affluent consumption compare to the national average, or to home-buyers elsewhere in the world. Darryl D'Monte finds some of the answers at a session with a human geographer.

Jul 19 2005
Talking across the divide
: Talking across the divide
"It's unnatural, to hunker in a hut only a few dozen yards from another few soldiers looking back at you, and not think of them as just like you in every respect. This happens again the next day and the next - eventually, you'd be a robot not to wave, or shout, or something." Dilip D'Souza joins a post on the Indo-Pak frontlines.
Jul 18 2005
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1000 women for the Nobel Peace Prize
On June 29, about 50 press conferences were held across the globe to publicise the names of the 1,000 women from 153 countries jointly nominated for the Nobel Peace prize. The Nobel Committee in Oslo had received the nominations in January 2005. Kamla Bhasin narrates the story.
Jul 16 2005
WATER HARVESTING
Media campaign brings hope to desert
WATER HARVESTING : Media campaign brings hope to desert

Shortage of water has been a tale of woe in Rajasthan for decades. But this year, the state's largest circulated Hindi daily, Rajasthan Patrika, has motivated around 155,000 volunteers to clean up 388 discarded traditional ponds and wells. Ramesh Menon reports from Jaipur.