Articles
Feb 22 2010
PLAY REVIEW
After a long, dark night
PLAY REVIEW : After a long, dark night
Bhor is a psycho-social journey into the minds and lives of inmates of a rehab centre, trying to build a world away from the mainstream. Shoma Chatterji reviews the play.
Feb 15 2010
CANAL CONSTRUCTION
Narmada dams continue to roll over the rules
CANAL CONSTRUCTION : Narmada dams continue to roll over the rules
It is 23 years since the Indira Sagar project was cleared and 17 for the Omkareshwar dam, but in neither case is there a rehabilitation plan in place. The construction, however, continues. Kanchi Kohli reports.
Feb 14 2010
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
A serpent in paradise
FREEDOM OF SPEECH : A serpent in paradise
The UGC and the Ministry of HRD must rehabilitate a fine scholar persecuted merely for asking that a place of learning focus on the practice of learning, writes Ramachandra Guha.
Feb 14 2010
FEMALE ILLITERACY
Educating India
FEMALE ILLITERACY : Educating India
The Annual Status of Education Report, 2009 points out yet again that what stands between rural girls and a good education is often basic facilities like transport and proper toilets, writes Kalpana Sharma.
6
Feb 12 2010
ENVIRONMENT/AGRICULTURE
Reasons for the Bt Brinjal moratorium
ENVIRONMENT/AGRICULTURE : Reasons for the Bt Brinjal moratorium
Barely three days after the conclusion of the last of six public hearings, Minister of Environment Jairam Ramesh slapped a moratorium on the release of Bt Brinjal. Anupama Rao summarises key points from the Minister's note.
Feb 09 2010
HUMAN RIGHTS
Child labour in Gujarat's cottonseed farms
HUMAN RIGHTS : Child labour in Gujarat's cottonseed farms
Labour contractors and large landowners continue to employ children, often exposing them to vulnerable situations. Extreme poverty in Rajasthan's tribal districts fuels the practice. Pradeep Baisakh reports.
1
Feb 09 2010
POST FLOODS
Blast bole and bloom together?
POST FLOODS : Blast bole and bloom together?
It takes more to feed the family amidst destroyed houses and ruined hopes. The flood-hit women in North Karnataka are putting up with more than what their menfolk could ever empathise with. Savita Hiremath has more.
Feb 08 2010
RIGHTS OF THE DISABLED
Implement the UNCRPD, say activists
RIGHTS OF THE DISABLED : Implement the UNCRPD, say activists
India has ratified the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but done very little to protect the rights of the disabled in accordance with it. Freny Manecksha reports.
1
Feb 05 2010
DISPLACED BY THE DAM
A new home, but in a nala!
DISPLACED BY THE DAM : A new home, but in a nala!
Shakuntala Pawra knew that her home would be submerged by the backwaters of the Narmada dam, so she accepted the government's offer of resettlement. Except, she is drowning there too. Neeta Deshpande reports.
1
Feb 03 2010
AGRICULTURE CRISIS
Farm suicides: A 12-year saga
AGRICULTURE CRISIS : Farm suicides: A 12-year saga
In 2006-08, Maharashtra saw 12, 493 farm suicides. That is 85 per cent higher than the 6,745 suicides it recorded during 1997-1999. And the worst three-year period for any State, any time. P Sainath reports.
Jan 31 2010
GLACIERGATE
Climate sceptics get it wrong
GLACIERGATE : Climate sceptics get it wrong
Notwithstanding the IPCC's error about glacier melting, there is consensus among scientists that the earth is warming. Those who deny it should offer proof, to the same standard that they demand of others, writes Darryl D'Monte.
1
Jan 28 2010
OPINION
The nation as a person
OPINION : The nation as a person
What happens once our self-understanding of India has been permanently transformed by the collective belief that India is a person? Some consequences are obvious; others are subtler, writes Rajesh Kasturirangan.
Jan 27 2010
CRIME AND SUPERSTITION
A spate of witch-hunting assaults
CRIME AND SUPERSTITION : A spate of witch-hunting assaults
Murders and other violent crimes are on the rise in Assam, as superstitious belief in witches provides cover for such actions. Both state and society have much more to do, writes Ratna Bharali Talukdar.
Jan 26 2010
WATER HARVESTING FOR AGRICULTURE
How they pulled their farm back from the brink
WATER HARVESTING FOR AGRICULTURE : How they pulled their farm back from the brink
"Trying to measure the success of water harvesting only with increased water level is not fair. The vegetation improves, so does the soil moisture.” Shree Padre reports on an arecanut farming family's success.
Jan 26 2010
BOOK REVIEW
Meandering an important course
BOOK REVIEW : Meandering an important course
Water and the Laws in India is not always consistent or complete, but this does not detract from its usefulness and importance in examining important issues. Shripad Dharmadhikary reviews the book.
Jan 25 2010
AGRICULTURE CRISIS
Nearly 2 lakh farm suicides since 1997
AGRICULTURE CRISIS : Nearly 2 lakh farm suicides since 1997
The share of the 'suicide belt' - Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh - remains very high; these states account for two-thirds of the total farm suicides in the country. P Sainath reports.
Jan 24 2010
WATER HARVESTING
First in RWH, but not self-reliant yet
WATER HARVESTING : First in RWH, but not self-reliant yet
Ankola railway station along the rainy Konkan coast is in a heavy rainfall area yet is suffering from water shortages. Shree Padre reports on half-hearted water harvesting efforts here.
Jan 24 2010
GANDHI AND THE CONGRESS
Man with a vision
GANDHI AND THE CONGRESS : Man with a vision
Had Gandhi chosen to stay on in South Africa, the Republic would have taken a less democratic shape. And the Congress may still have been a club for English-speaking gentlemen, writes Ramachandra Guha.
Jan 24 2010
WOMEN BOXERS
#
Boxing their way forward
At the crux of Ekbalpur's women boxers' passion lies a sense of liberation and recognition that they do not get from anything else. Sudhiti Naskar reports.
2
Jan 20 2010
FOOD PRICE INFLATION
Watching prices rise, helplessly
FOOD PRICE INFLATION : Watching prices rise, helplessly
The current situation of impotence that the Government finds itself in should prompt some soul searching about the reliance on market mechanisms to take care of India's food security, writes Kannan Kasturi.
1