Stories about South Asia
Looking at the GotaGoGama protests as a learning curve for Sri Lanka
A month after GotaGoGama came to a close, one wonders how have its ideas taken root in the minds of the thousands who engaged with this space of learning.
How did a Nepali ritual altar end up in Berlin?
Kathmandu-based filmmaker Deepak Tolange spotted a richly decorated Buddhist shrine from Nepal in the Museum of Asian Art in Berlin seven years ago and tried to trace its origin.
Devastating Pakistan floods put climate change and climate justice under spotlight
The recent devastating floods in Pakistan have put the spotlight back on climate justice. A combination of factors such as extreme heatwave, melting glaciers and unusually heavy monsoons triggered floods.
Solar powered device reduces human-animal conflict in India
An innovative device uses solar-powered technology to generate light flashes to scare animals away from agricultural fields, without harming them. This promises to reduce crop loss from wildlife attacks.
LIVE on September 22: Techno-authoritarianism in India
India's rapid digitization has been accompanied by an array of practices that curtail citizens' liberties. Join us on September 22 for a discussion of how citizens are pushing back.
LIVE on September 15: Can citizens of democracies still trust the law?
As digital authoritarianism spreads globally, is the law, one of the pillars of democracy, being used to undermine people's rights?
Bollywood's decline, Hindu nationalism's gain: A trend of fandom exodus
In recent years, Muslim Bollywood actors have been targeted for being "anti-national" and there are rising demands from the ultra-right that they need to conform to the Hindu-nationalist narrative.
Meet Ganesh Birua, a champion who is bringing the indigenous Ho language online
Ganesh Birua is a young activist from the Indian state of Odisha. Rising Voices talked with Birua to learn about his efforts to bring his mother tongue to the internet.
How can tea workers in Bangladesh survive on a daily wage of less than 2 USD?
Tea workers in Bangladesh went on a strike demanding a daily wage of BDT 300 (USD 3.16). Their protest earned them a 25 percent pay rise to BDT 170 (USD 1.80). But is it enough?
Towards digital authoritarianism in Nepal: Surveillance, data collection, and online repression
Nepal government’s COVID-19 response opened the door to various threats to human and digital rights. Nepal must decide on its own path if it envisions a democratic digital ecosystem.
YouTube is temporarily blocked during former PM's political rally in Pakistan
After blocking Khan's speeches from satellite TV, the government seems to be trying to stop his campaigning from being heard online as well.
Unfreedom Monitor Report: India
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in India is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
In Brazil and India we are seeing an increase in tensions between platforms and states
Research from the Unfreedom Monitor uncovers a pattern in the way that social media and tech platforms engage with states that practise digital authoritarianism.
Rising sea levels in Bangladesh are driving women to take the pill to stop menstruating
Many girls and women in the coastal areas of Bangladesh who don't have access to fresh water are taking birth control pills, often stolen from married women to stop their periods.
Disruptive technologies, demagogic governance: Data (un)democracy in India during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic not only resulted in a great loss of life in India, but also provided an impetus for authoritarian control.
Nepali activists protest Myanmar executions
On July 26, Nepali rights activists took to the streets of Kathmandu against the execution of four democratic activists by Myanmar’s ruling army junta.
Bangladesh government instructs TV channels not to use the word ‘Indigenous’ when referring to ethnic tribes
On July 19, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued a notice to 35 TV channels asking the media and civil society not to use the word ‘Adivasi’ (indigenous people).
Popular Chittagong University shuttle train gets a colorful graffiti makeover
A young artist from Germany has completely transformed the shuttle trains of Chittagong University into a moving work of art cheering up the students and locals.
Sri Lanka: The evolution of the Gotagogama protest site and its periphery, in photos
Sri Lankan photographer Sandesh Bartlett captures how the peaceful occupy protest against the Rajapaksa government at Galle Face Green in the capital Colombo materialized, from March to July 2022.
Digital authoritarianism in Bangladesh: Weaponising a draconian law to silence dissent in the pandemic era
The COVID-19 pandemic provided the government with a pretext to censor free speech, harass critics, and effectively curb dissent – accelerating what has been an ongoing turn towards authoritarianism in Bangladesh.
Mushroom trekking in the Himalayas
A three-week eco-tourism trek to Everest Base Camp by a group of Nepali and American mycologists identified over 150 species of mushroom in the Himalayas.
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