· June, 2006

Stories about South Asia from June, 2006

India: Guru Dutt and 1957

  30 June 2006

DoZ catches Pyaasa, a movie made in 1957 and wonders, “There is no three-point program to improve the sum total of the hero’s happiness in fifty-five minutes. When you make your life that deterministic, the risk of unhappiness only seems to go up.”

India: Women and their Period

  30 June 2006

Nikita has a post on the perceived impurity of women during their menstrual cycle. No access to places of worship, treated as an untouchable and more.

Bangladesh: Kawran Bazar

  30 June 2006

Dhaka Diary on the corners in Dhaka. “Kawran Bazar, plays out to an audience of many, movement is rapid, shift and purposeful. It is a hub of action and activity, offices, banks, TV studios, small shopkeepers, street vendors and consumer waste make it a party worth dropping into.”

Sri Lanka: Public service media

  30 June 2006

Voices of Reconciliation on the public appeal for Public Service Media in Sri Lanka. “As Sri Lankan citizens groups have been campaigning for public service media, we now call on politicians, public authorities, civil society and all media groups to unite around a program to enhance public service values in...

Nepal: Politics and Alliances

  30 June 2006

Nepali Netbook comments on the changing face of alignments and alliances post the upheaval in April. “A passionate realignment of politics seems to be underway. To be sure, the precise motives and possible outcomes remain obscure. Yet this much is clear: In the run-up to the constituent assembly elections, Nepalese...

India: Baby in Bangalore

  29 June 2006

Sujatha has some notes on having a baby in Bangalore. For those of you considering having babies in Bangalore (especially those that have had babies in other countries and are wondering how your experience compares with that here), here are some quick notes

Pakistan: Through Thar

  29 June 2006

Light Within on the Thar/. “Thar Parkar is politically alive and in the limelight these days. Previously, one only chewed over and thought of such far away places, or read about Thar's unusual life, of people, who sang and danced with exciting rhythm and melody, radiant colours in dress, Manik...

Bangladesh: SWIFT in the US

  29 June 2006

Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying on why the recent controversy about NY Times is as relevant to the developing world. But, what about Bangladeshis living in Bangladesh? It turns out that SWIFT is quite the marketing tool in Bangladesh. Banks regularly tout their membership in SWIFT to demonstrate...

Global Food Blog Report #22

  29 June 2006

#1: Klephblog, no doubt over-caffeinated,  writes "How Coffee changed the Modern World," a great essay about this fruit of the Gods: This wondrous plant is a native of the new world and was sprung on an unsuspecting European public as these shores became colonized in the 15th century. By the...

BarCamp / BlogCamp

  28 June 2006

India is going to have a BlogCamp in September. “This barcampish event will be India's biggest and most comprehensive blog event ever conducted. This event will aim to push the bar way up. There will be exclusive tracks for blogging, podcasting and videocasting.”

Sri Lanka : LTTE and Tamils

  28 June 2006

How far does the LTTE represents the interests of the Tamils in Sri Lanka? “The LTTE is not at all concerned about the rights, privileges, safety and security of the people in different communities and regions, let alone those of the Tamils living outside the Northern and Eastern Provinces.”

Pakistan: Traffic blues

  28 June 2006

Crow's Nest… on traffic blues. “The traffic police are non existent. Those that are can be found resting their lives away on a chair by the road side under the shade far removed from the happenings of this material world. “

Nepal : Democracy Textbook

  28 June 2006

Nepali Netbook: A Dahlian Wave of Democracy? “The mechanics of Marxist-Maoist prose could not always be distilled into vernacular appealing enough to become part of the general political conversation Nepalese villagers are famous for.”

Pakistan: Grand Trunk Road

  27 June 2006

Shirazi on the Grand Trunk road that spans South Asia. “Its angles have been yanked and diverted by history. It has witnessed the march of Aryans and victorious advance of Persian and Greek armies. It also saw the Scythians, White Huns, Seljuks, Tartars, Mongols, Sassanians, Turks, Mughals and Durranis making...

Pakistan: Rock and the Underground

  27 June 2006

Asma covers the rock scene in Islamabad. Watch out for the take on underground rock. “Here, bands remain underground only because financial constraints, lack of contacts, sponsorships and media attention, and discouragement from parents cause them to remain smothered down there. Most Western UG bands prefer remaining proudly unheard of...

Nepal: Story of an Internally Displaced Citizen of Nepal

  27 June 2006

Stories of tragedy, grief and loss at United We Blog! “Toyanath Poudel, 68, couldn’t stop his tears flowing over the cheeks as he entered inside his rugged home draped under the web of spiders in Duragaun village that was locked by the Maoist rebels for months.”

Bangladesh: Going to Bangladesh

  27 June 2006

Ami travels through Bangladesh and shares his experiences. “I entered Bangladesh through its westernly most border with India. I was coming from Calcutta. The border was somewhat of a joke. I had to just kinda wander around and hope that I went into the right building in the right order....

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Rezwan
Rezwan is the South Asia editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.