· April, 2009

Stories about South Asia from April, 2009

India: TEDIndia Fellows program

  30 April 2009

The TED Conference is now accepting applications for 100 TEDIndia Fellows to participate in the TEDIndia Conference in Mysore, India. Approximately 75% of the Fellows will represent the South Asian region, and 25% will represent other regions of the world. For information about how to apply please visit this and...

Bangladesh: Value Achievements Not The Ancestry

  30 April 2009

Citing the example of Dr. Atiur Rahman, the newly appointed governor of the central Bank of Bangladesh who made a life out of nothing, Shada Kalo urges Bangladeshis to stop the practice of “inferring the quality of a human being based on his or her family background.”

India: Not On The Voter List

  30 April 2009

“There are many I know who won’t be able to vote because their name is not on the electoral rolls”, wrote Rajesh Jain in his blog. Later during the day when the blogger went to vote in South Mumbai, he found that his name was missing in the Voter list.

Bhutan: Flood Threat

  30 April 2009

Tshering Tobgay reports that the river Gotu-chu, a tributary of the Pho-chu river had swollen which could trigger a possible flood downstream along the Pho-chu and Punasang-chu rivers in Bhutan. The blogger comments: “We now know that we are ‘not prepared’ to handle a flood in Punasang-chu.”

Sri Lanka: Living In Fear

  30 April 2009

Indi.ca sheds a light on the lives of Tamils in Colombo as some of them are living in fear of being arrested for questioning without prior charges. The bloggers comments: “Perhaps this is necessary in the short-term (this being my lifetime) but it’s important to remember that this is a...

India: The Maoists-Naxalites And The Threat To Democracy

  30 April 2009

On 16th of April, 2009, just as the Indian elections began, the Maoists attacked police and poll booths in Latehar district of the eastern state of Jharkhand in India. Words From Solitude provides background of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and its factions and the naxalite movement to understand...

Pakistan: Pak Voices

  29 April 2009

Pak Voices is a crisis reporting tool for Pakistan based on the Ushahidi engine. The website is mapping the recent unrest in Karachi city. “Submitted incidents will appear online [pending approval]” reports Dr. Awab in his twitter account.

Bangladesh: Summer Pickles

  29 April 2009

Its hot and humid in Bangladesh now and the perfect season for hot and sour pickles. Dhaka Dweller Shahnaz shares her recipes for Mango pickles and posts mouth watering pictures.

Pakistan: This Is Not Islam

  29 April 2009

Pakistani blogger Faisal K. at Deadpan Thoughts questioned an enlightened scholar of Islam to confirm that what the Talibans are preaching is “hardly the Islam brought by the Quran and taught by the Prophet through his teachings.”

The Conflict In Sri Lanka And The Indian Elections

  29 April 2009

Madhu at Indian Election 2009 blog comments: “Tamil Nadu elections have been hijacked by the conflict in Sri lanka, all the political parties raise this issue and only this issue.” The blog also reports that the hunger strike of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr. Karunanidhi was an alleged ploy...

India: Showing The Middle Finger

  28 April 2009

Über Desi reports that according to “a new ruling by The Election Commission of India, voting officials in certain polling stations are now marking middle fingers with the purple ink, instead of index fingers.” This has sent vibes across many bloggers who are trying to analyze what the voters are...

Nepal: Politics of Energy

  28 April 2009

Nepali Perspectives comments on the failed power supply deal between India and Nepal: “Nepal’s.. interest will be best served by ensuring energy security and being self reliant in the matters of energy – from our own water resource.”

India: A Peek Into The Young Voters

  28 April 2009

Kamla Bhatt profiles an young voter from Trivandrum, Kerala to understand who the young voters of the Indian elections 2009 are and what are their issues.

Indian Elections 2009: God and Country

  28 April 2009

The ongoing elections in India have exposed deep fractures in the country's religious landscape. Blogs are buzzing with allegations and counter allegations of religious persecutions in the land where you can find devotee of every major religion in the world. Persecution of Christians is a hot topic among Indian and foreign...

Bangladesh: Ramakrishna Temple in Dhaka

  27 April 2009

MysticSaint at Inspirations and Creative Thoughts visited the Ramakrishna Temple of Dhaka and wrote about Sri Sri Ramakrishna (February 18, 1836 – August 16, 1886), a remarkable mystic saint of Bengal.

Indian Elections '09: On the Black Money trail

  27 April 2009

Black money stashed away in overseas tax havens/secret Swiss bank accounts - is not a new topic in India. However, the very same topic is generating quite a bit of heat in the ongoing parliamentary Elections in India. The Indian blogosphere weighs on the issue.

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