Stories about South Asia from September, 2009
Nepal: Towards A More Humane Dashain Festival
Nepal's biggest religious festival Dashain is celebrated all around the world by the Nepalese diaspora. This year's Dashain in Nepal was a bit controversial, with animal rights activists calling for an end to the tradition of animal sacrifice during the festival.
Pakistan: Who Is Running The Country?
The US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson’s recent statement on Quetta shura raised a controversy in Pakistan. Teeth Maestro poses the question in reaction: “Who’s actually running Pakistan? The Americans or Pakistanis?”
Bangladesh: The State Of Women
“What is keeping Bangladeshi women from emancipation when their country is ruled by one of their own? How is their situation now? What are their most urgent needs; which rights are they fighting for? And how does society perceive them?” these are some of the queries of a project of...
Pakistan: Banned drug available at pharmacies
Hina Safdar at Chowrangi informs that a banned drug called Metamizole is readily available at pharmacies in Pakistan.
Sri Lanka: Testimonies Of Detained IDPs
GroundViews posts two short testimonies on the plight of IDPs released from Menik Camp. The testimonies highlight “significant challenges facing reconciliation and resettlement in post-war Sri Lanka and the urgent need for psycho-social counseling”.
India: 100th Podcast At Indicast
Nerve Endings Firing Away informs that Aditya and Abhishek have published their 100th podcast at IndiCast.
Pakistan: Karachi The Next Swat
Khaled Faroqi at Pakistan Desk opines that the movement of Taliban Leadership from Quetta to Karachi can force the city to suffer the same consequences as FATA or Swat.
India: Water On Moon
Breaking Tweets compiles reactions of Indian Twitter users to various reports of the Indian Chandrayaan-1 mission finding water molecules on the moon.
Bangladesh: Banning Of Adult Websites
Joruri Khobor posts a hilarious take on the news that the government of Bangladesh has banned 84 adult websites that featured “well-known Bangladeshi celebrities in obscene poses”.
Bangladesh: Law And Order Situation
Mukti discusses the current state of the law and order situation in Bangladesh.
India: Durga Puja: A Daughter Comes Visiting
The Durga Puja is an annual festival that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. Bengalis believe that Durga is the daughter of Bengal and during the 5 days of festivities she visits her parental home along with her 4 children and 2 close friends.
People with disabilities and the promise of ICTs
More than 600 million people in the world live with disabilities. Oftentimes, poverty and disabilities go hand-in-hand. Can the promise of ICTs help disabled people better integrate socially and economically?
How To Add An Article In Bangla Wikipedia
belayet Ki Likhbe! (What Will Belayet Write!) posts a video tutorial (in Bangla) on how to add a new article in Bangla Wikipedia.
India: The State Of Democracy
Arundhati Roy at Huffington Post comments on the state of democracy in India: “The hoary institutions of Indian democracy — the judiciary, the police, the ‘free’ press, and, of course, elections — far from working as a system of checks and balances, quite often do the opposite. They provide each...
Maldives: Renewing Ties With Israel
Mohamed Nasheed reacts to the news that Maldives would renew ties with Israel posing this question: “how does renewing relations with Israel serve our national interest?”
Pakistan: The way we are treated at US airports
“As a friend of progressive forces, and as an American who is proud to be an American, I urge the United States government to re-consider this policy of secondary searches and questioning when someone tries to enter America,” comments Pakistani American Bilal Qureshi at Pak Tea House.
Sri Lanka: Suppression Of Media Freedom
Concerned Citizen comments on the media freedom in Sri Lanka at Groundviews: “despite vehement denials, it is obvious that the government is guilty of suppression of media freedom and dissent through intimidation, threats, violence and extrajudicial acts which have seriously affected their credibility both nationally and internationally.”
Bangladesh: Durga Puja at Dhakeswari Temple
Ideas R Bulletproof posts some pictures of Durga Puja (Moha Shaptami) celebrations at Dhakeswari Temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
India: What To Expect On The Moon
Reacting on the news that India’s mission to the moon has found water on it, A Minority Of One comments on what to expect next: “Other things that will eventually be found on the moon, in due time – one Nair tea stall, one neatly folded lungi, one old copy...
India: The Paradox Of Poverty
Smart Alec comments on the paradox of poverty: “India is indeed a rich country with a lot of poor people in it. And it’s these poor people who make rich India rich, give it its wealth of poverty. India cannot afford to give up its lucrative poverty; it must perpetuate...
Bangladesh: Can A Journalist Throw Shoes To A Leader?
“I cannot undermine the sentiment of Al- Zaidi and ordinary Iraqi people who are the sufferer of invasion and war. But he has misused his access and accreditation rights by throwing shoes. I would be happy if Al-Zaidi were a member of any other community except journalist,” comments Bangladeshi blogger...
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