· March, 2012

Stories about South Asia from March, 2012

India: Arresting Tibetan Activists

  31 March 2012

Dilip D'Souza at Death Ends Fun comments on the arrests of Tibetan activists in India: “we gave the Tibetans shelter when they fled from the excesses of China. Now we arrest them when Chinese premiers come visiting.”

South Asia: Every Day Is Earth Hour for Us

  31 March 2012

Today many countries of the world are observing Earth Hour, an event to make people aware of the climate change by turning off their non-essential lights for one hour. Millions of people in South Asia have no access to electricity and the demand of electricity is much bigger than supply.

India: Is God Now An Industry?

  31 March 2012

Ugich Konitari at Gappa writes about the VIP pilgrims of the famous Hill Temple at Tirupati, who keep the ordinary pilgrims waiting for many hours for their chance to perform rituals. “Should money be the deciding factor in defining classes of worship?” the blogger asks.

India: Media And The State

  31 March 2012

Aagan reports that a recent circular from the West Bengal Ministry of Mass Education Extension and Library Services caused much buzz on mainstream and social media. The West Bengal government has decided that it will not stock any “politically funded” newspaper in government libraries.

India, Bangladesh: Caught In The Cyber War

  31 March 2012

A cyber war between Bangladesh and India broke out last month as Bangladeshi hackers defaced Indian border security Force's website in protest of the recent border killings by BSF. Indian hacker groups retaliated by defacing Bangladesh government ministry websites and a cyber war followed.

Nepal: Call for Submissions for Nepal International Indigenous Film Festival

  30 March 2012

The 2012 Nepal Indigenous Film Festival is calling out for submissions of any type of film related to Indigenous youth produced after 1 January, 2008. Submitted films should be made by indigenous youth or should focus on positive efforts indigenous youth are doing to honor their heritage. More details about...

Pakistan: Demand for Independence of Sindh

  28 March 2012

A freedom march organized by one of the biggest Sindhi nationalist parties, has drawn a huge crowd in Karachi city. The news was either blocked or under-reported in most of the Pakistani mainstream Urdu media channels.

India: Young Women Learning About Participatory Video

  27 March 2012

A group of young women in the slums of Hyderabad in India are learning how to make videos to change their communities, and in this next film the group of young girls explain what they've learned and how they are helping their communities and themselves through their work.

India: The Last Handwritten Newspaper in the World

  26 March 2012

The earliest forms of newspaper were handwritten and now 'The Musalman' probably is the last handwritten newspaper in the world. This Urdu language newspaper was established in 1927 and has been published daily in the Chennai city of India ever since.

Sri Lanka: Reactions to US Resolution at UNHRC

  25 March 2012

A US resolution was recently passed at a UN Human Rights Council meeting on Sri Lanka seeking to encourage the government to investigate allegations of human rights violations during the country's civil war against the LTTE and implement the recommendations made by a reconciliation commission. Netizens react.

Pakistan: Karachi launches campaign against TTP

  25 March 2012

Zia Ur Rehman reports that an awareness campaign against the horrible atrocities by the religious group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has begun in Karachi. An NGO named Anjuman-e-Muhibban Pakistan (Organisation of Lovers of Pakistan) launched the campaign.

India: Renewing the Pledge Against Tuberculosis on World TB Day

  24 March 2012

In India, where TB is one of the biggest health challenges, the World Tuberculosis (TB) Day was observed in various parts of the country. A nationwide communication campaign has recently been launched in India, giving her a new superhero, Bulgam Bhai, to help fight the TB battle.

India: Tweet Fuels Communal Tensions in Kolkata

  22 March 2012

Earlier this week, certain areas of Kolkata in West Bengal, India, were brought to a grinding halt by protesters protesting against a certain tweet, allegedly posted by an Indian model, which was in turn published in a leading English daily. Netizens reported from the ground and also discussed the incident on social networks.

Pakistan: Killing of Ahmadis To Be Made Legal?

  22 March 2012

The Horizon reports that a religious party in Pakistan demanded in an anti-Ahmadiyya conference held in Lahore that “those considered apostate by the Muslims clerics should be put to sword, a view developed through the dark ages of the Muslim Ummah”.

Bangladesh: The Plight of the Indigenous People

  20 March 2012

In Bangladesh there are more than 45 indigenous tribes (adibashis). Every day some of them are being subjected to discrimination, oppression and abuse. Their plights can be heard in indigenous blogs and other social media platforms.

About our South Asia coverage

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