· October, 2008

Stories about India from October, 2008

India: Layoffs rattle aviation industry

  16 October 2008

One of the stars of Indian private aviation industry Jet Airways decided to lay-off 1900 employees (including ground and cabin crew) to survive the rising fuel prices and the economic slow down. Gautam Ghosh comments: “If people want a secure government job until retirement, they should join Indian Airlines (Air...

India: And the Bookers prize goes to..

  15 October 2008

Über Desi reports that the Chennai born Arvind Adiga has won the 2008 Man Booker prize for his debut novel ‘The White Tiger’, which the Guardian describes as “a bracingly modern novel about the dark side of the new India”.

India: Social entrepreneur helping the poor

  14 October 2008

In a Blog Action Day post Lalit Patnaik at Inside Out highlights one social entrepreneur who is promoting sustainable technologies such as solar electrification to families below poverty line in rural India.

India-USA Relationship Enters A New Era

  14 October 2008

Earlier this month the US government lifted its 30 year moratorium on nuclear trade with India. US President Bush signed a bill that allows US assistance to India's civilian nuclear energy program and in return India will allow its nuclear facilities for inspection by International Atomic Energy Association. Riding the...

India: Hindu is not a God

  13 October 2008

Pastor Arnold Conrad termed “Hindu” as a God at a rally for John McCain in Davenport, USA. Varnam reacts: “Our God, Hindu, is not interested in a sophomoric ‘mine is bigger than yours’ competition. Mostly it is because our God, Hindu, is not a God.”

India: Community Journalism with Video Volunteers

  11 October 2008

Video Volunteers is an organization of media producers from the villages and slums in India, creating content that is relevant to themselves and screening it inside the communities, reaching thousands of people a month with news and events that affect them and call them into action. Channel 19 is the online video channel where this media, created by and for the communities is showcased for the rest of the population.

Bahrain: The pleasures and perils of studying abroad

  11 October 2008

Although Bahrain has a number of universities, both government and private, many Bahrainis have the opportunity to go abroad to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies, often by means of scholarships. One of the first problems they face is that few people know where Bahrain is. In this post we hear about the experiences of three bloggers who have just gone abroad for higher studies, to Japan, Britain and the United States, and a fourth blogger who has been studying in India for some time.

XDR-TB: Photographer Brings Emerging Disease Into Focus

  10 October 2008

In 2007 renowned war photographer and photojournalist James Nachtwey received a TED Prize, granting him $100,000 and one wish to change the world. Nachtwey's wish was to share a vital story in an innovative way using news photography. Last week his wish came true with the unveiling of his photos,...

India, Pakistan: Death by religion

  9 October 2008

Diganta Sarkar at The New Horizon comments: “the religion first eats non-religious, then the other religions, then starts eating the self. Pakistan has already arrived at the last stage. India is still at the second one … but how long?”

India: Terrorism religious?

  8 October 2008

Balachandran at An Unknown Indian is furious over the Hindu nationalists attacks on the Christians in Orissa, India: “I wish to question those ignorant fools as to where the hell in their scriptures are they asked to promote violence against people of other faith?”

India: Attacks against churches

  8 October 2008

While condemning the recent violence against the Christians Vivek Bharat at Desicritics provides some background of the conflict that led to the attacks on churches in Karnataka: “A pamphlet titled Satya Darshini…was being freely distributed among members of the New Life Fellowship sect of the Pentecost Mission in Mangalore, ..which...

India: Attacks on Christians a challenge to the secular state

  7 October 2008

In the last two months, radical Hindu nationalist mobs have rioted and attacked Christians in a number of Indian states, claiming that lower-caste Hindus and tribal peoples are being forcibly converted to Christianity. More than 30 people have been killed, and thousands have taken shelter in government camps or in...

India: Violence in Assam

  7 October 2008

Nagalim.co.uk, a community site for the Naga indigenous people, has news and backgrounds on the recent violence in Assam, India which led to the death of 47 persons and eviction of many people.

India: Finding the root of terror

  6 October 2008

Thoughts of an Indian Citizen comments on the cause of recent terror attacks in India: “the root cause of this terrorism is dirty politics being played in respective countries for personal gains by certain section of politicians and their operational colleagues the religious-fundamentalists.”

India: Air-traffic congestions in Mumbai

  2 October 2008

Rajesh Jain at Emergic complains about air traffic in Mumbai, India: “Circling (of a flight) over Mumbai for 30-60 minutes has become commonplace thanks to the air traffic congestion.”

India: Terrorism and the Muslim population

  2 October 2008

M. J. Akbar ponders whether the renewed rise of despair amongst the Muslim population, due to some negligence and discrimination by the government, has a link to the recent terrorist attacks in India.