· February, 2010

Stories about South Asia from February, 2010

Pakistan: The Ban On Kyte-flying

  13 February 2010

Hamza Ahmad Qureshi and Momekh at Lahore Metblogs writes on the 2005 kite-flying ban in Pakistan and discusses the silly reasons cited to justify the ban. In many parts of Pakistan, especially in Lahore, traditionally people used to celebrate the Basant (spring) festival by flying kites.

Pakistan: Website Blocked AT IP Level

  13 February 2010

Teeth Maestro reports that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked the website http://makepakistanbetter.com on an IP level, apparently for posting criticisms against the government.

Bangladesh: Jhum Cultivation In The Hill Tracts

  13 February 2010

Expat blogger Bernie Allen writes about an ingenious style of farming in Bangladesh: “Jhum cultivation is practiced by the Indigenous people on the hills and slopes of the Chittagong Hill Tracts because of the lack of flat land for cultivation.”

Pakistan: The Taliban Succession

  11 February 2010

Kalsoom at CHUP: Changing Up Pakistan discusses the controversial demise of several Taliban leaders and the battle, drama and rumors about their successors.

India: Paypal Trouble

  11 February 2010

Robin Wauters at Techcrunch informs that Paypal has suspended personal payments to and from India. However, people can still make commercial payments.

India And Apple

  11 February 2010

bhatnaturally explains why Apple is making a big mistake by ignoring India.

Open Video: Worldwide Wireside chat with Lawrence Lessig

  10 February 2010

What is fair use, how does copyright fit into the digital age and how can commentary, teaching, remixing and research with video be freely developed? Tune in on February 25th 6:00pm US Eastern time (GMT -5) to watch and listen to Lawrence Lessig as he discusses these topics at the Open Video Alliance website or check out for screenings in your city.

India: Mahalakshmi Derby

  10 February 2010

Anand Rao at Mind Sparks posts some pictures of the Mahalakshmi Derby in Mumbai with interesting captions.

Nepal: Ex-King Breaks Taboo

  10 February 2010

United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal reports that: “Nepal’s deposed king Gyanendra himself has broken a centuries-old taboo by attending a religious fair in a town till now considered out of bounds for the royal family.”

Pakistan: PTA Blocks President's ‘Shut-Up’ Video

  10 February 2010

YouTube.com recently faced intermittent reports of irregular inaccessibility across various ISP's in Pakistan. It turned out that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had placed an URL-specific ban on one particular video of the President's speech in a rally.

Sri Lanka: Another Blunder

  9 February 2010

A Voice In Colombo thinks that the victorious Mahinda Rajapaksa's government had “created another chance for opposition to gain public sympathy” by arresting general Sarath Fonseka.

India: The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival Blog

  9 February 2010

An interesting panel discussion on the delicious variety of ‘Food Writing’ took place at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in Mumbai, India. Read this and much more in The Kala Ghoda Gazette, the official blog of the festival.

Sri Lanka: On Fonseka's Arrest

  9 February 2010

Libertad blog reacts to the hammering of “the final nail in the coffin of democracy” of Sri Lanka – the arrest of General Sarath Fonseka: “adieu Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka and welcome the Totalitarian State of Sri Lanka for now.”

India: Death of a Prehistoric Language

  8 February 2010

The last speaker of the ancient Bo language, Boa Senior, has died in her native Andaman Islands (part of India) in February 2010. It's a vivid confirmation of last year's report from UNESCO, warning that 2,500 languages are at risk of disappearing.

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