Stories about South Asia from February, 2010
Pakistan: The Ban On Kyte-flying
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
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
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.”
India: From ‘The Bangle Man’ To ‘The Bangle Shop’
Sujatha at Blogpourri describes the Indian tradition of the street glass bangle vendors and how the modern bangle shops have replaced them.
India: When Patriotism Equates Vandalism
Dilip D'Souza at Death Ends Fun criticizes right-wing Shiv Shena's protests against the Bollywood film “My Name Is Khan”.
Pakistan: The Taliban Succession
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
Robin Wauters at Techcrunch informs that Paypal has suspended personal payments to and from India. However, people can still make commercial payments.
Bangladesh: Bangla Spell Checker Add-on For Firefox
Belayet informs [bn] that Ankur ICT Development Foundation has recently released the updated version of a Bangla spell checker add-on for Firefox, an indispensable tool for Bangla computing.
India And Apple
bhatnaturally explains why Apple is making a big mistake by ignoring India.
Open Video: Worldwide Wireside chat with Lawrence Lessig
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
Anand Rao at Mind Sparks posts some pictures of the Mahalakshmi Derby in Mumbai with interesting captions.
Nepal: The Nepali Congress Is In A Mess
Nepa.li reports that the Nepali congress is in disarray because of lackluster leadership.
Nepal: Ex-King Breaks Taboo
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
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.
Bangladesh: Questions For Climate Organizers
Anirvan Chatterjee, a tech geek from San Francisco, has five questions for Bangladeshi climate organizers. Read the answers here.
Sri Lanka: Another Blunder
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
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.
Bangladesh: How To Minimize Risk In Stock Trading
Kabir Ahmed at Bangladesh Corporate Blog discusses how to minimize risk in investing in the stock market.
Sri Lanka: On Fonseka's Arrest
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.”
Sri Lanka Presidential Elections: Sarath Fonseka arrested
General Sarath Fonseka, the opposition candidate who lost to the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the recently concluded 6th Presidential Election in Sri Lanka, has been arrested by the military police.
India: Death of a Prehistoric Language
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.