Stories about South Asia from May, 2010
Facebook Is Blocked in Pakistan As It Indulges In A Controversial Campaign
After the outcry surrounding the Draw Mohammed Day Facebook page, which is campaigning for the creation of mass cartoon caricatures of Prophet Muhammed [PBUH] on the 20th of May, today the Lahore High Court ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block the entire Facebook.com domain in Pakistan till the 31st of May. Pakistani bloggers react.
Sri Lanka: Notable Twitter Accounts
Sanjana Hattotuwa at ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) shares a list of notable Twitter accounts from Sri Lanka.
Pakistan: Rising Up
Pakistani blogger Azface at Lahore Metblogs wonders what it will take for the common Pakistanis to rise up against the establishment: “It seems the vicious cycle of ignorance, religious dogma and fear of the unknown has dulled our minds and seriously weakened our resolve.”
India: Twitter Fan Frenzy
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar recently created a fan frenzy by joining Twitter. “Within the first 24 hours, he got almost 80,000 followers,” reports Gauravonomics. Sachin has more than 300,000 fans now.
India: Opting Out Of Facebook
Indian diaspora blogger Selvakumar Ganesan, who blogs at The Scientific Indian, has completely and permanently deleted his data from Facebook. Learn how and why.
Pakistan: The Draw Mohammed Day Controversy
A controversial Facebook campaign called “Everybody Draw Muhammed Day” has irked many Muslims across the world. This has also caused an uproar in the Pakistani blogosphere and many bloggers are questioning the motives, the necessity and the hypocrisy behind this initiative.
Pakistan: The Journey Of A Muslim Youth
Omar K at Pak Tea House tells the story of a bizarre journey of soul searching as he embraced the practices of Islam and slowly distanced himself from them.
Bangladesh: Tulip Tweets
Maskwaith Ahsan at E-Bangladesh highlights Tulip Siddiq, who along with few others have pioneered the political presence of Bangladeshi women in the UK; and she tweets too!
Pakistan: Reactions To The Time Square Bomber
Earlier this month an attempted Bomb attack at the Time Square in New York City raised security alerts across USA. A Pakistani-American man was detained in this connection which raised much speculations and triggered a debate on US-Pakistan relations. Pakistani bloggers discuss about stereotypes and how to find a sustainable solution.
Sri Lanka: Drainage Problem In Colombo
Kanishka Ratnapriya at GroundViews posts some pictures showing the inundations in different parts of Colombo after two hours of rain, and questions the faulty drainage system of the capital of Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh: The Zamindars
Bangladesh Unlocked shares the history of the Zamindars in the Indian Sub-continent, who were officials employed by the Mughals and the British colonial rulers to collect taxes from peasants.
Maldives: Forgetting The Other Maldivians
Rehendhi notes that after one and a half year of the new democratic government's rule, the other Maldivians (women) are still being left behind.
Bangladesh: Fashion Show By Acid Attack Survivors
Photoblogger Monirul Alam highlights a fashion show by acid attack survivors in Bangladesh which aims to fight the stigma against them.
Bhutan: The Rise Of The Silent Majority
Dr. Hari Bansha Dulal at Blog for Inclusive Democracy in Nepal comments on Nepal's political situation: “the silent majority, whom the Maoists have been taking for a free ride and whose power they have been undermining, is, finally, waking up.”
Pakistan: What Keeps The Terrorists Going?
Ethsam Waheed at Teeth Maestro analyzes the violence & conflicts in Pakistan and wonders what keeps the terrorists going.
India: The Curious Story Of The Hamilton Bridge
Maddy writes about the curious story of the Hamilton (Barbers) Bridge in Chennai, India.
Nepal: Government not happy about Facebook Wall photos
Xnepali informs that the Nepali government has asked to remove fake pictures of Nepali ministers from Facebook accounts of some users, otherwise they will be punished.
Bhutan: Lessons To Be Learnt
Dorji Wangchuk wonders whether Bhutanese people will continue to be civic and organized as they displayed themselves during the recently concluded SAARC summit.
Bangladesh: Celebrating Mother's Day
Back To Bangladesh posts a tribute to the Mother's Day with some photos of mothers in Bangladesh.
India: The Influence Of Rabindranath Tagore
Supriyo Chaudhuri at Sunday Posts commemorates the 150th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore by remembering how the literary works and music of the Nobel laureate influenced him and many Bengalis.
Pakistan: The Making Of A Terrorist
Pervez Hoodbhoy at All Things Pakistan thinks that the prevalent anti-Americanism in Pakistani media creates terrorists like Faisal Shahzad, the failed Pakistani born car bomber from New York City.
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