Aparna Ray

I am a researcher who loves to travel across Myriad Spaces and highlight stories from South Asia. Passionate about cultures, people and issues related to ICT4D, governance, community, gender and social inclusion, you will find me ever willing to engage in a good conversation over a steaming cup of tea. I have also served as a volunteer representative on the Global Voices Board of Directors.

You can find me on Twitter at @aparnaray

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Latest posts by Aparna Ray

Bob Marley – A New God for the Bhutanese Youth?

  26 April 2014

Bob Marley has suddenly become a god among the already confused generation. The Rastafari Flag, with either Bob himself or with a marijuana leave on it, is all over the place. For someone who died in 1981 to brainwash smart kids of 21st century is so unbelievable. Passang Tshering, a...

Menstruation Is Not a Shameful Secret. Let's Talk Periods.

  26 April 2014

“Why do women hush themselves when it comes to discussing menstruation?” asks Sourav Kumar Panda at Youth Ki Awaaz and goes on to discuss that in this day and age, keeping periods a ‘hush-hush’ issue is unnecessary – the time has come for us to break the silence and shame...

Bangladesh: Is Restorative Justice the Best Way Forward?

  19 November 2013

In the backdrop of Bangladesh’s violent history of birth, ongoing violent political practices, and high rates of homicide, mob violence, neighborhood/street violence, violent labor unrests, family violence and intimate partner violence, the need for restorative justice is paramount. Without an intervening model aimed at resolution, we will remain a nation...

Bhutan's Hydroelectric Projects and a Kingfisher

  18 November 2013

The Bhutanese people are slowly beginning to realize that the hydropower projects will, over time, not only ruin our environment but will also be the cause of the loss of our nationhood. Yeshey Dorji, a photographer in Bhutan,  visited Berti, Zhemgang, in search of the white-bellied herons that are under...

Discovering the Bouquinistes of Colombo

  17 November 2013

Paris may be famous for its bouquinistes, stalls selling second hand and antiquarian books lining the banks of the River Seine, but Colombo also has them. They don’t line the banks of the Beira Lake and tourists seldom find them but they are invaluable for the traveller. In this lovely...

Tendulkar's Retirement: ‘Cricket Will Never Be the Same’

  16 November 2013

In some ways my feelings towards Tendulkar were ambivalent and they oscillated between love and dislike, depending whether he was playing against Pakistan or not! Whereas the feeling has oscillated, my respect and admiration for Tendulkar both as a great cricketer and a human have always remained constant. […] Today...

India: Sixty Million Diabetics And Growing

  15 November 2013

With over 60 million diabetics [pdf] and another estimated 77 million people being considered pre-diabetic, India is caught in the throes of a diabetes crisis. On World Diabetes Day on November 14, India renewed its pledge to fight the growing diabetes menace in the country. Writer and blogger Prem Rao...

Aparna Ray's space

I am concerned about sustaining the Commons in India. Watch this film to learn more about the Commons: