City-hopping, trivia-gathering, identity-hunting. Obsessions include culture, social software, cities, literature, internet, music, history, marketplace and anything that doesn't twinkle.
I blog at Within / Without
and can be found at other CollaBlogs such as DesiPundit, Indicubed and The Sea-Eat Blog.
Latest posts by Neha Viswanathan from October, 2006
Sri Lanka: Hosting Propaganda
FILEnetworks Blog takes a look at propaganda and the LTTE. “So we wanted to know who hosted Tamilnet. We found the answer and it didnt surprise us at all. Finding the host is not a complicated process and you can do it yourself.”
Pakistan: Dengue
Dengue in Pakistan is becoming a problem. Sajjad on the increasing number of people taken ill. “The outbreak of “Dengue Fever” in parts of Pakistan is now becoming a countrywide epidemic. Quite a few bloggers have posted about it including one who lost his cousin to a dengue infection.”
India: Capital Punishment, Afzal and Santosh
National Highway reflects on capital punishment. “For the simple reason that the desire to see his life extinct reflects society’s desire to disown his act of crime as being ‘inhuman’. But what Santosh did was very human, born out of human impulses, and has to be resolved within the parameters...
India: Assamese Writer – Manikuntala Bhattacharya
my xofura on an emerging Assamese writer and why her work is worth reading. “Be it Pages Stained With Blood,The Moth Eaten Howdah Of A Tusker of Goswami,almost all her novels revolve around a specific situation with intricate deatils of history, lifestyle and mannerisms of the society that she is...
India: Future of the blogosphere
Brands N Ads on the future of blogging. “All this made blogging more sensational and led to the exponential growth of blogosphere. But with a little more than a million posts getting added per day, the burden of separating wheat from the chaff is passed on to the readers now.”
India: Adopting a child from Malawi
30in2005 on the recent media frenzy over Madonna adopting a child. “As she lives here and apparently wanted to adopt a child why couldn’t she have done so here (country of her husband Guy) or in America (her own country). Are these children not needy enough or is it that...
Sri Lanka: Telecom and Conflict
LirneAsia on telecom in Sri Lanka suffering because of the conflict. “Now, Dialog and the people of the North are paying the price of the path of war. For two months, the mobile networks have been shut down in the North, with service being allowed intermittently in the East. This...
Pakistan: Halloween
Light Within on people in Pakistan celebrating Halloween. “The festival has recently become popular with children and young people in Pakistan and is especially celebrated in Lahore with delicious food and music.”
Nepal: Maoists and the People
BlogDai comments on the Maoists and the People. “An actual “People's Movement” is starting to take hold. For the first time, we see what appears to be mass, spontaneous outrage and intolerance of Maoist cruelty. Just a few days ago, thousands of citizens took to the streets in Jhapa in...
India: Right to Information
Balancing Life on the right to information and meeting a campaigner for the same. “I was surprised to learn that the Right to Information was declared a fundamental right in 1976 by the Supreme Court, as embedded within the right to freedom of speech. That was 30 years ago. But...
India: Godesses drink wine
Mumbai Girl on Goddesses drinking wine, and custodians of religion. “Or is too much for their prudish, forever “insulted” minds to understand that their professed religion is actually far more liberated and unorthodox than they are? Not only does Durga drink wine, she drinks blood. As does Kaali. As does...
Pakistan: Beards, Islam and Cricket
A very interesting post and discussion at Pakistaniat discussing facial hair and cricket. “Given all the discussion about cricket and Islam (here), sooner or later we will come to beards and cricket and whether beards of a certain length or style are ‘religiously intimidating’ for some (related story here).”
Sri Lanka: Pay less if you're a local
London, Lanka and Drums reflects on the practice in Sri Lanka of charging higher fees from tourists. “The Sri Lankan economy gains more revenue, many of the poorer local people are able to see sights and do things that they would never be able to if they had to pay...
Bangladesh: In the elections
Drishtipat takes a look at the forthcoming elections and makes some predictions. One of the more grimp scenarios – “There will be no check and balance. And in government there will be same atrocity, corruption and nepotism. Because there will be nothing but the same old wine in a new...
Bangladesh: A change in Government
Rezwan on Bangladesh caught in the routine of changing governments. “The Bangladesh government led by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the four party alliance ends their five year tenure today. Tomorrow the power would be handed over to the Caretaker Government. Controversial Chief Justice KM Hasan is scheduled to take...
India: Post-Colonial Historians
Shashwati on Post Colonial Historians, crossing boundaries and “going native”. “Apparently crossing boundaries, including political ones is a different story for different people.”
India: Domestice Violence Act
To Each Its Own on the Domestic Violence Act in India. “The highlighting point of this Act is that it not only provides protection to women who are legally married but also those who are in live-in relationship, women who are sisters, widows or mother. The new law also addresses...
Sri Lanka: Agendas of warring parties
Lankawatch on a reality check on the peace process and talks. “If you stop kidding around and analyze the true underlining agendas of the warring parties in the ethnic conflict, you can determine the outcome of the peace talks.”
Pakistan: Press Freedom
The Glasshouse on Pakistan's rank in the RSF Press Freedom Index. “At times the regime moves swiftly to prevent ‘harmful’ news from spreading, as was the case in late 2005 when it closed a local FM Radio relaying a BBC World Service Programme, which began providing independent news on the...
Nepal: Misplaced Optimism
United We Blog! on misplaced optimism in Nepal “The behavior of neo-libertarians often suggests ‘their-way-or-no-way’ mentality which is against the principle of democracy they aver about. Trying to silence dissident voices and smearing any person or any idea that does not match with own perception is not known democratic virtue.”
Sri Lanka: Future of the Internet
ICT for Peacebuilding on the “Future of the Internet”. “Given that many respondents argue that violence arising from conflicts over religion, economics, and politics, will be more prevalent, the future of the internet is in one way or another deeply entwined with violence and conflict.”
