Latest posts by Neha Viswanathan from March, 2007
India: Flower-Lane
A flower market in photographs at Trivial Matters. “A kaleidoscope for your senses. Dadar Phulgalli [flower-lane] takes your traditional Bombay smells of sweat, toil, paint, iron and turns them into the smell of marigolds.. Wipe your brow and you find petals in addition to sweat.”
India: On the shariah
Indian Muslims on the shariah, law, state and culture. “I firmly believe that in this present day world shariah laws cannot be enforced on people because Muslim society in general has diverted away from religion. Concepts which invite death punishment in Islam are now acceptable in many cultures, like live...
Pakistan: On Rawalpindi
Light Within on the history of Rawalpindi. “The bustling city of Rawalpindi has a lot more to offer than a traffic mess, broken roads and haze-filled atmosphere. The city’s history spreads over several millennia. Archaeologists believe that a distinct culture flourished on this plateau even 3,000 years ago.”
Bangladesh: On Hizbut Tahrir
Rezwan on the Hizbut Tahrir. “Hizbut Tahrir, a global student organization which is very active among UK (including Bangladeshi community there) established their base in Bangladesh a few years ago. They could so far infiltrate in many high profile public and private Universities of the country and could motivate many...
Bangladesh: The death of a Grandfather
Sajeeb Wazed (also the grandson of one of Bangladesh's founding fathers – Sheikh Mujibur Rehman) writes an account of the killing of his grandfather and other family members due to political reasons. “Mohiuddin and his cohorts killed the security guards and made their way into the house. They confronted my...
India: The mother of two children
Motherhood and two children at The Mad Momma. “I held her against my chest and made him put his head down in my lap and comforted both and tried to fight the sense of utter despair. How would I protect one from the other without destroying one? She is so...
Nepal: On Monarchy and Monarchs
Khatmandu Speaks responds to a comment made at Global Voices Online on the issue of monarchy in Nepal. “You don't know how he runs his businesses. He manipulates the state mechanism to avoid taxes among other things. Stories of vehicles lost in the country of manufacture- to being sold to...
Pakistan: A harsh look
Behind the Chairman's Door takes a harsh look at Pakistan. “In Pakistan, the only goal is to get more money, no matter it be by honest or dishonest means. The traffic police take bribes to not write a citation. The city police take bribes to register cases, real or false....
India, Bangladesh: Lessons from Nandigram
Unheard Voices takes a look at the violence in Nandigram in India. “What is remarkable in this tragedy is the arrogant attitudes and brutal actions of a government that is democratically-elected and that is filled with nominal socialists and communists. In true deshi fashion, the police forces’ brutality has been...
India: Feminism and Bangles
Jag's Blog points out to the ways that people take to insulting the cricketers who didn't make it to the World Cup. In this case they were shown as wearing bangles. “Does it mean that those who wear bangles – women – are … what? Useless? Incapable? Weak? Unskilled? Unable...
India: Women Sufis
Indian Muslims on women sufis in and from Delhi. “Among the other early women mystics are Umm Haram whose tomb is in Cyprus, Rabia bint Ismail of Syria, Muadha al Adaiyya of Syria, Nafisa of Mecca, Zainab and Ishi Nili of Persia. These women made major contributions to the vitality...
Sri Lanka: Women and Work
True Sri Lankan adds his take on the issue of women with children below the age of five years not being allowed to seek employment abroad. “This is a careful line to tread and I believe that the ban while solving some problems will only increase other problems such as,...
Pakistan: Dangerous Construction
Metroblogging Islamabad points out how unregulated construction activity is dangerous. “The death of an Indian national in a traffic accident caused by the construction of an underpass at Islamabad's China Chowk is tragic. Regrettably, it has taken a death for the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the local administration to...
Pakistan: What's the news?
the olive ream takes a gut-splittingly funny look at News. “A ministerial committee met recently, in essence, to declare war. Eight months in arrears. Apparently Ehud Olmert, apart from all his other screw-ups, also forgot to officially declare war last July. The first Lebanon war was classified ‘Operation Peace for...
India: Qualitative Research and Blogs
Conversations with Dina discusses if blogs will kill focus groups in qualitative research. “Because blog conversations are viral on the other hand, and often there is no way of ‘checking’ back on the demographics. Its difficult for an ‘outsider’ (read marketer who isn't into blogging) to trust this conversation then,...
Sri Lanka: Cycles of a wartime blogosphere
cerno isn't impressed with the Sri Lankan Blogosphere's opinions on the ongoing conflict. “Perhaps we might spot the rarest beast in the Sri Lankan blogosphere: a discussion on how badly the rulers of the north and south need this war for their survival. And the sheer absurdity of expecting them...
Sri Lanka: Terrorism and Communication
indi.ca reflects on the recent LTTE attack on an airport. “When I say terrorism as communication, I mean that terrorists don’t usually occupy land as much as media. Al Qaeda didn’t start any occupation of New York with 9/11, but they have occupied the media from Fox News to clerical...
Bangladesh: Perils of Tourism
Unheard Voices points to the experience of tourism in other countries and warns of similar consequences in Bangladesh. “I fear Bangladesh faces similar fate like the neighboring countries as tourism develops there unless measures are in place to deter child sex trade catered to foreign tourists. Based on a report...
Bangladesh: 1971, as I saw it
Shahidul Alam, a photographer talks about “1971, as I saw it”, an exhibition of photographs taken as Bangladesh declared independence. “Today, those photographs join them in protest. Peering through the crisp pages of the newly printed history books, they remind us, “No, that wasn’t the way it was. I know....
Bangladesh: The Middle Class
Salam Dhaka talks of the person in the middle. “The middle-class is where the best of the country's talent lies. Yet, they are in a very tight corner when it comes to financial options. The capital markets in Bangladesh are rigged and almost non existent.”
Bangladesh: The BBC and Cricket
a bengali in TO doesn't take kindly to the BBC's patronizing view of Ireland and Bangladesh's entry into the World Cup Super 8 round. “The BBC has always been a patronizing old white men's club. Yes, they do deliver (mostly) fair and balanced coverage of the Middle East, but when...
