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 May, 2007
Sri Lanka: An Expat's reasons
An ex-pat (was) explains why he came back to Sri Lanka and why he chooses to stay there. More at Indi.ca. “I was born in 1982 and my entire life has been defined by this war I had nothing to do with. It was just this messy inheritance. With the...
India: Development and West Bengal
Singur underlines why development is crucial in West Bengal. “Today, regional and sub-regional cooperation is the axis around which the wheel of economic growth is turning. The nay-sayers to new investments in West Bengal and Bangladesh should glance eastwards to see how this wheel has turned in the direction of...
India: Muslims and Political Parties
Indian Muslims on the civic elections in Malegaon, which was rocked by bomb blasts last year. “So, does it helps if you are concentrated in a region, play communal politics and still be acceptable to the mainstream? Or can you be a party of only the majority group and still...
Sri Lanka: My mom is a Doctor
London, Lanka and Drums reflects on being the child of a doctor and doctors in SL. “These Sri Lankan Doctors are an abundant resource aren't they? I was travelling to the motherland last year with my brother and there was an announcement over the plane's PA asking if there was...
India: Finding Gandhi in Mexico
Organized Nomad on finding Gandhi in Mexico. “Two women, total strangers, in two different parts of Mexico, seemingly free associate India with Gandhi. Seems even more a pity then that while Gandhi's name will forever be worshipped, his message will soon be lost as his country charts a tumultous course...
Pakistan: East and West Punjab
I, Me, Myself in Punjab, Pakistan – and reflecting on the similarities with the Punjab in India. “Then there were the sights and sounds of a Punjab that I had only read about in books or heard about from my elders. There were children studying in a village school in...
Pakistan: Jobs for country runners
The Pakistani Spectator has an interesting list of job profiles. “A matriculate or having a bachelor degree from an un-recognized institution having 30 years political / no-political experience and the age should not be less than 45 years. The candidate will be reporting to relevant institutions abroad but not reporting...
Pakistan: The Urs
Metroblogging Islamabad with a brief post on the urs of Bari Imam. “His yearly urs, celebrated in these days of the year, is attended by thousands of devotees from all over the country. The urs, now becoming a festivity for many city dwellers and people coming from across various villages,...
India: In Dharamshala
Feringhee on Tibetan refugees and Indians in Dharamshala. “The Tibetans are here as refugees with very few rights; however, their presence and that of the Dalai Lama brings in the vast numbers of tourists, around which the local economy is completely based. The Tibetans draw a great deal of international...
India: Builders and the Law
Mitesh points to a blogger who has a horrifying experience with builders and a disinterested judicial system. “What can common law-abiding people like us, who work hard for several hours a day and pay all taxes honestly, do when we get duped like this? Local politicians, corporators and police most...
Pakistan: Begum Nawazish Ali
The Pakistani Spectator on a delightful talk show where a man presents himself as a woman named Begum Nawazish Ali. “One thing is clear and established that the program “Late Night Show with Begum Nawazish Ali” broadcast by AAJ channel, is in striking contrast with the Pakistani values, but its...
Nepal: On “newness”
Nepali Network has a post on the notion of “newness” and its perception. “Usha Bista has become an apt metaphor for the tentativeness of our trudge toward a new Nepal. A member of the Loktantrik [Democratic] Everest Expedition 2007, Bista was part of a much-hyped endeavor to show the rest...
Bangladesh: Religion and Spirituality
Sadiq M Alam on religion and spirituality. “One can become cold blooded murderer even in the name of religion, in the name of God and justifying unthinkable crime even holding a holy book of religion. What is interesting is that Spirituality without religiousness again becomes selfish, an escape route for...
India: Vasai
Trivial Matters has a wonderful photo post on Vasai, one of the suburbs on Mumbai. A place that has obviously seen better days. “By the year 1534 the King of Portugal held the seven islands plus Bassein, which was a chunk of mainland territory north of Bombay also known as...
Bhutan: Mocking Democracy
Bhutan: For a Democracy on mocking democracy. “Thousands of people from the east have been denied citizenship and right to vote in the upcoming mockeries. People may not like voting to legitimise the terrorism of the Jigmes but our concern is they need to be treated as citizens.”
Pakistan: Doing business with spammers
the olive ream doesn't take very kindly to the offers of money pouring in his spam box. “My father was a highly reputable magnet-[Would that be a fridge magnet or a babe magnet?] who operated in the capital of Ivory coast during his days. [And where did he operate during...
Nepal, Bhutan: Refugees
Kathmandu Speaks on the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. “. There has been two deaths in two days’ time, while the efforts of the Bhutanese refugees to either seek repatriation or third-country settlement is gaining momentum. A large number of the Bhutanese refugees staged demonstrations in the eastern Nepali district of...
Pakistan: Transporting Students
Metroblogging Islamabad on the inadequate transport facilities for students in the city. “I talked to a few students on the road, about the transportation availabilty in their schools and the responses were quite shocking. Most came back with complains that their schools, including the private and the public ones were...
Bangladesh: No under-30 maids to the Gulf
a bengali in TO points to a recent move in India banning women under 30 to work as maids in the Gulf. “Renuka Chowdhury, the Indian minister of women and child development, has called for a ban on women under 30 to work as maids in the Gulf in a...
India: Muslims and the Media
After an attack on a mosque in Hyderabad, is the media missing the bigger picture? iFaqeer comments “Of course, he is taking it from the perspective of a “Security” hawk within the Indian establishment and not looking, as I am trying to do, beyond the tension between Muslims and other...
India: Jesus and his missing years
varnam on the speculation surrounding Jesus's missing years. “The Jesus in India theory comes from author Holger Kersten who wrote a book about the same. Though without proof the idea comes from the observation that the teachings of Jesus are similar to Buddha who lived in India, 500 years before...
