Latest posts by Neha Viswanathan from October, 2006
Nepal: Langtang National Park and the Maoists
kathman.org on going to Nepal's Langtang National Park. “While the Maoist’s People’s War had ravaged Nepal’s countryside for over ten-years and I’ve lived and visited various placed across the country, I hadn’t really every met a Maoist. I’d seen there banners, received orders not to go to certain destinations under...
Bangladesh: Press Freedom
A discussion in the comments space at Drishtipat on the RSF Press Freedom Index which places Bangladesh at 137.”The major obstacle to press freedom in BD is the lawless street and democracy of elections. If someone publishes cartoons depicting Muhammad, there will be street violence, act of coercion and eventually...
India: Terrorism, Freedom Fighters etc.
The Delhicate Constitution on terrorism, freedom fighters and such terms. “For example, is there a difference between, say, the aims of Hamas and Kashmiri-based organisations, on the one hand, and Al-Qaeda and the like, on the other? You could say that the former type has liberation/freedom from external rule as...
Nepal: Diwali, calendars and rituals
Feringhee on being in Nepal during Diwali celebrations. “I love the tradition of jamara, which is (as far as I know) unique to Nepal. On the first day of Dasain, the lady of the house plants seeds of barley, rice or corn, in a bed of sand, in a special...
India: Going Nuclear
The long dark tea time of the soul discusses going nuclear with respect to India and if it has helped at all. “We have achieved absolutely nothing by having nuclear weapons. And lost a lot. Nuclear war reduces the whole paradigm of war to a competition of which country can...
India: Going Nuclear
The long dark tea time of the soul discusses going nuclear with respect to India and if it has helped at all. “We have achieved absolutely nothing by having nuclear weapons. And lost a lot. Nuclear war reduces the whole paradigm of war to a competition of which country can...
India: Rescuing Wildlife
The Doodle Spot looks into the issues that come up when ordinary people rescue wildlife. “Handicapped by the lack of guidelines that prescribe how to rear, where to rehabilitate these animals and with little scientific background and usually nil post-rehab monitoring, it is difficult for rehabilitators to judge if their...
Pakistan: When do we celebrate Eid?
The world over there seems to be some element of difference in opinion on when Eid should be celebrated. All Things Pakistan speaks on the issue “Some of our readers suggest this is yet another sign of a society divided and forever seeking new ways to become even more divided....
Pakistan: Why people blog
It is write compiles responses from bloggers on issue of .. well, blogging. “Why do you blog? I asked bloggers this question. First, I posted the question on my own blog Light Within and then emailed the post to bloggers soliciting their comments on the post. Earlier, I have been...
Nepal: The key in India
The peace process in Nepal might be routed via India says Nepali Netbook. “The reality that the key to our stalled peace process lies down south was apparent long before Ian Martin, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan special representative for Nepal, decided to take a pre-Tihar day trip to New...
India, Pakistan: Kashmir and the Indian Army
~Kashmir~ on the Indian Army. “Does a 19 year old boy deserve to be tortured with hot iron rods? Does the brother of a 10 year sister old deserve to be burned? Does the only bread winner of a family deserve death at the hands of an occupational army for...
India: India and India Inc.
Govindraj on the Tata-Corus deal that's doing the rounds and India Inc. “Increasingly, when I am asked by people about what’s happening in India, I say there are two India’s, India and India Inc. There were always two Indias or maybe more but the other India earlier was just educated,...
Pakistan: Podcast on festivals, earthquake and Politics
iFaqeer has a podcast. “This program congratulates celebrants on Ramzan, Eid and Diwali, with some thoughts on the spirit of the season; discusses the first anniversary of the earthquake in South Asia and the role of the blogosphere in helping remember those in need; and throws out some political thoughts...
Nepal: Peoplocracy
United We Blog! on Peoplocracy in Nepal. “It would not be incorrect to state that we may have taken a step forward, only to return to the crossroad again taking two steps backward. It is even more likely that we would never be able to move away from the crossroad,...
India, Pakistan: Kashmir from the 70s in pictures
Dristis-Mudra has a fascinating collection of Black and White photographs on a flickr set. They are from the 1970s when the photographer was travelling in Kashmir.
Nepal: The Haughty King
United We Blog! on the haughty king – as he refuses to answer the questions raised. “King Gyanendra has again repeated his act of stubbornness by refusing to answer the questions of High Level Probe Commission (HLPC). This must have alerted the SPA-Maoists as it reflects the same old mentality,...
India: Podcast on Diwali
Kamla Bhatt has a wonderful podcast with Indian diaspora from around the world on how Diwali is celebrated by those outside the country.
Bangladesh: On fasting
Morris the Pen on fasting, Ramadan and fastlets. “Our speaker talks of how he looked forward to this as a child (the ‘Iftar’ or breaking-the-fast evening celebration is a time of joyous togetherness and seems like a ‘month of parties’). However, as an entrepreneur in middle age, he found it...
India: On Calcutta
Cuckoo's Call reflects on Calcutta and its people. “But you would'nt know all this when you first meet them. They are up-standing human beings, with a sense of self, with a sense of dignity, aware of their equality with anybody else in a democratic society, articulate; being crushed relentlessly by...
India: Indian – The Airlines
Atanu Dey on the renaming of Indian Airlines as ‘Indian’ – “But removing the “airlines” and just retaining “Indian” is as astoundingly stupid as one can ever get. So now when you say “Indian” you don’t know whether you are talking about food, clothing, land, thought, behavior, or . ....
Sri Lanka: Let's talk about Sex
ravana.wordpress.com on why no one talks of sex in Sri Lanka. “We never get taught sex education in school. Even though there was a chapter on the sexual reproduction system in my GCE ordinary Level Science textbook in school, this topic was successfully ignored by the teacher. I just thought...
