India: Dowry And The Boys

Nitisha Pandey at Youth Ki Awaaz discusses the current market rates for grooms in India and asks:

Does a boy’s parents’ give him good education only to get a handsome dowry?

Sri Lanka: The 3rd Annual #TweetupSL is Tomorrow

Indu Nanayakkara informs that the third edition of the annual meet of the Twitter users in Sri Lanka will take place on Saturday, September 1, 2012. Details are here.

India: Govt. Guidelines For #SocialMedia Use

"I am quite confident that these guidelines won’t have much of an impact when the Government itself is defying most of them while communicating with people".

India: Uraniam Contamination in Jaduguda Kept Classified

Since 1967, the Jaduguda region in the Indian state of Jharkhand has been exploited for its uranium and its people and ecosystem were subjected to uranium poisoning. Anuj Wankhede informs...

India: Assam Riots – Truth Vs Hype

In July, clashes between indigenous Bodo tribes and Muslim settlers in the Indian State of Assam broke out which lead to riots, killings and mass displacement. After almost a month the situation is yet to calm down as politicians and organisations on both sides resorted to spread fear and exaggerated claims on the issue of illegal migration.

India: Bullying in Educational Institutions

Mahitha Kasireddi at Youth Ki Awaaz writes about a perennial social problem in Indian higher secondary education and beyond. Ragging or abuse/bullying of the freshers has become a culture in...

India: Government Bans Bulk SMS To Stop Rumors

Medianama reports that the Ministry of Home affairs of India has banned bulk SMS and MMS for a period of 15 days. This directive came after reports revealed that rumors...

India: Pictures of Varalakshmi Vratham Festival

Anuradha Shankar posts a photo essay on the Varalakshmi Vratham (a festival to propitiate the goddess Lakshmi), which is popular in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamilnadu.

Nepal: KFC and Pizza Hut closed in Nepal

Chandan Sapkota informs that the closure of KFC and Pizza Hut in Nepal due to militancy shown by ad-hoc committee of All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union-Revolutionary (ANHRWU-R) will...

Sri Lanka: Time To Rethink The School Examination System

Serendipity questions the lack of credibility of the School Examination System in Sri Lanka and relates how that is contributing to the growing unemployment in the country.

Pakistan: Economics And Secularism

Ayusyha Khanna at Pak Tea House argues that if Pakistan truly wants to realize its potential as far as economic performance is concerned, then it should adopt secularism to create...

Bhutan: Women Talents Galore

Tenziniesta at Writers Association Of Bhutan Blog celebrates the recent feats of women in Bhutan. For the the first time a female Dzongda was elected and the Supreme Court of...

Sri Lanka: Noose Tightens Around Online Freedom of Expression

"This new regulation could potentially and very quickly embrace personal blogs, micro-blogs (Twitter), Facebook (pages and groups) .. anyone, anywhere in Sri Lanka is now liable for prosecution at the sole discretion of (the) government."

Nepal: Saving Migrant Workers In The Gulf

In reaction to the recent ban on Nepali female workers to the Gulf, Guffadi thinks that it is just a symbolic ban while the real culprits, the manpower agencies, roam...

Bangladesh: The Yard & The Manimals

Atik Ullah Sayeed posts a photo essay on the Shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh: Traveling In The Ganges River

Bangladesh Unlocked provides a fascinating account on a journey from North in Rajshahi towards South in the Nijhum Dwip via boat on the Ganges river. The blogger comments: “travelling here...

Bangladesh: Ugly and Deadly Billboards in Dhaka

Dhaka skylines are covered with commercial billboards. These not only block the view of the sky but during string winds and storms they are prone to collapse and harm pedestrians. So far 15 people have died in billboard related accidents.

Sri Lanka: Buddhist Priest Robs Statue From Hindu Temple

D. B. S. Jeyaraj informs that a mob led by a Buddhist Priest had forcefully taken away a statue of Pillaiyar, the Elephant faced deity, from a Hindu temple in...

Nepal: Gaijatra Gay Pride Festival In Pokhara

Lex Limbu posts photos of the 3rd International Gaijatra Gay Pride Festival, which took place in the lake city of Pokhara on Friday, 3rd of August, 2012.

Pakistan: A Tribute To Mango

Owais Mughal at Light Within posts a tribute to Mango, which is the national fruit of Pakistan.

Bangladesh: Citizenship Rights for Myanmar's Rohingya?

Myanmar's Rohingya are stateless, not wanted by any country. The Rakhine Nationalities Development Party in Myanmar is calling for the segregation of Rohingya Muslims from ethnic Arakanese and the Bangladesh government recently ordered three international charities to halt aid to Rohingya refugees living in camps to stop their influx from Myanmar.