Body, Nation and Resistance in the ...
This article is based on the 25th Chandrashekar...
Environment
Wildlife Conservation in India
Mirza Yawar Baig | October 14, 2020
Zoo in Corbett
Mirza Yawar Baig | October 9, 2020
Kiss the Amazon Rainforest Goodbye
Robert Hunziker | October 3, 2020
Featured Stories
World
The 2020 youth uprising in Thailand
Note: From a pro-democracy stand-point, this article attempts to provide some basic background for people who might not know much about Thai politics and who may be confused or alarmed by the current wave of protest that is confronting the Thai government (junta) and also the Monarchy itself. The aim is thus to increase understanding around the world that, right[Read More…]
India
Domestic workers in Maharashtra in the High Court
It is by now widely acknowledged in many circles that domestic work is work that is crucial to the maintenance and reproduction of society and yet is the most neglected area of work and is not even officially recognised as work. In the recent pandemic, while some work like that related to the health care sector was at the forefront[Read More…]
Globalisation
Globalization in health: An upside or a roadblock?
Co-Written by Sudhamshi Beeram, Parul Malik & Arathi P Rao The term “globalization” used in a variety of contexts over the years is mostly debated to be an evolution across the fields of economy and industry and as the bridging of geographical gaps. It is essentially a functional integration of the global population (Lee & Collin, 2001) and according to[Read More…]
Human Rights
Time to set up a Commission to look into cases of Political Trials
It is good to see Jharkhand chief Minister Hemant Soren speaking so powerfully against the arrest of Father Stan Swamy. Many other voices are speaking against his arrest. The 81 year old Stan has been working in Jharkhand for years and has Center at Bagaicha has been a place for the Adivasis particularly those who have been victim of the[Read More…]
Imperialism
Britannic Impunity: The UK Overseas Operations Bill
It was praised by Michael Clarke, former Director-General of the Royal United Services Institute, as “clear and entire laudable” – at least up to a point. The UK Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill would “give [British] troops serving overseas much-needed extra protection against fraudulent or frivolous claims against them of criminal behaviour.” It was also part of a[Read More…]
Communal Harmony
Film Screening On Kandhamal And Webinar
Pedestrian pictures weekend screening VOICES FROM THE RUINS: Kandhamal In Search of Justice directed by K P Sasi from 25th September 2020 Friday , 6 PM onwards. Please follow this link to watch the film. https://vimeo.com/461484394 Link will be active from 25th 6pm The link for the webinar – Lessons and Reflections from Kandhamal is given below Synopsis: The state[Read More…]
Climate Change
Large-Scale Permafrost Thawing
Twenty-five percent (25%) of the Northern Hemisphere is permafrost. By all appearances, it is melting well beyond natural background rates, in fact, substantially! Making matters much, much worse, new research has identified past warming events of large-scale permafrost thaw in the Arctic that may be analogous to today, thus spotting a parallel problem of large-scale thawing accompanied by massively excessive[Read More…]
Environmental Protection
Wildlife Conservation in India
What is the price of this view? One of our big challenges in wildlife conservation is to stop poaching and habitat degradation which leads to animal human conflict which always has only one ending, destruction of the animal. The backbone of the conservation team in a Reserve Forest or a National Park is the Forest Guard. This individual lives inside[Read More…]
Counter Solutions
The Rescue of the Spirit and of Nature
The world has reached its limit. Humanity no longer resists. Who dares to defend this order full of injustice, shame, catastrophes, depredation? In the name of whom or what? What –ism can you defend today? It only remains to delve into natural history and human history in search of the essence of the species. To try to overcome it by tracing[Read More…]
Resource Crisis
Fossil Fuel Production Is Reaching Limits in a Strange Way
Strangely enough, the limit we seem to be reaching with respect to fossil fuel extraction comes from low prices. At low prices, the extraction of oil, coal, and natural gas becomes unprofitable. Producers go bankrupt, or they voluntarily cut back production in an attempt to force prices higher. As the result of these forces, production tends to fall. This limit comes long[Read More…]
Alternative Energy
SMART? – Solar In Massachusetts
Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (“DOER”) will finalize by July 15 regulations doubling the size of MA SMART solar photovoltaic program from 1,600 to 3,200 megawatts (MW). On the surface this is a reasonable, if limited, step forward. But like most things, the devil and long-term consequences are in the details. Unless changed by DOER, or the legislature, the latest[Read More…]
Patriarchy
A Priest in Cassock and the Santal Girl
Recently, when a 17-year-old Santal girl from an indigenous tribe in Rajshahi, Bangladesh went to cut grass for her family’s cattle in the pasture, she had no idea that danger was lurking around the corner. The danger was not that she was going to get attacked by a wild animal, but from a human predator disguised as a priest in[Read More…]
Palestine
European Hypocrisy: Empty Words for Palestine, Deadly Weapons for Israel
In theory, Europe and the United States stand on completely opposite sides when it comes to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. While the US government has fully embraced the tragic status quo created by 53 years of Israeli military occupation, the EU continues to advocate a negotiated settlement that is predicated on respect for international law. In practice, however, despite[Read More…]
South Asia
Why does Indian Nationalism Undermine South Asian Solidarity?
With a long collective history and geographical proximity, the goal of forming an integrated vision for South Asian countries seems like a natural outcome. The South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), formed in 1985, was an ambitious move to fulfil the goal of South Asian solidarity. The aim of SAARC was to “strengthen cooperation among themselves to accelerate economic[Read More…]
Annihilate Caste
Why did I accept Buddhism?
“Even though I was born in the Hindu religion, I will not die in the Hindu religion–this oath I made earlier; yesterday, I proved it true. I am happy; I am ecstatic!” -Dr.Ambedkar, October 15, 1956, after accepting Buddhism the earlier day at Nagpur While I was doing my engineering degree at the fag end of the 90s, I became[Read More…]
Life/Philosophy
Limits of Puritanism
The principles and ideological commitments in politics, culture, religion and social practices breed culture of puritanism both in its progressive and regressive forms. The transformation of society to lead an exemplary life is the core in the politics of puritanism as a movement of divinity. Both right wing reactionaries and left-wing radicals use puritanism like applied theology to the concerns[Read More…]
Arts/Literature
Film & Family–Woman As Provider, Men As Parasites
In 2014, Joshy Joseph directed a long documentary called A Poet, A City & A Footballer which won him the Special Jury Prize at the national awards. The film is about juxtapositions, like night and day, abundant life and impending death, energy amidst decay, and silence that shouts to be heard. The film is a meditation on death, but it[Read More…]
Book Review
Critical Reflections on China’s Belt and Road Initiative
Political scientists Alan Chong and Quang Min Pham bring with their edited volume, Critical Reflections on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (Palgrave MacMillan, 2020), originality as well as dimensions and perspectives to the discussion about the Belt and Road that are highly relevant but often either unrecognized or underemphasized. The book is about much more than the material aspects of China’s Belt[Read More…]
