Nalanda University in Rajgir

The Reconstituted Nalanda: Can it Leverage its Civilizational Memory to Become an Alternative Academic Hub for the Global South?

Nalanda serves as a counterweight to the historic monopoly of Western universities over social, political, and ecological theory. It invites Asian and African scholars to address regional dilemmas such as resource sovereignty, post-colonial statehood, and sustainable modernization using indigenous analytical categories.

'Girls going to schools would be the real revolution in Afghanistan'

The daughters and granddaughters of these warlords, like those of several key Taliban commanders, live and study abroad. Sabori’s school in Archi is half-closed, owing to the ban on education for girls over 12 years of age. Several underground schools have sprung up where even some Taliban foot-soldiers send their daughters. 

Where Happiness is a Measure of Governance: What Bhutan’s Democratic Consolidation Can Teach Global South Nations

As democracies around the world confront public dissatisfaction, Bhutan reminds us that the health of a democracy cannot be measured only through the ballot box.  It must also be evaluated through the well-being, dignity, security, and trust experienced by citizens.

India's Education Deficit: Real Reforms Lie in Making Coaching Redundant

India's digital infrastructure can certainly deliver free coaching to millions. But an even greater achievement would be to build an education and employment system in which families no longer feel compelled to buy coaching in the first place. Making bottled water cheaper is useful. Making the water from taps trustworthy is the real solution.    

More on Education and Gen Z Voices

An initiative to bring together Indian diaspora in the Caribbean

Inspired by the US-based Black Lives Matter movement, this forum has a mission to eradicate inequality, injustice, discrimination and systemic racism against people of Indian origin in the Caribbean

India as a frontline producer must take a stronger role in curbing plastic waste

The study placed India (rank 12) in the list of top 20 disbursers of plastic waste into the high seas from their coastlines. China ranked first, followed by countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh among them

Dirty, depleted Kabul river is a risk to millions in Afghanistan, Pakistan

The little water that was flowing in the Kabul River in late April was dirty. Wastewater from the capital of Afghanistan flows untreated into the Kabul River. The situation is no better in downstream Pakistan. Industrial wastewater and domestic sewage from around 10 cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa flow into the river.

Where is the roadmap to restore Sri Lanka's glory?

Today, Sri Lanka needs the Singapore model of governance where the stick and carrot policy is elegantly used, with citizens living with confidence in the government about maintaining law and order and fair play

On May Day, a call for worker unity, solidarity and a visa-free South Asia

The Sapan Charter , said Gazdar, reflects “not just the experience of one country but of the entire region” which provides a political heft. “All our countries share a common history of struggle against global systems of exploitation - colonisation, racism. These power relations exist today”.

Bureaucracy is the bane of Indian security forces

It is said that Pakistan is controlled by its military while in India it is the bureaucracy that holds the politicians to ransom but has a soft corner for the police

10 states – 24 changemakers – 1 mission: A unique initiative to skill citizens in assessing a river's health

Twenty-four participants from 10 states travelled to Kerala with a common mission to invest their skills in bringing Earth’s veins and artilleries back to flowing life. Their diverse background from architecture to academicians and from heads of gram panchayat to officers from the government had a singular focus - on exploring the practical ways to transform the river restoration initiatives into a national movement

India-USA healthcare partnership: Role of Indian origin physicians

There is no instant solution for India’s myriad problems. But by collaborating with the governments both nationally and at state levels, and working with the government and NGOs, physicians of Indian origin can make a huge difference

Ending child marriages: Raising the marriage age of women is not enough

The Bill will not help in eliminating child marriages as it has merely increased the age without addressing the major factors which contribute to child marriages

How to ‘invest in our planet’

The robber barons who gave us oil and climate change want to create new markets of carbon, new property in nature’s ecological services, reducing biodiversity and nature into financial assets to be owned and traded

Reminiscing yoga in the erstwhile Soviet Union

The impact of my father’s yoga service to the people around the USSR was such that our family was always showered with immense love from the Russians (aka people of the Soviet Union) that we can still feel in our hearts when we reminisce those days

Indian Coast Guard conducts counter-pollution exercise; Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Coast Guard also participate

During the sea exercise,  13 ships and 10 aircraft from the Indian Coast Guard and one aircraft from IAF (C-131), two ships from SACEP members states -- Sri Lankan Coast Guard and Bangladesh Coast Guard -- and 1 OSV from ONGC, assets from SCI and tugs from Mormugao Port Trust demonstrated containment cum marine spill recovery by side sweeping arms, deployment of booms and skimmers, streaming of single ship operated containment cum recovery system, firefighting drill, rescue operation, and demonstration of surface and air oil spill dispersant systems

Where has my Lucknow gone?

One good change that I saw in Lucknow was the introduction of e-rickshaws. According to guestimates, there are about 5,000 such e-rickshaws plying on Lucknow roads.

Gender equity must extend to transgenders as well

Despite many favourable developments, what transgenders face is systemic oppression, phobia, fear, bias and distrust. This keeps transgenders from living their simple lives as ordinary citizens

Sports has the power to unite: Let’s teach our children about peace before someone teaches them about hate

Can we rally support around South Asia and get friends and fans to raise their #WhiteCards for peace at the ICC event even as they root for their favourite teams