Main Vaapas Aunga

When Poison Enters the System: Impunity, Vigilantism and South Asia’s Internal Security Failure

Across South Asia, the difference between prejudice and collapse is not the existence of hate. Every society has it in varying shades.  The difference is whether the majoritarian state internalizes hate against the ‘other’,  whether FIRs get diluted, trials get delayed, mobs get garlanded  and impunity driven violence against minorities becomes low-cost. When that happens, the poison is not outside the system. It becomes the system.

In the Quiet Spaces Between Strangers, Sonia Bahl’s Eighteen Inches Apart

And perhaps this is precisely what many readers, particularly South Asian readers navigating fractured contemporary lives, have been missing without fully realising it: fiction willing to slow down long enough to notice the fragile, passing intimacies through which people continue surviving one another.

Robert A.F. Thurman, an academic with a Buddhist monk’s soul

Thurman said that Tibet was not an individual nation-state question but something that goes far beyond that. “It is not about a people yearning for freedom from an invading state. It is about a very valuable society struggling to keep its centuries-old tradition of intellectual evolution alive.” He said that while he was hopeful that the problem would be resolved soon, “and during His Holiness’ lifetime,” it was hard to put a timeframe to it.

A White Strip Exposes New Political Faultlines in Cosmopolitan Mumbai

The perceived push from a political leadership that has roots in Gujarat, the split in the locally rooted Shiv Sena that was engineered, the resentment it brewed among ordinary citizens and the history of Maharashtra -- which was born on May 1, 1960 after a bitter struggle that split the erstwhile Bombay State into two distinct linguistic states of Maharashtra and Gujarat -- are all complex and contributory factors to the evolving political unrest in middle-class Mumbai. 

More on Culture and Society

Yoga in the Pacific: A Nautical Saga of Two Indian Navy Veterans, #AndhraPradeshyoga, #Telugus

The cceans, comprising 70 percent of the surface of planet earth, are  a medium of connecting peoples across the world, rather than at times mistakenly being viewed as great natural barriers. Nothing proves this more emphatically than the tiny Tystie's passage across the Indo-Pacific which is aptly relevant to this year's theme for the International Day of Yoga - 'Yoga for One Earth One Health'.

IMF At A Crossroads: Need For More Inclusive And Equitable System Of Financial Governance

To remain relevant, the IMF must undertake comprehensive reforms—revising its governance structure, enhancing decision-making transparency, and moderating its loan conditionalities. By expanding representation and reducing the dominance of a handful of powerful nations, the IMF can empower borrowing countries to shape policies that better reflect their unique economic challenges.    

Nature Of Discovery And The Pursuit Of Knowledge

All seekers of truth, no matter in which field, also tried to understand what makes our world and universe tick. That gave them a feeling of awe and also showed that probably what they thought was an original idea and thought was nothing else but existing knowledge in the knowledge space that was channeled through them.

Key to India’s prosperity lies in inculcating self-discipline in its people

The distribution of free food, freebies and subsidies by political parties has created massive idle energy across the country which breeds indiscipline. People abhor physical work, sell agricultural land and migrate to cities. They prefer to do menial jobs, live on rental income or bank interest than creating their own economic assets.  

Can One Give Up On Peace?: South Asia's Peace Activists Discuss Region's Future

Who does the conflict benefit? This is a question many are asking. The latest conflict has only solidified support for those in power, distracting from the real issues of poverty, unemployment, inequality, and other government incompetencies and failures.

Trump Told Modi: 'He's My Intel Guy'

Yet as I walked in, the president turned to me and shouted, “Kash, have you met my friend Narendra?” He urged me to come over, and soon I was speaking to “India’s Trump” in our native dialect, with the prime minister asking all about my family and background

Are The Values and Ideologies Of 19th And Early 20th Great Bengalis Relevant At Present?

With the deviousness associated with a feudal culture, the highest standards are being set for a system that employs blatant untruths, hypocrisy, double standards, and fake news through large sections of the communication media influenced by the party to form the basis of a totalitarian political system characterised by the extreme Hindu fanaticism of northern India and north-western India, with the rest of India utterly disregarded.

A Call to Healing: Honouring Earth, Mothers and Ourselves

In a world plagued by deepening social, spiritual, and ecological crises—and amid an escalating environmental breakdown marked by climate collapse, deforestation, biodiversity loss, pollution, and the reckless overconsumption of finite resources—the Earth still holds a profound, forgiving strength that sustains life.

Banu Mushtaq: Exceptional Tale Of A Spirited Human Journey

To appreciate Mushtaq and her work is to celebrate the diversity of South Asian languages, culture and many minorities. Over a century ago, the iconic poet Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel for translating his own work from Bengali to English. However, seldom do we take time to explore works in other regional languages, for example, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese or Balochi. Kannada is estimated to be spoken by 65 million in a region of nearly two billion people.

Walking For Peace And Harmony In Times of Conflict And Violence

The fear of the police and trolls makes our hearts beat faster each time there is a phone call from an unknown number. What will it be -- a First Information Report? Lock up? Or some other horrible punishment for what we believe is the right and the only way for human beings to live with each other -- in peace, with love, harmony and unity. No amount of trolls or state repression can change our minds.

Reimagining South Asian womanhood through art and activism

Through this powerful convergence of artistic voices and institutional support, "Feminist Futures" not only documents the present state of feminist discourse in South Asia but actively participates in shaping its future. It stands as testament to art's capacity to challenge, transform, and reimagine social realities, creating spaces for dialogue and change in a region grappling with questions of gender justice and equality.

Never too old: Two Indian veterans on a 7800-mile sailing expedition to boost maritime adventure

The arduous voyage of the Tystie across the Pacific and Indian oceans to Visakhapatnam will instil a sense of pride for Andhra Pradesh, home state for the two intrepid sailors. The Andhra coast has a hoary tradition of maritime connectivity with South-East Asia since the BC period during the reign of  the Satavahana dynasty

Save trees to protect the economy, culture and human lives

Hyderabad will be lifeless without its tree cover. The city needs its green cover, oxygen, and natural look to sustain economic activities. According to the World Economic Forum's recent Nature Risk Rising Report, more than half of the world’s GDP ($44 trillion) is highly or moderately dependent on nature. 

Race for AI Solutions: Need to Temper With Responsible and Ethical Approach

There is significant pressure to implement AI solutions fast in response to market demand, but there are also hazards associated with using the incorrect technology or doing so carelessly. Due diligence on AI is a strategic precaution, not a delay tactic.

George Keyt: Icon of cultural modernism in South Asia

The latest study of Sri Lanka’s most internationally acclaimed painter offers a detailed portrait of the artist, shedding light on previously overlooked aspects of his life and work. What emerges is a vision of George Keyt who continues to be celebrated for his bold fusion of Eastern themes and Western techniques