Representational Photo

The Winter of Discontent

The dark and dreary robe of winter,
The shroud that takes all light away,

Diwali in Trinidad and Tobago: Renewing faith in Hinduism and Indian culture

The observance of Diwali has its roots for 186 years since the arrival of the first of East Indians who came here from India, principally Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They not only contributed to socio-economic development, but engineered a religious and cultural platform. The Indian diaspora proudly celebrates numerous East Indian religious festivals

Knowledge Gain via Quantum Entanglement

All great discoveries of the world like Einstein’s gravitation theory, Newton’s theory of light, gravity, motion, great music of Beethoven, Mozart among others, and the knowledge of Universe by sages and scientists has been obtained by this process. 

The Last Words of a Dying Tree

My body is bare from wear and tear,
A victim of the ravages of Man.

More on Open Forum

Improved connectivity an imperative to realise intra-regional trade potential in the BBIN subregion: CUTS

CUTS report launch - "Multimodal Connectivity for Shared Prosperity - Towards Facilitating Trade in th BBIN Subregion"

IMF loans and the perils of post-truth politics in Bangladesh

An economic crisis should not become a matter of party polemics unless the problem lies in management. Bangladesh’s economic recession is largely attributed to the pandemic and the Ukraine war and has the least to do with economic management. As a result, it is a state matter, and requires a consensus among the political parties to deal with it effectively.

To overcome economic crisis, does Sri Lanka need a little less democracy?

If the postponement of local body polls means less democracy for some time, let it be so, and it is in the interest of Sri Lanka.

Despite high-profile anti-corruption drives, corruption is rampant across India

While campaigns for honesty in public and private life by various sources have been taking place for a long time in the country, this has not seen any reduction in the level of corruption in India. The repeated catching of corrupt persons by the vigilance department has also not yielded many benefits as they are only the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

How to reduce fear in children: Encourage reading; expand mental horizons

Thus reading, listening to great stories, discussing interesting issues in schools, will help children learn to focus and will help them to reduce their fears and make them better citizens.

The eco chamber syndrome: Controlling minds is not what democracy needs

Authoritarian party leaders and military or religious dictators do not wish to confront alternative ideas or opinions; so there is always an attempt to suppress the ‘other’ voices,  both offline and online. These often lead them to put citizens into an eco-chamber where only praising of the power structure gets heard and echoed. Tolerance is the first victim of this, and the next is free speech, and then freedom in general.

Channelling religion in the cause of climate justice: When faith actors combined forces with climate activists

‘Can Interfaith Collaboration Contribute to Climate Justice?’ -- the discussion was the fifteenth in the Sapan series ‘Imagine! Neighbours in Peace’.

Need to inculcate reading habits in children in this age of audio-visual addiction

Love for book reading cannot take place overnight. All of us need to work together to make our children get into the habit of reading books. So on every occasion, we should gift books to children.

The second anniversary of Myanmar's audacious military coup: International community found wanting

The Tatmadaw's violence, repression, and civil war in Myanmar have left people living in perpetual fear and uncertainty. The international community must restore democracy to Myanmar's youth and give displaced people like the Rohingyas new hope.

BBC has been biased in its India coverage

BBC has since decades been projecting the Indian Army and security forces who have been bearing the brunt of terrorism in J&K and the Northeast for decades as violators of human rights, very often at the behest of terrorist organisations through their overground representatives and separatists.

Hard work or Harvard: What India needs is more educational autonomy

If autonomy, creativity, freedom to design curriculum, the appointment of faculties, and incentivization of research are used as a sales pitch to lure world-acclaimed institutions, why not set your own house (Indian universities) in order first? Why not harness the potential of Indian universities like the JNU instead of stigmatising them? 

Netaji Subhas Bose and his concept of nationalism

But unfortunately, the entire history, struggle, and ideas of nationalism of Netaji are restricted to a few paras in history textbooks. 

How deep is the political insecurity in Sri Lanka?

The Wickremesinghe government argues that sustained protests undermine the rule of law and create an anarchical situation in the country. Using these justifications, the government has been continuing its brutal and often violent repression in order to remain in power.

Bangladesh and Myanmar can resolve outstanding issues through closer trade and investment ties

The troubled Rakhine region of Myanmar can potentially become a trade hub between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

How humming can help keep mind and body healthy

If we keep our noses clean it will help us to remain healthy and happy!