Snowfall in Kashmir

Snowfall in Kashmir: Beauty, Burden And The Test Of Our Humanity

The biggest victims of heavy snowfall are often invisible in public conversations.They are the daily wage workers. laborers, construction workers, street vendors, load carriers, and small service providers who depend on daily earnings to feed their families.When snow blocks roads and markets shut down, their income stops immediately. There is no work from home for a daily wager. No paid leave. No savings cushion for many. Each snowbound day means an empty kitchen, anxious parents, and children who may go to bed hungry. Winter for them is not scenic; it is a season of survival.

India’s 77th Republic Day Parade: Blend Of Tradition And Modernisation

Breaking from the tradition of only marching columns, the Indian Army showcased a "phased battle array" for the first time, mirroring real combat-zone deployment. This included a sequence of new military, technological, and specialized units, highlighting the country's defence self-reliance and modernization. 

Capturing The South Asian Reality: The Shelter And Storm Of Arundhati Roy’s ‘Mother Mary’

In a world that often tries to simplify what’s complicated, Mother Mary Comes to Me captures the South Asian reality where a woman’s power is often carved out of the very detachment that causes pain. Arundhati Roy’s latest work maps a difficult legacy where a mother’s refusal to be a vessel for others, however costly to those around her, unwittingly clears the path for a daughter to reclaim herself. 

Ikkis: An Ode To A Valiant Indian Soldier

The story of Arun’s role in the Battle of Basantar did not end on that day, or even after the cease fire of this two weeks war, resulting in the demise of East Pakistan and the announcement of the newly liberated Bangladesh. Major Khwaja  Mohammad Nasir, then a Squadron Commander of 13th Lancers, the regiment pitched against Poona Horse, who came bandaged the next day to collect the dead bodies of his fallen comrades, wanted to know more about “ the officer, who stood like an insurmountable rock” and whose troop of three British World War II vintage Centurion tanks  was responsible for decimation of his entire squadron of  fourteen American Patton tanks.

More on Medley

Guru Dutt (1925 - 1964) : Unsung Auteur, Resurrected Genius

The most celebrated films in the Dutt oeuvre -  Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), explored themes of unfulfilled love, societal alienation and the struggles of the human spirit, making him  the unsung  poet of Indian cinema. TIME magazine included Pyaasa in its ‘100 Best Films of All Time’

Why we sleep and dream?

Thus, to produce happy and productive dreams one needs to be active mentally and physically during waking hours. Whatever memories we make during daytime are reflected in our dreams, including prophetic dreams. Probably solution dreams of great inventors also came because of the very active prepared mind during waking hours.

Bangladeshi Women Fight Back Patriarchal Backlash: Need For Regional Solidarity Stressed

Shireen Huq, chair of the reform commission and founder of Naripokkho, said, “We had an uprising, a regime change, but the culture of misogyny, the brutalisation of women, and the public assertion of male dominance, all remain intact and hegemonic.”

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