IS IT TIME TO JUNK THE RATING SYSTEM FOR MOVIE REVIEWS?
The comments section of film critic Rahul Desai’s review of Tanu Weds Manu: Returns begins with a reader accusing Desai of having “completely missed the audience pulse”. Another reader, though,...
View ArticleRS 986 CR. 30 YEARS. GANGA WATER-QUALITY PLUNGES
Despite spending more than Rs 986 crore over the past three decades, a key measure of pollution is 215 times the acceptable level at places along India’s holiest river, the Ganga. The failure of 30...
View ArticleRUNNING A GROUP TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT RTI FROM A GOVERNMENT QUARTER IS...
S K Madar retired from the Irrigation Department of Government of Andhra Pradesh and has been living in Government quarters at Lingamguntla in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh. He is an active Right...
View ArticleCENTRE WITHDRAWS DELHI’S NOMINATION FOR WORLD HERITAGE SITE STATUS
On May 15, the permanent delegation of India to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) withdrew Delhi’s nomination for the World Heritage Site status. The...
View ArticleCOMPULSORY VOTING IN GUJARAT: MASTERSTROKE OR SIMPLY IMPRACTICAL?
In November last year, Gujarat became the first Indian state to pass a bill making voting in the local body elections compulsory. With O.P. Kohli as the new Governor in office, the Bill managed to get...
View ArticleCRACKDOWNS ON CAMPUS: ACADEMIC FREEDOM A FADING MEMORY IN SISI’S EGYPT
Following the January 2011 revolution, Egyptian universities were making great gains in the fight for academic freedom and independence. Today, under the pretence of combatting terrorism, Abdel Fattah...
View ArticleIN THE LAST 5 YEARS, NUMBER OF UNDERNOURISHED INDIANS RISES
India has the highest number of undernourished people in the world at 194.6 million, down 7% over the past two decades, but up 2.6% over the past five years. China, which had the most undernourished...
View ArticleI&B ORDER ASKING DOORDARSHAN DIRECTOR GENERAL TO REPORT TO I&B MINISTRY COULD...
“We have witnessed the horrors of the Emergency when freedom of press and freedom of expression were suppressed. It is a blot on our democracy. On days such as this, I feel very sad to see our...
View ArticleHOW THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY WINS FRIENDS AND INFLUENCES POLICY
Shyama Charan Gupta is one of the members of the parliamentary committee on subordinate legislation that had recently suggested a delay in the implementation of larger pictorial warnings on tobacco...
View ArticleAAJ TAK PRESENTER WAS THE LATEST TO MAKE A SEXIST JIBE AT SMRITI IRANI
In its latest promotional ad campaign, India Today news channel — formerly Headlines Today — asks the question: “Has Your News Turned Into A Circus?” The answer to the question would be a yes in case...
View ArticleIIT MADRAS: THE LAND OF AMBEDKAR, PERIYAR AND VANDE MATARAM
“Vande Mataram” is the name of a student organisation, which is part of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, duly recognised by the Board of Students and the Dean. It claims to be a...
View ArticleWHY MALNUTRITION GROWS IN RISING, URBAN INDIA
Saleema Habib, 33, stares vacantly ahead as the local social worker Zahira Shaikh jots down the details of how her three-month-old infant died. The baby had not been keeping well for two weeks and had...
View ArticleHOLD YOUR BREATH AND CUT THE HYPERBOLE, MR NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER
The snow was packed loosely and ready to rumble. Gardiner Harris checked his watch and set off a controlled explosion. And now the avalanche. Ever since his dispatch, Holding Your Breath in India,...
View ArticleCAITLYN JENNER: TIME FOR NEW CONVERSATIONS ON GENDER
Bruce Jenner was an Olympic gold medalist (1976, Montreal, decathlon) and father, by marriage, to the Kardashians. But beneath that exterior was another reality that Jenner kept hidden from the world....
View ArticleLEAD IN YOUR MAGGI? JUST SHOOT THE BRAND AMBASSADOR
Lately, the news is giving me the feeling that we are slowly but inevitably heading towards the Mad Max universe: It’s all very exciting but nothing makes sense (also, monster trucks). It started with...
View ArticleTHE COMMON MAN’S JOURNALIST
I am an NRI, yes, a non-resident Indian residing in Atlanta and itching to go back to India. Being from a not-so-financially sound family, whatever little prosperity my family has seen is because I am...
View ArticleWHEN RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT THAN FEEDING MALNOURISHED...
One of the worst habits of Indian hosts – and one I am guilty of as well – is to insist guests and family members eat whatever food you serve them. Whether they’re stuffed to the gills or not, or...
View ArticleRELIGION AND CHARITY: GOD KNOWS WHERE THE MONEY GOES
Last year, a slum was gutted by fire in Delhi’s RK Puram area. Shops and homes were completely destroyed and the residents lost their only source of livelihood. Most people had lost all that they had...
View Article30% IPS OFFICERS IGNORE PROPERTY DISCLOSURE
New Delhi: More than 30% officers of Indian Police Service (IPS) and about 15% officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) have not disclosed details of their immovable property for the year 2014,...
View ArticleGOVERNMENT PROCEDURE IS THE BIGGEST HURDLE IN THE GROWTH OF COMMUNITY RADIO...
UNESCO believes that Community Radio has the potential to democratize communication & broadcasting. But despite the potential, Government procedure & control remains the biggest bottleneck for...
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