Tribals in India, recognised by the constitution as the scheduled tribes have several safeguards to protect their rights and culture. However, socially, economically, and politically they continue to be some of the most marginalised communities in India. Often this is compounded by geographical isolation. Tribals living in remote terrains, often[Read More…]
Author: Swati Saxena
The recent gender friendly judgements of the Supreme Court of India
Doing away with colonial era Section 377 was perhaps Supreme Court’s one of the most vital judgments in ensuring belated justice to the LGBTQ community as well as affirming India’s stance as a nation that is defined by liberalism and acceptance.
How system and society continues to fail survivors of sexual assault
Actor Tanushree Dutta recently spoke out against fellow actor Nana Patekar and choreographer Ganesh Acharya for sexually harassing her and intimidating her on the sets of her 2008 film, that eventually caused her to drop out. She alleged that Patekar demanded to do an intimate step with her that was[Read More…]
Bhima Koregoan violence: Culprits walk free while government hounds activists
Dalits, every year celebrate the 1818 victory of the lower caste Mahar soldiers in the British army over Brahmin led Maratha Empire.
Kerala floods have brought out the best and worst in humanity
Media coverage has been sluggish. While the news made headlines throughout the world, it took a long time for the mainstream Indian media to wake up.
We need to discuss the Office of the Speaker
In this context the conduct of Sumitra Mahajan came under sharp attack. She chastised INC President Rahul Gandhi for the hug but allowed PM Modi to mimic Sonia Gandhi’s accent.
Why the Right to Information Act must be protected
In fact, this legislation has been so successful in exposing various scams and holding authorities accountable that a lot of RTI activists have been unfortunate victims of attacks.
India’s Occupational Health: A long neglected issue
Even though occupational health risks are still a low priority in comparison with the other health services, the very existence of policies on these issues is a positive sign.
The crisis in agriculture is leading to rural and farmer distress
Mandsaur, in Madhya Pradesh, which formed the epicentre of farmer’s protests that began last year, is still protesting. Six protesting farmers had died after state police opened a fire on the group. However, justice still eludes their family. To mark the anniversary of the firing angry farmers have planned a[Read More…]
Nipah virus outbreak in India: What do we know so far?
It has been confirmed that ten people have lost their lives to Nipah virus in India in northern Kerala districts of Kozhikode and Malappuram. Two more people who were suspected to have contracted the virus have died but it has not been confirmed that it was due to Nipah. 116[Read More…]
Five key-points that emerged from Congress President’s Press Conference
After a high-intensity battle for Karnataka, that saw the INC-JD(S) win, Congress President Rahul Gandhi spoke to the media and also took questions. He appeared confident and sharp and raised some key issues that set the stage for the electoral landscape ahead. Here are some key points – Nationalism: One[Read More…]
The bigotry of Indians and social media
A tweet by a man, Abhishek Mishra went viral on Twitter for all the wrong reasons. He claimed to have cancelled an Ola cab booking because the driver was a Muslim. In his tweet, he announced that he doesn’t want to give money to “Jihadi people”. As people raged against[Read More…]
Rapes of young women spark outrage: Rahul Gandhi leads vigil, demands justice for women
The brutal gang rapes in Unnao and Kathua have outraged the nation. The shock has not just been on the sheer brutality of the crimes, but also on the complete brazenness of the perpetrators, who remain protected by those in power. One of the girls, a child of eight years,[Read More…]
Countering sexual harassment in the academia: the case of Atul Johri
JNU professor accused of multiple incidences of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct by his students was arrested after four days of FIR and many days of protests. Known to be a BJP sympathiser, the professor was granted bail within 80 minutes. Johri has claimed that he is being targeted for[Read More…]
World Happiness Report: India’s position and international migration
The recent trend in social sciences and development studies has been to measure less tangible, more abstract indicators or human wellbeing than easily measurable ones like life expectancy, years of schooling or per capita income (that make up the Human Development Index). Measurement of happiness is gaining ground. Bhutan has[Read More…]
Biased, frivolous, and spineless: the state of Indian media
Recently Donald Trump Junior visited India to promote luxury condominiums and described the Indian media as ‘mild and nice’. He made it seem like a compliment but for journalism and journalists, this can perhaps be seen as the worst compliment or an insult. Journalism or media often called the fourth[Read More…]
Immunisation in India: Where do we stand?
The years 2010 to 2020 have been declared by the world leaders as the ‘decade of vaccines’ to ensure discovery, development, and delivery of lifesaving vaccines globally, especially to the poorest countries. It has long been recognised that vaccines have tremendous potential to improve the quality of life in developing[Read More…]
Are you an early bird or a night owl? It may determine personality and its in the genes
One of the desirable traits constantly mentioned in the Adarsh Balak (ideal boy) posters is the habit of getting up early in the morning. It was most famously articulated by Benjamin Franklin who said, “early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” and the[Read More…]
Freedom of Speech and Expression is essential to the Indian democracy
Padmavat after name changes and several cuts is finally ready for release but the path has not been easy. The Supreme Court recently ordered in favour of the Padmavat makers and allowed it to screen the film in the four states that had banned it (Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and[Read More…]
Cervical cancer is killing Indian women and it’s preventable with a vaccine
Cervical cancer, most commonly caused by the sexually transmitted Human Papilloma Virus, (HPV) poses a great risk to the Indian women. Globally it is the fifth most common cancer in humans and second most common cancer for women. In India, it is the most common cancer for women. It is[Read More…]
Why now more than ever do we need a secular India?
Indian democracy has been unique in encompassing the plurality of religion, giving freedom to practice religion, recognising it as an essential part of Indian psyche and yet never declaring a state religion. The nation’s constitution-makers took care to adopt the term to plural and multicultural Indian sensibilities. Our secularism is[Read More…]
The air we breathe…
Residents of the national capital are quite adept and resilient. They spend summers and monsoons battling mosquitoes and dengue. Come the wedding season and many brave the endless jams of their daily commute. They wait for VIP movements and reroute to avoid congestions due to numerous events. Yet the residents[Read More…]
NaNoWriMo: If you wanted to write a novel but didn’t know where to start!
If you are a regular on social media, chances are, as November approaches, you would have come across NaNoWriMo, a short form for National Novel Writing Month. It is an annual, global and open for all creative writing platform that encourages the participants to start and complete a 50,000 words[Read More…]
India continues to struggle with malnourishment and hunger
The recently released Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2017 by the International Food Policy Research Institute paints a grim picture of a country with the second largest and one of the fastest growing population. India ranks 100 out of 119 countries in GHI, which is worse than its last year rank[Read More…]
Revisiting Gandhi’s ahimsa/non-violence as a force and means for emancipation
Today, on MK Gandhi’s birthday, I analyse his greatest contribution to the Indian nation and its polity – his understanding and practise of the ultimate political weapon that shaped the Indian independence movement and continues to shape the political discourse today – ahimsa or non-violence. Gandhi redefined non-violence not only[Read More…]