Richa Nigam
Pithora art: Depicting different hues of tribal life
March 18, 2021
“Be it a depiction of countryside, weddings, festivals or celebrations of tribals, Pithora art celebrates different realities of rural life. It is like photographs of our daily lives, only hand-made and not clicked,” says Paresh Rathwa, a 51-year-old artist of Pithora paintin...
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Signs of revival for tourism in Kashmir
March 16, 2021
The owners of Srinagar’s famous shikaras (boats) on the equally famous Dal Lake are optimistic about the year 2021, after having spent the past two years waiting for the rare tourist who had ventured into the valley. The shikara operators hope that finally 2021 will mark a turn...
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From Gandhi to Guevara, all present at farmers’ protest
March 15, 2021
For 66-year-old Kuldeep Singh from Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur, reading is a new found love. He spends most of his day reading newspapers, magazines or short stories of famous Hindi author Premchand, and when he feels demotivated – a biography of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, a freedom...
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Weather has changed, not our demands: Farmers at Ghazipur border
March 13, 2021
The ongoing farmers’ protest against the three farm laws at Delhi borders, which recently completed 100 days, has formed new solidarities across castes and communities at the Ghazipur border, say the protesting farmers. Calling themselves the ‘soldiers of Tikait’ (Rakesh Ti...
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Need to make menstrual products gender neutral: Trans activists
March 13, 2021
On the way back from a recent camping trip, Rupanshu George stopped at a public washroom. But first, he counted the cars in the parking lot. Then, walking into the corridor, he glanced at the checkout counter (was a man or a woman handling the register). And then, he scanned the...
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Small budget & lesser-known stories: India’s hope for Oscars 2021
March 11, 2021
After being delayed for months because of the ongoing pandemic, the Oscar nominations will finally be announced on Monday at the crack of dawn in Los Angeles. Actor-producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas and singer, songwriter and actor Nick Jonas will announce the 93rd Oscars nomination...
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Crimes increasing, cases piling up: State of India’s environment
March 10, 2021
Soon after the release of State of Indian Environment, 2021, a report about the current state of the environment in India, public interest litigation was filed in the Supreme Court asking the top court to issue directions for urgently filling up of large-scale vacancies that have...
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Unemployment pushes Malayalee exodus to return to Gulf
March 9, 2021
Gijo Panchachikkal, 51, worked in Bahrain as a manager in a private automobile firm for over 10 years. However, in November 2020, Panchachikkal was forced to go back to Kerala as he lost his job due to the pandemic. Since then, he has been trying to run a business in Kerala by as...
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Remembering Sahir Ludhianvi – the pacifist poet
March 8, 2021
“Kaho ki ab koi tajir idhar ka rukh na kare, Ab is ja koi kavari na bechi jaegi; Ye khet jag pade, uth khadi huyi fasalein, Ab is jagah koi kyari na bechi jaegi” Roughly translates to ‘ask no traders to come here, no more girls will be sold, And tell them that fields have [...
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Freedom House report not a surprise, say activists
March 7, 2021
To many human rights and freedom of expression activists and lawyers, the latest report of Freedom House, an American NGO that ranks democracies around the world on their scores of relative freedom each year, did not come as any surprise. The Freedom in the World 2021 report dro...
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Digital media & OTT rules: Freedom & privacy under siege
March 5, 2021
Introduced to ‘curb misuse’ of digital platforms, new rules by the Indian government for the OTT and digital news platforms has led to worries about the freedom and privacy of individuals online.
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Prize unwise: Bollywood award shows
March 4, 2021
After a gap of over a year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Bollywood award season has begun again. Dadasaheb Phalke Awards, considered one of the most prestigious awards in Indian cinema, concluded on February 26 and Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone and Akshay Kumar bagg...
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