Richa Nigam
Leprosy & stigma: A tough battle to win in India
January 30, 2021
At the age of 10, Ashok was an ambitious, young boy in Munger, Bihar. He would run for a swim in the Ganges nearby with his friends during the lunch break at school, loved playing sports and was always curious about how electrical appliances or plumbing equipment functioned. One ...
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Weaving a regional heritage in Dakmanda
January 29, 2021
“The Dakmanda is my identity. It is comfortable and makes for excellent formal wear, especially for my ministerial meetings,” says Eva Marak, Assistant Director with the Border Area Development of Meghalaya. Marak is among several women of the Garo tribe of the north-eastern ...
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Films of tribal, by tribal & for all: Seral Murmu, filmmaker
January 28, 2021
Once a shepherd went to graze his cattle in the forest. The shepherd found that a Sal tree had fallen. He uprooted the tree and found some colourful stones beneath in the soil, which he carried back to his home. At night villagers heard the roar of a tiger. Worried, they wondered...
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Misguided path & unexpected turn of events at Ghazipur border
January 27, 2021
Violence broke out early on Tuesday morning just as the tractor rally of farmers at Ghazipur in eastern Delhi had begun its fateful journey. With batons charge and use of tear gas shells by the police in an attempt to disperse the crowd of approaching tractors, friction had been ...
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Jail tourism: Roaming free in the Indian prisons
January 25, 2021
Jails in India or anywhere else are not high on a typical traveller’s bucket list. However, there are a few prisons that have historic significance and also allow tourists to spend a night in its premises and live a prisoner’s life without committing any offence. The most rec...
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Of Chacha Chaudhary, Champak & childhood
January 23, 2021
Remember superhero Sabu? The alien from Jupiter who was Chacha Chaudhary’s constant companion? Or the simpleton Supandi in Tinkle? Or the notorious but intelligent Cheeku from Champak? All these and many more characters from different children’s magazines had been a constant ...
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‘Tandav’ becomes first casualty of new OTT rules
January 21, 2021
Amazon Prime India’s latest web series, Tandav, released on January 15, 2021, starring Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, is the latest in line to face backlash and outrage for allegedly ‘insulting Hindu gods and goddesses’ and ‘hurting religious se...
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Stain of period poverty in India
January 19, 2021
“Now we have no option but to use old, dirty clothes and rags during periods. When our school was open, we were given a packet of sanitary pads every month. We cannot afford to buy a packet on our own. It is very expensive,” says 16-year-old Ayesha Khanum, a resident of Lalit...
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Indian-origin artists shaping contemporary art
January 18, 2021
“Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world, they have moved away from the traditional method of using ...
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MP CM wants to track women for their safety
January 17, 2021
“Why does this government not develop a tracking app that keeps a track of what their ministers say every few days? Tracking women is just another way to restrict their movement. I am sure that our chief minister has no idea about how ridiculous he sounds while saying that trac...
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Patna Kalam: Bihar’s adrift artform
January 15, 2021
The eastern state of Bihar is known for its highly stylised Mithila and Madhubani painting traditions. But very few are aware of an equally popular folk-based school of painting, which has survived in the region for more than 200 years – the Patna Kalam. “Once very popula...
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Mesmerising Mawsynram
January 14, 2021
Shillong, largest city and capital of Meghalaya, retains its colonial-era charm, with a home-brewed brand of Western music, gracious cafés and friendly people. But, the former capital of undivided Assam bursts at its seams, thanks to hordes of tourists who arrive to escape the h...
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