Latest posts by Neha Viswanathan from May, 2006
Sri Lanka: The conflict and the death of a loved one
The death of a friend's father is a shocking reminder of the fragility of life in Sri Lanka for Indi. “The people dying aren’t youthful revolutionaries or radicals, these are just normal people. They have families and responsibilities and hundreds of people that depend on them in countless ways.” An...
Sri Lanka, India: The other side of LTTE
Kiruba on the other side of LTTE – “Back then, they were the good guys. The village folks were sympathetic towards their struggle and generally gave them good support. They were mainly looking for shelter and food and there was never a shortage of that in the village.”
Pakistan: Dipalpur and history
Shirazi on a town that has held the fort and been a passage of sorts. “Dipalpur is famous in the history as an outpost that has played a significant part in the defence of Delhi kingdom against Mongol invasions in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.”
Nepal: Hinduism and the Throne
Samudaya.org comments on the close relationship of the throne and Hinduism. “The Shah Kings in Nepal have exploited Hinduism for more than 236 years. Since the majority of the population is Hindu, as a god of 80% of the citizens, the throne was unchallengeable.”
Nepal: Writing on the wall
Blogdai has some serious words of advice. “Get rid of these old reprobate politicians and sweep aside your romanticizing, stone-throwing children, Nepal, and let's get busy with saving the country before these fools plunge us into civil war.”
India: Shivaji Market in Pune
thecookscottage has a photo-post on Shivaji Market in Pune. “There is a little shop for Irani and Parsi specialities, another for dairy and Jain foods,a third for rice, lentils and wheat, and finally at the exit a gaggle of bangle wallas.”
Nepal: Sujata Koirla
Nepali Netbook profiles a daring woman Sujata Koirla and her role in Nepali politics – “Perhaps the most controversial woman during Nepal’s 1990-2002 brush with democracy, she went on to become one of the fiercest critics of King Gyanendra’s direct rule. Her daring escape from Kathmandu after the Feb. 1,...
India: Sugercane and Memories
Anil spends some time in a place full of sugarcane and memories in northern Karnataka.
Sri Lanka: Activism and the Online Medium
What does the online medium mean to those who engage with activism? ICT for Peacebuilding says “The crux of the problem is in the creation of content that is able to kindle the interest of those unused to the drudgery and often, very real danger, of activism on the ground...
Sri Lanka: Sinhala Radio Stations
Cynically Yours spends some time tuning in to the radio station and is severely disappointed.
India: Women and Helplines
Smita has a positive experience with a helpline for women, as some fellow passengers in the bus seem to need more than just gentle nudging.
India: Media and the bias
Just how balanced is the media when it comes to reporting on some issues? Abi discusses how a new channel appears to ignore one set of demonstrations while highlighting the other.
Sri Lanka: Mahinda and the Tamils
Six months after the election – where does Mahinda stand with respect to his strategy on Tamil issues? More at Transcurrents.com.
Sri Lanka: Job losses and India
Given that a lot of outsourcing jobs go to India, Janapathi in the context of transnational job losses – ponders on why Sri Lankan executives lose their jobs to Indians.
Nepal: Quotes from the streets
Blogdai reports from Nepal – quotes and photographs from the street. An observation on grafitti – “Their political grafitti–often in phrases that span over hundreds of meteres–admonishes any and all to “keep going” and to “continue the struggle” as though some final hidden Maoist plan has yet to be fully...
India: Office 2007
Kingsley takes a closer look at Office 2007 and comments on User Interface, features and quirks.
Bangladesh: Update on Garment Industry Riots
Rezwan has a very comprehensive post on the Garment Industry Riots – tracing the reasons why it started and links to various sources that have insights and resources on the issue.
Nepal: Secularism and Religion
With Nepal deciding to go secular – what does it mean in terms of intersecting interests of religion and politics? Further, what role does India play in all this at Nepali Netbook.
Nepal: Peace Talks
Consultations, negotiation and a code of conduct may show the way forward for peace in Nepal says Bahas. “Members of the government and Maoist negotiation teams have agreed to a 25-point code of conduct late Friday to be observed by both the sides during the period of ceasefire.The talks ended...
India: Art and Fear
The proposed exhibition of MF Husain's paintings in London has caused a security fear. Pickled Politics on the threats of fundamentalists. The comments space yields an interesting debate and discussion.
Sri Lanka: M.I.A not welcome in the US
London rapper M.I.A who is of Sri Lankan origin, and sprinkles her lyrics with quite a few political statements has been denied a visa by the US. Moju on why this could be and what it implies for making political statements about the LTTE.
