[ This is Essay # 29 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
‘The Mourning Forest’, an exposition of grief and rebirth
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Batul Mukhtiar
Most of us come out of the closing film of MAMI 2008, ‘The Mourning Forest‘ silent. A long film at the end of a long day. Outside Imax, an actor friend says, [...]
Archive for the 'Spotlight Series' Category
‘The Mourning Forest’, an exposition of grief and rebirth
Published by March 24th, 2008 in Cinema, India and Spotlight Series. 0 CommentsHarjit Sodhi’s story
Published by March 21st, 2008 in Culture, Society and Spotlight Series. 0 Comments[ This is Essay # 28 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Harjit Sodhi’s story
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Hari Balasubramanian
I was a student at Arizona State University in the Phoenix metro area when 9/11 happened. The days after were quite tense. On Saturday, the 15th, there were rumors among Indian students that a gang in a car [...]
Calling Into Question
Published by March 19th, 2008 in India, Justice, North East, Prejudice, Racism, Spotlight Series and Women. 1 Comment[ This is Essay # 27 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Calling Into Question
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Swar Thounaojam
“In the old days, they didn’t even know they were Kurds. And it was that way through the Ottoman period: None of the people who chose to stay went around beating their chests and crying, ‘We are the [...]
In search of Ramrajya - Part III
Published by March 17th, 2008 in India, Politics, Religion, Secularism and Spotlight Series. 0 Comments[ This is Essay # 26 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
In search of Ramrajya [Continued from here - First part, Second part]
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V Ramaswamy
(7)
A tolerant society must be built through large-scale, effective public action by citizens and civic organizations. This must build upon past and existing initiatives. A peace / conflict-resolution [...]
In search of Ramrajya - Part II
Published by March 14th, 2008 in India, Politics, Religion, Secularism, Society and Spotlight Series. 1 Comment[ This is Essay # 26 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
In search of Ramrajya [Continued from here]
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V Ramaswamy
(4)
In his poem Yahaan Sey Sheher Ko Dekho, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, the great Urdu poet of the subcontinent, talks about the ugly underbelly of the city, of exploitation, suffering, injustice. He says that once [...]
In search of Ramrajya - Part I
Published by March 12th, 2008 in India, Politics, Religion, Secularism and Spotlight Series. 1 Comment[ This is Essay # 26 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
In search of Ramrajya
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V Ramaswamy
“Let no one commit the mistake of thinking that Ramrajya means a rule of the Hindus. My Ram is another name for Khuda or God. I want Khuda Raj, which is the same thing as the Kingdom [...]
Is bad governance in our Constitution?
Published by March 10th, 2008 in Government, India, Politics and Spotlight Series. 4 Comments[ This is Essay # 25 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Is bad governance in our Constitution?
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Shruti Rajagopalan
I enjoy following politics and, even more so, observing politicians. Watching the frontrunners through the debates for the primaries and general mud slinging in the US Presidential Elections or the Cypriots pick a leader from [...]
[ This is Essay # 24 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
On Indian Education
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Atanu Dey
These are some commonly agreed upon facts related to education. First, it is an investment and the benefits arise much after the costs have been paid. It therefore requires foresight and will, and also disposable resources. Second, it [...]
Ready to buy the new Tata Nano?
Published by March 5th, 2008 in Development, Economy, Energy, Environment, India and Spotlight Series. 4 Comments[ This is Essay # 23 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Ready to buy the new Tata Nano?
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Sharique Ahmed
Tata Nano is, without even a shadow of doubt, the most eagerly awaited car in India. The attention it drew in the recently concluded Auto Expo 2008, was tremendous by any standard. I reached [...]
Beyond the Open Road, Wandering and Wondering
Published by March 3rd, 2008 in Adivasi, Culture, Environment, History, Language, Personal, Spotlight Series and Travel. 1 Comment[ This is Essay # 22 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Beyond the Open Road, Wandering and Wondering
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Anil P
Now when I look back I wonder if I’ve been lucky to not confront, even once, any introspective thought on the merits of travel. However, I’ve been asked just that by people. This [...]
Reality Shows
Published by February 29th, 2008 in Art, Business, Cinema, Culture, Media, Music, Personal, Society, Spotlight Series and Theatre. 1 Comment[ This is Essay # 21 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Reality Shows
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Pradip Somasundaran
People have started referring to me as the first reality show winner since the success of reality shows here in Kerala. Well in a way that’s true as there was more reality to the program that I won [...]
The Growth ‘Miracle’
Published by February 27th, 2008 in Development, Economy, Education, History, Policy, Spotlight Series and Theory. 0 Comments[ This is Essay # 20 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
The Growth ‘Miracle’
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Shromon Das
‘Growth’ is an issue that gains importance in almost any context; firms worrying about business growth, teenagers worrying about how tall they can grow, and of course, economists worrying about economic growth. One of the most fascinating case [...]
A Valentine to the City
Published by February 25th, 2008 in Caste, Community, Culture, Indiaspora, Literature, Patriarchy, Personal, Poetry, Politics, Society, Spotlight Series and Women. 1 Comment[ This is Essay # 19 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
A Valentine to the City
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Sharanya Manivannan
Sometimes, I hate this city. I don’t deny that. There is so much to hate here. It is merciless. A crude, cruel, unforgiving bitch of a city. The meanness of its people. Sycophancy, moral (dis)order, parochialism [...]
Rural Poor- Human Rights, Inhuman State?
Published by February 22nd, 2008 in Adivasi, Business, Caste, Community, Culture, Dalit, Democracy, Development, Environment, Human Rights, India, Justice, Policy, Poverty and Spotlight Series. 7 Comments[ This is Essay # 18 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Rural Poor- Human Rights, Inhuman State?
Theory and Practice in a Liberal Democracy
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Rahul Banerjee
Over the past two years or so the normally un-newsworthy rural poor in India have time and again made the headlines with their vehement opposition to the forced acquisition [...]
India and the Politics of Climate Change Negotiations
Published by February 20th, 2008 in Development, Economy, Energy, Environment, Geopolitics, India, Policy and Spotlight Series. 1 Comment[ This is Essay # 17 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
India and the Politics of Climate Change Negotiations
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Dweep
The Bali Conference on climate change concluded last December much as had been expected – with no real agreement on a post-Kyoto framework. Throughout the discussions India maintained its principled stance of a [...]
Blank Noise
Published by February 18th, 2008 in Activism, Cinema, Community, Culture, Feminism, Human Rights, India, Justice, Patriarchy, Prejudice, Society, Spotlight Series, Women, public space and sexuality. 8 Comments[ This is Essay # !6 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Blank Noise
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Jasmeen Patheja
How have you felt every time you ignored a stranger’s eyes stripping you naked?
How often have you been a mute witness or spectator to street sexual violence?
How often have you whistled, passed remarks, leched, intimidated a female stranger, just [...]
Buddha, the Taliban and Pakistan
Published by February 15th, 2008 in Art, History, India, Religion, South Asia and Spotlight Series. 7 Comments[ This is Essay # !5 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Buddha, the Taliban and Pakistan
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Raza Rumi
I have been working on this composition for quite a while. I was angered, rather revolted by what the Taliban were doing in the pristine Swat valley that has recently undergone full scale war. What has [...]
The Spotlight Series returns..
Published by February 14th, 2008 in Announcement, Blogging and Spotlight Series. 0 Comments….tomorrow. With new bloggers and new posts. And, we promise you, it will be as interesting and thought-provoking as earlier.
[Click here for the archives.]
The Spotlight Series: a short break and many thanks
Published by January 14th, 2008 in Spotlight Series. 0 Comments[ This is a sticky post. Regular posting continues below.]
The Spotlight Series is going to take a short break now, and will be back soon. And I mean real soon because all of the guests we’ve invited for the next month-long series of posts have already confirmed their participation. We need to sort out a [...]
Why Civil Services?
Published by January 11th, 2008 in Government, Personal, Society and Spotlight Series. 21 Comments[This is Essay #14 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for archives.]
Why Civil Services?
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Cosmic Voices
“Why civil services?”
That’s the most clichéd question every civil services aspirant expects on the day of his interview with the wise men (and women) at the Dholpur House. For the uninitiated, Dholpur House houses the famed, and at times feared, Union [...]
Thinking-Feeling Dual-Citizenship
Published by January 8th, 2008 in India, Indiaspora, Language, Media, Personal and Spotlight Series. 11 Comments[This is Essay #13 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for archives.]
Thinking-Feeling Dual-Citizenship
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Shashi Thandra
Since I am trying to think about how one negotiates several spaces emotionally, cognitively, and physically, it is worthwhile to say where I am. Born in Hyderabad, I lived there as well as Sirsila and Karimnagar during my brief eight years in [...]
Lessons from the Renaissance
Published by January 6th, 2008 in Art, Business, Culture, History, India, Literature, Music, Poetry and Spotlight Series. 0 Comments[This is Essay #12 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for archives.]
Lessons from the Renaissance
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JK
In 1503, the much awaited clash of the titans was to take place in the Salone dei Cinquecento, the imposing chamber of Palazzo Vecchio in Italy. Piero Soderini, an Italian statesman commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to paint Battle [...]
Thela aur thel
Published by January 3rd, 2008 in India, Poverty, Prejudice and Spotlight Series. 12 Comments[This is essay #11 in our Spotllight Series. Click here for archives.]
Thela aur thel
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Annie Zaidi
The average tea-stall is not an overtly feminine space. The standard cup of tea at the average tea-stall is not my most beloved. But I’ve hung out at a few, anyway, and have learnt plenty in the [...]
A Walk Down Hubbert’s Peak
Published by January 1st, 2008 in Energy, Science & Technology, Spotlight Series, Theory and Videoblog. 1 Comment[This is essay #10 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for archives.]
Ninety nine percent of our energy comes from the Sun. The commercial energy that we pay for is about one percent of the energy we use. Commercial energy mostly (82 %) comes from non-renewable sources like oil (32%), coal (21%) and natural gas (23 [...]
Secrets, secrets are no fun?
Published by December 30th, 2007 in India, Spotlight Series and sexuality. 2 Comments[This is essay #9 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for archives.]
While Bollywood is usually not the place to go for thought-provoking material, watching “Life in a… Metro” has provided me with just enough to get me going for this post. Admittedly, I am new to the field of torrid adultery as I do not [...]
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