Founding Editor: Daya Varma (1929-2015)
Editors: Vinod Mubayi (New York) and Raza Mir (New Jersey).
Editorial Board: Ram Puniyani and Irfan Engineer (Mumbai); Pervez Hoodbhoy (Islamabad); Dolores Chew (Montreal); Vamsi Vakulabharanam (Amherst); Ajay Bhardwaj (Vancouver).
Circulation/website: Feroz Mehdi (On behalf of Alternatives, Montreal).
EDITORIAL: WILL AIR POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE MAKE SOUTH ASIA UNINHABITABLE?
Vinod Mubayi
Gar Firdaus bar ru-e-zamin ast
Hamin asto hamin asto hamin ast
[If there is a paradise on earth/It is this, it is this, it is this!]
This verse is commonly believed to have been written in praise of the scenic beauty of the vale of Kashmir but a recent book [Rana Safvi’s “Shahjahanabad”] presents credible evidence that these lines refer instead to the city of Delhi and, likely, date back to Amir Khusro. If that is indeed the case, one can gauge how far this city has fallen from its earlier image by citing just one fact: Delhi’s air pollution. In fact, Delhi has gained international notoriety for being the world’s most polluted major city. A few decades ago, this position was occupied by Beijing, but while that city has managed to improve its air quality considerably, Delhi shows no signs of doing so anytime soon.
Read more…THE HIDDEN COSTS OF BHUTAN’S GELEPHUG ‘MINDFULNESS CITY’: A PEOPLE DISPLACED AND A CALL FOR JUSTICE
Suraj Budathoki
By addressing the grievances of its displaced citizens, Bhutan can set an example for the world, demonstrating that progress and morality are not mutually exclusive.
Read more…GAZA AND THE DEATH OF MORAL POLITICS
Saba Naqvi
From Mumbai to Gaza, profit now outweighs human rights in modern political decision-making.
Read more…‘I WANT INDIA AND PAKISTAN TO MAKE PEACE IN MY LIFETIME’ – ZEHRA NIGAH
Beena Sarwar
“It’s the girls that give me hope,” says the celebrated poet and writer Zehra Nigah.
She leads a quiet life at her home in Karachi, without a mobile phone or email. Yet those who seek her are able to find her. Besides the school and college students who look to her for guidance, there are advertising companies looking for classy jingles. And there are organisers of literary festivals wanting to invite her.
Read more…MIXED MEMORIES OF A TRAIN JOURNEY PACKED WITH RETURNING KUMBH DEVOTEES
Aafreen Hussain
The reserved compartments were non-existent, as was the TT. But the devotees, cramped in the coach, had stories to tell.
Read more…HOW THE WHO LEAVES POOR COUNTRIES EXPOSED TO DANGEROUS INDIAN DRUGS
Vidya Krishnan, Arshu John
Deadly Indian cough syrups in The Gambia and beyond point to shocking disparities in drug regulation for the world’s rich and poor, with the World Health Organisation failing to protect vulnerable countries.
Read more…[LONG READ]: MODI’S MESSENGER: S JAISHANKAR AS THE VOICE OF INDIA’S HINDU NATIONALIST FOREIGN POLICY
Eram Agha
WHEN THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, Sujatha Singh, got a call from the external-affairs minister’s office in January 2015, she knew something was up. Sushma Swaraj wanted to set up a meeting for 2 pm on 28 January but would not say what the meeting was about. This was unusual and enough to make Singh wary. When she went in, she tried to keep up appearances and began briefing the minister about the next day’s plan. But, before long, Swaraj conveyed the disappointing news. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to replace her as foreign secretary, with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. She would not serve a full two-year term, which was to end in six months.
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