Posted inPeople
The Half Mother of Mowgli Girl
When Neeta Newton, a nurse at Bahraich district hospital, first met the “Mowgli" girl, she would screech and bite. But Neeta knew this fight – to “humanise” her – would be a fight worth fighting.
Posted inPop Culture
“Kaagaz Nahi Dikhayenge”: From Streets to the Spoken Fest, Protest Poetry is Everywhere
In the age of CAA, words are the weapons on the tongues of wounded artistes. I witnessed the power of poetry first-hand at Mumbai’s Spoken Fest, where Varun Grover reiterated, “Kaagaz Nahi Dikhayenge” and Faye D’Souza asked, “Is the government reading the Constitution?”
Posted inPOV
Loan-Waiver Schemes Got 99 Problems. And Implementation is One
As Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath announced loan waivers for his state's farmers, the demand across the country has only gotten louder. With the general elections a few months away, the governments might just cave in. But while farm loan waivers might make good political sense, do they make good moral and economic sense?
Posted inPeople
My Childhood in a Prison Cell
Karishma has spent most of her life in Bahraich jail with her undertrial mother. She's a regular six-year-old, even though her best friends are constable Asha and jailer Pandey.
Posted inPOV
Rain of Terror in UP and Bihar: Why Are We Not Outraging Against Authorities Who Refuse to Act?
The relentless rains in UP and Bihar have now claimed over 100 lives, with the downpour predicted to continue for several more days. With so many deaths, why are we not protesting on the streets? Would we have looked the other way had these many people died in a terror attack?
Posted inPeople
The Graveyard Inside My Home
In Uttar Pradesh’s Pokar village, the dead don’t leave the house.
Posted inPeople
In Search of Krishna in Vrindavan’s Secret Forest
Legend says that every night, Krishna descends upon a forest in Vrindavan to dance with his gopis. But in a town dependent on its faith economy, does it even matter if it's true?
Posted inPOV
History or Politics, What’s the Real Reason for Changing City Names?
Cities with names that point to India’s real history are an embarrassment to those who wish to rewrite the past. Running out of time before next year’s election, renaming cities and building extravagant statues feels like a relatively low-risk, high-reward approach for the government to leaving a lasting impact.
Posted inPeople
Black Money and the Half Brides of Uttar Pradesh
The demonetisation drive meant to target black money hoarders had an unfortunate casualty – the brides of Uttar Pradesh, whose parents could no longer pay their dowries.