Long Reads News - Page 14

Opium cultivation in Arunachal Pradesh: Tracing impact of tradition and trafficking

The first case against illegal opium cultivators in Arunachal Pradesh signals a new crackdown on the social evil that has destroyed vast areas of forest, and many lives, in this global biodiversity hotspot

Cauvery, a river under stress: In the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, little water to spare

The eight Cauvery delta region districts contribute 45.4 percent of Tamil Nadu's total paddy production, with Thiruvarur and Thanjore contributing the highest (10.7 and 9.9 percent, respectively) — making them the chief rice suppliers to the state granaries

Dharavi's Kala Qilla, weathered by time and negligence, lives on due to local community's effort

Though cracks have developed in its walls, Dharavi's Kala Qilla stands tall because of the local people's resolve to keep it clean and ensure it is not encroached upon. Many of them have fond memories of the fort, and legends about ghosts that haunt it and hidden tunnels exist too

In Varanasi and Kanpur, a polluted Ganga might have a part to play in 2019 poll results

Water, air and soil are all polluted in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state; but no campaigner in this election season talks about it, and voters do only when reminded.

Cauvery, a river under stress: Effluents to sand mining, examining the impact of human activities

The Cauvery, flowing through the districts of Salem, Erode, Karur and Namakkal, is considered sacred by the locals. Triveni Sangamam — the confluence of the Bhavani, Cauvery and Saraswati — is a site of Hindu pilgrimage. Yet, the Cauvery runs barren for most of the year — the river and banks often exposed to harsh activities that impact them adversely.

Kutch's coastal ecology steadily trampled, locals' livelihoods threatened by industrial growth

Power plants along coastal Kutch are destroying age-old fishing traditions, endangering mangroves, threatening lives and livelihoods, with people who have no hope in political leadership.

Cauvery, a river under stress: The plight of Mandya's farmers — and of TN's fluorosis belt residents

In part III of Anusha Sundar’s Cauvery — A River in Stress series, we examine the plight of the farmers of the Mandya plains, who rely on the river water for their paddy and sugarcane crops, as well as for their drinking needs. We also look at the Cauvery in the drought-prone Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts, known as the fluorosis belt of Tamil Nadu. Here, the excess presence of fluoride, an acute salt in the groundwater, leads to severe dental and skeletal problems for the residents.

Cauvery, a river under stress: In Coorg, unwanted 'development' comes at a high environmental cost

The economic, political and social changes in Coorg have led to an environmental imbalance that has impacted the Cauvery

Cauvery, a river under stress: How the dispute over its waters was politicised

Hydro politics over its rivers is not a new phenomenon in India, but the Cauvery water dispute is one-of-its-kind, in that it has continued for over two centuries now.

Jal Sahelis: How women across Bundelkhand are reviving water harvesting techniques

700 Jal Sahelis have changed the fate of over 200 villages with their efforts related to water awareness and availability, by reviving water harvesting structures and traditional water bodies through community participation.

Bundelkhand reels under water crisis even as politicians offer few solutions during 2019 general elections

In most Bundelkhand villages, women fetch water four to five times a day from hand pumps installed at least one to two kilometres away from their homes. Voters say politicians meanwhile prefer to play the caste card to come to power.

The Kolis, one of the oldest fishing communities of Mumbai, face an uncertain future

There is no doubt that this is a critical time for the survival of the Koli fishing community. How it adapts to, and evolves from, both the macro and micro factors affecting it in the dramatically changing environment of today will determine its success going forward.

For Indian Muslims, elections bring caste divide among Ashrafs, Pasmandas to the fore

The caste system constitutes the reality of Indian Muslims, as it does of Hindus. The Muslims are broadly divided into the elite upper castes, or the Ashrafs, and the subaltern lower castes, or the Pasmandas. The differences between these two broad categories of castes come to the fore before every election.

#Identitty: In Indu Harikumar’s illustrations, women own their sexuality

Indu Harikumar, a Mumbai-based artist and storyteller, has been drawing women’s breasts for about three months now, as part of her crowd-sourced project Identitty, which explores brown women's relationships with their bosoms and bodies. Interestingly, a lot of women that Harikumar has drawn have made reference to the pleasures of being vain.

The Sikh: An Occidental Romance — Depictions of the community through a colonial lens

The paintings which are part of the exhibition The Sikh: An Occidental Romance make it evident that this community enjoyed the kind of pageantry that other native Indians did not, during British rule

Travelling without Moving with Himali Singh Soin

Ritual Telepathy at the Relic-Chamber by Himali Singh Soin is a slowly unfolding work. Slow like the heart of a blue whale, timing six beats per minute

Becoming Shiva: The Gajan Sanyasis celebrate the blue god's marriage to Harkali

Gajan Sanyasis celebrate Shiva Gajan on Chaitra Sankranti — the last day of the Bengali calendar year — to commemorate the marriage of Shiva with Harkali. The rituals are similar to those observed during a Hindu funeral ceremony. The men paint their faces blue and grey to pay homage to Shiva, and run through villages making guttural sounds and brandishing exhumed skulls and dead bodies

Speaking truth to power: Iqra Khilji presents 'Khabees' and 'Haq Paraston Ke Naam'

Iqra Khilji, who shot to fame with her poem Khabees, speaks about what poetry means to her and her literary inspirations

Via Francigena: Walking the 1,200-year old pilgrim path in Tuscany

Almost forgotten for centuries, the Via Francigena is undergoing a renaissance.

Atal Setu, a new bridge in Bihar over troubled Kosi, raises risk of higher flood surges

Engineers have channelled the Kosi over a long distance before building the Atal Setu in Bihar, raising the risk of higher flood surges

Bengaluru’s romance with her trees, from the era of kings to present times

From Kempegowda to Tipu Sultan, to modern botanical heroes like Gustav Krumbiegel and SG Neginhal, Bengaluru's identity as a Garden City has been dedicately preserved and developed by those who planted and saved trees — both Indian and alien

Invisible Light: A Note from the Curator

Under the heading of Invisible Light, different themes will be introduced;  Jagte Raho is our opening theme. As we go along, more themes will be introduced. That is not to say that Jagte Raho will have concluded once a new theme is introduced. The themes will coexist and interlace, and on any given week, one of them will activated by a new post.

Kaveri delta: Shrinking area and decreasing farm productivity hit south India's agricultural backbone

The delta of river Kaveri, which is the agricultural backbone of south India, has shrunk by 20 percent because of diversion of land for non-agricultural purposes and climate change.

At the Banni Pashu Mela, a unique glimpse into the lives of Kutch's maaldhari communities

The Banni Pashu Mela is organised by the Banni Breeders Association. It brings together all maaldhari communities in Banni. There are animal beauty contests, milking contests, races, and freestyle wrestling for men (locally known as bakhmalakdo) during the day, and soirées featuring Sufi and folk music in the evenings.

Tiger habitats in the Sundarbans are imperiled by climate change; govt intervention is urgently required

Royal Bengal tigers in the Bangladesh Sundarbans could be wiped off by 2070 due to a combination of climate change and sea level rise.

Assam’s rhino habitats are being overtaken by invasive plant species; will timely solutions be found?

Each of Assam state’s four rhino reserves currently faces threats from invasive plants including Parthenium, Mimosa, Mikania and water hyacinth

Kush Badhwar and Pallavi Paul speak to the virus

The idea of ‘going viral’ is embedded in Kush Badhwar’s mojiji | In 'File Image' Pallavi Paul combines many threads while focusing on the narratives of Sufi mystic, teacher and poet Mansur Al-Hallaj (c. 858–922) and the epidemic of cow-related lynchings and violence in the country | From our series #JagteRaho

World Poetry Day 2019: Read Arundhathi Subramaniam's Song For Catabolic Women

We’re not trying to make our peace, not itching for a fight, we don’t need your shade and we don’t need your light. We know charisma isn’t contagious and most rules are egregious. We’re catabolic women.

World Poetry Day 2019: What the Peacock said to Ganesha about his Brother’s Lovesickness

My Lord, your brother’s lovesickness is becoming impossible: ever since he saw Valli, at the archery contest, he’s being most unreasonable. He refuses food, then says he’s hungry and wants to go pick figs on her hill. He claims hot water’s making him weak and wakes at dawn to go bathe in the hill stream. And now he wants grass mats, no doubt woven with grass from her hill, because suddenly ‘soft mattresses are bad for a warrior’s body.’