So much for Liberté, égalité, fraternité!

In what is swiftly transforming into a highly controversial legal proceeding affecting women in France, the murder trial of Valerie Bacot who killed her stepfather turned abusive husband, presently underway in the Chalon-sur-Saône, her three eldest children testify about their family life, saying their mother was 'not guilty'​ and had only killed Polette to 'protect us'​ after police refused to help. Valerie's do-or-die situation is similar to Jacqueline Sauvage's, a French woman who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing her abusive husband but won a presidential pardon in 2016 after becoming a symbol for the fight against violence directed at women. The same lawyers, Janine Bonaggiunta and Nathalie Tomasini are now fighting to save Valerie from a life in prison.

Of Freedoms, Exceptions and Propaganda in India

It is in the seemingly, innocuous employment of propaganda, disguised with practiced deft as the exercise of a Fundamental Right camouflaged as ‘freedom’ that lie the bane of existence of the very same right. And, ironically too, the enforcement of the said ‘freedom’ itself risks quashing the constitutional right while on its intended path. Therein lies the truth and need to identify and weed out propaganda - the real stumbling block in the quest for freedom. So, while paradoxically, and on the face of things, a right may be curtailed, the restriction may work in the favour of upholding the very right that appears to be hindered…the intended reach of democracy could well justify the impediment. The exercise of one’s right to speech and expression, when curtailed for documented lawful reasons, could cause more damage than good to its intended goal.

Rulings On Secularism, Laws On Environment Make India Vibrant Republic

It was seven decades ago, on 26 January 1950 that the Constitution of India came into effect replacing the erstwhile Government of India Act of 1935 as the governing document of India and transformed the nation we know today as India, into a Republic for the first time in history. It is the longest written constitution of any country on earth and Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, the chairman of the drafting committee, is widely considered to be its chief architect. And, it is this very Constitution of India which provides for ‘Secularism’ as discussed so widely and actively analysed across platforms of late besides the protection and improvement of the ‘Environment’ through a wide range of Articles – as Directive Principles directing the State to promulgate in the regard as well as guaranteeing the same through Fundamental Rights.

Unsung in the time of COVID-19!

'Unsung' captures the selfless dedication of those Indians whose contributions during COVID-19 times, would otherwise go ... unsung. Team Unsung spread across 20 States, 5 Union Territories and over 100 Cities and Villages in India, to document stories of hope, hard work and dedication of thousands, in the time of COVID-19. From April 2020 onwards, a spurt of COVID-19 cases threatened to snowball into a disaster of epic proportions in India. The country had to grapple with overwhelming population and space crunch issues that only made things worse. And then, like the proverbial Phoenix, India rose again. And, with it an army working silently within borders, facing COVID challenges with grit and, out in the open!

Armed with NavIC, India asserts self-reliance!

Stories of India’s resilience have been legendary. It was on 11 May 1998 that India shocked the world with Operation Shakti (Pokhran II). The United State’s spy satellites, plugged as capable of taking pictures of objects as small as two feet wide from 100 miles in orbit, completely missed the feat. India, fully aware of the importance of maintaining secrecy of the mission, integrated the 58th Engineer Regiment with DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation); the objective being to camouflage the nuclear test site.

IFFI 2019’s non-feature films tackle old, yet pertinent issues

IFFI 2019 held at Panjim in Goa through November 20th till November 28th witnessed a flurry of cinematic works, expressed through screenings, talks, discussions, workshops and exhibitions held all over the streets of India’s smallest state. The venues of International Film Festival of India were spread across INOX in Panjim, INOX at Porvorim, Maquinez Palace, Kala Academy, old GMC building and open air-screenings at Miramar Beach and Joggers Park in Altinho.

‘Give Peace A Chance Now’

“Ab jake yahan pe pragati hogi (Now there’ll be some development here),” beams 52-year-old Gopal Singh distinctly upbeat with the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya. Surprisingly, Singh’s friend Quber Khan echoes his sentiments saying, “About time, Ayodhya moves away from this hatred. The locals here have lived in peace together for years but have become pawns in the hands of political parties.” Like say, Singh and Khan who work in the buffalo trade shuffling between the Juber Ganj Animal Market in Faizabad and Khurdabad where they reside, a little distance away from Ayodhya - the epicentre of all the drama.

India jumps on the Agritech bandwagon

It’s incredulous yet true. Today, every 9th Agritech start-up in the world is from India. There are 3,103 global agritech start-ups of which there are 450 Agritech start-ups operating in India and growing at 25 per cent annually. This and more was revealed in ‘Agritech In India: Emerging Trends in 2019’, a NASSCOM report released in August 2019.

The Hunter Now Gets Hunted

The Masai of Kenya are known the world over for their lion-fighting skills the world over. Back home, in India are their counterparts, the Pardhis renowned in history for their exceptional skills in handling exotic wildlife and their knowledge of India’s jungles but relegated to penury owing to the flurry of wildlife laws and skewed socio-legal perceptions. Why, during the Raj era, the Pardhis were known to have assisted in royal Bengal Tiger hunts, even trained the now-extinct Asiatic cheetahs which, they kept as pets and hunting companions.

Weaving success even through troubled times!

The story of Bhujodi is as legendary as that of the mythical bird Phoenix. The Kutchch village and its weavers prospered for a good 500 years before losing it all, in a jiffy, and bounced back with a vengeance and how. The weavers of the 500-year-old village that lies barely eight km from Bhuj were visionary, even created the first-ever weavers’ cooperative of Kutchch in particular and Gujarat, in general, the Shree Bhujodi Cotton and Wool Handloom Cooperative Ltd on 25 March 1954. They, collectively, rose in fame and began supplying their trademark ‘Bhujodi shawl’ to metros across India and over the world even receiving national and state awards.

India’s Petroglyphs Etch Her Rightful Place In History

A depression in a rock in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri indicates that it was left by someone lying down. For years, local villagers insist the impression was created by Sita, Lord Rama’s wife who lay on the surface during the period in which the demon king Ravana had abducted her. The story, however incredulous, bears immense significance. Mythology is usually weaved around fact. And, it was only in this millennium that the zone’s myriad carvings were scientifically analysed and examined by archaeologists to reveal the presence of petroglyphs created by prehistoric man: a fact that changes history for the zone.

The Wadars made history, today even restore it!

Outside a rock cave housing Lord Shiva’s sculptures dating back to the second century, on his haunches sits a 30-year-old Kailash Dashrath Dhotre chipping away at a stone, carving a pattern in near similarity to match a row of others forming an archaic, age-old boundary to a large Banyan tree. After an hour, Kailash’s efforts bear fruit and the stone made ready for fitting in identical pattern with the rest of its sort.

Spirit of Forest Law Being Quashed in Gujarat

The Supreme Court’s February 28 2019 order staying its February 13 order directing 21 states to evict 11.8 lakh illegal forest dwellers whose claims over the forest land have been rejected by the authorities, is vindicated by the proceedings at Ground Zero across Gujarat. “The state of Gujarat, in particular, acts in gross defiance of the law and is simply not serious about recognising rights,” feels Action Research in Community Health and Development (ARCH) trustee Ambrish Mehta.

India Needs Legislation for LGBTI Community

So, joining the Parkfield Community School at Birmingham in United Kingdom are four more schools putting an end to lessons on ‘Diversity and LGBT issues’, following complaints by parents. 

The Leigh Trust suspended the ‘No Outsiders’ project, which teaches tolerance of diverse groups, including those of different races, genders and sexual orientation, until an agreement with parents had been reached.

Mining stalemate will affect polls in Goa

Goa, India’s smallest state, will be going to Lok Sabha polls on April 23, 2019, and the issues that matter the most have boiled down to three — mining and the urgent need for its resumption; sustainable development of tourism and infrastructure. While tourism figures surged ahead compared to past years, and infrastructure recently received a boost with the 5.1-kilometre-long cable-stayed Atal Setu bridge on the Mandovi river in Goa — the third-such to connect the state capital with North Goa — it’s mining that remains largely in focus this time around.