236 items in this section. Displaying page 19 of 24
Injured Deer Lands on Dinner Plate
July 8: A deer was in great pain. It had got injured in the forest. It was discovered by some villagers who lived near the forest. This incident happened in the Champhai district of Mizoram, in north-east India. The villagers picked up the deer and gave it to Hranleikapa, a leader of the Mizo National Party, to hand over the deer to the zoo in Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram. But, that was not to be....
Cyclone Aila Rages Through Eastern India and Bangladesh
Where: Kolkata, India May 28, 2009 : Cyclone Aila, which formed over the Bay of Bengal last weekend, hit the coast of India’s eastern state of West Bengal on Monday, May 25,2009. Winds blowing at the speed of 100 kilometres an hour with heavy rain caused havoc and paralysed life in the state’s capital city Kolkata. At least 10 people were killed in the city; some of them crushed to death under falling trees. The cyclone raged through several districts of the state, including the hill district of Darjeeling, where 23 people died in landslides....
Computer Whiz Grans
July 31: A.Yogananda is learning the basics of the computer at a computer centre in Pune. Like how to send and receive e-mails to friends in US, Mumbai and Bangalore. He is as excited as any kid who is learning something new. This eager student is all of 79 years old. And he is not the only one. Senior citizens in Pune are rushing to computer classes and taking notes like never before. In the process they are discovering a strange universe of computer terms....
Dalai Lama Calls for End of Oppression in Tibet
Where: Dharamsala, India, and Beijing, China March 13, 2009 : The Dalai Lama, leader of the Tibetan people, has said that Tibetan culture and identity are “nearing extinction”. He accused the Chinese government of bringing “hell on Earth” to Tibet. He was addressing thousands of supporters in India on 10 March, 2009, the 50th anniversary of the failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. China invaded Tibet in 1950 and made it a province of the People’s Republic of China....
Indians All the Way As 'Slumdog Millionaire' Sweeps Oscars
Where: Los Angeles, USA February 22, 2009 : India awoke to the sound of cheers and applause last Monday as ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ fetched two Oscars* for A.R. Rahman and one for Resul Pookutty. With the American-made film ‘Smile Pinki’ about an Indian girl winning the Oscar for the best short documentary, the focus was definitely on India. Slumdog Millionaire, directed by the recognised British filmmaker Danny Boyle, is about an Indian boy. The film has an all Indian cast, and was shot in Mumbai with Indian technicians....
The Case of the Stonemasons
December 27: Last year, 10 stonemasons had been taken from Udaipur to London to build a temple. Overjoyed with this opportunity to earn more money, they went along willingly. But what did they get there? Just a dirty shack to live in and only 20 pence an hour. The stonemasons did not know that they were being exploited. However, they did know that they were being treated badly. The moment they reached London, their passports were taken away from them....
Building a Giant Lie
February 5: The earthquake that struck Gujarat, one of India’s most prosperous states, will go down as among the worst since India gained independence. Both in terms of the numbers of people killed (about 50,000 are feared dead) and the scale of destruction wrought, it has few contemporary parallels. The images of prosperity in cities such as Ahmedabad have been reduced to the symbols of a wasteland – rubble, dust, twisted steel and wire. Building a Giant Lie [Illustration by Shinod A P] A real tragedy, say many of us, but follow it up with a resigned look and statement about the “fury of natural disasters”....
Riding into a Promising Future
October 28: In Gujarat last year, thousands of girls who passed out of primary school, were given unique gifts by the Gujarat government: bicycles to ride to secondary schools. The gifts are not meant to reward the girls for passing their examinations. They are recognised as the only way for these girls to pursue higher education in secondary school, usually situated far away from their homes. The scheme is the brainchild of the Minister of Other Backward Castes, Gabhaji Thakore....
General Elections Announced in India
Where: New Delhi, India March 2, 2009 : India is set to go to the polls to elect a new government. The Chief Election Commissioner Mr. N. Gopalaswami announced the schedule for the General Elections. The country will elect 543 members to the Lok Sabha, or the House of the People, in Parliament. Voting will take place on five days; April 16, April 23, April 30, May 7 and May 13, 2009. Counting of votes will take place on May 16, 2009 and results will be announced immediately....
Terror Blasts in Assam on New Year's Day
Where: Guwahati, Assam, India January 7, 2009 : A series of blasts rocked Guwahati, the principal town of India’s northeastern state of Assam, on January 1, 2009. Six people died, and 50 were injured. The terrorists who planned the explosions got past New Year’s Day security arrangements with alarming ease. Police said the first blast took place near a hospital, the second near the famous Kamakhya temple, and the third at Bhangaghar, one of Guwahati’s upmarket areas, and home to many of its shopping malls....