Agony of the waiting
There is a strange calmness in the oncology department of government hospitals though it is more crowded that most other sections. Everybody waits.…
Resurgent polio
Eradicating polio in India is proving to be a tough ask. The disease, which seemed to have been contained a few years ago, is rearing its head …
Foss time in India
Microsoft is the most familiar term in the proprietary software industry. The company's penetration in people's minds is so deep that it is often …
A belief in tradition
It was a unique ceremony for a unique award given to a unique rural community of India. In what is perhaps the first ceremony of its kind, …
SEZ, how special?
Despite having burned its fingers with export processing zones, which mainly involved a number of substantial fiscal benefits, the government has …
Tipaimukh Dam in Manipur driving a wedge?
Imphal, Manipur's capital, came to a grinding halt on August 28, with a strike being called. Imphal's people are habituated to bandhs, and most …
Scorching salt
As the world celebrates yet another Environment Day, groups of marginalized people in some part of the globe or the other get evicted from their …
Saga of two villages
Sukhomajri was a dirt-poor village in Haryana. It started pulling itself out of its hole in the late 1970s, making a dizzying ascent to …
Deep waters
Puducherry's plans for a new port have prompted unprecedented protests. Allegations of a huge land grab facilitated by procedural violations and …
Goa must grow...but how?
On January 26, 2007, the government of Goa withdrew its newest blueprint for the development of the state, called the Regional Plan 2011. …
Hiware Bazar - A village with 54 millionaires
Hiware Bazar, a village in Maharashtra's drought-prone Ahmednagar district, was sliding into an abyss after degrading its environment. But in …
30,000 farmers demand Hirakud dam water
Western Orissa is witnessing an upheaval. In the eye of the storm is the Hirakud dam. Over 300,000 farmers dependent on its water for irrigation …
How green is your building?
The building's green credentials have been recognised internationally, most notably by the us Green Business Council (usgbc). The Washington-…
Food processing industry takes a toll on country's health
Eating at home isn’t the in thing anymore. Hanging out is hip, especially in the mushrooming fast food joints that blister the skylines of …
Cockpit
In early December 2007, the country prided itself on providing the world with a road map to check the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5NI.…
A Renewable Crisis
The last time there was a major push for renewable energy alternatives to polluting fossil fuels was in the aftermath of 1970s oil shock. And then,…
Global food crisis: causes and implications for India
Is there a global crisis unravelling? World food reserves are at their lowest in 25 years and the prices of most food crops are at a record high. …
Rising popularity of artificial vanilla puts Kerala farmers in distress
Vanilla is said to be the world's most popular flavour. As much as 40 per cent of the world's ice cream is vanilla flavoured. Its sweet, mildly …
Pure myth
When was the last time you drank water straight from the tap at your house to slake thirst on a hot summer day, without hesitation. Chances are …
Experimental protests in the lab
A week of unprecedented protests by the employees of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research indicates the deep discontent among India'…
Reaching for the Skies
New Delhi has become the hub of the burgeoning air traffic in Asia. But does it have the mathematical precision to avoid traffic snarls in the air?
Building on wrong premises
The plan to rehabilitate the victims of the devastating earthquake that shook Latur last year ignores the needs of the villagers and introduces …
Quake causes rift among seismologists
Seismologists may not agree on what caused the earthquake, but their views have made the government take up better seismic monitoring and analysis.
Behind the scene
Dioxins are extremely persistent and all pervasive. Yet its politics tries to undermine the danger
Just shifting the issue
As the authorities dither and bicker over how to combat pollution in the Capital, industrial units proliferate and entrench themselves virtually …