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Quake notes from the Rann


"Like thousands of other ordinary Indians I had rushed to Gujarat to lend a helping hand. And in the two weeks spent there I got to see up close, many dimensions of our innate, if imperfect, humanity." Venu Madhav Govindu remembers a relief camp he called home five years ago.




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Whose Gujarat?


The violent assertiveness against Aamir Khan is part of a larger trend, marked by politicians who have instilled the language with idioms of aggression. But as they mobilise to silence the 'other' voices in the Narmada struggle, 'we' lose too, for it is only a short step from here to gagging ourselves, says Himanshu Upadhyaya.




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Segregated and building their own schools


The Gujarat state government appears to have very little planned by way of support for the education of Muslim children. What's more the education department appears to be standing in the way of the embattled community's attempts to help itself. Deepa A has more.




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Gujarat's textbooks: Full of biases and errors


An ongoing study of school textbooks in four states has found stereotypes and biases in Gujarat's textbooks. The Social Studies textbook for standard five has nine stories on mythology masquerading as history. Deepa A reports.




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The POTA families of Godhra


The doors of homes in Rehmat Nagar, Godhra, are opened by children, and sometimes by women. Men are rarely to be seen around. The world outside the settlement refers to them as "POTA families", a description that encapsulates their precarious present and future. Deepa A has more.




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Two new documentaries explode Gujarat's myths


Following his earlier acclaimed films, Rakesh Sharma has released two new Gujarati documentaries earlier this month. The films -- Sharma has even used RTI to collect government data -- expose unsavoury truths about farmers suicides as well as lower-caste rioters now in prison. Shoma Chatterji reports.




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Living on the edge


In the shadow of India's most controversial dam, men and women struggle to live with dignity. The first in a series on uprootment and survival in the Narmada valley by Neeta Deshpande.




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A legacy of loss


It is not only those whose villages have been submerged who have suffered, but hundreds of families have lost land to the building of Sardar Sarovar itself. Neeta Deshpande reports.




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Making ends meet


In the shadow of the Narmada dam, those displaced by the canal once hoped that its water would irrigate their fields. Little did they know how their lives would turn out. Neeta Deshpande reports.




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Child labour in Gujarat's cottonseed farms


Labour contractors and large landowners continue to employ children, often exposing them to vulnerable situations. Extreme poverty in Rajasthan's tribal districts fuels the practice. Pradeep Baisakh reports.




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Small hands, hard labour in Surat's textile industry


The famed textile industry of Surat is one of the pillars of Gujarat's industrial success story. What is less known about it is the unfortunate reality of rampant child employment and exploitation that prevails there. Shirish Khare reports.




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Missing justice


The National Human Rights Commission should investigate Punjab's forced disappearance, says Human Rights Watch




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Unsafe custody in Punjab's prisons


An INASAF investigation finds the state grossly indifferent to the health, medical needs, and humane treatment of its prisoners, some of whom haven't even received trials.




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Poison in their veins


Researchers at the New Delhi based Centre for Science and Environment have found alarmingly high levels of pesticides in blood samples of villagers in Punjab, the showpiece state of India's green revolution. India needs to urgently take a tough look at the indiscriminate and careless use of pesticides, writes Ramesh Menon.




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Natural farmers of Punjab


During the last four to five years, the soil in several parts of Punjab has been regenerated and rejuvenated. Natural farmers are convinced it is working. The movement is led by experienced farmers who believe in Guru Nanak's tenet of Sarbat da bhala (well being of all). Umendra Dutt writes about the transformative work hundreds of farmers are doing.




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The Railway Women


West Bengal's rail hawkers are women of sheer grit and palpable passion says Sharmistha Choudhury.




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Rainbow children : dissolving differences


Since 1979, this Kolkata school has pioneered an educational process where kids from different economic and social sections of society study, play and share together as equals.




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Gender - a Left priority


While land reforms and decentralisation in West Bengal have been successful, far less has been achieved in tackling gender disparities and discrimination, says Jayati Ghosh.




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The needs of today, hopes of tomorrow


There is a surprising hope in the most despairing places. It isn't often that many of us see this, but when we do, we are struck by the determination with which enormous deprivation is tackled by real heroes. Somnath Mukherji encounters the work of Tomorrow's Foundation in Kalighat, West Bengal.




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Summer in Kolkata


Branded as insipidly traditional and rather reluctant to keep up with the up-country changing currents, Kolkata has let itself be swept by a few Bollywood blockbusters. Summer holiday camps for kids and teenagers have taken the city by storm. Children are changing too, reports Kasturi Basu.




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Parenthood sans prejudices


Maternity leave is generally not available to adoptive mothers in India, even though an adoptive mother needs it just as much as a biological mother. The central government recently passed an order reversing this situation in part, thanks to Atmaja, an association of adoptive parents in Kolkata. Ranjita Biswas reports.




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Nandigram, an atrocity on dalits


The hypocrisy with which the Government of West Bengal acted at Nandigram this March is a serious cause of disillusionment and has opened the door to further radicalisation of the dispossessed. Tanveer Kazi presents the dalit perspective, even as the High Court continues to pass strictures on the state government.




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Tales of eviction in Bengal


Free Bird Productions, a Kolkata-based documentary unit that makes cultural, ethnographic and documentary films, has made two of the more noteworthy films about the recent events in Singur and Nandigram. Shoma Chatterji notes the unanswered questions the films raise.




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Fighting eve-teasing: rights and remedy


Irrespective of the dress they wear, or, their ages, their looks, their educational, professional and marital status, never mind the time or place, women in Kolkata and elsewhere are being subjected to all kinds of harassment, including eve-teasing. Shoma Chatterji peels the layers and exposes myths.




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Selectively virtuous


They protest when the BJP or Shiv Sena bans a book or intimidates an artist, should they not do likewise when the CPI(M) does likewise? The Taslima Nasreen case has tested, and will test, the integrity of the Left intelligentsia even more than Nandigram, says Ramachandra Guha.




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Of daughter, father and river


Samir Chanda's Ek Nodir Galpo, which premiered in Kolkata in November 2007, offers the moving experience of a father who makes it his mission to name a river after his dead daughter. His struggle evolves into his way of reinventing his daughter. Shoma Chatterji has more.




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A creeping insularity


At Santiniketan, Tagore's presence still inhabits many buildings; the keepers of which buildings are often knowledgeable about his legacy. But the place needs to be de-parochialised to make it once more inclusively Indian, writes Ramachandra Guha.




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Islamic elegies for social justice


The rural Muslim women of Murshidabad district in West Bengal have circumvented religious curbs and successfully used a prevalent religious tradition to eke out a living as well as create social awareness. Ajitha Menon has more.




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Children in the crossfire


A CRY report from Nandigram finds that children's experience of the violence there is intensely personal. Their vocabulary now includes words like shilpo, santrash and proshashon. Shoma Chatterji reports.




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Calcutta HC steps in against corporal punishment


A division bench passed a series of orders last month while hearing a public interest litigation alleging that the West Bengal government had failed to enforce the ban against violence on children in schools. Shoma Chatterji reports.




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Lalgarh: Deprived of a peace of life


Not many trace their way back to the human tragedy that has given rise to the culture of violence that marks Lalgarh today. The women do not appear scared of any police reaction in response to their protests. Soma Mitra has more.




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Boxing their way forward


At the crux of Ekbalpur's women boxers' passion lies a sense of liberation and recognition that they do not get from anything else. Sudhiti Naskar reports.




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Hidden behind a modest restaurant, decades of worth


Over the years, several thousands have made their way to this Kolkata eatery to feast on authentic local food. It's the star feather in the All Bengal Women's Union's cap. Aditi Bhaduri has more.




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Trapped from all sides


Young women and girls in red light areas face extreme levels of desperation, stemming partly from poverty, but also because of sheer physical exploitation, even by husbands and fathers. Ruchi Choudhary reports.




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Children impacted by forced evictions


Motivated by the media attention in Nandigram, six volunteers of Child Rights and You decided to examine how the urban poor are faring against State-sponsored eviction. Shoma Chatterji reports.




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Back to the family


Grounded in its feminist views, Praajak works with runaway boys and young men, to give them livelihood options and help them reunite with their families. Shoma Chatterji reports.




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Industrial Tribunal verdict raises hope


Eleven years after journalist Rina Mukherjee was fired following her allegations of sexual harassment against a senior, the West Bengal Industrial Tribunal passes an order against The Statesman, offering hope of redress for other victims. Navya P K reports.




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Shielding campuses from violence


Violence during college union elections, the death of a protesting 22-year-old student in police custody and a resultant chain of events have led to earnest debates in West Bengal over whether students should stay away from active politics. Promona Sengupta explores the reality underlying prevailing sentiments.




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Female and fearful In Mamata’s Bengal


Character assassination, social and economic ostracisation and even assault, seem to have become the standard responses to all who protest against the culture of violence against women in West Bengal. Shikha Mukerjee reports on the ground realities in the state.




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Lone crusader warns school-goers against substance abuse


Moved by a personal tragedy, young Bengali engineer-turned-actor Bobby Chakraborty has launched a singular campaign to educate schoolchildren about the impact of alcohol and other addiction and deter them from the path. Shoma A Chatterji brings us his story.




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Girls get the power to refuse child marriage


In West Bengal, girls are being empowered to refuse early marriage thanks to a state government initiative that enables them to stay longer in school. The Kanyashree Prakalpa scheme has been remarkably successful in curbing child marriage and promoting girl child education, says Saadia Azim.




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Redditors Did a Lockdown Cooking Contest and Here Are the Best Recipes

The best three photos will be decided on the basis of the votes on the posts.




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'Made by Jains, No Muslim Staff': Chennai Bakery Draws Flak for Islamophobic Ad

Later, it was reported that the owner of the bakery located in T Nagar in Chennai was arrested.




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IAS Officer With Month Old Baby, Telangana Woman Who Rode 1,400 Km: Supermoms And Coronavirus Warriors

These mothers deserve a huge round of applause!




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Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma Donate for Welfare of Mumbai Police Personnel

Virat and Anushka have been trying to help the needy as much as they can in these troubled times and apart from donating to the PM-CARES Fund.




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These Japanese Kids Serve Backhands Just Like Tennis Stars Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic

Six-year-old Yunosuke and four-year-old Koujirou can be seen training on the Swedish and Serbian legends in a viral video.




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'I Couldn't Hold My Baby': What It's Like to Become a Mother During the Times of Coronavirus

With COVID-19 wearing out healthcare system of India thin, is India equipped to deal with the COVID-19 baby boom? Can it contain the impact it will have on women's mental and physical healthcare as well as India's deplorable child mortality rate?




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Elon Musk Tells Us How to Pronounce his Son X Æ A-12's Name and it is Not that Complicated

Tesla boss Elon Musk and his partner Claire Grimes Boucher welcomed their first baby on May 4 and baffled everyone with the choice of the name.




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Maa Jaisa Koi Nahi: Virat Kohli and Virender Sehwag Lead Mother's Day Wishes

Kohli, who has been actively doing his bit to help during the coronavirus lockdown along with wife Anushka Sharma, posted a couple of pictures with his mother on social media.




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SP Founder Mulayam Singh Yadav Discharged from Hospital in Lucknow

The party patriarch had gone to hospital on Wednesday for a routine check-up but the doctors admitted him for observation.