Following the heat generated over the mega dam issue, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has convened a meeting of all ministries concerned on October 13 to ascertain the status of the hydroelectric projects in the North-east. The meeting that was earlier scheduled on October 30, was postponed because of the Ayodhya judgement that was delivered on the…
Read moreThe Lingering Smile
It was an early Sunday morning….. I had come to visit my uncle (my Mom’s cousin). As I am always in Delhi, I get only a few days to visit my parents and relatives in Assam. Every time I visit home , I am always greeted with a lot of news and the recent was…
Read moreUnderstanding Ramadaan
It is the holy month of Ramadan. Dhaka has bloomed up and has worn a completely different picture. The roads are filled with ‘Iftaar’ shops and the other shops are offering attractive discounts. People are all gearing up for celebrations. The government has declared a month long holiday for the schools and colleges which of…
Read moreThe Tabooed Women: Understanding the role of women in Rituals among the Misings and the Deori communities of Assam
“Sure God created man before woman. But then you always make a rough draft Before the final masterpiece” –Anonymous Fact 1: There are a very few discussions on Gender. Most of the times people try to avoid it seeing it as a controversial topic. Fact 2: Most of the discussion becomes unfruitful as every participant…
Read more‘GUILTY AS FRAMED’
Democracy is applauded as one of the best types of government primarily because it allows freedom to rebel, freedom to speak out, raise voices against the government. But today it seems to have lost one of its founding pillars. Today, practising this right to speak out is neither encouraged nor accepted. India, which claims itself…
Read moreA TRIBE IN ASSAM (INDIA) KEEPS THE ROMANCE ALIVE
Marriage, in very simple terms can be defined as social union or a contract between two individuals. There are various typologies of marriage, but my focus here shall not be on those but rather on a very interesting system of marriage which is prevalent among the Mising tribes of Assam (India). India is mostly known…
Read moreOF DAMS AND PEOPLE
I still remember jumping out of joy as a kid when I use to join my friends and family for picnic parties to Gerukhamukh. A beautiful landscape and a scenic village only about 70 kilometers from my place. Subansiri river, one of the major tributaries of the Mighty Brahmaputra flows through the place which adds…
Read moreMr. Pegu Goes to Dhaka
I was selected to be a part of Fredkorpset internship program which allowed me to travel to Dhaka and stay there for about 10 months. Regardless to mention here that I already lost out two months because of visa problems. Getting a visa to Bangladesh is a tough thing to do, especially for an Indian…
Read moreMarriage by order
My Sister did it, So did my elder brother. And the end result is that I can’t do it. What I am talking about is ‘eloping with the loved one’. My eldest sister eloped with her boyfriend with the pretext of going to the market for shopping. The guy (my brother-in-law) belongs to totally different…
Read moreIs India ready to create ‘Her-story’?
History (read His-story) has always been biased towards women as it has always been written from a patriarchal point of view. Feminist thinkers have always advocated that such patriarchal names should be avoided and renamed. Her-story in India has been a story of Neglect and discrimination, evident from the fact that even after sixty three…
Read more