Columns
Life on char islands in the Brahmaputra a daily struggle in monsoon floods
Chars are riverine islands in the Brahmaputra formed through silt deposits. During monsoons, many chars get partially or fully submerged affecting delivery of basic services.
Namrata Ginoya
Unabated mining activities force villagers in Odisha’s Keonjhar to hit the streets during COVID-19 crisis
In these unusual times, as the world is grappling with COVID-19 pandemic, people of Keonjhar district in Odisha are having to come out to protest heavy mining in their area.
Sampada Nayak
Smart Cities must address the issues of privacy and security of its residents
A Smart City cannot be called ‘smart’ only by the integration of modern technology to create facilities. It must cater to the security of both people and the installations.
Sanjiv Krishan Sood
Chai pe charcha: A journey across Indian cultures, having tea and conversations
From being offered thick fresh buffalo milk in Rajasthan, to salt and fat for tea in Ladakh, the warmth of the conversations over a shared cup of tea, and the new friendships born.
Neha Sinha
It is time we stop demonising riverine floods during monsoon as a calamity. Here is why
Human beings are conditioned to consider riverine floods a threat to their existence rather than as a geomorphological process necessary for agrarian wellness. Here is why this should change.
Manoj Misra
Too early to say the tribal population of India, our most vulnerable, ducked COVID-19?
As India’s COVID-19 tally crosses the million mark, it may be tempting to conclude that tribal communities have ducked the blow so far. That is a partial truth that hides more than it reveals.
Patralekha Chatterjee
‘A river is as healthy as its sickest tributary’
A journey along the river Hindon, the first of the large tributaries of the Yamuna, lead to a unique mound and a small town Barnawa with history written all over it.
Manoj Misra
Pandai: A small transboundary river; a big bone of contention between India and Nepal
Recent border related conflicts between India and Nepal are mostly related to either a river, or access to water, or flood protection works. Understanding small transboundary rivers is crucial.
Eklavya Prasad
This summer, I discovered wasps possess swarm intelligence, and bonder with them over water
One morning, when I was thinking what water means to all of us, I saw a swarm of wasps rushing, not at me, but at the water. This is the story of how I bonded with a wasp over water.
Neha Sinha
Will cycles make a comeback in the post-COVID19 world?
Until the sixties, a cycle was the preferred ride of the lower-middle class. It was an essential part of a household and was used for covering small distances. In the post-COVID19 world, it may become a reality.