South Asia Citizens Web

– Theme song for World Social Forum, Karachi, 24-29 March 2006, sung in Urdu by the famous Pakistani singer Nayyara Noor

A credible democracy goes beyond holding elections under laboratory conditions
Western media is fond of using the term ’kangaroo’ with any set up which is overly ambitious and minuscule. Local courts run by dreaded Tamil Tigers in Northern Sri Lanka are generally called as ’kangaroo courts’. Governments run by despots or autocrats in poor and unstable African ’banana republics’ are often referred to as ’kangaroo regimes.’ Going by that logic, J&K is about to have what one can safely (…)

American Chronicle, October 28, 2008
Introduction:
Jharkhand meaning "forest tract" is the ancient name given as a whole, to the forested upland geographically known as the Chotanagpur plateau forming the north-eastern portion of the Peninsular Plateau of India. It is a region of great unevenness consisting of a succession of plateaus, hills and valleys drained by several large rivers such as the Damodar, Subernarekha, Barakar, Brahmani and Baitarani.
The plateau represent a vast area (…)

[The Times of India, 16 November 2008 >http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Sunday_TOI/Shame_not_honour_in_Killing/articleshow/3718050.cms]
Surajpur is like any of the semi-urban villages that have come to define north Indian cities. Jean-clad youngsters talking into mobile phones are as much a reality in this kasbah in Greater Noida as their hookah-smoking elders. On the face of it, it seems that the yesterday and today co-exist happily, but last week’s ‘honour killing’ of two (…)