Tigers' return to Gadchiroli forests after 30 years spike human-animal
Dec 09, 2021, at 06:52 am
Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district has seen a sharp increase in tiger population in recent years thanks to spillover from neighbouring Chandrapur district that is home to Tadoba- Andhari Tiger Reserve. Lack of cohabitation experience with the tigers is causing people to panic, which is leading to aggravated human-animal conflicts, writes Saurabh Katkurwar
A French town remembers 74,000 Indian soldiers who died in World War I
Nov 13, 2021, at 07:39 am
A French town near Paris commemorates the 74000 Indians who died fighting in World War I with its mayor recently launching a coffee table book called 'The Shadow of History' or 'L'Ombre de l'Histoire'. Ramananda Sengupta reports
Aug 26, 2021, at 04:32 pm
The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs programme has helped women entrepreneurs in the Northeast to grow their ventures, raise capital and network with fellow business owners. Steve Fox reports
Looking anew at urban planning
Jul 21, 2021, at 10:08 pm
As temperatures rise and global warming is a ‘hot’ topic, literally, cities need to implement adaptive strategies that are responsive to local circumstances to mitigate the climate crisis, writes Steve Fox
Jul 01, 2021, at 09:50 pm
Single-use plastic is one of the biggest headaches for environmentalists as they take decades to disintegrate and meanwhile pollute the earth. Sustainable bamboo fibre products created by Bio Craft Innovation, a start-up, help reduce the use of this plastic, reports Jason Chiang
Jun 15, 2021, at 12:53 am
Shackled to unhappy marriages or insipid sex life, many educated women in India are opting to explore new relationships with help of dating Apps. Ritusmita Biswas reports on the trend of women shedding inhibition and swiping right on Tinder, Bumble et al.
The sweet taste of environment-friendly chocolates
Apr 21, 2021, at 07:23 pm
A few start-ups in southern India are adopting sustainable and conscious practices to develop organic chocolate bars which have a niche but growing market in India. Mongabay India writer Deepanwita Gita Niyogi reports
Wildlife Rescue: A Kashmir woman breaks stereotypes
Mar 09, 2021, at 10:43 pm
The role of wildlife conservationists and rescuers, such as Aaliya Mir, is increasingly becoming important in the wake of frequent human-wildlife conflicts in Kashmir. A mathematician by training, she says changing people’s attitudes towards wildlife conservation is a key challenge. Athar Parvaiz of Mongabay India reports
Feb 22, 2021, at 08:25 pm
With the landing of NASA’s Perseverance Rover on planet Mars recently, lots of things are surely going to change for space research and exploration in the near future. But why this race to reach the Red Planet by different nations? Will our astrologers warning of dire consequences of angering ‘mangal- graha’ have a different take now, wonders Ranjita Biswas
Feb 20, 2021, at 04:06 pm
Coronavirus and the prolonged lockdown initially made people want to climb up the wall but as acceptance set in, they looked elsewhere to occupy themselves and discovered potentials they never thought they had, finds Anju Munshi
Ignored and invisible: The burden of mining on women
Jan 22, 2021, at 07:08 pm
While loss of land and livelihood is a more commonly discussed impact of mining, an invisible impact is on local women who witness a disruption of social structures, burden of earning an extra income, long term mental health issues and a shift from independent cultivators to being dependent on others, besides an uptick in cases of sexual violence. Mayank Aggarwal of Mongabay India reports
A couple fights to save a bird haven
Dec 08, 2020, at 07:16 pm
A Navi Mumbai couple has been fighting to save 80 hectares of wetlands in Navi Mumbai that are home to thousands of flamingos. The wetlands were proposed to be converted into a golf course and residential complex but in 2018, based on their petition, the Bombay High Court quashed a notification to this effect. Mongabay-India writer Tanvi Deshpande reports
Nov 17, 2020, at 07:13 pm
In societies set with patriarchal values, middle-aged women trying to chart a life of their own are looked at with suspicion. But some break the norm anyway, as protagonists in two films, one from Georgia and the other from India, show, writes Ranjita Biswas
Looking at Indian masculinity through lenses
Sep 11, 2020, at 10:53 pm
Harjant Gill, a Fulbright-Nehru Academic, aims to deconstruct the concept of masculinity in India through his films, writes Paromita Pain who teaches at Global Media Studies, University of Nevada
Musings in the time of Corona: Positive vibes amidst the clutter
Aug 01, 2020, at 08:11 pm
“It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts” Robert H. Schuller
People demand probe into seven-decade-old mystery of helicopter wreckage in Tripura forest
Jul 10, 2020, at 09:00 pm
Ambassa(Tripura)/UNI: The rusty remains of a burnt helicopter, lying for more than half-a-century in a remote reserve forest in Dhalai district, has sparked curiosity among the locals for years, and now they have demanded an inquiry into the circumstances that led to its tragic end.
Learning in the time of a pandemic: The divide that divides
Jun 30, 2020, at 05:45 pm
It is three months since the first lockdown was announced due to Covid-19. Like all fields, the pandemic has affected the area of education too which has had to take recourse to online learning even from the primary school stage. But lack of universal availability of the electronic tools for learning, has also created a divide between the haves and have-nots. Anju Munshi probes
Trying hand at one of the world's oldest metal casting art
Jun 27, 2020, at 12:20 pm
At a time when the Prime Minister of India urges everyone to be 'vocal for local', here is a first hand account by Nitin Waghela about the traditional Dokra art of West Bengal and how one can train with the artists who are facing the challenge of machine-made products
When the world hibernates, going 'online' is the new normal
Apr 27, 2020, at 07:46 pm
Amidst a scary predicament, the world is currently passing through, the internet has emerged to be the sole connector in the new normal of social distancing. At a time when heads of the countries across the globe are constantly preaching the one mantra of social distancing, essentially demanding people to shrug off socialising, internet happens to unleash freshness in the lives of otherwise bored and quarantined social animals.
Apr 15, 2020, at 05:43 pm
Despite growing advocacy for using solar power as a sustainable source of energy, the cost factor often deters even a willing customer. Bengaluru-based Simpa Networks offers a solution with its ‘solar-as-a-service to energy’ for poor households and micro-enterprises in rural India. Paromita Pain reports
Smart roads: How RoadBounce can fix roads and save lives
Feb 01, 2020, at 01:16 pm
RoadBounce uses cutting-edge analytic to improve public safety and infrastructure, all through smartphones. SPAN writer Michael Gallant reports
Climate change threatens the yak economy in Arunachal Pradesh
Jan 18, 2020, at 04:12 pm
Yak of the high Himalayas is increasingly affected by climate change, with wider economic and social ramifications for the pastoralist societies that have thrived on yak economy. As temperatures rise in the Arunachal Pradesh Himalayas, the traditional yak herders, Brokpas, are facing multiple challenges. Mongabay India writer Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya reports
Bihar jail prepares hanging ropes purportedly for execution of Nirbhaya rapists and killers
Dec 16, 2019, at 07:38 pm
Buxar, Bihar/UNI: The prisoners in Buxar Central jail are preparing ten hanging ropes popular as “Manila Ropes”, for execution of capital punishments.
30 years on, Eastside Gallery is Berlin's Wall of Freedom
Nov 04, 2019, at 05:31 pm
Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall (the momentous November 1989), the murals on the East Side Gallery on the remnants of the wall are as alive and relevant today with their message of peace and unity, discovers Ranjita Biswas.
Oct 19, 2019, at 01:10 pm
Air pollution due to burning the stubble after harvest in winter in North India is big issue, socially and politically. As Delhiites brace up for another winter of smog and suffocating pollution from stubble burning, here is the story of Kriya Labs, a New Delhi-based start-up, that transforms agricultural waste into a valuable resource to make paper and biodegradable products. SPAN writer Michael Gallant reports
Oct 02, 2019, at 03:37 pm
Spies have been among us for centuries though it is often thought to be a recent phenomenon . Ranjita Biswas gets a glimpse of their secret world in Berlin’s German Spy Museum
Rakhigarhi Findings: The Truth about our Ancestors
Sep 13, 2019, at 01:24 pm
Challenging the famous theory of an Aryan invasion ending the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), analysis of DNA samples obtained from the skeletons excavated at the Mature Harappan cemetery at Rakhigarhi in Haryana says no mass migration into South Asia had happened during the Harappan times. Sonali Jha Chatterjee reports
Aug 25, 2019, at 01:18 pm
In the pantheon of Urdu poets the names of women hardly come up. Mah Laqa Bai Chanda was an extraordinary poet and courtesan who lived inHyderabad in the 18th century. The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation has helped to restore her garden tomb which could bring into focus her contribution to art and culture, and charity. SPAN writer Paromita Pain reports
How app cabs are changing transportation landscape worldwide
Jul 15, 2019, at 04:25 pm
From USA to India, ride hailing app cabs like Uber has transformed the mobility landscape globally and opened the door for competitors such as Lyft in the U.S. and Ola Cabs in India. Rashi Shrivastava and Madison Hall in USA with Suryodoy Mandal in India report on how it is poised to grow even more.
Chicago 2019: Where global architectural thoughts converge
Jun 24, 2019, at 03:39 pm
Chicago Architecture Biennial, the largest architecture and design exhibition in North America, is returning to the city in September for over three months. This year, India too has a significant presence at the event that marks Chicago as the cultural capital of USA. Sujoy Dhar reports