The State shall take steps to organise village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government.
The late-November release of the Rajinder Sachar Committee report, which found that India's Muslims have been systematically excluded from state institutions (save for the dubious privilege of being
Nandita Das
Nandita Das is a fine actor of Hindi (and Marathi, and some other 'regional') cinema, known for her down-home, dhoti-clad, rural/urban, lower-middle-class characters. Her specialties
In Heer Ranjha, the popular tragic romance of Punjab, Ranjha leaves his worldly belongings behind and sets off to join his lover Heer. He tries to spend the night at
The report of the Expert Panel appointed by President Mahinda Rajapakse to advise the All Party Conference on a political solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka is in deep
Even as Crown Prince Wangchuk was being proclaimed king in Thimphu after the abdication of his father Jigme Singye Wangchuk, in Kathmandu the Bhutani human rights activist Tek Nath Rizal
It is more fun wathcing cricket, Bangladesh thrashes Zimbabwe 5-0. There is much good news to celebrate in Bangladesh. Professor Yunus's Nobel Prize has greatly restored a sense
With George W Bush all set to sign the Indo-US nuclear deal after its recent ratification by the US Congress, it is time for the Southasian peace lobby to engage
In 1993, political scientist Gerald Rosenberg published a book on the American court system titled The Hollow Hope: Can courts bring about social change? At that time, Rosenberg's
Many critics of President General Pervez Musharraf have been dismissive of his Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill 2006, which was passed unchanged by both the National Assembly and
INDIA/PAKISTAN
India onto the Iron Silk Road
Although India did not sign the so-called Trans-Asia Railway Network (TARN) agreement on 10 November, within a few weeks New Delhi seems
The symbolism of Dalit politics is a tactical response to the threat of violence lurking beneath the surface of Indian democracy. The benevolent tolerance that caste Hindu society affects may
