An oddly large number of the names of decidedly undemocratic states start with 'Democratic Republic'. Perhaps it is less surprising, then, that the proposal for a SAARC Centre
The self-realisation of Southasia as a single, cohesive space inhabited by multiple peoples took a beating with the partition of the Subcontinent in 1947. 'Nation state-ism' arrived along
The natural geography of the region, so abruptly abridged by the processes of recent history and the designs of states, reasserted itself with a vengeance. It made so many of
SAARC came into existence in 1985, at a time when there were no visionaries left among the political class of the Subcontinent. That is itself eloquent testimony to the irrelevance
Hold tight, each one of you
Snake-tails of your own
Country, religion, convictions
The way people hold each other
The prospect of free trade in the subcontinent is expected to stamp-out illegal trade and the routing of goods through third countries leading in the long-term to benefits for all in the region.
Hold tight, each one of you
Snake-tails of your own
Country, religion, convictions
The way people hold each other
On a sinking boat.
—Noman Shauk, Dubati Nau Par
After the
