Context: In the words of K M Munshi: “Indian culture is a living force. It absorbs alien elements when necessary but transmutes them into a new pattern of homogeneous richness. It has made us what we are in the world today; and will make us what we want to be in the world tomorrow.” Nature… Continue reading The path towards greater religious tolerance and social harmony
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Urban mining
News: In late April, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram angrily ordered its officials to find out who dumped “malba” — the Hindi word for Construction and Demolition Waste (C&DW) on either side of the Gurugram-Faridabad road. Frameworks to tackle C&DW already exist. Implementation needs to be improved. Contents1 What are the causes behind C&DW?2 What… Continue reading Urban mining
The debates around the Surrogacy Act
News: Petitioners in the Delhi High Court questioned why marital status, age, or gender were the criteria for being allowed to commission or not commission surrogacy in India. The female petitioner said that she already had a child, but the trauma of the first childbirth experience and her need to juggle work with child care… Continue reading The debates around the Surrogacy Act
Unnatural urbanisation
News: Recently, a 20-minute thunderstorm in Delhi uprooted many trees, some of them between 40 and 50 years old, throwing the city out of gear for hours. This chaos, caused due to poor urban planning, has become a pattern whenever a pre-monsoon storm, with high-velocity winds, hits the city. Delhi High Court has taken note… Continue reading Unnatural urbanisation
Urban agriculture can help make cities sustainable and liveable
News: Recently, the Union finance minister wished to make India cities “centres of sustainable living with opportunities for all”. The FM argued for a paradigm shift in urban planning with announcement to set up a high-level committee to steer the required changes in urban policy, planning, capacity building and urban governance Contents1 What are the… Continue reading Urban agriculture can help make cities sustainable and liveable
Explained: The cultural roots and significance of PM Modi’s gifts for his Quad colleagues
News: As the India Prime Minister travelled to Tokyo to attend the Quad Summit, he carried with him gifts for leaders of the US, Australia and Japan showcasing India’s rich cultural heritage and art forms. A look at those gifts and their cultural roots. Sanjhi art panel for US President Joe Biden The intricate sanjhi… Continue reading Explained: The cultural roots and significance of PM Modi’s gifts for his Quad colleagues
On Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s 250th birth anniversary, remembering the legacy of the father of Modern Indian Renaissance
Context: One of the most influential social and religious reformers of the 19th century, Ram Mohan Roy, was born on May 22, 1772 in what was then Bengal Presidency’s Radhanagar in Hooghly district. As India grapples increasingly with changing social and religious circumstances, Roy’s work in the sphere of women’s emancipation, modernising education and seeking… Continue reading On Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s 250th birth anniversary, remembering the legacy of the father of Modern Indian Renaissance
On marital rape, regressive notions undermine autonomy of women
News: Recently, two judges of the Delhi High Court handed down separate judgments on the constitutional validity of the “Marital Rape Exception” under Section 375 of the IPC in RIT Foundation v Union of India Case. What is the law? Section 375 defines “rape” as when a man has sex with a woman without her… Continue reading On marital rape, regressive notions undermine autonomy of women
Increasing the pace of India’s urbanisation
News: In recent years, the governments has started to realise that the cities are the drivers of economic growth. Contents1 Trends of Urbanization 2 India’s trends 3 State-wise trends in India 4 Merits of urbanisation 5 What are the issues? Trends of Urbanization In 1960, the global rate of urbanisation was at 33.61%. In 2003, more people were living… Continue reading Increasing the pace of India’s urbanisation
A concerted effort in re-imagining museums
News: On the occasion of International Museum Day on May 18, the Ministry of Culture allowed free of cost admissions to all museums which are under its ambit for a week. Contents1 Advantages of making free admission into the museums 2 What transformational shift has been visible with respect to our perspectives of our heritage? 3 What… Continue reading A concerted effort in re-imagining museums

