Video | Popular theatre derived from “Dandar” of Gond, Korfu and Pardhi communities: Zadipatti Rangbhumi – Maharashtra

Zadipatti is practised in the rice cultivating region of Maharashtra during the harvest season and derives its name from the local name zadi for rice. The theatre art of this region is known as Zadipatti Rangbhumi. It is a blend of commercial and folk theatre form. Live music is a vital part of the form … Read more

Land rush and sustainable food security by MS Swaminathan

M.S. Swaminathan (Chairman, MSSRF, and Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha) Managing our soil and water resources in a sustainable and equitable manner needs a new political vision, which can be expressed through the proposed Land Acquisition Bill and the recently formed Global Soil Partnership. […] It has been estimated that 50 million to 80 million … Read more

eBook | Forest of Tigers: People, Politics and Environment in the Sundarbans

FOREST OF TIGERS: PEOPLE, POLITICS AND ENVIRONMENT IN THE SUNDARBANSby Annu Jalais (Routledge India, 2009) Acclaimed for its unique ecosystem and Royal Bengal tigers, the mangrove islands that comprise the Sundarbans area of the Bengal delta are the setting for this pioneering anthropological work. The key question that the author explores is: what do tigers … Read more

Wastewater snow would ruin a mountain considered sacred – Flagstaff (USA)

[R]ivers run through Navajo lands but the water is diverted to golf courses in Phoenix […] while natives lack legal rights to the water and can’t even get plumbing to wash their hands. Source: Janene Yazzie, a Navajo community organizer, explained to her interlocutor from the New York Times quoted by Vinay Lal (Professor of … Read more

Malayalam poetry to hitherto unexpressed human conditions: “The city’s late discovery of the forest” – Kerala

S Joseph, who introduced Malayalam poetry to hitherto unexpressed human conditions (Meenkaran, Mesthri, Kotta, Identity Card, Chila Irunda Idangal, Aana, Maruku, Pengalude Bible) with very ordinary, pared down words, has wandered through life’s mean streets to reach where he is today. Indeed, he has come a long way as a man and a poet. His grubby backyard … Read more