Stories about South Asia from April, 2016
Portraits From Nepal: Survivors Struggle to Rebuild a Year After the Deadly Quake
The devastating quake hit on April 25, 2015, killing almost 9,000 people and leaving many thousands homeless.
Tackling Child Marriage in India, One Wedding Tent at a Time
"How can we call ourselves progressive where such evil custom of society thrives."
Eight Challenges Indian-Language Wikipedias Need to Overcome
While native-language Wikipedias are becoming game-changers in other parts of the world, India, in spite of having numerous languages, lags way behind. Here are a few of the reasons why.
Xulhaz Mannan, an LGBT Activist in Bangladesh, Is the Latest Victim in a String of Brutal Killings
Since 2005, at least 23 bloggers and activists have been killed and scores of others attacked or threatened with death for their progressive and secular views.
A University Professor Is Hacked to Death, Another Victim of Deadly Intolerance in Bangladesh
Rezaul Karim Siddique joins a long list of intellectuals, bloggers and foreigners who have lost their lives in similar killings purportedly carried out by Islamist militants.
These White Butterflies from Nepal are Spreading a Message of Hope and Social Change Throughout the World
Usually flight attendants say, "Thank you for flying with us." Whenever I meet them I say, "Thank You for flying with me!"
A Feisty 12-Year-Old Shows Us What Life in Nepal Is Like After the Earthquake
Shreesha lost her home in Nepal's 2015 earthquake, but she has managed to stay in school. Now she just needs the other kids to stop taunting her for being homeless.
The Most Powerful Man in Pakistan Just Did Something ‘Unprecedented and Bold’
In a move that's being called both “unprecedented and bold,” the most powerful man in Pakistan has dismissed half a dozen army officers over allegations of corruption.
Extraordinary Bubble-Like Clouds Blanket the Skies Over Kathmandu
"Incredible cloudscape almost inspired me as an abstract-impressionist-artist. Never saw in my life."
What Do the IPL Cricket Games Have to Do With India's Drought-Hit Farmers?
As many as 3,228 farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra in 2015; that is almost nine farmers every day.
Pakistan Deploys Tanks Against Military Farm Tenants Protesting Peasant Leaders’ Arrests
"Stop using anti-terror policies to quash the voices of peaceful and unarmed peasant protesters #PeasantsNotTerrorists #FreeOkara5"
Meet the Pakistani Security Expert Saving Lives in 140 Characters
Norbert Almeida is a security expert who for the past several years has provided security updates and security guides to the public via Twitter and his blog.
Pakistan Confronts Qadri Protestors, But It’s Anybody’s Guess How, Thanks to Media Blackout
The government maintains that limiting or even eliminating media coverage of civil unrest helps curb violence. But not everyone agrees with this approach.
How Pakistan's Taher Shah Is Taking Viral Culture to the Next Level
There are some incomprehensible English lyrics and some off-tune singing. But that isn't what Taher is about. He is creating viral art.
University Students in Pakistan Bring Conversation About Menstruation Out in the Open
"Realise that you have internalized concepts of misogyny...and instead of policing how they should resist, or debating whether or not this is effective, support them."
LGBT Activists Arrested at Bengali New Year March, Later Released
Police held five persons for reportedly suspicious behaviour, alleging that they were trying to initiate a "gay rally".
Colorful Rickshaw Paintings Protest Violence Against Women in Bangladesh
"We hope that words will thus roam around places and find their ways into people’s thought, leading us to a better tomorrow."
This 23-Year-Old Woman Opened India's First Rehab Clinic for Acid Attack Survivors
The groundbreaking New Delhi center supports survivors medically, legally, emotionally and financially.
Secular Activist Targeted and Killed in Bangladesh
The 28-year-old law student was murdered by three assailants in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 7, 2016. The young man was most likely targeted for his critiques of religious conservatism.
Maldives Media Crackdown Triggers Forced Newspaper Closure, Journalist Arrests
Riot police used brute force and pepper spray and strip-searched both male and female journalists, who hailed from several local media organizations.
The #PanamaPapers Ensnare Hundreds of Indians, Including Bollywood Royalty
"500 Indian names in #panamapapers leak. Celebs, Industrialists but no Politician. Our Politicians hide their money with leak-less 'Jugaard'."