Even as we bask in the success of one man's fast unto death to rid our country of corruption, and we take to the streets in solidarity, there are few among us who have been waging a silent war against corrupt officials and a crumbling system without so much as a pat on the back. Tithiya Sharma writes.
Tlawmngaihna is an untranslatable word; it is the Mizo code of ethics and dharma. Tlawmngaihna binds the people of Mizoram to be hospitable, unselfish and helpful to others. Tlawmngaihna to Mizos stands for a compelling moral force which finds expression in self-sacrifice and the service of others.
Subhas Dutta has spent the last three decades perfecting the dying art of active citizenship. He is the son of refugees from Bangladesh and calls the grand old city of Kolkata his home. One could mistake this unassuming Chartered Accountant for a harmless 'Aam Admi' who's just trying to live his life and 'get by'.
Every single day, 12 Indians are shot dead. Their fate might be sealed by a sophisticated automatic rifle from the US or by a 2 rupee bullet from a 200 Rupee Katta. Tithiya Sharma writes.
Science owes a great debt to imagination. Many great inventions and discoveries would never have come about if some day-dreamer hadn't imagined it first. Sitting in a classroom, or a laboratory or under an apple tree, wondering… 'What if'? Tithiya Sharma writes.
I read obituaries. Sometimes it’s all I read in a newspaper on a given day. I wonder what kind of a human being the deceased was?
The first time Suman Chennamaneni had access to books outside of his school curriculum, he was half way through his teens. The school he attended in small town Andhra Pradesh had no library. Neither did his town.
Everything works like clockwork”, I was talking aloud to myself, navigating through the public transport system in Vienna, Austria.
Dhirendra Pratap Singh took a gap year in college. The decision did not go down well with his parents, followed shortly by ominous warnings from peers about the repercussions on his career.
Around the world in 54 weeks. Destination: Mumbai
Two women knocked at my door and greeted me with outstretched hands and smiling faces. Rajni and Manju had come to take me along on a fact finding mission to a nearby village.
It bothers me immensely to watch images broadcast in western media, of Indians living in abject poverty. I thought it excessive that stories about India centered on rampant corruption, mismanagement of projects and finances and the deprivation that stems from it; discrediting and ridiculing us as an emerging super power.
I'm back in the country. My 5th day here started with an eight hour drive through potholed highways and dry, uninspiring landscape from Pune to Beed district in Marathwada region in Maharashtra.
Six months ago, I set out to spend a year looking for adventure and inspiration. I packed up my life in a backpack and took the proverbial leap of faith. Did I find what I was looking for, asks
Tithiya Sharma.