TRENDS
Gandhi Jayanti 2023: When, in Beirut, I was asked ‘If you are Indian, have you read Gandhi?’
On a work trip in Lebanon, traipsing between the Hope for Peace Monument, Mahatma Gandhi Park and a local ice-cream seller who has read, understood and explained Gandhi's ideals with a drawing.
TRENDS
World Tourism Day 2023: When white storks conquered the ancient Moroccan fortress of Chellah, a UNESCO World Heritage site
On World Tourism Day, September 27, if visiting Morocco has been on your mind, and you're worried after the news of the recent earthquake there, visit Rabat, which remains untouched, and head to the Chellah Necropolis, part of Ancient Roman city and abandoned in 12th century, to say hello to its conquerer-residents, the European White Storks, among other wild creatures.
FEATURES
Independence Day 2023: If you are Indian, then dance
When in Mali, an Indian was expected to dance because India is the land of films, of Bollywood heroes Vijay and Jimmy, the land of song and dance.
ENVIRONMENT
Independence Day 2023 | Extinction of a ‘Great Indian’ by 2047? When the Great Indian Bustard lost out to the peacock as the national bird of India
The IUCN listed the Great Indian Bustard as endangered in 1994, but by 2011, it was Critically Endangered.
FEATURES
World Snake Day 2023: The Kalbelia tribe, visible but voiceless
India registers over 58,000 snakebite deaths annually, almost 80 per cent of global snakebite deaths. The traditional practice of the Kalbelias, highly skilled in catching snakes and treating snake/scorpion bites, has been criminalised, and they lack land, livelihood and dignity. On World Snake Day, July 16, a look at the historical injustices meted out to this tribe of snake charmers.
