Blogs

T S Ananthu Recent reports covering Sonam Wangchuk’s fast have referred to it as a ‘hunger strike’. There is a world of difference between the two. MK Gandhi explained that fasting is very different from a ‘hunger strike’, which has a coercive element. A hunger strike is similar to a labour union’s strike – the…

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes, which frequently coexist in Indian population, are leading causes of death and disability in this country. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) recently announced that Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR), which compares the measured circumferences of the waist and hip, would be used in primary healthcare, to identify persons with high…

Political judgements on which civil protests are real and which ones synthetic, are always difficult to make. So, when an upstart social media phenomenon called Cockroach Janta Party surfaced soon after paper leaks in NEET exam were reported in May, there may have been a tendency in GOI to dismiss it as a short-term phenomenon,…

Here’s a brief con-tour of the scams ‘Anti-ageing’, and ‘gut health’ are the new snake-oils. Being peddled by the slickest salesman of our times, the ‘wellness’ industry. Dangle either of these  baits, and we fall for it, hook, line and sucker. It’s just old stuff but with a ‘wearable’. The search for the ‘elixir of…

Did police use excessive force on protesters at Jantar Mantar? Govt should constitute an impartial inquiry  Monday’s clash between police and protesters in Delhi shouldn’t have happened. On one side were citizens – some still too young to vote – and on the other, personnel whose job is to keep them safe. That compact shouldn’t…

Did the police use too much force against protesters at Jantar Mantar? The government should order a fair investigation The clash between police and protesters in Delhi on Monday should never have happened. On one side were ordinary people, including some who are still too young to vote. On the other side were police officers,…

Methane gas build-up is a known hazard. Did SOP fail the workers?  Rescue ops, risky by themselves given toxic gases, continue to try and save miners trapped in a tunnel that was under construction, part of the Teesta Stage VI hydropower project, when it collapsed on July 20, after a methane gas explosion. At least…

Big projects should never put workers’ lives at risk Rescue teams are still trying to save workers trapped inside a tunnel in Sikkim after part of it collapsed following a methane gas explosion. The tunnel was being built for a hydroelectric power project on the Teesta River. At least 20 workers have died. Sadly, this…

There is a particular kind of contempt a state reserves for movements it doesn’t take seriously until it is too late. That is roughly the arc of the Cockroach Janta Party, born as a mocking meme and now a loud voice of a generation that feels betrayed by the very examinations meant to decide its…

Hello and welcome to the 100th edition of the Weekly Vine. First, a solemn thanks to all readers who have been with us through thick and thin, reading every edition, giving feedback and admonishing us whenever we miss Meow Times. For the last month or so, yours truly, along with millions across the globe, sacrificed…