People demand probe into seven-decade-old mystery of helicopter wreckage in Tripura forest
Ambassa(Tripura)/UNI: The rusty remains of a burnt helicopter, lying for more than half-a-century in a remote reserve forest in Dhalai district, has sparked curiosity among the locals for years, and now they have demanded an inquiry into the circumstances that led to its tragic end.
Learning in the time of a pandemic: The divide that divides
It is three months since the first lockdown was announced due to Covid-19. Like all fields, the pandemic has affected the area of education too which has had to take recourse to online learning even from the primary school stage. But lack of universal availability of the electronic tools for learning, has also created a divide between the haves and have-nots. Anju Munshi probes
Trying hand at one of the world's oldest metal casting art
At a time when the Prime Minister of India urges everyone to be 'vocal for local', here is a first hand account by Nitin Waghela about the traditional Dokra art of West Bengal and how one can train with the artists who are facing the challenge of machine-made products
When the world hibernates, going 'online' is the new normal
Amidst a scary predicament, the world is currently passing through, the internet has emerged to be the sole connector in the new normal of social distancing. At a time when heads of the countries across the globe are constantly preaching the one mantra of social distancing, essentially demanding people to shrug off socialising, internet happens to unleash freshness in the lives of otherwise bored and quarantined social animals.
Despite growing advocacy for using solar power as a sustainable source of energy, the cost factor often deters even a willing customer. Bengaluru-based Simpa Networks offers a solution with its ‘solar-as-a-service to energy’ for poor households and micro-enterprises in rural India. Paromita Pain reports
Smart roads: How RoadBounce can fix roads and save lives
RoadBounce uses cutting-edge analytic to improve public safety and infrastructure, all through smartphones. SPAN writer Michael Gallant reports
Climate change threatens the yak economy in Arunachal Pradesh
Yak of the high Himalayas is increasingly affected by climate change, with wider economic and social ramifications for the pastoralist societies that have thrived on yak economy. As temperatures rise in the Arunachal Pradesh Himalayas, the traditional yak herders, Brokpas, are facing multiple challenges. Mongabay India writer Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya reports
Bihar jail prepares hanging ropes purportedly for execution of Nirbhaya rapists and killers
Buxar, Bihar/UNI: The prisoners in Buxar Central jail are preparing ten hanging ropes popular as “Manila Ropes”, for execution of capital punishments.
30 years on, Eastside Gallery is Berlin's Wall of Freedom
Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall (the momentous November 1989), the murals on the East Side Gallery on the remnants of the wall are as alive and relevant today with their message of peace and unity, discovers Ranjita Biswas.
Air pollution due to burning the stubble after harvest in winter in North India is big issue, socially and politically. As Delhiites brace up for another winter of smog and suffocating pollution from stubble burning, here is the story of Kriya Labs, a New Delhi-based start-up, that transforms agricultural waste into a valuable resource to make paper and biodegradable products. SPAN writer Michael Gallant reports
Spies have been among us for centuries though it is often thought to be a recent phenomenon . Ranjita Biswas gets a glimpse of their secret world in Berlin’s German Spy Museum
Rakhigarhi Findings: The Truth about our Ancestors
Challenging the famous theory of an Aryan invasion ending the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), analysis of DNA samples obtained from the skeletons excavated at the Mature Harappan cemetery at Rakhigarhi in Haryana says no mass migration into South Asia had happened during the Harappan times. Sonali Jha Chatterjee reports
In the pantheon of Urdu poets the names of women hardly come up. Mah Laqa Bai Chanda was an extraordinary poet and courtesan who lived inHyderabad in the 18th century. The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation has helped to restore her garden tomb which could bring into focus her contribution to art and culture, and charity. SPAN writer Paromita Pain reports
How app cabs are changing transportation landscape worldwide
From USA to India, ride hailing app cabs like Uber has transformed the mobility landscape globally and opened the door for competitors such as Lyft in the U.S. and Ola Cabs in India. Rashi Shrivastava and Madison Hall in USA with Suryodoy Mandal in India report on how it is poised to grow even more.
Chicago 2019: Where global architectural thoughts converge
Chicago Architecture Biennial, the largest architecture and design exhibition in North America, is returning to the city in September for over three months. This year, India too has a significant presence at the event that marks Chicago as the cultural capital of USA. Sujoy Dhar reports