Recently, I watched a film called“ Mimi”. In a Bollywood film, the storyline is on the surface pretty simple. An American couple is in Rajasthan combining tourism with the search for a surrogate mother who can bear their child. They have contacted a few brokers and been shown, several women. But they are all anaemic […]
Surrogacy: Renting a Womb Read More »
The Delhi police recently busted a kidney transplantation racket that targeted poor, homeless people, with the surgeries being carried out at a two-story house in a city not far from Delhi, allegedly by a class X dropout operation theatre technician. Several such others have been unearthed across the country over the years. The police found that the
The Buyer and Seller of Kidneys Read More »
Recently I read the book “In Praise of Slow: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed” and was totally captivated by it. Partly, I suppose, because it resonated so deeply with me and how I live. From my childhood, I have been chastised for being slow for most of my life. I
Slowing Things Down Read More »
The Hindu family in Bengal that I was born into represented a gentle, tolerant faith. Admittedly because of the aftermath of the partition in which Bengal too was affected, there was some unease towards Muslims, particularly among those who had to leave behind their roots and memories in what is now Bangladesh but not much. Most
Transforming a People Read More »
For most of my life, I have been part of the NGO sector and barring one, all of them are majorly dependent on Foreign funds for their operations. So I have more than a passing interest in tracking the gradual evolution of the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act which regulates how an entity may receive and
Foreign Money and Foreign Influence Read More »
Measuring Happiness can be a tacky matter. After all, happiness is not such a tangible thing. It is like what makes for a perfect holiday – is it the beach or is it the mountains? Beaches it is for me, but for many others, it may be the treks and hikes that mountain trails offer.
Measuring Happiness Read More »
Instant gratification has always been the motto of this 21st century, but this has got more tangible it seems in the last years or so when I added a new word to my vocabulary – Q Commerce. Consumers around the world are getting lazier and even less patient it would seem, giving rise to quick
Q Commerce : The Greed for Speed Read More »
Delivering his Independence Day address in 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced opening the gates of Sainik Schools in every state for girls. Sainik Schools are like regular schools preparing students for their school- leaving exams except that there is a lot of emphasis on sports, physical fitness and the cultivation of other qualities necessary
Should Women Fight? Read More »
21st February or Ekushe February in Bengali usage is an iconic day in the history of the Bengali speaking people like me. The history is worth recalling briefly. In 1948, the Government of Pakistan ordained Urdu as the sole national language for the newly formed country sparking extensive protests among the Bengali-speaking majority of East
Our Vanishing Heritage Read More »
