Sri Lanka is struggling with a severe food crisis. The food prices have skyrocketed and people are struggling to manage food inflation. Talks are rife that the country’s decision to switch to organic farming from the conventional farming methods of using chemical inputs caused the crisis. There...
Our food and vegetables largely come from farms that use chemical fertilizers and pesticides which leave a toxic trace on what we eat. There is a certain perception that we eat has much poison. Many campaigns have been launched to popularise organic and natural farming. Outlets purportedly...
The marine organism Porpita porpita known as Blue Buttons has been spotted in large numbers at Pattipulam coastal village near Mamallapuram last Sunday. The organism's usual homes are Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions. They are not seen in the Bay of Bengal. Experts suggest that it...
A library is a public facility or a private utility – a storehouse of information. It is a portal to the world of knowledge. Tens and thousands of people, who cannot afford to buy expensive books or who are on the trail of research literature for their professional needs, swarm libraries. The...
By the time of the 19th century, the caste system had come to such a pass that a majority of the population was considered untouchables and temples had closed their doors on them. Poor, underprivileged, marginalized folk could not enter Hindu temples for worship. But defiance of this order was...
Birds glide around the world’s skies as the messengers of ecological balance. Urbanization, destruction of forests, and water, air and noise pollution are threatening their habitats. Common people have a key role to play in protecting birds. International agencies have been working to promote...
Kani tribes learned many skills by keenly observing nature. Ants and dragonflies in forests were their teachers. Those skills got expression in their art, customs and traditions. But the march of modernity has disrupted the lives of Kanis. Their art forms have nearly vanished. The customs and...
Attitudes towards race, colour and gender are constantly changing depending on time and place. People holding lofty ideals in the past have sometimes left records that today appear regressive. Autobiographical jottings flesh them out. I read one such piece of writing recently. Chinna Annamalai...
Hakki Pikki is a semi-nomadic tribe that roamed around the entire country. The community originated in North India but is mostly found in South Indian states. In Karnataka, they are called Hakki Pikki, meaning bird catchers, while they are also called Nakkavando in Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil...
Bharathimani who died earlier this week was not only known for his interesting and thought provoking writings but for the dignity with which he handled life’s challenges. His daughter said on his passing away that he faced disease with dignity. Bharathimani had several faces: actor, writer and...
