As a proud realist, I’m typically sympathetic to commercial sex worker (CSW) campaigns that seek legitimacy for their members’ chosen trade. That doesn’t mean I lack all squeamishness about the cash-for-flesh exchange, but I acknowledge that it’s called “the world’s oldest profession” for a reason. The transparency that is supposed to accompany legitimacy strikes me […]
Entries Tagged as 'India'
The World’s Longest Hunger Strike
March 30th, 2009 · Comments Off on The World’s Longest Hunger Strike
Following on last week’s post on the British experience on Pakistan’s North-West Frontier, Microkhan will soon be exploring India’s struggles to deal with its own “tribal territories.” As a somber teaser, check out this account of the world’s longest hunger strike, being carried out by a Manipuri activist named Irom Sharmila. She has been fasting […]
Tags:Afhganistan·India·insurgencies·Irom Sharmila·Manipur·military·Pakistan
The Sludgy Pleasures of Zu
March 25th, 2009 · 2 Comments
The Nagas of the India-Burma border region are especially dear to my heart, seeing as how they play a pivotal role in Now the Hell Will Start. They were always gracious during my travels through the Patkai Mountains, despite facing myriad problems of their own (beginning with a tenuous security situation). And a big part […]
The Monkeys Strikes Back
February 27th, 2009 · Comments Off on The Monkeys Strikes Back
I was watching a rerun of Six Feet Under last night, and caught a throwaway factoid that had slipped from my mind: Chimps are more closely related to us than they are to gorillas. My first thought upon hearing this, of course, was, “Well, where does that leave the poor monkeys on the primate scale?” […]
Tags:Daddy Like·India·music·primates
Seven Thousand, Four Hundred
February 25th, 2009 · Comments Off on Seven Thousand, Four Hundred
That’s how many children have gone missing in Delhi since 2006, and have yet to be found. For comparison’s sake, a Department of Justice study (PDF) found that about 2,500 American kids who went missing in 1999 had not been located by the turn of the millennium. The population of the United States at that […]
The Fighting Bulbuls of Assam
February 24th, 2009 · Comments Off on The Fighting Bulbuls of Assam
Every year ’round this time, the denizens of Assam throw a harvest shindig called Bhogali Bihu. Folks eat too much, dance around bonfires, and bang on dhols all night. Less predictably, they also watch drunken songbirds beat the tar out of one another. Fighting bulbuls attract thousands of onlookers during Bhogali Bihu, and countless rupees […]