CATEGORIES

Toxic Trail Of Paper

High rates of cancer, respiratory illnesses and loss of vision afflict residents of Punjab's Garhshankar block, who blame a 30-year-old paper mill

Evolving With Cancer

A Harvard oncologist takes Minti Jain, a cancer survivor, down memory lane as she finds moments of overlap.

Directly Auspicious

Direct delivery of benefits to the “right” people camouflaged with a political deadline was the core message of Union Budget 2019-20 RICHARD MAHAPATRA NEW DELHI

Hidden Enhancer

MANIPUR’S WILD CORIANDER, AWA PHADIGOM, ACTS AS A FLAVOURING AGENT IN MEAT AND VEGETABLE DISHES, BESIDES BEING USED AS A MEDICINE

Capital Conundrum

At the peak of Karnataka’s water crisis, the state’s deputy chief minister, G Parameshwara, made a desperate suggestion. He said the government was mulling over a moratorium on the construction of new residential complexes in Bengaluru for five years to tide over the water crisis. But are restrictions on construction or population an effective way to resolve the problem? Or are there simpler ways to strengthen water conservation? SUSHMITA SENGUPTA spoke to a range of experts

Wrong Track

In the wake of IMD's warning over Titli, Odisha mobilised resources to protect coastal districts. But the cyclonic storm took an unusual turn

Aarey's Chipko Moment

The plan to clear Mumbai's last green cover is facing stiff resistance from citizens and non-profits

Egg Of The Matter

Entepreneurs are experimenting with hen feed to produce premium eggs that appeal to fitness freaks

Pride Goes Before A Fall

Could Gujarat's forest officials have inadvertently triggered the death of 23 lions in Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary? ISHAN KUKRETI in Gujarat and RAJAT GHAI in Delhi investigate

The Others Too

The MeToo campaign comes at a time when women are being courted for electoral gains. Is it good or bad?

Goa's Shadow Dancer

Dragonflies tell us about the health of our wetlands and ecology. Hence the discovery of a new species is heartening news

'Natural Disasters Are Shaped By Social And Economic Inequality'

In the early hours of October 31, 1876, a devastating cyclone emanating from the Bay of Bengal drowned at least 0.21 million people and another 0.1 million died in the cholera epidemic and famine that followed. Such events are often described as "natural disasters". But historian BEN KINGSBURY turns that interpretation on its head in his book, An Imperial Disaster: The Bengal Cyclone of 1876, showing it was not simply a "natural" event, but one shaped by all-too-human patterns of exploitation and inequality—by divisions within Bengali society, and the enormous disparities of political and economic power that characterised British rule on the subcontinent. RICHARD MAHAPATRA spoke to Kingsbury on the untold narratives of "natural disasters". Excerpts

A Mountain Lost

The Aravalli mountain range extends for more than 692 km from Champaner in Gujarat to Delhi and beyond. Its role in defining the shape of the Indian subcontinent and its climate, and the fact that it triggered the explosion of multicellular life, are under-appreciated. The rugged mountains guide the monsoon clouds and protect the fertile alluvial river valleys from the assault of cold westerly winds from Central Asia. However, over the past four decades, the world's oldest mountain range has been destroyed by mining, deforestation and over-exploitation of its fragile and ancient water channels

'I Am A Farmer About To Commit Suicide. Can You Help Me? My Aadhaar Number Is...'

Ishan Kukreti reports on how psychologists are now intervening to help distressed farmers

The Order Of Change

To resolve environmental problems, we need a change in mindset, empirical studies, implementation, monitoring and follow-ups, says Justice Madan B Lokur. Excerpts from his speech at the Anil Agarwal Dialogue recently organised by the Centre for Science and Environment.

Drought Aggravates Poverty

Study shows during drought years in Rajasthan, the vulnerability of rural households to poverty increases.

Rockstar Gourd

The humble gourd that sculpted the culture and traditions of rural India for ages is falling out of favour.

The Wise Debate

As the world debates the effectiveness of industrialised agriculture, the good-old small farmer emerges victorious.

Whose Space Is It?

Governments have been exploring space for a while, but the influx of private players has altered the rules of the game. What are the laws that govern space today?

The Trick Is In The Treaty Text

When rich nations insist on patent linkage provisions in bilateral and regional trade pacts here is a way out

Casting A change

Young entrepreneurs see opportunity in biomass waste, help India curb air and plastic pollution

Climate Champions

Youths are rejecting cushy jobs perceived as harmful for the environment

Sweet Cousin

It is a little-known vegetable called meetha karela that grows abundantly in the hills of Uttarakhand

Star Collision

How scientists solved a centuries-old mystery