SEPTEMBER 2009

Editorial: September Hardnews Bureau

The most sacred river of the Hindus has been rendered into a stagnant sewage drain, leading to mass and hidden epidemics. But Hindutva and other parties care a damn

Where media and politicos go berserk with frenzy annually celebrating the Kargil victory, why does this nation treat its war heroes with such organised disdain?

If Shahrukh Khan is asked to wait for a couple of hours for questioning at a US airport, the Indian media screams that 'national honour is at stake'. However, when a disabled Kargil war soldier lives in complete anonymity with abysmally low pension, there is universal silence.

Travelling after dark is a challenge that every working woman undertakes in Delhi, but it’s not a pleasant experience and anything can happen

At the turn of the century, India had 40,000 plus tigers. Today, 1,411

The tigers in the reserves in India are reporting a sharp decline in their already depleted numbers. The Sariska phenomenon - the reserve's entire tiger population was wiped out by poachers - has been repeated in the Panna tiger reserve. If these trends continue, the wild tiger would only be seen in touristy books and nature channels. Despite the government spending crores for tiger conservation, hope seems bleak.

What happens if another ten come from the same sea route and create mayhem, even while we protect the Taj as if nothing else matters?

Thousands of Dalits still clean shit with their bare hands and carry it on their heads. So how come a 9 per cent growth rate economy can’t generate alternative professions for them?

The humble domestic worker in India is often treated like a modern-day slave

They are an essential part of every middle-class/rich Indian set-up. Without them, many urban homes would fall into complete disarray. It is their constant presence and hard work that give families the leisure to be together as families.

Union environment minister said the Yamuna is not a river in Delhi. If it is a sewage drain, whatever happened to Rs 1,800 crore spent on cleaning the river?

The Union power ministry has failed to achieve its power generation capacity targets over successive Five Year plans

So why call the encounter real when it’s strikingly fake?

TV is now making audiences into voyeurs and participants into striptease performers