JESSICA LEGASPI WRITES — Indians around the world can turn to the media to see the Diwali celebration in India, but for those living in New Delhi, they can barely see the hands in front of their faces. On October 31, the day after Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights,…
FASSA SAR WRITES – Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s new Bollywood film, Pink, combats underlying sexism and androcentrism within Indian culture. The film points out the misogynist culture that justifies violence against and control of women. The film, Pink, tells the story of three girls, Meenal, Falak, and Andrea, who attend a…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES — With more than 15 million users in 24 countries, Facebook’s Internet.org, has charmed the eyes of many Indians. The program aims to bring free Web access to the developing world, but because of controversy over the number of websites a user can visit, the project’s been renamed “Free Basics.”…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES – On Nov. 16, “India’s Daughter” will air at 10 p.m. ET on PBS’ “Independent Lens.” This critically acclaimed documentary originally aired on March 8, 2015 in a number of countries, but was banned from Indian TV. British filmmaker Leslee Udwin’s film exposes the Dec. 2012 incident of a 23-year-old female…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES– Can online declarations of love defeat real-world violence and intolerance? A few thousand Indian and Pakistani social media users are trying to find out. Connected by a mutual concern about the current state of Indian-Pakistani relations, internet users have been posting photos of themselves and short statements of peace…
LAMIYA SHABBIR WRITES – It was the tweet heard across the subcontinent: India and Pakistan’s leaders play nice at a conference designed to save the world. Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs of India, Vikas Swarup tweeted, “On a chilly November morning, PM @narendramodi is welcomed warmly by President @fhollande…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES– With the second highest number of internet users in the world, the Indian government’s new flagship program, ‘Digital India,’ has potential to become a great success. With Prime Minister Modi’s trip to Silicon Valley in early September, hype over this new government initiative has wooed the CEOs…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES – Online crime is on the rise in India and the nation’s cyber cops say beware digital extortion. As this continues to become a major issue, India has ranked as the world’s sixth most targeted country (second in Asia), in terms of financial institutions that are hacked. Internet hackers have…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES—A government initiative to make a difference in the third largest Asian economy hasn’t gotten off to a very productive start. Announced back in September 2014, Make In India is an undertaking to invite international companies to manufacture their products in India. Since it’s launch, Make in India has…
TRISTAN WILLENBURG WRITES – Beware what you click on Facebook. An Indian is under arrest in Saudi Arabia for what he says was simply taking a look at an image authorities have since deemed blasphemous. The rub: To see the photo, the man says he was tricked into giving it…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES –India has been a major candidate for a development that’s been in the works since its launch in the South Island of New Zealand in 2013. This innovative project is called Project Loon – a mission backed by Google that aspires to provide Internet access to rural…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES– Leaning towards All India Radio, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stresses to India’s youth on the issue of drug use. PM Modi wants to start a movement that is intended for a #DrugFreeIndia through the means of social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and even the…
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES: Sunrise Radio, the UK’s first Asian around-the-clock media corporation, celebrated its 25th anniversary this November. Founded by Avtar Lit in 1989, the radio station offers news about the Asian continent and the opinions of broadcasters who support its dissemination to the greater public. The London-based music station…
ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES – The world’s second largest burger joint is utilizing eBay in one of the most interesting ways. Burger King has laid out a plan to get Indians to pre-order its sandwiches online. Burger King aims to sell online vouchers to help promote this new idea. Consumers can purchase a burger…
PEYTON CROSS WRITES — The ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa has sent ripples of panic around the globe, from Fox News talk shows in New York to the small island nation of Sri Lanka. On August 18th, the Sri Lankan website News First reported the country’s first possible case.…
AUSTIN SZABO WRITES – Has India elected a dangerous man? The media failed to answer this question. As Narendra Modi becomes leader of the world’s biggest democracy, his role in the killing of a thousand Muslims in 2002 remains murky. The 2002 Gujarat riots, a pogrom against Muslims, happened on Modi’s watch. His…
