MetaFilter posts tagged with India

Choosing Central Asia for a bride

Abiezer — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:45:19 -0800

Fascinated by the Orient An exhibition of the letters, photographs and maps bequeathed to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences by the great explorer, archaeologist, geographer and Sanskritist Sir Marc Aurel Stein. Journeyer in the footsteps of Alexander, explorer of Central Asia and West China, surveyor of the antiquities of India and Iran; after a long life of journeying through and studying central Asia, Aurel Stein found his final rest in Kabul. He is also remembered for rediscovering the oldest dated printed book still in existence, a copy of the Diamond Sutra in the caves at Mogao. That the latter and many thousands of other manuscripts collected by Stein now reside in the British Library is of course, like his other 'treasure hunting', not without controversy.

Head hunters

stonepharisee — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:01:37 -0800

The Naga, from North-East India and Burma, were headhunters. A wealth of anthropological material previously only available on lasardisc, has been web-ified by Cambridge University and Alan MacFarlane (Lots more goodies there) (previously). The Nagas had an uneasy relation with latterday colonialists, who couldn't appear in favour of headhunting, but who nevertheless saw its important role within Naga society. A 1970 documentary can be downloaded in full from this page.

To dye for

infini — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 11:44:51 -0800

Best known as an Indonesian handicraft, batik is a distinctive technique for textiles that has been used for millennia and can be found as far away as Egypt, Ghana, China and India. An integral part of daily life in Java, batik has spread around the world as a wellknown artform as well as clothing. From its hippy heyday to the smart couture outfits of the Singapore Girl, batik is still daily wear for many and the equivalent of black tie in the ASEAN. How to make batik step by step (Indonesian video) (Ghana photogallery) The Indonesian Cap man. Nelson Mandela's Madiba shirt.

"Error is Horror": The Dabbawallas of Mumbai

ocherdraco — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:35:43 -0800

Follow that Dabbawalla For nearly 130 years, Mumbai's Dabbawallas have been delivering lunches from customers' homes to their workplaces and taken the empty tiffin boxes back again. The service, with its origins in the mid 1880s when a single textile mill worker paid an errand boy to bring him his lunch from home, is a complex system with in which color coded lunch boxes are passed from Dabbawalla to Dabbawalla to reach their destination, creating a network that, in many ways, resembles the Internet itself. Despite that resemblance, the service itself is decidedly low-tech (scroll down in that link for "The Logistics of Dabbawalla"). The 5,000 Dabbawallas are divided into autonomous operating groups of 30-35 (including five Dabbawallas who aren't part of the regular supply chain, but are there to pick up slack and reroute stray boxes) whose only points of contact are lunch box handoffs. The Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association (as the organization has been formally called since 1968), has embraced the internet as a means of promotion, however. Their website, mydabbawalla.org, invites users to schedule service via SMS and to friend the service on Facebook. One of the reasons for the success of the system is that it's built on personal relationships: each Dabbawalla (like the one in this New York Times piece) has built up a loyal customer base over the years.

Picturing Climate Change

netbros — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:54:23 -0800

Ahead of the global climate talks, nine photographers from the photo agency NOOR photographed climate stories from around the world. Their goal: to document some of the causes and consequences, from deforestation to changing sea levels, as well as the people whose lives and jobs are part of that carbon culture. Warming threatens lifestyle of Russian herders | Refugees flee drought, war in East Africa | Greenland’s shrinking ice hurts natives Rising ocean levels threaten Maldives Boon from Canadian oil sands comes with price Amazon rain forest cut for cattle Beetles kill in Canada's warming forest Coal dependence darkens Poland's skies Burning coal deposits pollute lives in India

All you need is a little bit of faith.

hadjiboy — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:57:17 -0800

Indian Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Association. Today afternoon my sister just showed me this and told me how nice it would be for me to get involved in something like it and do some social work. I wasn’t crazy about the idea, but decided to give the letter a look and see. Seems like the MFPA association were really worth their salt. What I didn’t expect was the Criticism to come.

Hai Hai!!!

hadjiboy — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:17:39 -0800

The Hijras of India. Their community, their life and dreams.

A long article about the Mumbai terrorist attacks of November 26th, 2008

Kattullus — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:04:48 -0800

It has been nearly a year since the Mumbai terror attacks. Journalist Jason Motlagh has written a four part article about them for The Virginia Quarterly Review. The first part is about the initial attacks and the history of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the terrorist organization responsible. Part two continues describing the events of the first night as well as police and media responses. The third is about the events of the second day and includes intercepted phonecalls between the gunmen and their handlers as well as recounting the initial interrogation of the sole terrorist captured alive. The last part is about the last day of the attacks and the aftermath. The article has a large number of photographs and is a harrowing read.

Madam

infini — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:35:00 -0800

Today would have been Indira Gandhi's 92nd birthday, had she not been assassinated by members of her own guard in her own backyard on October 31st, 1984 (I was there in New Delhi in a cab when the driver suggested it might be safer if he turned around and took me straight home). Often confused as a relative of the more famous Gandhi, fashionable, stylish and well groomed Indira was actually the daughter of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru and used her married name, although divorced from her Parsi exhusband. Daughter and mother of Prime Ministers of India, she herself held office with an iron fist, remembered for the "Emergency", a brief period of martial law often overlooked in the democratic vibrancy of Indian politics. Will Mrs Gandhi's legacy of dynasty be continued by her half Italian grandson?

The Economist: The World in 2010

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:09:43 -0800

In 2010, Obama will have a miserable year, NATO may lose in Afghanistan, the UK gets a regime change, China needs to chill, India's factories will overtake its farms, Europe risks becoming an irrelevant museum, the stimulus will need an exit strategy, the G20 will see a challenge from the "G2", African football will unite Korea, conflict over natural resources will grow, Sarkozy will be unloved and unrivalled, the kids will come together to solve the world's problems (because their elders are unable), technology will grow ever more ubiquitous, we'll all charge our phones via USB, MBAs will be uncool, the Space Shuttle will be put to rest, and Somalia will be the worst country in the world. And so the Tens begin.

The Economist: The World in 2010. Previously: 2009, 2008, 2007. How did we do last time around? Guest contributions: President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso lines up Europe's priorities President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev argues for dialogue and cooperation President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed wants his island nation to remain above water President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would like for Islam and the West to live in harmony President of South Africa Jacob Zuma says Africa should rise to the occasion Director-General of the World Health Organisation Margaret Chan predicts the development of the flu pandemic Managing director of the International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss-Kahn explains how to prevent another crisis CEO of Yahoo! Carol Bartz believes business leaders should tap into the information flood Chairman of HSBC Stephen Green argues that the financial sector should welcome emerging economies CEO of Fiat Group and Chrysler Group Sergio Marchionne thinks greener cars require bolder action CEO/CTO of SpaceX Elon Musk says the private sector should handle space travel

Are nuclear weapons safe in Pakistan?

homunculus — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:44:09 -0800

Defending the Arsenal: In an unstable Pakistan, can nuclear warheads be kept safe?

Not a Halloween Post.

gman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:46:13 -0800

The Maskatorium: hundreds of masks collected from around the world over the past 20 years.

The Charlie Doctor

MCMikeNamara — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:41:27 -0800

An Indian Doctor's Cure-All: Charlie Chaplin "Aswani's pushing sixty. He's not in great physical shape, thanks to a bad motorcycle accident years ago and also arthritis but he can do the funny walk beautifully." In a story about movies that seems like it would make a good movie itself* (or at least a moving story on This (Non-)American Life), Ashok Aswani, a practitioner of ayurvedic medicine in Adipur, India has taken the phrase "laughter is the best medicine" to its logical conclusion and hands out free DVDs of Chaplin movies to cheer up his patients Known as "The Charlie Doctor", he's carries a fake moustache in his wallet so he's always prepared to do his imitation of Charlie Chaplin and to cheer himself up. He prays to a large Charlie Chaplin cutout before each meeting of the club he's started locally the Charlie Circle. * - In fact, filmmaker Kathryn Millard did turn this story into a movie in her documentary The Book Cake. For full effect, I recommend listening to the story rather than just reading the NPR text.

Premanand will not recant

vanar sena — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:25:41 -0800

Basava Premanand, rationalist and founder of The Indian Skeptic, is dying. Premanand has been dispelling miracles and exposing charlatans for over fifty years, often facing persecution from the entrenched political and popular power of godmen in India. Now, his 79 year old body is shutting down. To counter already spreading rumours that he has recanted and accepted spirituality, he has issued a statement that despite being on his deathbed, he has no intention of finding God.

It is the season to be jolly!!!

hadjiboy — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:08:12 -0800

Navratri = Nine Nights of Garba and Dandiya on the eve of Dussehra and Diwali.

Hindu festivals

homunculus — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:22:38 -0800

The Big Picture: Recent Hindu festivals and rituals. "Many Hindus throughout India recently celebrated Ganesha Chaturthi, a 10-day festival celebrating the birth of Ganesh, their supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. Hinduism, the predominant religion in India, is rich with traditional festivals and rituals, celebrated in many ways and locations around the world. Collected here are a few photographs from recent Hindu festivals and of Hindu devotees worshipping and practicing ritual ceremonies in India, England, Nepal and Indonesia."

World appears slightly less bad due to supply and demand

shothotbot — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:56:32 -0800

The government of Delhi is claiming success in reducing female infanticide by a recent scheme to pay the school fees of poor girls. (if you go through to read the article you might want to be reminded that a lakh is 100,000)

Bollywood Gastronomy

tellurian — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:38:57 -0800

Kuchh Kook Hota Hai is an all singing, dancing (and possibly epileptic fit inducing) Indian cookery show (without much cooking), featuring two sassy assistants 'salt' and 'pepper'. To whet your appetite – Mutton Burger and Carrot Roll.

At the Roof of the World...

hadjiboy — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:20:10 -0800

The beautiful artwork of the Tibetan people.

Dear Mandir

notashroom — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:16:09 -0800

When you think of Hinduism, you probably don't think of suburban Lilburn, Georgia, yet it is home to BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, at over 30,000 square feet the largest Hindu temple in the world outside of India. The beautiful temple was assembled from 34,000 pieces of Turkish limestone, Indian pink sandstone, and Italian Carrara marble hand-carved by some 1500 craftsmen in India, then shipped to Georgia, where about 900 volunteers put in over a million man-hours to bring the architects' vision to fruition (YT), at a cost of about US$19m. There is no steel in the mandir's structure (YT) at all, which was built in the Nagara style common in 8th to 10th century India. The mandir is stunning at night, thanks to the multicolored LED lighting used to highlight architectural details, add color to festival celebrations, and comply with religious rules that the lighting be hidden from view. Related

Living Root Bridges

homunculus — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 20:06:51 -0800

The Living Root Bridges of Cherrapunji, India. [Via]

Sacred Groves

homunculus — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:42:14 -0800

UC Scientists Determine That Ancient Maya Practiced Forest Conservation — 3,000 Years Ago. "As published in the July issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science, paleoethnobotanist David Lentz of the University of Cincinnati has concluded that not only did the Maya people practice forest management, but when they abandoned their forest conservation practices it was to the detriment of the entire Maya culture." [Via] Meanwhile, in present-day India, conservationists are trying to preserve sacred groves: New Notion of the Sacred

Unlike much of the Western world, the Indian subcontinent has managed to retain many thousands of groves, forests, rivers, lakes, and mountains that are afforded special protection for religious or spiritual reasons. Despite the enormous cultural disruption caused by British rule and the wave of industrialization that followed independence, sacred places in India have survived as a living tradition into the modern age. As the nation starts to feel the environmental strain of its economic boom, with a rapidly expanding population growing ever more hungry for land and resources, ecologists have begun to recognize sound scientific reasons for preserving human-free zones. Ancient as the tradition is, and as imbued with folklore and myth, declaring certain places sacred dovetails with some very modern concepts. Conservation groups are currently urging the Indian government—whose policies have led at times to the erosion of many sacred-grove systems—to acknowledge and understand the ways in which the country’s past may be key to its future.

Namaste Spiderman!

nickyskye — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:54:01 -0800

Jyothi Raj [it gets cool at :50], a real life Spiderman.

Boy meets guru, boy loses guru

Kickstart70 — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:58:38 -0800

An American Sadhu - A seeking of holiness, resulting in disillusionment and abandonment. A very good read about one man's experience meeting a guru and his disciple, and ultimately coming full circle to "you get the guru you deserve".

‘Everyone has a jet’ : Scenes from the new New Delhi

sk381 — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:33:04 -0800

"‘You have to have at least, like, a BMW or a Mercedes to join. They meet at midnight and they race their cars. The Prime Minister’s office is always calling us to complain.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Because the Prime Minister can’t sleep. These engines make so much noise they keep him awake...." (via Ultrabrown)