Kalilah wa-Dimnah: Ancient Asian Folk Tales with Modern Insight
I was almost 13 years when I read some of Kalilah wa-Dimnah’s fables for the first time. Touched by the animal characters in those folk tales, I used to find an equal personification of those animals in real life. For my surprise, I learnt many years later, that the author of those imaginary stories was […]
International Conference on Interfaith Dialogue
Introduction Asia Journalist Association Nepal (AJA Nepal) is a media organization established by a group of professional journalists and media activists in Nepal fully dedicated to press freedom, democracy and human rights. The key members of the organization have a history of involvements in press freedom and democratic movements and had led the Federation of […]
Nepal’s Lumbini: Birthplace of Buddha, Sacred Ground for Buddhists
Lumbini is the birthplace of Siddhartha Guatama, Buddha himself, in the 6th century. One of the four most important places for Buddhists, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Through the Nepalese government’s Lumbini Development Trust Fund, the region is experiencing “Lumbini Renaissance”. King Suddhodana and Queen Maya Devi of the […]
Drought and famine cause death of scores of children every year in Pakistan’s Thar Desert
The persistent drought spell, compounded by poverty, poor nutrition and lack of health facilities and awareness, continues to take its toll on the children of Tharparkar, the desert district of southern Sindh province of Pakistan bordering India. Around 140 children have reportedly expired and over 200 admitted to local hospitals during last two months while […]
[Transnational] Witnesses of the Incheon Asian Games
Returning to the Forgotten values of sports Maria Mejia·Colombia·Graduate student of Global Sport Management at SNU The 17th edition of the Asian Games represented for Korea not only the third opportunity to host the games, but also set questions within the sport world towards the readiness of a city to host such an event, and […]
Thatta: the city of vibrant and fascinating faces
I felt like Hunter S. Thompson. No, more like Raoul Duke (or Rahul Duke, you might say). Only I was not high on acid. I found myself in the middle of a very small city known as Thatta in Sindh, Pakistan, which boasted of academic excellence in Sindh a couple of centuries ago. It was […]
China’s Asian Bank May Herald A New World Order
Since the 2008 economic meltdown, Europeans and the Americans have been asking the Chinese to contribute more to the Bretton Wood institutions. But, in turn, the Chinese have been demanding reforms to the hegemonic system of management and voting rights in these institutions that favour the Americans and the Europeans. Both appeals have mainly landed […]
Polio cases surge in Pakistan
Pakistan is heading for one of its worst years for polio in recent times. According to figures from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), 166 cases of polio have been verified this year, compared to 28 at the same time last year, says a report released by United Nations Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN). This […]
SINGAPORE ART FAIR SET TO KICK OFF THIS WEEK
Salsali Private Museum (UAE), XVA Gallery (UAE), Ward Gallery (Dubai, Cairo, & KSA) and Lahd Gallery (UK & USA) participate from the GCC region For its first edition, SINGAPORE ART FAIR presents the best of ME.NA.SA. artistic creations and confirms the participation of 59 top-leading galleries featuring more than 230 artists. This new ground for […]
Nearly 300,000 Nepalese women trafficked to Indian brothels
Trafficking of women and girls and supplying them in the sex markets of India and other countries is still one of the big social problems in Nepal. In the past, the innocent Nepalese girls and women used to be sold only in the brothels of Mumbai, India. But in recent years, they are taken to […]