Thais dig deep into wallets for songbirds

Doves can cost a fortune in Thailand, where the people pay heavily to domesticate the bird.

The invisible mountain

The fragmented heritage of Jotiba Phule

Social radical that he was, Phule's memory lives on, despite accusations that he was pro-British and casteist. But most of his followers are …

Ban on exports helps protect Indian bullfrog

The decline of the Indian bullfrog was reported recently in a New Scientist article. But, it may be premature to conclude that the species is doomed.

A junkyard in the sky

An average trekker uses as much firewood in a day as an average Nepali family would in a week.

How many trees for a political tamasha?

Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalitha Jayaram's self-boosting extravaganza in Madurai has cost the nation an estimated 40,000 litres of precious …

The unaccounted wealth that leaves our shores

The Indian government invests Rs 34 lakh to educate each IIT graduate. It therefore has the moral authority to get him or her to work for the …

Hanuman: man, monkey or langur?

The Hindu monkey god Hanuman comes across as a mosaic of different beings

Up in smoke

Illegal marijuana cultivation leads to a systematic butchering of the rich rainforests of Kerala

Aswamedh Yajna - the burning question

Over the centuries, the Aswamedh yajna changed from being related to metal smelteries and became associated with horse sacrifices?

From butterfly to caterpillar

Stung by unplanned growth, Naini Tal -- once a queen among hill resorts -- is being divested of her riches.

A tryst winth death

The land of the Brahmaputra recurrently reels under terrible onslaughts of a scourge

Limp target

Polio eradication targets strike a wrong note, while the WHO waxes eloquent

Inviting the plague

With all its wealth and affluence, Surat remains the least concerned about health and hygiene

'Development' vultures

"Spring's fragrant gardens wither away where the mediocre rules" -- Rabindranath Tagore

Panel inspected

The inherently flawed investigation of Nepal's Arun III dam project has undermined the credibility of the World Bank's new Inspection Panel

Behind the buzzword

The NGO movement in South Asia has come a long way in the past 10 years. Last month, a panel discussion between some of them emphasised …

Kerosene slips through greasy palms

Authorities tread on slippery ground trying to resolve the fuel crisis in Mysore

Imparting environmental education

What is the best approach to instil in the minds of students a lifelong respect for the environment?

Reworking of times past

In the race to make a fast buck from Jurassic Park, Spielberg lost a cinematic shot at recreating the complex ecosystem where dinosaurs ruled Earth

The South needs sit-ups

Although the World Trade Organization is not the South's favourite negotiating platform, the latter must strengthen itself against the Northern moves

We propose, greens dispose

...thus decried Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, on the issue of power projects which may have let the power into but thrown the ecology in a state …

'Land'ing in trouble

While plans about alternatives to almost all currently used resources abound, no one is talking about managing one crucial resource: terra firma

The unsustainable city

The debates, diatribes and rhetoric over the concept of sustainable cities have all been met with the resounding illogic of warped priorities: …

Muck to moolah

A village-based approach to wastewater management is ecologically sound and opens up a clear route to economic upliftment of the communities... …