India
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India state elections
India's BJP revives Hindu-Muslim dispute
Hindu monk and chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, up for re-election in key state polls next month, has turned his attention to a revered religious site in Mathura, situated next to a mosque, suggesting he will champion the Hindu cause in a long-running dispute with Muslims over who owns the site
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Modi's India
Authoritation pseudo-democracy in the making?
India is generally considered to be the world’s largest democracy. As civic freedoms are being eroded, international experts now consider it seriously under threat. By Mira Mandal
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"This Pale" – Rumi set to music
A celebration of the complexity of love
Four musicians – two Iranian, two Indian – have created an album of music inspired by the poetry of Rumi. Like the poet's works, the album advocates tolerance, inclusivity and love in divisive times. By Richard Marcus
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COVID-19 pandemic in India
Enabling the rights of the child
COVID-19 has many negative impacts on children, particularly in terms of education and healthcare. Development projects in the Indian state of Assam show how actors can successfully support disadvantaged children in times of crisis. By Enakshi Dutta, Cynthia Dittmar and Franziska Muller
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Best of Qantara.de 2021
Top ten most-read articles on Qantara.de
Every year in December, the team at Qantara.de takes a look back at the articles that proved most popular with our readers. This year is no different. Here is a run-down of the stories that mattered most to you in 2021. Happy New Year to all our readers!
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Bangladesh turns 50
Pakistan's greatest defeat remains taboo
In 1971, Bangladesh seceded from Pakistan after a bloody civil war to become independent. But the events of that time are still largely taboo today. A reappraisal of this central chapter in Pakistan's history has yet to take place. Analysis by Mohammad Luqman
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Album review: Hindol Deb's "Essence of duality"
Beyond the exotic – for a new East-West dialogue
For Western listeners, the sound of the sitar is perhaps the most cliched musical symbol of India. Sitar player Hindol Deb, who lives in Cologne, Germany, has just released his debut album, which explores new ways of combining the Hindustani long-necked lute with jazz. Stefan Franzen had a listen
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The Afghanistan-Pakistan-China axis
India's Taliban problem
The Taliban’s victory over the United States in Afghanistan will not only greatly embolden their fellow jihadists, but also shake up the region’s geopolitics. An Afghanistan-Pakistan-China axis involving policy co-ordination would represent a major risk for India, writes Shashi Tharoor
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India's role in the Kashmir killings
Provoking and punishing Muslims, manipulating minorities
Since India stripped Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status in 2019, much new legislation has been passed that critics and Kashmiris alike fear could alter the region's demographics. Now, an online portal aimed at handling property complaints submitted by migrant Hindus has triggered a spate of killings, further heightening the tension. Aljaz Hussain reports
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Faith and religious tolerance in India
Where tolerance and segregation go hand in hand
A recent nationwide, multi-faith public-opinion survey has found that Indians value both religious tolerance and co-existence, on the one hand, and religious exclusivity and segregation, on the other. But this apparent contradiction, although astonishing to many, is in fact not entirely surprising. By Shashi Tharoor
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Raw materials attract China
Why Afghanistan should be filthy rich
To date, the Taliban have profited from the opium and heroin trade. Now the militant group effectively rules a country with valuable resources that China needs to grow its economy. Background by Nik Martin
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Pimping the parliamentary facade
Narendra Modi's Potemkin democracy
India's prime minister has an "edifice complex" that has given rise to grand new government buildings, including a planned new parliament. Sadly, the spirit of deliberation and debate that animated the old parliament building risks being left there. By Shashi Tharoor