On March 24, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) chief SP Yadav said that the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh would soon be notified as a tiger reserve. The announcement has caused disquiet among the area’s Idu Mishmi people, who feel that a tiger reserve would “hinder their access” to the forest. Who are […]
Author: Tora Agarwala
Why annual floods are essential for the survival of Kaziranga National Park
We explain the role of floods in Kaziranga’s ecosystem, how increasing high floods can become a problem, and what can be done to keep it in check. As a fresh wave of floods ravages Assam, killing 73 and affecting nearly 40 lakh people across the state, 85 per cent of the Kaziranga National Park and […]
Explained: Why Assam is prone to floods, and what the solution is
A look at why Assam has traditionally been flood-prone, what measures have been taken over the years, and what has been proposed as a long-term solution. Assam is in the grip of yet another flood, with 57 lakh people affected across all 33 districts, and 36 people killed besides hundreds of animals. This is the […]
Feminist icons or violent vigilantes? The contentious role of Meira Paibis in Manipur’s conflict
This article won the Laadli Media Award 2024 for gender sensitive reporting, and was originally published on Scroll.in in August 2023. Celebrated for long as the torchbearers of Manipur, Meitei women groups now stand accused of blocking the army and egging on violence against Kuki-Zo women. On an overcast July afternoon, a line of military […]
Nights out, closed in: Guwahati is a city where the old and new collide
Guwahati is a city of malls, nightclubs and pride parades as much as leaf-fringed sleepy neighbourhoods where the traditional middle-class once led contained lives. It is also a city where personal freedoms come up against the moral police on TV. Two years ago, on an ordinary Sunday morning in February, a corner of Dighalipukhuri, a […]
The story of a night: how a college turned into a jail during the Assam floods
As 80% of Assam was inundated, so was Dhubri District Jail. That meant turning a college into a jail in a couple of hours, escorting 409 prisoners through rising waters to it, in a town under a total blackout, and ensuring no one escaped The Deluge The sight that greeted him at Dhubri District Jail […]
The story of a day-long ‘marriage’
He is 15, she around 60. They got talking on the phone, resulting in a meeting, a ‘forced’ wedding and instant divorce. A month later… The groom When he finally got the phone — a second-hand Nokia base model, for just Rs 200 — he thought his fortune would change. He was 15, had never […]
Manipur Elections 2022: Nagas have NPF, Meities are dominant, what do Kukis have? Now, a party and hope
Come February 28, when 38 out of 60 constituencies of Manipur go to polls, taking on big players like the BJP and the Congress will be the little-known KPA, formed by two retired bureaucrats, a practising doctor and a lawyer. In June 2021, about 200 people gathered at a community hall in southwest Manipur’s Churachandpur, […]
Explained: Behind the unprecedented pre-monsoon devastation in Assam
While the monsoons are yet to arrive, Assam has already been beset by floods and landslides that have left 15 people dead and more than 7 lakh affected. The monsoons bring destruction to Assam like a clockwork almost every year. However, this year, while the monsoons are yet to arrive, the state has already been […]
A Letter From Silchar, Assam: Down a town, on a boat with a body
Nine days after Silchar saw its worst flood, water lies stagnant, power supply is still out at some places, officials are struggling with rescue, and people have questions over if things will ever change. Every resident of Silchar has a story of the “bejaan jol”, or the big flood, that hit the south Assam town […]