Weekend Reads

  1. Mohammed Iqbal in The Hindu reports on the Dalits of the Mewar region of Rajasthan who are subjected to violence in the name of witch hunting. 
  2. Writing on the economic slowdown that has pushed Gross Domestic Product growth below 6%, Sajjid Chinoy in the Indian Express says the country could be facing a supply shock and a fiscal stimulus would only accentuate the problem. 
  3. Where do 50-year-old men get the strange impression that they can date 23-year-olds? Mona Chalabi in the New York Times does some number crunching to read the dating trends. 
  4. In the Livemint, Harnidh Kaur explains how government and civil society apathy are key factors leading to tragedies like the stampede at the Elphinstone station in Mumbai last week. 
  5. Richard Russel in the Guardian argues that despite their divisive nature, referendums serve an important purpose in helping the public release pent up anger in a democracy.  
  6. Is the visceral hatred for Modi making many observers of politics lose their objectivity? Rahul Pandita in the Open magazine looks at what he calls the “hate-Modi” industry. 
  7. Arpit Parashar in the Fountain Ink explains how India is missing from a global programme to classify stones as cultural heritage. 
  8. In the Jacobin magazine, Michael Arria on how players in the baseball minor league in the United States are exploited and why they need to organise to bargain. 
  9. Why are people so vulnerable to fake godmen? Swami Agnivesh and Valson Thampu have some answers in the Hindustan Times. 
  10. Michael Phoenix in Roar on the courageous environment activists of Honduras who have refused to submit to violence.