Behind the entire media cacophony over Pooja Chauhan is a real story and a real person. The story is a familiar one. Of women, thousands of them, who are harassed over dowry or over the gender of the child they birth, particularly if she turns out to be a girl, writes Kalpana Sharma.

The association of the disenfranchised male with violence is manifest among all religions, and on both sides of the political spectrum. Ramachandra Guha looks at age, sex and class as factors in extremist violence in Bangalore and elsewhere.

How ironical it is that just when Indians are patting themselves on the back on having the richest man in the world in their midst, when the middle classes are celebrating the rising stock market and more, girls are being killed, women are being bought and they have to fear for their lives in many parts of this country, asks Kalpana Sharma.

Women like Mukta Jodia, the first recipient of the Chingari Award for Women Against Corporate Crime, are a reminder of the other India, the real India. What triggers their struggles is quite often the lack of transparency, writes Kalpana Sharma.

Bigotry is increasing as there is no strong action against it. If greatly talented Indians cannot safely and honourably practice their craft in our shared homeland, there is little hope for the rest of us, writes Ramachandra Guha.

The press is expected to play a vanguard role in making the legislature and the executive accountable. But is there a mechanism by which we can correct the errors, biases, and malpractices of newspapers and television channels, asks Ramachandra Guha.

The Indian government has a responsibility to understand and respect the people who live on its peripheries; so do the citizens who live in states more keen to count themselves as part of India, writes Ramachandra Guha.

L K Advani's Somnath to Ayodhya yatra in September 1990 promoted discord among different groups just as Jinnah's Direct Action Day in August 1946, which fomented violence between Hindus and Muslims. Yet, comparing Advani to Jinnah may be unfair to the latter, says Ramachandra Guha.

It is indeed ironic that in a society where motherhood is virtually deified, we pay so little attention to making sure that women don't die in the process of becoming mothers, writes Kalpana Sharma.

In the run-up to the elections, only the dominant voices from "mainland" India will be heard. But we need to listen to what those living at the margins of this country are saying, writes Kalpana Sharma.

In their readiness to identify with the oppressed, Naxalites are in contrast to the bureaucrat, the politician and the police officer, but they are not revolutionaries, writes Ramachandra Guha.

The Annual Status of Education Report, 2009 points out yet again that what stands between rural girls and a good education is often basic facilities like transport and proper toilets, writes Kalpana Sharma.

Politicians would like us to believe that tackling the Maoists now is urgent, while development is only possible in the long run. Not true, writes Ashwin Mahesh.

A New York judge rules that trying to patent genetic information cannot be permitted - the first serious setback to the genetic technology industry, which will have implications worldwide, writes Sujatha Byravan.

It seemed like an insignificant demand, but in fact it is filled with meaning, and the answer has remained challenging in more ways than one. R Balasubramaniam continues his series of Voices from the Grassroots.

One woman dies every eight minutes due to complications arising due to pregnancy such as sepsis, haemorrhage or obstructed labour. These deaths could be avoided if there is timely medical intervention, writes Kalpana Sharma.

The survey of child labour in agriculture has helped to draw attention once again to many issues that must be addressed if every child is to have a meaningful right to education, writes Kalpana Sharma.

Would this Lokpal Bill have prevented the 2G scam, CWG scam, the NTRO scam, the CVC appointment or any of the recent embarrassments? The answer is a resounding no!, says Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

The relationship between the two major parties in Parliament has broken down completely. For this both parties are responsible, writes Ramachandra Guha.

However imperfect, the National Commission for Women should not be disbanded. Instead, it needs to be debated and held accountable to its original mandate, writes writes Kalpana Sharma.

There is an urgent need to make politics belong to the people. A big tweak of the way parties function is needed to ensure this, writes R Balasubramaniam.

In response to an earlier op-ed by Leo Saldanha on India Together, Prakash Belawadi argues that many of the points raised by Saldanha in particular, may not be so incriminating after all.

Pope Francis’s Encyclical talks about poverty, social inequality, climate change, and other global crises mankind has created and proposes newer ways to resolve them. Ashish Kothari finds the Encyclical lacking in certain aspects but hopes that other religious and political leaders will learn to stand up and speak up like the Pope.

Two-time national award winner, veteran journalist Shoma A Chatterji explains with disarming honesty why, despite being deeply concerned over the prevailing socio-cultural milieu in the country, she would not like to blindly follow her celebrated co-awardees in returning the awards.

Adivasi Academy, a learning institute set up by Bhasha Research and Publication Centre is a must visit place for one to learn the importance of language and cultural diversity of our country. Ashish Kothari writes about his experience and learnings at the Academy.

A multitude of grassroots movements are emerging across the country in resistance to the mainstream economy and polity. These initiatives are exploring sustainable, equitable and  just paths to human well-being. Ashish Kothari and Pallav Das offer an insight into the need for such movements.

A prerequisite of democracy is the democratization of communication, which in turn requires the empowerment of individuals.

A media that cherishes its independence must recognize this freedom is as essential for the judiciary to deliver justice as it is for the media to observe it impartially, says Dasu Krishnamoorty

Lack of media concern for hunger and related issues makes it that much easier for the state to get away with doing nothing. An interview with Prof. Jean Dreze.

A paranoid government is getting ready to gingerly license 200 more FM frequencies when what is available is twenty times that number. An editorial from The Hoot.org

It is not always the people vs. the state or the press vs. the state but sometimes also the people vs. the media, says Dasu Krishnamoorty.

Frederick Noronha reports on the success of World Comics India, which has created successful material, especially for the regional press.

The evidence of the pernicious influence of today's mass-media empires is overwhelming. But, lacking a historical consciousness that includes technology, modern India is thoroughly unprepared to tackle the excesses they promote, says Venkatesh R. Iyer.

Dasu Krishnamoorty cautions against equating the media with democracy itself.

New ideas and initiatives are emerging from the liaison between the press and the advertisers. Advertorials and advertising features are manifestations of this relationship, says Deepti Mahajan.

Significantly, the copy was less sensational than the headlines in almost all the papers, says Ammu Joseph.

The beating of media persons at Kozhikode's airport had its fallout all over Kerala. It has pitted the media against the state government. Several issues concerning rights and privacy need to be discussed, including some of the media’s own failings says N P Chekkutty.

A study on coverage of developmental issues by regional newspapers in the three newest states of the Union - Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, and Uttaranchal - reveals public as well as media apathy towards the plight of people living in rural areas. Aman Namra reports.

Local problems in India are compounding faster than solutions are being found. But the extent of national and regional coverage in our print and broadcast media is over-proportionately more than local news. More local journalism is the need, and will improve prospects for our local self-governance. The India Together editorial.

Are bloggers just like journalists? The jury is still debating, but clearly bloggers are filling some voids in mainstream journalism, and connecting to net-savvy citizens in an exciting fashion. Blogs are not about to destroy conventional media, but they are making an impact, notes Darryl D'Monte.

Over the past couple of years or so, it appears that Indian television media are recklessly using and exhibiting children in breaking news and other stories, with the willing participation of parents. Does this constitute child abuse? Shoma Chatterji has more.

How relevant is the argument of a threat to freedom of the press in cases where the financial interests of a media baron could ostensibly conflict with that of the public? The question resurfaced recently in Andhra Pradesh over the Eenadu-Margadarsi controversy, writes B P Sanjay.

With literacy levels increasing rapidly over the past decade, and more and more people having disposable incomes, the media's reach and influence is expanding. But has this expansion and power of media been translated into greater public good? This a haunting and troubling question, writes Jayaprakash Narayan.

Khabar Lahariya, run by Dalit and Kol women, has emerged as a truly rural newspaper that is read and respected by all sections of society in Chitrakoot. It is a small shining star on the media horizon that exposes the hollowness of the mainstream media, writes Kalpana Sharma

Applying for and getting a license to set up a community radio station in India is convoluted. A new publication offers a step-by-step guide to the entire process along with useful information on how and what to prepare before applying.

Can technology restore the balance between people in their conversations about public issues? And can this help foster a better and more inclusive democracy, asks Shubhranshu Choudhary.

Seventeen years after the Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot restrict content on radio, it remains impossible for independent news to be aired on radio channels. Navya P K reports.

Television news in the southern part of the country has largely become the preserve of the various political dynasties, with a glut of channels acting as mouthpieces of the owners rather than objective news broadcasters. T S Sudhir brings us the true picture.

In the last 12 months, at least two radio stations have withdrawn their subscriptions to Radio Audience Measurement, the key measurement currency of listenership in India. Vaishnavi Vittal explores the covert conflict between the RAM provider and the radio operators and advertisers.

The politically motivated appointment of a hardly-known personality to the post of chairperson at the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India has predictably created outrage amongst students and the artist fraternity. Shoma Chatterji looks at the real arguments behind the ongoing debate.