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.

The issue of sexual harassment is out in the open and is being discussed. It gives a chance to hundreds of women who have faced situations for which they thought there was no solution to come forward and share their experiences, writes Kalpana Sharma.

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.

India's support for the Soviet Union ran counter to the traditions of its own national movement. In the same way, the Indian silence on Burma is in sharp contrast to our consistent support for the democratic opposition in apartheid-era South Africa, says Ramachandra Guha.

The real issues in Bali are not technical or economic. The crisis we face, with climate change, demands a profound philosophical discussion, a reappraisal of who we are and what progress means, writes George Monbiot.

Even in the not-so-remote parts of Assam, you are constantly reminded of the fact that the entire region remains apart. It is evident in many things - its scenic beauty, its poor connectivity, the stories in the media, and the attitudes of young women here, writes Kalpana Sharma

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.

There are many people who believe that women should do only women's work and that they should step out of their homes for paid work only if it is absolutely necessary. But the economy is denting such perceptions, observes Kalpana Sharma.

On the evidence of their respective performances in the trust vote, it must be said that the young Abdullah appears to be better qualified for the post he seeks than the young Gandhi is for the job some think should be his by right of birth, writes Ramachandra Guha.

The Niketa and Harish Mehta case has thrown issues that concern individual choice, ethics, technology and the law. In each instance, there are no clear guidelines, there is nothing that is black and white, writes Kalpana Sharma.

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.

The quality of teaching and research in Indian universities has rapidly declined. Surely this has something to do with the manner in which we appoint those at their helm, writes Ramachandra Guha.

Rather than seek to dominate or tower above other nations, the republic of India must seek to be less discontented and less divided within, writes Ramachandra Guha.

An excess of secularism may be as problematic as bigotry, whereas pragmatism is in salutary contrast to both of those, writes Ramachandra Guha.

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.

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.

India cannot afford not to take a proactive approach to migration. In particular, adaptation measures in key sectors are needed to improve resilience and reduce the pressure on migration from climate change, writes Sujatha Byravan.

How could someone not known to her at all prove and establish her identity, while at the same time no one in her own village was authorised to do so? R Balasubramaniam begins a series of Voices from the Grassroots.

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.

A large number of existing and proposed investments along the Tamilnadu coast are at risk from likely changes to sea level in the coming decades. Plans for the future must bear this risk in mind, writes Sujatha Byravan.

Women are no longer content with the status quo, and unwilling to wait till men dish out empowerment as a special privilege or favour. We must accelerate this trend, writes R Balasubramaniam.

The republic of India bans books with a depressing frequency. Lower courts and even some high courts have been accomplices in this stifling of free speech, writes Ramachandra Guha.

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.

Why has this honest, intelligent, experienced man, whose appointment as prime minister in 2004 was so widely welcomed, been such a disappointment in office, asks Ramachandra Guha

If women cannot step out of their homes and offices without the fear of being assaulted for no other reason than their gender, then clearly there is something very wrong, writes Kalpana Sharma.

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

Editorials by advertisers are terrible, but the rot in the media isn't new. The gradual introduction of small doses of poison into the body of this profession began a long time ago, says Sidharth Bhatia.

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.

The media is unconsciously desensitising society towards the youth, and pressurising them to conform to a stereotype, says Shivam Vij.

As the government shows Doordarshan's director the door, Prasar Bharati member B G Verghese protests the intrusion by the administration into constitutionally protected domain.

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

Legislatures around the country are invoking privilege on all sorts of issues, even as the political parties condemn each other's actions to limit press freedom. Sevanti Ninan reports.

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.