On June 29, about 50 press conferences were held across the globe to publicise the names of the 1,000 women from 153 countries jointly nominated for the Nobel Peace prize. The Nobel Committee in Oslo had received the nominations in January 2005. Kamla Bhasin narrates the story.

Sustaining the ceasefire between underground groups in Nagaland and New Delhi has never been easy. But led by Padmashree award winner Neidonuo Angami, a number of Naga women have been organising themselves for years in trust-building and conflict prevention. A Women's Feature Service and Sangat report.

The spurt in communal violence along the south-western coast has led to intensive searches for solutions. Some social activists see the answer in the old tradition of kadalkotis, sea courts with strong roots in tradition that kept peace among diverse faiths for centuries. N P Chekkutty reports.

The furore over the counting of minorities in the armed forces has taken attention away from what such a survey might reveal. Are the minorities adequately represented in the security services? This question too should concern secular-minded citizens, says Firdaus Ahmed.

Film-makers are finding new ways to get around the difficulties of their new environment - the loss of state patronage, subtle self-censorship in the media, and the taboos of mainstream society. They're putting the new IT world to work promoting their films, and setting up their own events to find their audience. Darryl D'Monte reports.

The absence of open conflict between India and Pakistan since both became nuclear states is cited as proof that deterrence works. But there have been unacknowledged conflicts, and just as importantly, a closer look at each instance shows other factors are also at work, writes Firdaus Ahmed.

The most intractable conflicts in South Asia have remained unresolved because of the inflexibility and dogmatism of the contending parties. It is time for them to move beyond self-justification towards acknowledging and embracing the beauty of compromise, writes Ramachandra Guha.

When the good is almost always defined in terms of one community's ascendance over another, it is not the evil in us that makes us violent. How can we reduce this, ponders Rajesh Kasturirangan.

The bomb blasts in Delhi and elsewhere have brought this UP district uncomfortably into the national spotlight. The 'terrorist' label is widely resented, but that doesn't mean residents have answers to all the new questions. Puja Awasthi reports.

Plenty of criticism has been levelled at excess use of force and abuse of human rights by the Army in Manipur. And yet, with much infighting and corruption, insurgents themselves have lost the moral high ground, writes Surekha Sule.

As the world mourns the loss of one of history's most remarkable leaders, Devaki Jain reminisces the occasions when she met Nelson Mandela and dwells on the qualities that set him apart.

With the tension between India-Pakistan rising, Darryl D’Monte reports a recent discussion about the confrontation between these two nuclear states.

What happens to the mothers, sisters, daughters, and wives of the Muslim men who are rounded up, rightly or wrongly, for being terrorists? From society to media, none listens to the voices of these women, the results of which could be dangerous finds Puja Awasthi.

Ignored by the government, shunned by society and caught in a time-warp of their own, the nomadic castes and tribes of India are almost "non citizens" of the land. R. Akhileshwari describes the abysmal plight of such people from Andhra Pradesh and highlights the injustice and neglect that they are subject to.

Widely labelled as the first of its kind, the Intensive Family Survey conducted in Telangana on 19 August gave rise to a range of speculations, and predictably drew its share of brickbats and bouquets. Venugopalrao Nellutla seeks to decipher the real motives and usefulness of the survey.

Deccan Development Society (DDS) is transforming the lives of villagers of Zaheerhabad, Telangana. Ashish Kothari visited the place recently and writes about how DDS is successfully working with Dalit farmers towards ecologically sustainable farming, women empowerment and community-led communications.

Telangana’s free registration of plain paper land sale initiative to digitally clean up its land records not only benefits its dispossessed farmers but makes land governance transparent, reports Manipadma Jena.

In the Nandesari industrial area and surrounding it, the chemical pollution that has accompanied years of industrial growth has ravaged agriculture and public health. Surekha Sule reports.

India needs a strong public health system, but our direction is the opposite. Public spending on health is a mere 0.9% of GDP, and medical care is now the second most common cause of rural family debt. Public ill health, private profit - that's the partnership we are forging, writes P Sainath.

The LDF government's recent payment of compensation to the victims is a great climb down, for this is the first time a Kerala government has conceded that endosulfan was the cause of the unusual and lethal health disorders that spread in Kasargode. Does this mean more for the victims to look forward to? P N Venugopal finds out.

The public's perception that government facilities and services are poor has led them to abandon these in favour of private providers. But those are not necessarily better, writes R Balasubramaniam.

Medical services are today driven by needs and definitions out of sync with the realities of the masses. In conversation with Pamela Philipose, health activist Imrana Qadeer argues why health should be seen through the prism of the various structural components of society - caste, class and gender.

Firdaus Ahmed on what India can do to avoid a repeat of Nadimarg.

Militaristic theories of Gulf War II's implications must not be allowed to sabotage India's national interests, says Firdaus Ahmed .

Can everyone be a victim? Talking to the Kashmiris, the Pandits, and the people in Jammu, Dilip D'Souza finds each community stating its demands for change in very similar themes. Each is certain that true patriotism demands fair consideration of its view, but each also believes itself to be the victim.

Shelter kits developed by Oxfam are being distributed in quake-hit villages in Uri and Tangdhar, but many hurdles have to be overcome to provide these to everyone before the weather turns bitterly cold. Kanchi Kohli finds hopeful but worried villagers and relief workers fighting the odds and the elements.

Historical resonances, and a strong sense of collective suffering are striking features of one's conversations with ordinary Kashmiris. Freny Manecksha reports.

A single parent also caring for her own aged mother, Hanifa Wani died after months of lying paralysed from a spinal injury - the result of security forces firing on her as she fled in panic. Freny Manecksha reports on a family's suffering amidst the violence around them.

More than the revocation of the AFSPA from a few areas, what is crucial is ending the culture of impunity and the pattern of lawlessness it has spawned. Freny Manecksha reports.

The atrocities inflicted upon women in the strife-ridden Valley and the fear and oppression under which they live continuously are poignantly depicted in Ocean of Tears, a documentary reviewed by Shoma A. Chatterji

22 years after the incident, a group of unrelenting young activists file a PIL to re-investigate the atrocities unleashed on the women of the two villages in Northern Kashmir, opening a new can of worms. Freny Maneksha reports.

The award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the dispute between India and Pakistan over the Kishenganga hydroelectric project has several dimensions that could hold important lessons for settling water disputes within the country, says Shripad Dharmadhikary.

For those who want to stand in solidarity with the people of flood-ravaged Jammu and Kashmir, here are a few options to choose from to make financial contributions.

A female police inspector from J&K, deployed in a peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan, has recently won a prestigious international award. Yet, her story holds little meaning for fellow women officers back home who fight social stigma, poor pay and gender bias at work every day. Shazia Yousuf reports.

The RTI-on-Wheels, an initiative of Gujarat-based organisation Janpath and the Association for India's Development, has inspired the people of J&K to press for their right to information and to a government that works for them. L S Aravinda reports.

New Delhi concedes a long-standing Bodo demand to set up an independent council for the tribal people, and demands that rebels now disarm.

With large parts of the state experiencing regular conflict between insurgents and security forces, and also between various ethnic groups, children in Assam, many of them forced into relief camps, face the risk of losing all access to education. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.

On the streets in Guwahati, there are thousands of children outside the reach of the normal schooling system. Many have run away from their homes, and most must work to make ends meet. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports on the challenges of bringing them into the mainstream.

Conflict-ridden and marked as 'backward', Karbi Anglong is the first district in the North-East and the fourth in the country to have implemented a quality management system in compliance with the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Ratna Bharali Talukdar has more.

The struggle of Adivasis in Assam is more or less unique. It is the only state in India where, post Independence, adivasis were given Other Backward Class (OBC) status instead of Scheduled Tribe (ST). Sriram Ananthanarayanan says this, and their struggle, warrants an examination.

Shifting cultivation in the Northeast, called jhum, is under stress because of conflicts and industrialisation. Sriram Ananthanarayanan examines how the cycle of jhum cultivation is getting adversely affected, causing immense hardship to the people dependent on it.

Assam is blessed with more than 150 indigenous ornamental fish species, and these are found in abundance in its natural waters. Now, the government is trying to organise the market for these, and promote new businesses. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.

Farmers in Assam have had to move out of agriculture during the past two years because sand dunes created over their fertile lands. Comprehensive bungling of river flood control and other ill-thought out projects are the cause, finds Surekha Sule.

Murders and other violent crimes are on the rise in Assam, as superstitious belief in witches provides cover for such actions. Both state and society have much more to do, writes Ratna Bharali Talukdar.

A young entrepreneur's new innovation promises to boost productivity and incomes in the weaving sector, and give a major fillip to an important industry in Assam. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.

Despite years of conflicts and lakhs of people being housed in relief camps, the Assam government is yet to develop a practical policy of responding to the recurring crises. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.

Endless ethnic clashes in the state since the 1990s, coupled with chronic flood and erosion, have triggered large scale migration from Assam to greener pastures outside the state. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.

An innovative eco-friendly handicraft, developed and promoted by NEDFi, using the abundant water hyacinth has improved the economic conditions of rural artisans and crafts-women in the Northeast and given their lives new meaning Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.

The Assamese small tea sector has seen impressive growth over a relatively short span of time, thanks to the efforts of growers and support from the Tea Board. All it needs now is state support to take it to the next level, reports Ratna Bharali Talukdar.

Eco-friendly disposable plates and bowls made from sheaths of the abundant areca nut plant in rural Assam hold great promise for a lucrative industry with global reach. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports on the enterprise.