India

By Imran Garda in Asia on September 21st, 2011
Adivasi man displaced from his home to make way for a steel plant in Orissa, India [Al Jazeera/Imran Garda]

These are segments from my notebook, while filming India’s Silent War between the Maoists and the government - a battle that affects many of India’s almost 90 million "Aboriginals" or Adivasis - the original inhabitants of the land Indians who live deep in the jungles of the east and central parts of the country. 

Over 10,000 people have been killed over the past 3 decades alone. Adivasis have faced brutality from both sides and millions of them have been displaced to make way for mining projects and factories on their fertile, mineral-rich land in an area the government calls "The Red Corridor". This is one of the world’s forgotten stories.

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Adivasi woman, Orissa State, India. [Imran Garda]

By Prerna Suri in Asia on September 6th, 2011


"They call us names and randomly pick us up," 42 year-old Mohammad Alam tells me. 

"Sometimes, they even drop us off at deserted areas or threaten to put us in prison. If we pay them money, we’re free to go.”  

Five years ago, Mohammad crossed the border from Bangladesh into India, dreaming of a better life. Yet, it is no better than the one he left behind.

Mohammad is a rag picker; he sifts through plastic bottles, newspapers, and used syringes - anything he can sell to get a good deal. But it’s not his work that peeves him; he is proud of what he does. Instead, it’s the constant harassment he faces from the local police, who threaten him, demand money and even beat him up if he pleads with them.

Why? Because Mohammad is among an estimated 3 million illegal Bangladeshi workers in India.

Anybody suspected of being one is routinely rounded up and detained. Many prefer to simply hide their real identities.

By Nicolas Haque in Asia on September 6th, 2011

In the northern districts where Bangladesh meets India, there are no street signs to tell you where you are.

So after hours of driving down narrow roads flanked by verdant green paddy fields, my cameraman and I had to admit we were lost.

Thankfully, we spotted a fire station where a jovial fire chief greeted us. We asked him for directions to Dohagram Angorpota, a Bangladeshi enclave inside Indian Territory.

He told us that he knew exactly where it was because it is an area he has been assigned to cover - at least during the day.

By Al Jazeera Staff in Africa on February 22nd, 2011
Alleged mercenaries deployed by Gaddafi in Tripoli, the Libyan capital.

As the uprising in Libya enters its ninth day, we keep you updated on the developing situation from our headquarters in Doha, Qatar.

By Azad Essa in Asia on February 19th, 2011
Photo by AFP

It is being described as the most open World Cup in the competition’s short history. While the last four tournaments always began with the fair speculation on who would face Australia in the final, this year’s tournament has no clear favourite.

The current edition of the tournament is really a three-way throng of a race between South Africa, India and Australia.

Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka are the dark horses of the tournament.

Of course, if you had to put money on one team – as in – if you were hung upside down, a gun placed to your head and forced to make a bet – Team India would probably be your best option.  

By Al Jazeera Staff in Middle East on February 17th, 2011
Saif Gaddafi, the son of Libya's leader, warned of 'civil war' in a speech on Sunday night.

As protests in Libya enter their eighth day, following a "day of rage" on Thursday, we keep you updated on the developing situation from our headquarters in Doha, Qatar.

(All times are local in Libya GMT+2)

Blog: Feb17 - Feb18 - Feb19 - Feb20

By Kamal Hyder in Asia on November 8th, 2010
Photo from AFP

The US president's visit to India has been hailed as a landmark moment, coming amidst much pomp and ceremony.

It could be a defining moment for Barack Obama's future, following the Democrat's humbling experience in midterm elections last week. But one thing is more certain: American foreign policy has the consensus of both the Democrats and the Republicans, no matter who is in power.

India mostly relied on Russian and British military equipment for its forces during the cold war era, something the US was always suspicious of despite its good relations with New Delhi over the years.

But with a new US-Indian strategic partnership, the stage is set for India to make a transition to American military hardware.

Obama may be trying to take credit for the new partnership, but actually it started during the tenure of George W Bush.

By Prerna Suri in Asia on November 6th, 2010
Photo by AFP

There's a change in India.

Whenever previous American presidents have touched down in the country, their every gesture is scrutinised. From what tickles their palate right down to whose hands they shake more vigorously.

A visit from an American president has always infused India with some much-needed confidence.

With Barack Obama's maiden visit to the country as president, there is excitement. But not the electrifying expectations one had when George W Bush or Bill Clinton came calling.

So, what's really changed?

A nine per cent growth rate may have added to India's confident swagger. Or a $30bn defence budget may have caught the world's attention.

"The US sees that India is clearly a rising power, its economy is quite strong.

By Divya Gopalan in Asia on September 27th, 2010
Photo from AFP

For the past few days I've been covering the run up to the Commonwealth Games.
 
On my first day off in two weeks, I met my cousin Arjun who took me to the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan canteen in Delhi.
 
For about $4 I ate one of the most delicious and filling Indian meals I've ever tasted.
 
But it's not the food that impressed me. I was taken by the organisation borne out of chaos.
 
The canteen seats around 80 people, but in three hours fed about 1,000, with amazing personal service.
 
Overseeing the dozen waiters winding their way through the hundreds of patrons, was a manager in a loud orange Hawaiian shirt, as wide as he was tall.
 
I'm writing about this because it validated the fact that in India, there is method to the madness.
 
One of the main criticisms of the Commonwealth Games was that India started preparations three years after the bid, losing precious time.

By Prerna Suri in Asia on June 3rd, 2010
AFP photo

Driving through the NH-221, a nondescript stretch connecting Raipur to Dantewada in central India, one can be forgiven for thinking this is not a war zone.

The tree-lined highway is flanked by dry fields on either side, typical of any rural road in India.

A wedding party is in progress, the groom is in his sartorial best, and his relatives are dancing to the beats of old Hindi songs, indifferent to the traffic disruption they are causing.

A pickup van designed for six, carries 30 instead - men, women, children, livestock. Our driver plays the latest Bollywood pop tracks on his car audio system.

"Singh is King …" he sings as he drives at 100kmph on a road more suited for 20kmph.

But the barren fields here tell a different story.

Tags: India, Singh

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