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The CRISPR Story : From boon to bane?

The CRISPR Story : From boon to bane?

Written By: Dr. Ananya Mukherjee Department of Plant Science and innovation University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA Photo: Shutterstock.com CRISPR is something you must have come across in your science news feed in the last couple of years or so. Even if you have not, you may have seen the big news that took social media by storm – the genome-edited babies in China, Lulu and Nana. One might wonder what is this fuss all about and why is this technique in the news all of a sudden? To make sense of it all its important to delve a little into the…
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CAA – NRC : Struggling Economy and the Unconstitutional Dream of Creating a Hindu Nation

CAA – NRC : Struggling Economy and the Unconstitutional Dream of Creating a Hindu Nation

Written By: Dr. Trina Biswas Department of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA Photo Credit: shutterstock.com Let me make it clear, this time I want to be on the right side of history. Nowadays so many netizenswould argue that you cannot protest about this incident today since you did not protest about something that happened in 1450 BC, you cannot take the side of that group when you didn’t say anything while the other group was suffering. Yes, I get it, I was wrong. I chose to be silent about something that happed long before…
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Smells of teen power : The ongoing revolution in India

Smells of teen power : The ongoing revolution in India

Written by : Debkumar Mitra Kolkata, India Illustration : Suman Choudhury A little more than 50 years after that famous student uprising in the streets of Paris, 1968 is being replayed in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, and other cities of India. While, the French students led by people such as Danny the Red fought with President Charles de Gaulle’s gendarme for sexual freedom, war in Vietnam and jobs, in India the students are out in the openapparently, if one goes by the official media versions,to protest police excesses on university campuses. The situation has been on the boil on the…
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CAA Protest Scenario in Assam : The Facts and What the Political Parties Have to Say

CAA Protest Scenario in Assam : The Facts and What the Political Parties Have to Say

Written By: Pema Bhadra Guwahati, India Photo Credit: Pema Bhadra Case 1 One Mr Narayan, age 60 plus, charred to death while sleeping inside a hotel owned by a Bengali. The hotel, with 5 other shops were set on fire by the so-called anti-CAA agitators in Tinsukia District, Assam. By the way, his death did not find any space in the local newspapers, news channels. Case 2 An oil tanker heading to Numaligarh Refinery set on fire by six youths on three bikes. The driver of the Tanker Abdul Ali died inside the cabin. Helper Moslemuddin is fighting for his…
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Detention Centres in Assam: The Current ‘Home’ for Nationeless People

Detention Centres in Assam: The Current ‘Home’ for Nationeless People

Written By: Pema Bhadra Guwahati, India Photo Credit: Pema Bhadra A lush green field. Gentle bridge mixed with drizzle. A river flowing in the backdrop washing the feet of the hills. Everything around is so fresh, so green…. Ideal place indeed for a weekend trip. In fact, setting up a resort here won’t be a bad idea. Now, the feel-good factors end up here. Yes, a big complex is being built right there with multiple-storied buildings. But it’s not a resort, it’s a prison. A prison biggest in its class. World’s number two in status. The name we call it…
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Blurry boundaries, abundant homes!

Blurry boundaries, abundant homes!

Written by: Shreya Seth Kolkata, India Film Review: La Patrie- Homeland Country: India-France Director: Anindya Chatterjee Cast: Parambrata Chatterjee, Ani Hovhannisyan In 1972, when President Richard Nixon was seeking re-election in the United States, he was threatened by John Lennon’s growing popularity and influence, especially his stance against the Vietnam war. In March 1973, John Lennon received a deportation order from the administration citing an erstwhile case from 1968, where Lennon was convicted for possessing marijuana in England. A week after the deportation order, John Lennon and Yoko Ono held a press conference announcing the formation of a new conceptual…
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Hong Kong Protest: Fighting for the Future of Democracy

Hong Kong Protest: Fighting for the Future of Democracy

Written by : Dr. Trina Biswas Department of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA October, 2019 Hong Kong - situated on the Pearl River Delta and the South China Sea, is one of the world’s most thriving and cosmopolitan cities and currently home to almost 7.39 million people. Hong Kong was occupied by British for almost 150 years and on July 1st, 1997, the British Government handed over Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China on an agreement that Hong Kong will retain itshigh degree of autonomy for 50 years, until 2047. Under this…
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NRC, Citizenship Amendment Bill: Where did it start?

NRC, Citizenship Amendment Bill: Where did it start?

Written By: Pema Bhadra Guwahati, India Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com, Pema Bhadra They were the first to export Assam’s Eri and Muga silk. Late Radhakrishna Saraswati formed an SHG four generations back near Rangiya, Kamrup District. The special saree for the goddess Kamakhya used to be made by his exceptionally talented weavers and the saree was called ‘Saraswati saree’. The present generation of Saraswati family owns a couple of multistoried buildings and runs an Ayurvedic shop at Panbazar in Guwahati. Rai Bahadur (a title given to influential persons, aristocrats by British Raj) Kali Charan Sen was one of the founders of…
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Amazon Rainforest: Is it only the Fire that we should be concerned about?

Amazon Rainforest: Is it only the Fire that we should be concerned about?

Written By: Dr. Trina Biswas Department of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA Illustration: Suman Choudhury The Amazon River Basin, home to the largest rainforest on earthcovers roughly 40 percent of the South American continent. It encompasses areas in Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.Nearly two-thirds of amazon’s forest cover lies in Brazil. The Amazon rainforest has long been recognized as a warehouse of ecological services for the world. It is home to almost 10% of the world’s biodiversity and 30% of the world’s species. The rainforest is referred to…
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Abu- a personal account with a political bearing

Abu- a personal account with a political bearing

Written by: Shreya Seth Kolkata, India Film Review: Abu Country: Canada-Pakistan Director:Arshad Khan The camera is a beautiful device that succinctly captures and retains all that our restless vision and cramped memories cannot. However, it might seem to be losing its charm in a world that is predominantly obsessed with capturing everyday life, not with the intention to retain or revisit, perhaps to abide to a false sense of self- portrayal and self-validation. Amidst these changes, Arshad Khan's documentary 'Abu' comes as a refreshing take on personal life told primarily through a camera that is not a mere intruder or…
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