Sapan News Network

*Friday read* Remembering three Southasian luminaries – Bapsi Sidhwa, Shyam Benegal, and Dr. Manmohan Singh — whose contributions were shaped by the challenges of navigating postcolonial Southasia, a region marked by the scars of Partition, cultural transformation, and economic change.

Paying homage to his dream country in a recently published book, Indian journalist Ullekh N.P. takes readers on a historical, cultural and political journey of Cuba, peppered with research, articles, movies, songs, writings, history, political commentary and anecdotes from the archipelago.

A Pakistan-origin human rights attorney shares five harsh truths behind the fires raging in Southern California, and why he is providing pro bono support to help the victims. It’s time to demand a radical shift in how we approach climate, labour, water, and corporate accountability, or nothing will be left to save.

The film offers glimpses of Sri Lankan society that show that their experiences are similar to those of many other countries. As a Bangladeshi by birth, living in the U.S., I see that the film also offers us a chance to learn lessons that could be useful not just to other Southasian countries but also to other nations. 

The recent disbanding of Facebook and Instagram’s third-party fact-checking programme has raised fears about the kind of news and information that will shape public discourse. Whatever facts or non-facts get pushed out, it is up to us, citizens who are news producers and consumers through our social media apps, to be the change. The Social and Digital Media Ethics Code and Pledge, an initiative by Sapan News, is a step in this direction.

It is unbearable to even imagine being forced to leave your hometown or risk being slaughtered simply because you belong to a different religion. But I did not find any bitterness in Bani Singh’s eyes for Lahore or my country, Pakistan. What I saw was grief and pain impossible to express in words.

Winner of the prestigious Wolfson History Prize, this book soars above run-of-the-mill histories with the author’s unconventional approach. She uses her family heritage – Bengali father and British mother – interweaving accounts of her childhood with lucid analysis to make deep political points, including about nationalism’s double-edged nature. A review with excerpts from her radio interview with the writer.

It takes a long time to get rid of dictators. In Syria, it finally happened – the end of authoritarian rule after a popular uprising fuelled by 13 years of oppression. We saw similar patterns elsewhere in the Arab world earlier and in some Southasian countries. What lessons can be learned?

The influence of colonial-era laws is clear in the contemporary Southasian legal landscape — laws that are still largely used to oppress the common people. In Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, some colonial laws and their oppressive acts have been changed, only to be replaced in some instances with more oppressive ones.

Cross-Cultural Inspiration at Its Best! How did Boston’s iconic Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum inspire The Glassworker, Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animated feature film? This extraordinary journey of two young Pakistani artists, Usman Riaz and Mariam Paracha, weaves art, storytelling, and the universal message of peace. Learn how they turned admiration into cinematic magic. Let this story spark your creativity and bridge cultural divides! 🌍 📰 Story by Pragyan Srivastava #Animation #CulturalHeritage #TheGlassworker #SapanNews