Policy

British Museum funds research on Kashmir’s last houseboat makers and the vanishing craft

For The Hindu (Sunday Magazine) Published on 2 May 2026 As Kashmir’s houseboat craft fades after decades of a ban on new constructions, the British Museum backs a project by a Pune team to capture its last remaining artisans Ceremony of the hull of the boat being pushed into the water at Nigeen lake, November 2024. Photo credit: Anto Gloren and Sayali Athale. When you take into account that houseboat construction in Kashmir has been stopped for decades, the Delhi Development

Azera Rahman

May 154 min read

A grassland’s comeback is now a conservation blueprint

For Mongabay India Blackbuck in Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan. Image: Umesh Bagotia. Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan was once a degraded grassland with its blackbuck population having to be fed food and water by the forest department. Restoration efforts in the grasslands, led by Surat Singh Poonia, now retired from the forest department, included the removal of invasive species and contour bunding for water management. In recent times, not only are

Azera Rahman

Mar 247 min read

Concerted efforts save an Indigenous donkey from oblivion

For Mongabay India Ranabhai Bharwad is a pastoralist who rears Halari donkey. Image courtesy of Centre for Pastoralism, Sahjeevan. Once pushed towards irrelevance by mechanised transport and falling demand, Gujarat’s Halari donkey saw its numbers dropping until its late registration as a distinct breed in 2015. Sustained efforts through surveys and advocacy have since brought the breed official recognition and a gradual recovery. Linking Halari donkeys to the emerging donkey

Azera Rahman

Mar 245 min read

Why India needs to improve elderly care access

For IndiaSpend India is greying fast; the support system is yet to catch up India is ageing fast. The population aged 60 and above in the country is projected to more than double from 100 million in 2011 to 230 million in 2036. By last year, the elderly made up 11% of the country’s population; with improvements in life expectancy and falling fertility, there will be more elderly than children in India by 2050, as we reported in March 2024. Is India prepared to cater to the

Azera Rahman

Mar 225 min read