Many regular readers of GoodNewsIndia [GNI] have wondered why this site has not been updated since 2006. The simple answer is this: the one-man team, that is me, D V Sridharan that publishes GNI is busy with a land restoration project christened, pointReturn . It will need my undivided time and attention at least till 2010; that leaves me with little time or energy to travel and do stories for GNI as I have done since 2000. So work on the site is temporarily suspended.
That is the reason. But there is a connecting story behind how I came to undertake pointReturn. In case you are interested, do pull up a chair and listen. It's a long one, and I must caution, somewhat opinionated. ⇒⇒
Jul 24, 2006
On July 21, 6 year old Prince fell into a borewell in Haryana and became a darling that the whole of India took to its heart. The well is 60 feet deep but it was luckily dry. Little Prince stoically bore his ordeal feeding on biscuits that were lowered.
By the time he was rescued by the Army after a 50 hour operation, he had the whole nation praying for him. Channels covered his rescue live. Politicians arrived on the scene. Finally, a bewildered Prince emerged to the thunderous applause of a vast throng. His parents are poor labourers and it was refreshing to see them getting the consideration that the rich mostly enjoy in India. BBC Report
Random picks:
Unfussy couple Savitri Kannan and his wife Kamalam turn their home every evening into a learn and play centre for 150 poor children in Chennai
May 12, 2004:EnergyIndia has entered into an agreement with Russia and some exploratory work has begun.
Jan 13, 2004:Memory SpeaksThe bride-to-be was put through a ‘fool-proof’ test: get her to roast a papad.
Feb 15, 2004:Ideas For IndiaWater-wars and resentment against migratory labour are beginning to rear their heads.
Sep 15, 2005:NewsclipCMS study has showed which products of reforms have worked: information technology and legislation, smaller-sized states and true competition.
“We wouldn’t return home till we had done the rounds of at least 20-30 homes”
Jun 01, 2004:UpdateThe new compact biogas system is just as large as a household refrigerator
Dec 02, 2003:InnovationThis brew has been tried out on carrots, tomatoes, organic cotton and - Bt cotton.
Dec 23, 2004:SciencesAn abject apology to Dr Herbert Kroemer, a Nobel Laureate
Aug 23, 2003:TrendEducation is a fair and equal mainstream for all those that arrive at it
Feb 25, 2003:UpdateMany of the stumbling blocks he has faced may have been overcome by a smart MBA
Jan 15, 2003:EconomyIndian manufacturing efficiency is on a roll
Nov 03, 2002:ReformsIn 60 police stations in Hyderabad lock-up rooms will cease functioning and be turned to rest rooms for policemen.
May 13, 2006:Ideas For IndiaHere are some promising paths that lead away from fossil fuel dependance, towards a sustainable energy future
Mar 31, 2004:ElsewhereAnd by the nineties, grapes worth Rs 500 crores were being harvested in Maharashtra
Feb 09, 2004:ActivismVery few Indian commentators have bothered to question Transparency International’s techniques
Nov 09, 2003:UpdateShelter Associates believe that planning for the poor must have the poor as the largest participant in plan design, implementation and management.
Dec 19, 2002:EconomyIndigo will compete with models from the likes of Ford, GM and Hyundai
Apr 03, 2003:TrendAn Indian maybe unlettered and poor but she is not dumb
Oct 19, 2005:SciencesAn Indian scientist explains why the feared pandemic killing a hundred million will not come about. Is it scare mongering then, by commercial interests pushing drugs?
Jan 02, 2004:Memory SpeaksThe whole family gathered around it
Jun 15, 2005:Ideas For IndiaAll it requires is some subtle management of a fully integrated, zero-waste system
Dec 10, 2002:Economy‘Just wing it’ is not part of the Indian culture
Aug 08, 2003:EnergyThe poor heard it straight from Prof Shrinivasa and that is enough good news.
Dec 12, 2002:NewsclipLanguage is not the barrier - it is the challenge to create a PC that will
Apr 14, 2003:TrendThe flair and versatility of the modern, urban Indian woman is widely known. Her rural cousin is no laggard either
Jul 05, 2004:Ideas For IndiaAn ox driven desalination plant is capable of producing 600 to 700 litres of potable water per hour
Nov 12, 2002:ResourcesGSPC’s designated field of 1850 sq.km needs shallower drilling
Nov 19, 2002:EnergyThe implication of this move is enormous for India
Feb 15, 2003:ActivismIf you believe in the power of the mind, this should work.
Aug 22, 2005:EnergyPongamia can be a wasteland tree, its oil is not edible, its care requires no chemical fertilisers or much water, it does not call for repeated planting and harvest like rape or soya do and the enriched land under its canopy can be used to raise edible crops.
Jul 15, 2003:ActivismThe Kali Bachao Andolan (Movement to Save the Kali) has been formed by Parisara Samrakshana Kendra of Uttara Kannada
Feb 03, 2003:EconomyUnaccounted money that used to flee India may be returning to India
Jul 05, 2003:NewsclipBhardwaj slugged it out and endeared himself to the Australians that met him and “he was a fantastic Ambassador to your country”
Oct 29, 2005:ActivismDebi Goenka stood up to frustrate the conspiracy of profiteers to grab hundreds of acres earmarked for parks and other public spaces.
Nov 09, 2002:TrendIndia’s knowledge services to the world is broader than you think. Most imagine it to be just software
Mar 06, 2006:EnergyLarge scale jatropha farms may be wrong solutions. Biodiesel producing algae may be a better option.
Mar 04, 2004:ResourcesIt takes 60 years to replace a 60 foot tree but only 60 days to replace a 60 foot bamboo
May 08, 2004:GovernanceIndia has taken the first tentative step towards a full-fledged law to protect whistleblowers.
Apr 05, 2004:ElsewhereIt is the transcript of plain words spoken by a no-nonsense, hands-on man given to ‘doing it’ rather than talking about it.