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Author Archives: Pankaj Adhikari

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Can India afford bullet train?

The government’s ambitious project, bullet train, has kicked up a row. At a time when a majority of Indian population lives below the poverty line and deaths by malnutrition is plenty; when farmers commit suicide in alarming numbers; when the national literacy rate has not yet reached 100 per cent and when the country is plagued by innumerable problems—the dearth of food and safe drinking water, unavailability of basic education for children and appalling health care system, how can ordinary citizens be expected to avail bullet train services? It’s far from feasible.

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Do world leaders bother about climate change?

Climate summit comes and goes, but can we protect the world from the devastating impact of climate change?
Those who observed the hustle and bustle of world leaders in Paris summit may have missed the minutiae of deals which were hammered out late into the night.
Despite the leaders’ bravados and platitudes, what mattered most in the summit are the countries’ interests. I mean the geo-political interests of the governments.

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Can terror be tamed with guns?

Following the Paris attacks that claimed 129 lives on 13 November, President Hollande thundered: “France will launch new air strikes on the IS strongholds in Syria…”
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump said the Paris attacks would have been different if people had guns. How ridiculous!
Can terror be tamed with guns?

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Durga Puja and Bengalis’ decadence

Fragrance of shiuli, silvery white kaash phool swaying gently against an azure sky herald the festive season for the Bengalis. The poet’s heart leaps up in joy–eshehchey sharot himer posrosh… There’s happiness in the air. People heave a sigh of relief following an uninterrupted and unbearable spell of sticky, sultry and humid summer.
Bengalis yearn for this time of the year amid all angst and misery. Forgetting all woes and pains they remain immersed in this time of festivity and fun.

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The charm of Chungking Mansions

It’s Saturday evening. The area is chock-a-bloc with tourists and backpackers, shoppers and casual visitors. The tide of traffic at Tsim Tsa Tsui runs thick and fast. But in the hustle and bustle of the weekend crowd, one can hardly miss an essential character of the place—its vitality and vibrancy.
Welcome to Chungking Mansions at 32-44 Nathan Road in Hong Kong.

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53 Martin Place, Sydney

Destination: 53 Martin Place, Sydney.
The address has become a well-known location now after a radical Muslim named Man Haron Monis held hostage 10 customers and eight employees of Lindt Café in the morning rush hour on 15 December 2014. The 16-hour siege ended after the gunman was killed. The incident also claimed two innocent lives.

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A whale of a time in Sydney

If you’re visiting Sydney in winter make sure you join a whale-watching cruise that departs from Circular Quay, Sydney Harbor. The whale-watching season along New South Wales’s east coast starts from May and continues till November.
Our flight from Alice Spring (Northern Territory, central Australia) landed at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith airport around 6 in the evening. With dazzling light and sparkling billboards, Sydney looked incredible at night.

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Pankaj Adhikari’s Blogs

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