Patrick Ward

In the past few months, Nepal has lurched from one problem to another. First came the April earthquake, then the aftershocks and then the fuel crisis. Christmas, hence, was tinged with much sorrow for Nepal's Christian community as they gathered to celebrate in a church made of zinc metal sheeting.

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What strikes me as noticeably different this year is the number of legal enquiries that I've had about divorce around Christmas. In fact I ended up pacifying clients even on Christmas Day, along with wishing them holiday cheer. Picture this: "Merry Christmas and, yes, don't worry I'll send your spouse the legal notice for initiating divorce proceedings." Not a very happy scene, this one.

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HRD Minister Smriti Irani should take bold initiatives to create a better university-based research ecosystem that can produce and retain exceptional researchers. For that, she needs to harness the power of promoting R&D; in universities through multiple channels, which should include the active participation of the corporate world. The example of Korea underscores that focusing more on R&D; intensity could accelerate the economic growth of the country.

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Christmas definitely is not just a Christian festival anymore. As Vikram Doctor puts it perfectly, "When Christians brought Christmas to India, we lost no time in making it a very Indian festival."

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Many reviewers have described A Strangeness in My Mind as a "love letter to the Turkish city", an "elegy" and so on, but, for me, Pamuk's novel is a plea, a prayer, to let the city of your imagination live in you instead of wallowing in a longing for the past. Mevlut's pledge to sell boza (a fermented wheat drink) "until the day the world ends" becomes the source of nostalgia for others who have come to terms with the "mercantile" and "industrialised" way of life.

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Blogging could be that one thing you're really good at. It may also be that cathartic outlet that channels your creative energies in a beautifully structured manner. Perhaps it calms your nerves and helps make you a better person (whatever that means)! But that, I'm afraid, is not good enough to catapult your much cherished blog to the heights you want it to reach.

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Both Prime Ministers are acutely aware that should the negotiations conclude successfully, they would be guaranteed a place in history. In the eyes of the international community and in their respective domestic constituencies, it would be seen as an extraordinary achievement that could transform the region. However, for a successful outcome this time around, negotiating strategies need to be reimagined.

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Devastating terrorist attacks, months of insecurity about the Eurozone, huge electoral victories for populist parties, an unprecedented refugees crisis... there is no doubt that 2015 was Europe's annus horribilis.

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If we in Europe call humanity one of our fundamental values, ​​then we cannot leave the people who are turning to us for help to freeze in the field.

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While all this ruthna and manana is going on, we have slowly become tolerant of issues that should actually bother us. Take healthcare for example. India is a home to 17.5% of the world's population. Unfortunately, we also account for a whopping 20% of all the global burden of disease. In spite of a continuing health crisis, in the 2015-16 budget the government allocated just Rs 33,150 crore -- about 4.2% of GDP -- for healthcare, of which only 1.2% is for public health spending.

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Drug stock-outs, budget cuts and a stalled HIV Bill are posing a threat to the considerable progress that India has made so far in its fight against AIDS.

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It is only with a mental health education programme will we, as a nation, really understand what mental health problems are. Even today, mental health problems in the country are attributed to evil spirits and are treated with exorcisms, complex rituals and prayers. Families disown individuals with mental health problems and patients are not aware of their rights. The stigma is immense, even among mental health workers.

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Modi Sarkar was obsessed with Ease of Doing Business/Exports tumbled, rupee crashed, jobs vanished while His Highness/Mr. Modi, added frequent flier miles, performed at events a la rock-star/Accompanied by crony capitalist friends, rightly called Suit Boot ki Sarkar.

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For those who were intrigued by all the controversy before the release of Bajirao Mastani, spare yourself the trouble of dusting off the history books or feverishly hitting the web search box. More than being a slice of history, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's latest film is essentially a celebration of love, a tale that portrays the conflict of human emotion against the backdrop of war, patriarchy and existing socio-religious norms which do not relent even in the face of an all-conquering warrior.

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The return of Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker to the Star Wars universe after an absence of 32 years is a grand event in itself. Add to this the re-emergence of the Millennium Falcon and Solo's close confidante Chewbacca along with C-3PO and R2D2, and we have another great Stars Wars adventure in the making. Alas, The Force Awakens flatters to deceive the millions of Star Wars fans the world over.

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With the Mahabharata, the epic war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, replete with narratives of strife and conflict as its essential background, the Bhagavad Gita's message to humanity in regard to the problem of hatred and intolerance in human society at large is quite relevant.