Articles by Mari Marcel Thekaekara

This is something that even middle class Indians have no clue about, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara reports some good news from India.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara reflects on how Bangalore mutated from charming town to the city that never sleeps.

The surprise visitor suggests a prelude to a mammoth problem, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara is unimpressed by latest pharmaceutical developments.

We pretend that people are not condemned to the caste system, Mari Marcel Thekaekara writes.

The new scheme lacks understanding and will continue to marginalize the most vulnerable, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

And from the most unexpected sources, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

There’s a reign of terror in many parts of India, Mari Marcel Thekaekara writes.

History shows that militarism disproportionately impacts the poor. For the politicians it’s a game, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Being born among this caste often means discrimination from the very moment of birth, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

It’s heartening to read about an altruistic movement with no hidden motives except to feed the hungry, homeless and needy, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

One always hopes for the best, Mari Marcel Thekaekara writes looking toward 2016.

2015 has had its share of bad news. But there is reason for optimism, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

If we want to save the planet, we need to look to indigenous culture, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara remembers a much-loved friend and mentor who died last week.

As debate continues in Paris, Indians are dying in the latest floods, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

New forms of solidarity with India’s poor have emerged, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

A new film may have dangerous consequences for small hunters, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

There are few rays of hope amidst the doom and gloom, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Another day, another Dalit death. We must hang our heads in shame, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

A climate of fear is building in India as anti-Muslim sentiment leads to murder. Mari Marcel Thekaekara reports.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara welcomes the news – but wonders when India will follow suit.

A recent, shocking case underlines the dangers of diplomatic immunity, argues Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara explains how a karate girl surprises sexual predators.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara finds a ray of sunshine in an email from a friend.

An encounter with an elderly Tamil man far from home in Malaysia puts Mari Marcel Thekaekara in a pensive mood.

During a week of bad news, Mari Marcel Thekaekara looks to women who inspire her.

Stories of altruism and protest are reasons for hope, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Apologists for pornography abuse the ‘fight for freedom’, argues Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara shines a spotlight on the underreported problem of child labour.

It’s an almost funny story, if it didn’t have a twist in the tale, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Why is India undermining its reputation by providing shoddy drugs to Indians? asks Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

An angry Mari Marcel Thekaekara reports on yet more police incompetence and one very brave 17-year-old girl.

Longed-for rain has a sting in its tail as climate-change impacts wreak havoc on India’s farming communities, reports Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Nestlé’s noodles are under scrutiny. About time, thinks Mari Marcel Thekaekara. 

High-fat, salty and sugary snacks and drinks no longer make the grade, reports Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

A journalist friend in Singapore gets Mari Marcel Thekaekara thinking about her own political reactions.

An anti-tobacco campaign has had some encouraging results, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

The Nepal earthquake has devastated an already-poor nation. What next? asks Mari Marcel Thekaekara.  

Mari Marcel Thekaekara is delighted that the Afghan First Lady is being listened to.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara is full of admiration for the brave Sri Lankan writer.

Enough excuses, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara. Violent porn must be banned.

The once-common bird is suffering in modern-day India, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara. But efforts to save them are underway.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara takes a pop at the pompous know-it-alls and arrogant allopathic shamans.

An unrepentant rapist’s words horrify Mari Marcel Thekaekara and her compatriots.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara is cheered by a confluence of ideas.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara’s faith in Indian voters is restored by the surprising landslide victory.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara is in pensive mood as she looks back on a turbulent 2014.

An Indian recycling scheme gives Mari Marcel Thekaekara hope.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara looks at moral policing and ‘immoral’ activities.

In search of societal change, Mari Marcel Thekaekara visits a Rotary Club to talk taboos.

Men don’t approve, but women do – and for good reason, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

A landmark judgment brings hope for child protection in India, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara. But behind it lies a horror story.

We need better laws to protect both sides in the rent-a-womb industry, argues Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

A first grandchild and a new book on ‘feminism and men’ gives Mari Marcel Thekaekera a positive boost.

Her gut response to one girl’s stand against an attacker makes Mari Marcel Thekaekara question her nonviolent principles.

Every generation responds differently to the crises and issues they face, reflects Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

But not everyone is willing to rock the boat in the fight against polygamy, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Once a flight attendant, now an activist-writer, Mari Marcel Thekaekara reflects on feminist tactics.

Is indigenous culture doomed? No way, say Tamil Nadu’s adivasi kids. Mari Marcel Thekaekara reports.

Mari Marcel Thekaekera blames caste prejudice for a lack of outrage in India.

Will a convicted British paedophile escape trial in Goa? Mari Marcel Thakaekara on a case that is infuriating local people.

A marriage ceremony that breaks conventions gives Mari Marcel Thekaekara hope in the aftermath of India’s elections.

But to save the kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls we need action, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

A botched execution in the US gets Mari Marcel Thekaekara thinking about the clamour for capital punishment in India today. 

From the morally bankrupt to the cleanest candidates ever – who will the country choose? Mari Marcel Thekaekara reports.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara is concerned about attempts to dismantle secular India.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara talks to the intrepid cyclists who took part in Go MAD.

No, not Valentine’s; Mari Marcel Thekaekara is much more interested in the One Billion Rising for women’s rights.

Mari Marcel Thekaekera on why niche marketing of a dinky revolver might not be the answer to sexual violence against women in India.

The tainted Narendra Modi is tipped to become India’s next President. But Mari Marcel Thekaekara hopes that Arvind Kejriwal’s anti-corruption movement might win the day.

Wild animals are tamed for a variety of purposes. But what happens when they no longer serve that purpose? asks Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

US politicians who order strikes in Pakistan are adding to terror, not fighting against it, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara argues that we can all improve our wellbeing through traditional medicine and by slowing down.

The recent EU vote gives hope that the human rights of Dalit groups will no longer be ignored, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara deplores government-sanctioned attitudes towards indigenous peoples.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara argues that life is more valuable than the political statements made by the ultimate form of protest.

Nina Davuluri is deemed too dark to be beautiful in India. Mari Marcel Thekaekara explores the irony. 

A new bill in India aimed at protecting manual cleaners of human excrement needs to translate into political action, argues Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Irish MP lambasts politicians ‘prostituting’ themselves for a pat on the head from the US president. Mari Marcel Thekaekara writes.

A handful of cases attract international attention yet crimes against Dalit women go unreported, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

The tragedy of corporate success is that there is no room to slow down, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara. 

Indian soldiers are paying the price for border clashes with Pakistan, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Neither monsoon nor gender can put a dampener on surprise birth, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara has an unlikely experience at an ayurvedic ashram in Kerala.

Links between pornography and some despicable crimes are clear, argues Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara supports a new Survival International campaign to change India’s opinion of tribal people.

As a supposed bastion of democracy, the US should support those who expose the truth, writes Mari Marcel Thekeakara.

As a young student is injured for wearing the ‘wrong’ clothes, Mari Marcel Thekeakara says that women will fight on against violence.

Conditions imposed by the IMF and World Bank increase inequality and show little regard for marginalized people, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara thinks we could all learn from the people at a British mosque who met the English Defence League with a cup of tea.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara’s home is on the edge of a wildlife sanctuary, which is a pleasure and a pain, as she explains.

As Mother’s Day approaches in India, Mari Marcel Thekaekara reflects on how motherhood has changed along with the online communication boom.

Angered by the avoidable tragic factory collapse at Rana Plaza, Bangladesh, Mari Marcel Thekaekara looks at how we’ve regressed on employment.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara congratulates the country’s Dalit community on finally winning legal protection against discrimination.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara reflects on the devastating deaths of innocent people in terror attacks and unjust wars.

The death of Margaret Thatcher gives Mari Marcel Thekaekara pause for thought.

It is refreshing to hear a piece of good news that will impact on people living in poverty across the globe, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

The people of Bangalore need to be active in finding local solutions to preserve a vital resource, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

While minority rights are eroded, Pakistan enjoys impunity as a ‘strategic ally’ of the US, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara on the potential of prohibition in India where women have burnt down liquor shops over alcoholism’s devastation.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara says the horsemeat scandal in Britain and a dogmeat experience closer to home has made her consider meat differently.

As part of the global movement to raise awareness of violence against women, Mari Marcel Thekaekara reports on a colourful scene in Gujarat.

Contact with a former mentor has triggered memories for Mari Marcel Thekaekara, decades on from her journalism training in Kolkata.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara on the plight of a community made homeless by a slum clearance: the latest casualties in the battle for property.

The death of the internet activist is a loss to all those fighting for freedom says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

India is at a crossroads after a young woman’s brutal murder shook the world. Mari Marcel Thekaekara hopes for positive change.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara calls for better policing after the recent attack on a young woman in Delhi.

Despite the successes of campaigns like One Billion Rising, we can’t forget that sexism still rages, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Activists are hoping a 10,000-kilometre pilgrimage will help bring total eradication of ‘manual scavenging’ writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara is heartened by a new campaign in South Asia.

The diversity and cultural richness of India’s indigenous groups leaves Mari Marcel Thekaekara stunned after attending a Tribal Cultural Festival.

Corruption and bad governance seem to be getting worse says Mari Marcel Thekaekara. Time to revive hope in democracy. 

Mari Marcel Thekaekara is heartened by some good news – but there’s a long way to go.

More young women in India need to engage in the fight against violence and sexual assault, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara – whatever their class.

Now let’s have market dignity and justice…Mari Marcel Thekaekara feels a surge of fresh hope for Fair Trade.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara contemplates the importance of forgiveness in healing relationships before it’s too late.

It’s India’s fastest-growing crime, yet is often ignored, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

In her latest post from India, Mari Marcel Thekaekara explains how a group of local indigenous children gained pride in their ancestry.

The world’s conflicts require journalists to be unbiased and incorruptible. Time to rise to the challenge, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

British Indians need to be among those bringing the people responsible for the 2002 carnage to justice says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

As Olympic fever fades, Mari Marcel Thekaekara celebrates a less ruthless approach to play seen in India’s indigenous communities.

The Sikh community at the centre of the latest US shooting have much to teach us about togetherness says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

After a brutal mob strip and attack a woman, it’s time the country got serious against such violence, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara argues for better monitoring of care homes after a recent scandal in India.

India’s leading film star Aamir Khan is shining a light on tough social issues and the country is taking notice, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara is horrified by the latest addition to the global skin-lightening fetish as women are encouraged to bleach down below.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara laments the remorseless rejection of traditional ways as India rushes towards its brave new future.

One man’s drive to teach dalit children chess is putting pride back into a community, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara learns a lot about her own back yard when her adivasi friends come to visit.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara is enchanted by the adivasi communities deep in the heart of Tamil Nadu.

An ‘anti-untouchability’ video project is raising awareness of the crimes against dalits which blight Indian society, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

In some Indian communities a girl’s first period is treated with great fanfare, in others it is a carefully kept secret, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara is appalled by the tactics used by a website to raise money for poor Indian children. But do the ends justify the means?

Mari Marcel Thekaekara on her experience of the world’s crazy weather.

After an exposé reveals the true thoughts of Indian police officers about rape victims, Mari Marcel Thekaekara says attitudes must change.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara visits an organization fighting for children’s rights in Delhi and hears some distressing stories.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara reacts to recent developments in the story of the Indian children taken away from their parents by social services in Norway.

A bike ride through the heart of India to raise money for indigenous children captured the imagination of everyone involved, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Ten years after the violence that led to hundreds of deaths in the Indian state of Gujarat, deep divisions still remain, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

A new herbicide linked to a slew of health defects is causing extreme worry for environmentalists in the US, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Two young men returned to India to try. But for many millions, this is reality, not a short-term challenge, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

So why aren’t Indians up in arms about it? Time to name and shame, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

India’s plans to buy up land in Africa are shameful, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Two young Indian children have been taken into care in Norway because their mother fed them with her fingers. Mari Marcel Thekaekara is appalled.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara gives us her kaleidoscopic thoughts on multiculturalism within an ever-changing India.

India is allowing direct foreign investment, and the supermarkets are sharpening their knives, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara on how Bangaloreans, fed up with soaring vegetable prices, are growing their own organic food.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara on the recent conference for ‘Just Change’, a cooperative of poor producers, consumers and ethical investors.

Wild stories fly around about chicken farming but the reality remains less than wholesome, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Police infiltrating activist groups? They should be watching the bankers, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

With the wealth gap widening, Mari Marcel Thekaekara on a plan to link ethical investors with producers and consumers all over the world.

It is time for a change from rampant capitalism and the current protests in the US could be a starting point, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara, on how Narender Modi could be a prime ministerial contender for the 2014 elections in India.

India’s patenting laws mean it produces many drugs cheaply for developing countries. But corporate greed is putting this in jeopardy, argues Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Female foeticide in many parts of Asia reflects the grim position of women, argues Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

A visit to an ayurvedic doctor convinces Mari Marcel Thekaekara that we need to balance the way we live.

Mari Thekaekara wonders whether an undemocratic activist should be blackmailing the Indian government.

In the wake of the riots, Indian writer and activist Mari Marcel Thekaekara on both the stark differences and worrying similarities to the situation on the subcontinent.

Give poor people cash, not free or subsidized food, argue certain economists. The poor insist that food makes more sense, reports Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

‘These terrorists are cowards and the worst enemies of their own people.’ Why do innocent people have to pay with their lives for the sins of evil politicians, asks Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara salutes Indian Supreme Court’s verdict that arming civilians to take on supposed Naxals – leftwing extremists according to the government – is unconstitutional. 

Whatever the ouctome, the rape case against former IMF boss Dominique Strauss Kahn has opened up debates about predatory males the world over, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara reflects on the contradictions of what feminism is to her and what it isn’t.

Mourning the loss of her beloved Aunty, Mari Marcel Thekaekara reflects on artful manners that seem to be disappearing with the older generation. 

Prejudice against inter-state and foreign migrants is on the rise, writes Mari Marcel Thekaekara.

Big boys who work hard must play hard, too? Ask the women! 

We’ve ‘moved on’ to a brave new world in which, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara, you have to swim with the tide… or sink. Instead of moving forward, we seem to be regressing.

We tend to treat our government as a joke and our democracy as a farce, says Mari Marcel Thekaekara of India. But often, the electorate stuns the intelligentsia.

After the death of Osama Bin Laden, Mari Marcel Thekaekara reflects on the killing of thousands of innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, and wonders what that has to do with justice or morality.

South Asia’s giant, from the Country Profile series in our New Internationalist magazine.

Spring is in the air. Mari Marcel Thekaekara reflects on work cycles, days off work, and those who don’t own their souls anymore.

‘History is replete with the horrors of war, torture and barbaric brutality. Our only hope lies in our heroes, sung and unsung.’

Mari Marcel Thekaekara reports from two states in India where girls have disappeared.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara says that a few centuries from now, if civilization as we know it still exists, history will judge us harshly. Will we ever learn?

For the women of India, it’s a matter of life and death. Quite literally.What to do? An action plan has been proposed.

A very personal narrative on vulnerability, crime, human rights, and numerous reality.

Marginally speaking: How women of Kalol fight for their rights - and win.

Alcoholism is a very real problem in India. While liquor industries are counting their phenomenal profits, many many people are suffering. 

Our new blogger Mari Marcel Thekaekara, based in India, considers stories that never hit the headlines. Read her first post here.

Victory for the hill tribes of India in a David and Goliath battle.

Children of safai karmacharis (people engaged in sanitation work) in Gujarat are being forced by teachers to clean toilets and mop floors in school. Mari Marcel Thekaekara listens to their stories.

Gathering wild honey is an age-old tradition in South India. Mari Marcel Thekaekara and her husband Stan see how it’s done.

Although Gandhi is a household name all over the world, Babasaheb Ambedkar, architect of the Indian Constitution and the first person to fight effectively for the rights of dalits (aka ‘untouchables’)

Mari Marcel Thekaekara reflects on the state of the Indian nation in middle age.

Unbelievably, people still exist whose task in life is shovelling shit, as Mari Marcel Thekaekara explains.

The arrest of a doctor who works with poor communities in central India, on trumped-up charges of associating with ‘terrorist’ Naxalites, has sparked worldwide protest. Mari Marcel Thekaekara appeals for support.

How the East India Company Shaped the Modern Multinational

An alien consumer culture is blitzing Indian women. Mari Marcel Thekaekara takes its measure.

It could have been their finest hour. But Mari Marcel Thekaekara encountered bad behaviour by bingos after the tsunami in Tamil Nadu.

An interview with KR Narayanan, India’s only Dalit President.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara on the enduring evils of an ancient system of oppression and the struggles for dignity.

There’s caste and there’s class. And in some places the two intertwine. Mari Marcel Thekaekara writes from India, where the struggle for Dalit rights is gathering strength.

The Little Earth Book by James Bruges

From Gudalur to Gloucester, some unusual alliances are being forged, reports Mari Marcel Thekaekara.