Features and Essays by Mridu Khullar

India Could Be Next Big Destination for Gay Tourists (May 31, 2010)
A year after the Delhi high court decriminalized same-sex intercourse, businesses are recognizing a lucractive market

Plastic Roads Offer Greener Way to Travel in India (November 14, 2009)
Entrepreneurs develop technique for using waste plastic in road paving

In India, Banking on the "Morning After" Pill (May 26, 2010)
Urban women in India are using emergency contraceptives as their primary means of birth control

Report on the Trashing of a Mosque Prompts Fury in India (Nov 24, 2009)
India has waited 17 years for the findings of a commission into the riots that began at Ayodhya

India's 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots: Waiting for Justice (Oct 28, 2009)
As the 25th anniversary of the deadly anti-Sikh riots draws near in India, many are still waiting for justice to be served

India's Floods Reveal Climate Change Specter (Oct 10, 2009)
Volatile new weather patterns are wreaking havoc with India's supply of food and drinking water

Bindeshwar Pathak - Heroes of the Environment (Sep 17, 2009)
This designer's low-cost toilet has improved sanitation for millions 

Embrace - Community Service 2009 (September 9, 2009)
Help for the millions of low-birth-weight babies 

One Night in Mumbai (September 9, 2009)
Let three wise locals tell you how to spend it properly

Tweeting the World's Longest Poem (August 21, 2009)
The Mahabharata, is being written again — one 140-character tweet at a time

In India, the NRI Groom Goes Out of Style (August 17, 2009)
Why the NRI groom has become the latest casualty of the economic downturn

One Night in San Francisco (December 29, 2008)
Savvy locals tell you how to spend it stylishly

One Night in Accra (April 7, 2008)
Locals tell you how to stay cool in Ghana's equatorial capital

A plane crash, a fake passport and a slew of questions (July 3, 2010)
Passport fraud case is tip of iceberg for forged documents in India

Scientology takes hold in India (June 8, 2010)
A controversial religion has gripped India with its business principles and self-help routine

One Man's Trash (January 19, 2010)
About one percent of Delhi residents scrape by as trash pickers. Now, privatization threatens to leave them worse off

In India, C-sections are in the stars (Oct 31, 2009)
When's that baby due? The astrologer knows

Unfettered by regulation, India pulls ahead on stem cell treatments (October 9, 2009)
A controversial New Delhi clinic deploys advanced therapies that are unavailable in the U.S. 

Romancing India (October 2010)
The romance giant hits Indian shores with indigenous characters. It's the start of a new love story

A Bitter Pill (August 2010)
While the pill has brought sexual freedom and choices to the Wet, its acceptance in India has been dismal.

This Time It's Female (June 2010)
In the last five years, an overwhelming number of women are questioning the epics and the female role in them.

Profile: Aliya Das Gupta, Equestrian (May 2010)
Determination and courage define these young women, who are passionate about changing the perception of sport in India

Profile: Krushnaa Patil, Mountaineer (May 2010)
Determination and courage define these young women, who are passionate about changing the perception of sport in India

That Night in Bhopal (December 2009)
On 3rd December, 1984, a deadly gas killed thousands in the world's worst industrial disaster

The New Power List: Tahir Sultan (November 2009)
Fashion Designer

The New Power List: Shrivan Narresh (November 2009)
Swimwear designers

The Widows of the '84 Riots (October 2009)
Widows of the anti-Sikh riots live in a small corner of Delhi

Panties and Principles (August 2009)
Who is really doing the moral policing in modern India?

The Turning Point (August 2009)
Six writers share their stories of turning points in their lives

Discovering Ghana (September 2008)
One Indian woman's solo foray into Africa

Pride Meets Prejudice (August 2008)
Homosexuals get together for India's first gay pride parade

What Are Your Dreams Telling You? (May 2008)
Dreams are often open to interpretation

Western Nuns, Eastern Philosophies (April 2008)
Shaved head + red robe + no sex = enlightenment?

The World on Wheels (October 2007)
One woman travels across 15 countries. . . on her bicycle

Performing in the Dark (July 2007)
Getting into character is therapy for blind theatre performers

Fairer Sex, Fairer Deal (February 2007)
Women-only ventures around India that empower and inspire

Living in Exile (October 2006)
In Dharamsala, Tibetans have found refuge and new beginnings

Out of the Shadows (August 2006)
Single. Indian. Woman. Please parents or retain free spirit?

Sea Strands: One Year Later (January 2006)
One year after the South Asian tsunami, what's changed?

Bad loan? India firm sends in the women (May 26, 2010)
One loan recovery agency is using a powerful new technique: sending soft-spoken women to collect

In the Race to the Commonwealth Games, Delhi's Wastepickers Are Left Behind
The city is cleaning up, but the cleaners are out of work

"Fat Activists" Seek Law Banning Weight Discrimination
Activists say a law would prevent growing discrimination

Expression: A Newspaper in India Gives Women a Voice
This woman-only newspaper has changed an entire community.

Blind Street Workers in India Find Solace in the Arts
A blind theatre troupe in Calcutta gives artists hope

In Slumdog Millionaire, Memories of a Bygone Era
Maybe the Brits can pull a Bollywood, after all

India's Garment Industry Steps Up Efforts to Hire People with Disabilities
People with disabilities are among the most excluded in India

In India, English-Language TV Stations Face Criticism and Ire for Their Coverage of Mumbai Attacks
Grave errors were made in reporting 26/11

Dignity: Women in Mumbai Avoid Harassment on the 'Ladies Special' Commuter Train
The Mumbai local trains are the city's biggest embarassment

The Rise of Medical Tourism: Scores of Americans Head to Foreign Shores for Healthcare
Americans who can't afford healthcare head to India

Indian Couples Seek Security in Modern Marriages 
Pre-marital counseling is catching on in urban India

Tibetans Find Power in Words
Tibetans are using English and Mandarin to spread their message


GOOD
Legalizing Homosexuality in India: What it Means (July 23, 2009)
Activist and lawyer Arvind Narrain weighs in on homosexuality.

Taxi For Her (May 18, 2009)
A new radio taxi service exclusively for women

Where Lesbians "Don't Exist" (Spring 2010)
Law in India declares male homosexuality illegal, yet fails to mention gay women.

Have They Forgotten the Kama Sutra? (Fall 2008)
These days, sex is a dirty word in India

Surviving on Scrap (September/October 2009)
Delhi's wastepickers recover recyclable material from the city's trash containers and landfills. The municipal government's efforts to privatize waste collection threaten their livelihood—and their survival. 

Why Western Women Become Eastern Nuns (January/February 2009)
What drives women to give up jobs, leave friends and family, and take monastic vows in a faraway land?

Going Boldly Into That Good Night (September/October 2008)
The Ga tribe in Ghana say goodbye to their deceased in style




In India, Parents of Brides-to-Be Hire Sleuths (August 20, 2007)
Screening future husbands with the help of a private eye

Marriage Bureau Specializes in India's HIV Widows (June 11, 2007)
Women who've lost social status get help finding partners

The Treasure of Trash (February, 2010)
In the race to the Commonwealth Games, Delhi's trashpickers are being left behind

Dreams of a Safer Delhi (December, 2009)
Will Delhi government give the city's women their due

Reality of the Facade (October 1-15, 2009)
When virginity is just a layer of skin

We Don't Need No Men (August 16-31, 2009)
Indian women are traveling on their own and happily so

Why the Prodigals Return (June 16-30, 2009)
For Indians in the US, India is now the new America



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