Book Review: Unwithering Flames Series

Publisher: Green Palm Publications
Volumes: 10 (and counting)

Introduction

Unwithering Flames is a compelling series published by Green Palm Publications, an Iranian publisher dedicated to translating and preserving valuable Persian works. The series consists of ten books (with more expected), each chronicling the love stories of Iranian martyrs and their wives, set against the backdrop of war and revolution. These memoirs are deeply moving, offering readers an intimate look into the pe...

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Ladakh Receives Rs 4,692.15 Crore for 2025-26

The Union Government on Saturday proposed an allocation of Rs 4,692.15 crore for the Union Territory of Ladakh for the financial year 2025-26.

According to budget documents. the Union Finance Ministry has proposed Rs 2,450 crore as revenue expenditure for the newly created Union Territory, and Rs 2,242.15 crore as capital expenditure

The Hidden Toll of Beauty Obsession: How ‘Beauty Sickness’ Holds Women Back

Most of us must not have heard of the word beauty sickness, but if you are a woman, there’s a good chance you have felt beauty sickness. If you have thought about staying home instead of attending an important event because you didn’t think you looked good enough, that was beauty sickness.

Beauty sickness is what happens when a woman’s emotional energy gets so bound up with what she sees in the mirror that it becomes harder for her to see other aspects of her life due to the constant urge...

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Mamani food festival, border tourism and divided families at Hunderman

The ethnic food festival of the Kargil district has emerged as a major event, broadening its scope for the preservation and promotion of local culture and tradition while creating livelihoods for the locals. I developed this observation when I had the opportunity to attend the Mamani Food Festival in the border village of Hunderman.

The program, organized by the Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation (HCHF), aimed to promote the village for tourism. It featured a speech by its founder, Dr...

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Official language – Editorial

The language dilemma once again sparked a heated discourse among different factions in Ladakh. A proposal was put forward suggesting that English, Hindi, Urdu, and Bhoti be made the official languages of Ladakh. Meanwhile, various linguistic groups in the region engaged in intense debates, presenting different suggestions for the official language.

A faction in Leh has proposed making “Bhoti” the official language of Ladakh, arguing that it is spoken by the majority of the region’s popula...

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139 More Government Schools in Ladakh at Risk of Shutting Down

The education for the poor section will become so expensive in Ladakh that many will succumb to the system, and the number of left-out students may increase. Neither am I a conspiracy theorist, nor am I a soothsayer. But empirical evidence about the government in Ladakh is not a good sign for society. UDISE data 2023-24 reports that Ladakh has identified 35 zero-enrollment schools, 21 schools with teachers that have zero enrollments, and 83 schools with single teachers. Consolidating all the...

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Book Review: Imperial Games in Tibet by Dilip Sinha

Dilip Sinha, a former Indian diplomat, wrote Imperial Games in Tibet: The Struggle for Statehood and Sovereignty. This outstanding scholarly study, which is founded on a great deal of archival research, provides a concise overview of how Tibet, a country that was conquered by a powerful neighbour and abandoned by the international community, became involved in the imperial intrigues that were taking place in the high Himalayas. Even India, Tibet’s long-time ally, failed the Tibetans when the...

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The Z-Morh Tunnel – A Gateway to Sonamarg’s Year-Round Accessibility

The upcoming inauguration of the Z-Morh Tunnel on January 13 marks a monumental achievement in the region’s infrastructure development, poised to transform the accessibility and economic landscape of Sonamarg. The tunnel, a strategic infrastructure project, will provide year-round connectivity to the scenic tourist destination, which has long been hindered by the seasonal challenges of road access due to heavy snowfall and harsh weather conditions.

Sonamarg, often referred to as the “...

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The Downfall of Assad: Possible Implications

The Middle East looks engulfed in a never-ending war fury. The two main factors responsible are its geostrategic location and diversified sectarian plurality. Though it appears that the region is going to lose its relevance in geopolitics on account of phasing out of fossil fuels and attention of world powers shifting towards Indo-Pacific region but it’s power of connecting and regulating East and West is going to wade unlikely. The region will continue to be chaotic until the emergence of g...

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A real conversation about things nobody tells you about college life

By: Tsering Gaphel and Padma Angmo

Dear readers,

If you are reading this, chances are the topic sparked your curiosity, and you are wondering what it is all about. Don’t worry—you are not alone. We would have also chosen to read this article if we were still in college. We were just as lost and confused as you are now when we first joined our colleges. But here is the secret we learned through our own experience with college life: nobody knows what they are doing.

Sure, some student...

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