KumKum Dasgupta is with the opinion section of Hindustan Times. She writes on education, environment, gender, urbanisation and civil society.
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Articles by KumKum Dasgupta
Lax authorities have not passed the acid test
Five months ago, Laxmi, a 22-year-old acid attack victim from Delhi, sat inside the Supreme Court, feverishly hoping that the Bench would rule favourably on her PIL that demanded stringent guidelines on the sale of acid, KumKum Dasgupta writes.
Updated on Dec 05, 2013 12:13 AM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
Not at home in their homeland
India needs a single legislation specifying the rights and entitlements of conflict-induced displaced people, writes KumKum Dasgupta.
Updated on Nov 10, 2013 08:27 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
'3 generations of my family were bonded labourers'
Twenty-five years ago, the Supreme Court of India released 4,000 bonded labourers who lived and worked in five blocks of Raipur district. Gopal Sidar, a resident of Sukhri, a predominantly tribal village, in the Baloda Bazar district of Chhattisgarh, is one of them.
Updated on Nov 09, 2013 04:24 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, Chhattisgarh
Dislocated and devoid of voting rights, Chhattisgarh tribals caught in crossfire
The Maoist-hit region of Chhattisgarh goes to polls on Nov 11. But thousands of tribals caught in the crossfire between Maoists and security forces will not exercise their franchise as they have migrated to other states, fearing for their lives.
Updated on Nov 08, 2013 08:40 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, Chintur, Khammam (andhra Pradesh)
National Highway 30: hardly a lifeline
National Highway 30 has necome notorious for a variety of reasons — the Darbha Valley attack that wiped out almost the top Congress leadership in the state and the Tadmetla incident in which 76 CRPF jawans were killed. Kumkum Dasgupta reports.
Updated on Nov 06, 2013 09:46 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, Dornapal/erabore
Poll-bound Chhattisgarh covered in security blanket
After Maoists called for a poll boycott in parts of the state, it has been under heavy CRPF security blanket so that voting can happen on November 11 without any hitch. Despite the confidence-building efforts, villagers are divided over whether this will mean better voter turnout.
Updated on Nov 04, 2013 09:53 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, Tukanar (bastar)
BJP falls back on veteran with sound track record
Santosh Bafna, the BJP’s Jagdalpur candidate and the sitting MLA, is leaving no stone unturned to ensure a victory in the assembly elections.
Updated on Oct 30, 2013 09:40 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh
Rahul Gandhi’s pick in Bastar hopes to cash in on humble roots
Personally handpicked by Gandhi in 2008, Samu Kashyap, a neo-Christian, is Congress' candidate for the Jagdalpur seat. Selected over several senior Congress leaders, the 35-year-old is aware that his humble background is also his USP.
Updated on Nov 08, 2013 07:31 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh
I hope BJP doesn't strike deal with Maoists: Digvijaya
HT catches up with the Congress general secretary on a flight to Raipur. He speaks on travelling, books and his party's chances in Chhattisgarh.
Updated on Oct 25, 2013 11:10 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, Raipur
Failing to plan is planning to fail
The root of the word ‘disaster’ comes from the Greek prefix for bad, ‘dus’, and the term for star (aster). Literally, it means bad-star. But the world has come a long way from blaming stars for such events.
Updated on Sep 16, 2013 11:22 AM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
Young and fit? Just 22.5% youth exercise daily
According to the HT-MaRS Youth Survey 2013, 46% youth in India log onto the networking sites daily. Getting a job, keeping in touch, idea exchanges – life doesn’t move in Young India without the Internet. KumKum Dasgupta writes.
Updated on Aug 09, 2013 05:13 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, New Delhi
Till death, she just kept asking why: acid attack victim Preeti Rathi's mother
Preeti Rathi got an appointment letter from the ministry of defence on March 28. A month-and-a-half later, on June 1, she was dead. The family's hope for a better life was left corroded by a fatal acid attack on their daughter. Her mother talks to KumKum Dasgupta.
Updated on Sep 08, 2016 05:49 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
Build — and collapse
The monsoon alone cannot be blamed for the Uttarakhand disaster, writes KumKum Dasgupta.
Updated on Jun 19, 2013 11:36 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
No doublespeak
AT Williams won the 2013 Orwell Prize in London this week. HT reports on the prize that recognises the best political writing. By Kumkum Dasgupta.
Updated on May 17, 2013 10:05 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
Making sense of science
To develop a 'scientific temper', bridge the gap between the public and scientists. KumKum Dasgupta writes.
Updated on Jan 13, 2013 10:17 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
A consensual oligarchy of academics
The New Delhi-based institution, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), which was established by the famous political scientist Rajni Kothari in 1963, continues to be at the forefront of political and social debates in India, not a small accomplishment in a country where institutions often fall victim to politics and narrow agendas, KumKum Dasgupta writes.
Updated on Dec 19, 2012 11:25 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, New Delhi
Spoon-feeding Melghat
The resource-rich area has an ugly side story: every year, malnutrition kills 400-500 children here. Creative solutions hold the key to its recovery, writes KumKum Dasgupta.
Updated on Nov 01, 2012 02:21 AM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta.
Making an effort towards a more civil society
Come October 11, India’s civil society will have one more reason to cheer: Civil Society, a New Delhi-based magazine, will honour five individuals for their efforts to make India a inclusive nation.
Updated on Oct 07, 2012 01:11 AM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, New Delhi
‘The number of Indian grantees might rise’
European Research Council secretary general Donald B Dingwell talks about the organisation and what it has in store for Indian researchers
Updated on Sep 11, 2012 03:17 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, New Delhi
An idea whose time has come?
A vehicle breaks down in the middle of a busy road and there's a traffic gridlock within minutes. Building smart cities is a technilicious idea. But some questions need to be asked. KumKum Dasgupta writes.
Updated on Sep 10, 2012 06:35 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
Faster, higher, stronger
Instead of a total ban on doping, should safe performance enhancers be allowed? Kumkum Dasgupta writes
Updated on Aug 16, 2012 11:37 AM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
With or without him
Watching Bono rattle and hum live was a dream come true. Almost. KumKum Dasgupta writes.
Updated on Aug 02, 2012 11:42 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
Oh boy, what a shame!
It’s about time the government declares female foeticide a national emergency
Updated on Jun 27, 2012 11:14 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
Movers and makers
Where the State has failed, many Indians have come up with novel solutions. The government should help scale up their models, writes KumKum Dasgupta.
Updated on Jun 11, 2012 02:13 AM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
The mothering effect
Rambai is a voluntary health worker in Chhattisgarh, a successful social mobiliser and a role model for women’s empowerment. KumKum Dasgupta reports. Barefoot warriors | Soch badlo
Updated on Apr 16, 2012 08:24 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, Korea, Chhattisgarh
Many drops made this an ocean
The story of a polio-free India is also that of a massive public health initiative that worked, writes KumKum Dasgupta.
Updated on Mar 14, 2012 10:41 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
Best foot forward
For the children of a Delhi basti, Sylvester Peter is their football coach, counsellor, mentor — and the man who saved them from the seedy life of the slum. KumKum Dasgupta reports.
Updated on Jun 03, 2012 08:30 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, New Delhi
Secret of the Nagas
The two books cover the whole range of Naga history: their relations with British officers and missionaries, the rise of Naga nationalism and insurgency, the people and natural resources, and their worldview.
Updated on Feb 25, 2012 06:50 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
Now to sell the idea
Sustainability is a political project that politicians need to make happen. KumKum Dasgupta writes.
Updated on Feb 15, 2012 11:22 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta
A crime of calculation
Fifty percent of young Indians think corruption is a necessary evil, KumKum Dasgupta reports. Read More
Updated on Aug 03, 2013 04:43 PM IST
Hindustan Times | KumKum Dasgupta, New Delhi