Revival

In October 2005, as part of my consultancy's portfolio (although I wasn't thinking so strategically), I set up a weekly digest that I would curate, compile and post every Sunday, called Subcontinent South. It was a one-person exercise for about two years, sustained with religious dedication. The weekly web-page became too onerous and I switched to this blog, and around that time, 2007-ish, an intern joined me in doing this work, Gokul Chandrashekhar. Gokul and I kept the blog going till 2009 when I finally threw in the towel, writing this brief post.  

This is how I described it: 

Attention to South Asia remains largely attention to its large states; India and Pakistan's troubled relationship garners the maximum attention. Subcontinent South is an initiative of Chaitanya-The Policy Consultancy intended to draw attention to news, developments and trends in the southern part of the South Asian subcontinent, which we define as including Sri Lanka, Maldives and India's southern states and island territories.

Started in October 2005, Subcontinent South is not intended to be a comprehensive news resource; instead, we will identify a short list of stories in the course of the week that we consider to be of significance from the point of governance, security and gender. Past issues were prepared in a weekly web-page format and are archived here (link now defunct).

Subcontinent South, a cottage industry operation, quietly turned into a resource that many valued greatly. People wrote in with information; I know there were times when it was the only resource on a crisis and I would later meet people who regretted that I had shut it down. 

I never shut down the blog and I could not have explained why. The hope that I could revive this resource and the anxiety that I will not have the energy to sustain it have battled within. But today, the desire to do this wins by arriving at a very expedient framework: "Same subject area, but I will curate or comment as it suits me." 

In the almost-nine years between my last post and this one, while news media focus on the south has changed with the emergence of south-focused portals and programming, this niche area--security, governance and gender--still merits thoughtful attention. 

I posted a link to this wonderful Himal Southasian map of the region on the first edition of Subcontinent South, and I would like to re-post it here as a way of reminding ourselves of how perspective matters. Himal has had to shut down in recent times, but I will hope, like hundreds of its other fans, that it will be back sooner rather than later.