It has been more than a year since the Supreme court released Narayan Chetanram Chaudhary in March 2023. Narayan was convicted along with his co-accused for gruesome murders in Pune and sentenced to death. But after 28 years of jail, the Supreme court released him as per the Juvenile Justice Act after it was proved that he was just 12 years old at the time of offence.

How is he coping with life outside jail? In this podcast, Menaka Rao visited him in his village in Bikaner to understand how Narayan is managing life in society.

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Punjabis are infamous for their obsession with migrating abroad, especially to Canada. There’s a saying among diaspora Punjabis that goes, “Jitthe assi, utthe Punjab,” meaning “We create Punjab wherever we go.” But, in the recent past, a new narrative of ‘Vatan vaapsi’ or ‘Reverse Migration’ has taken hold in Punjabi media. According to podcasts and some news articles, Punjabis are sick of living abroad and are excited to return to their homeland.

In this episode, Kudrat Wadhwa investigates how much truth there is to the claim that Punjabis are returning to India and why people are coming back, if they are.

References:

Is a waning Canadian dream fuelling reverse migration in Punjab?

91% Parents ‘satisfied’ Over Their Wards Moving Abroad, Says Study | Chandigarh News - Times of India

Back to Motherland | Reverse Migration | Part 6 | EP 68 | Punjabi Podcast

Punjabi Students Becoming Homeless In Canada | ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਵਿਚ ਬੇਘਰੇ ਹੋ ਰਹੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਟੂਡੈਂਟਸ

Homless 6 punjabi munde te ik kudi dekho kime reh rhe ne

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Recently, a father and his son died in Visakhapatnam after their pet dog bit them. Reports say that they did not take the anti-rabies vaccine soon enough.

Rabies is one of the oldest zoonotic diseases. People are often bitten by street dogs, who are present in great numbers in both cities, and villages of the country. With around 60 million free-ranging dogs, India arguably has the biggest population of street dogs in the world. Most of these dogs aren’t vaccinated against rabies. Most of the rabies cases are dog-mediated.

The WHO says that low awareness of the need to seek healthcare after dog bites claims the lives of 55000 people each year globally, mostly in Asia and Africa. True burden of rabies in India is not fully known, but as per given information, it causes 18000 to 20,000 deaths each year.

This episode was brilliantly reported by Mahima Jain which got a special mention at One World Media's Podcast and Radio Award in 2022. The podcast takes you through the many factors that complicate rabies control and dog welfare in India.

The episode talks about:

• The link between street dogs and India’s struggles with rabies elimination.
• The kind of treatment that is effective against rabies, and how the Indian healthcare system poses a challenge in providing effective care for those who contract rabies.
• How India ended up with an overpopulation of street dogs
• Potential barriers in implementing the National Action Plan for Rabies Elimination by 2030

References

Man, son die of rabies after pet dog bites them in Visakhapatnam - The Hindu

Rabies as a Public Health Concern in India—A Historical Perspective

Overview of Animal Laws in India

Centers For Disease Control and Prevention: Global Rabies Work

US National Library of Medicine: Striking back against rabies

Burden of illness of dog-mediated rabies in India: A systematic review

Modelling the challenges of managing free-ranging dog populations

WHO Rabies: Rabies

News:

• India sees 1.75 million dog bites every year, yet we face up to 80% shortage of anti-rabies vaccines
• Rabies deaths down by a third in three years in India, but snakebites continue to kill | Health - Hindustan Times
• In the Himalayas, growing population of feral dogs poses threat to wildlife, humans – Firstpost
• Over 300 dogs poisoned to death by Andhra village panchayat, alleges activist
• 5 doses over days, keep rabies away - The Hindu

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