Let us rewind the past week.

Far from being a solution, farm loan waivers pose serious moral, political and economic problems

Never a permanent solution, loan waivers can, on the other hand, create a moral hazard – a situation in which one decides how much risk to take while someone else bears the cost if things go badly. There are already reports of farmers wilfully defaulting on loans in the hope of waivers. Read more here.

Also read: Drought-prone villages in Maharashtra are competing to harvest water for irrigation

A dream becomes a virtual reality in Sooni Taraporevala’s ‘Yeh Ballet’

The film chronicles the lives of Amiruddin Shah and Manish Chauhan, boys from working class families in Mumbai. “I was fascinated that two boys who had never heard western classical music or seen classical ballet... were so good that they got a scholarship to the prestigious Joffrey Ballet in NYC,” said Taraporevala. Read more here.

Middle-class militarisation: Media warriors have turned jingoistic nationalism into an art form

The clothing of the Indian mind – most persistent in the mainstream media – in combat fatigues means every comment on national issues that seeks to move beyond militaristic argument is seen as an affront to national honour and a call to arms. It means we are no longer allowed to think and speak beyond metaphors of war. Read more here.

Also read: Media in the Modi era: How did India’s watchdog press become so docile?

Dalits in this Kerala village are refusing to bury the dead of upper caste Hindus

“They want us to bury their dead, but we remain untouchables for them,” said Senthil Kumar of Ambedkar Colony. The Chakkliya community here says the discrimination has gone on for decades – tea stalls keep two sets of glasses, barbers refuse them hair cuts, and they can draw water only from a single tap at the public tank. Read more here.

Why tourists still look for ‘Gul Gulshan Gulfam’ when they visit the Dal lake in Srinagar

In 1991, as movie halls were shut down in Srinagar, families hunkered down in front of their TV sets to watch a serial based on the city’s hanji (boating) community, Gul Gulshan Gulfam. Today, some viewers still remember its opening song and the houseboats featured in the series continue to be photographed by tourists. Read more here.