Kavi Shankar's Blogs

  The first half of 2026 has proven to be a deeply troubling period for violence against women and gender minorities in Pakistan. According to the NGO Sahil's Six Months Cruel Numbers Report (January-June 2026), a total of 3,172 cases of gender-based violence were reported across the country between January and June, including 18 cases involving transgender persons. The report was published in Dawn newspaper on July 24, 2026. A Grim Picture in Numbers According to the report, this period saw 644 murders, 514 cases of torture, 462 abductions, 363 suicides, 280 rape cases, 175 cases of physical injury, 32 honour killings, and 21 other crimes, including harassment, gang rape, and pornography. In terms of age, 334 victims were between 21 and 30 years old, 306 victims were between 11 and 20 years old, and 120 victims were between 31 and 40 years old. However, victims' ages were not specified in 71 percent of cases. Sahil has been working since 2024 toward eliminating gender-based vi...

I was listening to the ghazal by Rajinder Krishan, sung by Talat Mahmood in the film Jahan Ara: “Main teri nazar ka saroor hoon, tujhe yaad ho ke na yaad ho...” Lata Mangeshkar has also sung two couplets of the same ghazal. Both interpretations are very beautiful. Madan Mohan’s music and the singing are of course outstanding, but the poetry is truly superb. Poetry is not bound by any limit or restriction. In it, thought soars free like a bird in the sky. Perhaps that is why a poet sometimes raises questions for which even science does not have a complete answer. Look at the final couplet of this ghazal: “Teri zulf hai, mera haath hai, ke tu aaj bhi mere saath hai   Tere dil mein main bhi zaroor hoon, tujhe yaad ho ke na yaad ho.” The lover is not searching for his place in the beloved’s mind; he is searching for it in her heart. This very point forces me to think: how did the heart gain such superiority over the mind in love? According to science, the brain plays the central r...

For years, we've been discussing pollution caused by plastic, smoke, noise, and pesticides. But now another silent threat looms over us, one that appears to extend not just across the Earth but into space itself. The mounting waste from lithium batteries, the insatiable energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, and plans to move servers into Earth's orbit are together laying the foundation for an environmental crisis whose effects could be felt for generations to come. In a country like Pakistan, where environmental protection often remains confined to statements and seminars, taking these issues seriously is an urgent necessity. Lithium Batteries: Tomorrow's Dangerous Waste: Thousands of lithium batteries are sold in Pakistan every single day. With the growing use of solar systems, mobile phones, laptops, and electric vehicles, demand for these batteries continues to rise steadily. In 2024, Pakistan imported an estimated 1.25 GWh of lithium-ion battery p...