Angelus Novus Paul Klee’s Angelus Novus, created in 1920, is a small artwork with a very life. The image, now in the collection of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, became widely known mostly because of the German philosopher Walter Benjamin, who bought it in 1921 and later interpreted it as the “angel of history.” The angel in the image appears startled, fragile, and suspended. Its eyes are wide open, its wings are wide raised, and its body seems caught between movement and st

Authors: Owen Gow, Bushra Afreen, Lenio Myrivili, Mihir R. Bhatt and Khayal Trivedi On the 19th formation day of the National Disaster Management Authority in India, HOISA presented its fourth panel discussion on observing heatwaves differently within South Asia. In continuation with previous panels that looked at the challenges concerning adaptation, mitigation and future of heatwaves, this edition focussed on the planning for extreme heats, and what lessons and recommendati

Contributions from: Prabodh Chakrabarti, Pradnya Paithankar, Achyut Luitel, Barkat Ullah Maruf, Mihir R. Bhatt and Khayal Trivedi South Asia is one of the most diverse and densely populated regions in the world with one fourth of the world’s population in merely one fifteenth of the geographical area. Having witnessed some of the worst humanitarian crises - from famines to wars, migration, child mortality, poverty, hunger, and disasters such as floods, earthquakes etc, it has

Authors: Alistair Hobday, Moira Reddick, Vineet Kumar, Anup Karanth, Mihir Bhatt and Khayal Trivedi Marking the commemoration of the devastating Odisha Cyclone of 1999, HOISA conducted a panel discussion that invited presentations on marine heat waves and their impact on cyclones, the integration of science into decision-making and early-warning systems, changes in disaster risk reduction and response, and the importance of regional exchange of best practices and gender-sensi

Authors: Dr. M.V. Ramana Murthy, Flora Bawi Nei Mawi, Sourav Kumar Biswas and Khayal Trivedi According to a 2020 report by the UN, more than 7000 extreme events have been identified since 2000 resulting in a sharp increase in floods and droughts globally. With the accelerating climate change, warmer weather, and frequent marine heatwaves, our coasts are particularly at a greater risk of facing frequent flooding, soil erosion, and loss of agriculture and natural defense system

Author: Dr. Ajit Tyagi, Dr. Nabansu Chattopadhyay, Dr. Mazharul Aziz, Dr. Aruni Abeysekera, Mr. Rameshwar Rimal, Ms. Han Swe, Dr. Someshwar Das, Mihir R. Bhatt, Dr. L.S. Rathore, and Khayal Trivedi Introduction As South Asia faces intensifying climate variability, the importance of Early Warning Systems (EWS) for anticipatory action in agriculture has never been greater. Agriculture remains the backbone of South Asia’s economy and food security, employing a large portion of

Authors: Dr. Ajit Tyagi, Dr. Someshwar Das, Dr. M. Mohapatra, Prof. Dileep Mavalankar, Dr. Naresh Kumar, Dr. Dharam Raj Uprety Early warnings work best when we all listen locally and act globally. South Asia teaches us that technology saves lives only when it speaks the language of affected communities, suggested the panel members on March 23, 2025, at a discussion Marking the World Meteorological Day. Early warning systems are becoming crucial in effectively mitigating cli

Author: Lien Vandamme, Hyeonggeun Ji, Moumita Das Gupta, Mihir Bhatt, Khayal Trivedi The March 12, 2025, HOISA panel members proposed for COP30 that Human rights offer the moral and legal foundation for climate justice as well as humanitarian justice. Without rights-based remedies, every disaster response risks becoming another cycle of neglect rather than a path to just recovery. For a decade now, international institutions and human rights law, along with the many develo

Authors: Authors: Anisa Abeytia, Shanyal Uqaili, Mihir Bhatt and Khayal Trivedi Published at ISS Bliss: https://issblog.nl/2024/11/07/ai-and-emerging-tech-for-humanitarian-action-opportunities-and-challenges/ In this blog, members of the Humanitarian Observatory Initiative South Asia (HOISA) including Anisa Abeytia, Shanyal Uqaili, Mihir Bhatt and Khayal Trivedi consider the applications of AI and other emerging technologies for humanitarian action. With UNHCR and other orga

Authors: Kunal Satyarthi, Krishna AchutaRao, Maryam Zachariah, Mihir Bhatt and Khayal Trivedi Future is not known. But some futures are far more unknown than others. Perhaps future of heatwaves in South Asia is one such futures. We know the future will see more frequent, more heated, and longer duration heatwaves in South Asia (world over) we do not know at what rate this acceleration will take place, and how many more ways this acceleration will impact life and livelihoods i

Authors: Dr Ajit Tyagi, Dr. Niladri Gupta, Akash Goenka, Mihir Bhatt Heatwaves are turning out to be a major hazard for taking sound, sustained, and substantial adaptation and mitigation measures in South Asia. This is odd, because most science-driven and related observations lead to upcoming catastrophic loss and damage to human life, ecosystems, and economic sectors in South Asia. HOISA’s second panel (Click here) brought together key experts from the region to collectively

Author: Dr. Dorothea Hilhorst, Prabodh Chakrabarti, Keya Saha Chaudhary, Nimesh Dhungana, Delu Lusambya, Mihir Bhatt and Khayal Trivedi At the turn of the summer, HOISA’s inaugural brought together different actors to collectively observe and discuss Heat Waves in South Asia. HOISA is the Humanitarian Observatory in South Asia and is a joint initiative of the All-India Mitigation Institute (AIDMI), the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University Rott