Articles by Bindu Gopal Rao

Plasma therapy, also known as ‘convalescent plasma therapy’, is an experimental mode of treatment. It uses the blood plasma donated by patients who have recovered from COVID-19, as their bodies would have developed protective antibodies against the virus, to treat those with the virus. Usually used on patients who are not responding to conventional treatment, plasma therapy is currently helping many COVID-19 patients recover. How antibodies work When one contracts an infection, especially a viral infection, their recovery depends on the production of antibodies to fight the antigen (the virus, which in the current case, is COVID-19). These antibodies are…

Dhananjay, a grape farmer from Chikkaballapur, had 50 tonnes of grapes when the Indian government announced the unprecedented nationwide lockdown on March 24, to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Another farmer Nagesh, had harvested bananas in February. When the lockdown started, he was stuck with 5 tonnes of raw bananas that were beginning to ripen. The mandi where he would sell it in normal circumstances was closed. Dhananjay and Nagesh are among the lucky ones, as this story will reveal. A majority of farmers around Bengaluru and even those who are further away and depend on this city’s markets –…

Cubbon Park was created as a 100-acre park in 1870 by Major General Richard Sankey. It was originally named Meade Park after the acting Commissioner of Mysuru in that year, John Meade. It was later named Cubbon Park, after Sir Mark Cubbon, a more illustrious successor to Meade.  Cubbon Park now covers close to 300 acres, making it the largest park in the city. A favourite with morning walkers and joggers in the heart of Bengaluru, it is in the news for a redevelopment project worth Rs 40 crore. As part of the smart city project, the redevelopment of the…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities With inputs from Raj Machhan, Shuriah Niazi and Sri Krishna In 2012, the Karnataka government set up ten special fast track courts for trying cases of rape and sexual assault under Section 376 of the IPC. In 2015, Karnataka was allotted a whopping amount of Rs 218.72 crore as part of the Government of India's plan to set up 1800 fast track courts (FTC) across the country. The primary intent behind setting up these FTCs was to ensure a speedier sentence and justice for crimes against…

After Nirmala’s mother was hospitalised with suspected dengue, she spent Rs 25,000 over three days to learn that it was only a case of general weakness. It was no small sum for the domestic worker to cough up in three days, not to mention the physical stress and emotional trauma. Nirmala had not even heard of health insurance for workers like herself, let alone have one. And those who do know about health insurance don't necessarily have it. Parvathamma, also a domestic worker, who is about 65 years old, asks: “I need to have a cataract operation. Will you help…