Articles by Shruti Gokarn

Every morning, Samidha Dhumatkar travels from her home in Mumbai’s western suburbs to Churchgate, where she works as a telephone operator at a university campus. Her journey involves taking a rickshaw, boarding a train, and walking to her workplace, similar to thousands of other Mumbaikars who commute daily. However, as a person with a visual disability, Samidha’s commute is fraught with threats to her safety. In their book, Why Loiter? Women and Risk on Mumbai Streets, writers Shilpa Phadke, Sameera Khan, and Shilpa Ranade, argue that spaces are not neutral. Moreover, they are not designed equally. “Across geography and time,…

After nearly four years of delay, Mumbai is finally set to hold its municipal elections on January 15. The last elected council completed its term in 2022, and in the absence of fresh polls, the city’s civic body was placed under an administrator for the first time in forty years. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), established in 1888, is the governing authority responsible for delivering essential civic services — from water supply, sanitation, and solid waste management to public health, infrastructure, roads, and education. With a staggering budget of ₹74,427 crore for 2025–26, it is the wealthiest municipal body in…

Children and adults pedalling to school, work and play — this was a common sight on Pune's streets not so long ago. Once known for its vibrant cycling culture, the city still has many groups and communities that promote non-motorised transport. However, with the rise of motorised vehicles, cycling has not only taken a back seat, but has also become unsafe and inconvenient due to poor infrastructure. This is despite Pune having dedicated cycle tracks and lanes. The decline in cycling infrastructure is reiterated by a recent audit, which found that only 11% of cycle tracks in Pune fell in…

On a Friday mid-morning in Bhim Nagar, a hillside settlement in Mumbai's Ghatkopar, a small community room is abuzz with activity. Families stream in, some with children in tow, all carrying sacks filled with dry waste. Volunteers weigh the waste and make a note of the quantity. This bustling scene is part of a waste segregation initiative that Green Communities Foundation (GCF), a non-profit organisation working in sustainable waste management, is running in partnership with the community.   The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is responsible for providing solid waste management services in Bhim Nagar, an informal settlement. However, there are major…

Even as the Mumbai skyline changes with redeveloped buildings of vertiginous heights, towers of another kind loom large over the city's two dumping grounds. The Deonar landfill, in use since 1927, holds a mountain of garbage 40 metres high. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to shut it down by cleaning it up through bioremediation, leaving Kanjurmarg as the city's sole dumping ground. According to BMC’s Environment Status Report (ESR) 2024-25, 86% of Mumbai's daily waste, around 6,300 metric tonnes, goes to Kanjurmarg. However, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report flags discrepancies: while the BMC records 6,514 tonnes of…

Thirteen-year-old Rohan (name changed), a little shy and very happy, envelops his mother in a spontaneous bear hug as three of his teachers and therapists compliment and tease him playfully. We are at Rohan’s house in one of the bylanes of a bustling informal settlement in Dharavi. His mother, Mayadevi Jagannathan, cradling a two-year-old daughter, beams proudly as she says that now Rohan even helps her by keeping an eye on his younger siblings. This is significant for Mayadevi and Rohan’s therapists. Born with intellectual disabilities, he has come a long way, from not attending school as a child to now…

Anagha Satam's* son was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at the age of six and a half, following a suggestion from his private writing tutor to get him evaluated. But Anagha's initial attempts to share the results with her son's school were dismissed. Though the school authorities eventually acknowledged her concerns, Anagha found that the special educators there lacked the right approach and were focused on the child reaching a certain rank in class. “He has ADHD,” she says, “and the special educator's job is to help him manage his symptoms and to teach him that it is…

“I have chosen to do this work,” says Anita Rokade, a domestic worker living in Badlapur, outside Mumbai. Anita, who lost her husband years ago, has to earn to provide for her children. But giving time to her children is her priority. Domestic work offers her the flexibility to attend parent-teacher meetings, drop her children off at school, and rush home in case of an emergency. While she does not mind the demanding physical labour that comes with her job, she is clear that domestic workers need laws for their protection and well-being. This January, the Supreme Court, while hearing…

Waking up to the sound of waves crashing against the shore and enjoying a panoramic view of the sea from your high-rise balcony. It's the kind of lifestyle promoted by real estate brochures, luring home buyers with properties steps away from the beach. But what about the impact of indiscriminate development along the coastline? Coastal areas are delicate ecosystems that bear the brunt of unchecked urban expansion. This development often comes at the cost of mangroves, sand dunes and delicate marine habitats. Recognising this looming threat, the Government of India introduced the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) guidelines. These are specifically…

Several Marathi poets have captured the beauty of the month of Shravan: the gentle, short spells of silken raindrops, playing hide-and-seek with the sun, and etching rainbows in the sky. After one and a half to two months of dark skies and consistent rainfall in Mumbai, Shravan, when it starts around August, is seen as a time for Mumbaikars to enjoy the rains, as the monsoon wanes in intensity towards the end of the season. At least, that used to be the case.Over the past couple of years, however, rains have started to visit Mumbai at the beginning of June. Then it…