The blanket of haze that shrouds most big cities in India has grown denser as air quality continues to dip. Last winter was no different with pollution levels soaring way above permissible limits and posing major risks to public health.      A recent analysis of winter pollution during 2024-25 by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) highlights alarming pollution trends in India's megacities, with Delhi leading with the worst air quality. Even megacities outside the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) have seen escalating air quality challenges, despite relatively favourable climatic conditions.  One significant trend across cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai,…

What started as a cool activity in the 1970s—a group of college students going on night walks to protect freshly laid turtle eggs—has, half a century later, evolved into a crucial conservation movement. The Students' Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN) now plays a key role in the conservation of the Olive Ridley turtles along the Chennai coast. Their awareness efforts have been so impactful that these night walks are flooded with people of all ages, particularly children and young adults. From collecting freshly laid eggs and relocating them to hatcheries to releasing hatchlings back into the sea after 45 days, SSTCN volunteers…