City: Mumbai

When presented with the factual inevitability of the climate crises, youth across circumstances struggle to cope, join the climate justice movement, and ultimately, create an impact. These struggles are not limited to young adults aged 18 to 30—as most constituencies describe youth—but also children and adolescents. Children and adolescents are often amongst the most affected, due to factors such as dependence and other vulnerabilities, and their rights and such are just as often central to climate discourse. Everyone talks about the next generation and preserving the earth well for our children. Whether children are actually a part of these conversations…

Sunstroke deaths in Kharghar at Maharashtra government event At least 14 people died on Sunday from sunstroke during the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony held in Kharghar, which is located in the Raigad district neighbouring Mumbai. The event was organised by the Maharashtra government, and the chief guest was Home Minister Amit Shah. The cause of death has been confirmed by health officials after port-morterm. It was also found that two of the deceased also suffered from co-morbidities. The award ceremony was held in an open ground and attended by several lakh people, most of them followers of spiritual leader Appasaheb…

It is a Sunday morning in December and I am at the entrance of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), a protected forest located within the limits of Mumbai city. There are long queues of families who have turned up to enjoy the cool winter morning, stretching way beyond the entry gate of the park. While I wait for Dinesh Barap — who belongs to the Warli tribe, indigenous to the forest — I can hear people, restless with excitement, talking about the journey ahead as they move forward in the queues to deposit the entry fee for exploring the park…

Trupti and Pravin travelled from Nagpur to Mumbai a day before April 14th. Having not visited Chaityabhoomi for five years, Trupti wanted to pay her respects at the place Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar was cremated before it became crowded with devotees from across the country the next day. It was his 132nd birth anniversary the next day. "We've travelled all day to get here. Please let us in," Trupti pleaded with the security guard of the sanctum sanctorum, who had closed the gate for visitors at around 10:30 pm. Twice a year, on April 14th and December 6th, which marks the…

Potholes on roads are a menace for every Mumbaikar – car drivers, bikers and pedestrians. Every year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) claims to fill hundreds of potholes during monsoons, yet they seem to crop up the following season and continue to be a safety hazard. In addition to slowing down traffic, the poor quality of roads is also responsible for several accidents and even deaths. Last monsoon, two deaths were reported within two weeks due to accidents caused by potholes. These daunting numbers call for immediate attention. To address the issue, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra recently re-invited bids…

Fishy investigation in IIT suicide case: Father says caste issue sidelined, raises question on authenticity of note found Ramesh Solanki, father of Darshan Solanki, an IIT Bombay student who died by suicide in February, wrote a letter to the special investigation team (SIT) expressing his concern that the police may have overlooked the possibility of "caste discrimination" playing a role in his son's death. He also questioned the findings of handwriting experts which concluded that the "suicide note" found at the scene was written by his son. The father has also expressed concerns regarding the SIT investigation, which implicated another…

Mumbai was once known for local tournaments of games such as Wrestling, Kabaddi and Kho kho, which required minimal infrastructure and were popular among city's youth. They provided opportunities for the players to succeed at state, national level as well. Lack of open spaces has many repercussions. Particularly worrying is shrinkage of spaces that are dedicated for playing - playing any sports such as Football, Cricket, Hockey, Kho kho. Playgrounds help the younger generations stay fit, active, build team spirit and channelise their boundless energy positively. Organisations and people have dedicated themselves to save the green cover, preserve mangroves and…

Be it Fashion Street, Linking Road, Colaba Causeway or the buzzing Khau Gallis offering a variety of delicacies in various localities, Mumbai is known by its lively street markets run by hawkers. They have a distinct character that attracts shoppers from Mumbai and outside, and have even become a tourist attraction.  The book shops on pavements around Flora Fountain, which were an enduring source of knowledge, now invoke nostalgic memories for generations of book lovers. Similarly, Chor Bazaar is a source of art installations and furniture for art connoisseurs and collectors. Several useful services from typists to affidavit papers to…

Prepare to sweat. Temperatures in Mumbai are expected to see a steady incline, by two to three degrees Celcius, in the coming days. “There is a slight probability that the maximum temperature over Mumbai will be above normal,” says Sushma Nair, a scientist at the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). “But it will most likely oscillate around normal.” Although the temperature is unlikely to break 40 degrees Celcius in April, the increasing humidity will add to summer's discomfort. “The past few days had temperatures between normal to slightly below normal, because the winds were mainly westerly to northwesterly,” says Sushma. Humidity…

Max fatalities in fire accidents due to electrocution, common cause of fire in Mumbai are human errors Data shared by Prabhat Rahangdale, former chief fire officer in Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) and deputy municipal commissioner, disaster management, revealed that nearly 73% of human fatalities during fire incidents were caused due to electrocution after electrical circuit failures. Read more: Appapada fire: Did authorities do enough to support affected families? The data states MFB receives between 6000 and 7000 emergency calls in a year, of which nearly 90% were calls made for fire related complaints. Furthermore, Rahangdale also told The Indian Express…