City: Mumbai

This is the second story in a multi-part series on the pandemic and its impact on people in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, YUVA, a non-profit organisation, attempts to understand the challenges they face in accessing relief and assesses the rights-based approach to benefits. When the pandemic magnified insecurities of vulnerable populations, youth groups across the city rose in response, spearheading multiple efforts for timely relief, access to information for communities and more.  “In March 2020, as part of the COVID-19 rapid assessment survey by Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA), I visited a family where a woman was feeding…

Kids and pandemic, pandemic and kids. No, I’m NOT looking for a pattern or a palindrome here. Instead, just turning our attention to the silent sufferers in this entire saga, our children. While this is an unprecedented situation for the entire world and the human race in general, I see that it has impacted our young children to a great extent, physically, mentally and emotionally. To start with, they were suddenly asked to stop going to schools and abandon their regular busy-as-hell lives. Unexpected school holidays are always welcome for children, but here there were caveats. They couldn't spend this time…

This is the first story in a multi-part series on the pandemic and its impact on people in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, YUVA, a non-profit organisation, attempts to understand the challenges they face in accessing relief and assesses the rights-based approach to benefits. Savitri Tai is a migrant worker living in the Vashi Naka rehabilitation and resettlement colony. “Our work has stopped, we have no food. The government should either provide us food or let us resume work,” she said. Her vulnerabilities are echoed by almost every informal sector worker, continuing to fight everyday battles not just with the coronavirus…

A few days after the nation-wide Lockdown began on 24 March, 33-year-old Anita Salve, heard a knock on her door.  Authorities from Jana Small Finance Bank arrived in Chembur’s P. L. Lokhande Marg, where Anita lives, demanding that she repay her personal loan of Rs. 40,000.   She called Yogini Pagare to seek advice. Yogini, another resident of the P L mohalla, fields about ten calls a week from women like Salve. She is associated with Nirdhar, a grassroots group that tackles various issues faced by women who live in the slums of Chembur and Govandi. Yogini asked Anita to put…

Yesterday was Janmashtami, a day when residents of Mumbai pour out on the streets to cheer Lord Krishna on his birthday. They dance jubilantly in groups, eat snacks with neighbours and most importantly, compete to break the Dahi Handi. Or the earthen pot filled with curd, young Krishna's favourite. Sadly though, everything mentioned above is impossible to do this year. Crowds are at the top of 'what's prohibited due to COVID-19' list. Let the pandemic not dampen your spirits, we bring you some photos from 2015, which showcase all the fun and joyous celebrations of Dahi Handi. This is what…

2020 has been full of uncertainty. The pandemic and subsequent lockdown have had us struggling to adjust to changes like never before. First it was days, then weeks, then months. Now we are not even sure. There’s a meme doing the rounds on social media these days, about the most widely asked questions right now. Received on Whatsapp Those of us who are working from home and attending virtual meetings will be quite familiar with the last two questions. In fact, so will our children, who have been having virtual school for the last several weeks. Every weekday, we ensure…

Ever since COVID-19 took over our lives, we have all been looking for ways by which we can save ourselves from getting the virus. Face masks and shields, hand hygiene – washing and sanitising, social distancing – avoiding people and staying home. A COVID-19 Viewpoint report by the University of Minnesota (30th April 2020) says, "we must be prepared for at least another 18 to 24 months of significant COVID-19 activity, with hot spots popping up periodically in diverse geographic areas. The report also says that given the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2, 60% to 70% of the population may need to be immune to…

Sultana Shaikh Akbar, 42, was the first to be informed when an elderly woman in her neighbourhood of Agarwal Wadi in Wadala, developed a fever. Sultana coordinated with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to get the patient admitted to a hospital. But soon after, another woman started complaining of breathlessness.   Sultana has had no time to waste the past couple of months. She has juggled caring for and hospitalising patients suspected of having the virus. In addition, she manages door-to-door ration distribution in her neighbourhood. “A lot had to be done,” she says, “some of us had ration cards and…

Both the Western and Eastern coastlines of Mumbai are in for a sea change. While a Rs 14,000 crore Coastal Road Project is being implemented on the Western coastline, different groups are proposing vastly varied ideas for the 21-km Eastern side that stretches from the Bombay Dockyard to Wadala. What Mumbai Port Trust wants to do The Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT), which oversees the planning for the Eastern Waterfront project has decided to commercially develop 25.63% of land, another 23.26% will be used for ecotourism and 10.76 % to rehouse local slum-dwellers. By ecotourism they mean cruises, a marina, promenades,…

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it." - Oprah Winfrey I was desperately trying to lose weight, but I wasn’t doing enough. While we all know that nothing is easy in life, I hadn’t applied it to my desire to get fit again.  About a year ago, I was introduced to running by a friend who is a part of the local Pinkathon group. I wasn't much of an athlete in my younger days, so formal running was new to me. The free training sessions were held just once…