Dr Sanjeevani Rajwade (60) from Mumbai's Vile Parle fractured her foot this rainy season after stepping into a hidden pothole. She walks to her clinic daily, a 10-minute commute from home. “I’ve tried all kinds of footwear to avoid falling,” she says, “but with broken footpaths and uneven roads, nothing really works. Every day, just walking safely to my clinic is a struggle.” Earlier this month, Siddesh Narvekar (31) had his leg trapped in a 10-centimetre-wide drainage hole near Jogeshwari Metro station. The fire brigade took nearly four hours to free him using chipping hammers and cutters, working cautiously as…

Amidst the green hues of the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens in Bengaluru, conversations on mental health are getting a new shade. On one Saturday morning each month, beneath the majestic trees, people from different backgrounds gather to interact with mental health professionals. The discussions span a wide variety of themes such as emotional well-being, suicide prevention, digital overuse and much more, creating an open forum where dialogue replaces one-way information. This initiative, called Community Connect, envisioned by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), converts a public park into a space for shared learning and support. The Mental Health…