COVID-19

The current coronavirus pandemic in India has brought the issue of mental health to the fore. According to a 2020 paper, Covid-19 has fuelled ‘infodemia’ and has created ‘coronaphobia’, which results in anxiety, fear, depression, increased substance-dependence, and PTSD. Yet another research paper points out that there are a rising number of patients with COVID-19 who have been reported with mild (anosmia and ageusia) to severe (encephalopathy) neurological manifestations too. Some of the most vulnerable categories include older people, health care providers, caregivers, and psychiatric patients who need special attention. According to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences…

A survey conducted by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palik in November last year said there were 4,246 homeless people in the city. As many as 3,380 of them are males, 857 females and nine sexual minorities. They live in and around the city railway station, bus station, footpaths and empty plots. Civil society organisations had proposed then that the BBMP set up 77 shelters for the homeless, including separate ones for women. While these are the official figures, the number of shelterless is clearly far higher. The current availability of working shelters, 10 by official claim, is nowhere near the…

 “The concept of a second home, especially within a radius of 20 to 40 kms from the city has really picked up post-COVID,” said Monil Parikh, Real Estate Expert, Parikh Infracon Pvt Ltd and former chair of Young Indians--Confederation of India Industries (CII). “People realise that an isolated, self-sufficient farm house where they can go and relax and their families can stay safe is a good investment. The demand for such homes, from areas around Shilaj to Racharda, has increased by around 40 per cent.”  Of course, not everyone can afford this, but Ahmedabad has plenty of people with the resources…

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), like other places across the world, was forced to hit pause in late-March 2020 with the onset of COVID-19, putting a complete halt to life as it was. The lockdown caught people off-guard, with no food or income to fall back on for millions of the region’s poorest. With governmental support kicking in only weeks later and still leaving many people outside its ambit, uncertainty was high.  Looking back at those weeks, what stands out is how the city came together to support its own. While the pandemic unleashed a massive humanitarian crisis, it also…

When 2020 started, we wouldn’t have imagined that schools would shut down, playing outdoors would be unsafe, regular income will be affected, and that staying at home would become the only way to stay safe.  Personally, I  haven’t been able to venture out for plogging -- something that I have enjoyed doing for close to three years now. Running-plus-picking-waste has been an effective way of keeping the environment clean and creating awareness. COVID made me and my team, The Indian Ploggers Army, realise that even if we’re not able to plog, there are other things we can do. The gaps…

On September 8 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India released an SOP for partial reopening of schools from September 21st and for students of classes 9 to 12 on a voluntary basis to clarify doubts and take guidance from their teachers, in keeping with the government’s phase-wise unlocking activities. This has facilitated partial reopening of schools in several cities in India starting this week, though parents remain uncertain and concerned, and schools are also mulling over how to get back to the regular regimen in view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation. Schools grappling with multiple…

 “The bulk of our business is being conducted through WhatsApp as we can only allow a limited number of people in the store,” says Ankit Katariya, a wholesale saree dealer whose store, Katariya Tradelink, is located in Bhavani Peth, one of Pune’s COVID-19 hotspots. Currently, Pune has the highest number of positive cases and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has put in place restrictions in the city’s old, congested neighbourhoods. These neighbourhoods -- – Bhavani Peth, Budhwar Peth, Ganesh Peth, Raviwar Peth and Gurwar Peth – are also the hub of the city’s wholesale businesses. Each Peth is known for…

The woes faced by resettlement colonies in the grips of COVID-19 and the impact of the lockdown has been immense. Issues highlighted in the past -- such as shortfalls in adequate, livable housing for those evicted from their original settlements -- have only been heightened by COVID-19, as our earlier article illustrated. Yet another stark fact is that women, children and disabled individuals face added burdens as a result of the way such housing is designed.  The feminisation of poverty COVID-19 and the lockdown has placed an enormous burden on the women in resettlement colonies. Managing the household, ensuring cleanliness…

Five months after Metro services were stopped, the BMRCL (Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd) resumed services this Monday, September 7. Metro has undergone many administrative and operational changes on account of COVID-19, but are these enough? What are the learnings from other cities across the globe? Several cities like New York, London and Hong Kong have been successfully operating their mass transit services, with a slew of safety and hygiene measures to curb COVID transmission. New York and London saw passenger numbers in subways plummet when COVID cases rocketed there in April-May. Though cases are still reported from these cities,…

கொரோனா கட்டுப்பாட்டு விதிமுறையால் மிக மோசமாக பாதிக்கப்பட்ட தரப்பினரின் வரிசையில் முன்னணியில் இருப்பவர்கள் பூ வியாபாரத்தோடு சம்மந்தப்பட்டவர்கள் தான் என்பதை நாம் அறிய முடிந்தது. ஏனெனில், காய்கறி போன்றவைகள் கூட அன்றாட வாழ்க்கையில் தவிர்க்க முடியா பயன்பாட்டுப் பொருட்களானதால்  குடியிருப்புகளுக்கு எடுத்து சென்று  விற்பனை செய்யவாவது முடிந்தது. ஆனால், பூக்களின் பயன்பாடு இல்லாது போனதால் அதில் ஈடுபட்ட பல நிலைகளில் உள்ளவர்களுக்கும்  முற்றிலும் வருவாய் நின்று போனது. இந்த அளவு ஆனதற்கு காரணம் மலரையும் மாலைகளையும் பயன்படுத்தும் ஆலயங்களும் விழாமண்டபங்களும் மூடப்பட்டது மட்டுமின்றி மக்கள் வெளியில் செல்லாத்தால் வீடுகளில் கூட பூ வாங்க தேவையின்றி போனதும் தான்.  பூக்களின் தேவையை அதிகமாகக் கொண்டிருந்த ஆலயங்கள் ஐந்து மாதங்களுக்குப் பிறகு தற்போது திறக்கப்பட்டுள்ளதாலும், விழா மண்டபங்கள் ஒரு சில விதிமுறைகளுடன் இயங்க அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட நிலையாலும் கூடவே மக்கள் நடமாட்டமும் இயல்பாகி வருவதாலும்   இவர்களின் வாழ்வு இயல்புக்கு திரும்புமா என காணலாம். சிறிது…