EDITORS' PICK

"I just feel like talking to someone," said my 83-year-old mother who lives in Bangalore. Until three weeks ago, she was looking forward to the wedding of her grandson in Bangalore, and she would put out sarees for every occasion, showing it to my sister (who lives in USA) on WhatsApp. Both the bride and groom live in USA. Many family members from across the globe had committed to come for the wedding. We were pleasantly surprised at the promised turnout,  it made me wonder about changing perspectives today, families were actually looking forward to bonding. And then we had…

The death toll in India from coronavirus infection stands at five, as of now. The severity of the virus prompted state governments across the country to order closure of educational institutions and encourage parents to work from home, apart from home quarantine for those who returned from abroad or had come in contact with infected persons. But as families spend more time together at home, especially those under quarantine, parents are having a tough time keeping children engaged. And more importantly, safe. Questions with regard to the safety of children are many: Are they more vulnerable to the infection? What…

The number of Coronavirus cases in Punjab shot up to 14 on March 21st. More than half of these individuals were infected after coming in contact with a single international traveler, 70-year-old Baldev Singh, who refused to remain in self-isolation upon his return to the state. Singh died from heart failure on March 18th and was found to be Coronavirus positive only after his death. Baldev was a priest in a Gurudwara at Pathlawa village in Nawanshahr (renamed Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar) district and had gone to Germany and Italy in February. He returned to Delhi on March 6th. Along…

These are difficult times, and the world around us seems headed towards a dystopia of sorts. As discussed in our earlier interview with Dr Kalyanasundaram, Bengaluru-based Consultant Psychiatrist and an Honorary Adviser to the Bengaluru Branch of Richmond Fellowship Society, the risk of mental health issues has increased sharply. Indeed, we are already beginning to see signs among people caught in the situations created by the outbreak of coronavirus – corporate professionals struggling to get all work done from home, parents trying to keep their kids occupied and entertained all day, caregivers trying to explain the situation to the most…

Coronavirus or COVID-19 needs no introduction. Anyone with access to any form of media today is aware of the current spread of the virus as also the various steps different governments and countries are taking to prevent further outspread. At the time of publishing this interview, the total number of confirmed cases in India stood at 298, with 4 people having died due to the virus. The concern in India currently is that the virus has reached a stage where it will start spreading exponentially if proper care is not taken at both personal and governmental levels. In the midst…

Everything about Rita akka is a demonstration of what life strives to teach us – that it has a purpose. The physically challenged sanitation worker (she cannot hear or speak) is a widow, and her daughter, aged 17, has left home to be with her grandmother. The 42-year-old has loneliness writ large on her life, but won’t surrender to it. Every morning, Rita akka (elder sister) – as she is known in her neighbourhood (though some call her oomachi, a derogatory term for those with speaking disabilities) – wakes up and diligently goes about her garbage collection job with the Chennai Municipal Corporation. Sometimes though, she does…

Farida Sheikh remembers her house in the slums in Ahmedabad feeling like a furnace, where summer temperatures have reached up to 50 degrees Celsius. But for the last four years, the situation inside the house has cooled down. The two-room house’s metal sheet roof which raised the indoor temperature by two or three degrees was replaced by ModRoof – a special cooling roof locally manufactured from coconut husk and paper waste. This brought the indoor temperatures in summer three to five degrees lower than the reading outdoors. Protected from the scorching heat, Sheikh said that related health issues have reduced,…

Even as the Pune Municipal Corporation goes full throttle with its Smart City initiatives, the work in progress is causing major problems for Punekars. The most irksome being poor road conditions. Despite several measures taken by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and other civic bodies, Pune’s roads continue to be plagued with potholes, dim-lights, and ill-constructed speed-breakers and dividers. “Commuting via the potholed Choudhary Basti Road in Kharadi has become a nightmare for people, who are risking their lives every day to reach their destinations,” said Kharadi resident Anuradha Dubey.  Satish Mane, a resident from Kondhwa added: “The area sees…

சமீப காலமாக சென்னையில், “மாடித்தோட்டம்“என்பது வேகமாக வளர்ந்து வரும் ஒரு கலையாக இருக்கிறது.  ஆகவே, அது குறித்து மேலும் அறிந்து கொள்ளும் ஆர்வம் தூண்டப்படுவதும் இயல்பே. ஏனெனில், அடுக்குமாடிக் கட்டிடங்களின் செறிவும், தண்ணீர்ப் பற்றாக்குறையும், வீசும் அனலும் இங்கு அவ்வாறிருப்பதாகும். அதற்கிடையிலும் குறைந்த தண்ணீர் பயன்பாட்டில் குறைந்த இடத்தில் எப்படி ஒரு பசுமை முயற்சி வெற்றி பெற்றுள்ளது என்பது நம் மூளையைக் குடையும் ஒன்று தானே. உள்ளவாறே இந்த விஷயத்துக்குள் நாம் நுழைந்து அறிய முற்படும் போது ஒரு புதிய உலகிற்குள் புகுந்தது போல் ஓர் ஈரவுணர்வும் புத்துணர்ச்சியும் நம்மையும் தொற்றிக் கொண்டு விடமாட்டேனென்கிறது. இதைப் பற்றி அறிந்து கொள்வோர் அனைவரையும் நாமும் இப்படி ஒரு தோட்டம் அமைக்க வேண்டுமென தூண்டும் வண்ணம் அந்த அனுபவங்கள் நெகிழ்ச்சியாக உள்ளது. அதுபோன்றே அதற்கான கட்டமைப்புகளும் பெரிய அளவில் விரிவடைந்து பிரமிப்பையூட்டுகிறது. மாடித்தோட்டத்திற்குத் தேவைப்படும் அனைத்துப் பொருட்களும், அதற்கான பயிற்சியும் மட்டுமல்லாது அரசின் மானியமும்…