EDITORS' PICK

It's October, and examinations are in full swing for school and college students as they prepare under immense pressure. A crucial aspect during the month is students' mental health, and interestingly, World Mental Health Day is observed every year in October to raise awareness about mental healthcare.  According to an older survey by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), over 40% of Mumbai students suffer from anxiety, depression, and related mental health issues. Furthermore, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) records show that Mumbai had the highest number of student suicides in India in 2019, reflecting growing concerns about…

In India alone, roughly 121 million women and girls use an average of eight disposable and non-compostable pads per month, generating 12.3 billion pads as waste annually, and 113,000 metric tons of annual menstrual waste. But there is a stark lack of awareness around the subject, and the subject is not always open to conversation, which makes the handling of this waste stream even more difficult. However, city administrators are scrambling for solutions and ordering thousands of small incinerators to tackle this problem. Our sanitation systems are designed with urine and faeces in mind. Unable to cope with the menstrual…

“We are not treated as humans: hamein koi izzat nahi deta hai” — a common sentiment resonating through the voices of waste workers, who gathered for a recent event in Delhi. It is indeed ironic that those who clean for us are considered ‘dirty’ or unclean and seldom treated with the respect and courtesy that every human being deserves. The rhetoric of Swachh Bharat, despite being sung in high decibels, rarely resonates with these groups, let alone include their rights and dignity in the clarion call for a Clean India.  These workers often belong to socially and economically oppressed classes…

"I have a vivid memory from my childhood when I was about 8 years old. My grandfather took me to the Hanging Gardens, and I was absolutely thrilled. The trees, the open spaces to run, the panoramic views from the top – it all convinced me that no other garden could possibly be as beautiful as this one. This was in the 1980s, and my grandfather passed away not long after that. But the dearest memories I have with him are of those moments in this garden, playing around while he watched from a distance." "I hadn't thought about that…

September has ended and we will soon bid goodbye to the monsoon season. Monsoons not only give new life to nature, but also drape the surroundings in lively greens. Starting now, we celebrate new lives, new crops and a lot of festivals. During monsoons, one can witness various interesting phenomena. One can hear frogs and toads croaking in and around rain puddles. A large number of butterfly species like Lime, Plain Tiger, Common Emigrant are spotted. Bees and moths also engage in extracting nectar from flowers that bloom in rain. Deep inside the forest, a lot of snakes come out…

Rani is a 12-year-old young girl studying in 6th grade. She has lived all her life in Ambedkar Nagar in Colaba. Her day usually begins at 5:00 am. In this informal settlement, water comes for two hours and given her family size of five, she and her mother have to ensure that is available for all. Rani’s mother is a daily wage worker and leaves for her work as early as 6:00-6:30 am. It is up to Rani to ensure enough water for the household. “Kabhi-kabhi paani nahi aata hai time pe, isliye main school se chutti leti hu,” (There…

No matter how tall its skyscrapers or pungent the sea's odour surrounding it, Mumbai, or any city, can be narrowly viewed as just an island that operates on its stomach. It has many mouths to feed and produces very little of it. It serves as a destination, port, and junction for things that pass through to other places with mouths to feed. The city is of the stomach, by the stomach, for the stomach. Everything we do, we do it for food. Here is a window into a few prayers, search, fuel and labour that goes into the food the…

Historically, Mumbai developed, progressed and got urbanised from the southern to the northern regions. This evolution encompassed the establishment of essential institutions such as schools, hospitals, government offices, and soon. However, as the cost of living in the southern parts or SOBO (south Bombay) escalated over the years, population settled in northern suburbs, commuting to work in the south. While this demographic shift might signify growth, it also highlights a challenge: the disparity between basic infrastructure availability and the overall well-being of citizens residing in these areas. As the urban population expanded northward, the existing amenities such as hospitals, did…

In its earlier avatar, Mumbai was known as ‘Heptanesia’, denoting a collective of seven islands, as named by Ptolemy in 150 AD. With the city being transformed from a cluster of islands into a unified mass in early 18th century, its enduring connection to the coastline beholds captivating marine biodiversity that lies right at our doorstep.  There exists a facet of Mumbai that remains shadowed within the towering buildings and lost between the burgeoning crowds. Often hailed as a ‘city that never sleeps’, it also holds a hidden truth: its shores too remain in a perpetual state of wakefulness.  The…

Black, foul-smelling, stagnant water - this is what one will find when they go in search of the Mambalam Canal which was once one of the significant freshwater canals in the city.  In its heydays, the canal used to carry surplus water from two major tanks - the Nungambakkam tank and the Mambalam tank - that existed some four decades ago. Due to urbanisation, the entire watershed area of these tanks now has residential and commercial establishments in it.  The path followed by the original canal starts near Valluvar Kottam and passes through T Nagar and CIT Nagar before draining…