EDITORS' PICK

This article is supported by SVP Cities of India Fellowship When 78-year-old Shyamala (name changed) had a heart attack in the middle of the night, there was no one around to help. Shyamala was widowed, and had no children. “She was wailing from pain all night, but no one heard her. At around 5 am, neighbours came over, and Shyamala had to crawl up to the door to open it,” says Shyamala’s former neighbour G Ramachandra. Shyamala’s condition was critical, and the neighbours took her to a hospital where she was operated on. But afterwards, Shyamala was worried of living…

Mohammad Khan lived in an informal slum near Bellandur lakebed, making a living collecting and segregating waste. When Citizen Matters covered his story five years ago, we found many families who lived off waste, playing a necessary role in the waste management ecosystem. They traversed the neighbourhoods of Sarjapur Road, HSR Layout and Jakkasandra with bicycles stacked with recyclable waste from across the area. Informal squatter settlements with the ubiquitous blue tent dwellings are often at risk of eviction. Recently, about 5000 migrant labourers living in makeshift sheds in Thubarahalli were threatened by the police and asked to vacate, after local…

A migrant belonging to Jharkhand is labelled a rowdy, a person from North East is assumed to be sexually open and those from West Bengal are supposedly ‘dirty.’ From the local tea kadais to the cafeterias, such preconceived notions often form the subject of gossip and casual talk. Migrants who come to cities such as Chennai, are typically at the receiving end of such misplaced bias. A 2013 research report by J Jeyaranjan of Institute of Development Alternatives, based on a survey of 315 migrant workers across three sectors known to employ them in large numbers (namely, Construction, Manufacturing and Services), found…

A fascinated child stands transfixed in the Zoology section of the Government museum in Egmore, her attention drawn by the giant skeleton of a whale on display, spanning the length of the room. This is is just one of many intriguing artefacts in India's second oldest museum. While the museum can boast of a steady stream of visitors, with enough in store for everyone who would like to spend an hour in learning, there are several aspects of the museum that leave plenty of room for improvement and are crying for attention from the state. The massive collections of the…

Come January 1, 2019, the Tamil Nadu government will implement a blanket ban on single use plastic, an unprecedented move in the state, aimed at protecting the environment. Plastic ban has been at the centre of discussion among many citizens who are still confused and worried about life sans plastic. The state government is continuously reminding people about the ban through newspaper ads, but has failed to provide a concrete road map on the implementation of the ban or the alternatives to be adopted. Several  organisations, especially NGOs, have on the other hand been on the field to sensitise the…

This article is supported by SVP Cities of India Fellowship Travel. The word conjures a myriad of images. Glorious sunsets, exotic locations, fascinating culture... Similarly “travel in Bengaluru” also has many images associated with it, though none of them are terribly complimentary - in fact they sound quite nightmarish. The vehicle population has grown faster than in any other city. Recent reports mentioned how Bengaluru has breached the 77 lakh mark - with 54 lakh two wheelers and 15 lakh cars. Graph Source: WRI Bengaluru is the fifth largest metropolitan city in India in terms of population but just second…

This article is supported by SVP Cities of India Fellowship #PlasticsGottaGo seems to be the rallying cry in cities across India as it is globally, and for obvious reasons too. Attempts to raise awareness about the hazards of plastic waste and its disposal are on an overdrive as climate change and waste management become the key challenges faced by cities. Yet, not everyone thinks that an entirely plastic-free world will be feasible or even desirable. K Ahmed Khan, Managing Director, K.K.Plastic Waste Management Ltd asserts that that they believe in saying 'yes' to plastic but only after ensuring its eco-friendliness,…

Fifteen years ago, Chennai had to rely on neighbouring metros such as Bengaluru to rehabilitate and reform the lives of drug addicts and alcoholics. But as the number of addiction cases increased, private rehabilitation centres mushroomed in the city. "There is a steep increase in people falling prey to alcoholism, drug abuse and other substances. We had admitted 111 cases in 2015-16 and 220 patients in 2016-17," says Dr V Sunil Kumar, a clinical psychologist and founder of  Mindzone, a private de-addiction centre in Adyar. However, while a barrage of information is available online when you search for de-addiction centres,…

As soon as the shutters of this jewellery store in Camp Road are rolled up, customers start to trickle in. The shop across the signal on Velachery Main Road is lively and buzzing by 11 am on a Saturday morning: a middle aged woman checking gold prices and a to-be-married couple selecting a toe ring. A narrow lane cuts across the same Velachery Main Road, on the other side of the signal. The aroma of camphor in the air is distinct and as one proceeds through the lane, the rhythmic sound of metal grows louder. Sitting inside a tiny shop,…

Lakshmi works as a domestic help with a few families in Bengaluru. Her daughter during the academic year 2018-2019 had been admitted to LKG in a private school through the Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009, section 12(1)(c). The Act promises 25 percent reservation in private unaided schools for weaker sections and disadvantaged groups. Lakshmi chose to avail this choice as she felt that in government schools, children are left to themselves and aren't provided adequate attention. She says that she wants to educate her daughter, and felt private school was the best option. There are several…