GENRE: Features

Commencing her teaching career in Indraprastha College, New Delhi in 1970, Uma Raman chose to continue her calling even after she resigned as the Principal of Naval Public School, New Delhi in 1997 and relocated to Chennai. She is currently an education consultant in English Language curriculum planning, teacher training and the creation of English language teaching materials.  “I started writing textbooks while in Delhi but when I moved to Chennai, that became my main work,” says Uma. She has authored a number of widely-used textbook series in English. Recently, she was a member of the committee for revising the…

Even as it celebrates the centenary of its creation, Shimla’s iconic natural ice skating Rink is not just losing its old world charm, but changing weather patterns is affecting the once popular events that the Rink hosted. After last week’s heavy snowfall, ice skating sessions had to be stopped.  Even last year, just a little over 40 sessions could be held. Scheduled competitions had to be cancelled due to uncertain weather. Listen to Peter Ta Tung 56, a veteran ice skater, as he recalls activities at the Rink in the 60s and 70s. Tinged with nostalgia and a touch of…

Chennai found itself in the grip of an acute water crisis last summer. The city saw a deficit monsoon the previous year and the reservoirs had all but run dry. Thus began a period of acute hardship for Chennaiites that lasted months. Long queues for tanker lorries across neighbourhoods became a common sight. Families survived on a mere three pots of water a day and women bore the brunt of the crisis, having to forego time at work or school to gather water. The crisis was however not without warning. Signs of scarcity had been looming for a while, but little…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities From gender discrimination to sexual harassment and violence, the threats faced by women as they go about their lives are daunting. The roots of many of these critical issues lie in the social conditioning that has been in place for generations and it would be futile to try to address concerns over women's safety or issues faced by women in general without involving one of the most critical stakeholders in this entire piece: men.  Non-profit organisations and community groups working in the domain are, therefore, increasingly emphasising…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities In any criminal act in which a woman is the target, the police is almost always in the best position to offer help, safety and reassurance to the aggrieved, besides investigating the crime and bringing the assailant to book. Clearly, this calls for a certain level of competence and professionalism, and a degree of empathy, patience and sensitivity towards women. Such qualities on the part of law-enforcers would be the criminal justice system’s most significant contribution towards empowering women and upholding their equal status.  Sadly however,…

As Dr Alby John Varghese, the 31-year-old Regional Deputy Commissioner (South) of Chennai Corporation took some time to rest, he was pleased to see the way things were being handled by his efficient team during the "Reuse and Reduce Sale." Citizens were called upon to donate various lightly-used items that were still in usable condition but which they no longer needed. We managed to steal some time from his schedule for a quick tête-à-tête and understand how he and his team pulled this off. How did you come up with the initiative? Alby John Varghese, IAS The concept of the…

In a recently-released popular Bengali flick Gotro (The clan), a prisoner who had spent nine years in jail is eventually accepted and welcomed into society, wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, real life is vastly different from such portrayals. Ask people like Aparajita Ganguly Bose, who shudder to think of the time spent in prison. Aparajita had been convicted on charges of murdering her husband and the 50-year-old can never stop lamenting the loss of several years in her prime, for a crime she didn’t commit.  Aparajita’s husband Kunal Bose, whom she married in 1992 after a brief love affair, went missing on May…

Using discarded refrigerators as pots, a group of high-school children of Ullal in Mangalore now grow organic farm produce to meet their daily vegetable requirements. Once lying discarded on the streets, the ‘thermally insulated’ compartments of unused refrigerators act as eco-friendly pots for growing a variety of vegetables on the ‘rooftop garden’ of Sayyed Madani Urdu Higher Primary School (SMUHGPS), located in Halekote within the Ullal City Municipality. Over the last two years, the students of this co-educational school, along with the management, have sown and tended to almost 10 varieties of vegetation and have successfully harvested paddy for consumption.…

It was an eventful, often rough, year for Chennai especially as the city faced severe water crisis in the summer. While the city grappled with this crisis, there was also cause for some cheer as the city saw the inauguration of the AG DMS-Washermanpet stretch of the metro, the opening up of the pedestrian plaza in T Nagar and several strides made in solid waste management. As we step into the new year with hope and anticipation, here are some initiatives and projects that could be expected to take off this year. Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) The Bus Rapid…

The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation is planning to geo-tag nearly 60K medical equipment costing over more than Rs.1,500 crore in government clinics, hospitals and medical colleges to ensure maintenance and prevent thefts.  The state public health department has planned to distribute deworming tablets to everyone in Tamil Nadu instead of just children, twice every year for at least five years from February 2020 in an endeavour to fight against anaemia. More than half the pregnant women and adolescents girls in the state suffer from anaemia, which also results from hookworm infections.  Plans are being charted by Greater Chennai Corporation…