GENRE: Features

Starting November, the first batch of shops from Chor Bazaar, Mumbai's popular and unique market for antiques, artifacts and cheap vintage knick knacks, have started moving into their allotted spaces in the new Al-Ezz towers in Bhendi Bazaar. A cloud of questions about if and how the new market will manage to retain its distinct identity in the new skyscrapers surrounds the shopkeepers, who have been there for generations.  About 122 shops from a part of Chor Bazaar will be shifted into the shopping arena of four 50-plus storied towers in the next few years, as part of the Bhendi…

The Kolis are indigenous to Mumbai, have a deep-rooted connection to the city's coastal areas, living in settlements known as Koliwadas along the coastline. They have a rich cultural heritage and have been traditionally reliant on fishing as their primary occupation for generations. The Koliwadas, once thriving fishing villages, have been facing the looming threat of redevelopment due to various amendments to Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) laws and urban development plans. This threat has put their traditional lifestyle and livelihoods at risk, leading to concerns about preserving their heritage and way of life amid modernisation and urban expansion. In the…

Chennai's lakes, once the lifeblood of the city, have been disappearing because of decades of neglect, encroachment and pollution. Worried about the state of these shrinking water bodies, many dedicated citizens and organisations have made efforts to revive them. From restoration projects to community-led initiatives, Chennai's journey in lake revival is ongoing, with some successful efforts and some riddled with challenges.  Chennai's lake restoration initiatives In response to the 2015 floods, the city initiated many lake restoration projects to mitigate urban flooding and enhance the holding capacity of the city's large lakes.   The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and…

Abhishek Pratap, a 19-year-old engineering student, felt an adrenaline rush every time he won a bet online. And every loss would prompt him to bet again. Six months into the game, he hadn't won or lost a significant sum of money. And relished the experience. This changed when he decided to use his father's credit card to wager a few lakhs. That’s when his luck ran out, as he ended up losing the bet. To conceal the transaction from his parents, Pratap deleted the bank's notification message regarding the transaction. But he could not control his craving to bet again. The…

“You are not allowed to go out after 6 pm”. This is perhaps one of those lines that almost every woman, not just in Chennai or Tamil Nadu but across India, would have heard through the ages. The often-cited reason for this is that public places are not safe for women post-sundown.  Backing up is refrain is a recent perception study conducted by the Gender and Policy Lab in Chennai that found that women in the city generally avoid venturing out after 6 pm. The study also highlights that only 16-17% of women’s travel is for social and recreational reasons…

Moraya re bappa moraya re… can't get this song out of my mind. Ganpati is not just a religious festival, but a celebration that unites society. That's what I observed while roaming the streets of Mumbai during the 10-day-long festival. The emotions connected with the arrival and departure of the Ganpati are an experience. After visiting different Ganpati pandals I realised, you don't have to be a Hindu to experience the love and spiritual connection that Bappa evokes within you. The birth of Lord Ganesha is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm. It is so popular that people travel from…

Ganesh Chaturthi, a beloved festival in Mumbai, is about enthusiastic celebrations, but increasingly nudging citizens to engage in deep environmental reflection. In recent years, there has been a notable shift towards embracing eco-friendly practices in the festival's preparations, particularly in the material used for the creation of Ganpati idols. According to Mumbai murtikars (idol-makers), the sale of eco-friendly idols have almost doubled this year. This shift marks a positive departure from the traditional use of Plaster of Paris (POP) idols, which can have detrimental effects on our water bodies after immersion. Many Ganesh mandals and families have taken the initiative…

She made us laugh. She made us cry. She made us get angry. She made all of us at Ranga Shankara rise as one at the end, speechless after what we had just witnessed. After the standing ovation, I looked around only to find the person next to me looking back at me with bloodshot eyes. The half a dozen early teenagers I had gone with were gushing, thoroughly in awe. For, we all sat on the stage, getting a ringside view of the powerhouse performance. We had just finished watching We Push the Sky, presented by Qabila Collective. The…

Just a month ago, Madras University’s School of Sociology released a statement asking all of their postgraduate students to sign a form where they will agree to not participate in any political activities.  This request was in response to student's participation in various protests this summer, mostly to do with violence in Manipur, a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and attacks on students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Once this statement was released, students refused to sign and agree to these conditions but felt limited in their options of speaking out against this action taken by the University. …

It’s been more than two years since Vimal Gorakhnath Shinde retired, after working for over 30 years as a community health worker (CHW) with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). After spending a lifetime doing this work for the civic body, she did not anticipate that she would have to fight to be recognised as an employee and wait endlessly for a pension. She is one of 3700 health workers, who have been demanding to be recognised as employees, so that they get basic benefits such as pension. Vimal's eyes well up as she talks about her journey. Starting at 9.30…