GENRE: Features

“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…

As designers at The Other Design Studio, we have collaborated with various NGOs, including Akshara Foundation, Pratham Books, Azad India Foundation, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies Foundation, and numerous others for almost two decades. Through this work, we have gained a profound understanding of the social system. Angeline Pradhan and Upesh Pradhan run The Other Design Studio, which does branding to illustration to animation and videos. They have covered everything and a little more as a design studio. In 2022, our design experience with Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar, a collection of over a decade of articles, interviews, and speeches by Rohini Nilekani, inspired…

The redevelopment of the historic Bombay Development Directorate (BDD) chawls in Central Mumbai has been in the news for the longest time. But it is finally underway and will be one of the biggest relocation and redevelopment exercises in the city. The cluster of buildings has over 16,000 families in 195 chawls spread over 86.98 acres. Despite the promises and plans of much bigger and better houses, an atmosphere of anxiety and nervousness pervades among BDD residents, who are worried that things are not shaping up as promised. Their anxiety stems from a wide range of concerns from complaints of…

Reena Pimenta, a 62-year-old resident of Ghatkopar, resides alone in an apartment located around five kilometers away from her daughter's home. Her daughter lives with her in-laws and a 5-year-old son. Since the passing of her husband two years ago, Reena's solitary living has been a challenge. "I cannot go and live with my daughter, it doesn't feel right. So, I've created my own small world here to keep myself occupied." Reena finds companionship with a group of senior citizens from her residential society, who go for morning walks and gather for chit-chat sessions in the evenings. These social interactions,…

1200 chapatis, 45 kgs of rice, 95 kgs of vegetables, and 20 kgs of daal. This is just one meal cooked in the kitchen at KEM hospital every single day. Around 1700-1800 patients are admitted daily and the kitchen provides for their nutrition as they recover from various illnesses. People are often sceptical about the food provided by public hospitals because of concerns related to hygiene and quality. Especially in a city like Mumbai, thousands of patients visit public hospitals for treatment and are dependent on the facilities provided by the hospitals. Recently, the authorities at Mumbai’s largest, KEM hospital,…