GENRE: Features

“When travelling by the local train, sometimes we hear loud and long train horns followed by an announcement stating - on duty stretcher personnel please report to the station master's office - this indicates that something unpleasant has happened and the injured will be attended by the concerned trained railway staff,” says Vidya K, a regular commuter of the Mumbai local trains. The bustling railway platforms of the Mumbai suburban railway system bear witness to numerous incidents of medical emergencies. With a vast number of commuters using the local train network, some or the other health crises are common on…

It has been just over a month. The incident at an educational institute in NOIDA where a young boy killed his girlfriend, and then killed himself, sent shockwaves through the city. Unfortunately, this is no isolated case. Deaths by suicide or criminal acts involving young adults are being reported with alarming frequency. Incidents like the NOIDA one is just another stark reminder of the grave mental health issues among a high proportion of our adolescent and youth population. Especially post-COVID. It is by now well known that certain behavioural trends among children are tell-tale signs of underlying mental health issues…

Very often, when we speak about the pollution caused by the industries in North Chennai, we tend to limit it as a 'North Chennai' problem. Is it really so? Does it have no impact on the other parts of Chennai? Several reports including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report and Greater Chennai Corporation's Chennai Climate Action Plan point out that Chennai will experience extreme impact due to climate change. Meanwhile, development projects like ports, Thermal Tower Plants, and other industries that create a huge impact on land, water and air are being planned and proposed in addition to…

Vinod Jacob, member of We Love Cubbon Park Association, expresses his concerns over the redesigning of the park. “They are now trying to lay tiles and concrete slabs. All that we’re asking for is to preserve the park in its natural form, otherwise we won’t be able to differentiate Cubbon Park from UB city.” Vinod is not alone in his concerns over the mismanagement and concretising of Bengaluru's parks. The Lalbagh Walkers' Association has flagged issues over allowing vendors in the park, feeding of stray dogs and pigeons, plastic waste, sewage in Lalbagh pond, among other concerns. Ever since the…

Piyu identifies herself as a trans person. Until last year, she would occasionally get called for "blessings" at functions but mostly it was a struggle to survive. But all that changed once she came to Bambai Nazariya. Bambai Nazariya, located in the busy and vibrant Lokhandwala, at Andheri, is a café that employs trans persons. Amidst the cacophony of traffic and crowd, it is a cozy café that has been running for over a year and bringing solace to the community in more than one ways. Piyu has been an employee since its inception last year. "Life was very different…

Parks seem like uncontroversial public spaces, but dig a little deeper, and you will find that even these apparently benign spaces are deeply political. They are often the settings for decisions and manoeuvrings that become evident only when you probe into their provenance, functioning and upkeep. These three examples serve to demonstrate how public spaces have been taken over by political forces. Unfortunately, most of us citizens prefer to demur to the situation, forgetting that it is our money that is used to create and run these amenities. We forget to question, or to wonder, if there were a different…

As Ramanan S tears down a political wall poster from the compound wall of his house in Chennai’s Tiruvottriyur he frustratedly says, “This has turned to a huge menace now. It is clearly written here not to paste posters and I wonder why people keep doing this.” He has had to remove wall posters despite painting his wall with a ‘stick no bills’ sign, He points out that the number of posters from the ruling party has increased over time that the party cadres in the locality not only stick them on the public walls but also stick them on…

Bas saaru and massoppu. These curries made of mixed greens are staples in homes of Bengaluru residents. But these greens are not always bought in the market. They are also gathered from sidewalks, little strips of soil beside the road, from drains, and around lakes. The act of gathering such edible plant species, from private or public spaces in the city, is called urban foraging, and it is a common practice across the globe. Honagonne soppu (Alternanthera sessilis) foraged from lake beds in Bengaluru. Pic: Seema Mundoli Experts on local wild plants In Bengaluru, it is mainly middle-aged or older…

“Mine was a happy family – an extremely romantic and loving husband and two adorable kids – a daughter and a son,” says 40-year-old Kiran (name changed) who works as Procurement Head in the Infra industry. “This is what the world saw in photos, on social media, and during outings. What no one knew was that my husband had Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. He had been admitted to the psychiatric ward twice when he was at the peak of his career. I was working hard to make ends meet as bipolar disorder had made my husband go on an excessive…

A 100 years ago, on May 1, Chennai observed May Day for the first time. A function was held in Marina Beach to mark the occasion. This was the first formal celebration of May Day in India. In the decades since, the living conditions of workers in the city has worsened and their rights have been eroded. Labour movements in Chennai have been raising their voice on behalf of the workers to ensure basic facilities and protections are granted to them. We speak with leaders of various labour movements in the city to understand what the workers of Chennai are…