GENRE: In Focus

“Voice of Freedom.” That is how Kajal Singh describes her relationship with graffiti art. The 24-year-old from Delhi who goes by the name Dizy is currently in Berlin and has built for herself an international reputation as a woman graffiti artist. She was first introduced to the art through the Hip-hop culture which embodies graffiti as one of its elements. “Being a shy person, graffiti became my voice of expression,” said Dizy. “It also allowed me to go beyond the stereotypes set for women in society”. With its origins in the early 1960s in Philadelphia, graffiti art began when writers…

“Voice of Freedom.” That is how Kajal Singh describes her relationship with graffiti art. The 24-year-old from Delhi who goes by the name Dizy is currently in Berlin and has built for herself an international reputation as a woman graffiti artist. She was first introduced to the art through the Hip-hop culture which embodies graffiti as one of its elements. “Being a shy person, graffiti became my voice of expression,” said Dizy. “It also allowed me to go beyond the stereotypes set for women in society”. With its origins in the early 1960s in Philadelphia, graffiti art began when writers…

Though initially declared a “state-specific health emergency’’ after three positive Coronavirus cases were reported in the state, the state’s health ministry, which withdrew the declaration a few days later, is reassuring people that there is no reason to panic. “The decision to withdraw the emergency call was taken since the situation is not alarming as of now,” said health minister K K Shailaja. “But the possibility of community spread of the virus is far from over”. When the country’s first three cases which tested positive for the new virus were reported from Kerala, the state’s public health machinery acted quickly…

On a hot afternoon, Sachin (name changed on request) stands in the centre of a busy junction in the heart of the city. He’s wearing the iconic white uniform, a hat and black leather shoes. He also has two Mi AirPOP PM2.5 Anti-Pollution masks, which he wears during peak hours. “I can’t keep wearing the mask continuously for 8 hours, I can’t use the whistle and it’s uncomfortable”, he says. Traffic teems past him on both sides of the road, as he uses hand-signalling to direct vehicles.  He has been standing since 7 a.m. in the morning and will continue…

Translated by Vadivu Mahendran சென்னையின் மேம்பாலங்கள் மற்றும் அதிவேக நெடுஞ்சாலைகள் போன்ற பல தாமதிக்கப்பட்ட சாலைப் பணிகள் அதன் போக்குவரத்து நெரிசலை மோசமாக்கியதோடு நகரம் முழுவதும் பயண நேரங்களை அதிகரித்துள்ளன.  நிலுவையில் உள்ள இத்திட்டங்களில் பல, இரண்டிலிருந்து மூன்றாண்டுகளுக்கு மேலாக தாமதப்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளன, அதிலும் சென்னை துறைமுகம்-மதுரவாயல் அதிவேக நெடுஞ்சாலைப் பணி பத்து வருட காலமாக நடைபெற்று வருவது அதிகபட்ச தாமதத்தின் வெளிப்பாடாகும். ஒவ்வொரு திட்டமும் நிலம் கையகப்படுத்தல், நிதி நெருக்கடி மற்றும் சட்ட சவால்கள் உள்ளிட்ட அதனதன் தடைகளை எதிர்கொண்டதனால் பயணிகள் மற்றும் குடியிருப்பவர்கள் நெரிசலற்ற சாலைகளுக்காகப் பல வருடங்கள் காத்திருக்கக் காரணமாகியுள்ளது. வேளச்சேரி மேம்பாலம் பணி துவக்கம்: ஜனவரி 2016 செலவு மதிப்பீடு: ரூ. 92 கோடி திட்டத்தின் நோக்கம்: மாநகரின் மிகவும் எதிர்பார்க்கப்பட்டதும் நீண்ட நாள் நிலுவையிலிருப்பதுமான திட்டங்களில் ஒன்றுதான் வேளச்சேரி மேம்பாலத் திட்டம். அப்பகுதியிலுள்ள பயணிகள் மற்றும் குடியிருப்பவர்கள், அங்கு ஏற்படும் போக்குவரத்து சிக்கல்கள் மற்றும்…

Mumbai, known for long as the city that never sleeps, is now that in the literal sense too. One of the first decisions that Aaditya Thackeray, the new state cabinet minister of tourism and environment, took to promote tourism, generate employment and revenue was a pilot project that allows select malls and eateries to stay open all day and night. With the experiment on for over a week now, the reaction of citizens and shop owners has been mixed. The criteria to stay open includes commercial establishments in non-residential areas, gated communities with CCTV surveillance, those with parking facilities, security…

Mumbai, known for long as the city that never sleeps, is now that in the literal sense too. One of the first decisions that Aaditya Thackeray, the new state cabinet minister of tourism and environment, took to promote tourism, generate employment and revenue was a pilot project that allows select malls and eateries to stay open all day and night. With the experiment on for over a week now, the reaction of citizens and shop owners has been mixed. The criteria to stay open includes commercial establishments in non-residential areas, gated communities with CCTV surveillance, those with parking facilities, security…

It was declared open with much fanfare on November 4, 2019 by K T Rama Rao, Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD). But the newly built uni-directional flyover connecting DivyaSree Orion to Biodiversity junction (popularly known as Biodiversity Park flyover) had to be shut down within a month following two accidents on the flyover resulting in three deaths. One horrific accident happened on November 23rd, when a driver failed to negotiate a curve and skidded off the flyover. The car crashed to the ground 20 metres below, crushing to death a hapless bystander and injuring six others standing…

A houseboat stay, once a major attraction of Kashmir tourism, could soon become just a memory. For two reasons. One, the strict High Court guidelines that prohibit increasing the number of houseboats in Dal and Nigeen lake, the second famous lake in Srinagar city. Two, there are just three master craftsmen left, who can build houseboats. All the others have passed away in the last six decades, taking their knowledge with them. It takes these master craftsmen one to two years to build a normal house boat, called floating palace in local parlance. The houseboats are categorised in five groups—Deluxe…

The problem of burgeoning plastic waste isn’t new to Mumbai. According to recent data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India generates 25,940 tonnes of plastic every day with 40 percent of it remaining uncollected. Metropolitan cities --- Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai-- alone contribute 50 percent of this total waste. The uncollected and untreated waste goes into drains, sea and landfills, causing massive land and water pollution. During the popular Ganapati festival in Mumbai last year, after immersion of idols, the total dissolved solids increase by 100 percent. To combat the menace of plastic waste, on March…