GENRE: Voices

Going over the stories I had worked on over the past year has been a bittersweet experience. While I was happy to be able to write on important issues, the pain of the people I encountered over the course of writing these stories is one I will carry with me for a long time to come. The thing about large cities like Chennai is how many people's struggles are invisibilised, and their lives relegated to the margins. Some of the stories that I penned endeavoured to spotlight the people who have fallen through the cracks in the system. Here is…

While covering stories, reporters come across situations that stay with them for a long time. Like, what did a place look like? How were the people in the story dressed that day? For anyone, these are inconsequential, mundane and everyday things. But these details can speak volumes about systems, governments, and people. Late August this year, I came across a man named Deepak Khilare who had come from Nanded to avail treatment at Mumbai's King Edward Memorial Hospital. A month earlier, he had suffered trauma to his spine, as a result of which has was in a wheelchair. Deepak was…

As of December 2022, I complete five months at Citizen Matters. During this time, I have written articles across the verticals of civic, society, infrastructure, environment, and economy. I have profiled how community-based learning can accelerate the education of children from lower rungs of the socio-economic strata, if recently established Namma Clinics can bridge the last-mile gap in healthcare, and elaborated on what the government does with traffic fines that are collected. There were three stories, however, which received overwhelming responses from readers. Brookefield settlement floods One of my most challenging stories was when in my first month, I came across…

Time spent in school during our formative years plays a crucial role in how we turn out as adults. This was certainly true for me. My ambitions ranged from being a 'symbologist' after reading Dan Brown to a chemist, after scoring the maximum marks in the subject. I am now a journalist, working a job that sates my curiosity and pays the bills. Many of my dreams and aspirations germinated because my school shaped my exposure to subjects, people and experiences. However, in retrospect, I also wish it had helped me become more aware of myself and the realities of…

Chennai has taken several strides in climate action in recent years with the setting up of the Green Climate Company to tackle climate change challenges and through the formulation of the Chennai Climate Action Plan.  While the intent to fight climate change has been made clear, how climate action plays out in the city’s streets is the key issue. Key climate issues such as the destruction of Pallikaranai Marshland, the pollution caused by the Thermal Power Plant in Ennore and the recent gas leaks in Manali have shown that urgent measures are the need of the hour. Climate rallies in…

In earlier articles, the author traced the journey on the series of constructions on and development of the Outer Ring road (ORR). In part three of the series, the author reflects on whether the flyovers and underpasses in Outer Ring Road benefit everyone, if they really connect Bengalureans, or are meant only to accommodate private vehicles. This is the third and final part in a series of articles on the constant construction work on Outer Ring Road Part 1: The ups and downs of Outer Ring Road: A view through the years Part 2: The ups and downs of Outer…

Unlike regular news coverage where multiple stakeholders are consulted for their opinion on civic issues, articles from citizen journalists offer readers the perspective and personal insight from a fellow citizen. The latter's social background, their work, experiences, with the right questions and direction, are reflected in their arguments. Engaging with three such citizen journalists was also a revealing experience for me. One of them is the president of a street vendor union, second a member of an anganwadi workers’ union and, lastly, a young boy living in a slum in Kranti Nagar, Kandivali. All either come from working class backgrounds…

In a quiet metro car departing from Versova station after 5 pm on a Sunday in November, two lines instantly familiar with Hindi-speaking Indians broke out: “Baithe, baithe, kya kare? Karna hai kuch kaam, Shuru karo antakshari, leke Shahrukh Khan ka naam!” The cry came from a handful of people, split on either side of the belt separating the woman’s compartment from the general. Heads stirred, eyes rose from the screens of phones, quizzical but amused. The setting might have been jarring, but the intent was clear: this was the beginning of antakshari, a word chain game typically played in…

In a previous article, the author traced the development and series of constructions on Outer Ring Road (ORR), from the 1980s-1990s till 2015, when the Dr Muthuraj underpass was being constructed at Hosakerehalli junction, under the Nagarothana Scheme. Part two of the series will explore how multiple contradictory construction work has affected commuters. Road repurposing This has to do with uncertain infrastructure provisioning. Since most of these projects are implemented long after they have been planned or constructed on the go, there are no long-term visions for them. Plans keep changing and there is no one master plan that all…

The phrase Singara Chennai has captured the imagination of many of us who have grown up in the city. I am one of many who have taken up the cause of improving Solid Waste Management (SWM) in Chennai. My key motivation to do so has been the desire to leave behind a beautiful, green and pristine city for the future generation without any filth, garbage or pollution. I have been a close observer of the SWM landscape in the city and the changes it has undergone in the past 20 years, ever since the first instance of roping in of…