GENRE: Voices

There is evidently not much good news floating around in the economy. First, some numbers. In 2019, according to ILO estimates, youth unemployment rate in India was at 10.51%. This figure has hovered around 10% for the past decade. But unemployment rate among the urban youth is much higher. According to data released by the Centre in its Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2017-18, unemployment among urban youth in the age group of 15-29 years was at 23.7% in that December quarter, rising consistently over the three previous quarters of that year. If that trend continued, and all reports indicate…

Due to the threat of COVID-19, most of us are now opting to stay home rather than move about the city. Senior citizens and children especially, are the most vulnerable and have been advised to stay indoors for their own safety. But how long can one stay indoors without getting depressed and frustrated?  For those living in independent houses, gardening is a way to keep up their spirits. But not all independent houses can afford to have gardens, especially if the sites are small. In such cases, rooftop gardening could be the solution. Take the case of my friends Phaneendra…

சென்னையைப் பொருத்த வரை சாதாரண நாட்களில் ஆன்லைன் பயன்பாடு பெரிய அளவில் இருந்திருந்தாலும் இன்றைய அடைப்புக் காலத்தில் கல்வியோ, கலைகளோ வேலையோ, கலந்துரையாடலோ ஏன் குடும்ப, சமூக, வழிபாட்டு வைபவங்கள் கூட ஆன்லைனில் தான் என்ற நிலையில், அது மனமலர்ச்சிக்கு, மகிழ்ச்சிக்கு ஏதேனும் பங்காற்றுகிறதா என்று பார்த்தால் ’ஆம்’ எனும் பதில் நமக்கு ஆறுதலாகிறது. சென்னையில் குறிப்பாக நாளுக்கு நாள் அதிதீவிரமடைந்து அச்சமூட்டி வரும் தொற்று எண்ணிக்கையும் மட்டுமின்றி மரண எண்ணிக்கையும் ஒருபுறம் பீதியைக் கிளறிக் கொண்டிருக்க வேறுபல அழுத்தங்களும் அதிகரித்து வருகின்றன. அது இருப்பிடமும், உணவும், கல்வியும் கேள்விக்குரியதாகி வருவதாலும் தனித்து முடங்கிக் கிடப்பதாலுமென தொற்றைப் போலவே தொடர்ந்து அபாயகரமாக பரவி வருகிறது.  இப்படியொரு கற்பனை செய்து பார்க்க முடியாத மனவிரக்தியும் அதன் விளைவும் குறித்து ஏற்கெனவே நமக்கு எச்சரிக்கையும் செய்யப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. அந்தக் கட்டத்துக்குள் நாம் மெல்ல மெல்ல நுழைகிறோமோ என்ற கருத்துகளும் தற்போது பதிவாகத் துவங்கியுள்ளது.  எனவே, இவைகளைக்…

With Unlock 1.0, Bengaluru has reopened its shops and businesses, and even traffic jams seem to be back. Is this good for us? The short answer is: not all of it. On the one hand, it is great that the economy can recover and the joblessness crisis may start to resolve.  But on the other hand, people returning to their daily lives as if nothing happened is a dangerous approach. More people risk falling sick and infecting others, as indicated by the recent spike in COVID-positive cases. Hospitals that have worked so hard these past few months to contain the…

As an extended lockdown was announced by the center and state to curtail the spread of COVID-19, little did I imagine that we would be witness to a humanitarian crisis of this scale, created by the Governments -- both state and centre. Agreed that this killer contagion was nasty but to use that as a cover to deny any assistance to the migrants is a sheer act of cruelty.  Having lost their livelihood and jobs, migrants, who power our cities, found themselves staring at an uncertain future, facing hunger, fearing disease and caught in an alien state with language issues.…

It was the first thing on her to-do list as restrictions eased with Lockdown 5. Manjula recharged her phone for Rs 400. “I may have to skip a meal for this” she laments as the expense eats into her non-existent savings. “But my Amma should be able to call now” is her hope as she waits for her employers to call her back to work.  Working as a domestic help has been more than a decade of Manjula’s life.  She turned up at homes everyday like clockwork, to clean them without a day off. She stayed behind to help when they…

According to a 2018 Ease of Mobility Index report from the Ola Institute, Chennai emerged on top when it came to public transport usage, with 75% of the population opting for public transport; buses being the most widely used.  The MTC bus system in Chennai has proven to be most popular due to high daily frequency, capacity, affordability and accessibility. The main patrons have been those who are in lower income groups such as daily wage labourers who often have to travel long distances to their place of work. In the foreseeable future however, the daily commute of Chennai residents…

The warning bell was rung by the Prime Minister when he announced Janta Curfew on March 22nd this year. I had returned to Mumbai on March 13th after a series of Board Meetings in Chennai. We were discussing annual operating plans but knew that we may be hit by a tidal wave soon. We did not expect it to be a Tsunami.  When I spoke with HR heads of companies in mid-May, many said that they knew a lockdown was coming. Many global companies had issued a diktat as early as March 15th to move employees out of offices. The challenge…

The mathematical projections of MGR University indicate that there could be 1.5 lakh COVID-19 patients in Chennai by mid-July and the incidence of infection could peak in October. Going by the fact that the varsity’s projections on Chennai have been proven right so far, it is best to brace ourselves to deal with the crisis as it is quite likely to knock upon every one of our homes.  How does one stay prepared, though? Well, this is my own account, an observation of the crisis from close quarters, which might help in  understanding how the system works as it is…

There's much work done in society on a regular basis that remains unrecognised or even taken for granted, until one undertakes to do it in his own hand. That's something each of us has experienced over the last three months of the lockdown, as we have had to do all household work in the absence of our domestic workers. Having washed utensils at least thrice a day, swept floors every day, washed clothes and cleaned toilets, perhaps we will now be goaded into some serious thinking about what we can do for the people who silently perform these chores, almost…