SOCIETY

A girls hostel building run by one of the private educational institutions. Picture for representation purpose only. The killing of a girl student in her college hostel room in Whitefield has sent shockwaves in the civil society. Apprehension over the safety of girl students in schools and colleges, has now expanded to hostels too. Mahesh, who was appointed as the attender of Pragathi PU College two years ago, was also serving as the attender of the hostel after the college hours. He was allegedly allowed inside the hostel at any time and on the fateful night he entered the room…

Pic credit: CARA - www.adoptionindia.nic.in  “We were nervous when we were to meet the judge for the first time since we weren't sure what to expect. He welcomed us into his chambers and the first thing he said was, ‘I wanted to thank you for taking the bold step of adopting a child. I am sure you will give this child a better life than he would have got otherwise.’ We always felt that we were also getting a better life and explained that to the judge and he smiled. As much as we needed him, I think the little guy…

The safety of women at the work place, in the course of work and in transportation, continues to challenge companies, as more and more women enter the work force. This problem will continue to grow unless proactive and purposive steps are taken by companies, industry associations, police, judiciary and citizens to secure the safety of women. In a dipstick poll conducted by B.PAC amongst invitees with about 900 respondents, it was noticed that while employees were generally aware of the existence of the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace) Act, they were not aware of the provisions of the…

So an out-of-town cop beat up his daughter in public, over an alleged affair. People, including the girl's own mother, stood by and watched. I am sure the mother was distraught. But she did nothing. Two women passers-by (may their tribe increase!) came to the girl's rescue and called the local cops. But in the end, the daughter failed to file a complaint. No surprises there. Perhaps the daughter is used to this kind of behaviour. Perhaps the mother gets beaten up too, back in their home town. Perhaps both mom and daughter are conditioned to expect this abuse from…

From Sureshbhai Patel, who was left paralysed due to excessive physical force from overzealous policemen in the USA for being a “coloured” human being walking on the streets of a xenophobic town, to Nirbhaya who was brutally raped in a moving bus in New Delhi, it is apparent there is an erosion of the basic and universal values that we perhaps tend to take for granted. It is left to us to salvage this state of anomie by inculcating in children universal values such as respect, compassion, treating people the way one wants to be treated and helping those who…

 S'pot' the difference! Pic: Divya Sreedharan One of the boys in the photograph above, is a Transformers lover, he makes paper planes, he goes to school, he attends birthday parties and playdates. And he loves going to the park to play in the sand. That boy is my son. Let's call him MS (my son). The other boy is a little bit older, but not much bigger in build. He too goes to school. In fact, he is in class 5. But he is not a 'child' any more. He also works on the weekends, to help out his parents.…

Recently, we went to see close assorted family living in the Nilgiris. We took the route that goes via Bandipur, Masinagudi, Kalhatty, Ooty, Wellington. The journey was a revelation, in many ways. At the entrance to Bandipur, there were groups of young people cautioning motorists against speeding, or honking and littering the National Park. "It's a Tiger Reserve", they reminded us, "so, please don't stop anywhere, drive with respect," they added, waving us on with a smile. My husband and I were surprised of course, but also gladdened, to see such committed conservationists giving up their holidays to do something…

In India, thousands of men and women are affected by sexual violence every year. In 2014, a report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund revealed that 77 percent of young girls between 15 and 19 years of age were affected by rape, forced sexual intercourse, and physical abuse by partners. In Bengaluru alone, there has been an alarming increase in the number of cases of child sexual assault.  DURGA (Dare to Understand behaviour, Respond appropriately and Guard ourselves Ably) is a unique citizen’s initiative to help young women and girls harness important life skills to deter crime. By creating…

A gentleman inside a ladies toilet! Pic: Anisha Nair When was the last time you thought you had died and then managed to resuscitate your being? I experienced this painful process very recently. Here we were going from one place to another, and typically, the way it normally happens—without warning—my bladder started to constrict. This meant that I had to go and I had to go now! This also meant that I couldn't go anywhere and everywhere I pleased, the reason being that I'm not an Indian dog, neither am I an Indian man. I can't simply pull over to…

The recent altercation at Bangalore Club involving Rajvir P Sharma, ADGP, Railways, whose driver allegedly abused a security guard onsite, raked up the issue of people in power or their staff flouting the rules or demanding special treatment. [also read: Rajvir Sharma case: CAT on the wall] Sharma was asked to show the club identity card, following which it appears that one thing led to another. Referring to the incident, Sharma says, “I was on official duty, going from my office to the DG’s office. I needed to use the restroom, and therefore considered going through the Club to use…