SOCIETY

Shajan has worked with companies like MRF, J K Tyre & Industries, Aptech, Quess Corp Limited, and TeamLease. He was, in fact, the youngest State Head for JK Tyre at the age of 29. He also was the one who launched the first MBA Programme in Media and Entertainment with Subhash Ghai’s Whistling Woods International Institute. Shajan has travelled across India, meeting various people. Somewhere along the way he realised that 'the money in the bank, the car you drive and the house you live in don't account for anything. It is about how many people you manage that can…

Have you ever wondered how and why Bengaluru was established? What was it like? Did you know that the name 'Bengaluru' could have been derived from either a form of granite or the 'Honge' tree (Indian beech)? According to Yashaswini, based on inscriptions found, Bengaluru was established as a trading town during 537 AD by Kempegowda. Listen in to this interview in the series, to learn more about the history of Bengaluru and its various petes and people.

Having always been a self-proclaimed ‘dog person,’ Osha Shetty works hard every day to improve the lives of these innocent creatures she loves so dearly. This 30-year-old is currently the Centre Manager at the CUPA Second Chance Adoption Centre, Silk Board Junction. CUPA (Compassion Unlimited Plus Action) rescues thousands of abandoned, ill-treated and sick street animals in Bengaluru and provides them with the care they need until they may be re-homed. Osha’s love extends to other animals too, and she was one of the people behind The Cat Studio, New Tippasandra. Osha has always had dogs and other pets in…

People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Karnataka and Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression Karnataka released their joint fact-finding report on the garment workers strike of April 18 and 19 2016. The report, titled Thread and Tension- an account of the historic uprising of garment workers, was launched jointly by Rangamma from the BBMP Contract Powrakarmika Workers' Union, Bhagya from Garment and Textile Workers' Union (GATWU), Pushpa from the Stree Jaagruti Samiti (Domestic Workers' Rights Union), and Rukmini, an Anganwadi teacher. The report release was preceded by a panel discussion, moderated by Kavita Srinivas of PUCL, where the panelists spoke of…

Trifene, a student from Zimbabwe, came to Bengaluru, to study in Christ College in Bengaluru, after she was promised of cutting-edge technological opportunities and new multi-cultural experiences. But as she was soon to find out, the process of assimilating into Indian society would be much harder than she expected. She says she faced racially motivated encounters that she would shy away from to avoid any conflict; sometimes it was unavoidable to participate in such conflicts when they occurred inside her hostel. In the video below, she narrates an incident where another male student who lived in the same hostel as…

Bengaluru has a vibrant community of sexual minorities, and has caught the attention of the mainstream 'society' through the  Director Suhas and the actors Suhas and Chandrasekhar speak about thier short filim about sexual minorities.

Did you know that senior citizens are entitled to certain benefits and provisions under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007? In fact the Act also provides for childless senior citizens who can claim maintenance from their relatives if needed. There are also provisions and procedure for cancellation of documents under which property has been transferred by senior citizens to children. Unfortunately, awareness of the Act and other rights and benefits accorded to senior citizens under the Indian law remains extremely low according to a survey done by HelpAge India. One in five elders is unaware of…

Dandiya Night It was Navaratri and one of my friends invited me to join her in the festive celebrations. She stays in a gated community in Whitefield that had organised a Dandiya night. My friend was a part of the organising committee, they had planned the event well in advance and posted on their online forum, inviting suggestions (community participation!!). Residents actively participated in the discussion and the event came to life. There was celebration over the nine days of the festival. As I walked through, a sense of celebration set in. The little ones were running and playing around…

A few weeks ago, I’d just come out of my gym in RT Nagar when a couple with a child, looking as if they hailed from somewhere rural, approached me. Both of them asked me if I spoke Hindi and told me how they’d come to Bangalore on train from some place in Bihar, was summoned for a job by a contractor who had then cheated them. Now they were without money and couldn’t go back to their village. The man had tears in his eyes and the woman looked sad. It was late evening and they begged me to…

  DaanUtsav (formerly The Joy of Giving Week) is an entirely volunteer-driven initiative which encourages people to indulge in any act of giving of their choice. There is no blueprint and the idea is to get everyone to participate in this festival of giving and experience the joy of the act. Started in 2009, the festival is celebrated across the country from October 2nd to 8th. Daan Utsav is a great platform that brings together people from all walks of life and encourages them to share their time, money, material, skill or just love. This festival is like any other…