TRENDS

How do I slim thee? Let me count the ways... A while ago, I was getting my then-five-year-old ready for school. It was one of those beautiful and bracingly chill Bengaluru mornings where all you want to do is curl up with a mug of filter coffee sweetened with bella. Alas, the little fellow had school. I wanted him to wear a warm coat. He vetoed the one I laid out and instead, insisted he wanted a thin windcheater.  “The warmer coat will keep you nice and snug,” I pointed out. “No, I look fat in it,” he responded, matter…

An article in the New York Times says having a working mom leads to economic, educational and social benefits for her children. The children of such mothers tended to "complete more years of education, were more likely to be employed, and in supervisory roles and earned higher incomes", the article says quoting a Harvard Business School study which looked at working moms and their children in the US. I happen to agree that it is good for moms to work--for self-worth, self confidence and economic independence. But I also believe the quality (and quantity) of work is very important. And…

“Be of service. Whether you make yourself available to a friend or co-worker, or you make time every month to do volunteer work, there is nothing that harvests more of a feeling of empowerment than being of service to someone in need.”                                                                     - Gillian Anderson, Actress and Philanthropist In the past couple of years, Bangalore has seen various individuals and groups stepping up to further a cause that…

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…

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…

Sometimes people do not encounter problems; but rather problems have a way of finding those who have the vision and resolve to make the world a better place. That’s what happened to Prateek Kaul and Prarthana Prateek Kaul, when they were working on an event with blind kids and had to struggle in order to arrange for appropriate gifts for them.  Prarthana and Prateek Kaul of GiftAbled Foundation at an event This made them think of what would happen if a sighted person wanted to give a card to a blind person. If it was a card with words, the…

On November 26 and in the days before, police in Bangalore, India, rounded up more than 150 hijras and put them in a concentration camp. (Hijra is a traditional term, across much of South Asia, for people born males who who identify either as women or as a third gender.)  At Orinam, an online resource for LGBT issues in India, human rights lawyer Gowthaman Ranganathan tells the story: Approximately 167 members of the transgender community have been taken away by the police and kept at the Beggars’ colony. These detentions have been entirely arbitrary … Most detainees were not on the streets begging or doing any act that is prohibited…

Kripa is a married mom of two in her mid-30s. She is on Facebook, Twitter and many, many WhatsApp groups. And yep, she has many “friends” across these various social media, across groups, too--school groups, college groups, work groups. Too many 'friends' to count, in fact. Through the day, Kripa finds it hard to ignore her cellphone because it pings incessantly with messages from the various groups she is part of--there is a constant exchange of messages, videos, images, jokes--some “non-veg” jokes and videos, some innocent, some childish. All kinds of messages, really. One day, Kripa sent a smiley in…

One of the origami cranes with the message of acceptance on the bottom of the wings is shown above. Credit: Shivani Pal Shivani Pal, a fan of Origami, residing in Bangalore, firmly believes she can overturn the societal conviction where inter-caste marriage is treated as a “crime.” Shivani is working on a project to promote acceptance of inter-caste marriage as part of her education at the Landmark Worldwide group. The project is two-fold: Her and a close group of family and friends make origami cranes with a message about “A Community of Love: Look beyond caste, creed and religion” with…

Some of the cards children have made for the carnival Sometime last year, five women were chatting over a cup of coffee. In the course of their conversation, the five (part of a moms' group because their children attend the same school), realised they shared similar beliefs--that they all believed passionately in making a difference to the lives of those less privileged. And that, to do this, they had to "become the change, they want to see". Now, this is a group of highly qualified and motivated professionals--there's a Chartered Accountant, an MBA, an interior designer, a corporate professional, and…