Society | Citizen Matters

In Pune, citizens and corporate groups help reach aid to the ones worst hit by lockdown

March 29, 2020 Ekta Joshi

In Pune, as in other cities, daily wage earners, migrant labourers and senior citizens are among those who are worst hit by the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. A look at how social and corporate organisations are helping them survive these difficult times.

Little relief for these migrant labourers as they stare at a long, hard struggle ahead

March 28, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

Caught between the devil and the deep sea, migrant workers in the Kausambi area of NCR, which falls in UP, face a stark choice: stay put and starve or get home somehow, which for most is 700 km away.

Caremongers, a citizen-led group has joined hands with local authorities and delivery services in several cities to ensure that help is offered to those in need. Recently, Dunzo has come forward to support their initiative. Pic: Caremongers Facebook Page

COVID-19: Here’s how you can help those in need, financially or otherwise

March 27, 2020 Ekta Sawant

Several individuals and groups have come together to offer help to the poor and vulnerable in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. We have put together a list of some initiatives that you may wish to support and join, to help them.

16 ways to volunteer from home during the COVID lockdown

March 26, 2020 Rinku Mecheri

More often than not, volunteers are people who are lead from the front on ground zero, setting a trail for others to follow. However, with a lockdown imposed for 21 days, how can people still pitch in to volunteer for the causes they hold dear?

Stuck with kids in quarantine? Here are a few things to keep them busy with

March 26, 2020 Manasi Paresh Kumar

A list of online resources to keep kids engaged as they spend time indoors

Another 21 days! Stay productive with these work-from-home tips

March 25, 2020 Sandhya Raju

Every employee finds it challenging to work from home. To stay motivated sans office environment requires utmost dedication. Read this guide to know how to make the best of this opportunity.

How digitisation has silenced the typists on their Remingtons outside Calcutta High Court

March 24, 2020 Gurvinder Singh

Once ubiquitous outside the Calcutta High Court, today only around 25 typists operate on the footpath outside the Court. But with increasing digitization, they too will soon fade away.

From Shah Jahan’s court to the present: Tales of a dying trade from Delhi’s last deed writer

March 16, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

Satya Narain Saxena, the tenth generation of a family of legal deed writers, is today the last surviving document writer of Delhi. His family history goes back to the times of emperor Shah Jahan while some of his ancestors were in Maharaja Jai Singh’s court in Amer. 85-plus Saxena regales us with his stories

Making Mumbai: A space for youth to share and learn from one another on co-creating their city. Pic: Vivek Venkatraman

From ‘right to play’ to ‘right to vote’: How Mumbai youth are helping fellow citizens claim their rights

March 13, 2020 Doel Jaikishen

Many youngsters across Greater Mumbai have formed collectives to help co-create a more inclusive city. Their initiatives have received a big boost from the youth event ‘Making Mumbai’, part of the annual urban festival ComplexCity, organised by not-for-profit YUVA.

From a street play presented at the ComplexCity Bolti Bombay youth competitions. Pic: Vivek Venkatraman

Co-creating Mumbai afresh via ComplexCity

March 12, 2020 Doel Jaikishen

ComplexCity, an annual festival in Mumbai organised by the non-profit YUVA, enables city residents to openly engage, express and exchange views, and collaborate to explore solutions to the city’s pressing problems. A round-up of the 2020 event.

#SheInspiresUs: The seven women who spread hope through the PM’s Twitter handle

March 10, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

On Women’s Day this year, when our PM signed off from his social media accounts for the day, what we saw by way of tweets from @narendramodi were messages and tales of seven exceptional women, who spoke of their passion and work. Who were they?

Society

“My rights need to be stronger than a woman’s”

March 8, 2020 Manasi Paresh Kumar

The idea of an equal world for men and women is still Utopian, but there are some strides made every day. But for trans women, a world with equal rights is an even more distant reality. On International Women’s Day, as we discuss equality for all, a chat with Bengaluru’s Sumangali Balakrishna and her fight for rights as a trans woman.

How graffiti art is paving the way for women empowerment and social change

February 21, 2020 Jahanvi J

Missing the safety of studios, graffiti involves scaling tall buildings, working long nights, and often secretly, with the risk of getting caught by cops. Nevertheless, using graffiti as a tool of protest, female artists in our cities are breaking stereotypes.

Privacy: The missing link in the discourse on sexual harassment

January 24, 2020 Ashok G V

Explicit jokes, sly innuendos or gender-specific insults — do these really amount to sexual harassment? Should employers adjudicate on such cases as such? To understand why and when, one needs to understand the concept of privacy in all its facets. A lawyer explains.

Nostalgia: No more frolicking on the ice in Shimla

January 22, 2020 Ashwani Sharma

Even as it celebrates the centenary of its creation, Shimla’s iconic natural ice skating Rink seems to be dying a slow death, primarily due to environmental changes and unplanned urbanisation in its surroundings.

Op-ed: A few simple steps towards designing safer public spaces for women

January 20, 2020 Suchitra Deep

For too long, we have lived in and accepted cities built by men, for men. But as more and more women need and want access to public spaces within their cities, we need paradigm shifts in design to make these safer for them. Here are some simple first steps.

Helping boys and men become change agents in the gender equality movement

January 20, 2020 Aruna Natarajan

Continuing our special series on women’s safety, we present a list of NGOs and initiatives that are working towards sensitising boys and men on gender issues. Using resources, toolkits, workshops and lectures, they enable men to play key roles in preventing violence and discrimination against women.

HawkEye, Bharosa, transit dorms and more: Women’s safety initiatives from Telangana police

January 18, 2020 Kolla Krishna Madhavi

In this interview, Swati Lakra, IPS, IGP Law and Order and In charge of the Women’s Safety Wing of the state, talks about the various steps the police have taken to help women in distress. Continuing our special series on women’s safety

How have Indian states put the ‘Nirbhaya Funds’ to use?

January 17, 2020 News Desk

The Nirbhaya Fund was introduced in the Union Budget 2013, with a view to ensuring that states could take adequate measures towards the creation of a more secure environment for women in the long term. But have states utilised this? In continuation of our special series on women’s safety

Why ‘Fast Track Courts’ have been slow to ensure justice for women and children

January 16, 2020 Bindu Gopal Rao

The main intent behind the setting up of Fast Track Courts was to speed up trials and decide cases relating to serious crimes, especially against women and children. In most states, however, these have failed to achieve anything. A look at the reasons behind such failure.