Society

George Town in Chennai encompasses NSC Bose Road and many bylanes that bustle with activity at all times. It is a wholesale market where businesses and individuals buy goods in bulk for cheap. The narrow lanes and many shops make navigation of these roads very difficult. While much has changed about the area over the years, the tricycle carts used by cart pullers to transport goods have remained constant. In the din, from dawn to dusk, one can spot men on their tricycles, moving goods to and from the market. They work close to 12-14 hours a day. The cart…

Friday nights are when the rich go out for dinner and fun. On September 9th, a class 11 student took his friend out for dinner in his MG Hector. But before the night turned into morning, the juvenile had hit and run over a 23-year-old food delivery partner who died soon after he was rushed to hospital. The brat at the wheel had abandoned his car and fled the accident spot, but was apprehended by the police who registered an FIR. On August 31st, a 17-year old smothered to death an 18-year-old differently abled boy he was meant to be…

In August this year, Rakhi Naik, a domestic worker in Mumbai, was found pleading to the police at Khar police station by Aftab Siddique, a teacher and social activist in the city. Rakhi was on one of the many rounds she had made to police stations asking for help after filing an FIR in April. Through Rakhi, Aftab was able to unravel a complicated pattern of fraud in the city. Men claiming to be brokers and agents dupe people from the lower class out of lakhs of money and make affordable housing harder for them. It all started when Rakhi signed an…

Translated by Sandhya Raju “தங்கள் வாழ்கை நிலை உயரவும் தன் குழந்தைகளுக்கு நல்ல கல்வி பெறவும், தமிழகத்தின் பல இடங்களிலிருந்து சென்னைக்கு பிழைப்பு தேடி வரும் மக்கள் வருகின்றனர். இவ்வாறு வரும் மக்கள், பெரும்பாலும் நதிக்கரை ஒரமாக தங்கள் இருப்பிடத்தை அமைத்துக் கொள்கின்றனர். திடீர் திடீரென இவர்கள் குடிசைகள் தீப்பற்றி எரிவதால், இந்த இடம் “திடீர் நகர்” என அழைக்கப் பெற்றது.” சைதாபேட்டை திடீர் நகரில் வசிக்கும் 60 வயது எஸ் கதிர்வேலன்.  ஆனால், ராஜா அண்ணாமலை புரத்தில் வசிக்கும் எல். விஜயா வேறொரு காரணத்தை முன் வைக்கிறார். “இங்குள்ள பெண்களின் அணிகலங்கள் திடீர் திடீரென காணாமல் போவதாலும், அடிக்கடி குடித்துவிட்டு இங்குள்ள மக்கள் தகராறில் ஈடுபடுவதாலும், இந்த பெயர் காரணம் இருக்கலாம் என கூறுகிறார்.” பெயர் காரணம் எதுவாக இருப்பினும் அங்கு நடக்கும் திடீர் சம்பவங்கள் இவர்கள் வாழ்க்கையை தீர்மானிப்பதாக உள்ளது. திடீர் நகர் சென்னையில் பல பகுதிகளில் இருந்தாலும்,…

Family courts, by definition, deal with speedy and secure settlement of disputes relating to marriage, guardianship, and all matters related to family. Family Courts were first established, across the country, after the Family Courts Act, 1984, came into effect. Inside Bengaluru's family courts In Bengaluru, the family court complex is located off the road from the Lalbagh Main Gate, leading towards the double road bus station. The court complex has about three floors with six  court halls along with the Principal bench on the second floor. After passing  through the security check, one is greeted, at the mediation centre, by…

Some make headlines and cause nationwide furore (especially when a celebrity is involved). Some make it to the news, but as just another statistic without attracting public attention in any measure. While many, many more go unreported, often deliberately brushed under the carpet. All of these, silently or otherwise, add to India’s alarming record of the number of deaths by suicide. The reported numbers for this was 1.64 lakh in the year 2021 alone, though experts say that the real numbers are much higher. But despite the evident crisis that the country faces, suicide prevention rarely receives the systemic focus…

Mohammad Irshad, a person with a disability and a native of Bengaluru, when asked about the current state of accessibility for the disabled in the city, said: “I have never been to a public washroom”. Irshad, diagnosed with a condition called Spina Bifida, where a  baby's spinal cord fails to develop properly, has been a wheelchair user for as long as he can remember. Irshad believes that the lack of accessibility in Bengaluru stems from the fact that the public and policymakers are unaware of the types of disabilities that exist. He believes accessibility for people with disabilities can only…

In the sweltering Chennai summer heat, Amala endearingly helps her friend Pavithra who is fretting and nervous about riding a bicycle through the busiest roads of Arumbakkam. To add to her stress, the ordeal is unfolding at 9 pm, a time highly unusual for women to commute casually in Chennai. While Pavithra anxiously pedals, constantly shifting uncomfortably in her seat, with several eyes watching her every move, Amala and her friends join Pavithra in solidarity. They cheer her on, as she slowly and gradually adjusts her eyes to the dizzying traffic and steadies herself to a comfortable pace.  Cycling in…

"Many people from villages across Tamil Nadu came to Chennai to make a living. They moved here with the hope of improving the standard of living for their families and providing good education to their children. These people, who migrated in small groups from rural parts, eventually settled along the banks of rivers or water bodies. They built small huts to reside. The huts were prone to catching fire suddenly at any time and so the area came to be called Thideer Nagar," says S Kathirvelan, a 60-year-old resident of Thideer Nagar in Saidapet. But L Vijaya, a resident of…

Last year India witnessed the highest number of deaths by suicide — 1.64 lakh. And, these are only the reported deaths!  The stigma that is associated with suicide makes it even worse. As a result, large number of incidents remain unreported in our country. It may not be an exaggeration to say that the figure above presents an incomplete picture. As per the latest NCRB report, daily wage labourers continue to be the most vulnerable population to suicide. Suicide rates among housewives and students are also on the rise. The COVID pandemic has further aggravated the situation for people across…