Society

On August 29, BBMP issued an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) on dealing with complaints on the killing of stray dogs. Following is an edited version of BBMP's press release. The killing of an animal by any method is illegal and is a cognisable offence under Sec 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, and Sec 428 of the Indian Penal Code. These laws provide for lodging of police complaints and filing of FIRs in such cases. So, if you have reason to suspect that the death of a stray dog is due to poisoning or killing, you…

The pandemic has pushed our major parts of our lives online and the unintended consequence of it has been a subsequent increase in online scams and frauds.  Take the case of 28-year-old Charles Aphrem, who lives in IC Colony, Borivali West. Charles along with his friends decided to go for a weekend break to  Alibaug on 21 August 2020. He came across a post on Facebook, where a certain Harish Parmer had advertised a stay at Alibaug for Rs 2500 per person  (including all meals) for a day. The photos looked legitimate and upon further investigation, Charles saw that Harish…

It's been three months since Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide but the swelling media coverage could deceive you into thinking that it was two days ago. In fact, there was an unfortunate death two days ago. (Actually, there were many, if you count the 300+ deaths Maharashtra has been recording all week. Its current total of coronavirus cases is more than a million. But we know you're bored of all that.) Anyway, back to the one death two days ago. A barricade on Western Express Highway fell on a pillion bike rider and killed him instantly. The incident resurfaced…

Nagamma and Tirupataiah, a couple hailing from Kurnool district are waste pickers at the Kattedan Industrial Estate (KIE), near Rajendranagar in Hyderabad. Another waste picker, Shantamma took up this activity when she shifted to the area after her marriage.  Spread across 110 hectares, the KIE houses 450 units belonging to manufacturing, oil refining, rewinding machines, food processing industries. The industries provide employment to 10,000 laborers, and the total population of the area is roughly 26000, most of them living in the neighbouring villages. Industrial pollution -- primarily high concentration of mineral oil and metals in the soil, dust, odour and…

A dog snuggling up to you, craving belly rubs, can be a real stress-buster, especially when you are working from home and managing multiple fronts. Of the different trends witnessed during the pandemic-initiated lockdown in Chennai, a notable one is an increase in the demand for puppies. “The demand for apartment dogs such as Labrador, Husky and Golden Retriever has increased by more than fifty per cent during the past six months. People from all walks of life are showing interest in buying or adopting a dog,” says Gokulraj Dharmalingam, a dog breeder.  But how many of us know how…

The story of Kekee Manzil — The House of Art is the story of Mumbai’s Parsis, looked at through the life of one iconic person. The documentary film takes us through the life of the late Kekoo Gandhy (1920–2012), the famous art gallerist and picture frame manufacturer who was the owner of the popular Chemould Frames shop at Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda neighbourhood. But the film is also a nostalgic visual journey of Bombay in the 1980s and 1990s, which charts the history of the Parsi community in parallel. The filmmaker Behroz Gandhy, Kekoo’s daughter, has sketched his life through her…

COVID-19 is far more than a health crisis; it has affected our economy and livelihoods, and has challenged our society overall. We have been applauding those in the healthcare sector, but few think of workers who’ve been risking their lives to maintain sanitation at the frontlines -- cleaning our streets, ensuring that we don’t catch the virus -- all with sub-optimal working conditions and lack of health cover.  To address this issue, Antar, a group of college students from Bengaluru and other cities, came together to provide ration and relief kits to pourakarmikas and their families. We have covered over…

Along with its distinctive icons and landmarks, if there is another unique feature that sets Chennai apart, it is the use of Madras bashai (dialect).  Dai kasmalam, ootla soltu vantiya? Bejar pannama anthanda po! Familiar sounds, for anyone who has ventured on Chennai roads! Unique to the capital city, the dialect is believed to have evolved over several centuries, as Madras was a port city. Many people from other states travelled to the city, and as they assimilated with the population, the city absorbed many words from their languages into its lexicon. Historian Nivedita Louis Part of present-day Arani (about…

“Getting a customer who can afford to pay at least Rs 50 for a night is a big deal now. A week ago, I had a customer who offered only Rs 30, but I could not deny him. Every single penny counts today,” 32-year-old Christina, a transgender and sex worker in Chennai, tells me. The threat of coronavirus has acutely affected the livelihood of transgender persons in Chennai. The city is home to around 4,000 trans people, most of whom have been rendered jobless and penniless ever since the nation went into lockdown. The only financial aid that the community…

Among the many contributions the remarkable Annie Besant made to Indian nationalism was the establishing in 1914 of the Young Men's Indian Association - a challenge to the YMCA. The purpose of the YMIA was to serve as “a political gymnasium as it were, to equip the youth with a strong body, an informed mind and a noble character". The following year, the YMIA's HQ opened - Gokhale Hall, on Armenian Street in Madras. Annie Besant paid for the construction herself. It took the name of Gopal Krishna Gokhale, a leader of the Indian National Congress and founder of the Servants…