Society

Contemporary Bangalore or Bengaluru is typically seen as a modern ever-expanding city. Its boundaries stretch in different directions based on intense clusters of development. For e.g., Sarjapur road, Whitefield - Varthur, Devanahalli, Yeshwanthpur - Peenya - Magadi and Kengeri. One such cluster to the city’s north-west is Yeshwanthpur. And often like the other clusters named above, it is seen as “greenfield development” i.e. development of agricultural but uninhabited land. Loss of such land is not seen to be of much value or rather such land is not considered to have any socio-cultural significance or history worth recording. But such an…

Running as a sport has caught on in a big way in Indian cities with the creation of runners’ groups, sharing of resources and at least one eponymous race hosted by every big city. Now, with the temperatures having dropped in most parts of the country, running fever is at a high. Bengaluru just hosted the 10K intencity run and earlier in November, the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon saw a great response despite the initial uncertainty caused by the alarming levels of pollution in the capital region. In an earlier article, we discussed how air quality, though traditionally not a…

சமீப காலமாக நாம் அதிகம் எதிர்கொள்ளும் காதல் நிராகரிப்பு கொலைகள் ஆண் சமுதாயத்தின் மீதான நம்பிக்கையையே புரட்டிப் போடுவதாக உள்ளது. இது போன்ற நிகழ்வுகள் அதிக அளவில் நடக்க என்ன காரணம் என்று உங்களின் பலரைப் போலவே எங்களுக்குள்ளும் ஆதங்கம் மேலோங்கியது. இது போன்ற நிலைமை அமைவதை பற்றியும், எதிர்கொள்வது பற்றியும் பிரபல மனநல நிபுணரிடமும், முண்ணணி திரைப்பட இயக்குனரிடமும் அறிந்து கொள்ள முற்பட்டோம். நம் உடலில் ஏற்படும் வலிக்கு எவ்வாறு நம் மூளை செயல்படுகிறதோ அதே போன்று தான் நிராகரிப்பு ஏற்படும் பொழுது செயல்படுகிறது எனக் கூறுகிறார் பிரபல மனநல வல்லுநர் மினி ராவ். ஆனால் உடல் வலியை மறப்பது போல் எளிதில் நிராகரிப்பு ஏற்படுத்தும் வலியை மறக்க இயலாது. அந்த உணர்ச்சி வடுக்கள் நீண்ட நேரம் ஆழப் பதிந்திருக்கும். இதுவே சுய மரியாதை, தன்னம்பிக்கை ஆகியவற்றை கேள்விக்குறியாக்கும். எதிர்கொள்வது எப்படி? சாதுவான பெண் முதல் நம்மிடம் மிகவும் நட்பாக…

She has been making news for walking across the length of the country to draw focus on the sexual violence against women. But 30-year-old Srishti Bakshi has not been spared the harrassment that has become so common in a woman’s life that it is the new normal. “There have been times when a few people stop to take selfies and get a little too close to comfort. They don’t even realise it is wrong and that it’s making somebody uncomfortable.” says the lady who has already walked more than 40 cities and towns since she started her journey earlier this…

A conversation from a few weeks ago: Paul : So, what was that ChukuBuku Beku thing about? You guys did that after the steel flyover beda, right? Me: That was to bring attention to the long-pending demand for suburban train service. We see local train as a great solution to our traffic woes and pollution. To make that point, more than a thousand of us took a train from Cantonment to Whitefield station to generate public support for the cause. Paul : Oh! interesting. Back in the day, we used to wear our suit-boot and take the train to Whitefield…

Sampige Road, the road that leads to Malleshwaram, has something to offer to everyone. Nestled close to the famous Holige Mane and Bhagyalakshmi Gulkhan shop is an informal bookshop, next to the pavement. A quick look at the book collection on the Rajyothsava day reveals many English pulp fiction — but no Kannada books. A few shops ahead, there is a board: ‘Gupta Circulating Library.’ The shop houses many old books — bound, numbered and neatly stacked, presumably constituting the library part of it. Many contemporary Kannada magazines, shloka and devotional literature occupy the front, visible part of the small…

It was a teary-eyed reunion for 50-year-old Mahfoosa Khatoon who had gone missing from her home in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal a decade ago. The Tamil Nadu State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB)’s initiative reuniting missing people ensured that she would be going home with her husband and brother for the first time since 2007. Mahfoosa, who also showed signs of Psychosis, was rescued from Muthukadu in Chennai by The Banyan, a not-for-profit organization, about a year ago. Recollecting the episode, Ratheesh K.Ram, a social worker from The Banyan said that she had been found in a semi-nude state at…

It has been two decades, and yet the struggle does not seem to end. Parvathy, a resident of Saidapet, is 70 years old and is seen actively moving around her small shop. “Our joint family became a nuclear family after my two sons got married. It was tough, and then my husband passed away too. Life was even more difficult now and then with my savings, I started this small shop adjacent to my house to keep myself engaged. I long to see my sons but they are busy with their family,” says Parvathy while handing over toffees to two…

"So have you heard this one?" said my brother. "The Stephanians put a board outside the college, saying 'Dogs and Hinduites not allowed.'" "And you know how the Hinduites responded?" he asked with a mischievous smile. "Dogs are allowed, but not Stephenians!" Back when we were students, stories like these went far and wide, carried by nothing more than word of mouth—we didn't need Facebook or Google to know about the rather ridiculous rivalry between St. Stephen's College and Hindu College. For the uninitiated, Hindu College and St. Stephen's College are a part of Delhi University's North Campus, and stand…

The Diwali sugar overload and dark warnings have swung back again for your annual consumption. Various government, parastatal and private organisations have already created lists of what you can do, what you can’t, and what you shouldn't. And these are relevant to every reveller in every city and town, as the nation gets ready to celebrate the annual festival of lights. Let’s look at the yearly log book of safety rules, along with other tips that have been handed down over the years like grandma’s homilies. DO Keep a blanket and a bucket of water or sand nearby as a…