Society

"Why did you pursue a master's degree in Chemistry, if you eventually wanted to become a journalist?" This is a constant inquiry when my educational background comes up in conversations. My response is to share the story of my career journey, independence and personal freedom. I hail from Pune where I was born and raised within a close-knit, supportive family. From a young age, I enjoyed the freedom to express myself and explore diverse ideas. Driven by curiosity and self-confidence, I always knew I could achieve more in life. However, throughout my school years, I didn't have a clear career…

He stays out till 11:00 pm working on his story. Once finished, he drives back home worrying only about the deadline. I, on the other hand, worry about getting home safe before worrying about that deadline. When I asked him if safety was not his prime concern, he shrugged nonchalantly. And it is not only about having to work late hours. Turns out he can visit any office, any official, any source, without much thought about safety, unless it is a crime story he’s reporting on. I wondered then, what extreme worlds he and I must be living in! As…

In parts one and two of this series, we looked at the condition of the 30 dhobi ghats in the city and why there isn't a single functioning water recycling plant to solve the issue of water scarcity. In this third and final part, we will look at how the rise of laundry brands are becoming a severe threat to traditional dhobi ghats and the dhobis' livelihood. With the majority of dhobi ghats relying heavily on manual washing and minimum use of technology, the emergence of laundry brands, which use and advertise technological tools to entice more customers, is posing…

"My mother was a freedom fighter and so were her mother and her mother's mother." I read this quote by Aja Monet one day, and it made me wonder, "Do women ever achieve full freedom”? I came to Mumbai from my home in Raipur, Chattisgarh, after COVID to do a course in Media at a women’s college. It was strange for me that not many people even knew about the existence of Raipur. During my early days in Mumbai I had to explain to people that Raipur is the capital of Chhattisgarh and it is not in Jharkhand. A shift…

In July 2023, 995 cases of cruelty in domestic violence, under section 498 A, were reported in Karnataka. In Bengaluru, a Deccan Herald report stated that the Parihar-Vanitha Sahayavani counselling centre in Bengaluru received 434 complaints of domestic violence, between April and December, 2022. As more cases of domestic violence are reported, it is important to know the legal definition and consequences of cruelty in domestic violence.  This explainer clarifies how survivors can seek legal help and protection.  What is cruelty in the context of domestic violence? Cruelty includes the actions of torture against a married woman by her husband…

Nearly 30 km away from Keezhadi, an archaeological excavation site in the Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu, is a village called Alangulam. This was where my father was born and grew up for the most part of his life. This is the place I am supposed to call my 'native' home, though I have hardly ever visited the village. However, the patriarchal culture and customs of the place were very much part of our home, no matter where that was. The place that was once ruled by Rani Velu Nachiyar, the first queen to fight for freedom against the British…

The Annual Madras Day festivities have begun with a collection of heritage walks, heritage talks, contests, and various other community-organised events in the city.  While the entire month of August is usually set aside to organise events to commemorate the historical founding of the city on August 22, 1639, most of the events occur over the actual week in the run-up to Madras Day. Started by a group of community journalists and historians in 2004 – notable among them Vincent D’Souza, Sashi Nair and S. Muthiah – the celebration of Madras Day aims to bring people and communities together to…

Ashwath has continued his family's generational profession. He has been working at the Vyalikaval Dhobi Ghat for nearly 30 years, and his day begins as early as 5 am. He starts work by separating the clothes into two piles: one for manual washing and the other for machine washing. Four dry cleaners give Ashwath clothes to wash. "While towels and bedsheets can be washed in the machine, expensive clothes like sarees and dresses are given to us for washing. We do face a few health issues since we work a lot in water, but we are used to it," says…

Dharavi, Asia's largest slum is in the heart of Mumbai. Spread over 535 acres, approximately 8.5 lakh people live in approximately 55,000 dwelling units in Dharavi with a population density of 3.4 lakh per square km. One of the many communities, living in Dharavi for decades, is the traditional potters community. 'Kumbhar' means pots and 'Wada' means colony. Dharavi's Kumbharwada is where the magic of clay has been happening for decades together. Kumbharwada occupies about 12.5 acres in Dharavi, and is home to 500 potters’ families. A well-settled and internationally famous colony, however, struggles during the rains. Production reduces drastically…

Government-owned built heritage in Chennai seems to have never had it so good. All over the city, many Indo-Saracenic structures are getting much-needed restoration and if not that, at least a facelift. In the last decade or so, there has certainly been a change in attitude as far as the authorities are concerned over the built heritage of the colonial kind. And this is to be welcomed. It is certainly not the happy ending as far as the battle to preserve heritage is concerned but it is undoubtedly progress. The question remains, will this influence private players and more importantly…