Dear Beta, I am sorry for pushing you to death. In fact, I have to apologise to you for many things: • Each time you showed me your mark-sheet, I got angry and le
Girls getting less food than boys was always considered a societal stereotype in India. A study has shown that it is unfortunately true. It has also highlighted a key deficiency in our policy appro
As the new government in Tamil Nadu completes its first month, it has taken a first step towards fulfilling one of its key election promises: prohibition. But the way it is moving forward, activist
It is outrageous that rape and rape survivors are being taken so lightly. It is as if rape has been turned into some kind of a flippant drawing room conversation and we have stooped so low as to de
How can people divided into thousands of castes be a nation?” This was a basic question raised by Dr BR Ambedkar during the freedom struggle. According to him, without annihilation of caste,
Dalit atrocity in Gujarat has highlighted the plight of people fighting with the social stigma even after seven decades of independence. In an interview with Jasleen Kaur
Meena, a solemn, raspy-voiced woman in a black salwar-kameez, is gyrating to a Bollywood number with gusto. The vivid range of her expressions counterpoints her lanky frame. Life is limping back to
After massive participation in the #NotInMyName campaign initiated by filmmaker Saba Dewan – a peaceful protest against rising communal hatred in the country, another campaign along similar
The memories of the day are still intact in my mind when my brother Subhash sacrificed his savings to pay my school fees. Instead of buying shoes, he wore casual slippers in the scorching summer he
How do you see the rise of the Bhim Army in Uttar Pradesh? During the last assembly elections in UP, it was a common consensus among many [dalit leader
As Zahida Shabnam, a history professor and a television anchor, stepped into one of the ghettoes of the Gadiya Lohar community in Jaipur on a sunny Saturday recently, the women there did not seem t
It is 10.15 in the morning, and 33-year-old Surabhi is standing inside the court room on the groundfloor of the sub court, Poonamallee, a northwestern neighbourhood of Chennai. It’s is the fi
At no other moment in the history of Indian national life after Independence the dalits are as oppressed as this moment: dalits are set ablaze, slaughtered like animals on the slaughtering bench of
The supreme court on Tuesday struck down triple talaq for six months and asked the government to come out with a legislation on it, a verdict that is going to impact over 180 million Muslims in t
Prime minister Narendra Modi described as “historic” the supreme court judgment that struck down triple talaq for a period of six months. “Judgmen
Five judges from five different faiths deliberated upon and decided that instant triple talaq is to be struck down for a period of six months and the government should bring a legislation over it
The BJP as well as the Congress welcomed the supreme court judgment that bars instant triple talaq for a period of six months and also seeks a legislation on it. BJ
The supreme court has held the practice of triple talaq as unconstitutional. This takes us back to the Shah Bano case and the question of reforming the Muslim personal law. Had it not been
Instant triple talaq – which the supreme court banned recently, while asking the government to legislate against the decadent practice – is something Muslim women had no doubt wanted to
In the past two months, two girls have faced unspeakable violence. In January, a Dalit schoolgirl in Haryana was gang-raped and murdered. In Jharkand in February, a 15-year-old girl was raped and b
Finland has emerged as the world’s happiest country, as per the World Happiness Report 2018. The report has ranked 156 countries by their happiness levels, and 117 countries by the happiness
The just-concluded assembly election in the southern state of Karnataka has demonstrated the power, reach, and influence of social media. Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter are proving to be effective
The fact that the World Day against Child Labour is still marking our calendars is itself disturbing. The World Day for Safety and Health at Work also happens to be on the same day and no other eve
Payal Jangid, a teenager from Rajasthan, has become the first recipient of the Changemaker Award at the Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards. This was in recognition of her campaign to end child labour
Since the enactment of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, women in India have been legally allowed to terminate unwanted pregnancies. The Act sets a threshold of 12 weeks, based on the
The Maharashtra State Commission for Women has urged the chief justice of India to take suo moto action in the matter of the Bombay high court converting to life imprisonment the death sentence of
The new year and the decade will be the time when India’s millennials will start contributing to the nation, Prime minister Narendra Modi has said in the outgoing year’s last broadcast
Urging all who have taken the path of violence for their political campaigns to shun it and return to the mainstream, prime minister Narendra Modi has said that weapons cannot achieve lasting peace
“Our prime minister has laid before us ‘Ease of Living’ as a goal to be achieved on behalf of all citizens,” said minister for finance Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting th
The targeted attacks in recent times, both verbal and physical, against selected groups of people have become the subject of worry for all right-thinking citizens. The attacks emanate from strident
Textures of the Ordinary: Doing Anthropology After Wittgenstein By Veena Das Orient BlackSwan, 410 pages, Rs 1,350 Veena Das, a well-know
Rajesh Talwar’s new fiction, ‘How to Kill a Billionaire’, explores crime, law and redemption in a deeply flawed world. It’s a story of a billionaire’s son going mi
Maharashtra has been successful in preventing 790 child marriages during the Covid-19 pandemic. Building on that success, women and child development minister Yashomati Thakur has launched a state-
The notion of a V-shape economic recovery is an exaggeration, and the informal economy and the poor have been terribly hurt during the Covid-19 period, says Gurcharan Das, author, commentator and p
On the occasion of World Homeless Day, BMC has announced that it is formulating a policy for the urban homeless for which it will start a survey soon. The policy will include efforts to provide tem
GIRLHOOD By Melissa Febos Bloomsbury / 336 pages Melissa Febos wowed readers and critics with her ‘Whip Smart: A Memoir’ (2010). I
Work: A History of How We Spend Our Time By James Suzman Bloomsbury, 464 pages
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. The proposal seeks to increase the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21, bringing it at par with
Awakening the Rainmaker: A Guide to Gender Equality
The Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), an autonomous, rights-based organisation working for the reform of Muslim Family Law for the last 15 years, has called for making the Prohibition of Chil
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) compiles an annual ranking of countries based on an index comprising of health, education, and income. For the year 2020, for which data has be
The Maharashtra government has approved provision of 3% funds under the District Annual Plan for empowerment of women and children in every district through the Department of Women and Child Develo
Oxfam India has this week released ‘India Supplement 2022’ with deserving caption ‘inequality kills’. The supplement discusses India’s governance structures that promo
Once the schedule for the next assembly elections has been announced, there is a flurry of activity around building caste coalitions. This is more intense in the most populous state, Uttar Pr
Nautanki Saala and Other Stories
The PEW Research Center released a report on the Indian attitudes towards gender roles, at home and at society at large. The findings are based on a survey of around 30,000 people conducted in 2019
The World Happiness Report 2022 ranks India at 136th position, or tenth from the bottom of the list. Among 146 countries, Finland tops the list, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, the Nethe
I remember in 2013, the highlight of the Oscar ceremony was the accidental fall of Jennifer Lawrence, as she was climbing the steps to receive an award. What was remarkable was the way she gracious
Filmmaker and social activist Ashok Pandit has said that the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus was known to everyone for over 32 years, but political leaders, political parties and celebrities refused to
Hindus are celebrating the Navaratri festival these days. Known
During this Dalit History month, on the birth anniversary of Dr B.R.
The Power of the Ballot: Travail and Triumph in the Elections
Diamonds Are Forever, So Are Morals: Autobiography of
Michelle Obama once said, “No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.” That should be
Being and Becoming Multilingual: Some Narratives
The Singapore-based Chandler Institute of Governance recently released its Good Government Index 2022. The Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) measures Government capabilities and outcomes across
About 70% of the elderly population is not working and depends on their family or pension for the day to-day maintenance, finds HelpAge India’s latest national report, `Bridge the Gap: Unders
Things don’t turn up in this world, as former US president James A. Garfield once said, until someone turns them up. This is all the more so, when one considers the hidden gems that are waiti
Jezebel By K.R. Meera (Translated from the Malayalam by Abhirami Girija Sriram and K.S. Bijukumar) Hamish Hamilton, 400 pages, Rs 599 &
Iconic Indians: 75 Extraordinary Individuals Who Inspired the Country By Sanjeev Sanyal and Rajesh Singh Rupa Publications, 360 pages, Rs 695
When We Thrive, Our World Thrives: Stories of Young People Growing Up With Adversity By Dr. Connie K. Chung with Vishal Talreja Notion Press, 311 pages, Rs
The number of social innovators and entrepreneurs has considerably increased recently in India. The idea of social entrepreneurship, which aspires to provide novel solutions for the world`s most cr
With the advent of globalization came a new set of challenges for corporations, notably the duty of ensuring the well-being of all stakeholders while also protecting the planet`s natural environmen
Aravindan Neelakandan has come out with a new work, ‘Hindutva: Origin, Evolution, and Future’ (Kali Imprint; BluOne Ink), which promises to be a must-read for understanding Hindutva
Indian cinema is the largest national film industry in terms of the number of films produced (2,446 feature films annually as of 2019). The United States cinema (also called Hollywood) is the oldes
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has grown concurrently and risen to enormous prominence in recent years. Initially, business owners started CSR by making charitable donations in an unstructur
India is projected to surpass China in terms of population in 2023, becoming the most populous country in the world, according to the United Nations. More than half of India’s population is u
Neha Lakra, 20, doesn’t forget to practise hockey, at least for four hours, every day. Whether at home or at the Panposh sports hostel in Rourkela where she is training under the guidance of
