Society

My name is Zarin Ansari. I have been living in Ambujwadi for the past 21 years. Ambujwadi is a basti (slum) in the western suburb of Malwani in Mumbai, inhabited since 1995. There are people from different regions, religious and caste backgrounds in our community. There are also those belonging to the tribal community. The land of Ambujwadi is distributed into two parts—one area has been declared a resettled and rehabilitated (R&R) portion by the government, and the other is collector land. Our community has been deprived of many basic services. People could access electricity supply only from 2016. We…

At 9:00 in the morning, when commuters jostle to reach Borivali station in suburban north Mumbai and shops start lifting their shutters, it’s time for 24-year-old Lakshman Katappa to begin his work day too. Carrying a black cotton bag on his shoulder, walking barefoot along with his wife Rekha and his younger brother, 13-year-old Elappa, he stops in front of a closed shop. He opens the bag, and out comes a long green ghagra , a head band, a small box containing bandar (yellow oxide powder) and red kumkum , beaded neck ornaments, a small mirror, a chabuk (whip), and…

While 2020 was decidedly not a great year for the entire world, we expected better times in 2021. So far, however, that has not been the case for India. We have seen alarming numbers of cases, including among children, high mortality rates and desperate scenes in hospitals and health facilities. Even as I write this, thousands of COVID patients in isolation and in hospitals are fighting a stiff physical and mental battle against the disease. Even so, I still hold out hope that we will emerge from these terrible times, stronger than ever before, with a sense of togetherness binding…

Unlike Bengaluru, there are no housefull boards outside the crematoriums of Chennai. Neither has Chennai witnessed the traumatising scenes of unauthorised, open burning of bodies, as seen in New Delhi. Even before COVID cases spiked last year, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) had directed Chennai crematorium workers and officials to use the space judiciously — a move that probably helped these facilities function efficiently when the second wave hit Chennai hard in 2021 and COVID fatalities rose sharply. The GCC has also vaccinated a majority of crematorium workers in its 41 crematoriums and 147+ burial grounds in the city, according to…

Many employers have shifted to a 'work from home' model since last year's lockdown. This has affected the livelihoods of Mumbai's famous dabbawalas who deliver packed food to office-goers around town. But that has not stopped them from helping the needy. Some of the dabbawalas provide food to the relatives of hospitalized patients in various state-run and civic-run hospitals of Mumbai. Such generosity is exhibited despite many dabbawalas being unable to meet their monthly needs. They seek relief from various organisations to meet the basic needs of their families. “Since last year because of the lockdown, we have been struggling…

As the second wave rages on across the country, the pandemic has forced most of us into another long lockdown, with restrictions on movement and strict curfews. The lockdown, a tool used to curb the spread of the coronavirus, has become a necessity to save lives. While there is no questioning the need for this measure, it comes with its downsides. The economic and social ramifications have already proven to be devastating for many, with no clear end in sight.  The isolation of the lockdown has been particularly harsh on children, who have been away from school for over a…

The role that citizens and corporate entities played in the fight against the COVID19 in Mumbai was significant. "Our healthcare system is broken, there is no primary healthcare system available. The system is overwhelmed. We had a huge problem during the initial days of the second wave when hospitals refused patients with high oxygen needs. Our helpline handled more than 1000 calls in the three weeks of its operation," said Ruben Mascarenhas, National Joint Secretary of Aam Aadmi Party, which managed to arrange beds and medications for desperate patients in Mumbai through its helplines before the BMC had got its…

Who would have thought that in 2021, an American corporation known to harvest private communications for corporate profit would stand up against the Indian Government, defending the Right of Privacy of Indians. Ironically, here we are in the middle of the pandemic, worrying about how police can zoom in to suspend our fundamental right of expression, or walk into our homes and take away all that is ours, when the administration should, in fact, be ensuring that not one more person suffers, or dies, of COVID. We are living through most bizarre times. Holding on to the idea of a…

Chennai has seen an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases in recent months. This has resulted in many individuals affected by the illness having to be hospitalised or placed in home isolation. During this time, individuals and families have found it difficult to access medicines, groceries and other essentials. Chennai's cyclists have come together in this hour of need to provide this important service, free of cost to those in need. The idea of Relief Riders originated from cyclists in Bengaluru and was later replicated by Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Jaipur cyclists. At the end of April, Felix John - Bicycle…

On the 19th of April, 2021, I brought three poets under one roof - on a Zoom call - to capture their thoughts and expressions on the city, the lockdown, and of course, poetry. Presenting Vishakha Khanolkar, 20,  Nadeem Raj, 33, and Vinita Agrawal, 55; true Bombaywallahs and truer poets who gave poetic expression to lockdowns and the emotional toll it took on the society as a whole. Vishakha Khanolkar is Teach for India fellow. When not entertaining a bunch of 8th Standard teens, she writes short stories and poems. Vinita Agarwal, award-winning poet, editor, and curator has done it…