‍‍‍Why Telangana Police Overdoing '‍Cordon and Search' Operations?

The Cordon and Search operations (CASO) conducted by police to combat crime from the society. But nowadays, police frequently conducting CASO and common public is facing more difficulties during night time and lonely women and elderly persons too.

Is the Telangana Police, which likes to call itself people-friendly, overdoing on the Cordon and Search operations (CASO -- essentially a military or counterinsurgency operation) to serve its own interests without there being any need for such operations in routine crime control in the first place? The answer, unfortunately, is in the affirmative if one considers the nature, number and types of CASO operations in the twin cities and elsewhere in the state.

'Cordon and search' is a military tactic to cordon off an area and search the premises for weapons or insurgents.  Used mainly in counter-insurgency operations, there are two sub-categories of CASO: 'cordon and knock' (with permission) and 'cordon and kick' (without permission).  

However, for reasons best known to the Telangana Police, in a few areas of Hyderabad the police simply assume that criminals are living there and do not flinch from knocking each and every door during CASO. This has pitted the police against social activists and raised questions about the legality of some of these CASOs.

Informed sources pointed out that the process normally used to trace terrorists in Kashmir by the military has been adopted by the TS Police to catch even petty criminals. They say there is no particular act or section in law that specifically allows CASO of the TS Police variant. An RTI query yielded a 'reply' that the question was "Not Applicable".  

The police, however, defend CASOs, saying they have always been helpful for them to identify a few criminals and criminals from outside who may be hiding in particular places.

Cordon and Search Operations were started by the military in Kashmir in 2002 to identify separatists and terrorists. Following huge resistance, they were suspended briefly, but resumed again in 2017. In Hyderabad and elsewhere in the state, CASOs started in 2013. They were intensified when the police were pursuing members of the so-called 'snake gang' in the Old City. Since then, the police have been doing CASOs regularly. The operations were suspended due to corona, but resumed in March, 2021.

When it was resumed, Commissioner of Cyberabad Police V.C.Sajjanar told the media: "As the situation comes to normal, we will continue CASO. It is very helpful for us to identify and catch criminals and suspects. Many outsiders, who have committed crimes, are coming here and taking shelter. We can find such types of elements."

The larger question is: On what basis the police are entering houses and interrogating those people who are living there? The police are citing a petition, which had been dismissed by the High Court, in which the petitioner claimed that CASO was illegal and wanted the authorities to stop it.

However, the Court then merely asked the petitioner to approach police officials first on the issue. It did not give any clean chit to the Police. Nor did it authorize CASO.
A police official said: "We will list out cases in our Police Stations. We suspect that a few (criminals) are hiding in particular areas. Naming those cases, we will get a warrant. With that warrant only we will go for CASO".

The reports of the police say that no terrorist or big criminal was found in their CASOs. Yet, they claim, without any evidence, that they got "scoops or information, which helped to catch terrorists".

At the time of public outrage over CAA, NRC and NPR, some people resisted CASO and refused to show their Aadhaar cards. Moreover, asking for Aadhaar cards is against the Supreme Court's order. Local MIM leaders have also argued with the police on these lines. However, after a gap, the police have started CASOs again.

Social activists have alleged that the police are stamping a few areas as 'criminal areas'. In the name of search, they are insulting poor people who cannot question them.  
M.Srinivas, a social activist, said: "Can they can go and conduct CASO in Banjara Hills, where so many white-collar criminals are living  -- those who are doing land-grabbing, making fake documents? Can they dare to enter gated communities for CASO? Can they assure that there are no criminals in those areas? No. Recently an imported cars scam happened.

The Directorate of Intelligence Revenue identified that many cars were purchased by the people of Hyderabad. Can the police go to each and every imported car owner's house and ask for papers? No. The police are showing immature approach towards poor people."

Srinivas further said: "In CASO, they are seizing bikes without papers mostly. Once they have seized pickles prepared by a family, saying that the products are not up to the standards."

Social activists are arguing that if a case is registered and the police get to know that the suspect is living in a particular area, then the police can watch those areas and maintain a beat to catch those criminals.

"How can you enter each and every house, insulting people living there," they ask. They are demanding that the police must stop CASO and maintain vigil to find criminals. They have no business to knock each and every door even if they are after a criminal. #KhabarLive #hydnews

'The Proteins Butchers Academy' Plans To Build 'Professional Butchers' Training In Hyderabad

The city is home to several meat stores. It is home to 4000 chicken, 2000 mutton, 2000 fish shops and hundreds of street-side sales also happen.

 Necessity is the mother of invention. Thanks to Proteins Hygienic Non-Veg Mart, Hyderabad based bootstrapped phygital (physical stores & e-commerce) startup is soon going to have (probably India’s first city) a Meat Academy that will teach lessons of Butchery Skills. It is probably the first city in India to think in this direction of professionalizing Butcher Craft.   

Proteins Hygienic Non-Veg Mart, the Hyderabad based first modern meat retail chain that is expanding its footprint from current 11 stores to 75 by the end of March 2022 by investing about 22 crores is facing a huge shortage of trained and skilled butchers. To overcome this problem it is coming out with the Academy to train people in butchery skills.  Srinivasa Rao Potini and Vijay Chowdary Tripuraneni, the founder​s​ of the company who are also serial entrepreneurs and invested in My Stores, Lenin House Exclusive Stores; Goa Grills announced in the city in a press conference held recently.  

We are thinking about the Academy because we are seeing a huge potential for the space.  What was 2010 for general retail and e-commerce, these few years will be the same for the meat industry: Manchala Vamshi Rai, alumni of Bits Pilani and Director of Proteins Hygienic Non-Veg Mart. 

It plans to train 500 butchers in the next 8 months. It will be on the job training. 10th class pass or failure will be absorbed for the training. They will be given a stipend of Rs 8000/- pm and upon completing the three-month training they will be absorbed into full-time employment.   

Butchers are meat cutters who prepare the meat for the purpose of sale.   

The training will be a short term course that offers skills and training on how to expertly perform Butchery/Meat Cutting, informed Mr Vijay Chowdary Tripuraneni, founder of Proteins Hygienic Non-Veg Mart and the brain behind this novel academy.  

Many hotel management colleges have this subject as their course curriculum. Butchery craft is also taught as part of the course.  

But, there is no exclusive Butcher Craft Training Institute in Hyderabad. Also, there is no information available on the internet about such an exclusive training institute. That is why it is going to be probably the first city in India to have a Butchery Academy. Though this is not open for people who just want to come and learn and go. It is going to be started with the exclusive purpose of training people for their internal use.  

Many Veterinary Colleges also run Butcher Training classes just as part of their overall curriculum. We at ICAR--National Research Centre on Meat also sometimes run Butchery training classes. But now we are not doing these courses because of the COVID. As far as my knowledge goes there isn't any exclusive Butcher Training Academy said Dr S.B Barbuddhe, Director of ICAR-National Research Centre on Meat at ICAR-NRCM office at Chengicherla, Hyderabad.ICAR--National Research Centre on Meatworks under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Headquartered in Hyderabad, its mission is to develop a modern organized meat sector through meat production, processing and utilization technologies and serve the cause of meat animal producers, processors and consumers. 

Emmanuel, Director of the IIHM—International Institute of Hotel Management, Asia’s largest Hotel Schools Chain says there are Meat Technology and Meat Certification Technology courses  etc and many other.  There are plenty of organizations in abroad.  But, I haven't come across any exclusive Butchers Academy  If anyone is starting an exclusive academy it is really good for everyone, he said.  

The butcher as we all know is a meat cutter. He chops, portions and grinds various kinds of meat. To identify meat cuts, cut meat properly, avoid waste, identify good quality meat, store it properly, waste management etc. His job responsibilities include preparing the meat, packaging and serving the customers.    

Hyderabad is the meat consuming city and top in the country. Meat worth INR 3500 crore is consumed every year in the city. The city boasts of conventional shops. The city, according to Vijay Chowdary Triperaneni, the founder of the chain of one-stop meat shops, is home to 4000 chicken, 2000 mutton, and 2000 fish shops. But most of them are untidy and unhygienic. 95% of the meat industry is unorganised, known for poor infrastructure, unhygienic and have an unfriendly atmosphere, and are unreliable for quality and availability.   

Ever since the pandemic hit, people have become more hygiene conscious. They have been giving a lot of importance to fresh food. Now things are changing slowly and steadily.  

The traditional meat shops are being modernised. According to Mr. Manchala Vamshi Rai, an alumnus of Bits Pilani and Director of Proteins Hygienic Non-Veg Mart, more and more professionals are getting into the industry. More investments are being pumped in to offer a modern experience similar to supermarkets. 

The stores are now made women-friendly. They have a rich ambience. 

Conventionally more men go to shops to fetch meat. Though women go to vegetable shops, we don’t see many women going to meat shops because of un-women-friendly ambience and poor infrastructure. So things are changing and they are changing for good. 

The potential of the meat market in India is 4 lakh crore. There is a huge potential for the growth of modern meat retail chains. Keeping this in mind, the Hyderabad based bootstrapped phygital (physical stores & e-commerce) startup has embarked on this initiative. 

Vision is to provide the best professional shopping experience to meat buyers. We must make available the most hygienic, fresh and quality meat for the common man at affordable prices in the most professional manner possible. By meat, it means fish, prawns, crabs, mutton, chicken and their products says Mr. Vamshi.  

In pandemic times like these eating hygienic meat is as important as wearing a mask and maintaining social distance.  

Professionalizing butcher's work is a good idea. I am sure a lot of takers will be there for the training program.  

It will also create newer employment opportunities, said Divi, Big Boss fame, actress and model. She is a brand ambassador to Proteins. #KhabarLive #hydnews 

Indian Squad's Passion, Patriotism, Hope And Desperation In Tokyo Olympics 2021

This is not a dampener. This is a reality check. While passion, patriotism, hope and desperation jostled for space on the Indian air waves one week into the Tokyo Olympics 2020, the air was also hanging heavy with a rather familiar déjà vu feeling about the whole exercise being largely a case of much ado about nothing yet again.

Late on a humid Friday evening at the Olympics, world champion Sifan Hassan, representing the Netherlands, appeared to be out of contention and altogether disinterested as she started and remained at the back of the field for the first half of the 5000m women’s heat in the track and field events. But a very subtle gear shift almost went unnoticed past the 2500m mark as she slowly made her way up midfield before appearing resigned to settle for seventh place until the penultimate lap.

On the seventh and final lap though, while her Kenyan and Ethiopian counterparts held steady ground at the front, Hassan quietly made her pitch for first and the finish line in such sublime fashion that they could only look on shocked, disgusted and most importantly, exhausted, as she gracefully moved past them and then into a league of her own.

Hassan, it turned out, had quietly executed a very stealthy and rather deceptive plan, building steadily and sure footedly, slowly at first and then with consistency, pushing past when it was time. This was only the first heat as she is expected to take part across three events.

As exhilarating as it was to watch, it was not easy to shake off the lingering feeling that India were continuing to miss a beat.

After all, what happened to the P.T. Usha’s of the country? What has happened to the next great hope? Where is the build up, the foundation, the steadiness, the consistency and the core, and the bench strength? The ceiling barriers are yet to be broken, once and for all and comprehensively at that as far as India at the Olympics are concerned.

This is not a dampener. This is a reality check.

When USA lost one of the world’s greatest gymnasts in Simone Biles at the last minute in the all round team gymnastics event, they found a new champion in Suni Lee who claimed gold in the individual event to add to USA’s prowess as the fifth successive champion to take the gold at the Olympics. Great Britain were rewarded for staying with Tom Daley and his ten year Olympics history of medals finally yielding him a gold in the 10m platform men’s synchronized diving. Michael Phelps’s Olympics record is being challenged as is Mark Spritz’, unbelievably so, by Caeleb Dressler in the swimming events.

One could not help but cut back to the picture earlier in the morning as Hassan silently disappeared into the background as did Dutee from Indian minds.

At the fifth heat of the women’s 100m, a relatively diminutive woman lined up at the very end in lane 9. More exalted champions such as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce took their place in the middle. The commentator on air did not even bother to go to the end of the field to introduce the athletes and Dutee Chand remained largely incognito, finishing a rather lacklustre seventh in an eight women race and much behind her national record time. Finishing 45 out of 54 participants reminded one of the shoddy affair that passed for sports events at many a school.

Still Chand was at the Olympics. Getting here was a Herculean effort and could not draw comparison. But that summed up India’s campaign in a nutshell.

Getting here is everything and then being here is automatically translated to medal hope in the minds of a billion. Never mind the mental challenge of watching athletes around the world show up with a larger support staff and a more rounded practice and facilities behind them. Hurdles are often overlooked in the public eye.

After all, while the likes of Anurag Thakur and Kiran Rijuju can sing laurels of our athletes when they make progress, it could be argued that like India’s lamentably bleak Olympics history, much of India’s untapped sporting talent continues to remain hidden.

It can also explain the almost monotonous voice in which the electronic media were already talking medal even as family members of P.V. Sindhu and Lovlina Borgohain encouraged cautious optimism. “Going for gold” screamed the headlines even though both women were still only into the semi finals in their respective disciplines of boxing and badminton respectively and had to still get past one more opponent to throw the final gauntlet for gold.

Once over the euphoria on a rather quiet, less newsworthy Friday where the farmers protest and the opposition took a backseat, the overwhelming feeling returned once more at the end of another epic day at the Tokyo Olympics that it was better to read the list of who had made the leap ahead rather than read out the long list of Indian athletes who didn’t.

Why are India’s medal hopefuls over hyped before the Olympics and then reduced to less than a handful midway through the two week celebration of sport only for India to be able to count on one hand the number of medals returning home? What is wrong with this picture?

Consider the déjà vu. There lies the answer.

Consider this for comparison.

A billion plus strong nation and 128 athletes represent India. Australia boasts a train of over 450 athletes at the Tokyo Olympics and only has a population that is about 25 million. Yet Australia are sitting pretty at no.6 behind the Russian Olympics Committee with nine gold medals to their name against the leader China who have now leaped over Japan with eighteen gold medals. Australia have 22 medals by the end of a hot and muggy night at the Olympics. India, still just the one.

Missing the top spot in the headlines were the archery duo of Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das who were holding their respective ground in the women’s individual archery event and men’s recursive individual archery, heading into the quarterfinals. While their efforts are commendable, they still represent a tiny fraction of India’s athletes who made it to the Olympics which is a great feat in itself but also, an even more miniscule percentage of the population, which is blasphemous to say the least.

Women’s hockey also provided some hope and as rightly pointed out, a semi final place is a great place to be in a ten year development. The emphasis has to be on development.

On a day when the likes of P.V. Sindhu were being hailed, there was an out-of-touch-with-reality moment when actor R. Madhavan posted this reply to a picture of the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Mirabai Chanu having food on the floor of her humble home back in Manipur:

“Hey this cannot be true. I am at a complete loss of words.”

Why, Madhavan? First of all, it has to be pointed out, there is nothing wrong with having one’s lunch on the floor. To put things in context here though, he should know better the plight of Indian sportspersons given that he has played a coach to one in one of his movies.

It certainly puts playing for honour and pride of the country in perspective. That is a school of thought that has been given much lip service but not much credence in the wake of introduction of a sporting culture such as the Indian Premier League.

But it highlights not just the humble conditions from which these sportspersons come from but also, of the great demands on them, sometimes on their own two legs and on their meagre resources to get as far as they do. Showering laurels when medals are won is easy. In that sense, walking that opening ceremony in Tokyo was already a dream too high but achieved. But what about those who made it on their own merit and great hard work but didn’t get far, like Dutee?

Often this is not a rags-to-riches story for many of these sports persons who achieve elite Olympics medal levels. Promises made to them – not incentives but rewards after they hit the spotlight – are not kept. Homes are denied, jobs going a-begging, their talent, experience and wisdom untapped as the governments fail to use their success as a slipstream to build a steady stream of athletes inspired in the wake of their accomplishments.

Then four years later, it appears the names once again come out of the woodworks, the politicians bring out their patriotic Indian montages and the fans their tricolour and march alongside the sportspersons to unrealistic dreams and expectations.

The dismay is obvious.

The handful of aspiring shooters have had enough turmoil on the results board and back in the dressing room with enough ruffles over rifts between shooters and coaches. Manu Bhaker, who was expected to be the flag bearer in the end leading the medals tally, had a run in with her coach, Jaspal Rana, and thereafter with a rare malfunctioning pistol that hurt her chances in the 10m air pistol qualification event.

As news headlines kept screaming… “so-and-so crashes out,” “so-and-so crashes out”, and “so-and-so crashes out”, once again it highlighted the great disparity of how sports like cricket are given deliberate vantage point and therefore, focus, while it is hard even for seasoned journalists to extrapolate on the goings-on back in Tokyo simply because they have been fed and raised on a consumption of mainly one sport and also, then forced into specialized fields that earn their employers and themselves bread-and-butter. This is simply a fact of life, which some journalists have been candid and also, brave enough to admit openly.

One had to go deeper and read in order to learn why the nineteen year old Bhaker “crashed out” (visuals were not made available at the time). Not mentioned were her still impressive scores while she lost time while her pistol was being repaired as opposed to replaced with a spare because of the time it would take to make adjustments.

While the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) stated that India’s performance at the Tokyo Olympics was “inexplicable” and the sports authority talking about an overhaul, what is not easily forgiven is the repeated manner in which sportspersons find themselves in needless tangles, whether off the field like Mary Kom is in her final Olympics showdown, calling out the IOC over unfair judging, or the “usual suspects” (for want of a better term) of the likes of Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza calling foul of the AITA over selection muddles and confusion.

Where is the next generation? And where is the accountability? Where is the quiet pacing from the back of the field to make track steadily and then to take the finish line?

To think India lacks talent is appalling given that despite this sudden euphoria that comes out of the closets every four years – from the government and sports aficionados alike – India, despite its vast wealth, has very little infrastructure to show why there is no great grassroot level at which India’s budding talent is given ground on which to train.

Budget reels every February rarely do the untapped and underprivileged talent in the country little justice, leaving sports on the backburner. Between politics, nepotism and corruption, even existing infrastructure is elusive to these athletes in their four year long training that demands endurance and commitment of an extraordinary nature. The Olympics highlights this fact amply.

It is not enough that somehow, Dutee Chand is India’s only athlete in the track and field with hope and even she finishes at the end of the tail. While India’s hopes now rest on Sindhu and Lovlina and on the archers to wipe out the dim spotlight over the coming weekend, something is wrong with this picture and has been for a very long time. #KhabarLive

#ShareTheLoad #MultiplyLove: An Alarm To Make The Society 'Wake Up' For #ShareChoresMultiplyLove

Ariel encourages men to #ShareTheLoad to make home an equal space 

so that women can have #ShareChoresMultiplyLove.

It's not a surprise that in India about 71% of women sleep less than their husbands due to household chores. In the pursuit to excel in her career and also bring the best for her family, a woman usually compromises on her time to sleep to be able to do everything. It is no surprise that women end up being overworked with an acute lack of proper sleep.

In the outside world where men and women play equal roles in their professional lives, ironically do not manifest the same equality at home. When a man and woman come together to make a home for themselves, often the mental onus to keep the household in place scouts down to the women. As a result, women tend to overstretch their days to finish off the errands before and after their day jobs #ShareChoresMultiplyLove that leave them sleep-deprived.

When men of the household do not share equal responsibility, it directly impacts something as basic as rest for women. Ariel with its latest initiative encourages men to come forward and #ShareTheLoad to transform the household into an equal space because equality comes not just by sharing lives but also by sharing responsibilities so that women can have justified with love and affection.

Over the years emerging as an enabler for change, Ariel has championed the discourse of gender equality at households with its multiple #ShareTheLoad initiatives. Year on year, in its persistent effort to avert the gender prejudices at home, Ariel with its conversations around gender discourses, has, by all means, turned into a solution based movement to bring about a change in society.

Fast forward to the year 2020, addressing the often overlooked subject of sleep equality, Ariel has once again brought us back to identify, address and take an assured action against gender inequality in the domestic space, this time by highlighting the reality of #ShareChoresMultiplyLove. With increasing conversations and a resolute persistence, the participation of men in domestic chores has gone up with time. Most men who are starting out on their journey of taking over responsibilities agree that doing the laundry is the simplest way to set a foot forward towards an equal tomorrow.

Ariel has always been at the forefront of championing equality through its #ShareTheLoad initiative that started in the year 2015 with a pressing question, "Is laundry only a woman's job?". Furthering the cause, the initiative also created a movement called, "Dads Share The Load" in 2016 and then questioning "Are we teaching our sons what we have been teaching the daughters" in 2018 before coming back with yet another powerful subject #EqualSleep this season in 2020.

Making the movement actionable this year around, Ariel is encouraging men to take a credible step towards change by being equally involved in household chores even if that means starting out with the easiest one- #ShareTheLaundry.

#innlive appreciates the initiative taken by Ariel for being a facilitator of change by sparking a conversation, propelling a movement and mobilizing men of the household to pull up their socks and take action towards gender equality at home.

‘I will #ShareTheLoad and help in household chores in association with Ariel India and BlogAdda‘ #innlive

How Akhila became Hadiya – and why her case has reached the Supreme Court?

A young woman adopted Islam, defying her Hindu family. The case has roiled Kerala.

It is called Devi Krupa – the blessings of the goddess. But inside the modest single-storeyed house in TV Puram village in Kerala’s Kottayam district, a young woman has been confined against her wishes, on the orders of Kerala High Court. Outside the house, six policemen stand guard round-the-clock.

Oppressive personal laws aren’t the only thing standing between Muslim women and happy lives

The nation cannot swoop in to save the Muslim woman while Muslim communities are simultaneously being brought to their knees.

I am glad it is over. I refer to talaq-e-bidat, the practice of Muslim men uttering talaq, talaq, talaq in a single setting to instantly divorce their wives, which rightfully belonged in a trash can, but also to the television nation’s delirious excitement at having “saved Muslim women”.

Everyone Knows Test Cricket Is Dying But Few Will Step Forward To Save It

The ICC mooted the idea of a World Test Championship in 2008. Nine years later, we’re still discussing how to save the oldest format of the game.

Robert Southey was meditating on the futility of war; he could just as well have been musing on the “Test” series just completed between India and Sri Lanka, and the one now under way between the West Indies and England.

In A Historic Verdict, Supreme Court Strikes Down Triple Talaq

For many women in India, the Supreme Court stood on the right side of history today after it struck down the practice of instant divorce called triple talaq, practiced by Sunni Muslims in the country.

In a 3-2 judgment, Justices Kurian Joseph, RF Nariman and UU Lalit struck down the practice of instant divorce, describing it as "illegal and sinful" and ruling that it violates the right to equality enshrined in the Indian constitution.

India’s Pioneering Women Qazis Ask Muslim Men: Have You Read The Quran?

Newly trained women Islamic clerics, or Qazis, have started work in towns across India, offering an invaluable support system to Muslim women, and inviting opposition from orthodox circles.

Iqra's world fell apart in six months.

In her telling, it began, as it often does, with marriage. The 23-year-old's marriage to Ali was an exchange programme of sorts. Ali was her cousin, son of her khaala, her mother's sister. In turn, Iqra's brother married the same khaala's daughter. Her khaala also became her mother-in-law. Such marriage between first cousins is commonplace among Muslims in South Asia.

India’s Doctors Weigh In: People In Pain Need More Morphine, Not Medical Marijuana

Women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi suggested legalising marijuana for medical purposes at a meeting of a group of ministers examining the draft cabinet note on the National Policy for Drug Demand Reduction earlier this last week. However, several doctors working in palliative care say that they would rather see the government ensure a better supply of opioid drugs, the medical use of which is already permitted.

Political Love Fest: We Pledge To 'Protect' Women On Rakhi, But Forget To Treat Them As Equal Citizens

Misogyny remains misogyny even if you tie a rakhi on it. A woman ties "Rakhi" onto the wrists of a man sitting inside a passenger bus during Raksha Bandhan celebrations in Kolkata.

I don't know about brothers and sisters, but for politicians, Rakhi seems to have become the festival of binding ties. Politicians are very busy this Rakhi, tying themselves into knots.

A Tale Of Modern Slavery Has Horrified America, But In India It's A Familiar Story

It's the story of Eudocia Tomas Pulido, or Lola, the family nanny who was given as a "gift" to Alex Tizon's mother in the Philippines, who followed the family to the United States, and raised Alex and his siblings. She was not paid. She was not allowed to go back to visit her family. She was abused by Tizon's parents and, in the end, when she was finally "free", she had nowhere to go.

Analysis: Why The Farmers' Protests Could Be The Beginning Of A Turning Point For The BJP?

The ongoing farmers' protests in several states across India's geographical diversity is the first major non-sectarian mass movement confronting the Narendra Modi government. Unless handled adroitly, the stir has the potential to throw up a major challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party and Modi's political dominance.

Classic Denial, Victim Blaming By Cops And Politicians After Biker Jagruti Hogale Dies Dodging A Pothole

Jagruti Viraj Hogale, a well-known woman biker, was on her way to a weekend getaway with her friends to Jawhar — known for its waterfalls — when she swerved to allegedly avoid a pothole, was thrown off her bike, and crushed to death under the rear wheels of a truck on the Jawhar-Dahanu highway in Maharashtra. For the 34-year-old biker's grieving family, the main culprit is in plain sight.

Why It’s Unfair To Ban Commercial Surrogacy?

Altruistic surrogacy alone will deprive many would-be parents of options. Earlier last month, a couple in our family successfully got custody of their newborn through surrogacy. Filled with emotional highs and lows, the past nine months left the parents-to-be disillusioned about the prevailing surrogacy practices. 

Following a successful embryo transfer, the surrogate, after receiving a hefty advance payment, went underground despite the formal facilitation of the process by a reputed gynaecologist. She appeared only a month after delivery to hand over the parents' prized possession. The blessed parents swiftly forgot their misery as soon as all the paperwork was completed and they received their little bundle of joy in their hands. After all, their dream of having their biological child had finally come true.

Diplomacy in the Age of Social Media

Public diplomacy is a buzz word that has been around for decades, but today it is well ensconced with a significant other – social media.

Diplomacy is a fine art, heir to centuries of epochal deal making, system building, peacemaking and conflict avoidance and resolution – it is, in many ways, a profession for the ages. In the minds of men and women at large, however, it is also seen as a profession conducted in rarefied environs, in dizzying ivory-towered heights, away from the hurly-burly of earthling life. In India, I have often faced the perennial question,

'The Future Of Family Planning Now Goes Digital'

One of India’s most vocal advocates for youth rights to sexual health, Franklin Paul, has been introducing digital technologies to the rural youth.

Online shopping may have its pros and cons, but when it comes to buying products that have an invisible morality tag, it’s the safest possible option, believes Franklin Paul.

One of India’s most vocal advocates for youth rights to sexual health, education and products, Paul has spent over two years studying and introducing digital technologies to India’s rural youths.

The Neuroscience Of A 'Lynching'

The science of hate can help us realise who the real criminal is. Is it the lynchers alone? Should the instigators bear more blame? And should an apathetic government be held complicit?

In an event of traumatic accidents such as a car crash, injury to joints, bones and soft tissues can be accompanied by injury to nerves that mediate sensations such as touch, pain and temperature in the skin.

Jail Tourism: Pay Rs 500 To Spend Day in Prison In Telangana

Tourists can now spend a night in a colonial-era jail by paying only Rs 500 under the Telangana government's new 'Feel the Jail' scheme.

Under its new program, tourists can rent a cell in the 220-year-old Sangareddy jail and experience how life was for an inmate in colonial times. Those who opt for the "Feel the Jail" scheme will be provided a uniform, a steel mug, basic bedding and a bar of soap. To keep the experience authentic even the food served during the stay will be similar to what used to be served to prison inmates. 

At An All-Women Petrol Pump In Hyderabad, Ex-Cons Get To Kick-Start A New Life

‘They’ve served a prison sentence already – real reformation begins once they’re outside.’

Once he was done refilling the fuel tank of his two-wheeler, a customer at the newly opened gas station in Chanchalguda, Hyderabad, demanded a bill. The problem was, he wanted to be billed for an inflated amount, so he could claim greater travel expenses from his employer.