The death anniversary of revolutionist, Marxist activist and freedom fighter, Laxmi Sahgal is marked on July 23. Bending the gender norms from a very young age, she stood up for women's rights. As she was an active part of the communist movement in India, various parties such as CPI(M) remembered her via media posts. Sahgal was one emancipated woman who was unapologetic about her ambitions. She never doubted her power and took every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve her dreams. Journey From A Doctor To Captain Laxmi Sahgal left India for Singapore because of her failed marriage to pilot P. K. N. Rao. Coincidentally, in Singapore, she met the members of Subhash Chandra Bose's INA, which was just in its inception. This chance meeting led to the making of her leg
Read More
The US is not witnessing bizarre and irksome legal decisions for the first time. June 16 marks the death anniversary of George Stinney Jr, a 14-year-old who was executed brutally for a crime he did not commit. In 1944, this African-American teenager was electrocuted and executed in an electric chair. The conviction of George Stinney jr still should haunt us of hasty unjust trials and unfair judgments. He was arrested and awarded the death penalty on suspicion of the murder of two girls, Betty June and Mary Emma. It took the court (South Carolina) seventy years to clear his name and declare that he received an “unfair trial”. This case is cited as more of a mystery peddled with a lot of whatabouteries rather than a lapse in the jurisdiction. The whole trial procedure was just discri...
Read More
Priyanka Chopra announced the arrival of her newborn child that she welcomed to this world through surrogacy. Social media was set ablaze with good wishes but this news also started the debate around the pregnancy process. Bollywood has a certain long association with it. Surrogacy as a practice is banned completely in several countries, while other countries allow a type of this practice. India has banned foreign commercial surrogacy. By definition, surrogacy is a practice where a third person(woman) bears a child for another couple/person, the latter eventually becoming the parents after the birth of the said child. It's a legal arrangement(money may or may not be involved) where the surrogate mother has no claim on the child whatsoever. Technology always at the first gra...
Read More
The 1st of January is not only significant as it marks the onset of a new year but also because of the grim tale of tragedy that crippled India. On 1 Jan 1989, Safdar Hashmi was attacked in broad daylight while performing a street play, "Halla Bol" in an industrial township, a few kilometers away from Delhi. An immigrant worker from Nepal Ram Bahadur was also shot dead and lost his life that very day. Later, the following day(2nd January) Safdar succumbed to his injuries. This is tragically poetic that a spectator and a performer both lost their respective lives to this brutal attack. Two days later, the Jan Natya Manch(JANAM) went to Jhandapur and completed their play and gave a defiant tribute to the comrade, Safdar Hashmi. Lest we forget his murder and this act of gallantry by his fel...
Read More
The Era of Unionized Coffee: Agreement For Equity And Sustainability!
Corporates all over the world follow the famous philosophy, "Wring your workers & battle your unions." But the historic victory attained by this single Starbucks café in Buffalo, New York symbolizes the power that labor unions still hold even in developed economies. Although this would be the first union for baristas amongst the 8900 (or more) company-owned Starbucks cafes across the US, this single win in Buffalo is significant and bound to create a snowball effect. Union elections were underway in two other cafes in Buffalo. While one of the cafes voted against a union the other is waiting eagerly for the results (delayed amid the controversy of challenged ballots). Two Boston cafes on Monday have filed for union elections. So, the Buffalo café win is surely inspiring workers to pet...
Read More
On Sunday, the reports from the World health organization (WHO) & World bank suggest, "the pandemic has pushed more than half a billion people into poverty." People already spend huge amounts on healthcare services, the pandemic just gave an unfortunate boost. Not only individuals were seeking treatment/medications for critical illness due to the virus (ICU costs) but also reaching out for professional mental healthcare. The world is still debating about ethical prioritization and distribution of the covid-19 vaccine. These revelations will surely add more to it. When talking of numbers, the High-income nations spend a higher percentage of their GDP on health. But what goes under the radar is that the low-income economies simply do not have the available resources to denote healthcare...
Read More
What is B-Learning? Our lives have itinerated online because of the covid pandemic. Various sectors were forced to migrate online especially the education sector. The ever-rising tech penetration in this particular domain augmented outrageously. Now byjus and unacademy are widely known Edu-tech giants, if anything it showcases the profound impact of e-learning in India. All of this shift was fortunate and unfortunate at the same time. In order to be a part of the social and economic system of society, digital literacy and connectivity are the mandatory prerequisites. With the upliftment of lockdowns and things seemingly going back to normal, Universities schools are coming up with blended learning. In this new UGC(University Grants Commission) proposal, 40% of the course will be taught...
Read More
The Thriving GIG Economy; Everything You Need To Know About It
On Thursday, the European Commission augmented the working status of the Gig economy of Workers. Not only they will be ensured minimum wage but also enjoy benefits like sick pays, leaves, and on-the-job insurance. Amidst the growing concerns about pay-out and social security, Gig workers in India demanded similar coverage (under legislation). Asking for established acts, maternity benefits, and unorganized workers social welfare act/association. There was a petition filed in the Supreme court to secure benefits to the same. According to Investopedia, the gig economy is the one where people work in part-time, temporary positions, or as independent contractors. Gig workers are widely categorized into freelancers, platform economy, and on-demand task-based workforce. India is among th...
Read More
The constitution drafted by Dr. Ambedkar, endeavors to give a political voice to the disempowered faction of this country. Still, the grim tale of casteism cripples India even after countless years of the constitution coming into effect. Stifling and neglecting the voices of this very section of the society. Recent Pivotal Points of Caste Discourse JJ Gnaavel's Jai Bhim premiered on Amazon prime, staring the Tamil superstar Suriya. Hailed as one of the best to come out of Tamil cinema this year, Jai Bhim does not shy away from showing the brutalities of the system. It shows that at its core the police atrocities and group criminality are very much a caste issue. Dominant castes usually resist the democratization of social relations and status of Dalits by schooling them via subjugat...
Read More
Peng Shuai came forward with her story and the repercussions that followed are truly baffling. For decades, women have been reluctant to talk about harassment and sexual abuse. Circumstances surely now (with the coming of me-too) are convalescent but still a very long way to go. The three-time Olympian accused a former Vice Primer Zhang Gaoli of sexual on the social media platform 'WIEBO'. Forget about the standard consequences of speaking up — retaliation, threats, loss of opportunities, friends, income, Peng Shuai disappeared soon after this revelation (the post which now stands deleted). Powerful Stance Many concerned voices are being raised and perhaps the loudest among them is of the Women's Tennis Association(WTA). The UN has asked for proof of the tennis star. WTA...
Read More