How to Save the Mula Mutha River? Concretizing it is definitely not the answer The story so far: Mula and Mutha are two important rivers in Pune. Over four decades, both rivers have gone from having water that people could swim in to becoming smelly nallas today. The Pune Municipal Corporation wants to rejuvenate the 44 km river stretch in the city by concretizing it. On Feb 9, Sunday, over 2,500 Punekars, under Pune River Revival, marched to start a Chipko movement to save the trees. They...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Why are so Many Illegal Indians Entering the US? There are 7.25 lakh illegal Indians in the US as of 2022. The US has nabbed only 18,000 of them The story so far: US President Donald Trump said he had a productive call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 27 January. The issue of illegal Indian immigrants in the US came up, Trump said that Modi said India will do what is right on taking back its illegal citizens. While the US has nabbed 18,000 illegal Indians, the actual number...
2 months ago • 3 min read
It Takes a City to Raise a Chess Player Chennai is the best example of an entire community coming together to mentor the next generation The story so far: After D Gukesh became the world's youngest champion, we put out an Instagram post on how one Chennai institution, Velammal Vidyalaya, has produced 16 Indian Grandmasters. You can read it over here. But Velammal is able to do so because Chennai has a long history of nurturing chess and young talent. The story of Chennai chess starts in...
4 months ago • 6 min read
It's Time to Shift the Narrative From population control and falling fertility to family planning and contraception Source: Unsplash The Story so Far Media narratives on family planning are restricted to either overpopulation or falling fertility rates. That’s concerning. You can read about it on our Instagram here. Media coverage on population growth in India often veers towards simplistic narratives, frequently focusing on overpopulation concerns rather than exploring the complexities of...
4 months ago • 4 min read
Delhi is Dying... ...and it has only itself to blame Source: Unsplash The Story so Far Delhi is breathing poison. If this continues, children in Delhi will die earlier and be born dumber. You can read about it here on our Instagram. The usual culprits for the pollution are said to be stubble burning by Punjab farmers, industrial pollution, and vehicular pollution. But stubble burning is not a new phenomenon. Have industrial and vehicle pollution increased to such high levels? Why is Delhi...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Rich India v Poor India Rich Indians are spending like there’s no tomorrow while poor Indians are struggling Source: Unsplash Of Homes and Cars Real estate consultancy Anarock released a report in September 2024. It said that 89% (88 out of 99) of ultra-luxury homes sold in India from 2022 to date were in Mumbai. Each of these homes was priced at ₹40 crore at least. In 2024, 21 out of 25 homes were sold in Mumbai, one each in Delhi and Bengaluru and two in Hyderabad. The sales of all these...
5 months ago • 4 min read
What's the Worth of a Salt Pan? Thousands of crores if you live in Mumbai Source: Unsplash The story so far: Adani Realty has won the right to redevelop Dharavi. The Maharashtra government has approved handing over 255.9 acres of salt pan land in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai to Adani Realty. This has massive environmental repercussions. Read the whole story here. Dharavi: Land and People Dharavi is India’s largest slum. It is comprised of 594 acres. It is prime real estate land in Mumbai and...
6 months ago • 3 min read
Work Stress Rears Its Ugle Head, Again We are losing young Indians at an alarming rate Source: Unsplash (Ranjini Hemanth) The story so far: Anna Sebastian, a 26-year old CA working at Ernst and Young died. Her mother said that the work stress was too much for her body and it just gave up. EY responded with a braindead reply. Dying Young Saurabh Kumar Laddha worked at McKinsey. Anna Sebastian worked at Ernst & Young. Pavithran worked for a delivery app. These three names should be etched in...
7 months ago • 4 min read
Taxi Pods in Mumbai, Why! The economics and logistics of this bizarre proposal don't make sense at all The story so far: Mumbai has decided to use taxi pods to transport people from Kurla and Bandra stations to BKC. These pods can carry six people at one time and there will be 21 pods to start off with. This is a bad idea. You can read more about it here. Who Got the Taxi Pod Tender? Sai Green Mobility is the company that has been awarded the tender for taxi pods in Mumbai. What are its...
7 months ago • 3 min read