E. Prema, Author at Media India Group

Child marriage rose 50 pc during pandemic: NCRB

October 1, 2021

Until 2019, life for Priya (name changed), a 14-year-old girl living with with her parents and an elder brother at Jal Vihar in South Delhi was no different to that of any 14-year-old belonging to low-income family. She was studying in the ninth grade in a near-by government-run ...

Kolkata remains safest Indian city: NCRB data

September 29, 2021

For the third year running, West Bengal capital Kolkata retains its top spot in the ranking of safest large Indian cities as per the latest report released by the National Crime Records Bureau. The NCRB report, covered 19 cities across India, each with a population of over two mi...

Rogan painting: Keeping a dying art form alive

September 26, 2021

Rogan artwork is traditionally designed on bridal wear and wedding fabrics using rich bright natural colours without using any drawing brush. The Rogan fabric paintings are produced through an arduous process. The term Rogan means “oil-based” in Persian. First, castor oil is ...

Splendid villages with intangible unique culture

September 23, 2021

There are almost 649,481 villages in India and each village practices its own unique tradition and culture. However, those rural areas that are not home to famous tourism sites, rarely attract tourists in India or in most other parts of the world. To maximise the contribution of ...

Warli Art: Journey from walls of tribal homes to household goods

September 21, 2021

Warli paintings take their name from the tribal community on the northern edge of the Sahyadri Range in Maharashtra, primarily in Thane and Palghar districts, with Dahanu and Jawhar at the forefront. The tribal art style dates back to the 10th century AD and has traditionally bee...

Artists break barriers with beatboxing in India

September 16, 2021

Beat boxing finds its contemporary roots in the hip hop subculture in 1980s in America. Though it took over three decades to reach India, the art has been gaining ground here over the past few years. Now it is widely spreading in mainstream cultural art by using different musical...

Yercaud: Scenic spot of Salem

September 9, 2021

Tourists visiting Tamil Nadu often tend to stick to the well-known spiritual and cultural heritage sites, but the state has a lot more for visitors, ranging from wildlife parks, virgin beaches and much more. One such unexplored region is the small town of Yercaud, which has gaine...

Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple: A mysterious treasure

September 5, 2021

Barely two km from the city’s main railway station, the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple dominates the capital of Kerala. In fact, it has also given its name to the city of Thiruvananthapuram, which translates into the abode of Lord Vishnu. Historians remain divided about its or...

Marital rapes in India: Attack on gender equality and women’s rights

August 30, 2021

Amongst the thousands of facts and figures published in the National Family Health Survey, published in 2015-16, there are startling facts about spousal violence and sexual exploitation of a married woman within the confines of her home. The survey says that 31 pc of married wo...

With helping hand from blind schools, visually impaired children see a bright future

August 29, 2021

Among millions of students across Delhi who had been waiting for this moment with great anxiety as the results of their class XII examinations were finally announced on July 30, was Ayush Prakash Jaiswal. He over overjoyed, like all other students, when he learnt that he had not ...

Tholu Bommalata: Shadow puppetry art of Andhra Pradesh

August 24, 2021

As soon as lights go off, a loud voice, along with classical music, booms and different characters leap onto white screen. The latest show of Tholu Bommalata has begun. Deeply connected with spiritual beliefs and cultural practices, this shadow puppetry mainly depicts narratives ...

Blackface Filter faces tremendous backlash in social media

August 11, 2021

This filter changes the complexion of a creator. In the beginning, it shows the creator with a dark or grey complexion, often looking very grim and gesticulating in anger over her colour. She often tries to brush her skin as if removing dirt, but when nothing works, she turns sad...