Search Results for: culture
Air pollution at record levels as firecracker ban on Diwali fails across north India
November 5, 2021
The biggest Indian festival of the year, Diwali, known in some places as Deepavali, is celebrated twenty days after Dussehra, and symbolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness and good over evil. During the festival, devotees usually pray to beautiful murtis of Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity and Ganesh, god of wisdom and the remover […]
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COP26 headed to failure despite carbon to coal commitments
November 4, 2021
Even before the latest climate change summit, COP26, began at Glasgow earlier this year, there were more than enough warnings and definitely more than adequate evidence that the world had already turn out of time in meeting the climate change threat head on and that the Glasgow summit was the last chance to act, not […]
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After Dabur, Sabyasachi receives flak from rightwing troll police
October 28, 2021
Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s latest ad campaign to promote his luxury mangalsutra collection has triggered a social media turmoil as the ad features heterosexual and same-sex couples posing for pictures wearing his newly launched ‘Royal Bengal Mangalsutra’. Terming the ad “obscene”, many social media users have gone on to call the campaign an attack on Hindu […]
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Social media overdose impacts teenagers’ mental health
October 26, 2021
Even though the social media platforms have been undergoing rapid growth in various parts of the world, notably India, the enforced lockdowns saw a huge increase of 70 pc. Indians on average, spend about 2.25 hours on social media daily, slightly below the global average of 2.5 hours a day. The number of social media […]
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Male beauty influencers in India break gender stereotypes
October 24, 2021
As in most countries around the world, India’s USD 11 billion beauty industry has always largely focused on women. Even when the target is men, attention is mainly limited to skincare, geared towards skin whitening or bleaching or making someone more ‘masculine’. Anything over and above is considered feminine and looked down upon. Moreover, the […]
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Forest Act amendments strike at heart of Indian forests
October 16, 2021
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns, despite some environmental benefits such as the large decline in air pollution, the world’s looming environmental crisis has raged on. Globally, the destruction of rainforests was up by 12 pc in 2020 from 2019, and according to a report by the Global Forest Watch, India lost 14 pc […]
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Fervour & fun returns with Durga Puja in Kolkata
October 15, 2021
For decades, indeed centuries, Durga Puja has dominated the calendar of a Bengali household, with vacations, family reunions and a myriad of social interactions lined up before and during these 10 days. Homes are renovated, gifts exchanged, and even more sweets made and ate than the normal days for the famous sweet tooth that Bengalis […]
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Growing gender gap in STEM jobs in India
October 10, 2021
With the digital revolution rapidly gaining ground in India, driven by enormous investments in technology and a huge market of digitally-connected users, currently at 560 million consumers, the country is well on its way to possibly becoming one of the world leaders in science and technology. Despite being a highly conservative and patriarchal society, India […]
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Explore different faces of Ramlila
October 7, 2021
Ramayana, India’s best-known historical epic, tells the tale of the Indian Prince Lord Ram, whose wife Sita is stolen from him by the ten-headed demon King Ravana and taken to his mountain kingdom. Aided by his brother Lakshman and the loyal monkey god Hanuman, Ram eventually rescues Sita in a series of heroic battles. Every […]
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Durga Puja preparations enter last lap in Delhi’s CR Park
October 5, 2021
With Durga Puja just around the corner, talented artisans are busy putting their final touches on idols of gods and goddesses to be delivered to magnificent pandals, temples and homes of worshippers. The biggest Bengali festival of the year, Durga Puja celebrates the victory of Hindu goddess Durga in her battle against the shape-shifting asura […]
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