The Covid Samaritans

Sweepers, delivery boys, electricians and plumbers, private security guards and garbage collectors are living dangerously to keep us safe and the city running. And what they get in return is paltry salaries, barely enough to sustain them It’s ironic. There was a set of poor working-class people, daily wagers, labourers, construction workers, hawkers and peddlers […]

How non-delivery led to self-reliance

The yearning for exotic cuisine during the lockdown meant such dishes had to be rustled up in one’s own kitchen. When eating out at restaurants becomes safe, a habit of eagerly scanning delivery apps will no doubt be revived — with a vengeance   For quite some time, browsing Zomato was my bedtime story, scanning what […]

After the riots, the coverup

Amid widespread concern that the chargesheets lean too heavily on one community, the Special Investigation Team has added some Hindu names. But the chances of a free and fair trial seem dim The communal riots which took place on 23 -26 February in Delhi’s North-east district saw 53 killed. The 51 identified casualties were 34 […]

In the eye of the storm

As Cyclone Amphan ravaged Kolkata with wind speeds of over 130 km per hour, I was witness to the devastation it brought — from the safety of my home During the lockdown, I thought life couldn’t get worse than this enforced idleness when warning of more bad news hit my television screen A super cyclone […]

Rising mercury a mortal threat

As the Coronavirus creates a public health crisis, the heat wave is causing migrants headed home without adequate food or water to fall ill, even die Last week, 29 labourers were admitted to a temporary hospital in Raksa, Jhansi on the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. They were going to their respective villages […]

Glimmers of normalcy 

The world is embracing a new normal where social distancing will be the norm. The experience of some of the worst affected countries might be useful to India The outbreak of Coronavirus has led to unprecedented disruption in social and economic life across the world. People in the worst affected parts like China, Italy and […]

Let’s pretend

Fly on the wall dispatch from the bug that got stuck under the Hon’ble Finance Minister’s office desk Intellectuals, economists and government officials met the Hon’ble Finance Minister in her chamber to brainstorm on a Covid rescue package for the economy. The Hon’ble Finance Minister opened the discussion with her remarks. Agent Chewing Gum Bug1 reporting […]

The guests who stay on…and on

Some people decided to be with a friend, some ended up being with a romantic partner during the 60-day lockdown (so far) when social life came to a grinding halt. This is their unique experience of coexistence… There are people who live in big houses, mostly alone, and were forced to deal with solitude for […]