Student havens

Shubham Bhatia visits three campus libraries around Delhi to see whether students are being well served and whether they are using the facilities   Ambedkar University library Situated inside the 16-acre Kashmere Gate campus of Ambedkar University, this library oozes old world charm, just like the campus. Next to the gate, you have to deposit […]

Jailhouse rock

Our prisons have become dens from which criminals run their drug and extortion cartels as Jail authorities look the other way Ordinary citizens presume that those held behind bars are isolated from the world of crime. But that seems to be the case only on paper. Criminals inside the jail find innovative ways, pay hefty […]

Sleights of hand

An Australian researcher has done an amazing job of recreating the world of Indian magicians in centuries past, reminding us of our rich cultural heritage. This extract is about Delhi’s Kathputli colony An air of despondency greeted me when in 2016 I visited Shadipur Depot, a West Delhi slum set up in the late 1960s […]

The caste factor

Being a reporter, I come across startling ground realities that make me question the state of the society we are living in I was perturbed when I heard the news of the death of four manual scavengers in July last year. I was deeply saddened by the fact that even today — 25 years after […]

CHEF OF THE WEEK

Chef Sagar Bajaj is a passionate foodie and chef. A graduate of Homes Institute at Melbourne, he has travelled across the globe. He is eclectic about his ingredients and likes to experiment with  them in different dishes and in different ways. He has been working since 2013 with First Fiddle restaurants that owns different brands […]

A feast for your eyes too

You may be tempted to take a chair home – and you can, after duly paying for it You walk in and get struck by its vibrant colours, quirky designs, cheery hues, tricky lights… Such is the first impression of the recently launched, 5,000 sq feet restaurant – Plum by BentChair at Aerocity. Every plush […]

Stand at ease!

Nobody’s perfect. Body shape should stop being a yardstick to judge people as it affects self-esteem What’s a perfect body shape? A notion that keeps changing with time, depending on the cultural context. There are diverse body types and therefore, varied definitions of an ideal body. And no one body type can claim monopoly on […]

Monthly hiccups

A Netflix documentary nominated for the Oscars recorded the attitudes of Hapur girls, among others, towards menstruation “We feel shy, we can’t say it.” This is the opening scene of Oscar-nominated Netflix documentary — Period. End of Sentence — directed by Rayka Zehtabchi. The teenaged girls of Hapur district, in this scene, feel uncomfortable in […]