Reporting and Opinions

‘Eating disorders are not lifestyle choices’: Why many people share a complicated relationship with food

Kritika Ghai was first diagnosed with binge-eating disorder when she was merely 12 years. Since birth, she had an enlarged adenoid that blocked her nose pipe, making her gain weight. Her suffering was further exacerbated by her inability to perform any kind of exercise, owing to her irregular breathing patterns. As such, as a child, she was put on various extreme diets to manage her weight. This forced her to eat large amounts of food — rapidly and secretively. “Not knowing what I was going thro

Claims against one Shattuck surgeon raise questions about state care for prisoners

In 2016, Matthew Tottenham, was transported in chains from his cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center to the state’s Lemuel Shattuck Hospital for foot surgery — performed by orthopedic surgeon Adriana Carrillo.

Tottenham — now 35 years old — says he’d been told by his surgeon that he was going to have a simple procedure to remove bone spurs. But while he was under anesthesia, he says she did a second procedure on his foot that he did not learn about until months later. He says he woke

‘It is a matter of dignity’: How adaptive clothing aims to empower people with disabilities

After being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis in 2014, Kolkata-based Soumita Basu became wheelchair-bound. This not only made “dressing up a huge problem”, but she also “completely disliked” depending on others to wear her clothes. “The fact is, dressing up is a private affair, and whenever you rely on someone for it, you feel a loss of independence and bodily autonomy,” she asserted. Over the years, with not much clothing available to cater to her condition, Basu resorted to wearing oversized

Music therapy: Experts on harnessing the power of notes and lyrics to make lives better

Raksha Shah’s depression got worse during the COVID-19 lockdown, making her feel extremely isolated at home. The only thing that kept her going was engaging in activities she liked, and on the top of the list was music. As such, with time on her hand, she decided to join music therapy and attended daily sessions with a group of senior citizens who were facing similar problems. Only a few sessions made her feel better and even gave her the confidence to perform songs in front of others. “I can sa

‘Having a mental health condition made me believe I was weak’: People recount experiences living with bipolar disorder

Avani Shukla was merely 16 when she got diagnosed with bipolar disorder; right before her Class 11 final examinations. Being a good student, Shukla had always performed well in class, but the disorder — which causes extreme mood swings — wreaked havoc as she was unable to concentrate, something which started reflecting in her scores. The cause, she recalled, was parental pressure to perform well in school and tuition. “My parents were afraid and ashamed of what was happening to me. As such, they

‘There is no one-size-fits-all approach to parenting’: Experts share tips to manage rebellious behaviour in children

Over the years, Anuradha Premnath, a mother and principal, Orchids International School, saw things falling apart between her daughter and herself. “She would go on a hunger strike, lock herself up in a room, and not speak to me for days at a stretch. At times, she even behaved hysterically, with loud yelling,” she said, further sharing that her daughter’s behaviour made her feel like she had “failed as a mother”, which further “brought a ton of guilt and shame”. Despite feeling so, Premnath dec

Unload The Burden: The Bagless Policy Of NEP 2020 Is A Boon For Students

The New Education Policy of 2020 has helped to revamp the education system by making it more activity-based and practice-oriented. The 10-day bagless ...

We have all grown up carrying heavy bags which not only burden us physically, but also are a metaphor for the pressure put on the students to excel in academics at all costs. Carrying books on which we end up rote learning leaves no scope for practice-based learning that is more fruitful in the long run. To bring a change in the current system

New Year, Old Us: Crimes Against Women On An All-Time High

We welcomed 2023 with an assault on women’s dignity. From the Delhi accident to the Air India urination incident, the ordinary Indian woman’s safety i...

With another new year rolling in, we resolved that better treatment be meted out to all women. However, on January 1 itself, there was a tragic incident which led to the death of a woman, Anjali Singh. The sole breadwinner of her family, Singh was returning home on her scooty when she had a head-on collision with a Maruti Baleno. She was dragg

Bold Tones To Cyber Punk, Here Are The Expected Fashion Trends Of 2023

In an exclusive interview with HerZindagi, Anand Singh, Fashion Design Manager, DaMENSCH, forecasts the hottest fashion trends of 2023.

After spending the first two years of the 2020s in our pyjamas, 2022 brought normalcy in our lives and we sought comfort in fashion. With nostalgia taking a front seat, we saw a resurgence of ‘90s and Y2K trends. Celebrities and models alike dressed in bold colours and prints. Pink and purple became the shades of the year. However, with the possible recession c

Climes, The Company Working On Climate Change One Wedding At A Time

The wedding industry has bounced back post-pandemic and has once again brought back the major concern of climate change. There is utmost need to make ...

The Indian wedding industry is one of the largest in the world, following the US market. The total value of the Indian wedding industry is an estimated $50 billion.

Indian weddings for a long time have been known for their luxe and bling. They have unrestrained budgets where people often flex their social status and wealth. Weddings are also

Finding Happiness After Abusive Relationships: 3 Women Share Their Stories With Us

We talked to three women who share their stories of resilience and perseverance, which gave them a new lease of life after being in toxic relationship...

After the Shraddha Walkar murder case, there has been a highlight on abusive relationships. Women are often forced to sacrifice their happiness for the sake of their relationships and marriages, even when it comes with intense abuse and toxicity. However, some of them choose themselves before anything else and manage to thrive after getting ou

Pathaan Controversy: Why ‘Besharam Rang’ Is Not Besharam

The SRK-Deepika Padukone action thriller, Pathaan has become the talk of town for all the wrong reasons, but is this criticism valid? Let’s break it d...

Pathaan is the much-awaited action thriller that will see Shah Rukh Khan coming on the silver screen after a four year break from Bollywood, barring his cameo appearances here and there. Pathaan is already being lauded for its power-packed trailer. However, after the release of its first song ‘Besharam Rang’, there has been a frenzy among a ce

How Rayyan Monkey, A Transwoman, Found Joy Through Her Queerness

A content creator and strong advocate for the trans community, Rayyan Monkey gets up close and personal about her journey of embracing her gender iden...

Rayyan Monkey, 31, is a transwoman and content creator, who refuses to bend down to society’s norms. Monkey, who goes by She/They pronouns, took up this title because her friends affectionately called her ‘monkey’. She came to terms with her gender identity at the age of 29. “I feel like half my life has gone trying to be myself,” said Rayyan.

Addressing The Gender Gap In STEM: 4 Women Share Their Experiences

Living in a patriarchal society, women to date face challenges while pursuing a STEM degree. The gender gap increases in STEM as we go up the ladder.

For a long time, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have been fields dominated by men, who are mostly upper-class and upper-caste.

According to the World Bank report on advancing women’s participation in STEM in 2019, about 43% of STEM graduates in India are women, which is the highest in the world, but going up the ladder,

‘I Am Not An Alien’, Sonu Anand Sharma’s Journey With Deafness

Sonu Anand Sharma’s hearing impairment deterred her, but never stopped her. Here is her journey from overcoming adversity to being a strong advocate f...

Sonu Anand Sharma was born deaf and mute. There was 100% hearing impairment in both her ears at the time of birth.

Despite being eager to learn, Sharma could not understand what was going on during classes because the teachers either did not know sign language or didn’t know it well enough to teach someone. Deafness requires special attention

How Not To Fall Out Of Love, Experts Weigh In

It is easy to fall in love, but can be difficult to stay in it. Here are some tips by experts for couples to keep the flame lit in their relationships...

Love is not just a chemical reaction caused by neurotransmitters like oxytocin and dopamine cross-firing in your brain. It is an emotion that goes far deeper than that.

When you’re in love with someone there are biological and chemical changes that happen in your body. “Overall, romantic love as a phenomenon can be said to be biological. Its

Twitter Battles Impersonator Accounts After Launching Paid Verification System

The wave of impersonation comes as Twitter allowed users to buy blue ticks for their profiles without providing identity verification.

Hours after the launch of the new paid verification system, Twitter appears to be fighting celebrity and corporate impersonator accounts as they misuse the blue check mark privileges.

Multiple verified Twitter impersonator accounts have been suspended by the platform after they tweeted misleading content. The celebrities and companies who have been impersonated

‘I Have Learnt To Live With Endometriosis’: A Woman Shares Her Experience

According to a survey, women have been told that living with endometriosis is a normal part of being a woman, which denies the severity of the ailment...

Tanvi*, a 26 year old corporate lawyer, had severe period cramps in late 2019, which were unbearable to the extent that she had a blackout in the shower due to the pain. She fainted but was one of the lucky ones to know the steps she should take afterwards as her parents are doctors.

Not a lot of women realise the underlying condition to symp

5 Wedding Photographers Perfect For Large To Intimate Ceremonies

From those sweet candid moments to making you look good while munching on wedding food, these photographers will make your wedding mesmerising.

You are all decked up for your wedding and the wedding venue looks like it's right out of your dreams; now all you need is a person behind the lens to capture the perfect moments.

These photographs will become part of your wedding albums and be posted on Instagram, but will also transport you decades later to one of the most memorable days of your life

How To Alleviate Period Pain And Cramps, An Expert Weighs In

Period pain can be a symptom of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The feeling of cramps is caused by the release of certain substances in the body called p...

Cramping and pain around the time of your menstruation is fairly common. More than half the menstruators report experiencing period pain for about one to two days in a month. Usually, these cramps occur at the beginning of your period. Other symptoms such as bloating, headache and fatigue are also common.

We asked an expert to weigh our optio
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