26th June 2021

Not Just Physical: COVID-19's Impact on Mental Health

As a sophomore in high school, Thanh Phan was in an accident and suffered a small brain injury. Little did she know that this incident would lead her to her passion, and eventually her career. “I remember that time, it was very tough for both my parents and myself. I just remember (thinking) like, 'I wish I could go into a field to understand the brain and human connection more." As a result, Phan decided to major in neuroscience, on her way to fulfilling her wish to learn more about the human

Boston University News Service • 6th November 2021

Femicide in Vermont is emblematic of a larger problem in the US

It was on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, when a man who admitted to killing his 22-year-old wife pleaded not guilty in a court in Vermont. State police stated that Joseph Ferlazzo, 41, informed detectives he had murdered Emily Ferlazzo on Saturday, Oct. 16, in their car in Bolton, Vermont. But at his hearing on a first-degree murder charge in Vermont Superior Court the following Wednesday, his lawyer recorded a not guilty plea. But as the case of Emily Ferlazzo’s death continues, it is hard not to

Boston University News Service • 27th October 2021

RECAP: Boston mayoral candidates sparred in final debate before Election Day

Finalists Michelle Wu (left) and Annissa Essaibi George (right) in the race for Mayor of Boston. (Photo courtesy of Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George) BOSTON – Mayoral candidates Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George locked horns in their final televised debate on Monday night, hosted by The Boston Globe, WBUR, the McCormack Graduate School at UMass Boston and WCVB. While the two candidates agreed on the issues Boston is facing, they offered voters divergent paths to progress. During th

Youth Ki Awaaz • 29th October 2021

The Bollywood Hero Who Taught Us How To Love, Fly And Win

I fell in love with Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) the minute I was born. I remember my mother telling me that she was watching “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge” (DDLJ) after I was born. That is when my one-sided love began for this larger-than-life figure who was ruling hearts in India. Now, some 20 years later, his son, Aryan Khan, has hit the national headlines for all the wrong reasons. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) apprehended Aryan on drug charges. No drugs were found on him, but he was been den

Youth Ki Awaaz • 21st October 2021

‘House Of Secrets’: The Right Step Towards Talking Mental Health In India

House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths’ is a new Netflix docu-series directed by Leena Yadav. From including the many conspiracy theories to showing the truth, the docu-series reveals itself like a work of fiction, grounded in a solid screenplay. However, as chilling as the docu-series is, it fails to answer some pertinent questions about the patriarchal hold in many households, secretive families, and religious dogma.

SheThePeople TV • 31st August 2021

Protests Spread Across The Country In Support Of Jamia Millia Students

The nation is engulfed in student protests across universities, over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the police brutality that was meted out to students from Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi and Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh. “As a student and citizen of India, it’s my right to speak up against discrimination and injustice,” says Aanchal Goswami, a student. Is she wrong to think that? Must student protests be “controlled” using lathi charges and tear gas? Is it okay for

Youth Ki Awaaz • 13th August 2021

‘#GlowUp’: A Viral Instagram Trend Or A Constant Pressure To Be Beautiful?

A generation that grew up using social media and the internet has different standards set for themselves. Gen-Z wants to look the best, wear the best clothes and do the trendiest things going on. So here comes the #GlowUp Trend, which had Instagram ablaze. Millions of people were posting reels of their before and after appearances using quirky music and smooth transitions. But what this has done is created a toxic environment for the Gen-Z, whose minds are impressionable. ‘GlowUp’ Trend Or A Co

Youth Ki Awaaz • 11th August 2021

They Give Me An ‘M’ Size Dress And Ask Me To Fit In: Being A Plus-Size Model In India

The perfect body for a model is supposed to be lean and tall. Therefore, the average size of a model in the industry should be less than UK 4, and anything beyond that is deemed unacceptable. However, in recent years there has been a wave of plus-size models breaking conventions of beauty. Ashley Graham was on the cover of Vogue, Candice Huffine walked down the runway for Prabal Gurung during New York Fashion Week, and Paloma Elsesser modelled nude on a billboard advertisement for Glossier’s Bo

News18 • 7th August 2021

'Riding Free: My Olympic Journey' is An Insightful Memoir of Imtiaz Anees, The Equestrian Who Made India Proud

Equestrian as a sport has been linked with royalty. Until Imtiaz Anees became the second Indian rider and the only one from India to finish an equestrian event at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000, the sport was also mainly dominated by the military soldiers. After Anees, only Fouaad Mirza has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. Anees penned his moving journey in his memoir Riding Free: My Olympic Journey, which hit the stands recently and was published by Harper Collins. It is perhaps the most appr

Youth Ki Awaaz • 1st August 2021

How Inspirational: 3 Women Who Turned Their Hobbies Into A Business Post COVID

During the pandemic, many small businesses had to close down due to financial losses or zero profitability. Many people lost their jobs as well. Over 122 million people in India lost their jobs in April, according to estimates by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. Around 75% of them were small traders and wage-labourers. However, what thrived were small Instagram businesses that came up during the lockdown. One such business owner is Rasha, a 24-year-old of the Instagram shop, Clayed by

News18 • 31st July 2021

Minna Minni: A Social Media Venture That Makes Carnatic Music, Traditional Dance Forms Accessible

During the COVID-19 pandemic many of us have picked up new hobbies or learnt new skills. Some have enrolled for language lessons, while others are exploring their passion for music, and learning to play new music instruments. However, if you are someone who doesn’t quite want to put in that much effort into learning music, but wants to enrich his understanding of classical musical forms, we recommend you try out the social media venture — Minna Minni. Minna Minni is a classical music platform l

News18 • 31st July 2021

From Bumble to Goldman Sachs: Companies Are Giving Paid Leaves To Employees To Prevent Burnout During The Pandemic

As employees suffer from burnout and their productivity drops during this pandemic, most brands are realizing that unless they give their employees some time off to recharge and refresh, their outputs will be severely hampered. Therefore, large corporations, as well as middle-size businesses and start-ups are giving workers surprise “wellness day-offs” or actively motivating them to take casual leaves. From Hindustan Unilever, L’Oreal India, Nestle India, Mondelez India, GSK Consumer Healthcare

Youth Ki Awaaz • 30th July 2021

Why Athletes Taking A Break For Mental Health Is ‘Revolutionary’

Recently, a Japanese player pulled out of the French Open after organisers threatened to expel her for not honouring media commitments. Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion, withdrew from the French Open, citing mental health issues. Another athlete, Simone Biles, a US gymnast, pulled out of the Olympics earlier this week due to mental health issues. This ignited a cultural and political firestorm on Wednesday after right-wing critics and trolls attacked her for letting down her team

News18 • 27th July 2021

House of Masaba Turns 12 Today: Here's How The Iconoclastic Designer Broke The Conventional Mould of Indian Fashion

Popular designer Masaba Gupta’s fashion brand, ‘House of Masaba’ completed twelve years today. She is the soul and essence of House of Masaba, who has run the business since she was 19-years-old. In its twelfth year now, Masaba’s fashion label, best defined as a diffusion line label, has made its presence felt strongly in the Indian fashion scene. The brand might be a little more than a decade old, but it shows no signs of stagnation, much like the brain behind the label herself. Starting early

News18 • 19th July 2021

Put Phone On Silent, Create Mood: Easy Ways To Take Your Virtual Dating Experience To The Next Level

Dating during the pandemic has become increasingly challenging. While many individuals in relationships have had reduced face-to-face time with their significant other, those hoping to find new love have had very limited choices. The prospect of restaurant visits and movie dates cannot still be entertained without the considerable fear of the dreaded virus. Therefore, many urban couples have been forced to make their dates online. However, it is perhaps needless to say; online dates are barely

News18 • 16th July 2021

Unplug And Detox: Here's Why You Should Do A Social Media Cleanse During This Pandemic

For almost a year and a half of the pandemic, social media has been our only point of contact with the outside world. Digital platforms are where we came together in crisis, mourning, and loneliness. However, despite being a source of solace, it has also acted as a trigger, and an added stressor in our already stressful lives during these strange, and dark times. Therefore, it should come as no surprise, that many had voluntarily chosen to do a social media detox or cleanse during this time, to

News18 • 9th July 2021

Not Your Average Pandemic Read: Mortuary Tales Explores Uncomfortable Questions About Death

Kashif Mashaikh’s ‘Mortuary Tales’ is an intense and poignant novel about the lessons one can learn from death. It is a blistering and unflinching commentary on pain, love, guilt and remorse. There are nine stories that make up the book, narrated by Jeevanram, a mortician. A graduate from the University of Mumbai with years of experience being a journalist, Mashaikh’s debut novel tells the story of the mortician, Jeevanram, who has worked the night shift at the mortuary of a Mumbai hospital. He

News18 • 30th June 2021

Kids Aren't Alright: Indian Students Are Lugging the Burden of Pandemic With Heartaches and Backaches

The struggle of being an Indian student during the COVID-19 pandemic has crossed all boundaries of class, regionality, and background. While the digital divide has made it challenging for marginalised sections of students to access learning and resulted in many dropping out from the education system, for the privileged too, this period had not been easy. Many of them are, in fact, struggling to adjust to the reality that a fast broadband connection cannot keep the real connections of love and fr

SheThePeople TV • 26th June 2021

We Are So Gullible When It Comes To Weight Loss, Says Pooja Makhija

Parents today are very cautious about what they are putting on the plate for their kids. Their carb and fat intake is duly monitored and most parents advocate a healthy diet, except occasional consumption of junk food. But it isn’t as easy as it sounds and parents and children often struggle to identify healthy options from the unhealthy one. Often harmful ingredients hide in plain sight in food items that we assume to be healthy. Also, in households where both the parents are working, they cann

SheThePeople TV • 26th June 2021

It's 2020 And Menstruation Still Remains A Huge Taboo In India

Nearly 70 female students at an institute in Gujarat’s Bhuj were pressured to remove their undergarments by their principal to prove that they were not menstruating. This incident happened in the year 2020, in an era of strong dialogues on the empowerment of women and smashing patriarchy. And yet, this is where some parts of our society are stuck at. Move over equality, women still have to fight for being treated with dignity. For not being treated as unclean and dirty while menstruating. When w